Chapter 77: Captain Zhou!

After sitting in the dormitory for a few minutes, Zhou Yuan changed into casual clothes and prepared to go out.

These past few days, Daisy and Judy had sent him many messages. They said they had seen his combat footage and wanted him to come to the fortress for a small "celebration feast" before he returned. Most importantly, Daisy and Judy would introduce him to some new friends, who were fair-skinned and beautiful. He couldn't help it, he was quite popular now. Before he even returned to the fortress, his combat footage had spread. The admiration and adoration from the female soldiers were even more fervent than that of the male soldiers. They all wanted to get to know him and engage in some deeper friendly exchanges.

As his "good friends," Daisy and Judy had also become quite famous and were sought after every day to help with introductions. Zhou Yuan was looking forward to it.

After holding back for half a month, these three days off would be a good opportunity to relax. 

"Kid, how long will you be gone?" 

When he reached the door, Buck suddenly called out to Zhou Yuan. 

"Not sure, maybe a few hours, or maybe I won't be back for these three days," Zhou Yuan shrugged and replied. 

It would depend on whether the new friends were impressive or not. If he was satisfied, he might stay there for a few days. If not, he would exchange a few words with Daisy and Judy and then return. 

"It seems like you have a date," Buck smirked and then said, "But before you go on your date, there is something you need to do."

"Come with me to the negative 18th floor, Angus wants to see you. Oh, and put on your space armor."

"Ok, should I bring a gun?"

Zhou Yuan nodded and asked. He knew why Angus wanted to see him; it was probably about his promotion to lieutenant. 

"Bring it, full combat gear. If it's too heavy, you can unload the ammunition."

"Angus wants you to maintain the image of a formidable and mysterious bug killer."

"I also suggest you do so, it will be beneficial for you."

"Ok," Zhou Yuan shrugged and went back to his bed to put on his full combat gear. 

His earlier guess was correct. The fortress wanted to establish an example of an infantryman, and he was the chosen one. His persona would be strong and mysterious. This would motivate the soldiers in the fortress to train harder with the goal of joining the special operations forces.

It was a bit troublesome, but there were also many benefits. 

As the most famous and powerful infantryman in the fortress, how could the rank of lieutenant match him? As long as he maintained his popularity and avoided making mistakes, it wouldn't be long before he climbed up even higher.

Store fame and brew glory. This was taught to him by Severus Snape and Mu Rong Fu, although Mu Rong Fu was too useless, his abilities couldn't keep up with his fame.

... ...

Five minutes later, Zhou Yuan followed Buck and left the dormitory, heading towards the underground 18th floor. The 18th floor was the deepest level in Strategic Zone 1, although there might be even more secret levels, but his clearance was not sufficient to know more.

There were fewer people on this floor, and there were basically no people in the corridors.

"Go in, I'll wait for you at the entrance."

Buck led Zhou Yuan to the entrance of a conference room and gestured for him to go in on his own. Zhou Yuan nodded and took off his skull helmet before walking into the meeting room.

Inside the room, there was only Angus, who was busy working on a tablet, swiping back and forth as if he was busy.

"Take a seat, just give me two minutes," Angus said without looking up. He knew Zhou Yuan had arrived because Buck had just sent him a message.

After a short while, Angus stretched lazily and smiled at Zhou Yuan, "I'm starting to regret not joining the infantry. The strategic forces are just a load of crap. Even though I'm already a brigadier general, I still have to sit here at work every day."

Zhou Yuan didn't know what to say for a moment, but then he thought of a movie line and said, "General, with great power comes great responsibility."

"Great power comes great responsibility..." Angus repeated, his smile suddenly becoming more intense. He stood up and patted Zhou Yuan's shoulder heavily.

"You're right, that's what we should do, everything is for the Federation."

"But this line doesn't apply to you. You have the ability, but the responsibility you currently bear is not big enough."

"Now, on behalf of the Federation Strategic Forces, I officially grant you the rank of Lieutenant."

Angus took out a small box from his file drawer, which contained two shoulder patches, corresponding to two sets of combat uniforms. After replacing Zhou Yuan's old shoulder patches with the magnetic ones, Angus put away the old patches and handed Zhou Yuan the box with one new patch remaining.

"For the Federation!"

Zhou Yuan carefully took the box and then saluted loudly.

"For the Federation!"

After the simple commissioning ceremony, Angus gave Zhou Yuan a hug and whispered in his ear, "Zhou, you were a squad leader in the basic training camp and a team leader in the third platoon. It's time for you to progress in the Special Operations Forces. I believe you have the ability to lead your own team."

"Just as you said, with great power comes great responsibility."

"General, my responsibility is to execute all orders issued by the Strategic Forces!" Zhou Yuan replied, shocked but still calmly.

"Excellent!" Angus said. "You already possess all the tactical qualities to be a unit commander."

Hearing Zhou Yuan's response, Angus became even more satisfied with him. Even without considering his abilities, Zhou Yuan was qualified to be a commander in terms of his thinking alone. The Federation lacked such talent.

"General, thank you for your compliment," Zhou Yuan said, his expression unchanged, still maintaining a calm demeanor.

"I'm not praising you, I'm just stating the truth," Angus shrugged and raised his hands.

Such a smooth talker! Zhou Yuan secretly scoffed. People who can climb up to the rank of brigadier general are really not simple, at least their eloquence is top-notch.

Angus continued, "I know that the Hunter Corps lost a squad when they went to Pluto. I recommended you to Buck, and he also believes in your capabilities. So, you are now the squad leader of the Hunter Corps."

At this point, Angus suddenly slapped his forehead.

"Oh shoot, I'm afraid I have to get back to work. Because of the failed bug-catching operation on Pluto, the Federation has decided to expand its military forces. We need to add five new special operations teams just to our fortress alone."

"I have to select five unit commanders within two months, and it's not an easy task because not everyone has the qualities to be a unit commander."

"I hope that within these two months, the Mobile Forces can produce some outstanding candidates."