Chapter 45 - Chapter 45: 37. Silent Counterattack (1/2)
chapter 45: 37. silent counterattack
translator: 549690339
“jarvis…”
the fully-armed imperial army was about to set out, and corporal mars raised his hand to touch the silent sin soldier’s shoulder.
since the quarrel between alvin and pim, noland lee had been lost in thought, like a silent rock capable of obeying commands.
this made corporal mars feel a bit uneasy.
“jarvis, don’t take pim’s words to heart. he’s an intelligence department 2 investigator who always doubts everything. every day, his job is only to question this and that.”
“you were indeed chosen by intelligence department 4 to carry out a secret plan. but that doesn’t mean you’ll be silenced by them. only intelligence department 2 and 6 could do such a thing. our department 4 values discipline and honor. we won’t do anything to you unless you betray the empire. trust me.”
“yes, sir…”
noland lee slowly exhaled, nodded, and replied in agreement:
“i just feel like i’m not in control. ever since my parents and siblings died in a car accident, it seems like i’ve lost my autonomy, and i can only be maneuvered by others.”
noland lee smiled helplessly:
it’s just that i haven’t gotten used to my identity yet… a sin soldier doesn’t have much freedom to speak of in the first place. having been allowed to serve the empire bearing the weight of my crimes is already a kindness from the empire law.”
“don’t see your future as gloomy, jarvis.”
corporal mars lowered his voice and moved closer to noland lee’s ear, saying:
“i won’t hide it from you. i want to tell you a semi-public secret that you might be interested in.”
corporal mars spoke softly, and noland lee listened attentively.
“it all starts with an investigation conducted by intelligence department 4…
“according to statistics, it takes about 8 million new solon currency to clear a large-scale undead grave vault like grave no.1079. you should know how huge an amount this is…”
noland lee was taken aback, “8 million? that much?”
“yes, don’t be surprised.” corporal mars explained:
“over 60% of that money is spent on breaking the magic protective cover of the spirit pivot.
“we have to burn the magic protective cover non-stop for 24 hours using liquid flame, so as to gradually consume its energy and finally disable it.
“this process takes at least three days. if we encounter a counterattack from the undead army, the time to burn the cover will be even longer. it might even be interrupted, causing the magic protective cover to regenerate, and forcing us to start burning from scratch… soldiers who have participated in a grave vault clearing mission are well aware of this.”
corporal mars shook noland lee’s shoulder:
“so, do you understand? you’re not disposable or a sacrificial lamb, jarvis; you’re a pioneer.
“as long as you can prove through your actions that modifying undead runes can remove the magic protective cover, intelligence department 4 can save a lot of money every year, as well as a lot of expensive liquid flame fuel. the money saved will be converted into more advanced weapons, better armor, and fewer casualties.
“and you, noland lee jarvis, you’ll at least receive a five-star warrior medal.
have you ever heard of someone who made a contribution to the imperial army being silenced by their own people? no, right? even if that were to happen, intelligence department 4 would be the first to disagree. so, jarvis, just focus on carrying out the tasks assigned to you by intelligence department
4 and don’t overthink.”
what corporal mars had said was logical to noland lee.
however, noland lee remained cautious and took his words with a grain of salt.
he was a cautious person and wouldn’t change his mind just because of someone else’s few words.
“i feel much better now, sir.”
noland lee smiled, maintaining a surface harmony:
“i couldn’t tell before, but you’re really good with words, just soothing me with a few sentences.”
only i can talk to you.”
corporal mars winked at noland lee:
“maybe you don’t know it, but i’ve also been to city college. i studied modern literature and education. originally, after graduating, i was going to work as a teacher at a private education institution.”
noland lee raised his eyebrow, “no wonder you’re so eloquent… so, how did you end up joining the army?”
corporal mars shook his head in reminiscing, laughing somewhat self-deprecatingly:
“well, what other reason could there be… wounded by love, i guess. the girl i liked married someone she didn’t even like. right when i was in pain, i happened to come across the imperial army recruitment. then, here i am now, having accidentally fallen in love with army life.”
noland lee tutted with a sigh:
“it seems that behind the success of every man, there are always a few key women.”
“you can say that again.” corporal mars and noland lee exchanged smiles.
noland lee put away his smile and remained calm in his heart.