Chapter 147: 146 Mystery of the Orcs

"Huh?"The veteran looked at his right hand that had been bandaged, the snow-white gauze was tied into a neat knot, which didn't restrict his gripping and other activities, and also perfectly protected the wound.

What was even more miraculous was that there seemed to be a warm current flowing around the wound. Apart from a slight itchiness, he couldn't feel any of the expected pain. Could those head nurses even compare with this?

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Seeing the veteran's stunned expression, the composed old soldier asked curiously, "Is it alright?"

To outsiders, it might only look nice, but who knew if it was actually effective?

"Alrig... Alright! Quite alright!" the veteran snapped out of it and vigorously nodded his head.

That was more than alright!

"You also know medical techniques?" The composed old soldier suddenly looked at Bai E with a surprised joy. For a fighter like them, having a doctor or a nurse following them in battle was like having an extra life.

This sense of security couldn't be matched even by a more powerful warrior.

Bai E smiled modestly, "Learned a little."

"How much is 'learned a little'?" The comrades all wanted to have a clear understanding of each other's capabilities.

After pondering for a moment, Bai E carefully answered, "As long as the body isn't severed, I should be able to save them... of course, due to the limitations of medical equipment, there's not much I can do for cases of severe bleeding or extensive limb damage."

"Awesome!" The composed old soldier's face was full of joy.

Wasn't this a get-out-of-death-free card?

There were indeed soldiers in the team with medical expertise, but now having this unexpected boon in his own vehicle was undeniably more exhilarating.

["Lucky Strike" charge +3.]

Bai E's lips curved up as he laughed softly, as if shy from the praise, and then his head spun again as he reached for his temples, his hand instinctively searching for something to support his body.

"You should rest, young man... don't overexert yourself." S~eaʀᴄh the ηovelFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Leaning back against the vehicle, Bai E closed his eyes with one hand on his forehead, as he tallied the total gains from the brief battle that had just occurred—

Light firearms mastery experience 133 points.

Combat experience 1352 points.

The combat experience he had scraped together from the previous drawn-out battle was nothing compared to what he had gained in the last explosive minute. If he hadn't started to experience diminishing returns from killing too many, he could have gained a few hundred more points.

The only regret was that the full-load shooting for not too long of a time didn't bring enough of an experience, other soldiers were battle-hardened, and he himself had only truly done full-load shooting twice, so unlocking special attribute bonuses was still out of reach.

But no matter what, he had gotten through this hurdle.

Following the route plan set before departure—Blood Raven Forest, Blackrock Plains, Beast Transformation Forest... one hurdle after another to be crossed!

Every encounter with danger was also an opportunity for promotion and improvement. Gradually, Bai E had become accustomed to this kind of life, fighting on the edge and shedding blood...

Only after confirming that they had completely escaped the threat of the blood ravens did the commanding officer's voice, Gregory, clearly transmit from everyone's earpieces, "Check the resource consumption and health status of each vehicle."

"Vehicle 1 resource consumption... personnel status—old one's right hand was injured by a blood raven, but it has been treated and is now recovering, no other abnormalities for the rest."

"Vehicle 2..."

"Vehicle 3..."

After collecting all the information, Gregory's eyes narrowed slightly.

Vehicle 1 wasn't equipped with a medical-trained fighter...

Although the soldiers selected for this operation were almost all multifaceted, they each had their particular strengths, and it was rare to find someone both proficient in combat and exceptional in medical skills.

There were many who knew both in the military, but the number of those proficient in both wasn't that high. For this mission, we could only pick out three, two of whom were assigned to 2nd vehicle to protect Minister Likok, and one in the 3rd vehicle to protect Miss Aryan.

As the commanding officer of the team, he knew and remembered the information of all other official members, except for the data of that youngster who was inserted into the squad at the last minute. Because of the rush right before departure, he hadn't had time to look for it, so... could it also have been his doing?

95B27, the most shining one among the latest batch of recruits.

He had heard of this warrior's reputation, and now it seemed... his strength wasn't bad either?

A firepower expert with explosive capabilities who also possessed some medical skills, after all, didn't seem like such a useless addition as initially thought.

Gregory nodded to himself.

[Not bad...]

...

After passing the Blood Raven Forest, there was basically no trouble along the way. This was a carefully planned route, chosen because it was deemed the lowest risk.

If even this path required overcoming numerous difficulties, then it would be impossible to go anywhere in this world.

After leaving the Blood Raven Forest and the bug nest far behind, even the scenery along the way gradually shed the contamination of the Bug Race and reverted to the look of native species of the planet.

To survive on this disaster-ridden planet, even plants had evolved unimaginable vitality, which allowed them to thrive even in the approaching winter.

White and fluffy like dandelions, the grass swayed gently in the breeze. The seeds, resembling miniature balloons, were scattered by the gale generated by the speeding off-road vehicle, carrying new hope and spreading to the distant future.

The soft green grasslands stretched endlessly. Undisturbed, they grew wildly, with waves of grass billowing in the wind, a lush sight to dazzle the eyes.

The Blackrock Plains were fertile, and if not for their proximity to the bug nest, which interrupted them, they would've been Blackwater City's breadbasket—this was the military's greatest motivation for wanting to completely eradicate the Bug Race.

However, there are no what-ifs in the world. The bug nest is there, and it's an insurmountable chasm.

The wide wheels of the off-road vehicle crushed the grass, leaving six deeply pressed tire tracks in the wild, contrasting starkly with the occasional black and yellow rocky ground—a path they tried to follow as much as possible.

This was one of the rare stretches of the planned route where one could take rest. Blackrock Plains were special—

Humans were not the only opponents of the bugs; the beastmen who roamed about like war-crazed lunatics also gave the Bug Race a headache.

In face of the murderous and rapacious bugs, normal people would either flee or resist and try to destroy them completely.

Beastmen were different...

This race, lacking in intellect, saw it purely as entertainment. Their wild battle lust frightened the bugs, who, although they lacked individual intelligence, felt fear.

What's more critical was... their numbers were no less than the bugs'.

The bugs could convert all biomass into their fighting force, but the beastmen... they cultivated the soil.

Yes, they reproduced not through sexual means, but like plants, growing directly from the ground.

When Bai E learned these facts from the military records, a fact not published on the official game website, he was completely dumbstruck.

Just like planting potatoes or carrots... one pit, one beastman, sprouting from the ground.

And they kept coming, one crop after another, growing even faster than damn leeks.

How many they wanted to grow, it all depended on the race's own will—it was just outrageous!

The largest beastman planting territory closest to Blackwater City was at the other end of the Blackrock Plains, so the plains, naturally, became a buffer zone between the two sides—a safe area under a fragile balance of power.

Unless one had the misfortune of encountering a wandering beastman directly, this part of the journey should be safe.