Chapter 273: Extra (10)
Star Alliance United Front Headquarters, Medical Division, Intensive Care Unit.
Lang Ze slowly regained consciousness, greeted by the glare of bright lights. As his eyes adjusted, he realized he was submerged in nutrient fluid within a medical pod.
Turning his head, he could faintly make out a familiar slender figure through the transparent glass.
His memory began to return.
He had been injured… The last thing he remembered before blacking out was Ika’s worried face.
Ah, how fortunate—he’d been rescued.
Lang Ze closed his eyes again, his mind slipping back into a haze.
When he woke again, the nutrient fluid had drained from the medical pod, and its door was open. A handsome young man with long, wavy blue hair stood beside it. When he saw Lang Ze’s eyes open, the young man visibly relaxed, his expression showing deep relief.
“Lang Ze, how are you feeling? Can you hear me?” Ika asked.
Lang Ze blinked a few times, fully coming to his senses. He quickly sat up, climbed out of the pod, and instinctively checked his chest and stomach, his mind flashing back to the intense battle.
“Ah, I’m alive!” He hopped out of the pod, bouncing twice on the spot. “I’m fine, all good.”
Lang Ze beamed, looking up—only to meet Ika’s stern gaze. The young man’s arms were crossed, and his deep sea-blue eyes bore into him with an oppressive intensity.
Lang Ze, who had been all smiles a moment ago, instinctively tucked his tail between his legs and lowered his head, adopting a submissive posture.
But his obedient demeanor didn’t spare him from Ika’s scolding.
It had been two years since they arrived on the interstellar battlefield. In that time, the Young Cub Squad had grown immensely, earning their place and changing the minds of all who doubted them.
When they first arrived, few believed in them.
After all, aside from Ika, Ran Lie, and Lu Li, the other members were underage. Combined with the somewhat comical name “Young Cub Squad,” it was hard to inspire trust.
On their first day, some officers even tried to assign Xue Wei and Little Li Hua to the logistics division. During training, there were even instances of soldiers making inappropriate remarks.
But they didn’t need the boys to step in—Xue Wei and Little Li Hua proved on their own that appearances can be deceiving.
No one expected that Xue Wei, in her pink combat suit and petite, delicate form, could lift a mech weighing several tons.
Witnessing this feat, everyone was left speechless—even the instructor stared at her like he’d seen a ghost.
As for Little Li Hua, she didn’t rely on raw strength, but she achieved an impressive feat of her own: defeating 100 soldiers at once.
Yes, she issued a challenge to 100 new recruits, many of whom had awakened powers or were beast-blood warriors.
Initially, the instructor refused outright. But the sweet, adorable girl, who looked like she belonged on a movie poster rather than a battlefield, simply smiled and said, “Why don’t you let them all come at me together?”
To everyone’s shock, the instructor turned and gave the order, sending the recruits in against her.
Though reluctant and unsure, the recruits couldn’t defy their first-day orders and had no choice but to attack Little Li Hua.
To this day, two years later, that battle remains etched in the minds of those soldiers, who now avoid her at all costs.
Because what happened next was nothing short of bizarre.
As the 100 recruits charged at her, Little Li Hua smiled and said, “You’re now one-year-old babies. You can’t walk, you can’t talk, all you can do is cry and call for your mom.”
And then…
One by one, those iron-willed military academy graduates, who had passed rigorous Star Alliance exams to reach the frontline base, sat down and began bawling.
Not just crying—they were wailing, calling out for their mothers.
The instructor and others watching from the new recruit camp were dumbfounded. Little Li Hua, standing sweetly in the middle of the chaos, calmly activated her communicator and began recording the scene.
When the instructor finally snapped out of it and declared her victory, she released her mental hold on the recruits.
When the recruits regained their senses, utterly confused about how they’d lost, Little Li Hua played back the footage on her communicator, showing them crying and calling for their moms in vivid detail.
Each recruit’s face was captured in a close-up shot.
It was a scene of utter public humiliation.
The recruits were furious.
The beast-blood warriors, who had been hailed as prodigies, were especially enraged. They launched a full-power attack on Little Li Hua, determined to reclaim their dignity.
But Little Li Hua calmly pulled out a scroll she had prepared. With a wave of her hand, a massive metal shield, four to five meters tall and wide, materialized before her, effortlessly blocking the attack.
As the other recruits prepared to intervene, Little Li Hua straightened, put her hands on her hips, and said sweetly, “If you don’t apologize now, I’ll make you kiss each other.”
The threat was utterly diabolical.
No soldier could remain indifferent after hearing those words. Covering their mouths and glancing warily at their future comrades, they instinctively stepped away from one another.
Holding the giant metal shield in place, Little Li Hua asked again, her tone even: “Are you going to apologize or not?”
Little Li Hua, having grown up cherished by her older siblings, was not the type to endure grievances. And these troublemakers had not only bullied her but also her favorite, Sister Xue Wei!
While Xue Wei had a gentle temperament and chose not to hold grudges, Little Li Hua wasn’t so forgiving.
If anyone dared to bully her or someone she cared about, she would make sure to settle the score on the spot! And if she couldn’t handle it alone… well, weren’t her brothers and teammates there to back her up?
Confident and fearless, Little Li Hua faced the situation head-on.
In the end, all the hundred new recruits were forced to apologize to Little Li Hua. Even those who hadn’t openly mocked her but had entertained such thoughts about the two girls offered their apologies.
From that point on, no one dared to look down on the members of the Young Cub Squad.
Despite their young age, each member was formidable, and even the two seemingly delicate girls were not to be trifled with.
Later, when the Young Cub Squad was renamed the Earth Squad, their reputation soared even higher.
Earth, after all, was the birthplace of humanity. Beyond this fact, there were persistent rumors that the planet still harbored ancestors who had lived for tens of thousands of years.
While ordinary people dismissed this as mere legend, warriors from beast-blood families knew it to be true.
Thus, the awe-inspiring strength of the Earth Squad became less of a surprise.
Over the next two years, the Earth Squad proved their worth through action. Without their contributions, humanity’s war against interstellar monsters would never have approached its conclusion within such a short time.
The children fought on the frontlines, inevitably sustaining injuries of varying severity. But with Ika accompanying them as their healer, all injuries were promptly treated, and none resulted in serious consequences.
However, this time was different—Lang Ze’s injuries were the most severe he had ever endured.
His squad had been ambushed by several interstellar monsters. To protect his teammates, Lang Ze deliberately drew the monsters’ attention, ultimately being caught off guard by a hidden attack that pierced his chest.
Fortunately, reinforcements arrived in time. Thanks to Ika’s immediate treatment, Lang Ze’s vital signs were stabilized, and he was sent to the intensive care unit for recovery.
“At that critical moment, why didn’t you use the teleportation orb?” Ika asked, arms crossed, clearly unwilling to let the matter go. “Do you have any idea how dangerous it was? You almost died!”
Once known for his gentle and kind nature, Ika had become the squad’s most steadfast pillar of support over the past two years. Yet, due to his aggressive teammates, he had rapidly evolved into a formidable “demon king.”
No one dared to talk back during one of Ika’s lectures.
“I was wrong,” Lang Ze muttered, lowering his head. “I won’t act recklessly again. I promise!”
Sensing Ika’s attitude softening slightly, Lang Ze quickly turned on the charm. “Brother Ika, please don’t be mad anymore. I really know I was wrong.”
Seeing him use this tactic again, Ika let out a cold snort.
“Xing Xing knows too. You might want to save that routine for him and see if he’ll forgive you this time.”
Lang Ze’s expression froze instantly.
“You… you didn’t keep it a secret for me?” he asked pitifully.
Ika’s cold gaze said it all.
Lang Ze drooped his head again, defeated. “Alright, I understand.”
Just then, the door opened, and a tall, upright young man entered. Seeing Lang Ze alive and well, he greeted him with delight.
“Lang Ze, you’re okay!”
“Xiang Yang…” Lang Ze mumbled weakly in response.
Ika, who had been maintaining a stern demeanor, softened slightly at the sight of the newcomer but still crossed his arms.
Rong Heng immediately understood the situation. Smiling faintly, he held up the food container in his hand. “I brought dinner for Ika. Lang Ze, why don’t you grab something to eat too?”
Hearing this, Lang Ze looked as if he’d been granted a reprieve.
“Yes, yes! I’m starving. I’ll just get changed and head out to eat!” He snuck a careful glance at Ika before hurrying to add, “I’ll leave now. Don’t worry!”
Ika glared at him. “Get out.”
“Yes, yes, I’m leaving right now!”
Lang Ze nodded repeatedly, throwing a grateful glance at Rong Heng before bolting from the room as if his life depended on it.
As Rong Heng turned back, he met Ika’s disapproving gaze.
The blue-haired youth pouted and muttered, “You’re spoiling him.”
Rong Heng didn’t reply. Instead, he set the food container on the nearby table and began unpacking it layer by layer. Just as Ika was about to launch into another tirade about Lang Ze’s recklessness, a spoonful of egg custard was suddenly held up to his lips.
Looking up, Ika met Rong Heng’s gentle, smiling eyes.
“Try it. Let me know if it’s too bland,” Rong Heng said softly.
Whatever frustration Ika felt instantly dissipated. He opened his mouth naturally, eating the custard with a delighted smile.
“It’s delicious!”
His beautiful face lit up with a radiant smile, his eyes curving into crescents. “Everything you make is amazing, Yang Yang.”
