Conferment, Bonus

"Morning. I heard you got yourself patched up on a mission again?"

Just as he arrived at the base entrance, Shen Qing ran into Chen Chen. Seeing that his injuries didn't look too serious, he looked him over with curiosity.

"You're certainly eager today."

Shen Qing shot him a glance. "You used to cut it close for class, but now that you're working, you're up early every day. Though, this outfit—"

He looked him up and down; Chen Chen was dressed in a deep blue getup that resembled a Public Security Bureau uniform.

"You bet I am!"

Chen Chen held his head high and puffed out his chest. "It's the Extraordinary world, man! A chance to show off in front of everyone. If I could pull off a heroic rescue, heh heh."

He winked and grinned, looking rather lecherous.

"As for this uniform, I'm not sure myself. It was just suddenly issued to me yesterday."

Seeing that Chen Chen didn't know, Shen Qing shook his head and quipped, "Then you're probably overthinking it. If something real happens, they'll just wipe your memory anyway."

With that, he prepared to go file his leave request.

A flurry of hurried footsteps suddenly approached. Xie Chong jogged over, also wearing the uniform.

"Damn, you're finally here."

"You're not on leave today?" Shen Qing was stunned.

Xie Chong grinned. "What's the rush for leave? I was waiting for you so we could go get commended and receive our awards together."

Chen Chen immediately leaned in, his eyes gleaming. "What kind of commendation?"

His roommate and friend seemed to have another chance to hog the spotlight. He had only joined two days ago, but he already heard people calling him a total overachiever.

"Hurry up and get to the hall to assemble. You'll find out in a minute."

After urging Chen Chen, Xie Chong grabbed Shen Qing and ran. "Let's go. The Chief is waiting."

Chief's office.

"Chief." The two stood at attention.

Xu Weimin rose from his desk, walked over to Shen Qing, and studied him for a moment before nodding.

"Not bad, not bad. Your contribution this time is no small feat. Headquarters personally commended you both, and there are awards as well."

He turned, picked up a set of clothes from his desk, and handed them over. "Alright, go change. The morning meeting is about to start."

Shen Qing took them, looking somewhat dazed as he walked out of the office.

"We have a standard uniform?"

"Of course."

Xie Chong's expression turned slightly serious. "We are scattered among the masses, invisible and inconspicuous, but we must have a standard dress code for formal occasions. Go on, get changed.

That kid Chen Chen is lucky; he got to wear his early thanks to us."

Shen Qing felt a bit perplexed, thinking it all felt a bit too formal.

Not long after, in the main hall.

Unlike the usual relaxed atmosphere, everyone was sitting bolt upright, though their eyes were filled with confusion.

Chen Chen was mixed in the crowd, looking around.

What could possibly be important enough for the Chief to personally host a morning meeting? And from what he'd gathered over the last two days, even the high-level executives from every department were present.

Xu Weimin walked onto the stage and got straight to the point.

"Everyone should already know that there is only one agenda for today's morning meeting—commendations!"

"Shen Qing, Xie Chong, step forward!"

The hall fell into a dead silence. Under everyone's gaze, Shen Qing and Xie Chong walked onto the stage one after the other.

Xu Weimin announced, word for word: "Shen Qing and Xie Chong, on the evening of May 23rd, successfully resolved a D-rank Walking Corpse incident.

During the mission, the two faced an emergency with composure, successfully preventing the situation from escalating and protecting the lives and property of the people. Per orders from Headquarters—"

D-rank.

Everyone in the audience froze. Even the few members who had been zoning out suddenly snapped their heads up to look at the two on stage.

Only Chen Chen looked completely lost, whispering, "What's a D-rank incident?"

An older man beside him swallowed hard before lowering his voice to explain:

"A D-rank incident... is a danger that, if left unchecked, could threaten tens of thousands of nearby citizens. Binhai City has encountered fewer than three of these in the last two or three years.

Every time, it required all the captains to mobilize, sometimes even needing support from Headquarters, with a real risk of death."

The more he spoke, the deeper the shock on his face became.

Xie Chong was one thing; he had already broken through to E-rank and was touching the threshold of captain-level.

But Shen Qing—a newcomer who had joined the organization less than two weeks ago and hadn't even been officially confirmed yet—how on earth did he manage it?

The vast majority of the people below the stage were filled with questions, but upon hearing the following words, they subconsciously straightened their backs.

"We hereby award Comrade Shen Qing a First-Class Merit. We award Comrade Xie Chong a Third-Class Merit."

First-Class Merit.

Hearing this, the entire hall fell silent, and everyone was stunned; this meant that Shen Qing was the primary force behind resolving this incident.

A newcomer who had been on the job for two weeks had completed a mission as the main force in a D-Class incident and received a First-Class Merit.

This was equivalent to a recruit receiving a First-Class Merit within three months of enlistment before even being officially ranked; it was no different from a fairy tale.

But now, no one cared about that. With a "snap," everyone in the hall stood up simultaneously, their expressions turning solemn as they raised their right hands in a salute.

Unlike Shen Qing and Chen Chen, even if they were not soldiers, they were former police officers.

They had at least completed intensive training and received ideological guidance, holding a status between soldier and police officer, and they were very clear about the weight of this commendation.

A First-Class Merit, according to official criteria, is for those with outstanding achievements and significant influence and contributions.

However, there is a more blunt saying: you stand to receive a Third-Class Merit, you lie down to receive a Second-Class Merit, and your family receives a First-Class Merit.

A First-Class Merit is exchanged for one's life; it belongs to those who do something with a nine-in-ten chance of death for the people and the country, so most are awarded posthumously.

Yet Shen Qing was standing on the stage, alive.

Chen Chen stood in the crowd, completely bewildered; he only subconsciously followed everyone else in saluting.

But one thing was certain: his good friend... seemed to have become a bit too incredible. Wasn't he supposed to be a newcomer?

How did he turn around and receive a First-Class Merit?

Only Li Jianghan in the entire hall had no reaction. He remained in the corner, dressed in his moon-white long robe, watching silently with a somewhat dazed expression, not knowing what he was thinking.

"Comrade Shen Qing, congratulations."

On stage, Xu Weimin took the medal from the tray and personally pinned it to the left side of Shen Qing's chest.

"It is a pity, however, that given our status, you cannot take this honor home to share with your loved ones as they do on television."

As he spoke, Xu Weimin stepped back and saluted the two of them.

Shen Qing returned the salute subconsciously, still somewhat dazed; he truly had not expected it to be so formal or for the merit to be so great.

Xie Chong stood to the side, and although he had also earned merit, he still looked on with envy.

But this was normal; as an unqualified support, being able to get a Third-Class Merit was already riding on Shen Qing's coattails. As the main force, Shen Qing deserved a First-Class Merit.

If he hadn't suddenly exploded with power, they really would have died there, and perhaps even the nearby residential area wouldn't have been spared.

The morning meeting ended quickly.

As the crowd dispersed, the atmosphere became lively, and several team leaders congratulated Fang Shu one after another.

"Congratulations, congratulations! Old Fang, you've really struck gold!"

"That's right, your team member is truly outrageous. Why don't you give him to me? Name your terms?"

"Get lost, get lost! It's your own eyes that aren't good enough!"

Fang Shu shooed them away one by one, unable to hide the pride in his eyes.

At this moment, Shen Qing and Xie Chong followed the Bureau Chief back to the office to discuss other rewards.

Xu Weimin handed over a document.

"Shen Qing, your bonus for this mission is 200,000, and when you add in the various commendations, it totals 300,000, plus 100 Contribution Points.

Check it over, and if there are no errors, please sign."