Until they descended into a ntal frenzy and lost all reason.
Just like the hundreds of test subjects before them, they failed to survive the initial fusion. They either transford into monstrous human-insect hybrids or their minds shattered, turning them into lunatics with no combat value.
Dressed in a military uniform and sitting in a jeep, Qin Hu frowned as he watched the research institute recede in the distance.
He knew the researchers were right. During his own tests, he had felt an uncontrollable urge for wanton destruction. But through sheer force of will, he had managed to suppress it.
Therefore, unless it was a life-or-death crisis, he absolutely must not fuse with an excess of the Tiger Spine Zerg genes.
With these thoughts in mind, Qin Hu drove all the way back to Wu City.
It was there that he learned of the previous night’s defeat.
He also learned that the outpost had been destroyed by friendly fire.
The 201st Company, which he had assigned to Lin Feng under Li Ran’s command, had been completely wiped out. Not a single person survived.
Seething with rage, Qin Hu went straight to the liaison personnel at Division HQ and demanded to know why Li Ran had not been notified to evacuate the outpost before the missile strike.
The explanation he received, however, was that the Commander of the Awakened Camp—Li Ran’s direct superior, Major General Cheng Zhan—had intercepted the evacuation order, preventing the communications soldier from sending the ssage.
Upon learning this, he tracked down Cheng Zhan, who was in the operations center discussing the layout of the second defensive line with senior staff officers of the Thirteenth Division.
Qin Hu shoved the guards aside, kicked down the door to the operations center, and roared:
"Cheng, you old dog, get the hell out here!"
Cheng Zhan, who was in the middle of a briefing, saw his expression instantly darken and his muscles tense.
As the dust settled, everyone looked toward the figure in the doorway. It was none other than Qin Hu, returned successful from the research institute!
His presence was overwhelming, his aura pressingly aggressive.
The palpable pressure he exuded struck fear into the hearts of everyone present.
Then, Qin Hu and Cheng Zhan locked eyes.
Sparks seed to fly between them. The only two Tier Two Awakeners in the Thirteenth Division were on the verge of coming to blows.
But before that could happen, Cheng Zhan caught the displeased frowns of the senior officers out of the corner of his eye. A slight smirk touched his lips, and he replied with a feigned, placid smile:
"Congratulations, Major Qin, on successfully completing your augntation."
"Your presence is as imposing as ever."
"So full of..."
"Hmph! Cut the crap and talk! Why did you set up Li Ran and the others, and Lin Feng at the outpost!" Qin Hu cut him off, striding slowly toward him.
’He had placed such high hopes in Li Ran and Lin Feng. The latter, especially, was destined to beco a crucial player in humanity’s resistance against the Alien Zerg Race’s invasion...’
’And now they’d been frad and killed by this despicable man before him!’
At the thought, Qin Hu’s clenched fist beca coated in a black carapace, ready to smash into Cheng Zhan’s face.
Cheng Zhan’s smile vanished, and he replied calmly:
"Li Ran and I discussed this beforehand. It was his idea to stay on the front line. He wanted to work with the Superpower Bullet Awakener, Lin Feng, to kill a Tier Two Tiger Spine Zerg and achieve his own Tier Two Awakening."
"Besides, the target coordinates were three to four hundred ters away from the outpost. They shouldn’t have been caught in the blast."
"Who could have known that after the missile launched, those damned Zergs would manage to tunnel beneath the outpost’s bunker in just twenty minutes..."
"At most, this was a tragic accident. Are you trying to pin the bla on ?"
"All for the death of a Captain? Or for Lin Feng, an outsider who isn’t even part of the Thirteenth Division?!"
After speaking, Cheng Zhan glanced at the senior division officers beside him.
His gaze lingered on the division commander, a man nearing sixty.
He was Qin Hu’s forr superior, the one who had personally ntored him. It was solely because of this relationship that Qin Hu, despite being only a Tier One Middle Stage Awakener at the ti, had been appointed Commander of the Awakened Camp.
Now, however, it was Qin Hu who was being rash and insubordinate.
Looking at the agitated, ferocious expression on Qin Hu’s face,
the old commander’s expression grew solemn. He spoke in a deep voice,
"Qin Hu, you’ve crossed the line!"
"Accountability for this failure is being determined. Right now, our main task is to fend off the Zerg Race invasion, not to waste our strength on infighting. You must prioritize the greater good..."
Qin Hu gritted his teeth. Under his old commander’s intense stare, he suppressed his urge to attack. Then, his eyes fell upon a set of docunts on a long table nearby...
They showed the list of personnel being held responsible for the recent defeat, complete with their nas and photos...
To his shock, they were all his own n—dozens of Lieutenant Level officers and two Majors.
And every single one of these front-line commanders, now being made scapegoats, had been killed in action.
If these charges were finalized, it would an not only were they dead, but all their posthumous benefits and their families’ pensions would be stripped away completely...
Behind every one of those photos was a family—parents, wives, and children who depended on those pensions just to survive.
And Division HQ had the gall to kick them while they were down!
This caused the rage Qin Hu had just suppressed to flare up once more, now several tis stronger than before.
He snatched the list from the table, his teeth clenched as he snarled at the room:
"Who the fuck drafted this docunt!"
His intense fury caused his skin to darken, and ghastly, yellowish-brown stripes erged on his face.
Realizing things were about to get out of control, everyone’s eyes darted toward Cheng Zhan.
The consequences of the defeat were severe, and even Cheng Zhan was feeling the heat. To absolve himself of responsibility, this list was the "solution" he had proposed earlier that morning...
Realizing the true architect of this treachery was Cheng Zhan, Qin Hu could no longer contain himself. He ripped the list to shreds and, without another word, lunged at him!
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