"Hey, what kind of look is that?"
In the cafeteria, Cao Yuan ate his steamed buns quietly as usual, but he felt vaguely uneasy. He turned his head and found that Baili Pangpang was staring straight at him.
"Cao Yuan," Baili Pangpang said seriously, "I really didn't expect that you, who seem so honest and unassuming on the surface, would have such a peculiar hobby..."
Cao Yuan was taken aback. "What are you talking about?"
"You have your own hobbies, that's fine, but..." Baili Pangpang put on a pained expression, "But why did you hide things here with me? I, Baili... uh... Baili, the only son of an ordinary family, if word gets out and people misunderstand, I, I..."
"How can I face those beautiful older women who are infatuated with me?
Cao Yuan:???
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Cao Yuan frowned.
"Ahem..." Lin Qiye coughed lightly twice, then stuffed the steamed bun into Baili Pangpang's mouth. "It's not important, eat, eat..."
Cao Yuan scratched his head suspiciously, and after a moment, as if he remembered something, he said:
"I heard that there will be a score assessment before we graduate and leave the training camp."
"Assessment?" Baili Pangpang was taken aback.
"That's right, we'll be graduating in two or three months, right? I heard that every year before graduation, the instructors will give out a ranking list of scores and rank all the new recruits."
"Like a ranking for a final exam..." Lin Qiye pondered for a moment, "What's the use of this ranking? Is it to disqualify some recruits with too low a ranking from joining the Night's Watch?"
"No, that won't happen. Under normal circumstances, the training camp doesn't eliminate new recruits. I only know that this ranking is used to determine where each person goes after graduation, but I don't know the specifics." Cao Yuan shook his head.
"Where do you go after graduation? What do you mean?" Baili Pangpang asked blankly.
"It's about deciding which Night Watch squad you'll be assigned to after graduation," Lin Qiye explained. "The new recruits in this training camp will be transferred to different Night Watch squads in different regions after graduation, as a source of fresh blood. After all, during the mysterious extermination operations every year, some original Night Watch members always sacrifice their lives."
"Because different regions are of varying importance, the requirements for the Night's Watch personnel stationed there also differ. This ranking based on scores may be the basis for adjusting a person's destination according to their potential and qualifications."
"Those with lower scores were transferred to third-tier cities with lower population density, while those with higher scores were sent to key areas, such as Beijing and Huaihai, and might even be assigned to special teams."
Baili Pangpang suddenly realized, "So we still guarantee job placement?"
"What else? After the training camp ends, everyone goes home?"
"...I think it's fine."
Cao Yuan rolled his eyes. "However, I've heard that special teams generally don't recruit from outside, because most of the members of a special team have been in the team since it was first established, and they already have absolute understanding and trust with each other. Bringing in new members rashly might backfire."
"Unless the new recruit has exceptionally strong potential, or the team has suffered severe losses and can no longer sustain normal clearing operations, they will not recruit from outside."
"Wait a minute!" Baili Pangpang suddenly realized something. "Doesn't that mean that after we graduate from here, we'll all have to go our separate ways?"
Cao Yuan nodded slowly, "Yes..."
"Then...then can I apply to be in the same team as Qi Ye?" Baili Pangpang scratched his head, looking miserable. "What if I get assigned to some remote mountain village and never get out?"
"You, the young master of the prestigious Baili family, who would dare to assign you to some remote mountain village?" Cao Yuan said helplessly. "Unless there are special circumstances, it is extremely rare for a place to recruit two new soldiers at the same time."
"Besides, given Lin Qiye's status as a dual-god agent, he could very well be snatched away by a special team or transferred to the Night Watch team in Shangjing City. You can't get in, so just give up on that idea."
Baili Pangpang: o(╥﹏╥)o
Lin Qiye was silent for a moment before slowly speaking, "Actually, I don't really want to join any special team or go to the capital. If possible, I'd still like to stay in Cangnan..."
Cao Yuan shrugged. "I don't really care where I go."
"Then what about me..." Baili Pangpang's eyes lit up, "I can go back to Guangzhou and Shenzhen! Being a night watchman in my own territory, that would be amazing!"
"..."
"By the way, how exactly are these scores ranked? Is it based on an exam?" Lin Qiye asked, puzzled.
"I heard that the criteria for this ranking are quite complex, involving all our training programs, such as physical training, extreme training, theoretical exams, tactical papers, the adaptability of our ACE mental training device, shooting, close combat..."
"A theory exam?" Baili Pangpang's body trembled. "I'm doomed..."
"Shoot..." Lin Qiye sighed, rubbing his forehead.
"Besides these, there seems to be a 'hidden score' as well," Cao Yuan said somewhat uncertainly.
"Hidden scores? What are they?"
"I don't know either, but it seems to account for a significant portion of the ranking algorithm."
Lin Qiye nodded thoughtfully.
"Well, let's just take it one step at a time..."
...
Training camp, behind the mountain.
Three black armed transport planes slowly descended from the clouds, and a fierce wind swept across the tarmac. A group of instructors stood around the tarmac, their clothes fluttering in the wind.
Standing at the front, Yuan Gang squinted, watching the three transport planes slowly descend, lost in thought.
After the three transport planes came to a stop, the rear hatch slowly opened, and fully armed combat personnel jumped out of the cabin. After they came out, the three huge black cubes were locked to the transport vehicles and steadily drove out of the hatch.
One of the combatants ran up to Yuan Gang and gave him a standard military salute.
"Report! The three captured 'Chuan' realm mysteries have been delivered! Requesting instructions!"
Yuan Gang nodded slightly, stepped to one of the black cubes, stretched out his finger, and entered a twelve-digit password on the keypad on the side of the cube. A moment later, a soft sound came from the keypad.
The black cube trembled slightly, its top gradually opening, allowing white, frigid air to rush in through the cracks. Inside the black cube, a boy with spiderweb-like markings on his face stared wide-eyed, frozen solid...
"Very good." Yuan Gang's lips curled slightly upward as he turned to the other instructors and calmly spoke:
"Get ready, everyone. The new recruits' 'carnival day' is about to begin..."