Rewards

"Sit, sit," Li Ping said, inviting Feng Qingmo to take a seat on the sofa. "I asked you here because I wanted to tell you a few things..."

Feng Qingmo sat down, ready to listen.

"Last time, you discovered Shenliukov and Wang Xiangying, which put the higher-ups on guard. That counts as a merit. But you were in the wilderness at the time, and you had to head out for training as soon as you got back, so we waited until now to reward you for everything at once..."

Li Ping spoke with a broad smile.

"Oh!" Feng Qingmo's eyes lit up as he looked at Li Ping. "Brother Li, what's the reward?"

"Don't rush," Li Ping said with a smile as he began making tea. "I said we'd reward you for everything at once. I haven't finished yet..."

"The second thing is that you saved those trainees in the Arctic. It was a life-or-death trial, but you did save them, and that counts as a small contribution..."

"The third is that you discovered the ruins and reported them. You got the benefits inside, but there could be more to gain later. Besides, anyone who reports a discovery has to be rewarded!"

Feng Qingmo nodded. That was only right. After all, if discoveries weren't rewarded, some more selfish people might refuse to report ruins they found, even if they couldn't use them. The organization would be the one to lose out.

"You were already strong enough to graduate before. Now, after the opportunity you found in the Arctic, your strength has increased considerably. With your current abilities, staying in the Training Camp would be a pure waste of time, so you have to graduate..."

Feng Qingmo nodded again. Li Ping was right. Keeping a mid-level War God as a trainee in the Training Camp would be a complete waste of resources.

"Graduates from the Training Camp receive annual funding of 2.5 billion for a Beginner War God, 5 billion for a mid-level War God, and 10 billion for a High-level War God."

Li Ping said with a hint of envy, "The chief knew that not only was your physical fitness at the mid-level War God standard, but your Spiritual Force was too. So he decided to give you the benefits of a High-level War God: 10 billion a year!"

"Thank the chief for me, and thank you too, Brother Li." Feng Qingmo nodded. Jia Yi was certainly important in securing these benefits, and Li Ping must have put in a good word for him as well.

"Haha." Hearing Feng Qingmo's words, Li Ping knew he appreciated the help and laughed happily.

"As for the reward..." Li Ping's smile grew wider. "I know you've wanted the Water of Life for a long time. I brought it up with the chief this time. You didn't have enough merit to exchange for one, but the chief still decided to reward you with a dose of the Water of Life. The missing merit will be deducted from his own..."

Seeing the delight on Feng Qingmo's face, Li Ping chuckled. "Don't get excited yet. There's more! One dose of the Water of Life definitely won't be enough for you, so the chief also gave you permission to exchange for another dose at cost once you reach four-star contribution status. It costs us 11 billion to get the Water of Life from America. That shouldn't be much for you, right?"

He grinned. "I know the monster materials you just sold were worth over 20 billion... You should have no trouble reaching the required contribution status!"

"That's wonderful!" Feng Qingmo beamed. He had worked toward this goal for so long, and he hadn't expected to achieve it so quickly. His father would soon be able to regrow his severed arm, and his mother's hidden injuries would be healed.

"Are you sure you want to redeem it?" Li Ping asked solemnly. "If you are, I'll charge you now. But the Water of Life isn't at the Training Camp, and we still need approval, so it may not arrive until tomorrow..."

"I'm sure!" Feng Qingmo replied just as solemnly.

"Good." Li Ping got up and went to his desk to submit the request and start the process.

A few minutes later, Feng Qingmo received a call from the bank asking whether he authorized the Military to deduct 11 billion from his account. He confirmed at once. The balance on his card immediately dropped by nearly half, but he felt at ease.

"All done. The application has been submitted, and it should be approved soon. Just wait patiently." Li Ping returned to the sofa and sat across from Feng Qingmo.

"You should have the next couple of days off," Li Ping said, refilling the cup in front of Feng Qingmo. "But there's a mission now, and you're the only suitable candidate. So I may have to ask you to put up with a few busy days and complete it first..."

"No problem! Do I need to hunt a monster?" Feng Qingmo nodded. They had just given him so many benefits, so it would be hard to turn down a mission now. He agreed readily. With his current strength, anything short of hunting a King-Level Monster should be manageable.

"It's not a hunting mission." Li Ping shook his head, a knowing smile appearing on his face. "Do you remember Dr. Long, whom we talked about last time?"

"Of course." Feng Qingmo's heart stirred. Could the mission have something to do with Dr. Long?

"Well, we brought back a lot of monster materials from the Arctic this time, including the High-level Lord-Level one you hunted. Dr. Long needs to run a number of experiments, and some of them require assistants. She specifically requested a Spiritual Master, preferably someone with a higher level..."

He smiled. "Your Spiritual Force is the highest among everyone at the Training Camp, trainees and instructors alike, so naturally you're the one who has to go..."

"Sure." Feng Qingmo nodded. "When do I start?"

"August 5 at eight in the morning." Li Ping explained, "Dr. Long will be running some basic experiments over the next few days, so she won't need an assistant just yet. You can use the time to take the Water of Life back to Jiangnan Base City..."

Feng Qingmo immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that Dr. Long's work might take too long, leaving him no time to take the Water of Life home to his parents.

"How do I get there?" Feng Qingmo asked. Huo Haitian had taken him there last time, and he didn't have the authorization himself. He couldn't even get into the elevator.

"Someone will come to the Training Camp entrance to pick you up at six thirty on the morning of August 5."

Jiangnan Base City, the Military's Warrior Residential Area, Feng Qingmo's home.

"Song, hurry downstairs! Mo'er called yesterday and said he'd be back today. Let's go buy groceries..." Zuo Huifen's voice rang through the living room, brimming with joy.

"Coming, coming..." Feng Jiansong called back repeatedly as he hurried downstairs.

They got ready to leave. As soon as they opened the door, Zuo Huifen froze. Feng Qingmo stood on the steps below, smiling at her with a backpack on his shoulders.

"Mo'er!" Zuo Huifen's eyes instantly reddened. It was the first time her son had been away from her for so long. They had often talked on the phone, but that could never compare to the years they had spent together day after day. Nor could it erase the longing between mother and son!

"Mom, I'm home!" Feng Qingmo said with a smile as he stepped forward and embraced her. He saw a few silver hairs on her head and felt his nose sting.

Feng Jiansong stood in the doorway, smiling as he watched them.

"It's good you're home. It's good you're home." Zuo Huifen let go and looked at her son, tears glimmering in her eyes. "Mom will go buy some groceries and make you something delicious..."

As she looked into Feng Qingmo's bright eyes, she suddenly froze. Her voice trembling, she said, "Mo'er, your eyes..."

"Dad, Mom, my eyes are healed!" Feng Qingmo said with a smile, though his voice had grown a little nasal.

Ever since he was little, his parents had discussed, debated, and argued countless times over his eyes. They had gone out time and time again, all so he could see the light again!