387: Task rewards are issued

A galaxy-class starship – that’s a top-tier vessel in the Imperial Fleet, possessing formidable firepower and advanced technology far exceeding ordinary starships. With it, he would be able to complete future missions more easily.

“Oh, and besides the starship reward, all other rewards have also been successfully distributed,” Lan An continued, a hint of approval in her eyes.

“The military merit you earned from this mission, plus the military merit attached to these few medals, combined with your accumulated military merit, and the additional military merit specially awarded by the Military Department to commend your heroic actions—after precise calculation, you now possess a grand total of 300,000 military merit. This is a considerable fortune in the Empire’s military merit system, enough for you to exchange for many valuable resources and privileges.”

Hearing Lan An’s words, Li Yang felt as if he were in a beautiful dream, the happiness so sudden it made him a little dizzy.

He knew very well that he had originally painstakingly accumulated less than 100,000 military merit, but now, with the various rewards stacked together, the amount of military merit had suddenly soared to 300,000.

What did 300,000 military merit mean? In the Empire’s military merit system, this was an extremely vast fortune, enough to exchange for another star river class starship.

Thinking of this, Li Yang’s heart was filled with surprise and emotion.

Not only was Li Yang immersed in this immense joy, but Xiao Ran, standing beside him, widened his eyes in astonishment, his gaze filled with surprise and envy.

Over the past three years, he had personally experienced various arduous missions and knew how difficult it was to earn military merit.

Each mission, every drop of sweat and blood, only brought a meager amount of military merit.

In these three years, he had tried his best and only managed to accumulate two or three tens of thousands of military merit.

But looking at Captain Li Yang, who suddenly possessed 300,000 military merit, the difference was like heaven and earth; how could he not be amazed?

It could only be said that he was indeed Captain Li Yang… Lan An looked at their reactions, smiled slightly, and continued.

“Not only that, but your military rank has now also been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, Seventh Grade. According to the Empire’s regulations, any officer who receives a Class A personal commendation, as long as they have not yet reached the General Officer level, will be unconditionally promoted by one rank. And the Hero Model Medal you received also enjoys this privilege. These two honors, with their double enhancement, allowed you to be successfully promoted.”

Lan An’s words were filled with respect and congratulations, each word seemingly recounting Li Yang’s glory and brilliance.

Hearing Lan An’s explanation, Li Yang’s mind suddenly cleared, and he mused to himself.

No wonder his military rank had risen so quickly. He quickly sorted out the trajectory of his military rank promotions in his mind.

After all, before the mission began, his military rank was merely Lieutenant Colonel, First Grade. Based on his outstanding performance in this mission, he was successfully promoted by four grades according to regulations, becoming Lieutenant Colonel, Fifth Grade.

And now, two significant medals had each brought two grades of promotion, which precisely brought him to Lieutenant Colonel, Seventh Grade.

This series of promotions, each step embodying his struggle and dedication in the mission, each elevation a high recognition of his ability and achievements.

Xiao Ran, standing beside him, had an extremely complex expression on his face at this moment, a mix of shock and bewilderment, completely at a loss.

When he had met Captain Li Yang before, he had clearly seen Captain Li Yang’s military rank, which was only Lieutenant Colonel, First Grade.

But in just three short years—or more accurately, since waking from his coma—Captain Li Yang had actually skipped six grades directly, transforming into a Lieutenant Colonel, Seventh Grade?

This promotion speed was like riding a rocket, leaving Xiao Ran utterly astonished.

In his eyes, Captain Li Yang was like a legend, always able to create unexpected brilliance.

He couldn't help but sigh silently in his heart.

“This speed... only Captain Li Yang can achieve it. He truly is the person I have always admired.”

In contrast, Li Yang was filled with excitement at this moment, as if all the blood in his body was boiling.

He couldn't wait to put on a military uniform matching his new rank, to display this glory.

So, he quickly turned to the Soldier beside him and said urgently,

“Quick, go get my military uniform.”

He looked down at the special clothing he was still wearing, designed for connecting to the clone. Although it had its special meaning, at this moment, he yearned even more to wear the military uniform symbolizing his new identity and honor.

That excitement and anticipation were like a warrior about to rush to the battlefield, eager to display his valiant demeanor and strength.

Not long after, the Soldier who had been sent to retrieve the military uniform returned in a hurry, holding Li Yang’s neatly folded military uniform.

The fabric of the military uniform shimmered with a subtle yet luxurious sheen under the light, and the brand-new epaulets were particularly striking, clearly indicating the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, Seventh Grade.

Li Yang looked at this military uniform representing his new identity, his face beaming with an irrepressible smile, his eyes filled with pride and satisfaction.

He carefully took the military uniform and eagerly walked towards the changing room, ready to embrace a new beginning with a completely new image.

When Li Yang emerged from the changing room, fully dressed and standing tall, his well-tailored military uniform made him appear even more heroic and dashing.

Pal was already waiting outside with a line of people, their eyes filled with respect and joy.

“Pal, how are you? No problems with your physical or mental health?”

As soon as Li Yang saw Pal and the others, his smile didn’t fade, but his eyes revealed deep concern.

During that life-and-death mission, they had endured too many hardships together. Now that everyone had returned safely, his greatest concern was whether his subordinates had any lingering after-effects.

“Please rest assured, Captain Li Yang.”

Pal’s expression was respectful, and his tone was firm and strong.

“We’ve undergone a comprehensive examination, and everything is normal with our bodies; there are no after-effects whatsoever.”

Hearing Pal’s reply, the worry that had been weighing on Li Yang’s heart finally lifted.

He nodded slightly, his smile becoming even more sincere. With such a reliable group of subordinates, no matter what challenges they faced in the future, they would be able to stand shoulder to shoulder and face them together.

“By the way, where are Lin Bi, Hua Dong, and Researcher Hua Xi?”

Li Yang scanned the crowd but didn’t see those familiar faces, and a hint of doubt arose in his heart, so he asked Pal.

He had gone through life-and-death trials with Lin Bi, Hua Dong, Researcher Hua Xi, and others, and had spent three years in a coma together. Their friendship was deep, and not seeing them now felt somewhat strange.

“They seem to have had arrangements made after they woke up,” Pal quickly replied, a hint of respect in his tone.

“The orders from above were urgent, so they boarded a starship and left directly.”

“These guys, they just left without even saying hello. We were even unconscious together for three years, really…” Li Yang gently shook his head, a faint smile playing on his lips, complaining in a slightly joking tone.

He knew very well that given their friendship, they would not have left so hastily unless there was an extremely urgent and important matter.

If they didn’t even have time to say goodbye, it definitely wasn’t an ordinary matter, but an important one.