# 155
Chapter 155 – Scoreboard
“Hey, what’s with that look?”
In the canteen, Cao Yuan was wordlessly devouring his steamed buns as usual, but an uneasy prickle crawled over him. He turned to find Baili Pangpang staring holes through him.
“Cao Yuan,” Baili Pangpang said gravely, “I never imagined—behind that honest face you hide such… proclivities.”
Cao Yuan blinked. “What are you talking about?”
“Everyone has hobbies, fine, but…” Baili Pangpang clutched his chest in theatrical anguish, “why stash your stuff with me? I, the sole heir of the noble—uh—perfectly ordinary Baili family—if rumors start, how will I face all those beautiful sisters who adore me?”
Cao Yuan: ???
“Speak plainly,” Cao Yuan frowned.
“A-hem.” Lin Qiye cleared his throat and stuffed a bun into Baili Pangpang’s mouth. “Nothing important. Eat, eat…”
Cao Yuan scratched his head suspiciously, then seemed to recall something. “I heard before we graduate there’s a final score ranking.”
“Ranking?” Baili Pangpang mumbled around the bun.
“Yeah. We’ve got two or three months left. Every year the instructors publish a scoreboard listing all the recruits.”
“Like a final-exam leaderboard…” Lin Qiye mused. “What’s it for? Boot the bottom students out of Night Watch?”
“Not usually. The camp rarely disqualifies anyone. I only know the ranking decides where we’re sent after graduation—details are classified.” Cao Yuan shrugged.
“Where we’re sent?” Baili Pangpang asked blankly.
“Which Night Watch team we join,” Lin Qiye explained. “Graduates are assigned to different regions as fresh blood. Every year casualties open slots. Important zones need stronger recruits, so the scoreboard matches potential to post. Low scorers go to small third-tier cities; high scorers hit key places—Shangjing City, Huaihai City, maybe even special squads.”
Baili Pangpang’s eyes lit up. “We get job placement?”
“What did you expect—pack up and go home?”
“…Sounds nice to me.”
Cao Yuan rolled his eyes. “Special teams almost never recruit outsiders; members grow up together in the same squad. Throwing in a stranger breaks trust. Only if the rookie’s a monster or losses are crippling will they open up.”
“Wait!” Baili Pangpang gasped. “So we’ll all be split apart?”
Cao Yuan nodded slowly. “Yep.”
“C-can I request to stay with Qiye?” Baili Pangpang whined. “What if they bury me in some mountain village forever?”
“With the Baili heir tag? Who’d dare bury you?” Cao Yuan sighed. “Rarely do two rookies land in the same city anyway. And with Lin Qiye’s double-agent status, some special team or Shangjing City will snatch him. Forget it.”
Baili Pangpang: o(╥﹏╥)o
Lin Qiye spoke quietly, “Actually, I don’t care for special teams or Shangjing. If possible, I’d rather stay in Cangnan…”
Cao Yuan shrugged. “I’m fine anywhere.”
“Then I—” Baili Pangpang brightened, “I can go back to Guangshen! Night Watch on home turf—perfect!”
“…”
“So how’s the ranking calculated? Exams?” Lin Qiye asked.
“It’s complex: every training item—fitness, extreme drills, theory tests, tactical essays, ACE mental-adaptation scores, marksmanship, close-quarters…”
“Theory test?” Baili Pangpang shuddered. “I’m doomed…”
“Marksmanship…” Lin Qiye rubbed his temples.
“There’s also a hidden component,” Cao Yuan added uncertainly.
“Hidden?”
“No idea what, but it weighs a lot in the algorithm.”
Lin Qiye nodded thoughtfully. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it…”
……
Training-camp, back mountain.
Three black armed transports descended through the clouds, rotor-wash whipping the apron. Instructors stood around, coats flapping.
Yuan Gang, at the front, narrowed his eyes at the landing craft.
Ramps dropped; fully armed personnel jumped out. Behind them, three huge black cubes rolled onto carriers.
One soldier ran to Yuan Gang and saluted. “Sir! Three captured River-realm mysteries delivered! Awaiting orders!”
Yuan Gang nodded, walked to a cube, keyed a twelve-digit code into its side panel. A soft click; the lid hissed open, cold vapor pouring out. Inside, a boy covered in spider-vein markings stared wide-eyed, frozen in ice…
“Excellent.” Yuan Gang’s lips curled. He turned to the instructors. “Prepare yourselves. The rookies’ party is about to begin…”