Chapter 27: Stealing the Show

"Creature detected!"

"Beetles invading!"

"Security personnel under threat!"

Red light bathed the cockpit of the Qingniao, casting a crimson hue that made Tian Xiao's features sharp and defined. His eyes gleamed with a focused intensity, his expression taut with seriousness. His movements were deliberate, as though every second counted.

The main screen had locked onto six rapidly advancing insect beasts.

The image of the creatures was zoomed in, revealing their terrifying details.

Over three meters long, their bodies resembled a hybrid between a lizard and a predatory beast—long, flat, and muscular. Their limbs were thick and powerful, capable of easily sinking their claws into rock. Their tails, shaped like double-edged blades, swayed threateningly behind them. Their mouths leaked a faint green corrosive mist, emitting an ominous, sickly glow.

H-Class Insect Beast: Lizard-Claw Beetle!

The red markers blinked above the heads of the six security personnel, Chen Wuling included.

"Qinglong!"

"Calculate the insect beasts' movement trajectory."

"Predict their next moves."

"Fire in one second."

Tian Xiao remained unflappable, as though this was another routine task. There was no time to warn the others—whether or not the six security personnel survived depended entirely on him now.

Fortunately, Tian Xiao had already made thorough preparations.

The six-barreled Glen Machine Gun had been in a constant state of warm-up, its barrel aimed directly at the collapsing area ahead. The Qingniao hovered at an altitude perfect for covering the entire operation zone.

Though the number of lizard-claw beetles was slightly more than anticipated, the trajectory of lower-class insect beasts was easily predictable.

As Qinglong quickly calculated their paths, the six beetles moved exactly as anticipated, dodging the security personnel's line of sight by utilizing various obstacles and depressions.

The target's movement trajectory was locked in.

The machine gun's firing path was plotted.

Tian Xiao squeezed the trigger.

The instant fire streaked from beneath the Qingniao, the trajectory adjusted in a blink. Four streams of fire rushed toward the beetles with incredible speed, striking them before they even had time to react.

A barrage of explosive rock fragments flew up, scattering like shrapnel before they crashed into the beetles' flesh.

Rat-tat-tat!

Bang!!

Blood and gore splattered as the beetles were torn apart in mid-air.

The high-caliber rounds from the machine gun had far more destructive power than regular assault rifles, and were even more vicious than shotguns. Dozens of bullets formed a deadly scythe that easily claimed the lives of the lizard-claw beetles.

Four scythes!

In mere moments, four of the beetles were shot out of the air, their bodies crumpling into the dust.

The sudden burst of fire from Qingniao immediately caught the attention of Chen Wuling and the others.

The sight of blood splattering, the creatures' bodies breaking apart—such a raw, visceral image—left the six security personnel pale and frozen.

"D*mn!!"

"It's the beetles!"

The team raised their assault rifles.

Four of them reacted to the sight of the beetles already dismembered in close range.

The other two saw the remaining beetles springing from the depression, accelerating toward them.

Rat-tat-tat!

The assault rifles opened fire.

"Retreat!!"

"Quick, fall back!!"

"Spread out! Buy time for Tian Xiao!"

Five of the six security members instinctively lifted their rifles, but only Chen Wuling made the right call.

Chen Wuling knew the situation well—at such close range, the standard issue rifles wouldn't be enough to kill the beetles.

If they made the wrong move, someone would die.

However, just as all hope seemed lost...

Two deep, rumbling sounds of air being split rang out.

Two more beetles exploded into fireballs beneath them.

Boom!!

The sudden explosion flipped the beetles into the air, their torsos shredded by the force. The massive shockwave ripped through their bodies, turning them into a mangled mess.

The carcasses slammed to the ground, lifeless.

The machine cannon's shells had perfectly eradicated the last two beetles.

Silence fell over the battlefield.

The six security personnel didn't dare to let down their guard for a second. They quickly retreated, rifles in hand, leaving the impact zone.

The Qingniao circled above, its barrel trained on the collapsing crater.

Chen Wuling rushed out of the battlefield, entered the cockpit, and immediately ascended the Qingniao, launching a full-scale attack on the marked meteorites containing magnetic fields.

Boom!

Boom!

The machine cannon's power far surpassed that of the heavy machine gun, able to destroy even meteorite structures.

Chen Wuling was furious.

Surviving this ordeal made him realize the grave mistake he, as the team leader, had made. His desire for the meteorite ore had overshadowed his vigilance about the dangers in the operation zone. His negligence nearly cost the lives of his subordinates. He almost ruined everything.

Thankfully, Tian Xiao had saved the day.

But...

Chen Wuling could not forgive himself.

Tian Xiao's abilities, skills, and decision-making in the moment had exposed a dangerous truth—his talents were far too significant to go unnoticed. This was the very issue that Boss Luo had been trying to avoid.

Tian Xiao's potential was too dangerous, too early to be revealed.

Surveillance Center

Luo Fei and the others watched as Tian Xiao swiftly and decisively dealt with the six beetles.

Luo Fei breathed a sigh of relief, a smile breaking across his face.

The six security personnel had survived.

However, Wu Hao, Tie Xiong, and Zhao Jia looked terribly grim.

Tian Xiao had just demonstrated immense control, quick thinking, and the decisiveness of a seasoned fighter.

The three men couldn't help but feel a pang of discomfort, as if their own skills had been insufficient.

Tie Xiong and Zhao Jia exchanged a look, sensing the gravity of the situation.

One Chen Wuling they could dismiss.

But two Chen Wulings? That would shake them to their core.

The six survivors meant that Luo Fei had dodged a bullet.

With this meteorite incident over, Luo Fei was likely to secure abundant resources from it, strengthening his position and making it even harder for anyone to challenge him in the future.

Despite Wu Hao's calm exterior, his mind was already in turmoil.

The more talented Luo Fei's subordinates were, the more secure Luo Fei's own position became within the company.

This was not something Wu Hao welcomed.

Luo Fei intentionally prodded Wu Hao, smiling broadly:

"Deputy Captain Wu, what do you think of the new recruit I recommended?"

"Excellent?"

"Excellent? That was nothing short of spectacular!" Wu Hao fumed internally.

But as the deputy captain of the security team, he had to offer a fair evaluation.

"Yes, a new recruit, able to make critical decisions when danger struck, saving his comrades in the nick of time. That's a rare quality. I suggest we file a report to the company, recommending Tian Xiao for a commendation. Also, we should encourage all the security personnel to learn from Tian Xiao. What do you think?"

"Learning? Forget it. He's a rookie with little experience. He just got lucky. But filing a commendation is a good idea. We can reward him with a bonus, that's only right."

With that, Luo Fei turned to Old Lu and gave him orders:

"Make sure this report gets filed immediately. Send it to the company. The security team, Luo Fei, and Deputy Captain Wu Hao jointly recommend that Tian Xiao be rewarded."

"Yes, Captain!"

Old Lu glanced at Wu Hao and smiled as he began to work.

Meanwhile, Zhu Xiaotian, who had been silent throughout, was still stunned.

She was lost in the aftermath of Tian Xiao's flawless execution—the four firelines and two explosive cannon shots had taken down the beetles with breathtaking precision.

At that moment, she had a strange feeling.

It was as if the battlefield suited Tian Xiao perfectly.

Tian Xiao, the miner, had always been a gem covered in dust. Now, he had finally revealed his true brilliance.

Zhu Xiaotian couldn't help but recall something Tian Xiao had once said to her:

"How could I abandon the vast starry sea just to be a mere ornament?"

At the time, she thought he was just cloaking his self-esteem with armor.

But after witnessing that scene, Zhu Xiaotian suddenly felt that perhaps, just perhaps, Tian Xiao wasn't boasting.