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

Chapter 11 John Maslow: Unfathomable

"Finally gone."

In the jungle at the edge of Howling Plains, John, watching the tearful members of Squad 14 disappear into the distance toward the hill, breathed a long sigh of relief.

Then, while rubbing his aching face, he turned to look at the trenches not far away, and couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

He knew that the moment had finally arrived when he made contact with the Allied forces and thus officially broke away from the Empire and embarked on the path to freedom.

"Speaking of which, in the early days of the Allied forces, the leaders of the anti-magic device front were all colonels or higher? Although the rank wasn't low, it seemed like this level could only be considered a mid-level commander?"

"So even if I complete the job-hopping negotiations, I might not get a promotion immediately? I'll probably have to wait for approval from above? Tsk, that's a bit of a shame."

John couldn't help but mutter to himself.

After all, his initial plan was to use his status as a top student to make his presence known to the Allied high command after switching sides, and to bring up some tactical theories he had learned from forums in his previous life, so that the Allied high command would look at him differently.

Thus, he became an elite member of the Allied forces, and from then on, he followed in the footsteps of the protagonist, living a carefree and happy life.

But now it seems that this plan is likely to fall through.

"But it's not a big problem. As long as we can avoid the fate of being destroyed along with the empire, even cleaning toilets every day on the Allied side is acceptable!"

Shake your head, leaving the distracting thoughts behind.

John, who was eager to meet with his Allied friends, immediately stood up from the jungle.

Just as he was about to step directly into the trenches ahead, he suddenly seemed to remember something, quickly slapped his forehead, and then swiftly took off his magic bag and Imperial Army uniform.

Damn, I almost forgot I'm still wearing this Imperial skin.

If I were to walk over dressed like this, I'm afraid I'd be shot dead by Allied scouts before I even met the person in charge of this front.

"Luckily I'm smart, otherwise I would have messed things up."

John patted his chest with lingering fear, looking at the Imperial uniform in his hand. He initially wanted to throw it on the ground, but after glancing at the gold epaulets and gold-threaded cuffs on his uniform, and considering that it would be worth a lot of money even if it were taken apart and sold, he hesitated.

Despite his greed, Warrant Officer John hid it in a bush and cleverly used branches to cover it up.

He nodded in satisfaction after making sure that no one passing by would easily notice.

He then casually pulled out the dagger from his waist and began marking the branches of the nearby trees.

……

"John Maslow, what are you doing?"

Meanwhile, Colonel Jet, who was leading the Black Hawk Special Forces and using the 'Phantom Barrier' technique to blend into the surrounding scenery, was secretly observing John's every move through binoculars from the bushes in the distance, but he couldn't help but frown.

Her gaze toward John also became somewhat uncertain.

In fact, ever since John led Squad 14 on a slow march, his initial trust in John Maslow had begun to waver.

Just now, after seeing that the other side did not lead Squad 14 to attack the target location as required by the mission, but instead seemed to have said something to the members of Squad 14, causing these soldiers who were loyal to the Empire to abandon their attack plans and instead head towards an unremarkable hillside.

His suspicions grew stronger.

It wasn't until he personally witnessed John take off his military uniform, a symbol of imperial honor, and return to his current civilian attire that he understood.

A thought that he found absurd and infuriating also uncontrollably surfaced in his mind:

John Maslow, could he be planning to defect?

Otherwise, how do you explain his passive attitude towards combat missions?

What's more, he even took off the uniform that represented the highest honor of the Imperial Army in front of the enemy lines!

The more Jet thought about it, the more gloomy his face became, and his gaze toward the figure in the distance was gradually filled with intense killing intent.

The empire clearly trusts you so much.

To ensure your safety, General Dormammu even sent me to secretly protect you all the way.

In the end, will you still choose to betray the empire?
I thought I would witness the rise of a new star in the empire, but I never expected this.

What we ultimately see is the ugly scene of a traitor begging for mercy before his death?
"How truly pathetic!"

A complex expression flashed across Jett Slevin's face, but just as he slowly suppressed his anger, preparing to put down his binoculars and signal his subordinates to shoot the Imperial traitor, he realized that...

The next second, seeing John's actions through the binoculars, he couldn't help but be stunned.

Is this guy saluting me?

Has he spotted us?

But we are still surrounded by the illusion spell, so he shouldn't be able to detect us at all!
But if he didn't notice, why would he inexplicably make that salute gesture?
Could it be that there was another reason behind his order for Squad 14 to leave and remove their uniforms?

Looking at John, who was saluting him with 'loyalty' through the telescope, even the battle-hardened Jett Slevin couldn't help but feel confused and bewildered.

After a moment's hesitation, he suppressed his murderous intent and continued to scrutinize John through the binoculars.

Although he didn't know how the other side had discovered their hiding place, since John had chosen to confront his superior, he wasn't unwilling to listen to the explanation. "Sigh!"

Meanwhile, John, completely unaware that he had just narrowly escaped death, carved an arrow mark on the tree trunk and then turned to look in the direction he had come from, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

To be honest, although he had only been in this world for two days, he had to admit that the Empire treated its soldiers quite well.

According to his memory, even a novice commander like him who was new to the battlefield could receive a salary of 500D every month.

The so-called D stands for dinar, which is the highest unit of imperial currency. The approximate conversion is 1D (dnar) = 100E (elon) = 1000C (conter).

In terms of purchasing power, 1D in a third-tier city of the Empire is roughly enough to cover the monthly living expenses of an average family of three.

Even in the capital city, a well-located apartment costs only 6000 yuan.

Moreover, as an imperial soldier, he was entitled to numerous benefits and privileges.

If John hadn't known that the empire would inevitably perish under the power of the game's female protagonist, he honestly wouldn't have wanted to give up such a high-paying job.

Unfortunately, life is more important than money!

Thinking of this, John suppressed his reluctance, sighed softly, and stood up to salute the way he had come.

"Goodbye, Empire, goodbye, my past!"

John used almost unprecedented willpower to pull his gaze away, and was about to take a step forward to complete his plan of surrender.

As a sparrow flew by, a clump of liquid landed on his head.

"Hmm, what is that?"

John rubbed his head in confusion, and when he noticed a sticky sensation on his fingertips, he couldn't help but rub his fingers together unconsciously.

He then held his right hand in front of his eyes and examined it carefully.

"Holy crap, where the hell did this bird poop come from?"

……

"Hmm? This is... tactical hand signals? Pay attention and listen carefully? What does it mean?"

Meanwhile, after observing John's tactical hand signals through his binoculars, Colonel Jet fell into deep thought. But combining this with John's previously 'strange' behavior, he seemed to understand something, and his eyes widened suddenly:
"Could it be that John is trying to tell me that the trench ahead isn't the actual location of the Allied anti-magic device, but rather a trap specifically designed to ambush us? Is that why he wants me to be careful?"

"And listening, does that mean you want me to arrange for Reno, who possesses the special technique of 'vibration perception' within the Black Hawk Special Forces, to try to gather information and confirm its authenticity?"

But how did John know about the capabilities and information of Black Hawk Down members, given that such information is always kept secret?

Did the general reveal it to him, or did he learn about these secrets through special channels?
In addition, Reno's spell consumes a lot of magic stones, and the magic circuit cannot be used again for a month after use. Do I really want to use this precious detection ability on a mission that has already been determined?

Jeter was shocked, but after a moment's thought, he immediately gave the order via communicator:

"Renault, immediately use your perception spell to check the condition of the trenches ahead!"

"Yes, Colonel!"

Upon receiving the order, the bald, muscular man named Reno immediately placed his hands on the ground without hesitation, closed his eyes, and fully activated his special technique.

Soon, a large amount of silent microwaves seeped into the ground from his palm, and then, under his precise control, quickly spread to the trenches in front, while transmitting the situation inside to his mind.

Less than ten seconds later, Reno reopened his eyes. His previously calm face quickly turned extremely ugly after receiving the feedback from the spell, and his voice trembled slightly.

"Colonel, something's wrong. The number of enemy soldiers in the trenches far exceeds our expectations, at least a thousand, and they all possess magical auras."

"Furthermore, if I am not mistaken, the enemy seems to have pre-positioned special magical devices in the trenches."

"The enemy clearly anticipated our surprise attack plan and made preparations in advance."

"The so-called mission objective is nothing but a trap, a trap designed to wipe us all out!"

"What!?"

Upon hearing this reply, Jett's pupils constricted to their limit, and his hand holding the binoculars trembled involuntarily.

Combined with what he had just seen through the telescope, John Maslow's 'calm expression' as he gently rubbed his fingers together, as if he held everything tightly in his fingertips.

The words General Dormammu had spoken to John in the command post that morning now resounded like thunder in Colonel Jet's ears:
"Without a doubt, our Warrant Officer John Maslow is a true genius!"

"True genius!"

"genius!"

The intense shock made Jet's throat tighten, and his scalp tingled. He glanced somewhat absentmindedly at the binoculars in his hand and saw John calmly gazing at the trenches ahead, his fingers lightly pressing on a tree trunk, as if deep in thought, considering how to use their troops to completely annihilate the tough enemy force ahead.

At this moment, Jett Slevin, the powerful man known by countless people as the Blackwing of the Empire, couldn't help but feel a sense of fear towards his nominal subordinate through the telescope—a feeling he himself was unwilling to admit.

John Maslow, that man, is simply unfathomable!

……

(End of this chapter)