Reward

"Sit, sit, sit," Li Ping invited Feng Qingmo to sit on the sofa. "I called you here because I have a few things to discuss with you..."

Feng Qingmo sat down, assuming a posture of attentive listening.

"Last time, your discovery of Shenliukov and Wang Xiangying allowed the higher-ups to prepare in advance. That counts as a merit, but since you were in the wilderness at the time and had to leave for training immediately upon your return, we've waited until now to reward you all at once..."

Li Ping said with a beaming smile.

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

"Don't be so impatient," Li Ping said with a chuckle, beginning to brew tea. "I just said I was rewarding you for everything, I haven't finished yet..."

"The second matter is that you saved those students in the Arctic. Although it was a life-and-death trial, a rescue is a rescue, and that counts as a small contribution..."

"Third, you discovered ruins and reported them. Even though you already claimed the benefits inside, there might be further gains to be had, and as long as you report it, you must be rewarded!"

Feng Qingmo nodded. This was only right; after all, if there were no rewards, some selfish individuals might not report discovered ruins even if they couldn't use them themselves, which would be a loss for the organization.

"Your strength was already enough to graduate before, and now, after the opportunities in the Arctic, your strength has improved significantly. With your current level, staying in the training camp is a pure waste of time, so you must graduate..."

Feng Qingmo nodded again. Li Ping was right; having an intermediate Wargod stay in the training camp as a student was definitely a waste of resources.

"For those graduating from the training camp, if you are an entry-level Wargod, the annual funding is 2.5 billion; for an intermediate Wargod, it's 5 billion; and for an advanced Wargod, it's 10 billion."

Li Ping said with a hint of envy, "The Chief knows that not only is your physical fitness at the intermediate Wargod level, but your spiritual energy is as well, so he decided to grant you the status of an advanced Wargod, with 10 billion in annual funding!"

"Thank you, Chief. Thank you, Brother Li." Feng Qingmo nodded. To receive such treatment, Jia Yi was certainly instrumental, and he assumed Li Ping must have put in a good word as well.

"Haha," Li Ping laughed happily upon hearing Feng Qingmo's words, knowing that the young man appreciated the gesture.

"As for the reward," Li Ping's smile grew even wider, "I know you've always wanted the Water of Life. I spoke to the Chief about it this time. Originally, your merits weren't enough to exchange for a vial of the Water of Life, but the Chief decided to reward you with one anyway—the Water of Life! The missing merit points will be deducted from the Chief's own quota..."

Seeing the look of pleasant surprise on Feng Qingmo's face, he couldn't help but laugh: "Don't be so quick to celebrate, there's more! One vial of the Water of Life certainly won't be enough for you, so the Chief granted you the authority to exchange for another vial at cost, provided your contribution points reach the four-star level. The cost for us to acquire the Water of Life from the United States is 11 billion! That amount of money shouldn't be much to you, right?"

He chuckled, "I happen to know that the monster materials you just sold were worth over 20 billion... I'm sure your contribution points are fine too!"

"That's wonderful!" Feng Qingmo's face beamed with joy. The goal he had been striving for all this time had been achieved so quickly—soon, his father would be able to regrow his severed arm, and his mother would be able to heal the hidden injuries in her body.

"Are you sure about the exchange?" Li Ping asked solemnly. "If you are, I will process the deduction. However, because the Water of Life is not kept at the training camp and requires approval, it might not arrive until tomorrow..."

"I am sure!" Feng Qingmo replied with equal gravity.

"Good," Li Ping stood up and walked to his desk to begin the application and processing.

A few minutes later, Feng Qingmo received a call from the bank asking if he authorized the military to deduct 11 billion from his account. Feng Qingmo confirmed immediately, and while the balance on his card dropped by nearly half, he felt a sense of immense relief.

"Alright, the application has been submitted and will be approved shortly. Just wait patiently." Li Ping walked back to the sofa and sat across from Feng Qingmo.

"Normally, you should be given a break for the next two days," Li Ping said, refilling the cup in front of Feng Qingmo. "However, there is a mission now, and you are the only suitable candidate, so I might have to trouble you for a few days to complete it..."

"No problem! Is it to hunt some monster?" Feng Qingmo nodded. Since the man had just given him significant benefits, it would be difficult to refuse a mission now. He agreed readily; after all, with his current strength, as long as he wasn't hunting a King-Level Monster, he should be able to handle anything else.

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

"Of course." Feng Qingmo's heart skipped a beat. Could this mission be related to Dr. Long?

"It's like this: we brought back many monster materials from the Arctic, including the high-level lord-class ones you hunted. Dr. Long needs to conduct quite a few experiments, but some of them require an assistant, and Dr. Long specifically requested a spiritual master—the higher the level, the better..."

He laughed, "In the training camp right now, whether it's students or teachers, your spiritual energy level is the highest, so naturally, you are the only one who can go..."

"I can do that," Feng Qingmo nodded. "When does it start?"

"August 5th at eight in the morning." Li Ping explained, "Dr. Long will be conducting some low-level experiments over the next few days and won't need an assistant yet. You can take this time to send the Water of Life back to Jiangnan Base City..."

Feng Qingmo breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that Dr. Long would need him for so long that he wouldn't have time to deliver the Water of Life to his parents.

"How do I get there?" Feng Qingmo asked. Last time, Huo Haitian had taken him, and he didn't have the clearance to even enter the elevator.

"On the morning of August 5th at 6:30, someone will come to the training camp gate to pick you up."

Jiangnan Base City, Military Martial Artist Residential District, Feng Qingmo's home.

"Brother Song, come down quickly! Mo'er called yesterday to say he's coming back today, let's hurry and buy some groceries..." A voice filled with joy drifted from the living room, belonging to Zuo Huifen.

"Coming, coming..." Feng Jiansong replied repeatedly, quickly descending from upstairs.

The two of them finished getting ready and were about to head out. As soon as they opened the door, Zuo Huifen froze—Feng Qingmo was standing at the bottom of the steps, wearing a backpack and smiling at her.

"Mo'er!" Zuo Huifen's eyes turned red instantly. This was the first time her son had been away from her for so long since he was a child. Although they spoke on the phone often, how could that compare to the dozen years they had spent together day and night? It could never erase the longing between mother and son!

"Mom, I'm home!" Feng Qingmo smiled and stepped forward, pulling his mother into an embrace. Looking down, he saw a few strands of silver in her hair, and his nose couldn't help but sting.

Feng Jiansong stood in the doorway, watching the mother and son with a smile.

"It's good to be back, it's good to be back," Zuo Huifen let go, looking at her son with tears shimmering in her eyes. "Mom is going to buy groceries and make you something delicious..."

She looked into Feng Qingmo's bright eyes and suddenly froze, her voice trembling: "Mo'er, your eyes..."

"Dad, Mom, my eyes are healed!" Feng Qingmo said with a smile, though his voice carried a hint of nasal congestion.

In his memory, since he was a child, his parents had discussed, debated, argued, and traveled countless times—all for the sake of letting him see the light again!