Infinity, The Arcade Age

A few days later, as a convoy of vehicles rolled into the camp, the frontline base welcomed a new group of guests.

Leading the arrivals were several senior officers, most of them elderly and all sporting impressive military decorations. At the forefront was a man whose chest was so covered in medals it seemed like there was barely room for his uniform, and his shoulder bore the unmistakable insignia of five stars.

This was none other than Jamie Foss, the legendary five-star general of the Federal Government.

Behind these officers, an elite personal guard unit disembarked from their vehicles, fully armed and equipped—clearly a force of hardened professionals.

Among these well-trained soldiers were a few figures that stood out due to their distinct appearances and demeanor.

Carrying backpacks, some wore serious expressions, while others looked laid-back and nonchalant, exuding an air of unorthodox confidence.

These were the members of the secret units accompanying the officers to execute a special mission: the Peregrine Falcon Squad and the Sparrow Intelligence Unit.

They were also none other than the main protagonists of the Metal Slug world:

Marco Rossi, the computer and firearms specialist.

Tarma Roving, the vehicles and heavy weapons expert.

Eri Kasamoto, the demolition and explosives expert.

Fio Germi, the intelligence and reconnaissance specialist.

The sight of these four standing together immediately caught the attention of the adventurers mixed in with the crowd, triggering a wave of excitement and whispers.

For low-level adventurers, encountering the protagonists was like seeing their own benefactors.

Getting on good terms with the main characters not only made completing missions significantly easier, but it also presented an opportunity to piggyback on their success, earn keys, and even exchange goodwill for rare items.

To the adventurers, the four protagonists weren't just mission objectives—they were walking gold mines.

In their eyes, the arrival of this squad was far more dazzling than the five-star general himself, who, frankly, most of them had never even heard of before.

At the head of the convoy, General Jamie Foss walked briskly toward the camp's commanding officer, Major General Collins.

Collins, who had been meticulously adjusting his uniform in preparation, snapped to attention the moment Foss approached. Saluting sharply, he called out with an excited shout:

"Major General Collins reporting! It's an honor to see you, General Foss! Uncle Foss, it's been a long time!"

"Good, very good, Collins," Foss said warmly, clearly familiar with him. He skipped the usual formalities and gave Collins an affectionate pat on the shoulder.

"You've done an excellent job this time, Collins."

Collins' face turned bright red with excitement as he stammered, "It's all thanks to the bravery of the soldiers and officers under my command!"

"Ah, don't sell yourself short. Talent is talent. You don't have to be so modest with me. You successfully drove back the rebel army and even defeated that 'Flesh Demon' O'Neill. The higher-ups were very impressed. Keep up the good work, and I'm sure there'll be even more achievements ahead of you."

"Yes, sir! Thank you, sir! I'll make sure not to let you or the higher-ups down!" Collins replied, his posture straight and brimming with pride.

Foss nodded in satisfaction at Collins' upright demeanor. He then turned and gestured toward someone standing among the personal guards.

In response to his gesture, Fio Germi, who had been standing begrudgingly with her backpack, walked over with an annoyed look.

"Father, what do you need now?" she asked reluctantly.

"Of course, there's something I need. What, you're not even going to congratulate your childhood friend on his success?" Foss said with a teasing tone.

At these words, Collins' eyes lit up, and he quickly greeted her enthusiastically.

"Fio! You're here too!"

Fio, one of the four main protagonists and a sergeant who technically wasn't supposed to appear until Metal Slug 2, looked up at Collins. Forcing an awkward smile, she gave him a brief nod.

But inwardly, she felt utterly mortified. This so-called "childhood friend" standing before her was at least ten years older than she was!

After greeting Fio, Collins turned back to Foss and suddenly spoke with a grave tone.

"Uncle, why would you let Fio, a girl, come to the frontlines? This place is extremely dangerous! Even I barely escaped death multiple times from enemy bombardments!"

"What's wrong with sending her to the frontlines? The Germi family is a proud military lineage, with generations of war heroes! I don't have a son, only this one daughter. If she doesn't go to war, who will?"

"But—"

"No buts! I believe in the strength of our family's bloodline, and I trust in my daughter's abilities! She'll be fine! My daughter and her team are here under orders from high command to carry out a special mission, and I expect your full cooperation!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Alright! Enough talking out here; there are too many eyes and ears. Let's head inside and discuss this."

Casting a glance at the soldiers crowding around, General Jamie Foss clasped his hands behind his back and strode firmly toward the command tent.

Collins and his officers, realizing the gravity of the situation, quickly followed.

They all understood that a five-star general personally visiting the frontlines couldn't simply be about inspecting the troops. There had to be a greater reason behind his arrival.

And indeed, there was.

General Jamie Foss hadn't come here just to inspect the corps or to reward Major General Collins. The real reason for his presence, and the presence of the special forces, was a major incident that had recently occurred:

The Zephyr, the regular army's aerial carrier, one of their most advanced technological marvels, had been shot down by the rebel forces!

This floating aircraft carrier housed a plethora of classified weapons and cutting-edge technologies, making it imperative that none of it fell into enemy hands.

Thus, the primary objective of the special forces accompanying Foss was to completely destroy the wreckage of the Zephyr, which had already been occupied by the enemy. The goal was to ensure the technology onboard would remain a secret.

The excuse of "inspecting the corps" and rewarding Collins for his accomplishments? That was nothing more than a diversion.

The true purpose of their visit was to assist the special forces in completing their mission.

The frontline units, meanwhile, were tasked with launching an all-out assault on the rebel forces who had retreated to defend the crash site. Their job was to tie down the enemy's main army and create an opportunity for the special forces to infiltrate and destroy the Zephyr wreckage.

After issuing all necessary orders, General Jamie Foss watched as Collins led his men to prepare for the mission. Foss then turned his attention to inspecting the camp.

After all, it was under the pretense of inspection that he had arrived. If he didn't actually check the camp and merely issued orders, it could raise suspicion among the soldiers and damage his reputation.

Even if it was only for appearances, Foss had to conduct a proper inspection.

The inspection began smoothly, and overall, Foss was quite satisfied. The camp layout wasn't perfect, but it was solid and textbook in execution—standard, disciplined, and functional.

It was a bit rigid, perhaps, but at least there weren't any glaring flaws.

That is, until he reached a certain part of the camp.

In front of a particular camp entrance, Foss noticed a group of soldiers lounging around.

They were casually sitting at the gate, smoking, and munching on high-grade combat rations with an air of complete nonchalance.

These "guards" looked more like unruly hooligans than disciplined soldiers.

Foss' eye twitched at the sight.

Standing silently to the side, he observed them for a moment. To his shock, after finishing one portion of combat rations, one of the soldiers lazily pulled out a second pack and started opening it.

At that, Foss could no longer contain himself. He strode forward and bellowed angrily:

"What do you think you're doing?! Who gave you permission to eat high-grade combat rations like this?! Do you have any idea that this is lifesaving equipment?! If it's unused after the war, it's supposed to be returned! What kind of officer taught you this?!"

The sudden outburst startled the soldiers, who immediately dropped what they were holding and scrambled to raise their weapons.

For a tense moment, they aimed their rifles at Foss and the people with him, while Foss' group reflexively did the same.

But upon realizing there was no enemy attack and that it was just an angry old officer yelling at them, the soldiers rolled their eyes, lowered their weapons, and lazily slumped back onto the ground.

One of the soldiers, still holding his rifle, gave Foss a dismissive look and sneered:

"Hey, old man, who even are you? Our commanding officer doesn't care how we eat our rations. Why should you? Mind your own business!"

"You—!"

Foss' face flushed red with anger as he pointed a trembling finger at them.

"Who's your commanding officer?! Tell him to come out and meet me right now!"

"Hah? Meet you? Our Hyena commander isn't here! And even if he was, he wouldn't waste his time on you!"

"Do you even know who I am?!"

"We don't care who you are! We only care about our commander! Nobody else matters to us! Even if you're Major General Collins' father, it's useless!"

(End of Chapter)