Departure

After leaving the command post and returning to his tent to sort out his equipment, John headed to the staging area where the members of the 14th Squad were gathered. When he saw Wendy again, she was sitting in a tent, performing routine oiling and maintenance on her Magic Rifle.

Seeing John arrive, Wendy hurriedly put away her weapon, then stood and saluted.

"Good afternoon, Captain John!"

"Call me Warrant Officer!"

"Yes, Warrant Officer John!"

Wendy shrugged and gave a rather sloppy military salute, then cheerfully put away her Magic Rifle and leaned closer, asking curiously,

"Captain, did you just finish speaking with General Dormammu? So, is the general really as strict as the rumors say?"

"Sergeant Wendy, privately discussing a superior is a serious offense. Aren't you afraid I'll report you directly to the Inspection Forces and have you sent before a military court?"

John shot this unreliable subordinate an irritated glare, his teeth practically itching with anger.

If this idiot had not pulled that stunt last night, his retirement plan would not have fallen apart.

Once he successfully jumped ship to the Allied Forces, he would definitely make things difficult for this foolish woman and let her experience the consequences of offending her boss in the workplace!

"Ugh, I know I was wrong. Don't be mad, Captain!"

Wendy's lips immediately puckered after being scolded for no apparent reason, and her heart filled with grievance.

She had clearly just envied the warrant officer for receiving a personal audience with General Dormammu and wanted to ask how he felt about it.

Yet the hateful warrant officer had immediately blown the matter out of proportion and accused her of privately discussing a superior.

Sure enough, Warrant Officer John must still be unhappy that I talked back to him yesterday, so he's deliberately making things difficult for me, isn't he?

Hmph, the warrant officer really is such a petty man!

While grumbling inwardly, Wendy began considering whether she should ask her parents back home to send her some local specialties to curry favor with this superior, who was clever but terribly small-minded.

Before she could figure out which local specialties would be suitable, John's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Wendy, gather the other members of the 14th Squad. We have work to do next!"

Recalling the mission intelligence Dormammu had described in the command post, John could practically foresee himself leading the 14th Squad along that hidden route into the Allied Forces' rear, then bringing everyone over to surrender as the Allied Forces' higher-ups warmly stepped forward to shake his hand.

A hopeful smile appeared on John's face. Then, under Wendy's excited gaze, he added meaningfully,

"This is an operation that could change the fate of the 14th Squad, so make sure everyone gets fired up, Sergeant Wendy!"

"Yes, Warrant Officer John!"

Thanks to Wendy's energetic efforts, all members of the 14th Squad were soon assembled in the staging area of the camp. It was also the first time John had formally met the thirty soldiers under his command.

Just like in the game, his squad consisted of twenty-four demolition troops, four scouts, one communications soldier, and one medic, making it a standard Imperial Army Mage Soldier squad.

Although its numbers would at most qualify it as a platoon in the regular army, every member was equivalent to a bomber aircraft, so Mage Soldier formations differed from regular army formations.

A squad of merely thirty men held the designation of a company within the military.

The Seventh Legion, where John was stationed, had only six thousand regular Mage Soldiers in total.

However, the Mage Soldier squad under John's command differed from ordinary squads. His soldiers were not recruits without combat experience, but veterans with an average of more than two years of battlefield experience.

Every member possessed elite-level marksmanship and could hit whatever they aimed at.

As the squad's strongest combatant, with five years of combat experience and the additional post of deputy captain, Wendy was undoubtedly the most outstanding member of the 14th Squad.

In addition to the Demolition Spell that every Mage Soldier was expected to master, Wendy had also mastered the Magic Eye and Healing Spell. With the help of a Magic Amplifier, she could even use the Telepathy Spell for long-distance communication over a short period. She was practically a one-woman multi-purpose unit.

Judging by the game's power scale, she could completely be called an early-game mini-boss.

In terms of combat ability alone, she far surpassed John, who had mastered only the Magic Eye and Analysis spells.

Unfortunately, while an individual's power in this world could reach terrifying heights, the costs and consumption were equally enormous.

As a result, individual combat strength usually had a certain limit, and it was rare for a battle's outcome to be decided by one person's bravery.

So if I want to survive in this world, I'll ultimately have to use my brain.

Standing before the formation, John looked at the members of the 14th Squad before him. They held Magic Rifles in their arms and carried Mage Packs on their backs to assist with flight, silently looking up at him.

After counting the personnel, John nodded to Wendy, who had reported beside him. Without making any grand pre-battle speech, he took a deep breath and gave the order in a low voice.

"Move out!"

Whoosh!

Following John's command, everyone quickly activated the Mage Packs on their backs and rose into the air, speeding toward the distance under his lead.

At the same time, shortly after the 14th Squad took off, a well-equipped and highly trained unit also left the Imperial Army camp from a place no one noticed. Like undetectable ghosts, they silently followed behind John's 14th Squad.