John Maslow Is Unfathomable

"At last, they're gone."

In the forest at the edge of the Whistling Plains, John watched the tearful members of 14th Squad head toward the small hill in the distance and let out a long sigh of relief.

Then, rubbing his sore face, he turned to look at the trench not far away, unable to suppress the excitement rising in his heart.

He knew that the moment he contacted the Allied Forces, officially broke away from the Empire, and stepped toward freedom had finally arrived.

"Come to think of it, during the early days of the Allied Forces, weren't the people in charge of the Anti-Magic Device frontlines all colonels or above? The rank isn't low, but it seems like that only counts as a mid-level commander?"

"So even if I finish negotiating my job transfer, I might not get promoted right away? I'll probably have to wait for approval from above? Tch, that's a little disappointing."

John could not help grumbling to himself.

After all, his original plan had been to use his status as a top student after joining the Allied Forces, make his presence known among their higher-ups, and casually bring up some tactical theories he had learned from forums in his previous life so the Allied Forces' upper ranks would view him differently.

That way, he could become an elite backbone of the Allied Forces' middle ranks in one go and live a happy life freeloading along behind the protagonist.

But now, it looked like that plan would most likely fall through.

"Still, it's not a big problem. As long as I can avoid being destroyed alongside the Empire, I can accept it even if I have to clean toilets for the Allied Forces every day!"

Shaking his head to toss aside his stray thoughts.

John, already impatient to meet his Allied Forces friends, immediately stood up from the forest.

Just as he was about to walk directly toward the trench ahead, he suddenly seemed to remember something. He quickly slapped his forehead, then swiftly removed his Mage Pack and Imperial Army uniform.

Damn, I almost forgot I was still wearing Imperial colors.

If I walked over dressed like this, I would probably get shot dead by Allied Forces scouts before I even got to meet the person in charge of this frontline.

"Good thing I'm smart, or I'd have really screwed up."

John patted his chest in lingering fear. Looking at the Imperial uniform in his hands, he had originally wanted to toss it onto the ground. But when he caught sight of the shoulder insignia made from real gold and the gold-thread trim sewn onto the uniform, he considered how much money it would be worth even if dismantled and sold.

The money-grubbing Warrant Officer John instead hid it in a patch of bushes, then cleverly gathered some branches to cover it.

Only after making sure no passerby would easily discover it did he nod in satisfaction.

Then he casually pulled out the dagger at his waist and began carving marks into the trunk of a nearby tree.

"John Maslow, what exactly are you doing?"

At the same time, Colonel Jett, who was leading the Black Eagle Special Forces and using the Phantom Barrier spell formation to blend into the surrounding scenery, was hiding in a distant thicket and secretly observing John's every move through binoculars. He could not help furrowing his brows.

The look in his eyes as he watched John also became uncertain.

In fact, ever since John had led 14th Squad out at such a slow pace, Jett's trust in John Maslow had already begun to waver.

And just now, when he saw John fail to lead 14th Squad in an attack on the target location as required by the mission, instead seeming to say something to the members of 14th Squad that made these soldiers loyal to the Empire abandon the attack and head toward an ordinary little hill.

The suspicion in his heart had grown even stronger.

Until he personally witnessed John remove the military uniform that symbolized the Empire's honor and return to his current civilian appearance.

An absurd and incomparably enraging thought rose uncontrollably in his mind:

John Maslow, could he be trying to defect?

Otherwise, how could his passive attitude toward the combat mission be explained?

What was more, he had taken off the uniform representing the highest honor of an Imperial soldier right in front of the enemy!

The more Jett thought about it, the darker his expression became. His gaze at the distant figure gradually filled with dense killing intent.

The Empire had trusted you so much.

To ensure your safety, General Dormammu had even sent me to protect you in secret all the way here.

And in the end, you still chose to betray the Empire?

I thought I would witness the rise of a new Imperial star, but instead.

Would I only get to see the ugly sight of a traitor begging for mercy before his death?

"What a tragedy!"

A complicated expression flashed across Jett Slaifute's face. But just as he slowly suppressed the anger in his heart, lowered the binoculars in his hands, and prepared to raise a hand to signal his subordinates to shoot this Imperial traitor.

In the next second, what he saw John do through the binoculars made him freeze.

This guy was saluting me?

He discovered us?

But we were still concealed within the Phantom Spell Formation. By all rights, he should not have sensed anything at all!

But if he had not discovered them, why would he make such a baffling saluting gesture?

Could it be that the reason he ordered 14th Squad to leave and removed his uniform was actually because there was another reason?

Watching John salute him with an expression of "loyalty" through the binoculars, even the battle-hardened Jett Slaifute could not help falling into confusion and bewilderment.

But after a brief hesitation, he temporarily suppressed his killing intent and continued scrutinizing John through the binoculars.

Although he did not know how John had discovered their hiding place, since John had chosen to face him, his superior, head-on, Jett was not unwilling to hear his explanation.

"Ah!" At the same time, John, completely unaware that he had just taken a trip to death's door, carved an arrow mark into the tree trunk and turned to look in the direction from which he had come, filled with emotion.

Honestly, although he had only been in this world for two days, he had to admit that the Empire treated its soldiers quite well.

According to his memories, even a novice commander like him who had just entered the battlefield could receive a monthly salary of a full 500D.

The full name of D was Dinar, the highest unit of Imperial currency. The conversion was roughly 1D (Dinar) = 100E (Eiron) = 1000C (Kornt).

In terms of purchasing power, 1D in a third-tier Imperial city was enough to cover a typical family of three's daily expenses for about a month.

Even in the Imperial Capital, a well-located building only cost around 6000D.

What was more, as an Imperial soldier, he himself enjoyed countless benefits.

If he had not known that the Empire would inevitably be destroyed by the power of the game's female protagonist, then honestly, John truly would not have wanted to give up such a high-paying job.

But unfortunately, compared to money, his life was still a little more important!

Thinking of this, John immediately suppressed the reluctance in his heart. After sighing softly, he stood and gave a military salute toward the road he had come from.

Latest novels first published at 69shu!

"Farewell, Empire. Farewell, my past!"

John used nearly unprecedented willpower to pull back his gaze. Just as he was about to move forward and carry out his plan to surrender.

A sparrow flew overhead, and a lump of liquid matter suddenly fell onto his head.

"Hm? What is this?"

John wiped his head in confusion. When he felt a sticky sensation on his fingertips, he instinctively rubbed his fingers together.

Then he raised his right hand before his eyes and examined it carefully.

"Fuck, where the hell did this bird shit come from?"

"Hm? Is this... tactical sign language? Watch and listen? What does that mean?"

At the same time, after seeing the "tactical hand signals" John made through the binoculars, Colonel Jett fell into thought. But when he connected them to John's earlier "strange" behavior, he seemed to understand something and suddenly widened his eyes.

"Could it be? John is trying to tell me that the trench ahead is not the real location of the Allied Forces' Anti-Magic Device, but a trap specifically set up to ambush us? Is that why he wants me to be careful?"

"And 'listen' means he wants me to have Reno, who possesses the special Vibration Sense spell formation within the Black Eagle Special Forces, investigate it and confirm the intelligence?"

But the Black Eagle Special Forces members' abilities and information had always been confidential. How did John know?

Had the general told him, or had he learned these secrets through some special channel?

Besides, Reno's spell formation consumed enormous amounts of magic stones, and after using it, his magic circuits could not be used again for a month. Did he really need to use such a precious scouting ability on a mission that had already been confirmed?

Jett was deeply shocked, but after only a moment's consideration, he immediately gave an order through the communicator.

"Reno, use your sensing spell formation immediately. Check the situation in the trench ahead!"

"Yes, Colonel!"

Upon receiving the order, the bald, burly man named Reno immediately pressed both hands against the ground without hesitation. At the same time, he closed his eyes and activated his special spell formation with all his strength.

Very quickly, a large number of silent microwaves seeped from his palms into the earth. Under his precise control, they rapidly spread toward the trench ahead, transmitting the conditions within into his mind.

In less than ten seconds, Reno opened his eyes again. But after receiving the spell formation's feedback, his previously calm face quickly turned extremely ugly, and even his voice trembled faintly.

"Colonel, something is wrong. The number of enemy soldiers in the trench far exceeds expectations. There are at least a thousand of them, and all of them possess magical auras."

"Furthermore, if my senses are correct, the enemy appears to have set up a special magic device within the trench in advance."

"The enemy clearly anticipated our surprise attack plan and prepared beforehand."

"The so-called mission target is nothing more than a trap, a trap meant to wipe us all out!"

"What!?"

Hearing this reply, Jett's pupils instantly constricted to the limit, and even the hand gripping his binoculars trembled.

Combined with what he had just seen through the binoculars—John Maslow calmly rubbing his fingers together, as though everything were held in the palm of his hand.

The evaluation General Dormammu had given of John in the command post that morning now exploded beside Colonel Jett's ears like thunder.

"Without a doubt, our Warrant Officer John Maslow is a true genius!"

"A true genius!"

"Genius!"

The intense shock made Jett's throat tighten, and his scalp went numb. Somewhat flustered, he looked through the binoculars in his hands. He saw John gazing calmly at the trench ahead, his fingers lightly pressing against the tree trunk as though he were deep in thought, considering how to use their unit to completely annihilate the tough enemy force ahead.

At that moment, Jett Slaifute, this powerful man known by countless people as the Imperial Black Wing, could not help but feel toward the nominal subordinate in his binoculars an emotion he himself was unwilling to admit—fear.

John Maslow was simply unfathomable!

(End of Chapter)