Chapter 4, Word Games

The landing process experienced vibrations, but they were not as significant as the pilot described. This was caused by the gap during the synchronization of the shuttle with the battleship's molecular shield density

Hehe... Zhang Songlan could only scratch his head and smile wryly, as he had not anticipated that the girl sitting in the corner, silently grooming her hair, was a bottomless pit for alcohol

Then... Zhang Songlan opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

Ah... um! Lindemann also realized that his behavior might be somewhat misleading, so he quickly cleared his throat and returned to the main topic. "You should have anticipated that we would definitely employ you; a small legion like ours would not spend this money frivolously. You are a renowned peace officer, but considering our limited understanding of you, we cannot confidently entrust a large number of troops to your command..." You are a renowned peace officer, but considering our limited understanding of you, we cannot confidently entrust a large number of troops to your command...

Zhang Songlan may usually appear carefree, but he performs adequately when it is time to be serious

"Alright, let's put an end to the chatter. We are recruiting officers, not spokespersons." The elderly man in civilian clothes on the left timely spoke up, providing the old commander with an opportunity to step down.

Liliya sat up to tidy her disheveled golden hair, her expression showing no signs of the headache that Zhang Songlan experienced after drinking.

"Um... may I ask how the two of you have discussed it?" Zhang Songlan looked at the two old men in their fifties or sixties in front of him, who were exchanging glances without saying a word. He instinctively felt a chill running down his back.

In the days to come, I kindly ask for your guidance, esteemed officials. Zhang Songlan finally did not forget the etiquette taught in school; after saluting the three new officials, he turned and exited.

"Thirty years... how many more thirty years are there in life? How much longer can we old folks keep going?" Lindemann suddenly expressed his sentiments.

... ... Alright. Zhang Songlan could only reluctantly accept this arrangement

"Alright, since you insist..." The deputy commander accessed the legion's management system on the desktop computer and entered Zhang Songlan's name in the captain column of the "First Mecha Hunter Squadron"

Understanding does not necessarily have to rely on handwriting, right? If one could understand a person solely through their handwriting, then there would be no need for interviews; everyone could simply write a couplet and submit it. Who would have thought that Zhang Songlan was deliberately setting a trap for the old leader, going around in circles and essentially refuting Lindemann's "handwriting personality theory" again.

I didn't understand. The old leader speaks frankly.

"Is this what you call doing your best?" Lindeman displayed the image on the electronic notes to Zhang Songlan and two other reviewers

If one is not skilled in verbal debate, one should not casually pick at others! However, who would have thought that this chief of staff would not appreciate it, but instead respond with a look of complaint

"I need time to organize my thoughts," he said first. Before Zhang Songlan could feign gentlemanly manners and utter the phrase 'ladies first,' Liliya interrupted him.

This is a squad that currently does not have an officer; you can choose any one from it. Lindemann gave a glance to the deputy regiment commander, who immediately understood and handed the squad list to Zhang Songlan

I see... Although he had long been mentally prepared for this, Zhang Songlan still felt a bit disappointed. The risks of the Marine Corps on the battlefield are much greater than those of the support fleet. He would rather be a staff officer in a support fleet that does not have to deal with matters than be a commander of the Marine Corps with troops at hand.

"... ... Well, this is not a very ideal result," Captain Lindemann said with a frown. "If I remember correctly, there were less than 300 recruits in your cohort, including the peace officers, right?"

"The unpleasant taste of hangover remedies is intentional on the part of the manufacturers, aimed at discouraging people from relying on these products to indulge in alcohol." The door to the reception room opened, and the deputy leader entered.

Lindemann, when you were asked why you wanted to recruit from a regular officer school, you were evasive. Can you now tell us the reason?" The Chief of Staff, Odinger, who had remained silent, suddenly questioned his old partner after the office door closed.

... ... '' an awkward silence

Seed? '' Odinger did not understand

"Yes, this is it." Zhang Songlan nodded readily

The reason for his prompt agreement lies in his own ulterior motives. The Mecha Hunter Squad has various shortcomings, so their superiors would not assign them tasks beyond their capabilities. It is likely that they will be given duties such as area surveillance or position defense, which is certainly much safer than leading a newly taken over main mecha squad into battle

Ah... I apologize!" Zhang Songlan awkwardly looked at the vice president and the head of the library committee, realizing that it was indeed inappropriate to have a loud meal on their territory before even being accepted.

"What you mean is ... ... " Odin Ger had a slight realization

"From now on, you are a member of our Red Spider Legion. Welcome to the team." Lindeman, the leader of the regiment, offered a brief welcome to the newcomer, "Bring in the next candidate; we will arrange for you to meet your squad in a few hours."

I am Legion Commander Lindemann Haisen, and this is Chief of Staff Odinger Hess. The one who brought you in is Deputy Commander Salih Aziz. The three of us will be your direct superiors and the ones responsible for interviewing you in the future. I hope you can remember this well. The one-eyed veteran made a brief self-introduction.

"Oh, the deputy commander is back. Didn't you bring us any local specialties from Elanburg?" The mechanic greeted the deputy commander half-jokingly, as if the fleet were in a non-combat state, with only this group of mechanics present on the vast tarmac.

Old friend, how many years have you been with me

"How should I put it? It could be described as an experiment... or perhaps 'seed' would be more appropriate?" Lindemann smiled.

I feel ashamed to say that there are a total of 272 students in our cohort. Although our grades are not ideal, I have already done my best to achieve this result. Zhang Songlan said, scratching his head awkwardly

Zhang Songlan was reviewing the provided materials, which were recorded in great detail. It is likely that most national armies would not adopt such a comprehensive list, which is one of the advantages of a smaller organization. The materials not only detailed the equipment and personnel status of each squadron, but also included brief introductions to the squadrons' achievements and profiles of notable individuals. Zhang Songlan noticed that the squadrons offered for his selection were all those with commendable records and had maintained relatively intact conditions from the last battle. This might be a consideration in case of any misjudgment in his command, allowing these veterans to rely on their own qualities to correct any errors.

This is an exceptionally poor examination paper in the field of information science—it's not that the answers are particularly bad, but rather that a significant portion of the handwriting is completely illegible to others. Thus, the poor handwriting has resulted in a poor grade. However, analyzing the parts that are legible, it is evident that the owner of this paper possesses considerable insight and knowledge in many areas; otherwise, they would not have been able to pass.

The crisp alert sound, reminiscent of a civil aviation shuttle, awakened the two individuals.

We have arrived. The deputy leader brought the two to a door that was slightly more aesthetically pleasing and tidy than the other cabins. Who would like to go first?

Yes, I have tried my best to write the characters as well as I can. Someone nodded calmly.

So you are the second-to-last graduate of this session? May I request to see your original exam paper? Lindemann is very principled; when it comes to the privacy of others, he specifically consulted Zhang Songlan, who is essentially someone who has sold themselves to him.

"So what kind of personality do you see from my handwriting?" Zhang Songlan did not answer directly but instead turned the question back to the old leader.

I never expected this either. The deputy leader shrugged, "Suddenly bringing in two free students has already cost quite a bit in deposits. It seems the leader will have to worry about the finances for a while."

"As expected of my chief of staff," Lindemann said, giving a silent thumbs-up and quickly casting a grateful glance at his chief of staff

Hmm ... ...

It is unfortunate that they spent a considerable amount of money, so naturally, they cannot allow him to stay here for free for four years

Is this the First Mecha Hunter Squadron? The deputy commander looked at Zhang Songlan with a strange expression, "Are you sure?"

Oh, really recruited someone? I thought no one would be interested in a small group like ours. The technician was also quite surprised that someone applied.

"Haven't I already brought back the local products?" The deputy team leader pointed to the two graduates behind him

In summary, let's give it a try; we do not have the ability to select seeds, and no one knows what will grow from the seeds picked up at random. Lindemann looked at Zhang Songlan's messy exam paper and sighed

"Please go ahead." Zhang Songlan thought for a moment, as there was nothing shameful above.

The two graduates displayed a hint of anger on their faces after hearing the deputy leader's words, as if they were merely meat tickets bought at a high price by human traffickers. The mechanic, noticing their expressions, quickly exchanged glances with the deputy leader.

Then the interview begins

"It doesn't matter, our legion does not concern itself with such things," the deputy commander said, weighing the already empty vodka bottle with a smile. "However, if you take the initiative to drink with a girl and end up falling first, this will surely be a source of laughter for your future subordinates if it gets out, you know."

Uh... the old leader was momentarily at a loss for words

The veteran said little and directly took the relevant information about Zhang Songlan from Deputy Commander Salih, reading aloud: "Zhang Songlan, preparatory non-commissioned officer, a member of the Free Planet Helaer, majoring in tactical command, with a minor in military history. Final assessment scores: Strategic assessment 70 points, fleet simulation battle 88 points, ground tactical command 82 points, intelligence studies 65 points, mechanical operation 34 points, personal combat skills 30 points, total score 369 points, ranking 271st."

However, I have heard that one can discern a person's character by examining their handwriting. Zhang Songlan's shamelessness made Lindeman involuntarily entertain thoughts of making things difficult for him

The reason we need to recruit new commanders is that the Marine Corps suffered significant losses in the last battle, while the support fleet remains in good condition. Your performance in commanding the Marines has also been commendable; how about starting as a squadron leader?" Lindemann presented the prepared statement, as this interview was largely a formality.

Behind the large door is a spacious office, with three seats arranged behind a wide desk. In the center seat sits a battle-hardened one-eyed veteran, while to the left is an elderly man in casual attire. After the deputy commander brought Zhang Songlan to the front of the desk, he also took a seat on the right.

The vessel is about to arrive at the Legion flagship, the Arachne, with an expected landing time in fifteen minutes. There may be slight vibrations during this period, so please fasten your seatbelts.

It is only natural that the deputy commander feels surprised. Among the squads offered to Zhang Songlan, the Mecha Hunter Squad is the one with the poorest equipment, possessing relatively weak mobility and defense. Compared to the main force, support, and reconnaissance squads, which are predominantly composed of ground combat mechas, the Mecha Hunter Squad has only four long-range sniper reconnaissance mechas, while the rest of its combat power consists of outdated armed vehicles and mobile artillery positions, making it a ragtag team that would make any commander frown.

So what about my assignment? Fleet or Marine Corps? This is what Zhang Songlan is concerned about

With my consent, Lindemann retrieved the original examination papers from the materials. When he first glanced at that test and the illustrated book, the veteran, now over fifty, suddenly displayed a bemused expression.

The corridors of the ship were sparsely populated, with the occasional drunken individuals staggering past, their arms draped over each other's shoulders. The Red Spider Legion had just fought a civil war within the Thousand-Year Empire and was currently on leave. Unlike the regular army, the personnel of the mercenary corps were mostly retired veterans from various countries and desperate armed individuals. In simple terms, they were a group of unfortunate souls who could not live normally without war. Consequently, there were almost no training facilities within the support fleet— for those who had crawled out from the piles of corpses, fighting was as familiar a survival skill as eating and drinking. Unlike the regular army, the personnel of the mercenary corps were mostly retired veterans from various countries and desperate armed individuals. In simple terms, they were a group of unfortunate souls who could not live normally without war. Consequently, there were almost no training facilities within the support fleet— for those who had crawled out from the piles of corpses, fighting was as familiar a survival skill as eating and drinking, making it unnecessary to waste money and valuable space on the ship for superfluous matters.

"Hmm, can't this thing taste a bit better?" Zhang Songlan took a pill for sobering up from his travel bag and swallowed it dry. Judging by the pained expression on his tightly furrowed brow, the taste was indeed not very pleasant

This is it. Zhang Songlan pointed to a unit he had his eye on at the back of the sequence and returned the information to the deputy regiment commander

"Exactly thirty years, no more, no less. What is the purpose of asking this?" Facing this irrelevant question, Odinger was even more perplexed.

Oh dear, I've had too much to drink! Zhang Songlan hurriedly scrambled up from the table and rushed to the restroom. When he emerged, he had shed the appearance of a drunkard, but the faint throbbing in his temples still indicated the potency of the alcohol

"Ah, I apologize, it was not directed at you." The deputy leader also noticed the increasingly strange atmosphere, "Please follow me, I have already informed the leader in advance, and the preparations for the interview should be ready."

"Do not forget that this is an interview; our purpose is to understand everything about you." Lindeman also defended himself without showing any weakness

"A personality that is hard to understand isn't necessarily a bad thing, right?" Zhang Songlan said with a smile

Before long, the support fleet of the legion appeared in the trio's line of sight. With the outermost anti-mine armor removed, the newly installed various weapon systems were exposed, resembling the fully armed shuttle to a considerable extent. The pilot skillfully navigated through the intricate network of weapon system pipelines, guiding the shuttle into the concealed hangar behind.