Departure

Departure

After leaving the command post and returning to his tent to sort out his equipment, John headed to the staging area where Squad 14's members were gathered. When he saw Wendy again, she was sitting in the 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 unstandard military salute. Then, with a grin, she 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 Inspectorate and have you sent before a military court?"

John shot this unreliable subordinate a displeased glare, grinding his teeth in irritation.

If this idiot hadn't pulled that stunt last night, his retirement plan would not have gone down the drain.

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

"Wah, I know I was wrong. Don't be angry, Captain!"

Having been scolded for no reason, Wendy immediately pursed her lips, her heart full of grievance.

She had merely envied the warrant officer for receiving a personal audience with General Dormammu and wanted to ask what he thought of it.

Yet the hateful warrant officer had instantly made a mountain out of a molehill and slapped her with the charge of privately discussing a superior.

Sure enough, Warrant Officer John had to be unhappy about how she talked back to him yesterday, so he was deliberately making things difficult for her, wasn't he?

Hmph, the warrant officer really was a petty fellow!

As Wendy silently grumbled, she 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, yet terribly narrow-minded.

But before she could decide which specialties would be suitable, John's voice interrupted her thoughts.

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

Recalling the mission intelligence Dormammu had explained to him in the command post, John could practically see himself leading Squad 14 along that secret route into the Allied rear, then bringing everyone over to surrender of their own accord, where Allied higher-ups would warmly step forward to shake his hand.

A look of anticipation spread across John's face. Then, under Wendy's excited gaze, he added meaningfully, "This is an operation that could change Squad 14's fate. So get everyone to pull themselves together, Sergeant Wendy!"

"Yes, Warrant Officer John!"

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

Just as in the game, his squad consisted of twenty-four demolition soldiers, four scouts, one communications soldier, and one medic—a standard Imperial magic soldier squad.

Although its numbers would at most qualify it as a platoon in the army, every one of them was the equivalent of a bomber aircraft, so magic soldier organization differed from regular army organization.

A squad of merely thirty people carried a company-level designation in the military.

The Seventh Legion John belonged to had only six thousand regular magic soldiers in total.

However, the magic soldier squad John commanded differed from ordinary squads. The soldiers under him were not recruits without combat experience, but veterans with over two years of battle experience on average.

Every squad member possessed elite-level marksmanship and could hit wherever they aimed.

As the strongest fighter in the squad, with five years of combat experience and an additional appointment as vice-captain, Wendy was undoubtedly the most outstanding member of Squad 14.

Besides the Demolition Spell that every magic soldier was expected to master, Wendy had also mastered the Magic Eye and Healing Spell. With the aid of a mana amplifier, she could even use the Telepathy Spell for long-distance communication over a short period. She was practically a jack of all trades.

Judging by the game's power scaling, this girl could absolutely be considered an early-game minor boss.

In terms of combat strength alone, she left John—who only mastered the Magic Eye and Analysis—several streets behind.

But unfortunately, while an individual's power in this world could be raised to terrifying heights, the cost and expenditure were equally enormous.

Thus, individual combat power often had a certain upper limit. It was rare for the outcome of a battlefield to be determined by one person's courage and might.

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

Before the formation, John looked at the members of Squad 14 before him. They held magic rifles in their arms and wore magic packs for assisted flight on their backs, quietly gazing up at him.

After taking attendance, John nodded to Wendy, who stood beside him making her report. Without launching into any so-called pre-battle speech, he took a deep breath and gave the order in a grave voice.

"Set out!"

"Whoosh!"

Following John's command, everyone quickly activated the magic packs on their backs and rose into the air. Under John's lead, they sped toward the distance.

At the same time, not long after Squad 14 took off and departed, in a place unnoticed by anyone, a well-equipped and highly trained unit also left the Imperial camp. Like ghosts that could not be detected, they silently followed behind John's Squad 14.

(End of Chapter)