Chapter 11: Forces
"A total of ten canisters are registered under your name. Taking out two canisters for the assignment's task, you're left with eight canisters. With the price of 200 Geass each, that would be 1,600 Geass in total." the staff repeated the important part shown on the display panel.
"Put your hand on the console to collect your pay." the staff added.
*Toot...*
1,600 Geass were added to his account after the payment have been processed. Since there's nothing else for him to do by staying in this office, Li-Xin made his way back to his quarters with the helmet in his arms.
There are plenty of advertising panels with attractive products shown. Still, not a single one of the products caught Li-Xin's attention.
Deep inside, his mind is still occupied by his complaint on the assignment he handed over a while ago.
'Just a mere 1,600 Geass for a six hours job. What a con...' Li-Xin threw the helmet aside and placed his rifle on the weapon's rack. The Reactive Armor was also put into a preservation chamber where electrical currents are released continuously to keep the Reactive Mycelium Bot active at all times.
These currents were like the food for the bots and kept them active until the next time he was deployed on an assignment.
Without further ado, Li-Xin went to take a shower to freshen up himself before taking a rest on top of his bed. As he fell asleep, a sudden phone call broke his sleepiness through the loud and repetitive ringtone.
"Hello?" Li-Xin answered the private call with a hidden caller ID.
"Soldier Li-Xin, I noticed that you've returned from your collection assignment." a familiar voice came from the other side. If he wasn't mistaken, the caller was the female attendant from the Assignment Registration Office.
"Yes, Maam. Soldier Li-Xin, registration GT6X-672177, present." Li-Xin immediately read his serial number out. This was a practice between a cadet and a superior outside the office.
"You can address me as Lieutenant Kuang Lu, or just my surname." the female attendant adequately introduced herself. At the same time, the caller card that was shown as hidden now had her details shown on the panel.
"Understood. How can I help you, Lieutenant?" Li-Xin responded to her by changing the way he is addressing her.
"I received a good recommendation from the system due to your performance. Are you interested in joining my force?" said the Lieutenant. For someone with less than five accomplished assignments, getting invited to join a force was more than something he could ask for.
"This is... Too sudden..." Li-Xin replied. He had no idea that her call right after his return was to talk about this. Since this decision could affect his future, Li-Xin finds it hard to give her an answer immediately.
Furthermore, she's not the only force available in this mothership.
As long one achieved the position of Lieutenant, they would be allowed to assemble their own private force to accept the mission in private.
The reason to consider assembling and joining a private force comes from the lucrative pay for accomplishing the assignment. Being a part of a force also gives them a better list of options in using the mothership console.
But nothing beats the privilege of selecting your own team and assignments.
Li-Xin's hesitation made Kuang Lu understand that she was going a little fast here to recruit him. No matter what, Li-Xin is still a cadet currently. Experience, exposure, and expectation-wise, Li-Xin might find himself clueless about everything.
"Can I consider your offer before giving you an answer on a later date, Lieutenant?" Li-Xin politely asked to be given a little time to think about it.
It was a correct choice, considering that not all forces are suitable for him. Although joining private forces sounded like something beneficial, the assignment they're taking is often more challenging than what was available in the public office.
This means the risk they're taking is much higher than the others. Everything would eventually come back to the profitability and priority between the members of the force.
"Of course. Take as much time as you need to consider my offer. If you like to, my force would gladly take you through an orientation to let you know what kind of assignments we prefer. I hope you understand that the reason I'm choosing you is not to fill our numbers, but because I think you would be a great addition to our team." the Lieutenant said.
"Thank you. I'll get in touch with you after considering it properly." Li-Xin replied.
"Great... I'll be waiting for you to get in touch with us." the Lieutenant disconnected the call after she gets Li-Xin's reply.
'An invitation to join a force from accomplishing less than five assignments? What kind of luck is this?' Li-Xin pinched his cheeks to see if he was dreaming.
'It shouldn't be since the pain is real. But this means I'll have to make a decision soon before they changed their mind. Should I just go with it and check out the orientation she mentioned?' Li-Xin closed his eyes while considering the pros and cons of joining the force this soon.
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"Lieutenant, are you sure about his skills?" asked one of the people seated in this room. He should be an Ensign-ranking soldier, based on the color of his nametag and the emblem over his shoulder.
There are a total of fifteen people in this room, including the Lieutenant named Kuang Lu. When the two were having a conversation earlier, the fourteen other people present in this room were listening quietly.
"I'm very sure of it. Take a look at the record of Li-Xin's last two assignments." Kuang Lu pressed a button on the remote. This made the projector above their head lit up and replayed the record when Li-Xin is fighting against the Luminescent Warrior.
It was followed by the battle against the Luminescent Drones that are coming at him.
"Honestly, not bad at all. That skill to fight the warriors is good enough. But how stable is his mind? This is the main issue for us." another member with an ensign-ranking emblem said.
"We can only hope it was as good as when he's fighting against the warriors. Do you all agree to keep the next assignment on hold until he comes for his orientation?" Kuang Lu asked.
"What choice do we have? You're the leader, so you should be the one to decide for us!" said another guy lying down in the corner of the room.
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