Transcendent Gene
Chapter 78: Vehicle Delivery [2]

Chapter 78: Vehicle Delivery [2]

Gio complained about it both internally and externally, but he never looked down on the job. He knew as well as anyone else how necessary it was for people to do these things.

If it weren’t for people like Garrison whose jobs never entered the public eye, the ground teams causing a difference in the world would be living like they were homeless.

His complaints were more along the lines of, "Why do I have to do this when my goal is to be on the battlefield?"

Still, he faithfully did as he was told.

He convinced himself that there was a reason behind Raymond’s choices and kept his head down.

To say he learned nothing was a lie.

He knew how zephyrs were refueled since he had seen the blueprints several times, but he never knew how difficult the process was.

The ship had the capacity to hold tens of thousands of gallons of fuel. It was made to stay in the air almost in perpetuity, so it needed at least that much energy.

The fuel was pumped as it was for any other vehicle, using a hose that connected to the fuel tank.

The problem was that the fuel itself was difficult to handle.

Ordinary vehicles used a combination of aetheric fuel and electricity to function. Together, they made it so refueling only had to be done a couple of times a year if one wasn’t pushing the vehicle to its limits.

When those times came, ordinary people could visit special charging stations where attendants specifically trained for the task would refuel their vehicles for them.

Garrison and the rest were those people, and Gio was now one as well.

But they had to fill a massive aircraft, not consumer vehicles.

The opening of the hose alone was bigger than a human head. Its elephant trunk-like form was made of a special alloy that could efficiently transfer the fuel without losing any Aether concentration to the air.

It was connected to a machine that held the aetheric fuel. That machine alone weighed more than the heaviest of trucks.

A team of ten men had to transport that machine from a hauler to the vicinity of the zephyr. Then, they had to use their own strength to hoist the weighty hose and connect it to the jet.

It sounded so simple.

’No, in theory, it is simple. It’s just bringing a generator out and connecting it to a vehicle.’

Yet, it was incredibly difficult.

It was a single experience, yet it highlighted the necessity of a Non-Sequencer workforce perfectly.

Without Sequences, the job would have been impossible. If those people had Physical Sequences, however, such a job would be wasted on them. It was better to send them to the frontlines.

Industrial Sequences were vital. The people who had these less combat-focused Sequences were vital.

"Was that the lesson you wanted to teach me?"

It had been over a month since Gio started working this tedious job.

He barely saw the ground team this month.

Garrison’s team was always moving back and forth. They would head to rendezvous points to pick up materials, supplies, fuel, and anything else they needed before moving to several dropoff points to help the various parts of the squad.

Their job wasn’t just concentrated around the ground team. Actually, Gio was even further from actual operations than he had been in the operation center.

So, when he did meet Raymond again, he had to ask the question.

Raymond glanced at him with a raised brow.

"That’s part of it. It’s fine for you to become a Sequencer, but your attitude seems to be a common concern among people on the team. That’s the main thing."

"Pardon?" Gio responded questioningly.

Raymond shrugged.

"You’re an arrogant kid. I know it’s because you have the ability to back it up, but I’m the only one who’s sure of that. Everyone else thinks that if I turn you into a proper combatant, you’ll let that arrogance destroy you and the people around you."

Gio frowned slightly.

"Yeah? That’s the common opinion?"

"It is. Or, well, it was. It started changing a while back, but it’s still good for you to experience these things," Raymond responded.

"In the future, if you become a team leader yourself, you’ll need to understand that the ground team isn’t the only thing you have to consider. Even for a team of six like us, every mission is a group effort that tens of people collaborate to achieve."

It wasn’t something Gio didn’t know.

He couldn’t say he didn’t understand why this kind of thing would be necessary for someone who needed it, but he didn’t think he was being that arrogant, though?

Even if he was being arrogant, where did he show that he would let the team down when they were on the wire?

He was sure he’d already proven his qualifications.

He furrowed his brows.

"Can I quell those doubts if I stay with Garrison’s team?"

Raymond’s ears perked up at Gio’s instinctive refusal to call them the "Service Crew," but that was another matter.

"You can," he responded simply.

"Then, if I quell those doubts, will you let me shadow a mission?"

"Hmm..."

Raymond swept away the holographic window he was skimming through and looked directly at Gio.

"You understand why I’m holding you back, right?"

Gio would be a fool if he didn’t.

"I’m fourteen, I have little to no power, and I’ve never experienced a battlefield before."

Objectively, that was how Raymond and the rest viewed him.

"Exactly," Raymond replied.

"So why would I allow you on the field? Even if I let you come with us, what could you do? You aren’t even fast enough to move with us."

It was the harsh reality of the situation.

Gio knew about his own regression and understood that he could find a way to be useful on the battlefield. He knew that getting real combat experience now and joining these operations would be incredibly helpful to his future plans.

But to Raymond, he was just a kid with potential. He needed to learn things, sure, but it was impractical to expect him to accomplish anything real.

"Haa..."

Gio sighed.

Raymond’s expression turned wry when he heard it.

"It isn’t that I don’t want to take you to the field. I know that with your talent, you would definitely learn a lot. The thing is, none of that matters if you die. If that happens, you gain nothing, I lose some standing with my team, and if someone decides to report the matter, it becomes something much more annoying."

There was also the matter of what the Old Lady would do, but Gio didn’t feel the need to voice that in this moment.

His frown only got deeper with every passing second.

’If I can’t get on the battlefield, this’ll be a wasted experience.’

He couldn’t allow that. He understood their concerns, but he needed to put them to rest.

’I should reveal myself a little.’

"I’ll work with Garrison’s team if it means securing the trust of the other members, but after that, I want to experience the battlefield." Gio finally said out loud.

"Gio–"

"Wait."

He didn’t let Raymond cut him off.

"I know your concerns. All I want is a chance to fight them."

"And how do you plan to do that?"

"Isn’t there only one way?"

Gio pointed to the back of the zephyr where the exit was.

His meaning was obvious.

"Me and you, outside, whenever you want. I’ll prove it to you through a spar."

Of all the propositions he expected, this was the last one he thought would actually come out of Gio’s mouth.

"The last time I checked, you’re an ordinary person with a Cognitive Sequence."

He looked to Gio for answers, but the boy refused to open his mouth.

’If I want to find out, I have to follow you outside, huh...’

He shook his head with a wry smile.

He was sure Gio didn’t have time to do anything crazy, but...

’...did something change?’

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