Staring at the intelligence report in his hand, the old man flipped back and forth through the pages several times in disbelief before speaking, as if to confirm what he was seeing:
"Wait, are you saying that Andrew—the one who forcibly slew Nineveh in mid-air during the previous battle and clearly possesses Void Hunter-level combat power—is the superior officer of that temporary Obols Squad member, the soldier codenamed Soldier 11... Soldier 11?!"
Andrew was Soldier 11's superior, and Soldier 11 was a soldier of the Defense Force. That would mean...
"That Hunter is actually one of our Defense Force people?!"
Upon realizing this, the old man immediately flipped forward, and soon he found the content he wanted to see.
However, while this content caught him off guard, it was also a little terrifying.
In this interception battle, the original squad of the member Soldier 11, who joined the Obols Squad temporarily as the main attacker, was...
"The Silver Squad?!"
Ordinary soldiers might treat the Silver Squad as a legend, but as high-ranking officials, how could they not know the specific situation?
Back then, due to the sharp decrease in soldiers caused by the Fall of the Old Capital, a vast number of crazy plans emerged within the Defense Force.
If not for the organ trafficking, the research of the Umbrella Corporation might have even been considered 'good' by comparison.
But none of that mattered. What mattered was... hadn't the Umbrella research institute been forcibly demolished by an unknown person about a month ago, even before it was officially abandoned?
At this moment, the woman—who hadn't looked too closely because the matter was too urgent—and the old man who discovered this point looked at each other in dismay.
"Wasn't the Silver Squad marked as annihilated after the Umbrella research institute was wiped out by unknown personnel back then? How could they appear here?"
Regarding the woman's murmuring, the old man quickly searched for and pulled up an officer file as if he had thought of something.
It was none other than the detailed personal data of the commanding officer to whom the Silver Squad currently belonged within the Defense Force system.
But when they saw this data, the two of them couldn't help but fall into an even deeper silence.
Because in this file information, there was only a blank space.
Not encrypted, not blacked out, but blank.
Thoroughly, completely blank.
There was no conventional name, no address, no detailed physical data, not even the most basic gender.
The only information was that code name of unclear significance, which looked like it had been filled in casually: 'White Armor'.
The creation time of this file was exactly the point in time when the Umbrella research institute was soloed by an unidentified person, and the affiliation of the Silver Squad was impressively listed under his name.
Combining this with the fact that the Hunter had personally admitted to being the superior of a Silver Squad member, it was self-evident who the owner of this file was.
And it also became very obvious who exactly had wiped out the entire Umbrella Corporation that day.
Although they had discovered the hidden truth, deep down, the two of them wished they hadn't been so sharp earlier. It would have been better to pretend they hadn't found anything.
Although the personnel in this document only held the rank of Major.
However, leaving a completely blank file in the Defense Force system generally represented only two possibilities.
One was that regardless of rank, the person's own information was already classified to a degree that it was impossible to enter into the system.
The other was that the power of the person backing them was already great enough to ignore regulations.
And in the eyes of the two who didn't understand Andrew's actual situation, Andrew, as a powerhouse Hunter at the Void Hunter level, could belong to either possibility.
It was even possible that both reasons existed simultaneously.
Most importantly.
For such an existence, as high-ranking officials holding high positions in the Defense Force, they should at least be aware of it.
Under normal circumstances, fully knowing the specific situation would be the norm.
But the biggest problem was that before discovering this document, neither of them had received any news about this matter.
This made it impossible not to overthink.
Thinking it over and over, the only possibility was that the Hunter Andrew's energy within the Defense Force was actually much greater than they had imagined.
As smart people, both analyzed this possibility at the same time, and a silent stillness enveloped the entire room for a while.
Finally, the woman took the initiative to speak, breaking the silence:
"I remember... the reason Isolde was able to make Lorenz suffer a setback and get the credit that belonged to her this time was because the Hunter Andrew actively said Lorenz seized his soldier's credit... right?"
"Do you think this might be a legendary case of... 'a hero flying into a rage for the sake of a beauty'?"
Hearing this, the old man instantly shuddered and then flatly denied it:
"I don't know! I didn't think anything! Don't spout nonsense here!"
"Cough, don't get so excited, I was just saying it casually."
Looking at Isolde's name on the report in her hand, the woman couldn't help but sigh slightly.
Previously, she had worried that even if Isolde relied on her merits to become a Major General, her path afterward would inevitably be incredibly difficult without a faction willing to accept her.
At least, unless she continued to have consecutive massive merits, climbing any higher would be impossible.
But looking at it now.
She didn't need to think about how to join other factions. After all, her relationship with the Hunter was her biggest backer.
Even if the two points guessed earlier didn't actually exist, his own Void Hunter strength was already the greatest backer in the Defense Force.
The rest would just be icing on the cake at most.
"So, according to this combat report, what do we say about the specific promotion proposal for Isolde at the upcoming meeting?"
Although Isolde's military merit this time was indeed massive.
However, because she didn't embellish the process at all in the combat report, under the heavy dilution of the Hunter, Hoshimi Miyabi, and Meow-Da...
Normally speaking, whether she could meet the promotion conditions to become a Major General was actually open to discussion.
It was just that the probability of success was high.
If no one was willing to stand up for her, and Lorenz's superior opposed it with all their might, there would even be significant uncertainty.
But the old man couldn't help but subconsciously glance at that blank document, sighed, and then spoke as if setting the tone directly:
"Since that's the case, there's no need for discussion. Directly promote her military rank to Major General. All treatment will be equal to that of an ordinary Major General. At the same time, award her the Distinguished Commander Medal for the Nineveh Interception Battle."
After pondering briefly, the old man affirmed:
"Implement it as soon as possible at the upcoming Merit Commendation Conference."
A faster award ceremony represented the attitude of the military high command, and the promotion of military rank itself represented a tilt in resources and power.
At the same time, the reason the old man decided so quickly to choose to let Isolde become a Major General directly was also to create a form of insurance.
An insurance that could allow the Defense Force and Andrew to have a closer relationship.
After all, currently in the entire Defense Force, as far as he knew, the only ones who had the closest relationship with him on the surface were Colonel Isolde and her Obols Squad.
Aside from that, most ordinary soldiers were just engaging in one-sided worship.
And if Isolde became a Major General, then she would at least have the ability to represent Andrew in maintaining good relations with the Defense Force herself.
After all, no matter how high a Field Officer rank was, it was still the rank of a frontline commander. But a General was different.
This represented a complete transformation of her identity, stepping into the high command of the Defense Force and becoming a commander in the true sense.
Compared to the high-level backing they analyzed—which they didn't know existed or not—he was still more willing to rely on the opportunity he could grasp right in front of his eyes.
After all, he had thought it through very clearly.
Letting Isolde become a Major General meant he only needed to win over Isolde; he didn't need to consider that unknown Defense Force high-level existence.
Moreover, if such an existence really did exist...
Prying casually into such matters would truly be seeking a death wish. The best method was definitely to choose to forcibly pretend not to know.
And the woman responsible for the approval had the same thought.
After processing the documents at light speed, waiting only to go through the motions during the meeting later to implement them immediately, the woman turned her head and asked about another matter.
"Then what about the merits of that Hunter... no, it should be our Defense Force's incredibly mysterious Major 'White Armor'?"
Hearing the reminder, the old man felt a bit numb for a moment.
Should they pretend they didn't discover his identity in the military?
But the reason Andrew beat up Lorenz was that he was the Commander of the Silver Squad. Playing dumb at this time... wouldn't that be a bit too forced?
But if they were to give it, how should they give it?
Giving too much would make that identity information too conspicuous. Giving too little wouldn't be justifiable compared to the credit Andrew gained in this battle.
A Level 6 Nineveh was one of New Eridu's greatest anxieties, not to mention the opponent was infinitely close to Level 7 at the time.
If it had really succeeded, the consequences would have been simply unimaginable.
But fortunately, Andrew took action to turn the tide, preventing the worst-case scenario from appearing and saving New Eridu.
For a moment, the old man couldn't say he was at his wits' end, but he could only say he was clueless.
He couldn't help but rub his temples with a headache, feeling that being forced to consider such things at his age was really too much torture for his fragile nerves.
Finally, he made up his mind and said:
"In terms of military rank, directly skip grades and award him the rank of Colonel. This is already the limit under the premise of not attracting attention. At the same time, the medal will be the highest-level Combat Medal, but to accommodate his hidden identity, it will not be awarded publicly at the commendation conference."
Honor and military rank were really a bit insignificant compared to the power Andrew displayed in this interception battle.
Especially the military rank—because considering Andrew's hidden identity, they dared not give too much. At most, it could only be Field Officer level, which caused this reward to appear even more insufficient.
And the Defense Force didn't have a special position similar to a Void Hunter.
Hesitating for a long time, the old man finally chose to give up thinking and said, as if letting things slide:
"If there are any specific extra needs, just let him mention them himself when he collects the medal later. As long as it's not too excessive, try to satisfy them."
"That's what you say... but how exactly should we send it to his hands?"
The woman sat on the chair, resting her chin on the back of her hand, speaking with equal distress:
"If we invite him directly to receive this reward at the commendation conference, or directly dispatch soldiers to deliver it, wouldn't that be the same as not hiding it at all?"
The two thought hard again for a long time. Suddenly, the old man punched his fist into his palm, as if he had remembered something:
"Right! Some time ago, that old fox, the Mayor, recommended a housekeeping organization to me. I think it was called Victoria Housekeeping Co.? He said they cater to aristocrats and can accept any commission."
"How about we entrust them to help convey it then?"
"A housekeeping organization can also moonlight delivering this stuff?"
Hearing this, the old man shrugged, then said:
"Although that guy has a black heart, the things he recommends are still very reliable. At least I haven't found any problems."
Hearing the old man say this, the woman, who had originally just asked casually, immediately had no intention of refuting.
Subsequently, the remuneration for Hoshimi Miyabi, Meow-Da, and the others who were not internal to the Defense Force was purely material. This wasn't something to agonizing over and was settled very quickly.
As for Lorenz, who had been whipped into a coma by Andrew.
At this juncture, where it was already confirmed that he had been hammered, nobody cared about him anymore.
Looking at his wretched appearance, the woman stroked her chin and speculated:
"Say, do you think that old geezer will consider making a move to forcibly protect the dog he spent so much effort raising? The role he plays is still quite big, right?"
But regarding the woman's ridicule, the old man in front of her spoke very decisively:
"No, impossible. Lorenz is just a tool used to make money to him. If he's gone, he's gone."
"That old fellow wouldn't let himself participate in anything that might involve the anti-corruption action already launched within the Defense Force just for this."
Speaking of this, the old man couldn't stop himself from sighing:
"Moreover, in the final analysis, no lives were lost this time. Although the event of the Hunter seeking justice for his subordinate resulted in Lorenz being seriously injured, it also allowed Lorenz to avoid more serious consequences."
"If the things he committed stop here, and there isn't anything touching the 'red line' like cooperation with large enterprises in TOPS forming a military-business collusion... the final result would just be that although he is reinstated to his original post, he will never have the possibility of promotion in this lifetime."
As for why military-business collusion was mentioned subconsciously, it was because this counted as one of the true bottom lines within the Defense Force.
One had to know, just as TOPS strictly forbade any actions other than projects jointly promoted with the government from involving military politics, the Defense Force—as one of the three pillars of New Eridu—naturally had similar clauses.
It could be said that any existence that violated this code would be liquidated by their respective disciplinary organizations after being exposed or discovered.
TOPS had the Krampus Black Branch, and the Defense Force also had a similar organization.
It was just that the reason Lorenz could become a Major General was that he was famous for his money-making ability. He shouldn't have made mistakes in this area... right?
The woman, however, looked as if he had gotten off lightly:
"It's a pity. After losing the possibility of becoming a Lieutenant General, without anyone targeting him, this kind of person might actually live quite a long time."
"Is that so?"
Hearing this, the old man shook his head and denied it:
"I don't think so."
Hearing this, the woman immediately frowned and pressed:
"How come? It couldn't be that Lorenz also has an irreconcilable enemy at the same level or even a higher level, and this enemy just happens to have evidence of him touching the bottom line?"
Recalling the deeply hidden hatred beyond anger in Isolde's later words in the recording, and the military rank she was about to obtain, the old man revealed a meaningful smile.
Subsequently, he spoke with a smile on his face:
"Maybe there really is one."
But this time, no matter how the woman pressed, the old man would not elaborate any further.
After all, he knew very well.
For someone whose revenge had not yet been achieved, premature exposure was not a good thing.
Plus, with Andrew's existence, before Isolde succeeded, the old man chose to let his discovery rot in his stomach and pretend he didn't know.
____
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