After saying those words, Sophia left.
Cinder sat blankly on the bed, unsure what he was thinking.
Early the next morning, Cinder dressed himself and shaved off his messy stubble.
When he opened the door, the lights in the corridor were so bright they made him squint.
He hadn't left his room in four days.
Arriving at the entrance to the Command Center, Cinder felt inexplicably nervous.
Taking two deep breaths, Cinder opened the door to the Command Center.
He enthusiastically greeted the room: "Good morning, Second Lieutenant Sophia."
However, Sophia was not inside the Command Center.
After looking around and confirming Sophia had gone elsewhere,
Cinder awkwardly scratched his head.
He walked out of the Headquarters entrance.
An Armored mining vehicle passed in front of him.
On one side of the mining vehicle, two Soldiers were escorting it past.
Seeing Cinder, both immediately stood at attention and saluted him.
"Commander!"
Cinder saw excitement in their expressions.
Cinder returned the salute: "Good morning, Kerry, Xifewo."
The two were very surprised; they hadn't expected Cinder to remember their names.
"Good morning! Commander." The two became even more excited.
Cinder smiled and nodded, then asked, "Did you see Second Lieutenant Sophia?"
"Reporting, Commander, the Second Lieutenant is currently at the ore refinery. It seems something unusual was excavated at the mine, and the Second Lieutenant is handling it there."
"I see. Also, I wanted to ask you both, regarding the battle five days ago, how do you think that campaign went?"
The two Soldiers exchanged a look.
Both instantly stood straighter, their expressions respectful: "Reporting, Commander, that was an absolutely perfect campaign. To use 120 men plus five Grizzly Tanks to defeat twenty enemy Ruin Guards—a victory like that is a rare classic battle, even historically."
"Do you really think so?"
The two exchanged another look.
One of the Soldiers replied: "Reporting, Commander, I don't understand much about strategy, but in one battle I participated in, a single tank wiped out nearly 500 of our Soldiers.
In contrast, the campaign you commanded involved using a clearly inferior force to engage the enemy in guerrilla warfare, destroying every single enemy unit. Comparatively, our main battle tanks suffered zero casualties. In my view, this was a perfect campaign."
"I second that; I also believe it was a perfect campaign!"
Seeing the sincerity in their eyes, Cinder accepted their praise.
He paused and asked them, "I have one more question. What are both of your wishes?"
"Uh..." The two didn't immediately know how to answer.
Cinder waited patiently: "It's alright. This is just a casual chat between friends right now, no superior-subordinate distinction. Just answer honestly."
Kerry, who looked slightly older, scratched his head sheepishly and said, "If I say it, I hope you, Commander, won't laugh."
"Of course not. Go ahead and speak freely."
"Actually, I want to fall in love. Before I went to the battlefield, I hadn't been in a relationship, and twenty years passed in a flash. If possible, I want to find someone I love, get married, and live an ordinary life." Kerry quickly realized he had misspoken and immediately added:
"I apologize, Commander, I didn't mean to sound like I want to be a deserter. Whether now or in the future, I will strictly carry out your orders!"
Cinder smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Don't be nervous. Wanting to marry someone you love is completely normal. Not liking war is the proper worldview for a normal person; you don't need to blame yourself. What about you, Xifewo? What is your wish?"
"Me? I don't have a wish like Kerry's. Right now, I'm just thinking about when I can have a drink. It's been a long time since I've touched alcohol."
"Haha." Cinder chuckled. "That will happen. I promise you, I will soon have fine wine supplied to our base. Whenever you take leave, you'll be able to enjoy fine wine and delicious food."
"Really?" Xifewo couldn't believe Cinder would arrange for fine wine in the military camp.
"Of course. Once we get through this most difficult period, I will give everyone time off."
Xifewo was deeply moved. He stood straight, gave a military salute, and shouted, "For the Commander!"
Kerry also followed Xifewo's lead, changing 'For the Alliance' to 'For the Commander.'
Cinder merely smiled at this.
Separating from the two interesting Soldiers, Cinder headed straight for the ore refinery.
From a distance, Cinder could see Sophia busy at work.
Walking closer, Cinder greeted her: "Good morning, Second Lieutenant Sophia."
Sophia looked up at the sound, and seeing Cinder's face full of smiles, she was surprised by the speed of his recovery.
Showing no emotion on her face, Sophia returned Cinder's salute: "Good morning, Commander. May I ask if you reviewed the intelligence submitted by Kevin last night?"
Her very first sentence was about work.
Cinder looked at Sophia, who had returned to her usual cold demeanor, and replied, "I saw it. I already have a solution for that matter."
"That's good. Are there any directives you need me to convey?"
"That can wait." Cinder looked at the ores in front of Sophia and asked, "When I arrived, I heard others saying there were some issues at the mine. Has something happened?"
"Reporting, we have indeed encountered some problems. I was just about to report to you. About an hour ago, our drill bit was attacked by an unknown energy."
"Was it the enemy?"
"I thought so at first, but after investigation, we found it was due to this type of ore. Our drill bit accidentally shattered this ore during mining. The ore contains a strange energy, and when that energy escaped, it attacked our drill bit."
Sophia pointed to the dark blue crystal ore on the ground.
Cinder examined it closely and exclaimed, "Isn't this mora crystal ore?"
"mora crystal ore?"
"Yes, this is a crystal ore that has been corroded by Ley Line energy. It's very difficult to process this kind of ore using ordinary methods."
The entire world of allogene is built upon the Ley Lines.
Everything from Celestia above to the Abyss below is deeply connected to it.
It is safe to say that anything related to the Ley Lines is trouble.
"This ore is currently affecting our mining progress. There is a large patch of it below, and if we continue mining, I cannot guarantee that our drill bits will remain intact."
Cinder thought for a moment and said, "In that case, have the drill bits bypass this mining area for now. We can resume extraction after I figure out a solution."
"Understood."
Having briefly set this matter aside,
Cinder pulled out a small piece of paper and handed it to Sophia: "Second Lieutenant, I need you to help me manufacture this item."
Sophia took the note curiously.
Unfolding it, she looked at Cinder in surprise, then back at the item drawn on the paper.
Cinder asked, "Second Lieutenant, how long will it take to manufacture this?"
"It can be done in half an hour."
"Very well. Then, one hour from now, have everyone assemble at the Headquarters entrance. I have a very important announcement to make."
"Yes!" A slight emotional fluctuation appeared in Sophia's tone, though Cinder did not detect it.
Cinder then asked Sophia, "Also, Second Lieutenant, I wanted to ask if you have any wishes?"
"Wishes?" Sophia thought for a moment, understanding what Cinder meant. She shook her head and said, "I don't have such vague things. If I had to say something, I only hope that you, Commander, will prioritize your own safety in future campaigns."
"Haha." Cinder gave an awkward laugh. "I will definitely be more careful next time."