Chapter 199: Resumed Invasion Activities (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 199: Resumed Invasion Activities (3)
I’ve seen many cases where people end up in trouble because they acted like they knew everything or pretended to understand when they didn't.
And often, when things go south, it’s because human relationships are entangled in the mess.
Living creatures are broadly divided into two categories: male and female.
Setting aside hermaphrodites or asexual organisms, the primary criterion for classifying life is gender. Humans, too, are divided into male and female, and there are times when one simply cannot understand the opposite sex.
Still, because we are grouped under the single category of "human," the things we find incomprehensible rarely stray outside the orbit of common sense. However, just because something stays within those bounds doesn't mean we can understand all of it.
Even people of the same gender can be impossible to understand because their personalities differ. Thus, perfectly understanding someone with both a different personality and a different gender is an impossible feat.
Human society—and this holds true anywhere in the universe—is built on living together while adjusting to the parts we cannot understand. To put it another way, there is no creature anywhere in the universe that perfectly understands another.
I believe my current situation falls into that incomprehensible category.
Just because I have five girlfriends doesn't mean I have a perfect understanding of women. Should I call this the proof?
Watching Luche run off, I couldn't for the life of me understand why she was acting that way.
Of course, this wasn't the first or second time Luche had done something inexplicable, so I wasn't exactly panicked.
Still, as I watched her figure grow distant, I felt the need to think about what had caused this.
"We're both going to the office anyway, we might as well have gone together," I muttered to myself as I headed toward the office to hear the briefing.
When I thought about my girlfriends' reactions, I occasionally ran into cases like this.
The big difference here was the nature of the relationship. Whether someone was a girlfriend or not had a massive impact on how I processed my thoughts about them.
I’d known Luche for over ten years, but my mind worked much faster when thinking about the girlfriends I’d only been dating for a few months. At the same time, there was so much more I felt I needed to know about them.
Sometimes, I felt that the depth of a close relationship transcended the length of time spent knowing someone.
Returning to the point, the conclusion I reached regarding why Luche was angry was as follows:
I had returned to Seoul and moved at the suggestion of the Team Leaders. I ended up moving into the home of my girlfriend, Su-ah. Even if the Team Leaders had suggested it, moving was ultimately a personal matter, so I didn't feel a particular need to report it.
However, Luche was dissatisfied with the fact that I had moved into a girlfriend's house and told me to come to her place instead.
And Luche, who said that, knows that my girlfriend Su-ah is Yellow of Team Hunter Killer—an enemy.
In other words, Luche was worried that more trouble would arise because of the Superhumans, so she told me to come to her house where I would be relatively safe.
And to that, I had replied, "Why would I go to your house?" I wondered if it was really something to get that angry about, but from Luche's perspective, I could see why she might be upset.
Deciding I should apologize later, I returned to the office and sat in my newly assigned seat. The computer I used before was still in good condition. Just as I was wondering what else I should put on my desk, I noticed the office was getting noisy.
Turning my head, I saw the newly joined colleagues gathered there. Even though I’d been in the service for a long time, that didn't mean I knew everyone.
Among the new members, the only familiar faces were Theo and Roy—and Alt, who hadn't returned to Korea from Japan yet. The rest were people I was seeing for the first time in my life.
The same was likely true for them. There were far more strangers than acquaintances, and they needed time to adjust to their new environment.
While I was away, construction had been carried out at Headquarters, and though everyone had worked on it together, that didn't count as time spent bonding as a team.
The new colleagues were glaring at each other. I wasn't flustered or worried by the sight. It was a common scene whenever new people joined a team.
I think it’s one of those situations born from a system where everyone within the same rank is in a horizontal relationship.
"So, you were a big shot in the 2nd Fleet, and now you want to play boss here too?"
"Does wanting people to recognize that I'm capable sound like that to you? Just how twisted is your personality?"
When new people gather, conflict is inevitable. This, too, is just a process where humans—who can never fully understand each other—adjust their thoughts according to the other person to build an organization, so I had no intention of making an issue of it.
However, we were going to be active as a team from now on, and we needed to coordinate for the duel happening next week at the latest. Having negative feelings toward one another wasn't ideal.
"Seeing that reminds me of the old days."
Theo, who was equally experienced, spoke nonchalantly as he watched the new recruits glaring at each other. I was just as relaxed, showing no signs of tension.
"You mean when you and Kruger fought?"
"Get your facts straight. It was you, me, and Kruger fighting."
"I just got dragged into it."
While we were reminiscing and watching the new recruits—who looked ready to freeze the room with their glares—Luche opened her office door and stepped out.
"What are you doing?"
At her sharp, piercing gaze, the colleagues who had been locked in a war of nerves lost their words and immediately returned to their seats.
I still can't get used to the temperature difference between when we're alone and when she's in front of everyone. She was probably putting on an air of authority because of the new personnel... but I could guarantee that that gravity would shatter into pieces during the next duel.
"As most of you already know, full-scale activities are resuming, so I will introduce myself again. I am Luche, the leader of Team 3."
At Luche's businesslike introduction delivered in a firm voice, the new colleagues seemed to tense up slightly, watching her with their mouths shut tight.
And as I looked at Luche, I thought:
I wondered what she was doing; she went into her room to fix her makeup.
I was looking at her makeup, which was a bit heavier than before she went in.
During duels, Luche tended to wear very heavy makeup. It was a method chosen by Luche, who had a naturally youthful face, to avoid being looked down upon as a Team Leader.
Since this was the first official gathering including the new members, she had apparently touched up her makeup to project dignity.
I’d always felt the urge to tease Luche, but knowing she was A.T. made that urge even stronger.
However, if I teased her in a setting where she was trying so hard to look dignified, she would definitely pout, so I immediately cleared the thought from my head.
"As you heard in the auditorium earlier, new suits are scheduled to be issued."
The screen displayed detailed information about the new suits. They were suits that had been used previously during the invasion of other planets.
"Any questions?"
After finishing the explanation of the suits, Luche opened the floor. When I raised my hand as if I’d been waiting, Luche nodded.
"I understand the conclusion that Assault Suit 16 is suitable for dealing with Superhumans. However, I believe Battle Suit 37 would be better for producing results. Are we not using Battle Suit 37?"
"I've reviewed all the team members' previous records. Should I assume you're asking because you've had great success with Battle Suit 37 in the past?"
"Yes."
"A. In terms of versatility, I agree that Battle Suit 37 is more useful. It significantly boosts an individual's combat capabilities. However, because duels will be taking place all over the country, high command concluded that the Assault Suit—which has good versatility and can better enhance team coordination—is preferable to the Battle Suit, which focuses on individual power."
Since this was a matter concerning our future work, both she and I became so serious that it was hard to believe we had just been having a private conversation.
"I think our team's performance would be much better if we wore Battle Suits. We might even be able to fight on equal footing with Team Hunter Killer. But we shouldn't assume the environment of every team across the country is like ours. Furthermore, since Team 3 has many new members this time, we need to focus even more on teamwork."
Hearing Luche's explanation resolved the doubt I had.
As Luche said, I had worn something called a Battle Suit in the past and achieved great results by utilizing it to its fullest.
I didn't think wearing that suit right now would suddenly allow us to beat Team Hunter Killer. No matter how good a suit is, the foundation is ultimately an individual's physical ability, and Team Hunter Killer's physical abilities were so superior that they couldn't even be compared to an average Spacetro soldier.
And we had to consider the situation of other teams. It seemed high command had chosen a suit more useful for team coordination rather than individual combat power in order to raise the average capability of Spacetro combatants nationwide.
"How will we coordinate that synergy?"
As soon as the answer to my question was finished, one of the new colleagues assigned to a seat in the back raised their hand and asked.
"Our team familiarizes itself with the tactics first, then we coordinate on-site. Our team's method is to conduct duels by having each individual become someone who can think for themselves, experiencing both general and unexpected situations."
The new colleague was speechless. I knew it was an absurd method.
But our Team 3 had maintained the team this way since its inception. At first, there was a lot of discord in matching our teamwork, but over time, we became a team capable of executing strategies and responding to situations immediately without long conversations or signals.
Even so, we had never once beaten Team Hunter Killer.
"Will that be okay? Even if there's a no-kill rule, to coordinate during a duel where we actually have to produce results..."
I thought it was a reasonable doubt to have. Since I’d been through this for a long time, I took it for granted, but soldiers who hadn't experienced this would naturally be confused.
Luche nodded as if she understood. However, her gaze remained unchanged.
"Our team moves based on my instructions and each individual's judgment according to the situation on the ground. I have no use in my team for those who cannot follow my orders or think for themselves."