Chapter 219: with translation of chapter title

225. Chapter 225: If We Swapped Roles

225. Chapter 225: If We Swapped Roles

Interstellar travel was initially a novel experience.

=> "Interstellar travel was initially a novelty."

Because we repeat the same work every day.

=> "Because every day we repeated the same work."

Even though we can see the equally dazzling yet varied star river outside the porthole.

=> "Even though we could see the equally brilliant and colorful yet varied star rivers outside the porthole."

Admire this beautiful, stunning scenery.

=> "Admiring this breathtakingly beautiful scenery."

Over time, it becomes as dull and tedious as anything else.

=> "After a while it becomes as dull and boring as anything else."

The most intuitive analogy is sailing.

=> "The most intuitive analogy is sailing."

Riding a yacht out to sea for fun, fishing, throwing parties, spinach;

=> "Taking a yacht out to sea for fun, fishing, throwing parties, spinach;"

Being a sailor and living year-round on various ships as a profession are two different things.

=> "Whereas becoming a sailor and living year-round on various ships as a profession is a different matter."

Fortunately, this interstellar trip lasts only three days, so Lin Ke doesn't feel the slightest bit bored.

=> "Fortunately, this interstellar journey only lasted three days, so Lin Ke didn't feel the slightest bit bored."

He still maintains a positive impression and fondness for interstellar travel.

=> "He still maintained a good impression and fondness for interstellar travel."

Three days pass in the blink of an eye.

=> "The three days passed in a flash."

The Yunni successfully reaches the star system containing the mission world.

=> "The Yunni smoothly reached the star system where the mission world is located."

Even though this star system lies isolated outside the galaxy, it was once the territory of a super-civilization insectoid world.

=> "Even though this star system lies isolated outside the galaxy, it was once the territory of a super‑civilization insect‑world."

Now it also falls under the sway of the wizard world.

=> "Now it also falls within the sway of the wizard world."

Therefore, it's difficult for the Yunni's voyage to go unsmoothly.

=> "So, it's hard for the Yunni's voyage to go unsmoothly."

What?

=> "What?"

Space pirates?

=> "Space pirates?"

Which wizard organization would be willing to engage in shady piracy?

=> "Which wizard organization would be willing to do shady piracy?"

Low profits, no status, plus it's easy to be counter-robbed, sanctioned by the Supreme Council, and lose the protection of the wizard world's will.

=> "The profits are low, there's no status, it's easy to be counter‑raided, sanctioned by the Supreme Council, and lose the protection of the wizard world's will."

Which other civilization's space pirates dare to rob wizards?

=> "Which other civilization's space pirates would dare to rob wizards?"

You're sick of it, huh?

=> "You're tired of living, huh."

Not to mention the wizard world's later retaliation; even if you wanted to rob, you lack the strength.

=> "Not to mention the wizard world's later retaliation, just wanting to rob, you don't even have the strength."

After entering the star system, the Yunni begins to decelerate.

=> "After entering the star system, the Yunni began to decelerate."

Soon, it arrives near the mission world from the outskirts.

=> "Soon it came from the outskirts to the vicinity of the mission world."

Shandora did not arrange for the Yunni to land on the mission world; that planet has a thin atmosphere, no surface vegetation, and is full of pits and ugly craters.

=> "Shandora did not have the Yunni land on the mission world—a planet with thin atmosphere, no vegetation on its surface, nothing but potholes, an ugly world."

Instead, she leads 11 members of the micro legion to the Yunni's lower hold.

=> "Instead, she led the eleven members of the micro legion to the Yunni's lower hold."

Here, several shuttles are docked, usable for travel between planets and interstellar warships.

=> "Several shuttles were docked here, usable for trips between the planet and the interstellar warship."

Thus, the Yunni interstellar warship need not land, remaining completely in a safe zone, ensuring the micro legion's retreat.

=> "Thus, the Yunni interstellar warship need not land; it remains completely in a safe zone, able to guarantee the micro legion's retreat."

In emergencies, it can also transfer wizards in danger directly into the warship via a translocation rune array.

=> "In an emergency, it can also transfer wizards in danger directly into the warship via a translocation rune array."

"Departure."

=> "\"Departure. \""

Shandora waves her hand to issue the command, quite spirited.

=> "Shandora waved her hand and issued the order, looking full of vigor."

As the granddaughter of two great sages, she grew up in a honey pot, enjoying the tightest security.

=> "As the great-granddaughter of two grand sages, she grew up in a honey pot, enjoying the tightest security."

She has never encountered danger.

=> "She had never encountered danger."

This experience has, on the contrary, cultivated her adventurous nature.

=> "This experience, on the contrary, cultivated her enthusiasm for exploration."

This time, forming the micro legion to investigate abnormalities in a level-3 insectoid world counts as her first truly independent expedition in her twenty years of life.

=> "This time, organizing the micro legion to investigate the anomalies of a level‑3 insect world counts as her first genuine independent expedition in twenty years of life."

She is quite excited.

=> "She was quite excited."

The group boards one of the shuttles.

=> "The group boarded one of the shuttles."

This time, Shandora does not pilot herself; instead, she lets a round-faced, always-smiling scion of the academy's main family handle the shuttle's controls.

=> "This time Shandora did not pilot herself; she let a round‑faced, perpetually smiling academy‑head family disciple handle the shuttle's controls."

This person follows the orders very cooperatively, with no delay.

=> "He received the order, cooperated fully, and caused no delay."

Accompanying the prince in his studies means you have to know how to handle things.

=> "Accompanying the crown prince in his studies means you have to know how to handle things."

He sits in the cockpit, quickly starts the shuttle's engine, and prepares to detach from the Yunni.

=> "He climbed into the cockpit, quickly started the shuttle's engine, and prepared to detach from the Yunni."

After seeking Shandora's approval and communicating with the Yunni's tower spirit.

=> "After seeking Shandora's approval and communicating with the Yunni's tower spirit,"

The shuttle is catapulted out, tracing a straight line directly toward the pitted insectoid planet.

=> "The shuttle was catapulted out, tracing a straight line straight toward the pockmarked insect planet."

"Wear the protective life-support suit."

=> "\"Put on the protective life‑support suit. \""

Shandora personally demonstrates, pulling out the suitcase, placing it on the floor, and stepping on it with both feet.

=> "Shandora personally demonstrated, pulling out a suitcase, placing it on the floor, and stepping on it with both feet."

She emits a special wave of psychic and magical energy, triggering the suitcase's transformation function.

=> "She emitted a special wave of mental and magical power, triggering the suitcase's transformation function."

The suitcase opens all around, first securing the feet, then moving up the calves, gradually covering, soon tightly wrapping Shandora.

=> "The suitcase opened all around, first locking onto the feet, then moving up the calves, gradually covering, and soon Shandora was tightly wrapped."

This process is smooth and graceful, extremely aesthetic.

=> "The process was smooth and graceful, extremely aesthetically pleasing."

The protective life-support suit is not thick, designed sensibly, and does not affect joint mobility.

=> "The protective life‑support suit is not thick, designed sensibly, and does not hinder joint mobility."

The faceplate is transparent, not obstructing vision.

=> "The faceplate is transparent, not obstructing vision."

It comes with a series of protective functions including radiation, biochemical virus, and toxic air protection, as well as the most important low-temperature suspended animation function.

=> "It comes with the main anti‑radiation, anti‑bio‑virus, anti‑toxic‑air protections, among others, plus the most important low‑temperature suspended‑animation function."

After Lin Ke puts on the protective life-support suit, he tries it out and finds his innate witchcraft 'Battle Armor' can still be used normally.

=> "After Lin Ke donned the protective life‑support suit, he tried it out and found his innate wizard art 'Battle Armor' could still be used normally."

Moreover, there are two modes.

=> "Moreover, it has two modes."

One is to wear it close to the skin, hidden inside the protective life-support suit;

=> "One is to wear it close to the skin, hidden inside the protective life‑support suit;"

Two is to wrap it outside the protective life-support suit.

=> "the other is to wrap it around the outside of the protective life‑support suit."

After thinking, Lin Ke decides to wear the Battle Armor outside, protecting himself while also protecting the protective life-support suit a bit.

=> "After thinking, Lin Ke decided to wear the Battle Armor on the outside, protecting himself while also shielding the protective life‑support suit."

What he values is not the protective function, but the life-support function.

=> "What he values is not the defensive function but the life‑support function."

Lin Ke's action is not particularly unusual; many people do this.

=> "Lin Ke's move is not conspicuous; many people do the same."

Since it concerns one's life and property, being as cautious as possible is appropriate.

Natal Witchcraft is also of the battle armor type, like Lin Ke, wearing three layers of defense: from inside to outside, they are the defense suit, protective life-support suit, and battle armor.

Natal Witchcraft is not of the battle armor type; then one chooses to wear an exoskeleton device over the protective life-support suit.

Lan Ni. Tai Le is like that.

Such an exoskeleton device can provide considerable movement speed, strength enhancement, and also has an extremely thin but extremely high-defense membrane.

Everyone is ready.

The shuttle also descended onto the surface of the Insectoid Planet at this time.

"Remember to adjust the gravity coefficient."

Before opening the hatch, before the formal operation, Shanduola spoke up to remind.

This is an auxiliary function of the protective life-support suit, adjusting the gravity coefficient.

It allows the witches to adapt to the gravity of the Insectoid Planet, making movement feel no different than on their homeworld.

To avoid walking like a toad, with a hopping gait.

Hopping around, not cute at all, quite embarrassing.

The twelve people who first activated all invisibility effects walked out of the shuttle that had remained invisible, descending onto the surface of the Insectoid Planet.

The shuttle did not shut down, remained invisible, stayed in place, and could take off at any time.

If the Micro Legion encounters a sudden situation requiring retreat or transfer, but not to the extent of needing to immediately move into the interior of the Cloud Rainbow Starship.

The Micro Legion can then choose to return here and board the shuttle.

Whether advancing or retreating, they can move freely.

"Search and advance."

With the shuttle's rear hatch closed, Shanduola directly cast a Soul Link, pulling everyone into a soul communication mode and issuing commands.

It is unknown whether Shanduola has dual-trained as a True Spirit Witch, or has completely switched from the Elemental Witch faction to the True Spirit Witch faction.

In terms of proficiency in casting witchcraft, she is certainly not inferior to Asangde.

All members of the Micro Legion immediately obeyed the order and deployed into a search formation.

Eight members responsible for reconnaissance and combat, with one person leading the way to open the path;

then three people side by side, with the sides on guard and the middle handling reconnaissance;

then another three people side by side, likewise with the sides on guard and the middle handling reconnaissance;

finally, one person at the rear brings up the rear.

Two biochemical research teams are sandwiched between the two groups of three side by side, enjoying protection.

Shanduola stands at the center of the first trio side by side, responsible for both command and reconnaissance.

Identity, status, and background are quickly cast aside by her once entering mission mode.

At this moment, Shanduola truly regards herself as a member of the Micro Legion, rather than the great-granddaughter of the two Great Sages.

She is strict with others, and even stricter with herself.

After glancing at her wristwatch and confirming the route, Shanduola gave the order: "Head straight 100 meters in the 2 o'clock direction, enter the pit."

The team immediately proceeded silently in the direction indicated by Shanduola.

The most hateful thing about the Insectoids is that they only destroy, never build. Whatever it is—plants, animals, even minerals—the Insectoids can eat and will eat.

After devouring a planet, they move on to the next planet.

After devouring a star system, they move on to the next star system.

The Insectoids have consumed so much, of course they produce something.

Their output has only three valuable things: their feces, their secreted mucus, and their shed skins.

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The Insectoids' feces are a natural soil fertilizer, capable of greatly enriching the land and promoting plant growth.

From this perspective, it is impossible for the world inhabited by the Insectoids to lack vegetation like this planet before our eyes.

However, the Insectoids are simply too prolific and too voracious.

In the end, the soil becomes ever more fertile, plants become ever scarcer, and they go extinct outright.

It's like putting goats on a pasture to graze—they can eat the roots bare and destroy the pasture.

The Insectoids' mucus is a natural high-strength protective coating.

Their mother nests are built up layer upon layer of who-knows-how-many coats of mucus, giving them extremely high defensive capability.

The Insectoids' shed skins are a natural clean energy source.

In the beginning, that super-civilization Insectoid world spanned the myriad realms, with countless mother nests, relying on the burning of innumerable Insectoid shed skins to conduct long-distance interstellar travel.

As for interstellar warfare, many Insectoid clans themselves possess short-range interstellar travel and space-survival capabilities.

This planet is already on the verge of being devoured by the Insectoids.

The surface soil is thick and dense, dark and glossy.

Step down with one foot, and you will surely create a deep pit.

The twelve members of the Micro Legion simply never walk on solid ground.

They constantly hover via anti-gravity, moving with space steps, leaving no trace.

Shanduola's homework is thoroughly done.

After entering the tunnel, the route is clear, the objective is clear, and thus the advance speed is extremely fast.

In less than an hour, the Micro Legion arrived at the first destination, a place where an abnormal change has occurred, a small Insectoid settlement now nearly extinct.

"Reconnaissance, guard."

Shanduola gave the order, brief and to the point.

Including herself, eight disciples from the academy's main branch great families immediately entered the Insectoid settlement, searching inside and out, confirming there was no danger or traps.

Then they occupied all strategic points and carried out guard work.

They created safe and favorable conditions for the two teams responsible for biochemical research.

"Research team, move in!"

Shanduola's voice rang out again.

Lin Ke and Difuni exchanged a glance, each chose a direction, and entered the insect tribe settlement.

Each began research work, attempting to overcome the three original objectives of this mission:

Investigate ecosystem structure, abnormal changes, and causes of mutation.

"First collect soil, water, food residue, air, etc. samples, back them up, and test and inspect."

Walking to a relatively flat open area, Lin Ke stopped, took out a series of miniaturized testing equipment from the 'small world' while telling Lan Ni, who was responsible for support.

Lin Ke chose to start from the ecosystem structure and began investigating.

"Understood."

Lan Ni is a straight-A student.

Her previous overall scores were tied with Lin Ke's!

Even though her expertise in biochemical research and pharmacology was not as profound as Lin Ke's,

but she had mastered the fundamentals of these researches and experiments.

The two each marked out an area and began various sampling.

Whenever they deemed it necessary, no matter how bizarre or insignificant, they had to retain at least three samples.

After taking samples on site, they still had to conduct testing and inspection on site.

Anyway, as long as Shanduola didn't call a halt or an accident occurred, Lin Ke could proceed at his own pace, not leisurely but orderly.

Security?

Someone will take care of it.

After another hour or so, Lin Ke and Lan Ni finally finished the sampling work.

The testing and inspection carried out alongside the sampling still had some results pending.

Let's not worry about it for now.

"Collect some corpses for dissection."

After glancing at the already-available sample test results, without further investigation, Lin Ke said this.

"Hmm."

Lan Ni readily agreed.

Then, together with Lin Ke, she searched the pits of this small insect tribe settlement for relatively intact and fresh insect tribe corpses for dissection.

Tifuni and Fulide have their own set of research methods, they have their own research pace, but they too have reached the stage where corpses are needed.

The two groups searched all over this relatively small insect tribe settlement, and before long they ran into each other.

"Do you have any findings? Is it convenient to exchange information?"

Tifuni had no qualms about the substantive competitive relationship between her and Lin Ke, and she frankly inquired.

It seemed like a normal academic exchange.

Lin Ke replied: "There are some. Do you plan to exchange information with me?"

Tifuni nodded: "Indeed. We each do our own thing, and it doesn't hinder exchanging information."

"Hmm..."

Lin Ke pondered for a moment, then said, "Based on the existing data, there are no signs of large amounts of toxins in the soil, water, or humus. The large-scale death of the insect tribe, at least the extinction of this settlement, does not seem to be caused by changes in the natural environment. Considering the mission background, which mentions a resurgence of the insect tribe in this world, I believe there may be one or several currently unknown external factors influencing the insect tribe."

After a pause, Lin Ke bluntly voiced his speculation:

"Survival of the fittest."

Such an external factor is very likely to promote the evolution of the insect tribe.

However, the insect tribe of this world has degenerated for nearly a thousand years; most individuals cannot withstand this stimulus, leading to failed evolution and death instead.

However, for the insect tribe, as long as one individual in a settlement survives and completes evolution, that counts as success.

Their reproductive speed is simply too fast.

"I agree with your inference."

After listening to Lin Ke's explanation, Tifuni first agreed, then gave their finding: "We have noticed that some insect tribe corpses bear gnaw marks, and we also found some incompletely digested limb fragments. From this we derive two possible inferences: either this external influence has caused a certain change in the insect tribe's cognitive level, leading to a tendency for self‑slaughter; or, like many animals in nature where males voluntarily sacrifice themselves for females to consume after reproduction, some insect tribe members actively give up their lives for the tribe's evolution."

After a similar pause, allowing time to digest the understanding, Tifuni emphasized: "We lean more toward the second inference and are also more wary of its validity. This signifies that some unknown factor is causing the insect tribe to voluntarily or forcibly make this life‑or‑death decision."

While Lin Ke and Tifuni were communicating, in a secluded corner.

The round‑faced youth who had previously been in charge of piloting the shuttle walked up to Sandra and, using a "spiritual link", whispered: "They're putting on a show for you, right?"

"Indeed."

Sandra first affirmed the round‑faced youth's words, then countered, "So what?"

"Not much, just feels a bit fake."

The round‑faced youth curled his lip, not thinking highly of Lin Ke and Tifuni's approach.

Sandra gave the round‑faced youth a deep, meaningful look and said:

"I don't think it's fake; I actually admire it. If you lack a prominent background, what else could you do if you were in Tifuni's, or even Lanni and Lin Ke's position?"

Having said that, Sandra ignored the round‑faced youth.

Instead, she carefully observed, demonstrating her own value or attitude in her own way, the two research groups.

Some are born with it; some spend their whole lives without it.

Those who have it should not mock those who do not.

Furthermore, do not ridicule the efforts of those who strive upward.

Effort is not guilty.