The Upper Echelons Were Shaken

"Okay, okay, I understand. I'll go verify it right away."

The adjutant hung up and hurried to the 319th Regiment's temporary office. He knocked, then went inside.

"Raymond, you're here too. Perfect."

The adjutant glanced at Raymond beside Dai Xianghe and said, "The Special Operations Management Department just notified me that a replicant in our 319th Legion has successfully awakened Psionic Energy. They want us to verify his identity."

Dai Xianghe froze for a moment, then exclaimed in surprise,

"A replicant awakened Psionic Energy? Are you sure they didn't make a mistake? I don't think any replicants from our regiment were selected."

"It wasn't a selected soldier. He's still serving in our 319th Legion. His name is..."

The adjutant was about to say the name when Raymond suddenly cut in. "Is it Qin Tian, from the Earth Dragon Squad?"

"That's right. It's Qin Tian."

The adjutant raised an eyebrow. "Raymond, you're an Instructor in the Clone Legion, so you probably know Qin Tian's situation best. Tell us about him."

Recruit No. 89757. I never thought you'd make it this far.

Raymond's expression grew complicated as he slowly explained,

"Qin Tian was among the last batch of Clone Soldiers in our legion. He came out of a Cultivation Pod just a few days ago."

"Wait!"

Dai Xianghe raised a hand, disbelief in his eyes. "You're saying he's only been out of the pod for a few days? This Clone Soldier named Qin Tian awakened Psionic Energy in just a few days?"

"Yeah. I never expected it either."

Raymond gave a wry smile. "After the last batch of Clone Soldiers came out of their pods, I took them through shooting drills as usual. Qin Tian stood out in his very first training session. His shooting talent was exceptional, and after just a few tries, he passed the Agile Bird test with a near-perfect score."

The Agile Bird test!

Dai Xianghe and the adjutant looked stunned. As military officers, they knew all too well how brutal the Agile Bird test was. Across the entire Alpha-7 Star, no more than a handful of people had passed it.

A Clone Soldier who had only just left his pod had passed the Agile Bird test after only a few attempts. His shooting talent was terrifying.

"Given Qin Tian's exceptional abilities, I assigned him directly to the Earth Dragon Squad to take over the position left by Sharpshooter Huang Xun," Raymond continued.

Dai Xianghe and the adjutant both knew Huang Xun. After all, he had been the best Sharpshooter in the 319th Legion. Unfortunately, he had died in an accident.

Raymond's decision to have Qin Tian take Huang Xun's place in the Earth Dragon Squad made perfect sense.

Raymond continued, "After that, I kept an eye on Qin Tian. In our last battle to attack the Golan Heights, he sniped more than two hundred Orcs, one Sky Camel Beast, and a Second-Order Spirit Cat."

At this, Dai Xianghe and the adjutant couldn't help but marvel at Qin Tian's shooting skills. But the most shocking part was still to come.

"During the Orcs' later nighttime raid, Qin Tian killed more than two hundred Shadow Cats, over a dozen Spirit Cats, and two Shadow Catmen. One of those Shadow Catmen was a Fourth-Order Beast Spirit Warrior. He was the one who killed Yang Ling, and Qin Tian avenged him."

"I remember now."

Dai Xianghe suddenly understood. "Someone did report this to me, but I had to accompany Su Yunyi at the time, so I never got the chance to meet this hero. I had no idea it was Qin Tian."

Raymond nodded. "That's right. It was him."

As he spoke, Raymond seemed to think of something, and a hint of amusement appeared at the corner of his eyes. "Here's something funny: the Earth Dragon Squad's captain is named Qin Dadi."

"The captain's called Qin Dadi, and he's called... Qin Tian."

Dai Xianghe burst out laughing. "I doubt Qin Dadi came up with that name for him. Ha, that kid has quite a personality."

"Yeah."

Raymond smiled. "He's the most unusual Clone Soldier I've ever met. So when the Special Operations Management Department said a Clone Soldier in our regiment had awakened Psionic Energy, he was the first person I thought of."

"Mm. A member of the Earth Dragon Squad must have taught him the Psionic Awakening Technique. Looks like they get along very well if they were willing to teach him after only a few days together."

"After all, they've been through two battles together."

The adjutant sighed. "The battlefield is where bonds form most easily."

"Mm, that's true."

Dai Xianghe and Raymond knew exactly what he meant.

Soldiers didn't play games or scheme. After carrying guns side by side, they became the closest of comrades. When the heat of battle took hold, they might even take a bullet for each other.

"Since there's no problem with Qin Tian's identity, you can reply to the Special Operations Management Department."

Dai Xianghe said, "I remember that once a Clone Soldier awakens Psionic Energy, it triggers a special talent management regulation. He'll be able to enter a Military Academy and receive advanced military training."

"The war is nearly over. I hope every soldier in our regiment can find a good place for himself afterward."

"Yes, sir!"

The adjutant left the office and immediately called the Special Operations Management Department back.

"He's actually a new recruit who's been out of his pod for less than ten days."

Jia Xiu hung up, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

Awakening Psionic Energy within ten days must make him the fastest among all the Clone Soldiers who have triggered the management regulation.

I never thought I'd get to handle such an unusual case.

Interesting~

Jia Xiu had a subordinate compile Qin Tian's records and send them to another department.

The Special Operations Management Department where he worked only handled registration. Another special department would be responsible for Qin Tian's future training plan and where he would be assigned.

And the highest authority in that department was Marshal Lin himself.

As they walked out of the Special Operations Management Department, Xiao Yunlong glanced back and said, "I hope they work quickly and get Qin Tian's ID card sorted out soon."

"They said it'll take a week at most, or as little as three days, to get the ID card ready."

Liu Zhaozhao looked at Qin Tian and smiled. "Once it's ready, you'll be able to check how many Military Merit Points you've earned."

"It'll definitely be a lot."

Xiao Yunlong grinned. "I've gotten more than two hundred Military Merit Points just by tagging along with Qin Tian. I bet he's earned at least two thousand, maybe even more."

"Mm, I think it'll be somewhere between two thousand and twenty-five hundred."

Based on his past experience, Qin Dadi made a rough estimate, then added, "That many Military Merit Points should be enough to exchange for a decent Rune Gun."

"Qin Tian, we'll help you pick one that suits you best."

Xiao Yunlong's eyes lit up. "Once you get your Rune Gun, let me try it out too."

"Sure."

Qin Tian nodded, a flicker of anticipation in his eyes.

He was eager to find out how a Rune Gun differed from an ordinary firearm.

"Thanks."

Xiao Yunlong grinned and said,

"It's still early. How about we head to the training ground and have some fun? I promised Qin Tian I'd teach him some hand-to-hand combat and blade techniques. Otherwise, he'll keep bouncing around and headbutting people. That'll reflect badly on our Earth Dragon Squad."

At that, Qin Dadi and Liu Zhaozhao immediately recalled the battle to attack the Golan Heights. Qin Tian had used his agile, bizarrely twisted movements to tangle with a Second-Order Spirit Cat for a long time, then won with a headbutt.

It had been shocking to watch at the time, but looking back now, the scene really was a little ridiculous.

Seeing them snicker, Qin Tian could only shake his head, speechless and helpless.

But Xiao Yunlong was right. He really did need to work on his close-combat skills.

Many of his talents were best suited to close combat.

"Training ground, here we come!"