Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

Bai E retracted his gaze, suddenly lowered his head, and looked at his own chest.

Without a word, he quickly unfastened his combat suit, lifted the black combat vest he wore underneath, and revealed the small, sleek black circular device that clung tightly to his skin.

The red light that had been blinking all morning had long since gone out.

The gray bulb dimly sat there, silent.

"Eh? Why did your light go out?" Dashan hadn't realized what was happening, but curiously asked as he had been intently watching Bai E's movements.

"Check yours." Bai E didn't answer his question but spoke sternly instead.

In fact, even without Bai E's order, everyone else also suddenly tensed up and lifted their own vests.

Only You turned away...

Within moments, five sensors that had long stopped blinking were gathered together.

"They said this light would keep blinking, and as long as it blinked, it meant it was working."

"Didn't they say this gadget is powered by our heartbeat and movement... It shouldn't run out of power."

"If it's broken, doesn't that mean we're already dead?" Dashan tried to lighten the mood amidst the strange atmosphere in the carriage.

"Isn't it normal for a new product from the Scientific Research Institute to sometimes fail?"

You didn't speculate wildly, but instead stared intensely with his glossy eyes at Bai E, who had been silent ever since he first noticed the situation, "Bai E?"

Bai E squinted his eyes, "Not dead yet, but probably not far from it."

"Don't scare me..."

"What did you find?" Tiger also frowned.

The peculiar behavior of a small new product couldn't unsettle a seasoned warrior like him.

Just as Song Ying had said, new products from the Scientific Research Institute weren't always reliable.

"The signal has been interrupted." Remembering the brief moment of dizziness he'd felt and coupling it with the current performance of the sensors, Bai E was certain.

"How do you know..."

"A guess." Bai E didn't delve into his "sixth sense," only explaining with an icy look, "This sensor is an old product; the Scientific Research Institute only changed its signal reception route, turning it from a local network device into an internet one. Its essence hasn't changed, so it shouldn't be a quality problem. And even if they were to break, would all five of ours do so simultaneously? Of course, the most important point is—preparing for the worst... is never wrong."

Tiger looked lost in thought, murmuring to himself, "If the signal was deliberately interrupted..."

A sour and numb chill surged up everyone's spine in an instant.

Everyone's eyes subconsciously looked outside the window. The gradually darkening night sky seemed like an unbounded prison, enveloping the tiny space inside the carriage.

The dim light turned on inside the carriage was the only hope they could cling to.

They were tracking the Bug Race, and it was hard not to immediately associate this signal interruption experience with the bugs.

In this era, there weren't many complex powers in the wilderness, and even fewer possessed such technological means—in fact, it should only be humans.

But had the Bug Race not previously displayed the ability to cause electronic disturbances in the field with their Plasma Cannons on the frontline? So, would it be surprising if they showed such capability now?

This race, which possessed the potential for unlimited evolution, was a miracle of the universe.

And if they were deliberately engaging in this action, did it imply... that the bugs had set their sights on them?

"Isn't it...something we can test?" Bai E did not get lost in endless speculation; his eyes swept across the carriage.

"What are you looking for?" Song Ying was curious about Bai E's gaze.

It was a search with a clear purpose. Find exclusive stories on empire

In these circumstances, what else could he do?

Bai E didn't respond, as if instinctively, his knowledge and technological ability allowed everything he laid his eyes on to reveal its most fundamental form.

Once he had a preliminary plan in his mind for something to create, he clearly knew which items could be used, which couldn't be, and what could be used after being dismantled.

"Give me that."

"Give me that."

The world's technology sometimes seemed very advanced, sometimes quite primitive, but regardless, whenever they went out on a mission, they all carried various high-tech tools such as remote-controlled reconnaissance drones, walkie-talkies, remote-controlled bombs, and other small tech devices.

From these items, he should be able to craft something he needed by hand.

Was it specifically targeted at these sensors to blast them or did it create a shielding field that covered a certain area? One test would tell.

Level 2 Knowledge — Computer Hardware Maintenance, Level 1 Technology — Basic Electronics Manufacturing and Processing, that's the confidence supporting her attempt.

Of course, whether it was going to work was still something that had to be tested to know.

Bai E never anticipated that the ability she had recently acquired would be put to use so soon.

With a bunch of seemingly chaotic items, including five temporarily "broken" sensors, Bai E dived into the enclosed carriage at the back.

"What is he doing?"

Dashan was completely clueless, "I have no idea~"

Song Ying, stroking his chin, had some suspicions, "He isn't planning on assembling a long-distance communication device by hand, is he?"

"..."

"..."

Everyone fell into a silence.

Could such a thing really be done by humans out in the wilderness with nothing but their hands?

"Instead of talking about that, shouldn't we consider what we should do next?"

The actions of Bai E broke the previous silence; her series of movements as she opened the door and entered the carriage from the back also dispelled the chilling numbness they had felt upon realizing the unexpected turn of events.

They started to think rationally about what they should do if everything Bai E said was true.

"Retreat and go back to send a report?" Dashan inclined toward the more conservative approach.

"But what if it's just a natural phenomenon affecting things?" Song Ying, who had his interests in electronic devices, had spent time and effort studying these matters and was aware of more possibilities.

Heading straight back could easily attract charges of insubordination, as soldiers on the battlefield cannot abandon their responsibilities and missions based on some nonsensical guesses.

"Plus, if it really was the work of the bugs, we should have been targeted already." You's tone was cold, and the way the girl thought about things seemed always to be from a pessimistic perspective, "If that's the case, we should first think about how to get through this night."

And... where the enemy was.

"You, did you really find no possibility of any bug ambush during your daytime scouting?" Hu asked in a deep voice.

"No," You was quite certain, as a comparison of the degradation level of the bodily fluids secreted by the sandworms before and after clearly showed that these tunnels had been long abandoned.

Moreover, the tunnels were dry and sealed.

There was a strange smell, but it was not strong.

Whether it was the unfamiliar but massive sandworms or the familiar worker bugs and bee bugs, there was little chance of a large-scale ambush below.

"Then... let's wait for Bai E," Hu turned his gaze to the carriage at the back.

Bai E was the first to detect the problem, and she remained calm after the incident, seemingly having a thorough plan in mind.

If it wasn't for her checking the sensors first, they might not have found out that the sensors on them had already lost their effectiveness until after the mission was completed and they returned to camp.

It was better to wait for her to confirm whatever she needed to confirm; then they could all make a decision.

"Before that, should we try to get closer to other squads?"

Everyone's movements were pre-planned, and since it was only the first day of tracking, even if the tracking deviated from the planned area, it couldn't be by far.

"That works..."

"Then let's set off tonight without resting," Hu's voice grew firm again.

If they were really being watched, it was just as dangerous to turn off the lights and rest here than it was to start moving closer to their teammates.

By comparing their encounter with other teammates', they might be able to identify the problem more clearly.

Even if they decided to go back to camp to report, they would have a better reason to do so.

Not to mention that, based on their current location, the cost in time to return to camp was far higher than moving towards their teammates.

"Alright!"

"Bang Bang Bang!"

Song Ying knocked on the window facing the back, and asked via the intercom, "Bai, we're preparing to move towards other teammates, will that affect you?"

"No problem, you guys drive,"

Bai E replied simply.