I can upgrade the shelter-Chapter 782 - 680: Big Shot

"Bob, take your squad to the command center!" In the outpost, the major in charge of command shouted loudly at Bob, who was resting: "There’s a high-ranking official coming to inspect the front line, and they’ve chosen our location. You need to ensure that official’s safety."

Bob stood up from his chair, his power armor was parked on a nearby rack, being inspected by a technician.

Hearing what the major said, Bob curiously asked him, "A high-ranking official? What kind of big shot would come to the front lines, such a dangerous place, for an inspection? If we’re going to ensure his safety, what about our combat mission? We still have a sortie to undertake today!"

"Your sortie mission will be handled by Team B. Now, take your men, gear up, and head to the command center!" The major didn’t want to waste words with Bob, merely issuing his orders.

However, as Bob was getting his team to prepare their gear, the major still leaned closer to him and whispered, "This time, it’s a real high-ranking official. There’s a land ship at the command center, you know what that means!"

Having been trained at the Flame Country’s European fleet base, Bob certainly knew what a land ship meant, which instantly made his eyes widen.

Seeing Bob’s reaction, the major knew he understood, so he patted him on the shoulder, "So make sure to perform well! If you can show your face in front of the high-ranking official, our entire front line will benefit!" 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"Got it!" Bob nodded solemnly, arriving at his armor and urging the technician to speed up the inspection.

Bob understood why the major wanted him to perform well.

Although with the various constructions of the Flame Country’s European fleet underway, Europe, in terms of resources and order, had greatly improved overall, and production had somewhat recovered. Conditions for soldiers like them on the front lines had also improved significantly. But generally speaking, things were still tough for them.

During his training at the European fleet’s base, Bob had seen the facilities possessed by the people of the Flame Country, which indeed made him quite envious.

Not to mention the warm and comfortable barracks and the Flame Country’s land ships that looked like something out of a science fiction novel, or other envy-inducing facilities. The most tempting to Bob was the container-style greenhouse cabins the Flame Country had built at the base.

In the current environment, wanting to eat fresh vegetables and fruits was no less than a daydream.

Even if there were vegetable and fruit production at the rear, by the time they were transported to the front lines, they were no longer fresh, even with the current low temperatures.

So, what Bob and his team could eat were mostly canned or processed foods. Fresh vegetables or fruits were something Bob had only eaten when he was at the Flame Country’s base.

Therefore, it was easy to understand the major’s words: perform well in front of the high-ranking official, win his favor, and get some benefits for the outpost they are stationed at.

Bob didn’t hate such matters; he didn’t have any notions that, as a soldier, he didn’t want to be a bodyguard for a big shot.

Once the technician finished inspecting his power armor, confirmed there were no issues, replaced the consumables, and reloaded the ammunition, Bob then put it back on, picked up his weapon, and together with his team, who also had changed their gear, left the outpost.

Compared to the still warm environment inside the outpost, the outdoors was practically hell.

Just stepping out the door, Bob saw that the viewport of his helmet was already covered in a layer of frost.

If it weren’t for the excellent thermal insulation and electric heating features of the protective suit used for driving power armor, they might have been frostbitten or even frozen to death the moment they stepped out the door.

Before receiving help from the Flame Country, their cold resistance mainly relied on multiple layers of cold-resistant clothing to keep the chill at bay. Although the cold-resistant clothing, originally designed for polar combat, worked reasonably well, it still felt very cold, and it required them to wrap their heads and hands in several layers, making them bulky and stiff, far less convenient and comfortable than the protective suits provided by the Flame Country.

However, while the protective suit was great, Bob still wanted to gripe a bit about this highly satisfactory power armor he was wearing.

This power armor was excellent in every way; during training at the Flame Country base, he even once felt reluctant to take it off, causing a sense of limb disorientation. But this power armor had one downside, which was the armor itself was not sealed and didn’t have any insulation features.

So, to use the power armor in cold environments, one first had to wear a special protective suit inside it.

This was undoubtedly uncomfortable, as Bob clearly knew that the Flame Country’s own power armor was isolated inside and out, had an internal circulation system, and even life support systems, much more functionally complete than the set he was wearing.

Marching towards the command center with his team, Bob couldn’t help but think, if they performed well this time, showed his face in front of the high-ranking official, would there be a chance to get power armor without any simplified functions? Or at least get an upgrade on the one he was wearing, with all functional modules installed?

With such thoughts, Bob couldn’t help but quicken his pace. From the outpost to the command center, a fifteen-minute journey, he made it in just ten minutes.

Outside the command center, a giant land ship hovered at an extremely low altitude. Bob recognized it immediately as the one he’d seen before at the European fleet base.

At that time, Bob heard people say that it was the flagship of a high-ranking official from the Flame Country, sent to Europe specifically to protect his safety, and that was why the land ship was dispatched to Europe.

Recalling this information, Bob’s emotions became even more excited. He knew that if he could truly curry favor with this high-ranking official, he would surely obtain some good things.

Thus, Bob led his squad to the command center.

After announcing their presence, they were allowed inside the command center, only after putting down their weapons, even dressed in their power armor.

Being asked to put down weapons undoubtedly made Bob nervous. Clearly, such orders were given to ensure the safety of the high-ranking official.

Following the requirement to leave his squad outside and after disarming himself, Bob entered the command center and met the high-ranking official.

Accompanied by two soldiers equipped with more advanced power armor than his, a Flame Country official merely wearing a protective suit was conversing with the command center’s officer. Upon seeing Bob enter, he didn’t stop talking but simply gave him a smile.

Bob knew that none of the people in the command center were ones he could provoke, so he obediently stood to the side, waiting for the dignitaries to finish their discussion.

However, his eyes were fixated on the two soldiers flanking the dignitaries. Their power armor, painted with snow camo patterns, indeed made Bob green with envy.