Time flew by quickly, and in just two and a half days, it was already over. On the last afternoon of his vacation, Zhou Yuan left the Communication Corps' living area, ready to return to the Hunter Corps dormitory.
He had an amazing time these past few days. During the day, he had four new friends to hang out with, and at night, there were three more. Along with Daisy and Judy, he had a total of nine good friends. These nine friends were incredibly welcoming, and he responded with equal enthusiasm.
However, even with his robust physique, after two and a half days of constant socializing, he felt physically exhausted. But his nine friends were even more tired. After witnessing his abilities firsthand, they were all astounded, inviting him to visit whenever he had time. They even promised to introduce him to some impressive new friends next time.
He willingly accepted, not wanting to disappoint his friends. The work in the communication center was monotonous, and he wanted to bring some joy and warmth into their lives.
But now, he had to leave. Tomorrow, he had a mission to search for the bug nest outside the fortress, and his team members hadn't even met him yet. That wouldn't do.
Twenty minutes later.
Strategic Zone No. 1, Underground Training Ground, Level 13.
"Attention!"
Zhou Yuan paced back and forth, carefully observing the nine individuals standing before him. These nine people were now his squad members—seven men and two women—personally selected from the list provided by Buck.
Some came from the Defense Force, some from the Mechanical Force, and even a few from the Engineering Force. Each excelling in their respective positions, their abilities were top-notch. And they had exceptional observational skills.
In the morning, he sought Falcon's help and took them to the Armory to get their weapons. They chose the same black with red stripe skeleton suits as Zhou Yuan.
Nine red skeletons standing together created an impressive visual effect, making them look like formidable characters.
"I won't waste any time. I have one requirement for all of you," Zhou Yuan said, stopping in front of the formation, his tone resolute. "Give it your all, and never retreat. If anyone can't meet this expectation, I'll dismiss them. My uniform isn't something just anyone can wear."
"Do you all understand?"
"Yes, sir!" The team members responded in unison, saluting, their hearts filled with determination. They all knew who their captain was—the slaughterer, the super infantry who could single-handedly eliminate tank beetles within ten seconds.
They listened intently to his words.
Give it your all, never back down.
Only a man like Butcher can say such cool words. Being able to join Butcher's team is a great recognition for them and they will give it their all to prove their worth.
"Good, I hope your abilities match your loud voice."
"Now, introduce yourselves with your code names followed by your positions."
Nodding, Zhou Yuan looked towards the first member on his left and signaled for them to begin from left to right.
"Sir, I'm Rope, the primary assault and secondary guide."
"Sir, I'm Coffee..."
"No problem."
As he listened, Zhou Yuan confirmed their positions in his mind. Currently, the Third Squad's composition was:
Lieutenant Butcher - Commander - Machine Gunner
Lieutenant Rope - Primary Assault - Guide
Lieutenant Devil - Sniper - Communications Specialist
Lieutenant Coffee - Medic - Communications Specialist
Lieutenant Venom - Sniper - Reconnaissance Specialist
Staff Sergeant Magic - Medic - Engineer
Staff Sergeant Queen - Primary Assault - Engineer
Staff Sergeant Alcohol - Primary Assault - Guide
Sergeant Generator - Machine Gunner - Demolitions Specialist
Sergeant Shockwave - Machine Gunner - Demolitions Specialist
Compared to the First Squad, their ranks were slightly lower, but not every squad had the same composition as the First Squad.
Out of the ten squads, only the First Squad was made up of one Captain and nine Lieutenants. The other nine squads had a Lieutenant as the leader, and the members were made up of the highest ranking Lieutenants and lowest ranking Sergeants. So, his squad was considered good.
It's just that there weren't any outstanding soldiers on the list of candidates. If there were, he would even be willing to take on a Private. After all, on the battlefield, it's not rank that determines the ability to kill bugs, but strength.
After the members finished introducing themselves, Zhou Yuan waved his hand and said, "You all know what a special forces team does. We will meet at the airport at six o'clock tomorrow morning."
"Now let's begin training. The first task is endurance running. Run ten laps around the training ground, go!"
As he gave the command, the members immediately began to move.
Watching the members begin their training, Zhou Yuan felt a little satisfied. Although it wasn't his first time as a squad leader, every time he gave an order, it made him feel relieved. This was the joy of being a leader.
... ...
The next morning, Zhou Yuan led the team onto a transport plane.
"Fully armed, we will reach our destination in ten minutes."
"Today, we're going to the Life Garden. There have been a lot of bugs in the area lately, so we need to find any potential bug nests or kill any bugs we see."
As he looked at his work tablet, Zhou Yuan said.
The Life Garden was the only city on Mars, with nearly one billion people living in an area of over ten million square kilometers. Because of this, the defenses of the Life Garden were very strong.
Behind it was the Sailor Canyon, with Sailor Base watching its back, and there was also the Mars Base in front of it, so it was well-protected. Occasionally, some bugs would sneak past the two bases, but the Life Garden had a defensive wall and defense force, which prevented even a bug swarm from getting in.
This mission near the Life Garden was mainly a precautionary measure. Recently, there had been a lot of bugs wandering around the area, and there were even swarms of bugs numbering in the thousands. This meant that there might be a bug nest nearby.
The lesson of the fall of Pluto was right in front of them.
To avoid unnecessary trouble in the future, the Life Garden was preparing to fully clear the surrounding area, so they had dispatched special combat units from the Tharsis Fortress. Not only that, but Sailor Base and Mars Base had also sent many special combat units.
This was a long-term mission, and such a large area couldn't be dealt with in just three to five days.
"I've already sent the operation route to your combat devices."
"Rope and Alcohol will lead the way, Venom and Devil watch the flanks, Magic and Queen watch our backs, and everyone else follows me. Let's get moving!"
Zhou Yuan picked up his AWM and gave the order. In his ring, he had an AWM with unlimited bullets, so he switched to it. If needed, he could switch to the version with unlimited bullets.
Besides the sniper rifle, there was also a demolition charge in their equipment. His position was commander and machine gunner, so he didn't have to carry the demolition charge.
But this didn't affect him earning soul points.
The Third Squad members were all new recruits, and before becoming part of the special forces, they hadn't even fired a tactical nuclear missile as defense troops.
To avoid wasting tactical nuclear missiles, or even causing a launch error, their squad leader personally took care of it, which was very reasonable.
Everything was for the team!