Chapter 145: The Medal

Ding ling ling ling—!!

The sharp, ear-piercing whistle rang out, and Lin QiYe opened his eyes, quickly leaping out of bed to put on his military uniform.

Across from him, Bai Li Pangpang also sat up, eyes still closed as he snored, but his hands continued to move, dressing himself without missing a beat.

Once dressed, he began swaying slightly, as though he were about to fall back asleep at any moment.

Lin QiYe reached out and grabbed a slipper, throwing it at his head. Bai Li Pangpang finally snapped awake.

The two pushed the door open and rushed quickly toward the training field.

Ha~~ Achoo~~

Bai Li Pangpang yawned as he stretched, sighing, "After all those days spent outside, it still feels the best to sleep in the camp's bed..."

Then, as if something had occurred to him, he suddenly exclaimed, "Wait, didn't we finish the physical training? Why are we up so early?!"

Lin QiYe rolled his eyes. "Just because physical training is over doesn't mean the training camp is over. We don't have to carry weight from dawn till dusk anymore, but everything else remains the same."

"Well, okay then~"

Soon, the group gathered in the training field, moving swiftly and in perfect formation.

This time, not only Instructor Hong was present on the martial arts platform, but all the other instructors were there as well. Yuan Gang stood at the front, calmly observing Lin QiYe and the others below.

Unlike usual, today the instructors were dressed very neatly, and many of them wore medals on their chests, some large, some small, in various colors.

Among all the instructors, only Yuan Gang had the most medals, three of which were deep blue and exquisitely crafted. If one looked closely, it seemed as though they contained a beautiful starry light…

"QiYe, do you think... there are fewer instructors today?" Bai Li Pangpang glanced at the platform, his eyes filled with confusion as he quietly asked.

Lin QiYe nodded slightly. "Three are missing."

After half a year of working together, he had a clear impression of all the instructors. Seeing the formation, he immediately noticed that three were missing, and he could even name the absent instructors.

"Where are they?"

"No idea. But I'm guessing they didn't end up well."

Lin QiYe clearly remembered the missiles that fell when they were leaving the camp. The precision with which the enemy had targeted them made it impossible to believe that there wasn't a mole inside the camp.

If he was right, the missing three instructors were likely the inside spies—and spies never had good endings.

Yuan Gang didn't explain the absence of the instructors. His gaze swept across the group, and in a deep voice, he spoke:

"Today's morning training is canceled…"

At those words, the crowd was momentarily stunned. Yuan Gang's next statement, however, made their breaths grow heavier.

"I've gathered you here today for one purpose… to award medals to some of you."

Award medals?

They were still rookies who had barely left the training camp—yet some of them were about to receive medals?

At that moment, some of the new recruits quickly thought of something and turned to look at Lin QiYe.

Those who had been in the same vehicle as him when they left the camp had all witnessed the black light that blocked the shrapnel. Even if some hadn't realized what had happened at the time, they had figured it out by now.

Lin QiYe suddenly recalled that when they were at Hong Ying's house, Instructor Hong had mentioned that he might be awarded a medal…

"Since some of you may not be clear on how the Night Watch's merit system works, let me briefly explain…"

"Our merit system is different from regular military forces. There are four types of medals, awarded in increasing difficulty. They are the Ember Medal, the Starshine Medal, the Starfall Medal, and the Starsea Medal."

Yuan Gang casually removed a faint red badge from his chest. "This is the Ember Medal, the easiest to obtain. It is typically awarded for completing important mysterious extermination missions or protecting the lives of a large number of civilians."

He placed the Ember Medal back on his chest and took out a pale blue medal.

"This is the Starshine Medal. It's much harder to obtain compared to the Ember Medal. Usually, it's given to those who have killed ultra-high-risk entities or quelled major disasters."

Lastly, he took out the most exquisite deep blue medal, which shimmered in the morning sunlight, almost resembling a star.

"This is the Starfall Medal. It can only be awarded after killing an immeasurable-level entity or stopping an event that could cause social upheaval. It's extremely rare. In the entire Night Watch organization, less than 1% of people receive this medal."

Yuan Gang solemnly placed the Starfall Medal back on his chest and continued, "As for the Starsea Medal, it is the highest honor the Night Watch can bestow. Fewer than ten people in the entire Great Xia have received this medal. Even the high-ranking officials of the Night Watch can't give a specific criterion for how to earn it."

"Report!"

"Speak."

"Instructor, if there's no specific standard, then how can we know who deserves the Starsea Medal?"

"When everyone believes you deserve it, that's when it will be awarded," Yuan Gang replied calmly. "If you really need an example, the only person in the past five years who earned the Starsea Medal was Wang Mian of the Masked Team."

"Five years ago, the God Sequence 040 Eight-Headed Serpent landed on the East Sea. Wang Mian sacrificed his own lifespan to traverse time, returning an hour before the Serpent's arrival. He ordered the evacuation of several coastal cities and then led the Masked Team to fight the Serpent for half an hour until a human powerhouse arrived to save over ten million people…"

"If any of you think your contributions surpass his, you can apply for the Starsea Medal."

The entire group fell silent. Lin QiYe was also shocked. He hadn't expected that, five years ago, there had been such a myth-like event in the East Sea. He vaguely remembered seeing news about a massive tsunami in the East Sea five years ago, but the truth behind it was far beyond his imagination.

What surprised him even more was that the mild-mannered man, Wang Mian, had performed such an extraordinary feat.

"Next, I'll announce the first recipient of a medal…" Yuan Gang took a small black box from one of the other instructors, his gaze scanning the crowd. He then spoke in a calm voice:

"Lin QiYe, during the missile attack, you acted decisively and saved over fifty new recruits, ensuring the future of the Night Watch. You then severely wounded the Ancient God Church's Snake Woman and fought alongside Team 136, killing 13th Seat of the Followers Han Shaoyun…"

"Here, I present you with the Starfall Medal!"