Chapter 344: Chao Si Appears on the Border Defense Star

Chapter 344: Chapter 344: Chao Si Appears on the Border Defense Star

It was unclear if He Hanshi’s method had worked, or if the person had grown wary after Shi Lan noticed them last time. In any case, the following half a month passed peacefully.

Shi Lan no longer felt that malicious gaze.

But with such a person lurking in the shadows, she always felt uneasy. It was like the calm before a storm, a heavy, sinking sense of panic.

However, something arrived even faster than this potential crisis: the Insect Clan.

The Chao Si, which had vanished for nearly three years, suddenly reappeared in large numbers on the Border Defense Star. The Chao Si were incredibly destructive, their toxins and Sound Wave attacks far stronger than those of ordinary Insect Clan members. To deal with the Chao Si as quickly as possible, two-thirds of the soldiers were dispatched from the military base.

Fortunately, the army had gained many medics during this period, and everyone worked tirelessly to treat the soldiers. When she had time, Shi Lan also frequently checked the spiritual power of He Hanshi and his three comrades. The situation probably wouldn’t become as dire as it had on the Capital Star.

Inside the medical station, there was a temporary lull with no soldiers needing treatment. Everyone seized the rare opportunity to gather and chat.

They couldn’t see the situation on the front lines against the Insect Clan, but some of their Beast Husbands had revealed a few details before leaving.

Vina said worriedly, "I heard it was the Chao Si that caused Admiral He and the others’ spiritual power to collapse three years ago. I wonder how things will go this time."

Doctor Wang chimed in, "Exactly. The Chao Si were named that because their destructive power ’surpasses’ ordinary Insect Clan members, and they greatly affect males of S-level and above. At first, they were even called ’Chao S.’"

The other doctors also murmured about the matter. Doctor Zheng added, "Back then, Admiral He and the others recovered from their spiritual power collapse for some unknown reason. If it happens again, who knows if they’ll be so lucky."

Bai Rao, who hadn’t intended to speak, couldn’t help but interject upon hearing this. "Alright, that’s enough pointless worrying. Admiral He is a 3S Beastman. With so many members of the Insect Clan on the Border Defense Star right now, we should be hoping for the best for them."

"If something really happens to them and the military base falls, none of us will escape."

It wasn’t that she cared that much about He Hanshi. Although he was once her primary target for a Beast Husband, Bai Rao wasn’t interested in a beastman who already had a wife. The main reason was that she was also on the Border Defense Star, and she had no desire to be harmed by those disgusting things from the Insect Clan.

He Hanshi’s existence was more like a symbol of security.

Besides, a Beastman suffering from a spiritual power collapse was even more dangerous than the Insect Clan, and Bai Rao cherished her life.

Doctor Zheng sheepishly fell silent. She couldn’t understand the young miss from the Bai Family. Last time on Black Star, when her spiritual power was A-level, Bai Rao had been perfectly nice to her—all smiles and very friendly. Now, she was always being passive-aggressive.

Then again, Doctor Zheng had noticed that out of everyone, Bai Rao was only slightly more civil to Vina and Shi Lan. She seemed too lazy to bother with anyone else, so it wasn’t as if Doctor Zheng was being singled out.

Just then, someone had a thought and turned to Shi Lan, who was sitting in the corner. "Doctor Shi, you’ve probably treated Admiral He and the others’ collapse values down to zero by now, right?"

Shi Lan returned to her senses and nodded. "Yes."

The moment Shi Lan spoke, the doctors who had just been gossiping didn’t dare to say another negative word about He Hanshi. After all, his wife was right there. Talking like that in front of her was like cursing her Beast Husband...

But Shi Lan hadn’t been paying much attention to their words anyway. She was actually very worried herself, so she was too preoccupied with thoughts of He Hanshi and the others to notice much else.

’Still, there’s no use in overthinking it now,’ she thought. ’I can only be grateful that I can treat a Beastman’s spiritual power collapse. Even if He Hanshi and the others do run into some unforeseen trouble, I can save them.’

At this thought, Shi Lan felt a little more at ease.

Afterwards, the group started discussing the Chao Si again. After all, they hadn’t been seen for three years, and for so many to appear all at once felt very wrong.

Thinking deeper, how could the Chao Si hide for three years without a single trace? And when they first appeared on the Capital Star, there were only a dozen or so. The fact that the entire army had been mobilized this time—the most solemn and large-scale scene Vina and the others had ever witnessed—showed just how critical the situation was.

In fact, it wasn’t just those left at the military base who had their doubts; He Hanshi and the others on the actual battlefield also felt that something was very wrong.

Because there were so many Chao Si, all the new recruits were deployed this time, so Yan Huoshui and the others didn’t leave anyone behind at the base to keep watch.

In the memories of He Hanshi and his comrades, they had seen very few Chao Si in the past, far fewer than the ordinary Insect Clan members.

But now, the number of Chao Si was nearly equal to that of the common insects. Even more, while the ordinary insects had grown stronger, the Chao Si’s power was approaching Level 2S.

Most of the army’s soldiers were struggling to cope. Furthermore, the Chao Si’s point of attack was still within ten kilometers of the military base, so they couldn’t use powerful artillery. They had to rely mainly on Mecha support and firearms.

Based on his past combat experience, He Hanshi could estimate with a glance that there were probably over a thousand insects this time. In the past, he could fight a thousand insects by himself, but those were ordinary insects of AB Level. Now, the insects’ strength was approaching S-level, not to mention that many of them were Chao Si. Even he could no longer handle them with the same ease as before.

One after another, insects as tall as small hills stood out, ugly and distinct against the barren, snowy landscape. They stared greedily at the soldiers before them, their eyes glinting as suspicious, transparent saliva dripped from their mouths.

The drool melted the snow beneath their feet. One insect couldn’t hold back any longer and attacked, swiftly tearing into a Beastman’s flesh and stuffing it into its mouth.

The thick scent of blood spread along with the soldier’s screams, spurring the Insect Clan to swarm forward.

In just over ten minutes, the medical station was bustling again. A large number of soldiers with severely damaged spiritual power were brought in. They were likely unused to this degree of spiritual power collapse and couldn’t endure the pain. On top of that, their physical injuries required rapid treatment in the Treatment Pods. Since Shi Lan’s treatment was faster, she handled most of them, simply reducing their collapse value enough to stop the headaches before they were moved into a pod.

This was still easy for Shi Lan, but with the high number of patients, combined with her pregnancy, she still felt a faint sense of fatigue.

At lunchtime, wanting to let her rest more, Vina said, "You stay here and rest. I’ll bring you back some food."

Shi Lan was indeed a little sleepy. She yawned and squinted. "Okay, thank you."

"Hey, it’s no trouble at all. You’re the one who’s working hard."

As she was speaking, another soldier arrived needing treatment. Vina had to leave so as not to disturb Shi Lan.

Shi Lan was just about to rest when she saw someone arrive. Even though it was the lunch break, given the special circumstances, she couldn’t just turn them away.

She looked up and saw a man with a buzz cut.

Shi Lan’s heart skipped a beat. Staring at this stiff, unfamiliar face, she had a terrible premonition.

The next moment, everything went black.