Eh? You want to try the humanoid girl's iron fist too?

"I don't know, the research bureau hasn't sent any messages recently." Raphael lightly tapped the brakes, slowing the car as it passed the intersection ahead.

"I heard that the evacuation work is still ongoing, but a large number of people are still stranded in the city. There is no result yet on how to evacuate or where to evacuate to."

"That has nothing to do with us."

Raphael sighed softly and shouted at the top of his lungs to Asuka, who was operating the heavy machine gun behind him: "3 o'clock, fire!"

"learn."

dong dong dong...

A volley of short bursts turned those with ill intentions into mincemeat. Well, they weren't there to spread mercy, but to maintain security around the base.

Everyone has to make a living; this is their way of life now. No one has any idea how long this will last or how it will end.

"Safe," Asuka reported.

"I didn't hear you, repeat it," Lingyin shouted.

"Safe, the 3 o'clock position is cleared."

As Asuka spoke, she kicked Rin's chair to stop her from causing trouble.

There are four other high-speed mobile patrol teams like theirs, while the rest of the patrols are standard nine-man infantry squads. If they engage in firefight, the mobile patrol vehicles will be dispatched to provide support.

Although the base also has M2A3 Bradley fighting vehicles, their numbers are limited and their mobility is inferior to wheeled vehicles. Besides, sending such armored vehicles to patrol the streets would be overestimating the rioting refugees.

Incidentally, many ground crew members have now been incorporated into patrol and combat readiness teams. Due to the current situation, the Research Bureau reluctantly registered Suzune and Asuka and provided them with corresponding identities.

Although Raphael had some reservations about the surname issue, she didn't want to get entangled with the idiot who handled it, since her identity problem had been resolved.

The two newly recruited naval ensigns no longer have to go out under the identity of "Raphael".

Volume 1: The World Before the Great War: Chapter 161 The Fleet Personnel Department with a Poor Memory

The two idiots were quite happy to have official identities; they didn't seem to care much about their names.

In their view, names weren't that important. Wouldn't Raphael be able to tell who they were if they weren't called "Rin" or "Asuka"?

For ordinary people, the identical appearance might be confusing. But for these interconnected humanoids, their internal identification numbers are clearly written, making it impossible to mistake one for the other.

"Lieutenant, the commander wants to see you," the messenger said at the door.

"now?"

"Yes."

Raphael was confused; when had he gotten involved with the base commander? But he had no choice but to go, so he briefly told Asuka to keep an eye on Rin.

Things are different now; it's dangerous outside the base. Given their current physical condition, they are not suited for intense combat.

After thinking it over again and making sure she hadn't missed anything, she turned and left the dormitory.

Raphael had never been to the headquarters, even though it was in a small building behind the airport control tower.

Airports don't usually seem that big, but when you actually walk on the narrow paths, you realize that a journey that usually takes only a few minutes by car can be quite tedious.

It takes about four or five kilometers to walk from the dormitory to the control tower.

The sound of automatic rifles firing came from outside again, so close that it was impossible not to think the riots were about to spread here. She began to wonder if the research bureau was facing the same situation: internal strife.

That godforsaken place, America, where everyone carries guns, has sold three times the number of guns in a population of less than 4 million. Who knows what kind of bizarre things might happen.

Lost in her thoughts, she walked to the foot of the control tower.

"Is this the headquarters?" Raphael confirmed.

The security guard checked her identification and replied that it was right there.

"How do we get to the base commander?" Raphael asked softly.

"Go to Howard's place?"

A voice that sounded unfamiliar came from behind her: "You're the lieutenant who was brought over from Kyushu, right?"

"Ah...yes, it's me."

“Oh, I see! How interesting,” the voice said. “Alright, let’s go.”

As they ascended the stairs, Raphael glanced back and saw an Air Force colonel walking behind her; he was likely the actual air operations commander of the airfield.

Raphael knocked on the door and said, "Commander, you wanted to see me?"

"Yes, please come in."

Howard glanced at Raphael, a hint of doubt in his eyes.

Raphael was startled. The commander was right next to me. He had left the other person behind when we went upstairs just now... Oh, it's alright. We're not from the same system. Even if the other person has grievances, he can only keep them to himself!

Howard opened a door and went in first.

Raphael knew this meant she was being invited to follow her, so she went inside as well.

Behind the door was a spacious office furnished with two nicely appointed sofas and a matching tea table. In the center stood a high-end wooden desk, its very appearance suggesting a very expensive price.

Howard sat down on the sofa next to him.

It seems this isn't about accountability or anything else of great importance, but rather an intention to have a conversation on an equal and friendly basis.

Raphael breathed a sigh of relief and sat down with a slight sense of relaxation.

"That's good news. The Bronze Star Medal that I applied for for you has been approved."

"Huh?" She was a little confused. "Oh, thank you, sir."

“A little surprised?” Howard smiled. “Indeed, if it’s an application submitted internally by your system, it usually won’t be approved.”

"Is it because the Air Force applied on your behalf?"

"Yes, although the officers' quarters were not attacked by ELID infected, considering your actions in the early stages of the riots and your assistance to the Air Force officers in completing their self-defense formation."

The colonel said bluntly, "Our officer corps pilots are different from those in the army and navy. The guys who can fly fighter jets are no pushovers. They often look down on others. Being able to keep them in line and prevent any trouble is an outstanding achievement in itself."

"You flatter me. I don't want my dorm to be attacked either," Raphael said reluctantly. She always tried to play it safe, and even if she accidentally revealed a flaw, she would set up a perimeter to avoid arousing suspicion.

It seems that quite a few things happened on the day the hibernation process handled redundant data.

When I get back, I'll stop by the supply and marketing cooperative supermarket and bring back some snacks for Lingyin as a reward.

It seemed this medal, a testament to her achievements, had been given to the wrong person, but Raphael couldn't reveal it. The matter of androids remained top secret, making her feel incredibly frustrated.

After exchanging the usual pleasantries, Howard inquired about her mobile patrol, mentioning that a vehicle-mounted heavy machine gun had been used.

Raphael reported everything he observed, down to the smallest detail.

After listening, Howard nodded; he had learned some details that had been overlooked.

"It means that our east side is very quiet."

Yes, it's very quiet.

“This is unusual. It’s understandable that the Japanese provisional government, no, the local residents here, chose to leave, but they left too cleanly.”

“I don’t know the exact number,” Raphael said.

"No, I wasn't asking about the normal residents around you."

"I understand."

“Good,” Howard said. “Everyone knows the residents here don’t welcome us. Who would want to work here? Every time we take off and fly along the island chain, we basically have to communicate with the air force of the country to the north. A slight misstep could result in us being eaten by fish, for both sides.”

It's fucking damn bad. Those who have the final say always use our lives as pawns, building a chessboard with islands, oceans, and skies to provide a platform for their careers.

"Oh, sorry, please don't tell anyone about this."

“I understand, sir.” Raphael nodded. “I believe you share the same sentiment.”

"Oh?"

"Yes, I was in New York five years ago."

“I understand.” Howard took a deep breath and carefully studied the girl’s serious expression. “Back then, New York was ravaged by a man-made, modified smallpox called ‘money flu’ or ‘greenback virus,’ right… No wonder.”

He roused himself and continued, "There's also good news for you: the Navy seems to have finally remembered you."

"Finally..."

"However, what they mean is that you should wait until next month and return to the mainland with the officers and soldiers on rotation leave."

“Good news is enough,” Raphael replied.

"You seem quite optimistic, having been stranded here by the fleet for almost half a year. Don't worry, even if things change, I'll find a way to get you on a flight home."

Volume 1: The World Before the Great War: Chapter 162 The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

"...Many of us just pretend to be calm, but he is in fact always calm. I think some of you need to learn from that."

In today's environment, we are almost surrounded, enveloped by chaos and the shadow of death. In this situation, the most important thing is—calmness. I hope the fleet can regain its composure…

Okay, that's a bit too much complaining. Thank you for being a good listener, Lieutenant. You can go now.

As Raphael walked back along the path at the edge of the airport after leaving the headquarters, she was quite surprised that the Air Force Commander would have such a mood.

Howard's calm and composed demeanor when speaking to her didn't seem contrived at all. Raphael felt that it all felt very natural, as if it were real, as if what he was saying was exactly what he thought.

However, this day of clarity might produce the exact opposite emotions.

“Perhaps he knows something we don’t,” Raphael thought. “Perhaps there are reinforcements, or perhaps he’s making preparations somewhere else… In any case, it’s not a good thing.”

She immediately abandoned the idea... No, that's not it.

She suddenly understood clearly why the commander was emotionally unstable: it was simply because the worst possible thing had already happened, but she just didn't know what had happened yet.

Perhaps it was the collapsing liquid storage lattices that caused the trouble, forcing the US military and the White House to adjust their deployment.

Furthermore, this air force colonel, who was about to be promoted to general, talked for a full 10 minutes with an ordinary lieutenant officer of a different rank, Raphael, and even said a few words that seemed to have nothing to do with business.

After leaving headquarters, it took Raphael some time to return to his temporary residence.

"Hey, how's it going over there?" Asuka asked.

Raphael told her that the base commander had applied for a Bronze Star Medal in the name of the Air Force, and then discussed the evacuation of the aircraft, but arranged for them to be rotated out next month: they would be working with the personnel on leave at this base.

However, the commander also said some strange things.

A sudden realization dawned on Feibiao; she roughly knew what Commander Howard was thinking.

She turned the computer around and opened a record of international disasters that had occurred in the past two weeks—this time it was the Israeli-Palestinian region.