Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Turbulence of Fate
There was no sunlight in the corridor, and the window at the end was open, letting in a bone-chilling draft.
"What should we do next?" Zhuang Xiao cautiously glanced at the expressions on the faces of the two captains.
"It's because we only guessed that there was a mother nest, and it was the dove who actually found it, so..." Tang Long sullenly tried to find reasons for not reporting the credit, but he couldn't convince himself.
Su Qingran turned around and said in a low voice, "Let's go. If we keep making a scene, we might lose our bonus and vacation."
Qi An glanced at his phone but didn't take a step.
At this moment, the familiar guard reappeared at the corner of the stairs. His expression was somewhat strange, and he said to the group of Team 2:
"The Commander-in-Chief is waiting for you in the large conference room on the second floor, now."
Everyone was stunned. Qi An silenced his phone, put it back in his pocket, and took a deep breath.
In the large conference room was a long mahogany conference table, one of the few things in the apocalypse that was still well-preserved and shiny.
With sparse white hair and a face full of wrinkles, the commander-in-chief, whose military uniform looked somewhat oversized, sat at the end of the conference table, his hands crossed on the back of the chair, his expression unreadable.
Wu Zirui sat to his left.
Upon seeing the group from Team 2 enter, the 3rd Regiment Commander forced a gentle smile.
Even though Wu Zirui's smile was forced, Yu Shuang was still uneasy, as she had never met the Commander-in-Chief in private before.
Zhao Bohan and she stood side by side at the front, standing at attention and saluting.
Commander Zhao Yunlu's sharp and authoritative gaze swept over the members of the two teams one by one.
Everyone broke out in a cold sweat, and Zhuang Xiao was trembling.
But the old man suddenly laughed and nodded.
His first words surprised everyone, especially Wu Zirui.
"Which one is the Purifier Qi An?"
Although it was a question, his gaze was fixed on Qi An—her short stature was too obvious.
All eyes turned to Qi An, who stepped forward. "Reporting, Commander! I am Qi An, the Purifier of the Wind Chasing Team 2!"
"Great! I just received a message from the Purification Alliance saying that you went on a mission, your mental enhancement value increased, and you even awakened a special enhancement!" Zhao Yunlu's face was full of smiles.
In small and medium-sized bases like Central Plains No. 3, there are only about 20 purifiers with a mental enhancement value of 8 or above and an actual purification ability of 4 stars. Even fewer of them meet the physical standards for going to the battlefield.
In addition to their precious supernatural abilities, the Purification Alliance will definitely send a special message to congratulate the military and take credit for their achievements.
Wu Zirui was shocked!
The members of Team 2 were even more surprised. Yu Shuang and Zhao Bohan stared wide-eyed at Qi An, then looked at each other.
"Damn it! Xiao Qi has improved! Go outside and apologize to her!"
Yu Shuang's eyes were both fierce and smug.
Zhao Bohan frowned and then relaxed, and a look of apology appeared on his face.
Qi An shouted, "Reporting to the commander, we encountered many dangers on this mission, and the purification challenges were great. My teammates helped me overcome them one by one so that I could improve my strength!"
I want to thank Teacher Tang and the others for their guidance, and also the military for the opportunities they gave me to grow!
Zhao Yunlu's smile widened, and he looked at the rest of the second team, "You have indeed made great contributions this time!"
This morning, both the North Base 1 and the Freshman Base sent thank-you letters, specifically mentioning your team!
Actually, the North Base 1 was not named.
Rescuing people was an order from Base 1 in the North, and it was the soldiers' duty to carry out the order.
Zhao Yunlu received a private letter of thanks from the commander of the 1st Army Division of the Northern Army.
The man surnamed Yang specifically thanked the soldiers at the Central Plains Base No. 3 for saving Yang Yuning.
The letter of thanks specifically mentioned Team Chengfeng 2.
Zhao Yunlu was somewhat aware of the status of the Yang surname in the Northern 1st Army, so he attached great importance to this small electronic thank-you letter.
The new base also sent a courtesy letter, brief and official, mainly praising the strength of their soldiers, the smooth cooperation between the two sides, and looking forward to the next cooperation.
How embarrassing!
Moreover, maintaining good relations with the newborn base is very important for every base, because the newborn base produces Little Blue Pills!
With the arrival of the two letters and the addition of a senior purifier, Zhao Yunlu was in a great mood and wanted to meet the team.
Upon seeing them, all six members of Team Wind Riding 2 were in high spirits. The Purifier answered questions with poise and confidence, which made the Commander-in-Chief feel even more at ease.
He looked at Wu Zirui: "Has your regiment drafted a merit ranking system?"
"...We're discussing whether it should be a collective third-class merit or a second-class merit, but I think a second-class merit would be more appropriate," Wu Zirui said with a sincere smile.
How shameless!
The members of the second team couldn't help but curse inwardly.
"Yes, in terms of mission results, it certainly deserves a second-class merit, which also encourages soldiers to be more responsible and meticulous in their daily work and to break through their own limits."
"Your regiment should report the commendation yourself, don't delay." Zhao Yunlu stood up and left the conference room with his secretary and bodyguards.
Before leaving, he smiled and nodded to Yu Shuang, Zhao Bohan, and Qi An, who were standing in the front row, and said, "Keep up the good work and fight for the base and humanity!"
Everyone stood at attention and saluted.
The meeting room fell silent. Wu Zirui looked at the members of Team 2, his expression momentarily sinister, but he quickly regained his composure with a faint smile.
"Hero Squad..." He smiled as he left, "Then I look forward to seeing you on the battlefield again and achieving more merits."
Stepping out of the administration building, the team members slowly came back to their senses as the warm spring breeze blew through them.
"Oh my god, oh my god!!" Zhuang Xiao jumped three feet high, almost unable to hold back and screamed in the middle of the busy street.
They are about to receive the Second Class Merit Medal!
He had never even touched a second-class merit medal before!
The experience, lasting only an hour, was like a rollercoaster ride, leaving everyone else speechless.
Everyone went to the team's private lounge and started discussing what had just happened.
The most crucial aspect is Qi An's improvement and the awakening of her supernatural abilities.
"My sister Qi is truly a goddess! My future depends on her and the team leaders!" Zhuang Xiao wanted to hug Qi An's leg and cry again.
But he was immediately pulled away. "Rely on yourself!" Yu Shuang said, hands on her hips.
She addressed everyone, saying, "From today onward, the intensity of our daily training must be doubled! Everyone's strength must improve rapidly; no one can hold us back, do you hear me?"
Qi An's sudden increase in strength has indeed put immense pressure on the rest of the team.
Everyone responded loudly in agreement.
At noon, the team went out to a restaurant to celebrate. After eating, they dispersed for the time being, and Qi An took a slow walk on the street to digest his food.
The base only has two commercial streets. This one is close to Dongying. The street is narrow and the shops are crowded, but the things are cheap. It is more popular than the other street that is adjacent to the administrative and research area.
As Qi An strolled along, she soon realized that the deputy captain had not returned to the camp with Yu Shuang, but had instead turned back towards her.
"I apologize to you." Zhao Bohan turned back onto the street and stood side by side with Qi An, saying this.
Qi An raised an eyebrow.
“I previously felt that your purification ability and mental enhancement value did not match, and I suspected that you were hiding something from us, but I was wrong, so I apologize to you,” Zhao Bohan said.
Qi An said "Oh", "It's alright, it's only human nature".
Zhao Bohan's suspicions were within her expectations.
When she was the first to remove her mask, offering clues about searching for the dove, and insisting on purifying it, it was clear that her ability to sense and purify the fallen insects couldn't be kept secret.
Her purification ability certainly exceeded 7; it had already exceeded that when she was still working at the hospital.
However, deep purification will allow Qi An to see other people's memories in an immersive way.
Almost everyone's deepest memories are painful, and she empathizes with that. In addition, the purification process itself is exhausting, leaving her extremely tired.
Therefore, currently, 8 is Qi An's upper limit.
She paused for a moment, then couldn't help asking, "What kind of concealment are you worried about, Vice Captain? Do I have my own secrets? Is your approach to the team for some ulterior motive?"
Zhao Bohan was slightly taken aback, then chuckled: "Everyone has secrets. As for your purpose... is your purpose to give us credit?"
Qi An was surprised; the vice-captain's smile was breathtaking! And he could joke around?
"I'm just worried about whether we have a good enough understanding of your true abilities, which is related to team coordination and mutual trust in times of crisis."
“I see. Then my strength is indeed 8. I can purify one level 4 mutant whose pollution value absolutely cannot exceed 85% in a day, and then purify 3-5 level 3 mutants. I must rest in between.” Qi An explained in detail.
Zhao Bohan nodded: "I've got it... thank you."
The last sentence was spoken very softly. Zhao Bohan turned to look at Qi An, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.
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