Chapter 313: Chapter 313: Rank of First Lieutenant
Hua Shangnan raised his hand to cut him off. "Lieutenant Huo, I understand how you feel. But a soldier with Ning Zhi’s potential should go somewhere more suitable for him."
"They’re all new recruits. This was just their initial assignment, so it’s perfectly normal for transfers to happen early on."
He turned to Ning Xuan, his gaze intense. "With your abilities, you could be promoted to major within two or three years in the Special Defense Force. If a special opportunity arises, you could go even higher. In a regular unit, it might take ten years to reach that rank."
Huo Shan hung his head in defeat. Everything Hua Shangnan said was true. Ning Zhi had the right to choose the path that would benefit him more.
The other squad members looked at Ning Xuan with fervent hope. Of course, they didn’t want her to leave. With someone as formidable as her around, their chances of piggybacking on her achievements would skyrocket, and they’d have a much better guarantee of survival.
If Ning Zhi hadn’t stepped up earlier, they probably wouldn’t have escaped with their lives. Their eyes darted between Ning Zhi and Hua Shangnan. Selfishly, they all hoped Ning Zhi would refuse the offer.
Ning Xuan offered a small smile. "Thank you for the kind offer, sir, but I have no plans to transfer units at the moment."
Ning Xuan’s tactful refusal instantly brought a smile to Huo Shan’s face. He made no effort to hide his relief, leaning close to her. "Ning Zhi, your achievements today are enough to get you promoted from private to officer. Whether that’s second or first lieutenant will depend on the high command’s assessment. But from this moment on, you are the overall commander of the E5 and E6 Companies." Huo Shan announced decisively.
Ning Xuan had been the leader of Squad E47. The ten squads from E41 to E50 were collectively known as the E5 Company, and those from E51 to E60 were known as the E6 Company. The E5 and E6 Companies combined totaled 20 squads, or a full 200 soldiers.
Huo Shan was in charge of squads E01 through E100, a total of 100 squads and 1,000 soldiers.
Even though Ning Xuan had performed a great service, she had been enlisted for too short a time. She might be granted a higher military rank, but she wouldn’t possess much real authority right away. This decision was the absolute limit of what Huo Shan could authorize.
Hua Shangnan shook his head, looking somewhat regretful. "Ning Zhi, could I have a word with you in private?"
Huo Shan immediately grew wary at his words. He glanced at Hua Shangnan, then at Ning Xuan, desperately hoping she would refuse.
"Since you’ve already made your decision, I won’t force the issue. I just wanted to ask you about a personal matter," Hua Shangnan said, his tone impeccably polite.
Of all the soldiers Ning Xuan had seen at the base, Hua Shangnan was by far the easiest on the eyes. Her eyes had suffered a great deal of visual torment lately, so she didn’t mind taking a second look at the handsome Hua Shangnan.
The two walked over to a nearby clearing. Once he was sure they were alone, Hua Shangnan took a black bracelet out of his Space Button. "Ning Zhi, I know we’ve only just met, but... I feel a strong connection to you. I’d really like to be friends and see you often. Would you be open to that?"
After he spoke, Hua Shangnan stared intently at Ning Xuan, his fingers clenching nervously behind his back.
"I’m flattered by your high regard, sir. Perhaps we can be friends in the future, but I can’t accept this bracelet." Ning Xuan didn’t take it. She felt it had some special meaning, like a kind of token. ’I’ll have to go back and ask the others about it.’
’Besides, what if there’s a tracker inside, or some other kind of device? I definitely can’t take this.’
When Hua Shangnan heard Ning Xuan refuse the bracelet, the hopeful light in his eyes instantly dimmed. He forced a smile. "Don’t call me sir; it’s too distant. Just call me Shang Nan. I’m a few years older than you, so you could even call me ’big brother.’ Though we’ve only just met, I felt an instant joy when I saw you. I’ve never had a feeling like this before."
"I’ll put it away for now," Hua Shangnan said, his words full of implication. "I’ll do my best to prove myself. I hope that one day, you’ll be able to accept it."
A strange feeling stirred in Ning Xuan’s heart. She couldn’t shake the sense that there was a hidden meaning in Hua Shangnan’s words.
For her meritorious service, Ning Xuan was awarded the rank of First Lieutenant. Accordingly, her rest cabin was also upgraded to a higher Level. The high command also launched a special investigation into the protective Energy Stones she had used in battle. Ning Xuan’s explanation was that they were life-saving heirlooms given to her by a family elder.
This explanation led everyone to assume that Ning Xuan must come from a prominent family and was only here to gain experience and build up her list of achievements.
Over the next three months of training, Ning Xuan and the other new soldiers gradually adapted to the base’s environment. During this time, they took turns on guard duty at the surface mining site. Various models of work-droids were responsible for ore extraction, and they required regular maintenance and repair. The site was staffed with specialized repair engineers for this purpose. The job of garrison teams like Ning Xuan’s was to protect the work-droids and engineers, killing or driving off any Exotic Beasts and Star Beasts that came to cause trouble.
Soldiers on missions with Ning Xuan were generally quite safe, with accidents being a rarity, as long as they followed arrangements and obeyed her commands.
Precisely for this reason, the soldiers in other Companies were deeply envious of the E5 and E6 Companies.
Ning Xuan’s excellence naturally attracted envy. However, with her formidable combat prowess and what appeared to be a powerful background, even those who were secretly jealous didn’t dare to make a move.
And so, after the three-month acclimation period ended, Huo Shan promoted Ning Xuan to be his second-in-command, responsible for the conduct and discipline of all ten Companies.
It was also during these three months that Ning Xuan learned the black bracelet’s special meaning.
The number of female Spirit Controllers in the military was extremely low, and this small handful was concentrated in the medical center. A soldier would only have a chance of being sent there for treatment if they suffered a severe injury.
But even if a soldier was sent there, they had no opportunity to interact with the female Spirit Controllers, let alone win one’s favor.
As a result, friendships between men came in many different forms.
That black bracelet was a declaration of love.
Ever since she learned its meaning, Ning Xuan had been actively avoiding Hua Shangnan. ’I don’t get it,’ she thought. ’I’ve already disguised myself to look like this. How could anyone possibly be interested in me?’
Ning Xuan examined her current appearance in the mirror several times. ’Honestly, no matter how many times I look, it’s still pretty horrifying.’ She hadn’t just disguised her physical appearance; she had also concealed her spiritual power and pheromones.
She had used the Ghost-faced Red Vine to alter her blood’s composition, certain that not a single trace of her pheromones could leak out.
’So, after all that, why is Hua Shangnan still interested in me?’
