"Will you?"
When those words left Long Qianshan's mouth, Yue Xiaofei felt as though something had slammed into his heart!
His eyes instantly reddened!
His grandfather appeared in his mind—the old man who, despite his dementia, still shouted "Charge!" in his sleep.
He remembered taking the Plaque his grandfather had given him, the one inscribed "Pillar of the Country," and making his way to the Military Region's gates on his knees.
So this supreme honor, which should have belonged to his grandfather, had been hidden away for more than half a century because of the old man's humility and guilt!
Yue Xiaofei trembled slightly.
He looked at the bloodstained medal in Long Qianshan's hand and seemed to see that battlefield of years past, engulfed in artillery fire.
He saw his grandfather's back as he led his comrades in a charge to the death against the enemy's position!
Slowly, he held out both hands. Then, with every ounce of strength he had, he nodded hard!
"I... will!"
There was no hesitation in his voice!
Long Qianshan smiled with relief.
With his own hands, he pinned the First-Class Medal of National Defense, bearing the glory and legacy of two generations, to Yue Xiaofei's chest!
The instant the medal touched his chest, Yue Xiaofei felt his body sink under its weight!
That tiny medal felt impossibly heavy!
It carried more than the weight of metal. It carried a hero's lifetime of glory and the undying spirits of his fallen comrades!
At that moment, Yue Xiaofei's renown reached an unprecedented peak!
This was more than the awarding of a medal.
It was a passing of the torch across generations!
It was the country's highest recognition of the Yue Family's generations of loyal heroes!
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap—!!!
No one knew who started applauding.