The transport’s engine nozzles began to angle downward, the fiery orange glow gradually diminishing amidst the high-speed exhaust as it settled slowly and steadily onto the platform. Fang Senyan and his group had long grown weary of the cramped cabin; more pressingly, the feeling of having their very survival outside their own control was deeply unsettling. Thus, they scrambled out of the aircraft in a rush. A bearded commander in a slate-blue military uniform was already waiting outside, pacing impatiently with his hands clasped behind his back.

Stepping out of the cabin, almost everyone gasped, sucking in a sharp breath. The cabin they had just been inside, which seemed secure from within, had its metal hull spotted and pitted by some unknown corrosive agent—it looked like a well-fermented steamed bun that had been torn open. In some places, the outermost layer of appliqué armor had been completely eaten through, revealing fist-sized, blister-like indentations on the inner armor plating, from which tendrils of foul-smelling smoke were still rising.

Several waiting CVs rushed forward, swiftly raising their welding torches. Amidst flashing sparks, they began patching and repairing the hull. The commander, meanwhile, started roaring:

“Where are you lot looking? Boys, Headquarters didn't sacrifice four transport ships to get you here so you could stand around chatting! I am Lieutenant Colonel Tommy Fickman, but I prefer to go by my nickname! Yes, the one that makes people tremble just hearing it: The Iron Whip!”

“Frankly, I don’t understand why the brass assigned such a difficult mission to a bunch of weak-as-water rookies like you. Look at your crooked stances, your lazy expressions, and your feeble movements—it’s enough to make my blood pressure spike by thirty millimeters of mercury! So, I need to get this over with quickly before I need a pill for it! Adjutant! Adjutant, I’m giving you ten seconds to appear before me, and then another ten seconds to tell these rookies exactly what they need to do!”

A man in uniform wearing glasses hurried out from inside:

“Good day, everyone. I am Captain Crespo. Two hours ago, we received a radio message from Whiskey Base to the west—they reported being besieged by those damned bugs. Orders were immediately issued for the nearby Hard-Nuts detachment to move in for support. Regrettably, the West Base had already fallen; that radio message was nothing but false intelligence sent by a communications operator whose brain matter had been sucked out.”

“Your mission is to rescue the Hard-Nuts detachment. Under these circumstances, casualties are unavoidable. However, Lieutenant Johnny Rick of that detachment is a rare talent; if he dies, your mission fails. Furthermore, Sergeant Tizifluorice and Sergeant Leevey (the one from the original story with the absurd mohawk), as well as Commander Reich, possess exceptional abilities, so it is highly preferable to secure their lives as well. If you manage to extract all of them unscathed, you will receive extremely high commendation from Headquarters.”

In the original narrative, both Tizifluorice, who was the protagonist's love interest, and Commander Reich perished here, which clearly defined the immense difficulty of this assignment.

Simultaneously, Fang Senyan and the others received a prompt from the Nightmare Imprint:

Time: Galactic Year 383, April 17th, 10:00 AM. Location: Planet, Sector Six, Iron Whip Human Base (43°19’ South Latitude, 91°2’ East Longitude). Scenario: Starship Troopers. Difficulty: Medium (C-Rank). Pain Attenuation: 30%. Bonus to Individual Ability Enhancement: Seven-Six. Current Scenario Exploration Progress: 0.0%. Supplemental Note: This is a peaceful scenario; Contractors killed here will not drop any items. The digital character information module is now active. Contractors can check their personal stats anytime via the Nightmare Imprint on their chests. Supplemental Note: You have currently formed a temporary combat unit. For every member who dies in the unit, one Merit Point will be deducted, up to a maximum deduction of 6 points. When all members of the unit are gathered together, Attack Power +10%. When more than 50% of the unit is gathered, Attack Power increases by 8%. When at least 2 members are gathered, Attack Power +4%. You will automatically master the relevant language and can interact fluently with the characters in this world. This knowledge will fade upon leaving this world. The plot of this world is an emergency rare mission; you have not unlocked the relevant milestones. Number of accepted missions: 1. Main Mission: Rescue the Hard-Nuts Detachment. Mission Description: Lieutenant Johnny Rick must not die. Mission failure will result in a deduction of 5 Merit Points and 3 points from your current highest base attribute. Mission Description: If Sergeant Tizifluorice, Sergeant Leevey, and Commander Reich survive and escape, a reward will be granted. If all four escape together, an additional reward will be given. Even if Lieutenant Johnny Rick dies, the total deduction of Merit Points for this main mission will never exceed 6 points (including teammate deaths). Warning: Contractors who fail to fight side-by-side with Lieutenant Johnny Rick will be automatically judged as having failed the mission. Your appearances have been altered and will revert automatically upon returning to the real world. You may also adjust your appearance settings in the Nightmare Space. If you have any questions, you may silently murmur them through the Nightmare Imprint; if your clearance level permits, you will receive an answer. Your weapons and relevant abilities have been disguised so as not to attract special attention from story characters (e.g., Morgansa’s Gold A appears as ordinary standard issue firearms to the plot characters). Your standard armor will increase defense by 1–2 points but will slightly reduce your movement speed; please judge for yourself whether to wear it.

Observing this series of prompts, quite a few Contractors began whispering amongst themselves. Lieutenant Colonel Tommy Fickman roared angrily:

“Quiet, quiet! You trash! You maggots of incompetence, shut your damned mouths! I am giving you one hour for rest and preparation, and then a Vulture Carrier will take you where you need to go. In the central hall, there is an ordnance officer named Onz. You can find him for any necessities you require. Now, get out of my sight immediately, go!”

Although all the Contractors wished they could drag the ill-tempered man over and give him a good beating, they knew it was only a pleasant fantasy. Their attention quickly shifted to Onz, and they descended from the tarmac toward the main base hall.

Once they had left the presence of all the story characters, a short figure suddenly clapped his hands and called out loudly:

“Hey! Can everyone listen to me for a moment? I’m Hanick, Mad Hanick. Many of you have collaborated with me before, right? We’ve likely all lost our original teams or are lone operators. In the short term, the sacrifice of any comrade here means a huge loss for us. In long-term planning, since Space has forced us into this temporary team, if cooperation goes well, we might become partners fighting side-by-side in the future. Therefore, I propose that everyone first announce their fighting style and specialties so we can optimize our combination during combat.”

Morgansa, holding his Gold A expressionlessly, sent a message to Fang Senyan:

“This guy’s nickname is Monkey. His team was almost completely wiped out by the Metal Mentor in the Lord of the Rings world. However, his agility is extremely high, and his innate ability is called ‘Phantom Sight,’ which drastically increases his evasion rate. When I attacked him previously, even a full burst fired at him, even if it seemed like a direct hit, about one in three bullets would produce a sliding, ineffective effect, as if it missed. His actual strength is quite considerable.”

Fang Senyan frowned slightly:

“Such high passive evasion?”

After hearing Hanick’s suggestion, the other Contractors readily agreed; many in their hearts held the same thought, but Mad Hanick had voiced it first. At this point, some even regretted losing the opportunity to make themselves known within the team. The thousand or so people found a secluded spot and began to gather. They started simple self-introductions.

The first to speak was the proponent, Hanick. Following established custom, he introduced his role in the team first: scout, assassin, damage dealer. Then he demonstrated one of his abilities: LV5 Throat Slit, an ability that could only be initiated from behind, with damage so astonishing that it startled even Fang Senyan.

Next, a large man standing beside Mad Hanick stepped forward. He took off his helmet, revealing a black eyepatch over his left eye, making him look strikingly like the cyclops Sagat from Street Fighter. Fang Senyan immediately noticed Morgansa’s brow furrow in response. The one-eyed man spoke in a raspy voice:

“I am Joel, Executioner Joel. Team role: Ultra-long-range firepower support. Specialty: Sniping.”

Morgansa quickly pointed out the terror this man represented:

“I encountered this guy during the Symbiote era. When Fant was at his peak in a skirmish, he was hit by this guy just once, and it instantly put him in critical condition! Afterwards, at least five members of the Symbiotes died by his hand... It looks like Mad Hanick is trying to put Joel forward to compete for the leadership position.”

Subsequently, others came forward to introduce their specialties. Two individuals left an impression on Fang Senyan: one was a man in a leather jacket named Hanlanck, a relatively rare [Control] class Contractor. He introduced his specialty as crowd control, represented by the ability Grease Spell, which could generate large, slippery areas to trip up enemies.