Combat Walker Training on Fenghuang

Day 1: Arrival on Fenghuang

The moment our boots touched the rugged surface of Fenghuang, I knew this world would test us in every way imaginable. The journey from Earth was long, filled with anticipation and the weight of expectation. Fenghuang, whispered about in the halls of the academy as the ultimate training ground, spread out before us like a red-blooded challenge. Jagged cliffs loomed over dense forests that swayed under alien winds, and vast plains burned in the light of twin suns.

The air was sharp and metallic, daring us to breathe it. Even through my suit’s filtration, I could taste minerals and ozone. As we disembarked from the transport ship, our combat walkers stood lined along the ridge like mechanical sentinels. My Baihu, with its sleek profile and scarred armor, seemed almost eager. My pulse thrummed with the electric mix of nerves and excitement that every pilot feels before the first test.

Day 3: First Maneuvers

The opening drills were grueling. Fenghuang’s terrain has a will of its own, shifting without warning, and sudden dust storms turn everything into crimson haze. Every movement feels like a dance on the edge of control.

Our squad, the Thunder Wolves, ran convoy defense simulations today. I held point at the vanguard, eyes flicking between sensor blips and the shifting horizon. Captain Zhang’s voice crackled over the comms, his tone sharp and unrelenting. “Don’t think—react!” he barked. I tightened my grip as Baihu surged forward, hydraulics humming like a living creature. The ground gave way beneath our feet, but I adjusted, learning to ride the world’s fury instead of fighting it. Fenghuang demanded respect, and today, I earned a little of it.

Day 6: Combat Exercises

We faced the Iron Dragons today, a rival squad famous for precision and aggression. The simulation zone was a dense alien forest filled with twisting trees that glowed when brushed, painting the battlefield in eerie light. Perfect conditions for an ambush.

Our formation advanced carefully, each heavy footfall of the walkers sending tremors through the soil. Inside the cockpit, the air was thick with tension. My co-pilot, Wei Ling, breathed slow and steady beside me. The HUD flared with sudden movement, and the forest erupted in plasma fire. Blue light slashed past Baihu’s frame. I launched an EMP burst in reply, the canopy flashing as energy cascaded through the trees. One enemy walker dropped to a knee, systems overloaded. “Incoming from the right!” Wei Ling shouted. I pivoted Baihu hard, its servo arms colliding with the enemy’s hull in a thunder of steel.

It felt endless, each second stretched to breaking. When the final whistle sounded, I exhaled for what felt like the first time in hours. The match ended in a draw—bruised egos, battered frames, but no defeats. The Thunder Wolves held firm.

Day 8: Lessons Learned

Captain Zhang’s debrief was as merciless as the terrain. “Good isn’t good enough,” he said, eyes like iron. “Out there, ‘almost’ gets you killed.” He wasn’t wrong. Training here isn’t repetition—it’s survival in its purest form.

The afternoon disappeared in recalibration drills. Baihu’s targeting suite needed tuning, so I re-wrote the predictive algorithm to track movement in heavy cover. Wei Ling joked we should name the AI; she said it was starting to feel like a third member of the team. For a moment, the thought made the day a little lighter.

Day 12: The Storm Test

Fenghuang showed its true nature today. We were midway through a navigation drill when the sky turned blood-red and the storm arrived. Wind howled like a living beast, carrying dust so thick it devoured the horizon. Visibility vanished; sensors flickered uselessly.

“Stay close!” I shouted into the comms, but the storm swallowed my voice. Baihu moved by instinct, step by step, following the faint shadow of Wu’s walker ahead. Every motion felt uncertain, yet somehow, we stayed together. When the storm finally broke, the silence that followed was deafening. Captain Zhang’s voice crackled through the static. “When things go wrong, we see who you really are.” He was right. Today, we saw fear, courage, and the thread of loyalty that binds us as one unit. We survived because we refused to fall apart.

Day 14: Final Thoughts

The end of our training cycle approaches, and I can feel the weight of it pressing like the twin suns overhead. Fenghuang pushed us to the edge and beyond. We’ve learned to fight through blindness, to trust the machines that carry us, and—above all—to trust one another.

When deployment comes, we’ll be ready. The Thunder Wolves are more than a squad; we’re family forged in dust and storms. Whatever lies ahead, Baihu and I will be at the front, no hesitation. Fenghuang tempered us in fire, and we are stronger for it.

— Journal of Lieutenant Ren Tao, Thunder Wolves Squad