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

From this point on, you will undergo 13 weeks of basic training.

In addition to ongoing physical and rifle training, instruction both inside and outside the classroom includes history, engineering and weapons, damage control, naval orientation and warfare, leadership, navigation, and military law.

Your every action will be rigorously reviewed, and shortcomings will be promptly identified and corrected. Candidates who fail to meet milestones may have their training postponed or be removed from the program.

The honor code must be followed; violators will be expelled.

When you find that your status has changed from 'Indoc' to 'Candio', then you should congratulate yourself. As long as you don't make any mistakes, you will be awarded the rank of active duty second lieutenant.

Then, you will be assigned to different online tracks based on your training experience and development direction…

"Ah—Lieutenant, that's fine, I think I understand. I'll check Wikipedia myself when I have the chance later."

Vic rubbed his temples, finally bringing to a halt the lieutenant's machine-gun-like ramblings on the encyclopedia. How could such an outstanding and charming young woman have this habit of never stopping once she starts talking?

He thought of what the other party had said about "paying the price," and the topic they had brought up earlier—now it seemed somewhat deliberate. Could it be that Lieutenant Raphael had another identity?

So he asked again, "You mean...?"

“I think I can complete the retrieval mission smoothly in about a month. After that, we’ll all go our separate ways,” Raphael said with a shrug.

“This doesn’t sound like advice made for a ‘friend’,” Vic emphasized the word “friend.”

"I also choose my 'friends,' don't I?"

Raphael raised an eyebrow. Interactions between officers were much more complicated than those between ordinary soldiers, and there were many unspoken but real unwritten rules involved.

There are also clear rules between officers and soldiers, so... soldiers don't interact much with officers and non-commissioned officers outside the battlefield, unless they are close friends.

To understand the relationship between U.S. military officers, sergeants, and soldiers from another perspective is also simple—compare the military to a factory in a small town.

Of course, this factory has no union.

At the bottom of the factory are blue-collar workers on the assembly line, who do the vast majority of the work, much like soldiers in the army.

This group of people are often young people who have just graduated from high school, some of whom may not have graduated at all; there are also some older workers.

They were directly managed by foremen, who were equivalent to non-commissioned officers in the army.

These foremen are experienced workers whose job is to train younger workers and guide them in completing their daily workload. They, like the young people, belong to the blue-collar class.

The managers oversee the various departments of the factory; they are equivalent to military officers.

These white-collar workers are often around the same age as the workers under their supervision, but the two groups come from completely different social backgrounds. Most managers are college graduates (ROTC graduates), but in this relatively open-minded factory, some outstanding workers have also been assigned to training programs (OCS) and become managers.

These blue-collar workers must learn the rules of the white-collar world, and generally they will not rise to very high positions in their careers.

Among the lower-level managers, a small number are the sons of shareholders (West Point graduates). These individuals have special ties with the factory owners and within the group itself.

In addition, there are some technical positions in the factory, filled by former foremen (warrant officers).

So, did Vic John, the guy on the assembly line, have the chance to tell the factory's CEO that he was dissatisfied with certain aspects of the factory?

The answer is no.

They didn't have that opportunity in a strictly controlled environment. Even if it did happen one day, Vic might be fired or suppressed afterward.

This explains why they are currently stuck in New York. They are dissatisfied with the status quo, but have no opportunity to express their discontent.

Charles Billis's assistance to Raphael in rebuilding communications was that "unexpected" situation.

“So you’re an angel investor,” Vic asserted. “But you’re a Navy man, and I can’t attend the Navy’s Reserve Officers’ Training School; that would be considered treason.”

“But that doesn’t mean I can’t provide you with the necessary recommendation letters and spots,” Raphael replied with a smile.

The research bureau is indeed primarily staffed with civilian employees, but that doesn't mean it's entirely staffed with civilian employees. There are also uniformed personnel, including senior officers from the Navy, Air Force, Army, and Marine Corps.

Many of those who served here went on to serve in the Department of Defense, and many others went on to earn the rank of general.

Obtaining a letter of recommendation was not difficult for Raphael. With the letter, the place in the university would naturally go to Vic.

It is important to note that obtaining a letter of recommendation from a senior military officer is completely different from obtaining one from your unit. The former carries a strong personal connotation, while the latter only proves that your abilities and knowledge have met the standards.

Although he had already laid his cards on the table, Raphael was somewhat worried that the decisive and observant sergeant would not accept the investment, since they would soon be going to risk their lives in an unknown place.

After listening to her words, "Bullfighter" Vic John looked at the dust rising on the road ahead and got into his car.

“Candidate officer…” Vic hesitated, “I think I should focus on surviving first.”

With this answer, Raphael knew he was interested.

So, she boarded the Hummer with her two little tails, and Vic skillfully started the engine and turned back to the safe zone.

She looked out the window.

Perhaps because of the month, a touch of green has appeared amidst the pale landscape painted by the heavy snow. A gentle breeze blows, and the new buds peeking out from among the withered branches tremble slightly, smiling shyly.

The sun, which hadn't been seen for days, now hung on the edge of the clouds, casting its warm rays. Moist air brushed against my nose, and the snow began to melt.

"Will there be any progress in the recycling?" Vic asked.

"Yes, it will be available soon."

Volume 1: The World Before the Great War: Author's Note

It will be available tomorrow; if it gets over 10 subscribers, that's a victory.

Burning money is too outdated; rehashing old ideas now doesn't seem like a good idea. It's good enough if anyone is even watching.

The same applies to the entire region; it's basically in a state of stagnation.

Furthermore, the human-centric perspective filters out the interests of most people.

The choice of timeline influences this part of the plot.

The only thing available for reference is a timeline of the money-burning world summarized by players, which may have left some readers confused. I'm truly sorry.

There must be other issues, but I haven't noticed them yet. If anyone has noticed them, please let me know. Thank you.

Finally, I pray that the number of subscriptions will eventually reach an even number.

Volume 1: The World Before the Great War: Chapter 89 Night Raid (Please subscribe and vote)

Raphael herself was far from enthusiastic about the location of the Rangers' new forward operating base. She thought that standing there, surrounded by skyscrapers, would only feel good if one were insane.

Like everyone else, she felt that this spot was like the bottom of a fish tank.

Carl Jacob agreed with Raphael's assessment, and he was well aware that the Rangers' regular forces were severely understrength—B Company had the fewest personnel changes among the three combat companies, making it an extremely important signal.

Given the needs of the upcoming mission, it must cut off four roads around Bryant Park to prevent the ELID infected from interfering with the recovery forces from the rear.

But nothing is perfect in New York, Jacob thought, and to avoid repeating the same mistake, they would have to send people to their deaths.

The recent frequent personnel changes and conversations all indicate that the lieutenant colonel has made a decision: he is going to send people to their deaths.

Who died? Company B saw almost no changes, and nearly half of the later recruits from Company A were transferred to Company C to bolster their strength…

Jacob looked back at Raphael and subconsciously assumed that she was the source of the change.

Although he wasn't sure yet, the mobilization of technical equipment a few days ago, the spread of talk about "going home" within the military, and these current changes had begun to convince him.

Jacob thought that if we wanted to accomplish our original mission, we had to establish a base here; if we wanted to prevent the enemy from entering this area from the south and east and threatening the safe zone they had established, the only way was to establish a base here.

In short, this is a place where you can both attack and defend.

Jacob kept reminding himself of the legitimate reasons for setting up camp here.

According to the plan, this is also the first evacuation point, and the Ministry of National Defense has promised to arrange evacuation helicopters for them as long as they can complete the mission.

So Jacob created two open spaces in the park that could accommodate large helicopters taking off and landing at the same time.

The two main aisles were assigned as follows: the 1st Platoon of B Company, led by Lieutenant Maxwell Johnson; and the 1st Platoon of A Company, led by Lieutenant Mark Cleveland.

They spend most of the day inspecting the surrounding environment, clearing trees for future outposts, and building HESCO blast walls.

In addition, they completely blocked off the passageway on the other side of the building facing the street with debris to ensure that no one but themselves could enter the building.

As the last rays of sunlight disappeared on the horizon, the remaining B and A companies of the 2nd Ranger Battalion enjoyed their first full night in Bryant Park.

Raphael was dozing near the landing zone with her gun in her arms when bullets suddenly flew over her head, some of them hitting the blast wall.

"...What's wrong?" The guard stood up instantly upon hearing the whooshing sound. He was afraid that if he was even a second slower, he would lose his life.

“Someone is trying to breach our camp,” Raphael replied.

She switched to thermal vision and saw a number of cables flying out from the southwest direction, the direction Lieutenant Mark Cleveland was in charge of.

The lieutenant and his men, having gained the advantage of the terrain, began to fight back against the enemy.

The attack lasted ten minutes and was more like harassment than a full-blown attack.

For the next hour or so, the Rangers in the defensive area kept firing back, but failed to elicit any response from the enemy. Only a few ELID infected people came out to join the fray.

Later, Lieutenant Cleveland halted the order to return fire and rejected his subordinates' proposed exploration plan. They were unfamiliar with the area and feared an ambush.

But in any case, the situation is clear: welcome to Bryant Park.

"I'll lend a hand." Raphael switched back to his normal human vision, picked up the XM250 machine gun, and walked towards Sixth Avenue.

"Shouldn't we help the Cleveland platoon?" the guard asked.

"The probing over there is over. It's Sixth Avenue, under Platoon Leader Maxwell's command, that needs help. That was just a probe; we don't know what will happen next."

Two hours later, before sunrise, just as the guards were casting increasingly questioning glances, Raphael grabbed the handle and activated it. The safety engaged, and the thermal imaging equipment, connected by a rail bracket, revealed the stealthy enemy advancing under cover.

Sure enough, the figures moving in the black, white, and gray world were indeed like that; every time they crossed the road, they had a strong purpose: to reach the next place that could provide cover.

As far as she knew, only two forces in the City That Never Sleeps could achieve this: the Rangers and the SHD agents stationed at the post office.

Now that she's standing with the Rangers, it means the enemy outside is an SHD agent.

Raphael smiled slightly, sent a confirmation message to the waiting "Hundred-Eyed Giant," and then aimed her crosshair at the target that was clearly at the farthest distance. The target's mission should be similar to her current role.

"I'm sorry, everyone dies eventually, but today it's your turn to die first."

boom--!

The sudden explosion immediately brought the camp to a commotion. Searchlights were turned on full blast, and soldiers on duty and those on leave rushed to their posts at the beckoning of their sergeant captain.

Thank you for your cooperation.

The dark, gleaming figure moved slightly, then fell silent.

"What happened?!" Jacob rushed to Raphael's side while fastening the Velcro strap to his tactical vest. "Why did you shoot?"

"The enemy is coming!" she shouted.