Chapter 445

Everyone's here, right?

Everyone's here.

In front of the small briefing room, the twelve people participating in the island-seizure mission all stood in a line, waiting for their honor.

Under normal circumstances, third-class merits and commendations are usually issued by the unit itself.

For second-class merits, one must report to a military-level unit; as for first-class merits, they must be approved by the General Headquarters.

And this senior colonel officer in front of us is indeed from the General Headquarters, which also makes everyone secretly look forward to it.

Zhao Haishen standing to the side was wondering, could it possibly be a first-class collective merit?

If it weren't for the later law-enforcement ship incident, a second-class collective merit would be the most we could get; but with the situation worsening and escalating, perhaps the honor award could be raised a notch?

The senior colonel opened the document, and Lu Yang and the others instantly became solemn: "In this island-seizure mission, you performed excellently, daring to fight and struggle, unafraid of sacrifice; not only did you successfully retake the island and defend our territorial waters' sovereignty, but you also dealt a heavy blow to the arrogance of those lawbreakers!"

After discussion at the Military Department meeting, it was decided to award everyone a second-class collective merit once!

Xu Ce and the others responded excitedly: "Thank you, Chief!"

The senior colonel then said: "Furthermore, Comrade Lu Yang performed outstandingly in the operation, not only playing a good leading role and saving his comrades' lives, but also successfully destroying two enemy ships and capturing a large number of enemies."

By relying on wisdom, courage, and solid military skills, he successfully resolved a crisis, preventing the situation from developing in an uncontrollable direction.

So, after thorough discussion by the Military Department, the General Headquarters meeting decided to award you an individual first-class merit medal.

Everyone's gazes turned to Lu Yang, filled with admiration, respect, envy, and jealousy.

In fact, even before this, everyone already knew that Lu Yang would take the top merit.

After all, the contributions are there; they can't be faked.

At sea there was nowhere to escape; if it weren't for his pivotal turn of the tide, the likely outcome would have been everyone captured; by then, the problem would have become quite serious.

Our side at the negotiating table would also be in a passive position, and might even suffer tremendous public opinion pressure, thereby affecting the overall layout planning.

The saying "pull one hair and move the whole body" means exactly this; but now, not only did we retake the island, we also maximally punished the enemy within controllable limits, and our personnel suffered no casualties.

This achievement absolutely deserves a first-class merit.

Lu Yang looked at the first-class merit medal placed before him, his face full of smiles.

Although he had previously received one, such an opportunity is rare to encounter but hard to seek; who would complain about having too much merit?

Moreover, he consumed a first-class merit on the island to exchange in the system store for a Master-level Wilderness Survival Skill, instantly replenishing one.

Thus, in the face of dire emergencies and critical moments, Lu Yang also gains an extra trump card.

It's worth mentioning that when using first-class merits to buy skills in the system, the real merit medal remains, and only the "virtual currency" is consumed.

The senior colonel looked at him encouragingly: "Keep pressing forward, young man; it's still rare to see someone earn two first-class merits within a few years of enlistment—you're not bad, you're excellent."

Lu Yang raised his hand in a salute: "Thank you for the organization's trust; I will keep striving!"

Hearing this, Xu Ce and the others were all stunned; they never dreamed that such merit would exist, and yet Lu Yang actually has another one?

Sure enough, Lu Yang's value keeps rising, and each time he brings them a distinct shock and surprise.

Hou Yi felt quite good at this moment, because in his view Lu Yang would definitely be willing to stay.

At most, it's just the upcoming negotiation with Zheng Chengfeng over terms and price.

The colonel stepped back and said, looking sternly at Hou Yi: "Commander Hou, I am here this time not only to confer honors but also with a task; namely, to investigate the negligent actions on your side during this mission."

"The headquarters requires a complete reconstruction of the entire sequence of events and to hold all personnel involved fully accountable."

"In that situation, if Lu Yang had not intervened proactively, the outcome might have gone to another extreme."

Hearing this, the group who had been laughing moments ago immediately stopped laughing.

Xu Ce and the others, just after receiving the joy of the Second-Class Collective Merit, were instantly doused with cold water.

Lao Mao wanted to find a hole to crawl into, Zhao Hai Shen thought of slipping away, and Battalion Commander Hou Yi's face was pitch black.

Lao Mao immediately stepped forward to take the blame: "Report, Chief, the slip‑up in this operation lies mainly with me. If I had chosen to leave the island from another direction at the time, perhaps we wouldn't have collided with the enemy's patrol vessel and the subsequent situation wouldn't have occurred."

"At that time, fog over the sea obstructed visibility, and weather was also one of the reasons for my misjudgment; as for those two patrol vessels, actually …"

The colonel raised his hand to cut him off, selectively ignoring him, and fixed his gaze on Lu Yang.

"Lu Yang, you're not a member of Jiao Long, so your words carry more credibility and are more fair and just."

"I want to hear you supplement the description of what the situation was like then, and whether there were serious planning errors."

Zheng Chengfeng coughed: "Lu Yang, think it through before speaking; your answer could affect Jiao Long's reputation in the industry, and the futures of their squadron commander, Chief of Staff, and battalion commander."

Bai Yuan's complexion changed.

Zhao Hai Shen was drenched in sweat.

Hou Yi cleared his throat with a gulp.

He never imagined this matter would ultimately reach the Special Forces, and that they would even send someone down to re‑examine and hold accountability.

Zhao Hai Shen cast an anxious glance; if Lu Yang were to misspeak any moment, that Chief of Staff could very well mark the end of his military career.

Hou Yi turned his head toward Zheng Chengfeng, only to see the guy scratch his nose with three fingers.

It means thirty sets of equipment; missing even one is unacceptable!

Hou Yi was furious: "You little brat, waiting here for me?"

He went up, pulled the person outside the door and questioned: "Did you deliberately set me up?!"

Zheng Chengfeng sneered coldly: "Back then, I gave you my two best soldiers; what happened? One was maimed, the other disabled, and you gave me no report. Now you still want to take more men from me?"

"I told you, that was an accident; they fell into an enemy ambush, and surviving to return is already a rare blessing amidst misfortune!"

"That's your problem!"

"You're being unreasonable!"

Zheng Chengfeng retorted: "I regret it; if I hadn't handed them to you, they might still be fine now, perhaps even become the backbone of the navy and army! You have your principles, I have my rules!"

"The high casualty rate of the Special Forces doesn't work for me; I must be responsible for each of my soldiers!"

"I also cannot accept or tolerate receiving a call from you on some peaceful morning in the future, telling me that my soldiers were unfortunately killed in action!"

Hou Yi let out a deep sigh; their views differ, their ideas clash, their duties differ, and they truly can't keep talking.

He asked: "What exactly do you want now?"

Zheng Chengfeng: "I want both the people and the equipment; I can't even accept thirty‑five sets for a single piece!"