254: Reduce by two more years

“Just like last time, all Students who fail the assessment will have their advanced studies extended by two years!”

Number Zero continued to announce the disciplinary decisions.

Actually, when Minister Sha initially considered this matter, his intention was to revoke the advanced studies qualifications of all Students who failed the assessment.

After all, from a strict standard, the performance of these Students was indeed unsatisfactory.

But after in-depth statistics and analysis, Minister Sha was surprised to find that if this decision were truly implemented, an astonishing number of Students would be “expelled and withdrawn.”

To be honest, even with Minister Sha’s current status and power, facing such a large number of people, he couldn't help but feel a bit tricky.

Such a large-scale elimination would not only cause devastating blows to the military careers of many Students but also potentially trigger a series of chain reactions, even having an adverse impact on the reputation and future development of the entire Officer Cadre Advanced Studies Branch.

After much deliberation and weighing the pros and cons, Minister Sha ultimately decided to only select over a hundred Students who performed the worst in the assessment, subjecting them to the severe penalty of “expulsion and withdrawal.” This was to uphold the seriousness of the assessment and also to serve as a warning to other Students.

“Next, the list of Students who passed the assessment will be announced…”

Number Zero’s voice sounded unhurriedly, and at the same time, the softly glowing light screen changed again.

The light screen, which originally listed the names of Students who failed the assessment, instantly refreshed, and a new list began to appear line by line.

Hill’s gaze was instantly drawn to it, his eyes filled with eagerness and anticipation. He quickly leaned closer to the light screen, concentrating fully on checking every name.

“Phew, our names aren’t there. It seems we’re at least ‘Good.’”

Hill’s tense nerves finally relaxed, and he let out a long sigh of relief, muttering to himself.

At this moment, a huge weight had been lifted from his mind. After all, passing the assessment was the most basic requirement, and from the current situation, their Squad’s results should be even better.

“When we arrived, weren’t you confident that you could achieve ‘Excellent’? Why are you starting to worry now?”

Li Yang looked at Hill, who had been so worried just a moment ago, and couldn't help but let his lips curve slightly upwards, teasing him with a smile.

His eyes were full of playful mockery, deliberately using Hill’s previous confidence to tease him.

“Go, go, go…”

Teased by Li Yang, Hill’s face flushed slightly, and he waved his hand, a little awkwardly, as if trying to dismiss this small embarrassment.

He knew Li Yang was joking, but he still felt a bit self-conscious, as he had indeed seemed a bit impatient just now.

“Next is the list of Students with a ‘Good’ rating…”

Number Zero’s voice sounded again, like a new signal.

Upon hearing this, Hill immediately lost interest in continuing to chat with Li Yang and once again focused all his attention on the light screen.

His eyes were fixed on the light screen, unblinking, as if afraid to miss any detail.

“Hahaha, our names aren’t there either! It really is an ‘Excellent’ rating! See, I told you, but you didn’t believe me!”

Hill suddenly burst into excited laughter, his face beaming with uncontrollable joy.

He quickly turned around, sharing his joy with his teammates, his eyes sparkling with pride and excitement.

At this moment, all his previous worries seemed to vanish, leaving only a strong sense of accomplishment.

Meanwhile, Li Yang and the others no longer had the heart to continue teasing Hill. Their gazes collectively turned to Number Zero, their eyes filled with anticipation and tension, like warriors awaiting their fate, staring intently at Number Zero, quietly waiting for the final list to be announced.

The atmosphere in the entire conference hall seemed to solidify, everyone holding their breath, afraid to miss a single word.

“Similarly, Students with a ‘Good’ rating will have their advanced studies reduced by one year.”

Number Zero’s voice echoed clearly in the silent space.

These words were like a shot in the arm for those Students rated as ‘Good,’ and expressions of relief appeared on their faces to varying degrees.

“Finally, here is the list of Students who received an ‘Excellent’ rating in this assessment, after strict evaluation by the 73rd Army and the academy!”

Number Zero’s tone rose slightly, his words carrying a hint of solemnity.

As his voice fell, the light screen changed again. The previously scrolling list instantly froze, and this time, there were indeed far fewer names on it than before, only a handful of people.

Everyone’s gazes focused on the light screen, and when they saw the names on the list, they couldn't help but let out gasps of surprise.

And these few people were none other than Li Yang’s Squad of five.

This meant that in this assessment, only these five people from the entire Advanced Studies Branch stood out and achieved an ‘Excellent’ rating.

The weight of this honor was self-evident; it represented outstanding ability and extraordinary courage.

“Students with an ‘Excellent’ rating will have their advanced studies further reduced by two years!”

Number Zero immediately announced this exciting news.

This was undoubtedly a huge affirmation and encouragement for Li Yang and his team, and it also meant that they would complete their advanced studies much faster than others, embarking on a new journey.

“My goodness, there really are people who can achieve an ‘Excellent’ rating?”

One Student couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise, his tone full of astonishment and admiration.

In his opinion, the ‘Excellent’ rating in this assessment was like a distant star, and he hadn’t expected anyone to actually pluck it.

“Wow, besides this one named Hill, I remember the other four also received an ‘Excellent’ rating in the last assessment.”

Another sharp-eyed Student suddenly spoke, his words carrying a hint of envy.

He was deeply impressed by the past performances of these excellent Students, and now he had an even deeper understanding of their strength.

“Oh my god, if you put it that way, doesn’t that mean they only need one year of advanced studies to complete it? Doesn’t that just leave a few months?”

Another Student reacted, his voice full of shock.

Calculated according to the normal advanced studies duration, combined with the time reduced for their multiple ‘Excellent’ ratings, this conclusion gave everyone present a more intuitive sense of the exceptional quality of Li Yang’s Squad.

Everyone looked at the names on the light screen, and immediately began discussing amongst themselves. Exclamations of surprise and envy rose and fell, and the entire conference hall was like a lake into which a stone had been thrown, rippling in layers.