Chapter 26: Contending for Merit

Qi An was not surprised that she faced discrimination in the military due to her physical build.

"Don't worry about it; just treat it like dogs barking," she advised Yu Shuang.

Yu Shuang was so furious she felt like tearing those idiots to pieces. However, they were standing right in front of the General Team office; they couldn't cause a scene and had to smooth out their tempers before entering.

The room inside was bright and spacious, with sunlight streaming through the windows past the budding green willow branches, warm and inviting. Wei Fengduo, sitting at his desk, looked at them with a gentle expression. Finding themselves in such an environment, Yu Shuang and the others felt refreshed and began their detailed report.

In truth, a comprehensive written report had already been submitted to the system the night before; they were merely reciting it orally and adding a few vivid details.

After listening, Wei Fengduo nodded and said, "You made full use of satellite intelligence, overcame the difficulties of equipment damage, promptly discovered that the material the Corrupt Insects were collecting was licorice, and finally persisted in supporting the comrades at the New Life Base. You have done very well."

At his praise, the members of Team 2 immediately stood straighter and held their heads high. However, after the praise, Wei Fengduo fell silent. Yu Shuang waited for him to say, "The battle team will submit a commendation for you," but after waiting a long time, nothing came, and her heart began to sink.

Only after a moment did Wei Fengduo say, "Yu Shuang’s salary and subsidies will be restored starting tomorrow. As for the rest of the members, you will receive a mission bonus equivalent to three months of subsidies."

Military subsidies are tied to rank and specific positions. Among Team 2, Yu Shuang had served the longest and held the rank of Captain; Zhao Bohan, Qi An, and Su Qingran were Lieutenants; and the remaining two, Zhuang Xiao and Tang Long, were Second Lieutenants. Yu Shuang would receive 450 contribution points, Qi An and the others 300, and Zhuang Xiao and Tang Long 150. 150 contribution points were enough to support a family of three like Tang Long’s for a month—not an insignificant amount—but it was not what everyone had been hoping for.

Yu Shuang asked directly, "General, is the team not going to submit a commendation for us?"

Wei Fengduo’s dark face remained as silent as a sculpture for a long time before he finally spoke: "After a discussion by the regiment, although you completed this mission and had unexpected findings, the accidental nature of the outcome was too high, and too much equipment was damaged..."

Facing the stunned looks of the Team 2 members, Wei Fengduo spoke with difficulty, his expression becoming increasingly cold and rigid. "Most importantly, the matter of the Brood is classified, and the affair regarding Professor Guan is... somewhat sensitive. Neither is suitable for public announcement, so the commendation will have to be put on hold for now."

The room fell silent. After a long moment, Yu Shuang let out a cold laugh. "The regiment... ha! If it had been Team 1 that found the Brood, their names would already be at the top of the Honor Roll! If the Brood is classified, then don't mention it—who even knows what our mission was? We don't even need a public announcement; just grant us the appropriate honors and put it in our files! Is even that impossible?"

"Does submitting a commendation for us not benefit the battle team? General!" Yu Shuang’s hands nearly slammed onto Wei Fengduo’s desk, her eyes blazing with fire.

Of course, submitting a commendation for Team 2 would benefit the Chengfeng Battle Team, as there were 35 battle teams in the Central Plains No. 3 Base, and the promotion of a battle team leader depended on the actual achievements of their subordinates.

"This is the regiment's decision," Wei Fengduo said in a heavy voice, flipping through a document with a weary look.

Yu Shuang’s chest heaved for a moment before she turned and walked out. Zhao Bohan grabbed her. "Where are you going?"

"Isn't the Regimental Commander’s office just upstairs?" Yu Shuang said, shaking off his hand and heading straight out.

Wei Fengduo did not stop her, and all of Team 2, caught in a mix of anger and anxiety, followed her out. Yu Shuang didn't make it upstairs because she ran straight into Wu Zirui, the commander of the 3rd Regiment, who was coming down the stairs with his secretary and guards.

As luck would have it, he was walking with a middle-aged woman with a stern face, her black hair pulled into a meticulous bun, and her military uniform looking sharp. It was Liu Hui, the Minister of Logistics for the Land Defense Force. Both had notebooks tucked under their arms, appearing as if they were heading to a meeting.

The commotion of Yu Shuang rushing over caught their attention, and the guard stepped forward to bark a warning, intending to block her. However, Yu Shuang stopped ten meters away. Though she was burning with rage, she kept her head, took a breath, and immediately gave the two a standard military salute. Since military regulations were posted on every mottled wall of this building—formerly a university administrative office—they were forced to return the salute. Even a perfunctory nod required them to stop, and thus the two high-ranking officials of the base military paused.

Yu Shuang spoke directly: "Report! I am Yu Shuang, captain of the Chengfeng Team 2. I would like to ask the Regimental Commander: our team established merit for the base during this mission, but the regiment has decided not to submit a commendation. What is the reason?"

Wu Zirui was clearly surprised that she dared to ask this in front of him. After his surprise, a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes appeared on his round, wide face, which looked somewhat like a Maitreya Buddha. He chuckled and said to Liu Hui, "Forgive the lack of decorum, Minister Liu."

Liu Hui remained expressionless and turned to head downstairs. Wu Zirui looked at Yu Shuang with a smile. "Captain Yu, do you feel so aggrieved that you intend to report me to a military tribunal as well?"

The words were sharp as a blade. Yu Shuang bit her lip.

"When you enlisted, you took an oath to fight for the base and for the survival of humanity, not to fight for the sake of grabbing credit, did you?" Wu Zirui added.

Qi An, who had been standing in the shadows at the back of the hallway, felt a surge of anger rise up for no reason upon hearing this.

Wu Zirui spoke a third time: "As a special operations team, the equipment you are given is always more than enough, and only the best is provided. So, do you have no idea how much a vehicle or a drone costs? Do you think that no matter how much equipment you wreck, it just serves as the base for your medals? You have merit, and it is not that you won't be rewarded. Because of the serious incident last time, your team received a severe reprimand. This time, you have made up for your past mistakes, and you even received bonuses and leave—is that still not enough? If you are dissatisfied, then go ahead and report it. In these extraordinary times, it might be a good opportunity to set an example."

After saying this, he headed downstairs. Liu Hui had not gone far and was waiting for him at the foot of the stairs. Energy was scarce in the apocalypse, so naturally, they didn't use the elevator; they walked down the stairs side by side.

"Pressuring them is fine, but don't go too far," Wu Zirui said, his voice softening.

Liu Hui smiled, her sharp eyes becoming quite alluring as they crinkled. "It's your call. But when that Purifier joined the team, the transfer order came directly from the Commander-in-Chief’s office." She expressed her concern, though she didn't seem overly worried.

Wu Zirui chuckled. "Behind that Purifier is Tang Xinying; she certainly has some influence with the Commander. But regarding the Brood, how many times has North 1 emphasized that it is classified? This concerns the grand strategy and the larger layout! If that little Purifier tells Tang Xinying, one leak would be enough to strip her of her military rank entirely!"

The two shared a smile and entered the large conference room on the second floor. There were not many people in the room—only the two commanders of the Land Defense Force, the Chief of Staff, the three regimental commanders, and the Minister of Logistics. Yet, the content of the meeting was of extreme importance.

"The area around Hualin County remains under continuous surveillance. North 1 Base has already formulated the overall combat policy; our base will soon become the main front line..."

Liu Hui and Wu Zirui were focused, as was everyone else. After the meeting concluded, both Liu and Wu wore expressions of both concern and joy—especially Liu Hui, as the logistics department was about to become busier than ever before.

Just as everyone was preparing to leave, Commander-in-Chief Zhao Yunlu glanced at his private phone and called out to Wu Zirui: "The mission to discover the Brood—that involved a detachment under your Chengfeng Battle Team, right?"

Wu Zirui was stunned, a bad premonition rising in his heart. "...Yes."

"Good! We still have a little time, so have them come to the conference room; I wish to see them." The wrinkles around the commander's eyes bunched up, clearly in a good mood.