Sergeant Major Le Zuo followed Ronan's instructions and personally remote-piloted the Single-Soldier Repair Vehicle, easing it into the slowly flowing Frozen Nitrogen within the subterranean cavity. Hugging the underside of the Soil Layer Voyager, it advanced slowly toward the work site, making barely a sound.
Only by doing this could they avoid detection by the Electric Spine Serpent's sensitive long tail.
Still, it was a risk.
In the control room, Non-Commissioned Officer Dan Nong barely dared to breathe.
Sergeant Major Le Zuo, however, operated the vehicle while casually chatting. "We just need to follow the work site upward and stop once we reach the solid stratum, right?"
"Yes."
"By the way, what were you laughing at earlier?"
"Hm? Which time? I laugh a lot."
"When I said I'd operate it personally, and you laughed at me for being a 'Technical Backstop.'"
"I wasn't laughing at you. I was laughing at myself, because I thought the same thing."
"Oh, really?"
"Of course. Sergeant Major, you know it isn't easy being the commanding officer of a company."
Was that a heartfelt confession?
Non-Commissioned Officer Dan Nong instinctively wanted to turn and look, but for some reason, he did not dare. His neck remained stiff as he glanced over with only the corner of his eye.
The Single-Soldier Repair Vehicle continued inching through the Frozen Nitrogen. Above them, on the Soil Layer Voyager, the new officer and old soldier's "heart-to-heart" continued in the same unhurried manner.
Le Zuo gave a hoarse chuckle. "'Not easy' is an excuse for 'not good at it.'"
Non-Commissioned Officer Dan Nong grimaced at that, but Le Zuo immediately shifted tone. "...I think it isn't easy either. The fact that you came here with that mindset is already enough. But before you came, didn't that bigmouth Xian Zhu give