Just then, someone in the ranks suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, Robert has posted something!"
As soon as these words were uttered, the players, who were still immersed in the afterglow of battle, immediately erupted like lit firecrackers.
"Oh? Really? What did he post?"
"Hey, get off me! Don't you have your own system panel?!"
New and old players alike opened their system panels and rushed to the forum section, eager not to miss any important information. As new players gradually joined, Robert's prestige in the game not only didn't diminish but steadily grew, reaching an admirable height.
Most of this was thanks to the pinned post titled "How New Players Can Rationally Allocate Their Exp Points."
That post was detailed and practical, guiding countless new players and enabling them to efficiently utilize resources in the early stages. It's safe to say that all new players benefited greatly from this post.
As for the old players, they had completed many missions under Robert's command and earned a large amount of merit, naturally becoming his supporters.
Thus, as the number of Helldivers Company members continuously increased, Robert's prestige grew even greater, making him the spiritual leader within the player community.
Everyone clicked on the post, and the title prominently read:
PRIORITY BROADCAST: CALL FOR DEMOCRATIC REINFORCEMENTS!
TO: ALL HELLDIVERS COMPANY PERSONNELFROM: COMPANY COMMANDER ROBERT
Helldivers!
Another day, another victory for Managed Democracy! Our ranks are swelling! We started as a handful of patriots, less than a hundred souls willing to bleed Super-Earth's enemies dry. Now? We're a force of nearly three hundred, a tidal wave of liberty and steel, with squads multiplying faster than fungal spores on an alien jungle world!
This is a good problem, a glorious problem. But with growth, comes the sludge of inefficiency.
Frankly, as your Company Commander, I'm being drowned in the bureaucratic crap of officer appointments. Squad after squad of boots come to me, asking to rubber-stamp one of their own as a Squad Leader. I give a nod, an 'Approved,' and move on. It's meaningless formality. It's inefficient.
So, let's stop wasting time and institutionalize this!
PROPOSAL: THE MILITARY COMMITTEE
My proposal, the Military Committee, is simple: let's scrap the meaningless top-down "approval" from my desk and empower the grassroots democratic process. Instead of me appointing officers, the squads and platoons will elect their own. This company is already player-governed; let's stop pretending my signature is necessary and make the process more efficient!
Why "Military Committee" and not "Soldier Committee"? Because here, on the front lines, Enlisted and Non-Commissioned Officers are one collective. We're all Helldivers. We have different jobs, but equal standing. Calling it a "Soldier Committee" feels like we're excluding the leadership that gets their hands just as dirty. The Military Committee reflects our unity and equality under the flag of Super-Earth.
THE CRUCIAL MANDATE: PROTECTING MERIT
Transferring power to the Military Committee is more than just efficiency; it's about guaranteeing the sacred currency of every Helldiver: MERIT or colloqually called EXP POINTS.
You all know the cruel reality of the game mechanics: death equals merit reset. When a Helldiver falls and you spawn a new one, the system sees an entirely new person, a blank slate, with zero inheritance from the brave soul who just bought the farm.
The only reason your Merit is currently protected, the only reason you inherit your wealth, is because I, a fellow player, am currently the highest-ranking officer. I use my authority to execute a workaround that allows for your "new" self to claim the resources of the "old." This is not a system feature; it is a player-made solution.
But I'm just one man. I could step on a landmine, get ripped apart by a Warlord, or, heaven forbid, just decide to take a long, well-deserved nap from the war. Individuals are accidents waiting to happen.
Therefore, before any such individual accident happens, we must transfer the ultimate authority from the individual to the collective.
A single Helldiver can die.
But the possibility of the entire collective being wiped out? That's near zero. If that happens, we've got bigger problems than lost Merit, I promise you.
By establishing the Military Committee, even if I buy the farm or quit for good, the highest authority is already decentralized. New officers can be elected instantly.
This prevents the entire command structure from collapsing due to one man's unavoidable end, and, most importantly, it keeps the blasted Astra Militarum from swooping in with some stiff-backed NPC to take over command!
VOTE NOW!
FOR SUPER-EARTH AND MANAGED DEMOCRACY!
Robert, Company CommanderHELLDIVERS COMPANY
Robert's post sparked an unprecedentedly high level of discussion among the player community. However, in reality, most players couldn't fully grasp the deeper content of the post.
Those things, such as the transition of power from individual to collective, and matters concerning military organizational building, were too complex for them and beyond the scope of their daily gaming.
They simply saw that this post was made by Robert—the big shot who led them to earn countless exp, formulated the new player guide, and existed in their hearts like a stabilizing force.
The entire post was logically consistent, clearly organized, and every word reflected consideration for the players' interests, with Robert explicitly stating that doing so had many benefits.
Based on their trust in Robert and a simple collectivist mindset, the vast majority of players unhesitatingly chose to support it. For a time, the comments below the post were almost uniformly in favor and agreement.
And Robert, watching the player comments below steadily grow, quietly breathed a sigh of relief. The players' lack of resistance to this made him very satisfied, even to say it was the best possible outcome.
Since the players were not resistant, the formation of the Military Committee naturally encountered no obstacles. Under Robert's organization, the election of officers and executive committee members proceeded smoothly.
The final election results were completely unsurprising to anyone—the Company Commander was still Robert, and he even added the title of Chairman of the Military Committee. After all, if these two key positions were not held by Robert, players would have been greatly surprised and felt uneasy.