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

Chapter 13 I laugh at the Allied forces' lack of wisdom!

Just as John was heading toward the trenches where the 'friendly forces' were, Colonel Jet led three hundred members of the Black Hawk Special Forces to the spot where John had previously stood on the tree trunk, and then began to examine the marks on the tree trunk with a serious look in his eyes.

The center is a circle carved with a knife, with a small pit carved in the center of the circle. To the left of the circle is an arc-shaped pattern formed by an unknown white liquid. Directly below the circle is a faint horizontal water stain left by John.

Overall, it appears somewhat abstract, like a child's doodle, making it difficult to discern its true meaning.

But Colonel Jet, a graduate of the Empire’s First Military Academy, instantly realized that this was not a meaningless graffiti, but a complete military operation plan!

Judging from their current situation, doesn't the so-called circle represent the allied forces who have made preparations in advance to ambush and kill them?

The fact that John placed that point in the center, combined with his act of disguising himself as a civilian and walking alone towards the enemy, suggests that John did not actually intend to expose the Black Hawk Special Forces to draw fire.

Was he planning to send him alone to draw the Allied forces' attention, thus giving the Black Hawk Down special forces time to infiltrate the trenches and successfully destroy the magical artifacts?

This is evidenced by the water stains below, which would have dried up and disappeared if Jeter had arrived a few minutes later.

After all, the subtle symbol left by Warrant Officer John clearly reflected the ghostly combat style of their Black Hawk Special Forces.

In this way, the meaning of that white arc becomes even clearer.

After all, in combat symbols, the arc always represents flanking, so there's no need to overthink it!

However, even though I was mentally prepared, I still couldn't have imagined that John would be willing to sacrifice to this extent for the victory of the Empire!

Even if it puts him in danger, even if he faces thousands of enemy soldiers, the slightest mistake will result in certain death.

Faced with such danger, you chose to entrust your entire back to me without reservation?

Clearly, you've never even seen me!

But can she still trust me to this extent?

What an incredible level of loyalty one must have to be to make such an admirable decision!
This absolute trust, this fearless courage.

This loyalty to the empire was as dazzling as a star.

Absolutely breathtaking!
Even the most hard-hearted person would probably be moved by this!

"Seriously, I give up!"

Watching the figure stroll leisurely towards the enemy trenches in the distance, Colonel Jet couldn't help but feel an unprecedented sense of admiration for this man.

He was truly captivated by John Maslow.

But he did not intend to follow the 'plan' left by John exactly, as he had assured Admiral Dormammu before he set off.

Having confirmed John's abilities and loyalty to the Empire, he could not allow such an outstanding junior to face danger alone.

He had to find a way to protect this genius no matter what, even if it meant giving up the mission!

With this in mind, Colonel Jet made a decision. He took a deep breath and then told his adjutant John's plan to the officer beside him. He ordered the adjutant to lead the Black Hawk team to infiltrate the Allied trenches, search for the location of the magical artifacts, and then blow them up upon receiving instructions.

After arranging everything, he used the illusion technique to catch up with John, who had reached the Allied trenches ahead, and then found a suitable spot to crouch down.

With their eyes fixed on John's retreating figure, they awaited the grand spectacle this brilliant junior was about to put on for the Allied forces, showcasing his astonishing wisdom!
……

"Who goes there? Halt immediately!"

Just as John approached the trench, the patrolmen responsible for guarding the outer perimeter noticed him and immediately raised their weapons defensively, shouting sternly:
"Civilian, immediately state your identity and purpose, or I will shoot!"

"Soldiers, immediately go and tell your superiors that Lieutenant John Maslow, commander of the 14th Magic Soldier Squadron of the Imperial 7th Air Force, has come to pay a visit."

Faced with the patrolmen's questioning, John smiled calmly and unhurriedly revealed his identity.

To be honest, he was still a little panicked when he saw the dark muzzle of a gun pointed at him.

But he also knew that if he showed weakness now, his future colleagues would definitely look down on him.

After all, a person without backbone on the battlefield can never earn the respect of others.

Moreover, he came here to switch jobs, and if he were to put on a ridiculous, kneeling-begging act, John knew, even with a grain of salt, that he wouldn't be the appreciated leader he expected.

Instead, they showed contempt and disdain.

This was definitely not the outcome he had hoped for.

So even though he was terrified, John could only keep telling himself to calm down, while imitating the Godfather from his past life movies, casually putting his hands behind his back, and smiling as he met the patrolmen's shocked gazes as he spoke:

“Soldier, if I were you, I wouldn’t be so foolish as to keep pointing your guns at the other side. After all, the weapons in your hands are just toys to me, and I think you should know that.”

"So, if you're smart enough, you should understand that you should call someone of sufficient importance to speak with me now, such as the person in charge of this outpost, right, Mr. Captain of the Allied Forces?"

"..."

Looking at the man in front of her, who was clearly being aimed at by dozens of guns from her own side and was about to be riddled with bullets, yet he was smiling at the moment.

The captain of the Allied patrol felt a chill run down his spine, and his gaze toward John became unusually serious.

As a veteran, he was naturally familiar with the Empire's infamous 'Demon Legion'.

Therefore, he was well aware of how terrifying those magical soldiers who had mastered explosive techniques through special modifications were.

The man in front of him, dressed as a commoner, claimed to be the commander of the magic soldiers. Even if he thought about it, he knew that the other party was someone that his patrol unit could not possibly handle.

Although he didn't know the other party's true intentions, the current situation was beyond his scope of responsibility. He had to report it immediately!

"You guys keep a close eye on him. If he makes any strange moves, fire immediately as a warning. I'm going to report to my superior!"

The patrol captain gave the order to his subordinates, then immediately dropped his weapon and ran with all his might toward the camp behind him. His frantic running made it seem as if a terrifying demon was watching him from behind.

"Goo!"

Watching their captain flee in a panic, the patrol members, who had come to their senses, all subconsciously swallowed.

Looking at John's smiling figure again, they felt as if a shadow had fallen over their hearts. Under this invisible pressure, they subconsciously slowed their breathing, their nerves were on edge, and even the fingers holding the guns began to tremble involuntarily.

There was no way around it; after all, they were just an ordinary army unit, a world apart from the ironclad troops in the trenches.

Asking them to face the Empire's demonic legions is already asking too much of them.

What's more, this time they were facing the commander of a squad of magic soldiers.
"..."

Outside the trench, John, who was observing the various negative terms such as "panic" and "fear" displayed above the heads of his "friendly forces" through the analytical techniques in his eyes, was just as motionless as his opponents.

He knew that the "friendly forces" ahead were in a state of high tension, let alone being able to go up and talk to them.

Even if he were to move his aching wrists slightly, it could be interpreted as an act of aggression, causing these idiots to shoot him until the magazines are emptied.

Damn it, I came here to surrender, why are you all making such a fuss!
It even made me want to pee.

I'm clearly your ally, can't we put down our guns and have a proper talk?

Hey, you idiot who just made that statement, can you hurry up? If you keep laughing like that, I'm afraid I'm going to turn into a person with facial paralysis, you bastard!
Feeling his cheeks start to ache uncontrollably, John felt a deep sense of unease.

After the two sides had been facing off for about five or six minutes under immense psychological pressure, John looked on with bated breath and saw a fat colonel wearing an Allied uniform with long hair but balding in the middle and a face full of oddities.

He then led a well-equipped team, clearly a highly trained special forces unit, to the edge of the trench.

Upon arrival, the other party did not immediately inquire about John.

Instead, he glanced solemnly at the surrounding sky, then whispered a few words to his adjutant beside him. After confirming with the adjutant's reply that there were indeed no magical soldiers hiding in the surrounding sky, he...

He then turned his gaze back to John on the other side of the trench, his small, beady eyes narrowing as if he were judging something.

After a long silence, he finally spoke in a deep voice:

"I am Colonel Porter Master, commander of the 75th Regiment of the 3rd Allied Forces, and also Warrant Officer John Maslow of the 7th Air Force of the Empire, in charge of this front. Given the current state of the conflict between our two countries, please state your purpose immediately. Otherwise, I will order my soldiers to shoot you on the spot, in accordance with the procedures for handling spies in both countries!"

Damn it, are you out of your mind? I came here to switch jobs, why am I going to get shot?

Are allies my heroes, and I'll rise through the ranks by betraying them all the way to become a general?

You fat bastard, can't you even be a human being?!
John was cursing inwardly, but he knew he absolutely could not show weakness in front of this future colleague, nor could he admit defeat and surrender.

Instead, one has to put on a tough guy act and use rhetoric to portray the image of someone who was forced to surrender.

Only in this way can he be formally valued by the Allied forces as a top student of the Empire.

Thinking of this, John took a deep breath, then stretched his numb arm, glanced disdainfully at Bolt in front of him, and then, under the other's puzzled gaze, burst into laughter:

"Hahaha!"

"...Why are you laughing for no reason?"

Seeing John's strange behavior, even the well-informed Porter was somewhat baffled.

His first reaction was that he must have encountered a hysterical lunatic.

Otherwise, he would find it hard to imagine what reason this person, who claimed to be the captain of the Imperial Magic Squad, could have to come to the enemy's trenches without even bringing weapons, and even deliberately expose his identity.

What’s the difference between this and courting death?
Just as Bolt frowned, intending to order the arrest of this unidentified madman and to throw him into the interrogation department for a thorough interrogation.

John, who had been laughing for a long time, finally spoke up:

"I laugh at the Empire for its poor judgment in choosing its people and for persecuting loyal officials. I laugh even more at your Allied forces for your lack of wisdom and your foolishness. You have clearly fallen into the Empire's trap, yet you are still unaware that you are about to die!"

Meeting Bolt's narrowed pupils, John snorted coldly, then put his hands behind his back and said in a pretentious tone:

"However, Colonel Bolt, you should be glad now. Be glad that I was tricked and became a victim of a power struggle, forced to lead my soldiers to carry out a so-called suicide attack."

"Fortunately, I value the lives of my soldiers more than my loyalty to the Empire; otherwise, you would all be dead from the magic soldiers' bombardment spells right now!"

"Instead of being able to communicate with me perfectly intact, like this!"

Looking ahead, John saw that Bolt, who was staring at him in astonishment, seemed to have realized something. John understood that Bolt had understood his intention to 'surrender', and he couldn't help but think that this fat bastard Bolt wasn't too stupid after all.

However, he did not make his point clear directly, because in negotiations, the person who first proposes a trade-off is often at a disadvantage.

If he wants to gain more benefits for himself, he must make the other party's heart flutter.

Thinking of this, John stopped talking and looked at Bolt, whose eyes were gradually brightening, with a half-smile, waiting for this 'ally' to take the initiative to recruit him.

……

(End of this chapter)