Pretending to be a genius starts with the civilization advancement assessment.

Chapter 40 Official Handling

Inside the cabin, Captain "Tianpeng" peered through the porthole, his gaze sweeping over the area around Hongfulou and the vicinity of the Abyss Beast's lair, which were being heavily searched by the searchlight beams.

"Captain, something's definitely not right."

The voice of his deputy, "Po Jun," came through the built-in communication system, carrying a hint of disbelief.

"The area around the target location is so large and clean, without a single abyssal beast. These beasts' sense of smell and perception couldn't possibly have failed to detect so many living people in the building. They have already gathered into a sizable wolf pack, yet they only dare to howl near their den. It's too abnormal for them to be so far away."

After a few seconds of silence, "Tianpeng" slowly spoke, "Hmm, it seems to be related to that 'Chief of Staff Lin'."

They had all watched Lin Yi's combat videos, and as combat personnel, they had a clear understanding of the boy's strength.

Even so, witnessing firsthand the scene of one person intimidating a group of abyssal beasts was still awe-inspiring.

"He's turned this area into a safe zone." "Tianpeng" paused, then his tone became slightly lighter: "But that's fine too, it saves us trouble, we don't have to waste precious ammunition driving away the wolves. Prepare to execute the second contact plan!"

"understand!"

Following "Tianpeng's" command, the armed helicopter first flew over the roof of Hongfulou and hovered there.

"Lei Gong, Qian Li, occupy the high ground, establish defenses, and closely monitor the wolf pack's movements in the direction of the lair!" Mountain Eagle decisively gave the order.

"Receiving this from Lei Gong!"

"Received from afar!"

The hatch opened, and two rappelling cables were thrown out.

Two fully armed special forces soldiers quickly rappelled down the ropes and landed precisely and silently on the hotel rooftop.

The moment they landed, the two immediately spread out in a tactical stance. One quickly set up a sniper rifle and locked onto the restless wolf pack in the distance through a high-powered scope, while the other, armed with a rifle, vigilantly scanned the other entrances and exits on the rooftop and the surrounding environment.

"Rooftop safe! No abnormalities detected! The wolf pack remains in its original gathering area, their agitation is increasing, but they have not moved towards us! Repeat, they have not moved towards us!"

The sniper "Qianli's" calm report reached everyone's ears.

"Roger that. Stay on alert," Tianpeng responded, then ordered again, "Kuimu, Yinghuo, scout the situation on the first floor and report back once you confirm it's safe!"

"Kui Mu received it!"

"Received, Mars!"

The helicopter adjusted its position slightly and hovered over the open space in front of the main entrance of Hung Fook Restaurant.

Two more rappelling cables were lowered, and the other two team members, "Kuimu" and "Yinghuo," quickly rappelled to the ground.

The two men stood back to back, their guns pointing in different directions, and entered the dark first-floor lobby, providing cover for each other.

After a brief silence, the communicator rang again.

"First floor safe! No signs of Abyss Beast activity detected! The spiral staircase leading to the second floor inside the hall is completely blocked. A rope ladder leading to the second floor has been found. There are armed men with crude melee weapons at the rope ladder. They appear to be civilians, are agitated, and are observing. No signs of threat detected! Repeat, no threat detected!"

"Roger that. Maintain your position and guard the entrances and exits."

Tianpeng gave the order, and the last trace of doubt in his heart dissipated.

"White Dragon, prepare for landing. Captain Ren, check the equipment," Tianpeng said to the remaining personnel in the cabin.

"understand!"

"The equipment is in good working order!"

Soon, the armed helicopter slowly descended and finally landed steadily on the open ground in front of Hongfulou.

The hatch opened, and Tianpeng, carrying a silver-white metal box, was the first to jump down.

The officer codenamed "White Dragon" was a burly lieutenant with slightly dark skin. He and Captain Ren followed closely behind, and the two were responsible for carrying portable generators, military radios, and other equipment.

"Kui Mu" and "Ying Huo," who had previously entered the first floor to scout, also quickly came out of the building to help lift the remaining equipment.

Tianpeng, with a calm gaze, carried his suitcase and strode into the lobby of Hongfulou. He then turned on his helmet light and observed the situation inside the lobby.

Several heads, all young faces, were crowded around the gap on the second floor. They were excited and talking in hushed tones.

Two people were standing below the rope ladder.

One was a middle-aged man with a stocky build and a resolute face, whose posture vaguely showed signs of military service. The other was the protagonist in the video, their target this time: Lin Yi.

He looked like an ordinary young man with a slightly scholarly air, but his eyes showed no excitement that one would expect from someone his age seeing special forces; he simply looked at them calmly.

This composure beyond his years earned him even higher regard from Tianpeng.

Looking at the well-equipped and swiftly moving soldiers, especially their shoulder and arm patches, Zhou Jianjun's lips trembled with excitement. "Comrades, are you here for rescue?"

Tianpeng withdrew his gaze from Lin Yi and looked at Zhou Jianjun. He first gave a standard military salute, and said in a steady and powerful voice, "Comrade, we are here on a special mission, not a large-scale rescue and evacuation mission. But don't worry, other teams will be there to carry out the rescue in turn soon."

A flicker of disappointment crossed the faces of Zhou Jianjun and the people upstairs who were eavesdropping. But Tianpeng's next words immediately drew everyone's attention away, completely disregarding their initial disappointment.

"Our orders for this trip came directly from the highest command center, Chief Li Zhenguo."

Supreme Command Center! Commander Li Zhenguo!
A murmur of barely suppressed discussion erupted on the second floor. Zhou Jianjun's eyes widened instantly, and even Lin Yi's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly.

Ignoring the shock of the crowd, Tianpeng refocused his gaze on Lin Yi, his tone becoming exceptionally solemn: "You must be Comrade Lin Yi?"

Lin Yi nodded slightly.

"I'm."

Tianpeng saluted again, this time, towards Lin Yi.

"Comrade Lin Yi! On behalf of countless soldiers on the front lines, I thank you! Your combat videos and instructional videos have provided us with extremely valuable intelligence and entirely new ideas! Your shared experience in cultivating the Source Energy Guidance Technique is even more significant!"

Lin Yi accepted the compliment readily. He returned the greeting, his tone remaining calm. "You flatter me. I only did what I could, both to save myself and to help more people."

Then, Tianpeng's expression became even more serious. He took out a sealed document bag from his waist and handed it to Lin Yi with both hands.

"Comrade Lin Yi, based on your outstanding talent, forward-looking understanding in source energy cultivation, and the great contributions you have made to the country, the Supreme Command, after an emergency discussion, has decided to exceptionally appoint you as a special technical advisor to the General Staff Department and grant you the rank of major! Now, we are formally soliciting your personal wishes."

Major! General Staff Chief of Staff!

Another gasp rang out from the second floor.

Chen Yu nearly popped his eyes out, Li Jie pinched himself hard, and Zhou Yuxuan's hand, which was pushing up his glasses, froze in mid-air.

Zhou Jianjun stared blankly at his nephew, as if he were seeing him for the first time.

An eighteen-year-old major?

Lin Yi was also somewhat surprised. He wasn't surprised by the rank of major, because he had dealt with the General Staff for so many years and knew that everyone in the General Staff was at least a major.

What surprised him even more was the speed of the response from the top command center.

Working backwards from the timeline, it's highly likely that the order was issued shortly after the video was seen by the highest command center.

"That's really efficient. I'll have to meet him sometime and see what kind of person he is."

If before Lin Yi only thought that this person lived up to his name, now he was genuinely curious about Li Zhenguo.

Tianpeng, however, was unaware that the young man opposite him was looking at the supreme leader with an equal eye. He continued, "You have two choices. First, if you agree, you can immediately return to the capital base with us and take up a position in the supreme command. Your knowledge and abilities will be put to use on a broader platform."

He paused, observing Lin Yi's reaction, but all he saw was an unfathomable calm.

"Second," Tianpeng continued, his tone devoid of surprise, "if you are currently unwilling to leave this place, command fully respects your personal choice."

He turned to the female officer beside him and introduced her, “This is Captain Ren Nuo from the communications department. She is an excellent communications expert and will stay here with these devices to ensure your contact with the General Staff.”

He paused, then raised his voice.

"Your rank and position remain valid, and all your actions and research related to the Abyss Beasts and Source Energy will be recognized and supported by the Supreme Command."

All eyes were on Lin Yi.

Lin Yi spoke calmly, almost without hesitation.

“I choose the second option. The situation here is still unstable, and I need to stay.”

His reasoning was simple and direct.

Tianpeng seemed to have anticipated this answer long ago. To be precise, the General Staff had already anticipated this choice when they sent him with his men. He nodded solemnly: "Understood! I will report your choice to the command."

Finally, Tianpeng solemnly placed the silver-white metal box he had been carrying in his hand in front of Lin Yi.

"Staff Officer Lin"

Tianpeng changed his form of address, and his tone became very formal.

"Based on your talent and outstanding contributions to the research of energy guidance techniques, this is a special approval from the Supreme Command to allocate your personal research materials. The Command encourages you to continue to conduct more in-depth exploration and research in the field of energy."

Lin Yi's heart stirred slightly, and he reached out to unlock the clasp on the box.

pat.

The lid of the box was lifted.

Instantly, soft yet intense light shone on his face, even attracting the attention of everyone upstairs.

Inside the box, the shock-absorbing foam had been carefully divided into grooves, and three rows of Lingyao crystals were neatly and densely packed inside.

(End of this chapter)