Chapter 442: Commendation
Chapter 442: Commendation
The telegram from the 73rd Fort was promptly received by the Operations Room of the Command Center.
Upon learning this news, the personnel in the Operations Room were momentarily bewildered, and then became skeptical.
Although there was no need to fabricate such an event, a simple verification could determine its authenticity, but the Iron Demon had indeed been a persistent nuisance for a long time.
In the past, they had dispatched powerful squads to encircle and suppress the Iron Demon, but the target always managed to escape through gaps in the encirclement, wasting a significant amount of manpower and resources without achieving any results.
This time, the Iron Demon had chosen an excellent opportunity to strike, precisely when the rear was vulnerable and undermanned. Otherwise, they wouldn't have sent the only squad that had just entered the Convergence Zone and was not yet fully adapted to the environment.
They initially didn't expect this squad to accomplish much; they just wanted them to keep an eye on the Iron Demon and pose a threat to prevent them from wreaking havoc in the rear.
But now, after just a few days, they claimed to have annihilated most of the Iron Demon?
After discussing the matter, they decided not to report it immediately but instead sent a stern reply, requesting confirmation of the authenticity of the telegram.
Although Rao Advisor's reply came quickly, they still didn't report it. They waited until nightfall when Chen Chuan returned to the 73rd Fort with the spoils of war and the Iron Demon's head. Only after the fort reported the news in their name did they truly confirm the incident and then sent the message up the chain of command.
Within minutes, the message reached the hands of Joseph Weyting, the person in charge of the Command Center. He first noticed that the squad had arrived less than seven days ago.
Typically, a squad like this should be undergoing Adaptation Tasks and wouldn't be deployed.
He said to the deputy officer beside him, "I recall this was the squad that Specialist Liang requested to form, right?"
The deputy officer replied, "Yes, Governor, it's them."
"So, it was them," Joseph nodded. This squad was specifically named and assembled with elite personnel, and he had a general idea of their purpose.
He said, "Isn't Chen an Executive Officer now?"
"Yes."
Joseph nodded and looked at the resumes of Chen Chuan and his team, focusing mainly on Chen Chuan's.
"Hmm," he said, "according to his file, he has accumulated numerous achievements. With this, he can be promoted to the next level. Following the Command Center's reward and punishment standards, he can be promoted to Executive Captain, and his two teammates can be promoted to First-Level Executors."
The deputy officer reminded him, "Governor, this Chen Executor has already been promoted once after joining the Defense Plan. It's been only a few days since then, and now another promotion... isn't it a bit too fast?"
Joseph said, "Merit is merit, there's no early or late in this. If a fellow soldier achieves such merit and isn't promoted, it will demotivate others in the future."
He continued, "And for a squad to solve a problem that the fort has long struggled with, after the procedures are completed, we will issue a commendation in the name of the Command Center. Also, have someone bring my service pistol there, hoping they will continue their excellent work."
"Yes, sir!"
Meanwhile, Chen Chuan stayed for one night at the 73rd Fort before bidding farewell to Hai Cheng and the others. He then departed with the Iron Demon's head and the spoils of war, returning to the 4th Fort, where they had initially set out from.
Here, officials sent by the Command Center were waiting to receive them. They examined the Iron Demon's head and the armor's official seal, confirming it was indeed the Iron Demon. After completing the handover procedures, they shook hands with Chen Chuan and his team, smiling as they revealed some of the news of their upcoming promotions.
Since they had only attended two days of classes, there were still essential things to be taught. So, upon their return, they took the time to make up for these lessons.
Aside from what they were initially informed, the remaining lessons mainly focused on the basics of the Convergence Zone's biology. This was the primary threat that the garrison troops faced daily in the Convergence Zone.
The areas where the troops were stationed had all been carved out of the territories of the Convergence Zone's creatures. Although hot weapons could effectively deal with most of these creatures, the Convergence Zone remained a challenging environment. Many creatures here possessed nearly fighter-level altered tissue, making them a significant nuisance during the initial exploration.
The larger these creatures were, the more challenging they were to confront. It was best to avoid direct contact. Initially, they were supposed to adapt by hunting down some dangerous creatures, but they had now skipped this stage.
Five days later, in the public payphone booth of the fort's fortress, Yuan Qiuyuan was making a call. A female voice came from the other end, "Your captain is quite extraordinary. You better follow him closely."
"I know," Yuan replied.
"Well, our little brother is becoming more obedient now. Seems like sending you to the fort was the right decision."
"Alright, sis, is there anything else? If not, I need to catch up with my captain and teammates."
"Building camaraderie is good. Once outside, you can only rely on your teammates. You better foster good relations with them."
"I understand."
After hanging up, Yuan Qiuyuan exited the phone booth, put on his hat, and headed towards the restaurant. As he walked, personnel from the fort would greet and salute him, and he returned the gestures politely.
He felt delighted, even though the official order hadn't arrived yet. But the confirmation of his promotion to First-Level Executor had already been made, and it had only been a few days. His older sister's promotion hadn't been this fast. If he kept up the momentum, surpassing his older sister wouldn't be difficult. In the future, he would be the one boasting at home.
In the restaurant, Chen Chuan and Qin Qingque had just arrived when he hurried over and quickly ordered a meal. After taking a few bites, he asked, "Captain, when will we have another mission?"
Qin Qingque looked at him and replied, "We've already been promoted once, it's unlikely we'll get another promotion so soon."
"Hey, I'm not thinking about the promotion," he said, "I just want to follow the Captain on missions. It's boring to stay here and watch things that are of no significance. It's so uninteresting."
Chen Chuan said, "There will be missions. You guys should prepare."
Upon hearing this, the two of them knew he must have received some news. Yuan Qiuyuan immediately felt relieved and started eating heartily.
After lunch, Chen Chuan left the restaurant and headed towards the corridor. A duty soldier saluted him and said, "Executor Chen, please come with me."
Chen Chuan nodded and followed the soldier to a reception room. Pei Can Shi was already waiting for him. Seeing him enter, the soldier left, and Pei Can Shi smiled, extending his hand, "The orders have been issued. Today, an official announcement will be made regarding your promotion to Captain, Chen Captain, congratulations."
Chen Chuan shook his hand and said, "Thank you."
The promotion to Captain wasn't that easy. Usually, one had to be in their thirties or forties to reach that position, as it was a threshold.
In terms of identity, it could be seen as a promotion from a pure combatant to a military officer.
And in terms of rank, even if not here, but rather being transferred to a central city, one could still directly assume key positions in some enforcement agencies.
Although he thought it was good, at least the salary and benefits would increase. He knew that these were brought about by force, so he understood that this was the fundamental truth. Without force, there would be nothing.
(This is the correct version, not the one with mistakes!)
At this moment, Pei Can Shi asked him to sit down and brought over a can of tea, smiling, "Here at the base, we keep things simple. It's not easy to transport things here, and this tea, it was brought here the last time I came. No one has drunk it for me, today please, Captain Chen, have a taste."
He personally poured tea for Chen Chuan, and as the tea leaves floated in the water, a fresh tea fragrance immediately filled the air.
At this moment, he said, "Captain Chen, do you know? The Convergence Zone actually has many unique products, which can bring us many benefits. Quite a few companies have set up factories and research institutes in the rear."
Chen Chuan asked, "Do we have anything similar here?"
Pei Can Shi shook his head and sat down, saying, "Although we are considered the rear, in comparison to the front, it is actually a battle zone. You've also seen it, this place can't be considered very safe. Those research institutes are in an even safer location, with a higher defense level than here."
At this time, he reached out and took a box from beside his feet, placing it on the table, "This time, Captain Chen, what you did solved a problem for the command center. This is the special medication issued by the command center for your team. The command center has given the go-ahead for the distribution, but how to allocate it, you should discuss it with your team members."
Chen Chuan understood that 'discussing it' essentially meant defaulting to the captain's allocation, which was the captain's authority.
Therefore, within the squad, if a member didn't follow the captain's instructions, they might be deducted from the medication or assigned dangerous missions. In the end, they would either yield or find a way to transfer out.
This was still better, as some would deliberately create difficulties for teammates to obtain more medication.
However, he wouldn't use these against his teammates. First, he wouldn't mention the Fusion Boundary Corporation's medication, and even if he didn't have it, he wouldn't take what didn't belong to him.
He said, "Thank you, Pei Can Shi."
Pei Can Shi smiled and then added, "This commendation for you, it should have come earlier. But some people insisted on following procedures, reviewing and verifying several times, and only after the final date did they allow it to be issued."
Although he didn't name names, when Chen Chuan received pressure from certain people that day, he knew that the base must have been divided into factions.
Since Pei Can Shi brought him in, it was natural for them to be grouped together. And some people might just be intentionally putting pressure on him, giving him trouble. This had nothing to do with good or evil, it was just a matter of choosing sides.
This was unavoidable.
However, he always firmly believed that only his strength mattered. As long as his strength reached a certain level, all external restraints and shackles could be slowly broken free from.
Pei Can Shi said this and didn't bring it up again, then said, "Also..."
He glanced outside and, sitting on the sofa, his body slightly leaning forward, whispered, "That person, although seemingly cleared of suspicion, has been put on mandatory leave. These days, he might pass by and stay for a few days. Captain Chen, remember to pay attention..."
...
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(End of Chapter)
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