[COD] Newbie's Rise to Power

Upon receiving orders from their superior, the officers immediately began their work.

You also took the rope off your neck and handed it to the officer.

Take one last look at the ring on your hand, and you're filled with mixed emotions.

ch.102: Emotional Degeneration

Your reason for doing this isn't because you're so noble, but simply because you didn't want Keegan to waste his money, and also...

This ring is a hot potato in your hands!

A ring carries special significance, especially a wedding ring.

You and Keegan are just ordinary superiors and subordinates, and the ring is only for mission purposes. Keeping this ring will be a hidden danger, a hidden danger of the relationship deteriorating.

Keegan is an excellent commander and an excellent man. You can't say you're completely unmoved, but you know what you need.

You won't start a deep, emotional relationship with anyone here. If you were to leave one day, both of you would face immense pain from the separation.

Moreover, you feel that Keegan and you only spent those few days together because of the mission, and that he didn't have any emotional needs for you.

Since neither party is interested, the ring shouldn't be left behind; everything from the mission period needs to be clarified.

After you hand over the ring, the ghost tells you, Koenig and Wang Zhiqiang, to leave first.

As you walk out the door, you can still faintly hear Gates' voice.

"...I really don't understand, you..."

You walked out of the police station, got into the car with Koenig and Wang Zhiqiang, and waited for them in the car, feeling bored.

A dozen minutes later, Ghost and Gates finally came out, and you drove back to the cabin in the suburbs.

Back in the cabin, you immediately ran inside and called Blizzard and the others to go upstairs together.

Now that the mission is over, you should naturally pack your things and prepare to go back.

After packing your things, you left the room laughing and joking, each girl with a blue eye keychain hanging next to her backpack.

This is a handmade item you bought while shopping. It is said that blue eyes are one of the most representative cultural features of this country, symbolizing protection, good luck, and warding off evil.

Just like your diamond ring, it's shaped like an eye.

You were surprised by the unique shape of the wedding ring, and now you realize it's due to cultural reasons.

It's a pity. If it weren't for the fact that it was a wedding ring, you would have liked to keep it as a keepsake.

However, you fiddled with the blue eye charm on your backpack.

You've got a souvenir now, haven't you?

You only gave this gift to the girls in your dorm. It's not that you're stingy and didn't want to give it to the other male soldiers; there were just too many of them!

I'm afraid that if I give it to someone I'm only close to, others might overthink it. If I give it to everyone, they might also overthink it. Since they'll overthink it anyway, I might as well not give it at all to save trouble.

You were excitedly packing your things, thinking you could finally return to base, when Ghost dropped a bombshell about a new mission.

“Recently, there has been frequent unrest in Syria. Captain Price applied to the United Nations and received authorization to go to Syria for peacekeeping as soon as your mission here is over. However, none of you have peacekeeping experience, which is why I came here.”

Syria has been in a state of constant turmoil, with large and small wars raging.

This conflict was mainly caused by frequent clashes and small-scale battles between their government forces, anti-government armed groups, and extremist organizations, which caused considerable panic and losses to the surrounding population.

So the United Nations decided to send peacekeeping troops, and you happened to be on a mission in Turkey, so Price applied for a spot for you. The two countries are adjacent to each other, so you can go there.

Turkey's military is currently under strain because it has deployed a significant number of troops to Syria; otherwise, it wouldn't need your external force.

Your trip to Turkey was planned; your primary objective was peacekeeping in Syria, and your mission here was merely incidental. If your application is rejected, you'll return to base; if it is approved, you'll go on peacekeeping missions.

After all, why not make money if you have it?

Blizzard spoke softly beside you, his tone smug:

"See, I told you my information was correct."

Last time you guys said Blizzard's information wasn't accurate enough, and that their mission in Turkey this time wasn't peacekeeping at all. Now it seems Blizzard's information was actually correct; it's just that you're going to be slaves in two different places.

Seeing your dejected expressions, Gates spoke up at the opportune moment.

"Your bonus this time will be paid along with your salary, and you will also receive an allowance for peacekeeping missions."

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up again!

When it comes to money, you guys really get excited!

You didn't expect that this mission would actually come with a bonus. After all, missions that don't earn you merit for the military are generally considered soldiers' duties, and this kind of aid mission is just a regular one.

I suppose it's to encourage you; the bonus won't be a lot, but it will motivate you to do more in the tasks ahead.

Regardless of the size of the bonus, receiving it is something to be happy about!

So, the smiles that appeared on your faces because of the bonuses didn't fade even after you got on the bus and set off.

"Simon, you see, I told you they'd get excited when they heard about the prize money!"

Watching you all get into the car, Gates said to Ghost with a smile.

Simon's sullen voice rang out: "Are they still children who need to be pampered with pocket money?"

Gates looked at him and asked, "If I don't pay you, would you still be willing to do the mission?"

The ghost shook its head, its tone firm: "NO."

Although he loves his job, he won't persist in something that doesn't bring any reward.

Gates walked over to the SUV parked to the side and opened the door.

"Let's go, Simon, and take these children on a new journey."

Fortunately, this journey was not as arduous as the one that had taken us there. After crossing through Turkish territory, we reached the border with Syria.

While you are driving, the police officer who applied for your reimbursement sends you a message.

Woz: yn, your application has been approved. We've transferred the ring back to the store at a lower price, and then subsidized the difference for you. Could you tell me which account the reimbursement will be transferred to?

You: The application was approved? Thank you so much! I want to transfer the money to Sergeant Keegan's account, but I don't know his account number. Could you please ask the store?

Keegan hasn't replied to your message, so you'll have to try to get the jewelry store to check.

Wozniak: So you just have the jewelry store refund the money to their original account?

You: Yes, if possible.

Wozniak: Okay, I'll take care of it.

You: Thank you so much, Officer Woz, for taking care of my matter.

You thanked Wozniak, and after receiving confirmation that the money had been successfully refunded to Keegan's account, you sent Keegan a message.

[Keegan, I've successfully returned this ring, and the money has been transferred to your account. If you need to return the ring, you can contact your local police.]

After you finish speaking, you give him Woz's contact information so that he can return the goods later.

You certainly want Keegan to return the rings, not only for personal reasons, but also to save the local police money on reimbursement, since returning the rings together would reduce the depreciation.

After sending the message, you continue chatting with Blizzard and the others to pass the time during the boring journey.

ch.103: An unexpected encounter with Nicholas

As peacekeeping forces, your responsibilities have shifted from proactively capturing and killing targets to preventing the escalation of the war between the two sides, protecting civilians, and assisting civilians in order to maintain stability in the region.

This peacekeeping force is not just your group; there are troops dispatched by the United Nations and troops that applied from outside. A peacekeeping team has been deployed to each turbulent region.

The area you are in is not the most turbulent area, but it is close to the surrounding dangerous areas, and the level of danger is still quite high.

Moreover, in turbulent areas, it's not just the armed forces that are in turmoil, but also the civilians.

They may have acted spontaneously, or they may have been instigated by others, and they split into two factions to protest against each other.

Whether it's a conflict between armed forces or a conflict between civilian factions, as a neutral peacekeeping force, you will inevitably get involved.

This means that you must be fully armed when you go out, especially the blue helmets that are the hallmark of peacekeeping forces. You must wear them, as they signify your neutrality and represent your identity protected by international law.

You set up temporary camps in the conflict zone. Every day, your job is to drive back supplies and then go to the designated distribution points to distribute them to the affected civilians.

There's also the need for regional observation; if any unrest is reported anywhere, we must rush there promptly to mediate.

Because peacekeeping forces are dispatched by the United Nations and are protected internationally, they must avoid harming you if a conflict breaks out, lest they be held accountable under international law and military law.

Your presence has brought stability and eased the fighting.

However, they also became an obstacle in the eyes of both sides, and even some civilians from different factions regarded them as an impediment.

So they can't harm you openly, but they often launch sneak attacks and sniper shots behind your backs, and many people are even injured in civilian riots.

Like today, thirteen days after you arrived here, you were blocked on your way by a group of civilians, more than a dozen people blocking your armored vehicle.

They are a civilian faction that supports the anti-government armed forces, so they don't want you to stop the armed forces from attacking the government army.

A few of you get out of the car, the rest of you stay in the vehicle and keep watch.

The men who went down, led by Talis and Will, went to persuade the civilians.

Will: "Listen to me, for your safety, please leave here immediately."

However, his well-intentioned advice was not accepted by the impulsive civilians, and one man went even further, hitting him on the head and knocking his blue helmet askew.

Attacking peacekeeping forces is a provocation!

But they are civilians, and you are not allowed to fire back without orders.

Talis, who was standing nearby, immediately raised his gun and threatened them, shouting, "Back off!"

The others behind him quickly pulled Will back and checked him over.

But the civilians seemed to understand that the peacekeeping forces could not act arbitrarily, so they did not back down in the face of Taris's threats.

You both persisted for a long time, and finally, after they received news that the peacekeeping force had arrived, they hurled insults at you before leaving.

Fortunately, you split into two groups, otherwise we might have been stuck here today.

But the difficulties of your work do not end there; you not only have to mediate conflicts, but also face the flames of war.

The whistling of shells, explosions, and gunfire could erupt at any time, day or night, tormenting your spirits.