Rewards

The next morning.

Su Ming came out of his house in sportswear and jogged toward Teacher Tang Yan's home.

Su Yuan had originally planned to drive him there himself, but Su Ming refused. He needed to review for the City Exam, so the time he had for exercise had become very limited. This stretch of road was just enough to make up for some of it.

Over an hour later.

Su Ming arrived at Tang Yan's house, panting heavily. Minke and the others had already arrived.

"Su Ming, you're here."

Minke greeted Su Ming enthusiastically.

Leaning against the wall, Chen Tong grunted.

"You're so slow. Come earlier next time. We were just about to start."

"Okay!"

Su Ming replied with a smile.

After being beaten up together and fighting side by side last time, the three of them had naturally grown much closer.

Just then, Teacher Tang Yan came out of the bedroom carrying a stack of teaching materials. He glanced around at everyone present and said,

"Everyone's here. Today, we'll officially begin our final sprint of review. Before that, I have some news for you."

"Teacher, what is it?"

Minke and the others looked at Tang Yan curiously.

"According to some information I've received, this year's City Exam may be harder than in previous years. So prepare yourselves mentally and work twice as hard!"

Tang Yan told Su Ming and the others with an extremely serious expression.

"Ah, why?"

"Yeah! Teacher, why will it be harder than in previous years?"

Minke and the others' hearts skipped a beat. They asked in great confusion.

"I'm not entirely sure either. It's only a rumor, after all."

"How much harder will it be?"

"How could I possibly know? Most of you are aiming for ordinary higher academies anyway. As long as you score a few more points on the basics, it shouldn't be too much of a problem. So pull yourselves together and give it your all. Fight for your futures!"

Tang Yan encouraged all his students!

"Okay."

Minke and the others quickly adjusted their mindsets. They had no way back now.

Knock knock~~

Suddenly, a harsh knocking sounded from the door.

Tang Yan looked toward the door in confusion. Everyone was already there. Could it be a new student coming over?

He said to Zhao Ran,

"Zhao Ran, go open the door."

"Okay."

Zhao Ran rose and walked to the entrance to open the door. When he saw the person knocking, a look of utter surprise appeared on his face.

At that moment, Principal Luoken walked in with a broad smile.

"Principal?"

Tang Yan was completely baffled. Why had Principal Luoken suddenly come to his house?

Luoken ignored Tang Yan and instead swept his gaze around the living room. When he saw Su Ming, Minke, and Chen Tong, he immediately said with a genial smile,

"Everyone's here!"

Su Ming lowered his voice and asked Minke,

"Minke, why has this shameless principal come here?"

Minke's expression became quite complicated when he heard Su Ming describe the principal that way.

"I don't know either."

"If you've got something to say, say a few more words!"

A mocking smile appeared on Chen Tong's face. He looked like he was hoping to stir up trouble.

"Principal, don't stand at the door. Come in and sit down!"

Tang Yan hurried forward to greet him.

"No need."

Principal Luoken gave a perfunctory reply, then walked out of the house with a smile.

Immediately afterward, he enthusiastically invited seven reporters carrying cameras inside.

Su Ming and the others were extremely confused by the arrival of so many reporters.

At that moment, Principal Luoken pointed at the three of them and introduced them.

"These three students are the three brave students praised by Captain Han Le. They performed exceptionally bravely during the Chilami invasion. Not only did they pilot training machines to evacuate and escort their classmates, they also picked up weapons and fought alongside the others in their time of crisis, despite the danger to their lives!"

The reporters' eyes lit up, and they all came forward to interview Su Ming and the other two.

"Students, could you tell us about your heroic deeds?"

The corner of Su Ming's mouth twitched slightly, and he subconsciously took a small step back.

Facing the microphone, Minke replied somewhat nervously,

"Actually, we didn't think too much at the time. We just got carried away and—"

Before Minke could finish, Principal Luoken leaned over and said with a beaming smile,

"What they mean is that the situation left no time for thought. They remembered my teachings and charged forward without hesitation to fight those evil monsters!"

"It seems that their achievements today really owe a great deal to Principal Luoken's usual guidance!"

The reporter was very accommodating.

"It's nothing. In fact, I teach every student with all my heart and soul. I'm deeply gratified that they were able to perform so well, so I specially prepared certificates of honor and prize money for them!"

As Luoken spoke, he took out three certificates and three thick envelopes with "Prize Money" written on them, then eagerly stuffed them into the hands of Su Ming and the other two.

Su Ming and the other two were somewhat surprised.

At that moment, a photographer with a horse-monkey face, wearing a khaki photography vest and an ingratiating smile, raised his camera and said,

"Principal Luoken, let me take a group photo for you!"

"Good. You three, line up!"

With a beaming smile, Principal Luoken pulled Su Ming and the other two into position.

The three of them could hardly refuse in front of so many reporters, so Minke stood on the left, Su Ming in the middle, and Chen Tong on the right.

Principal Luoken then stood directly in front of the three of them, blocking Su Ming from view.

"Very good. Give me a smile!"

The photographer called out with a smile.

Principal Luoken also smiled brilliantly. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought he was the one receiving the commendation.

Click!

"Done. Principal, take a look!"

The photographer handed the camera to Principal Luoken for him to inspect.

Principal Luoken examined the picture carefully. He had been captured looking quite tall and imposing. Su Ming, standing behind him, was completely blocked, with only half his forehead and hair visible. Nothing else could be seen.

"Xiao Gao, you did a great job!"

Principal Luoken praised him with great satisfaction.

"Thank you for the praise, Principal."

Xiao Gao replied happily.

"Principal, could we interview them about the specific details of the battle? It would make it easier to write the article when we get back."

At that moment, a female reporter asked politely.

"No need to trouble yourselves. I'll tell you about it. I was there at the time, too. Come with me first. It's too cramped here for me to explain everything. We'll talk outside."

Principal Luoken enthusiastically led the reporters away, completely ignoring Su Ming and the other two. They had already taken the photo, after all, so there was nothing left for the three of them to do. He would handle the rest himself, lest they say something inappropriate.

"Hmph, what a hypocrite."

After Principal Roken left, Chen Tong sneered disdainfully.

"This is just a publicity stunt!"

Minke was also somewhat displeased.

"Whatever. At least he gave us certificates and prize money. These envelopes feel pretty thick, so there should be quite a bit inside. Take it out and count it."

Su Ming opened the prize-money envelope and pulled out a stack of Federal currency.

When he saw the Federal currency, the smile on his face froze. Every bill was a ten-unit note. In other words, the entire stack amounted to only 1,000 Federal currency.