Chapter 335 - 233: First-Class Merit (2)
Chapter 335: Chapter 233: First-Class Merit (2)
Before, it was a streak of black light creating a faint sonic boom, its speed exceeding Mach 1. Now, it was moving at two-tenths of that speed at most—about Mach 0.2, or roughly sixty-odd meters per second.
Though still fast, far exceeding the speed of the SWAT officers, it was no longer impossible to intercept in the eyes of Extraordinary Beings like Lei Xiaohui.
The little creature happened to be fleeing right toward Lei Xiaohui. She immediately leaped out and, with a sweep of her hand, summoned a long whip of fire that lashed toward the little fella.
The little fella was surprisingly wary of the flames and scrambled to escape in another direction.
With a sharp cry from Zhao Xueqing, a wall of thorny vines erupted from the ground, blocking the creature’s path.
The little fella changed direction again, but this time its luck ran out. In its panic, it blindly scurried right toward Luo Feifei.
Luo Feifei gave a faint smile and pointed a finger. The little fella was instantly frozen solid.
Li Xiang had already put away his staff and was watching everyone with a grin.
This was an excellent opportunity for everyone to get some practice. Unfortunately, the little creature was, after all, a newborn—not even a full day out of its shell. It was simply too weak. Once its position was revealed, the team subdued it with ease.
Of course, Li Xiang had contributed the most. If he hadn’t seriously injured it with a single blow from his staff and torn off its tail, its speed would have made it impossible for anyone but Luo Feifei to stop it.
Li Xiang picked the little creature up and examined it carefully. Then, he had Xu Xuan bring over the alloy case they had prepared in advance and placed the creature inside.
Xu Xuan then closed and locked the case. Under the escort of a group of SWAT officers, he left to hand over their prize.
Catching one alive was a rare feat, so its value for research was far greater.
Although this species of Electric Energy-consuming Exotic Beast wasn’t the most powerful in the Apocalypse, it definitely ranked in the top ten and was well worth studying.
As for Li Xiang and his team, after tonight’s battle, their identities were now exposed.
But it didn’t matter. Li Xiang was now powerful enough to have a seat at the table.
Meanwhile, in a command center in Rongcheng, Xu Xuan’s grandfather sat with several other elderly men, looking over a file. Even Xu Xuan’s grandfather wore a look of astonishment.
The file, of course, was on Li Xiang’s team.
The section on Li Xiang, in particular, was extremely detailed.
"His speed can actually reach Five Mach? Are these calculations correct?"
"That’s right. This is data collected by 815A at sea a short while ago. We didn’t know what the target was at the time, but by combining all available information, we can now conclude that the Mysterious Man was Li Xiang."
"Furthermore, multiple sources indicate his cruising speed is between 2-3 Mach. He’s been very reserved and low-key within China, but he was exposed while abroad. And the satellites in the sky orbit the entire Earth."
"So the rumors on the international web about the Mysterious Man being Chinese were true. It seems the Japanese know us best after all," one of the old men said with a laugh.
Xu Xuan’s grandfather said, "The surrounding countries have all been ’harvested,’ while we’ve remained peaceful here at home. Isn’t it obvious?"
"Haha." Everyone laughed.
What put them at ease was that this single point suggested Li Xiang still possessed a sense of patriotism. A person like that would be easy to talk to.
"In a few days, I’ll make a trip to the Capital City to report this in person." Xu Xuan’s grandfather stood up, his expression growing solemn once more. After all, the matter was of grave importance.
Li Xiang, for his part, figured that since he was already "exposed," there was no point in hiding anymore. He compiled a document containing information about the Apocalypse and strategies to deal with it, then asked Xu Xuan to pass it along to his grandfather.
Beyond that, Li Xiang wouldn’t—and couldn’t—get involved. It wasn’t his country to run, after all.
His original plan had been to give a five-year warning, but plans rarely survive contact with reality. He had never anticipated the Space Exotic Beast would arrive ahead of schedule.
However, the subsequent reaction from the higher-ups was just as Li Xiang had expected.
Namely, there was no immediate action. The identities of the Extraordinary Beings remained confidential and weren’t sensationalized. The few SWAT officers who knew what happened were called in for individual meetings and made to sign non-disclosure agreements.
The small Exotic Beast was sent to a mysterious underground research facility located deep in the mountains, the kind with extremely tight security.
As for how it would be studied or what discoveries would be made, Li Xiang wasn’t involved. ’I’m just a brawler, what do I know about research?’ he thought. ’Maybe after Jiang Cai’Er gets her doctorate, she’ll be able to secure a position in a place like that.’
A week later, the CCTV News channel suddenly aired a strange, out-of-context news report. To everyone’s confusion, it stated that one person had been awarded a First-Class Merit, three people had received Second-Class Merits, and four had received Third-Class Merits.
These were military medals, issued by an order signed and approved by the highest authority.
Yet the recipients had no military affiliation whatsoever.
This was bizarre and defied all logic. Speculation ran rampant, and all sorts of rumors began to fly.
These eight people were, of course: First-Class Merit: Li Xiang; Second-Class Merit: Luo Feifei, Zhao Xueqing, and Lei Xiaohui; Third-Class Merit: Xu Xuan, Zhang Youyou, Lei Jiaming, and Yao Yao.
Although Xu Xuan, Zhang Youyou, Lei Jiaming, and Yao Yao had participated in the encirclement, they hadn’t been able to make a move to intercept it, so they received Third-Class Merits. The remaining SWAT officers, as well as the "ingenious" veteran railway worker who had set up the "lightning special effects," all received their own commendations.
"What the hell? Luo Feifei is a celebrity, just an actress. How did she get a Second-Class Merit? Are they sure it’s *the* Luo Feifei and not just someone with the same name?"
"And that Li Xiang guy is just some influencer. On what grounds?"
"If she was with Li Xiang, hmm, then it must be *the* Luo Feifei. After all, their ’Wild Thoughts’ couple pairing is super popular."
"Zhao Xueqing, Yao Yao, and Lei Xiaohui are all streamers for Eternal Night Media—they’re Li Xiang’s employees. And that Lei Jiaming guy is his security captain." Someone had dug up their backgrounds.
"Good heavens, what on earth did they do? Did they catch a spy?"
"Probably. You’d only get that kind of military honor for something like catching a spy, right?"
"And the government just announces it without giving any explanation."
"You guys don’t get it. This stuff is all classified, that’s why. We’ll probably have to wait eight or ten years for the truth to be announced after it’s declassified."
"I heard a rumor that it was because they helped capture the animals that escaped from the Rongcheng safari park last time. That’s why they got the medals."
"No way. How much credit do you get for catching a few wild animals? It’s impossible. And I know what I’m talking about because my team and I helped capture them too. We caught three tigers, two lions, and a brown bear, and all we got was a few thousand yuan and a useless certificate."
Regardless of the online debate, the commotion only made Li Xiang and his team even more famous, and their online merchandise sales soared.