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

Chapter 2 Retirement Plans in Progress
"Reporting, Captain, after receiving your order to remain stationed, our squad has been stationed in Aimu Village for seven hours and twelve minutes. We have now exceeded the patrol time limit set by the battalion commander by a full three hours. What are your instructions regarding the squad's next patrol mission?"

Wendy, barely suppressing her anger, questioned her damned boss. At that moment, she felt like she wanted to devour him alive.

This feeling became especially strong after recalling previous experiences.

A month ago, because the squad leader ignored her advice and rashly led the squad to launch an attack, her magic soldier squad was ambushed by the Allied anti-magic squad and suffered heavy losses. Only she and the squad leader, who was in a safe area in the rear, survived.

As a result of the former captain's shirking of responsibility, she lost her rank of Grand Master and was demoted to a sergeant. She stayed in the Magic Soldier Rest Camp to wait for the army's reassignment, and she was somewhat disheartened during this time.

Three days ago, she finally received orders from the military and was assigned to the newly formed 14th Mobile Magic Soldier Squad.

She had initially held some expectations for this.

After all, considering her experience last time, the higher-ups made an exception and added a vice-captain position to the magic soldier squad this time, appointing her to the post. This gave her some decision-making power and allowed her to disregard the captain's orders when necessary, thus preventing the tragedy from happening again.

But today, after officially joining the team and witnessing the orders given by John Maslow, her nominal superior.

Wendy suddenly realized that she had simply gone from one hell to another!
After all, under normal circumstances, what squad leader, upon receiving a mission to patrol and investigate enemy movements, would make the first decision to set up camp and rest at the mission location?
And they were stationed there for a full seven hours!

They set off at 12 p.m., but it's already midnight!
By this time, even the sentries on night duty at the camp had already been rotated out.

As a result, their 14th Magic Soldier Squad hasn't even been able to complete the most basic patrol mission yet. What on earth is that damn bastard John Maslow doing?!
Wendy could already foresee how dark Olaf's face would look at this moment.

"Hmm? Has it been that long already?"

John glanced at his watch with some surprise and realized that it was indeed midnight. He then understood the source of Wendy's resentment and rubbed his nose guiltily.

There's no way around it; there always needs to be a buffer period after transmigrating. Besides, his current goal is to retire. If he could complete every mission perfectly, why would he need to retire? He'd probably be used by the empire until he dies.

Only if you can't do anything right will you have the chance to be fired!

Huh? Wait, fire him?

Isn't this a perfect opportunity?
John suddenly had an image in his mind of a bespectacled beef noodle shop owner pointing his finger to the sky.

The brain subconsciously filters out everyday lewd thoughts, allowing reason to regain control of intelligence.

In my memory, I am now the top graduate from the Empire's First Military Academy, and I have also participated in the Empire's Commander Training Program. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to serve as the commander of the Empire's Seventh Air Force Elite Magic Squad as a non-magic soldier right after entering the battlefield.

Theoretically speaking, this battle will be a test of the higher-ups' abilities.

However, if the performance is unsatisfactory, such as failing in this patrol mission.

As for himself, who cost the empire a lot of money and was held in high regard, but failed to demonstrate his due value, he will most likely be transferred to the logistics department.

Then, with the emergence of new talents, I, who only possessed the abilities of the Magic Eye and Analysis in my memory and had little ability in direct combat, would probably become useless and be gradually eliminated by the Imperial military.

And thus achieve their retirement goals?!
To think of something this advanced, no wonder I am a genius among geniuses!
Of course, this part of the plan still needs to be carefully considered. After all, the Empire's surveillance forces are not just for show. If they are deemed to be shirking their duties, then what awaits them is not a glorious retirement, but a court-martial.

Therefore, I must find a suitable reason for my stationing here, at least one that is plausible on the surface.

John's walnut-sized brain began to work rapidly, but on the surface he still maintained a calm and composed demeanor as he spoke:

"Although the deployment time is indeed a bit long, it's within my calculations. I've already organized my thoughts. Now, Sergeant Wendy, you can lead your squad on patrol."

"Huh? Now? John Maslow, are you kidding me?"

Wendy stared wide-eyed at her superior, her face filled with disbelief, as if she couldn't understand how he had the audacity to utter such nonsense.

Patrolling far from their base at night, especially in an area close to the combat zone, is practically suicide.
This is common sense that even ordinary civilians in the empire who have never been on the battlefield understand. How could his superior not know it?

Is this guy definitely a top student from the Empire's First Military Academy, or some brainless idiot?
Wendy felt a surge of anger rising within her, and she was about to berate the other party for treating soldiers' lives like a joke, but the next second she met the other party's cold black eyes:

"Sergeant Wendy, may I take this as you questioning my decision?"

John stared blankly at his subordinate, his voice utterly calm, yet it sent a chill down Wendy's spine:
“I remember saying that you only need to answer yes or no to my orders. As an Imperial soldier, Wendy Brown, your performance has greatly displeased me. If it happens again, I will consider applying to headquarters for your dismissal.”

"Please believe me, as the top graduate of the 59th Imperial First Military Academy, and having received the 'Steel Wreath' award personally bestowed upon me by Principal Trotsky, I have the right to say such things!"

Seeing Wendy's pale face and terrified expression, John felt a surge of secret pleasure as he imitated the manner of a ruthless boss warning his subordinates in his past life.

But as a top-notch employee, he also knew that a combination of kindness and strictness was the key to long-term success in the workplace. Moreover, if he couldn't find a suitable reason for his decisions, he would definitely be in deep trouble when the supervisory authorities checked his resume in the future.

So he pretended to scrutinize his subordinates, while his brain raced to come up with a reason for doing so. After a moment of contemplation, he slowly spoke:

"However, I know that you did this out of concern for the safety of your colleagues, so I don't dislike your actions. But I am somewhat dissatisfied with your rash questioning of your superior's decision."

"Secondly, contrary to what you might imagine, my reason for making this arrangement is based on my own considerations." "Regarding the current situation of our army's inability to break through in the Walden area, I believe you should be very clear about it, and you should also understand that the so-called patrol missions to search for enemy traces, apart from finding one or two wandering remnants, eliminating them, and thus gaining some meager merits, are essentially unable to contribute anything to the progress of our army's war."

"The reason I went against the headquarters' mission plan and changed the patrol time from evening to night was to take advantage of the fact that magic soldiers can fly and, because of their small size, can be hidden by the night and not easily spotted, so as to find more crucial intelligence during the patrol and thus help the Empire gain the opportunity to reverse the war."

"That's why I did it!"

Of course, the above is just something I made up on the spot to fool you, otherwise I wouldn't be able to explain the inspection team's question.

But only someone as clever as me could come up with such a flawless excuse in such a short time. Anyone else would probably be so anxious they wouldn't even be able to pee, hmph!
As for the possibility of the magic soldier squad being exposed during a patrol mission, resulting in the squad's complete annihilation, John, as a veteran player, naturally knew that this was impossible.

After all, in the game's setting, unless the enemy has set up anti-magic devices in advance, magic soldiers like Wendy and her friends, who can fly more than 500 meters and use large-scale explosive magic, are completely invincible in this world.

It's simply impossible for them to die easily.

After all, while John did want to retire early, he was not the kind of evil capitalist who treated people like livestock, having received a proper education and been a model youth in his previous life.

It's more accurate to say that he was the one being treated as a consumable. As a fellow animal, or rather, as someone who was once an animal, he naturally wouldn't persecute Wendy and her fellow working people.

Of course, it's impossible to give the other party the promotion and raise they want.

After all, his current goal is retirement, and playing it cool is his normal state.

As for Wendy and the others, they will patrol according to their own plan and try to find useful intelligence.

Haha, come on, he doesn't even believe himself when he says such things. He can fool others, but how can he fool himself?

This was just an excuse he made up to deal with the surveillance forces. Even if the Allied forces were stupid, they wouldn't be stupid enough to cause trouble at night, right?
Moreover, he clearly remembered that in the game's lore, there were no special events in the current Walden campaign he was in.

The Allied forces have gained the upper hand. If the current stalemate continues, the Imperial army will be forced to withdraw from the front and be defeated, just like in the game, due to the disconnection of the battle lines, the cutting off of subsequent supply routes.

Unless the other party is out of their mind, they would pull something at this critical juncture, and it's even less likely that their 30-person team would happen to discover it.

How could John Maslow possibly encounter such a possibility, which is even lower than winning the lottery jackpot? If he really had that kind of luck, he wouldn't have transmigrated into this ditch world. He would probably be at a foot massage parlor right now, ordering his favorite female masseuse number 38 for a foot massage!
John inwardly grumbled, but then maintained his dignified expression, calmly looking at the skeptical vice-captain before him, and said in a deep voice:

"Now, answer me, Wendy Brown, do you still have any questions about my decision?"

“I…no, sir. Wendy Brown, no questions. Thank you for your explanation!”

Hearing this explanation, Wendy still had some doubts, but sensing the arrogant look in the other person's eyes, as if looking at a fool, she could only force herself to nod and respond with a humiliating reply.

"Very good, if there are no problems, let's get started immediately. After all, the future of the empire is in the hands of young people like us!"

"As the future of the Empire, I hope you will not slack off, even on small patrol missions. As long as we all work together, the glory of the Empire will eventually shine on every inch of the planet, allowing the whole world to experience the Empire's blessings. So, please continue to work hard with this expectation in mind, Sergeant Wendy!"

John continued the tradition of unscrupulous bosses making empty promises, and with a look of satisfaction, he stepped forward, patted his subordinate on the shoulder, and gave him a dose of the kind of motivational platitudes he had seen all along.

Although all the cattle and horses in their previous lives knew that the company's glory would ultimately belong to the boss, and had nothing to do with them, the cattle and horses who served as consumables.

However, this scenario assumes that modern people have experienced the era of information explosion. In this alien world where there is no internet, it would be a pure case of dimensional reduction.

You can tell how effective the persuasive words were by how Wendy's expression changed from disgust to shock and excitement after hearing them.

"Yes, Captain John, yes, for the Empire, I will certainly not let you down!"

Upon hearing such inspiring and moving words, Wendy's face flushed with excitement, and she couldn't help but feel ashamed of her previous rude behavior.

She truly hadn't expected that her superior would have such awareness.

It was a decision made after careful consideration, and Captain John was willing to risk being punished by the battalion commander in order to strive for the advancement of the empire.

But he was foolish enough to question the captain's decision. Although it was influenced by the failure of the previous captain, Captain John was not that fool. How could he bring the suffering that others had brought him to him?

Wendy, you really shouldn't have done that!
Wendy felt ashamed and was about to apologize to John for her earlier words when, a second later, John's lazy voice reached her ears again:

"By the way, Sergeant Wendy, remember to address me by rank when we're on a mission. Don't keep calling me 'Captain, Captain,' or it'll make me sound like a nobody, you understand?"

"Otherwise, I'll consider asking the battalion commander to let you retake the etiquette course. The procedures are quite complicated, so I hope you'll be more careful next time."

"Yes, Brigadier General John!"

Wendy replied coldly, word by word, then strode out of the room, her body shrouded in black aura, and slammed the door shut, her teeth grinding together in anger.

To hell with his apology! John Maslow, that bastard, doesn't deserve it at all!
……

(End of this chapter)