Chapter 155: Score Ranking

"Hey, what kind of look is that?"

In the cafeteria, Cao Yuan was eating his usual steamed bun, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. He turned his head and saw Bai Li Panyang staring at him with a fixed gaze.

"Cao Yuan," Bai Li Panyang said seriously, "I really didn't expect you, the seemingly honest guy, to have such a... hobby..."

Cao Yuan froze for a moment. "What are you talking about?"

"You've got your own preferences, which is fine, but..." Bai Li Panyang put on an expression of deep sorrow. "But why did you hide it with me? I'm the sole heir of the Bai Li... uh... a normal family. If this gets out and people misunderstand, how will I face those beautiful sisters who are fond of me?"

Cao Yuan: ???

"What are you really trying to say?" Cao Yuan frowned.

"Ahem..." Lin QiYe cleared his throat, then shoved a bun into Bai Li Panyang's mouth. "Forget it, eat your food."

Cao Yuan scratched his head suspiciously. After a moment, he seemed to remember something and said, "I heard that before we graduate and leave the training camp, there will be a score assessment."

"Assessment?" Bai Li Panyang looked confused.

"Yeah, we're graduating in two or three months, right? I heard that every year, before graduation, the instructors give out a score ranking list, ranking all the new recruits," Cao Yuan explained.

"Like the rankings for final exams...?" Lin QiYe pondered for a moment. "What's the purpose of this ranking? Does it mean recruits with lower scores won't qualify for the Night Watchmen positions?"

"That's not the case. Generally, the training camp doesn't eliminate recruits. I just know that this score ranking seems to be used to determine where each person will be assigned after graduation. The specifics, I'm not sure about," Cao Yuan said, shaking his head.

"Assigned after graduation? What does that mean?" Bai Li Panyang asked, still puzzled.

"It means deciding which Night Watch team you'll be assigned to after graduation," Lin QiYe explained. "The new recruits in this training camp will be assigned to Night Watch teams in different regions after graduation, to provide fresh blood. After all, during the yearly mysterious purges, some of the original Night Watchmen will inevitably be sacrificed."

"Because different regions have different levels of importance, the requirements for the Night Watch teams also vary. This score ranking could be the basis for adjusting your post-graduation assignment according to your potential and qualifications."

"Those with lower scores will be assigned to lower-priority areas like third-tier cities, while those with higher scores will be sent to key regions like Shangjing City or Huaihai City, or possibly even be assigned to special teams."

Bai Li Panyang suddenly realized, "So, we get a guaranteed assignment?"

"Well, what did you think? After the training camp ends, we all just go our separate ways?" Cao Yuan rolled his eyes.

"…I think that sounds pretty good," Bai Li Panyang replied.

Cao Yuan shook his head. "But I heard that special teams usually don't recruit from the outside. The members of these teams have been together since the team's inception, so they already have perfect coordination and trust. If you add a new member carelessly, it could disrupt the whole team. Unless the recruit has exceptional potential, or if the team has suffered heavy losses and can't continue their operations, only then would they recruit from outside."

"Wait a second!" Bai Li Panyang suddenly realized something. "Does that mean after graduation, we're all going to be separated?"

Cao Yuan nodded slowly. "Yes..."

"Then, then... can I apply to be in the same team as QiYe?" Bai Li Panyang scratched his head, a pitiful look on his face. "What if I get assigned to some remote mountain village and never leave? What am I supposed to do?"

"You're the young master of the Bai Li family, who would dare assign you to a mountain village?" Cao Yuan said helplessly. "Unless it's a special case, it's rare for one place to recruit two new recruits. Besides, with Lin QiYe's dual god agent status, he's likely to be snatched up by a special team or assigned to the Shangjing City Night Watch team. You won't be able to get in, so just forget about it."

Bai Li Panyang: o(╥﹏╥)o

Lin QiYe fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly, "Actually, I'm not really keen on going to any special team or Shangjing City. If I could choose, I'd rather stay in Cangnan..."

Cao Yuan shrugged. "I don't mind where I go."

"As for me..." Bai Li Panyang's eyes lit up. "I could go back to Guangzhou and Shenzhen! Becoming a Night Watchman in my own territory would be awesome!"

"…"

"By the way, how is this score ranking determined? Is there a test?" Lin QiYe asked in confusion.

"I heard that the score ranking is based on several factors, including all our training projects: physical training, extreme training, theoretical exams, tactical papers, how well we adapt to the ACE mental training devices, shooting, close combat..." Cao Yuan listed them off.

"Theoretical exams?" Bai Li Panyang's body stiffened. "Oh no, oh no..."

"Shooting..." Lin QiYe rubbed his forehead.

"Besides all that, I think there's a hidden score factor," Cao Yuan said uncertainly.

"Hidden score? What's that?"

"I don't know, but it seems to have a significant weight in the ranking algorithm."

Lin QiYe nodded thoughtfully, "Well, we'll just take it one step at a time..."

Later, in the training camp, at the back mountain.

Three black armored transport planes slowly descended from the clouds. The gusting winds swept across the landing pad, ruffling the edges of the instructors' uniforms as they stood around the pad.

At the front of the group, Yuan Gang squinted his eyes, watching the three planes descend, deep in thought.

After the planes landed, the rear hatches opened, and fully armed personnel jumped out. Once they were out, three large black cubes were secured onto transport vehicles, carefully driven out from the hatches.

One of the soldiers ran up to Yuan Gang, saluted sharply, and reported, "Report! Three captured Chuanshi Mysticals have been delivered! Please instruct!"

Yuan Gang nodded slightly and walked over to one of the black cubes. He extended his finger and entered a twelve-digit code on the cube's small keypad. After a brief moment, a soft click was heard, and the cube shook slightly. The top opened, and a cold white mist poured out from the gap. Inside the cube was a young boy with spider-like markings all over his face, his eyes wide open, frozen inside.

"Very good," Yuan Gang's lips curled into a slight smile as he turned to face the other instructors and said calmly, "Get ready. The new recruits' celebration day is about to begin..."