Dinglingling—!!
A shrill and piercing whistle sounded, and Lin Qiye opened his eyes, quickly getting out of bed and starting to put on his military uniform.
Opposite him, Baili Pangpang also sat up from his bed, yawning while still half-asleep, yet his hands didn't pause for a moment as he dressed.
Once clothed, his figure began to sway slightly, as if he might fall back asleep at any moment.
Lin Qiye, with a backhanded grab, flung a slipper at his head, jolting him fully awake.
The two pushed the door open and ran swiftly towards the distant training field.
"Ha~a~awn~"
Baili Pangpang yawned and remarked, "After spending so many days outside, I've realized that the beds here in the camp are the most comforting…"
Then, as if he remembered something, he asked in surprise, "Wait, didn't we finish the physical training portion? Why do we still have to get up so early?!"
Lin Qiye rolled his eyes, "Just because physical training is over doesn't mean the training camp is. Aside from not having to carry weights from dawn till dusk every day, everything else is the same as before."
"Alright~"
Soon, everyone gathered on the training field, their movements quick and orderly.
This time, not only Instructor Hong stood on the stage, but all the other instructors were present too, with Yuan Gang standing in front of them, calmly looking down at Lin Qiye and the others.
Unlike before, the instructors were all dressed impeccably today, and many of them wore medals of various sizes and colors on their chests.
Among all the instructors, Yuan Gang had the most medals, including three deep blue ones that were the most exquisitely made. On closer inspection, they seemed to contain a beautiful star…
"Qi Ye, do you feel like… there are a few instructors missing?" Baili Pangpang glanced over the stage, a hint of confusion in his eyes as he whispered.
Lin Qiye nodded slightly, "Three are missing."
After half a year of interaction, he had a clear impression of all the instructors. Now, with three people missing from the lineup, Lin Qiye could tell at a glance, and he could even accurately name the missing instructors.
"Where are they?"
"I don't know, but I guess it's nothing good."
He vividly remembered the missiles that fell from the sky when they were transporting the recruits out of the camp. The enemy had been so precise in tracking their movements, he didn't believe there were no traitors in the camp.
If nothing unexpected happened, the missing instructors were probably the traitors. And what good end could a traitor have?
Yuan Gang didn't seem inclined to explain the absence of the instructors. He scanned the crowd and spoke in a deep voice:
"Today's morning training is canceled…"
Upon hearing this, everyone was momentarily stunned, then Yuan Gang's next words made their breathing grow heavy.
"The reason you've been gathered here is mainly for one thing… to award medals to some of you."
Medals?
They were still recruits who hadn't left the training camp, and yet some were receiving medals?
At this moment, some recruits had already thought of something and turned to look at Lin Qiye.
Those who had been in the same vehicle as Lin Qiye when they left the camp had seen the black light that blocked all the shrapnel. Even if some hadn't realized what happened at the time, they had later guessed the gist of it.
It was only now that Lin Qiye remembered what Instructor Hong had said at Hong Ying's house—that he should be able to award him a medal this time…
"Considering some of you may not be clear on how the Night Watchman's medals are categorized, let me give you a brief introduction…
Our Night Watchman's medals are different from the regular military. There are four types of medals, from the easiest to the hardest to obtain: 'Spark', 'Gleam', 'Star', and 'Stellar Sea' medals."
Yuan Gang casually took off a pale red badge from his chest, "This is the 'Spark' medal, the easiest to obtain. Generally, it's awarded for completing some important mystical eradication tasks or for protecting a large number of civilians."
He reattached the Spark medal to his chest and then took off a light blue one.
"This is the 'Gleam' medal. Compared to the 'Spark' medal, it's much harder to earn. It's usually awarded for killing extremely dangerous mysteries or quelling a major disaster."
Finally, he removed the most exquisite, deep blue medal. Under the morning sun, the sparkling surface of the badge emitted a faint starlight.
"This is the 'Star' medal, awarded only after killing an 'Immeasurable' level mystery or quelling a major event that could cause social unrest. It's very rare; less than 1% of the entire Night Watchman organization possesses this medal."
Yuan Gang solemnly reattached the Star medal to his chest and continued, "As for the 'Stellar Sea' medal, it's the highest honor a Night Watchman can receive. There are fewer than ten people in The Great Xia who have this medal. Even the Night Watchman's higher-ups can't provide a specific standard for obtaining it."
"Report!"
"Speak."
"Instructor, if there's no standard, how can one determine if they're eligible for this medal?"
"When everyone believes you deserve it, it will naturally be awarded to you," Yuan Gang said calmly. "If we must have a standard, in the past five years, the only person who has received the 'Stellar Sea' medal is Wang Mian of the Mask Squad.
Five years ago, when the Yamata no Orochi, deity number 040 in the Sequence, landed in the East Sea, Wang Mian used his own lifespan as a price to travel back in time to one hour before the Yamata no Orochi landed. He ordered the evacuation of several coastal areas and led the Mask Squad to fight the Yamata no Orochi to the death for half an hour, holding out until a human powerhouse arrived, saving tens of millions of lives…
If any of you feel your contributions surpass his, you can naturally apply for the 'Stellar Sea' medal."
Everyone fell silent below the stage, and Lin Qiye was also secretly shocked. He hadn't expected that such a mythological event had occurred in the East Sea five years ago. He vaguely remembered reading a news article about a massive tsunami in the East Sea, never imagining that this was the truth behind it…
Nor had he expected that the mild-mannered man had performed such a feat.
"Next, I will announce the first person to receive a medal…" Yuan Gang took a small black box from an instructor behind him, his gaze settling on the crowd as he calmly began,
"Lin Qiye, during the missile attack, you acted decisively, saving more than fifty recruits and preserving the future seed of the Night Watchman. Later, you severely wounded the Serpent Woman of the Ancient God Church and fought alongside Squad 136, killing Devotee number thirteen, Han Shaoyun…
For this, you are awarded the 'Star' medal!"
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas