If the base wanted to be destroyed, it first had to drive Lin Xiaohao crazy.
And Lin Xiaohao had genuinely lost it.
Her precious darling, Sweet Sweet, was about to wither for 48 hours. This meant that for the next two days, she would lose Sweet Sweet’s protective shield.
For someone who valued her life dearly, this was an absolutely terrifying prospect.
Facing a crisis where her life was no longer guaranteed, Lin Xiaohao chose to annihilate her enemies first!
“Kill!”
“Rat-tat-tat-tat!”
“Pew! Pew! Pew!”
Sweet Sweet’s cannon and Doudou’s [Charged Berserk Mode] swept through the Imperial soldiers’ lives like the scythe of the Grim Reaper, merciless and efficient.
Imperial mechs and unmanned fighters lifted off, accelerating to maximum speed as they fled toward the other side of the Black Sea Desert.
Huge news!
The Federation possessed a superweapon capable of literally swallowing a nuclear bomb!
Lin Xiaohao, eyes reddened, stared at the blinking red dots on her display, firing continuously until not a single red dot remained within the base’s vicinity. Only then did she stop.
“Xinbao, where’s the Silly Sweet Young Master?”
Xinbao plotted the most direct route.
The pink beetle mech clambered over the ruins, finally stopping in front of a warehouse.
Its slender forelimbs pushed open the warehouse door, revealing a group of military journalists huddled together, clutching their heads like quails.
“Wahhh, Mom, it’s so scary. I want to go home,” the Silly Sweet Young Master sobbed, tears streaming down his face.
“I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die, I’m really gonna die…” This was from a journalist scared out of his wits.
“Some deaths are weightier than Mount Tai, some are lighter than a feather. The Federation will remember my sacrifice!” Another journalist, eyes squeezed shut, held his camera high, determined to record the final moments of his life.
They waited for a long time, only to be greeted by the grating sound of a door opening.
Lin Xiaohao’s heart ached. Her Sweet Sweet…
Her voice, heavy and hoarse with grief, echoed, “Is this the Military Press Corps? If so… squeak once.”
Ah! That voice!
The journalists’ heads snapped up simultaneously, staring blankly towards the warehouse entrance.
What kind of magnificent and poignant scene was this?
A pink beetle mech stood amidst the rubble.
Behind it lay the smoldering ruins of the base, the golden light of the setting sun gilding the white smoke. The entire scene resembled a vivid, thickly painted oil masterpiece.
The cruelty and solemnity of war were displayed here in their fullest, most profound form.
Yet, that single splash of vibrant pink pierced through the haze like a beacon, striking everyone’s hearts with awe.
It was so powerful, representing the very hope of survival!
The journalist holding the camera trembled all over. He had captured it! He had captured the quintessential image of the Battle of Miluo Star!
“Squeak!”
Everyone turned towards the sound. It was the Silly Sweet Young Master.
Like a fledgling bird returning to its nest, he ran to the entrance and hugged the pink beetle mech’s forelimb. “Squeak, squeak, squeak!”
Lin Xiaohao was utterly confused. Had the Silly Sweet Young Master been scared senseless? Well, that wasn’t her fault. It was all the Empire’s doing.
After confirming that the military press corps had no physical injuries, only fright, Lin Xiaohao gently pried the Silly Sweet Young Master away. “Wait here for now. I’m going to see what secrets this base is hiding.”
Curiosity is a journalist’s nature. They picked up their cameras and eagerly trotted after the pink beetle mech.
The base’s secret was a prisoner-of-war camp that resembled a living hell.
Hundreds of gaunt, emaciated, and ragged Federation prisoners were herded together like livestock, their faces pale and hollow.
Several hundred meters away from them lay a mountain of corpses.
The mangled bodies were stacked upon each other like building blocks, layer upon gruesome layer.
Blood trickled down from the pile, forming little red rivulets on the ground.
Under the scorching sun, the blood had mostly dried, leaving behind dark, crusted stains that emitted a putrid stench.
Lin Xiaohao was deeply shaken by the sight. After the initial shock, a wave of nausea hit her.
The press corps silently recorded everything before them with their cameras.
Lin Xiaohao maneuvered her mech to tear open the iron fence that separated life from death. Slowing her speech, she stated firmly, “Federation soldiers, come out. You are free.”
The surviving soldiers showed no joy, no cheers. They simply walked out silently, their expressions numb and vacant as they stopped before the pink beetle mech, tilting their heads up to gaze at it.
Some, as if they hadn’t heard Lin Xiaohao’s words at all, remained inside, gripping the barbed wire and staring blankly outwards.
Without a doubt, these Federation soldiers were all suffering from some form of psychological trauma and were in dire need of intervention.
“Despicable! The Empire has violated the POW Convention!”
“Our Federation has never treated Imperial prisoners like this! This is a trampling of human life!”
“I’m going to expose the Empire’s atrocities! Let the entire Federation, the entire galaxy, witness their brutality!”
The press corps was enraged. They could already imagine the uproar that would sweep the Federation once this footage was released.
Sitting motionless inside her mech, Lin Xiaohao didn’t understand why these prisoners were staring at her like that.
The Federation soldier standing at the front, his pale lips trembling slightly, spoke in a voice so low it was barely a whisper, laced with inexplicable exhaustion and gravity.
His gaze was fixed intently on the pink beetle’s cockpit, as if seeking confirmation: “Are we… free?”
Lin Xiaohao, using a tone as serious and solemn as taking a party oath, affirmed, “Yes. You are free.”
Silence. Nothing but silence followed.
Just as Lin Xiaohao began to wonder if she had said something wrong, the lead soldier moved.
He raised his right hand to his chest, snapped a perfect military salute, and declared in a loud, clear voice: “Sixth Star Ring, 23rd Division, First Class Sergeant Luo Ji, salutes you!”
“Sixth Star Ring, 8th Division, Second Class Sergeant Li Kai, salutes you!”
“Sixth Star Ring, 7th Division, Second Class Sergeant Yan Kai, salutes you!”
…
One by one, the Federation soldiers snapped to attention, saluting the pink beetle mech. The dazed and lifelessness in their eyes gradually transformed into the fervent gaze of hero-worship.
This was the warrior who had single-handedly challenged the Imperial base! The hero who had rescued them from the siege of hundreds of mechs!
Her appearance was like a shot of adrenaline, becoming the new beacon of hope, the new faith for these former prisoners.
So, please, tell us your name, O Insect God!
For a moment, Lin Xiaohao was at a loss.
The soldiers’ gazes were too intense, seemingly able to pierce through the mech’s armor. Their desire to know the true name of the Insect God was palpable.
Xinbao excitedly clapped its two small leaves together. [I knew it! Xiaohao is the best! Everyone knows you’re the best! They all like you and admire you, just like me!]
A faint, shimmering light traced patterns across Doudou’s translucent pod. [Hmph, they have good taste. Xiaohao, tell them your name! The entire Miluo Star will shine because of your arrival. You will set sail from here and conquer the stars and seas!]
Lin Xiaohao was almost embarrassed by all the praise.
Her cheeks flushed red, but her eyes sparkled brightly, as if holding an entire galaxy within them.
“Sixth Star Ring, Fifth Division, Special Reconnaissance Battalion, Military Academy Student Lin Xiaohao, salutes you!”
A gust of wind dispersed the smoke behind them. The perfectly round setting sun served only as a backdrop, accentuating the heroic silhouette of the pink beetle mech!
This beautiful scene was faithfully recorded by the military journalist, who titled it [The Descent of the Insect God]!
