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

Chapter 111 Reflection and Decision

"Lunebo, I told you long ago that your terrible idea couldn't be fooled by our new battalion commander, but you didn't believe me. Now you've given up? Hmm?"

After John left the meeting room, Miles immediately gave a sarcastic smile to Lunepo, whose face was grim, and said:

"Who do you think this commander of the Three-Break Alliance is? You think you can show off your petty tricks in front of him? Well, look what you've done, you've utterly humiliated yourself!"

"Miles, shut up! What have you done besides barking like a dog afterward every time? Besides, weren't you the first to agree to this? How dare you criticize others?"

Seeing that Miles was trying to shift the blame again, Martha immediately and mercilessly exposed this despicable man.

"What's there to be embarrassed about? Anyway, I didn't come up with this terrible idea, and don't you dare slander me. I never agreed to this. I'm an obedient soldier!"

Miles, who was scolded by Martha, was not angry. Instead, he replied with a forced smile.

"you……"

Upon hearing this, Martha was immediately enraged and was about to unleash a torrent of abuse when she was interrupted by Lunepo, who said:

"Alright, stop arguing. Although things took a bit of an unexpected turn, we still achieved our goal in the end, didn't we? So, let's talk about something practical first, like whether or not we should sign this application."

"..."

Everyone immediately fell silent, staring intently at the five application forms on the table, their expressions shifting as if they were deep in thought.

Was this application form, left behind by the unfortunate Battalion Commander John, a lifeline to escape death, or a trap fraught with malice?

To be honest, they were a little unsure.

After all, John Maslow had recently become a hot commodity in the Seventh Army due to his three victories against the Allies.

Ultimately, apart from Captain Barnabo and the new battalion commander having some organizational connection, the other four people present knew absolutely nothing about John Maslow.

Therefore, it is difficult to discern what kind of personality this officer actually has.

However, if the other party is a petty and vindictive person, then signing this application form will not be a hope for a safe escape for them, but rather a humiliation more painful than death.

After all, feigning madness to survive and successfully escape the assigned mission is something else entirely.

If this were to spread within the Third Army under John Maslow's manipulation, then without a doubt, they would never be able to rise through the ranks in their lifetime.

Even if the other party were to be even more ruthless, secretly using those low-level magic stones that were brought over from the Kingdom of Victoria in the last two years to record their previous ugly behavior frame by frame, and then handing them over to the surveillance forces.

After being tried by a military court, they will likely be awarded silver bracelets and sentenced to more than fifty years in prison for cowardice!

Perhaps anticipating the dire consequences, cold sweat began to bead on everyone's foreheads.

"Captain Barnabo, weren't you in the same battalion as Major John before? You should be quite familiar with our major, right? What do you think about this?"

Miles nervously wiped the sweat from his brow and looked hopefully at the silent Barnapo, trying to get some good news from him.

"I don't know. To be honest, this is only the second time I've seen him. The last time was at a victory celebration hosted by the commander, and we only clinked glasses politely and didn't talk much."

Barnapo shook his head, then seemed to recall the words that Battalion Commander Olaf had told him before he was transferred.

Considering Battalion Commander John's astonishing combat record and his performance today, after a brief hesitation, he added to the crowd:
"However, in my opinion, the battalion commander was sincere just now. If you don't want to stay in the 1st Battalion, you can sign your names here and perhaps you can safely withdraw from this mission."

"What do you mean by 'maybe'? My respected Captain Barnabo, can't you just give me a straight answer?"

Miles was speechless. If Barnabo hadn't been a level above him and a better fighter, he would have definitely made a few sarcastic remarks to him.

"..."

Barnapo remained silent, gave Miles a cold glance, then crossed his arms and closed his eyes, pretending to doze off.

He didn't really like dealing with hypocritical guys like Miles.

But he had no intention of praising or mocking the four people's choices.

After all, if Battalion Commander Olaf hadn't forced him to come, someone as intelligent as him certainly wouldn't have volunteered to participate in such a near-suicidal mission.

As for Battalion Commander Olaf's claim that if it weren't for rank restrictions, he himself would have served under John Maslow, and that he had no choice but to give him this opportunity, he simply didn't believe it.

After all, it's obvious to anyone with eyes to see just how badly things had deteriorated in Faoken's front.

In this kind of battle, let alone John Maslow being a genius who defeated the Allied forces three times, even if the legendary first-generation Spear of the Empire were to come, he would only face defeat in the face of the boundless orc army and the countless Allied naval fleets.

He now only hopes that upon arriving in Faoken, this overly young new battalion commander, after being hit by reality, will know when to back down and not make the wrong decisions that would cause more soldiers to die in vain.

"What should we do? Should we sign or not? Don't just stand by and watch, give us an answer!"

Seeing that everyone was silent and staring blankly at the damned application form, Miles couldn't help but scratch his head in frustration. Then he turned his gaze to those who had somehow recovered from their fear.

Lieutenant Iguodala was resting his chin on his hand, looking at everyone with a half-smile.

He then suppressed his unease and quickly asked the person among the five who was the strongest in combat and also had the most eccentric personality:
"Lieutenant Iguodala, what's your opinion?"

"That idiot fainted from fright. I am Igonila, Lieutenant Miles. I'll let it go this time, but I hope you won't get it wrong next time, or I'll be angry."

Ignila smiled at Miles, a bright and warm smile, but combined with the subtle scrutiny in his eyes as he looked at Miles's neck, and the coldness that flickered in those eyes, it was hard to believe.

Upon witnessing this scene, Miles instinctively felt a chill run down his spine.

You two are using one body, even if I were a god, I wouldn't be able to tell you apart!

What a damn freak!

Miles inwardly cursed, but outwardly he forced a smile and apologized:
"Ahem, sorry, Lieutenant Igonila, I'll be more careful next time. Also, what do you think, should we sign this application form or not?"

"Why would you ask that? Wasn't everything decided from the beginning? You don't really think you can get away with it just by signing this, do you?"

Amidst the astonished and puzzled gazes of the crowd, Igonila first stretched, then leaned back in his chair, tapping his temple as he spoke to them with a mocking look:

"Didn't you guys think about why we were chosen to be among the first to participate in this mission before making this decision?"

"In terms of ability, among all the company commanders in the Seventh Army Corps, there are a few who are stronger than us, but most of them are weaker than us."

"Moreover, the newly formed ordinary magic soldiers of the 1st Battalion are all elite warriors who are not the strongest, but most of them occupy the middle or above level in their respective ranks."

"The fact that the higher-ups made this arrangement already indicates that the fundamental purpose of this mission is not to send people to their deaths, but rather a risky gamble."

"Since it's a bet, the stakes are predetermined and won't change because of any individual's will."

"Although it is unclear what exactly the trump card was that led the higher-ups to make this decision, given Marshal Dormammu's wisdom, he certainly wouldn't have taken such a risky move without sufficient certainty."

"Even Marshal Dormammu acknowledges his existence. Do you all think your vision is more ruthless than Marshal Dormammu's?"

"So, whether it's the arrangements made by the higher-ups or the importance of this gamble, whether we sign this application form or whether Battalion Commander John will really let us leave is completely irrelevant."

"Because we can only become officers of the 1st Battalion and carry out operations steadfastly under the command of Battalion Commander John."

"Only in this way can we have the highest probability of surviving the battlefield."

"Even receiving unexpected honors, isn't it?"

Ignila spoke softly, ignoring the people who were lost in thought because of his words, and slowly stood up from his chair.

Then he grabbed the five application forms and, under the silent gaze of everyone, tore them to shreds.

He immediately revealed a ferocious and bloodthirsty smile on his face, like a wild beast about to break free, his tone filled with excitement and desire:
"So, my fellow soldiers, abandon those unrealistic and cowardly actions, and pick up your courage as soldiers of the Empire."

"Under the leadership of Battalion Commander John Maslow, who is favored by the Marshal, we will bring true hell to those ignorant Allied troops."

"This is what we should really be doing!"

……

Two more chapters to go, I'll stay up all night writing them.

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(End of this chapter)