I, who was eager to retire, became an Imperial General.

Chapter 1 The Empire's Torrential Rain

"All that has passed is but a prologue."

The temporary encampment of the 14th Magic Soldier Mobile Squadron, under the 7th Air Force of the Norman Empire, at the Walden Front.

Looking out at the relentless downpour, John Maslow suddenly recalled a classic line from the great writer Shakespeare, a line from his past life.

But now he lacks the magnanimity that the great writer wanted the world to understand; instead, he is filled with despair and bitterness.

In his view, nothing could be worse than the current situation.

As a new-era youth who originally lived in the 21st century, leading a daily routine between his workplace, a foot massage parlor, and an urban village.

Just seven hours earlier, he had been scolded at work all day and was exhausted. He had just come to his usual roadside stall to eat braised pork trotters and rice, while also browsing the latest suggestive videos posted by the "living bodhisattvas" he followed on his phone, hoping to soothe his wounded heart with some delicious food.

Before he could even take a bite of his meal, he was blasted into this damned alternate world by a truck flashing with magic circles, becoming a rookie commander on the battlefield.

Most importantly, after sorting through his memories, he was surprised to find that the strange world he had transmigrated to was not an unfamiliar place to him.

Instead, it was a single-player sandbox game he frequently played called 'Empire Fall,' whose appearance and name were exactly the same as the character John Maslow he created in the game.

However, unlike in the game, he is now not in the Allied camp in the main storyline, but in the Imperial Army being attacked.

Simply put, he has now become a villain.

To be more precise, he is a villain who will be forced to die alongside the emperor ten years later due to the empire's defeat.

"Oh!"

"Are you kidding me, you bastard!"

John slammed his fist on the wooden table in front of him, filled with grief and anger, and he felt like cursing right then and there.

Unlike those netizens in his previous life who dreamed of traveling to another world to live a carefree life, he had experienced the colorful life of the 21st century and did not have such thoughts.

What's more, I was transported to this terrible game world and became a sacrifice for an empire that started with a cataclysmic collapse.

Even though the authors of the game Fall of Empires are very diverse, basically every kind of fantasy element imaginable has been mixed into the game by these shameless authors, including everything from kemonomimi girls to uniform fetishes.

But the thought of ten years later, under the attack of the Allied forces' nearly ten million troops, the terrifying spaceships that could almost cover the sky, and the overwhelming combat power of the protagonist group in the game, and being forced to take his own life in front of the secret forces, made John want to run away immediately.

However, as a veteran player of this game, he was very clear about the Empire's attitude towards deserters.

If he really does that, he might die in the Northwest before the empire is defeated.

There's no escaping it; following the empire, they're destined to be defeated by the terrifying corrective power of the protagonist group in the game.

No matter which option you choose, you're doomed. What's the point of playing this game?

Thinking of this, John slumped back in his chair, looking utterly dejected.

But soon, he cleverly found a way to survive.

retire!
I must retire as a military officer within ten years!
In this way, even if the empire is ultimately defeated, he can still survive to the end as a commoner.

With the knowledge from my past life and the information gap from being familiar with the game's plot, I can completely live a life of luxury and ease!

"Retirement, that's right, retirement!"

Like a fish about to die of thirst drinking its first sip of urine, John's eyes widened instantly upon finding his way to the future.

Before he could even begin to contemplate his retirement plans, the sound of a door opening interrupted his thoughts, accompanied by a slightly cold voice: "Captain John, we've been stationed at this temporary outpost for a full seven hours, but I haven't received any instructions from you regarding the team's next move. Don't you have anything to say about that?"

A girl with chestnut-brown, shoulder-length hair caught John's eye. She was beautiful and dressed in an Imperial Magician's uniform with black and gold accents. Her azure eyes were filled with anger and disgust, and her thin cherry lips were tightly pursed, as if she was trying her best to suppress her inner dissatisfaction.

John vaguely remembered the girl; her name was Wendy Brown.

He is the vice-captain of the 30-strong mobile magic soldier squad he currently leads, with the rank of sergeant first class.

Compared to the fixed beginner background in the game, he comes from a military academy and joins the Air Force as the captain of a mobile magic soldier squad. He is two ranks lower than him, despite having the rank of warrant officer that comes with him as a beginner, so he is nominally his subordinate.

However, the other party clearly didn't like his newly arrived superior and lacked respect for him; in fact, one could even say they disliked him.

John, who was a proper cow or horse in his previous life, also strongly agreed with this.

After all, we've always done the dirty and hard work, and not only did we not get any benefits, but we were also suppressed by someone with connections. If it were him, he would also be unable to help but grumble about this scoundrel who got in through connections.

Of course, given his slick personality, he certainly wouldn't show it as obviously as the other party, since it's not a pleasant feeling to be treated unfairly.

But that didn't stop John from appreciating the little girl.

After all, his plan for a glorious retirement in the future cannot be separated from this good subordinate.

However, for now, let me, as your senior, teach you, this young junior, the principles you should learn in the workplace, hehehe!
John muttered maliciously to himself, calmly straightening his collar before adopting the haughty demeanor of a former boss and speaking slowly and deliberately:

"Wendy Brown, right? Why didn't you knock when you came in? I remember that basic etiquette was taught at the military academy. Even if you've become a sergeant, you shouldn't have forgotten such rules. Have your years of military service made you forget to always be respectful to your superiors?"

"I……"

"For my questions, you only need to answer yes or no. This is a rule that any soldier should understand. As a veteran, don't you know it? To be honest, this makes me start to doubt the competence of your squad."

Seeing Wendy's flushed face, John gave a mocking smile, then without hesitation launched into another round of humiliation:
"Now, get out of here right now, knock on the door and wait for my reply, understand, Sergeant Wendy!"

"……Yes!"

Facing John's cold gaze, Wendy finally lowered her head in humiliation. She then suppressed the urge to beat him up and obediently walked out of the room. After taking a deep breath, she knocked hard on the door and then looked at her nominal boss with a gloomy gaze.

"Dong dong!"

"Enter!"

John ignored the almost tangible resentment emanating from Wendy, calmly poured himself a cup of coffee, and leisurely took a sip.

No way, he's seen this kind of situation before. In his past life, when he was an elite ox or horse, he stayed up for three days straight to revise a company plan, and his resentment was many times greater than Wendy's now. He even had thoughts of killing his boss.

The other party only received a few minor insults from him, so who are they trying to scare with this attitude?

To put it bluntly, even if this young girl is a ruthless veteran, the other party is just a newcomer in the workplace who doesn't understand the principle that a higher rank can crush you.

Otherwise, if the other party were even a smart person, they would probably be groveling before them by now.

Not turning back until hitting a wall is a common bad habit among newcomers to the workplace. They'll only know to give in when they're beaten bloody by the iron fist of capital, just like you have.

Indeed, I'm still too young!
John glanced at Wendy with a hint of wistfulness, remained silent for a while, and then, after finishing his coffee, spoke again:

"Not bad, you actually know to get permission from your superior before reporting. It seems you're not as foolish as I thought. Now, Sergeant Wendy, you may officially begin your report."

……

(End of this chapter)