Closing Ceremony

"Alright, alright." An Changqing walked at the very front, glancing back at the two bickering people with a hint of a smile on his lips.

After the statement was recorded, the group walked out of the administrative building's main doors. The biting cold wind that greeted them carried the unique dryness of the Northern Territory.

The sky had already darkened. The academy's streetlamps cast a dim yellow glow through the wind and snow, illuminating the snow-covered lawns and bare branches on either side.

The streetlamps stretched their shadows long.

...

The rest of the time passed quickly.

The closing ceremony of the training camp arrived in the blink of an eye.

The main training field of the First Academy of the Northern Territory was temporarily transformed into the ceremony venue. The viewing platform was filled with the leading instructors, but White Tiger was still absent.

Since that day, Chen Guan hadn't seen White Tiger again. Although he didn't miss him, lacking White Tiger in his life for so long felt oddly unfamiliar to Chen Guan.

Under the grayish-white sky, the remaining dozen or so trainees stood in neat formation.

Just as Black Crow had said at the beginning, the elimination rate was terrifyingly high.

It was worth mentioning that Liu Feiyu had dropped out of the camp halfway through, leaving without saying goodbye. Chen Guan could never figure out what that guy was thinking, but he didn't pay it much mind either.

Chen Guan stood at the end of the line, the coffin on his back casting a long shadow in the morning light.

The host on the stage was still their old acquaintance, Black Crow. His voice echoed across the entire training field through the amplification system.

"The assessments for the First Sequence Training Camp have all concluded."

"The final grades have been reviewed by the First Academy of the Northern Territory. After comprehensively calculating the four scores—wilderness survival, practical combat, teamwork, and special contribution bonus points—the final rankings have been confirmed."

The training field grew quiet.

A group of young people stood in the cold wind. Some rubbed their hands, some stood on their tiptoes to look at the stage, and others had calm expressions, as if they didn't care about the rankings at all.

Yin Chen stood not far from Chen Guan, hands stuffed in his pockets, and muttered softly, "Why does this feel like waiting for college entrance exam results?"

Hong Yuan stepped on his heel and leaned over. "What are you nervous about? You definitely aren't in the top three anyway."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Yin Chen rolled his eyes at her but didn't argue.

He knew it himself; he really wasn't in the top three.

An Changqing stood in the front row, his gaze resting on the rostrum, not participating in the idle chatter of the two behind him.

He wasn't far from Su Yuehe. With three or four people between them, their eyes occasionally met, and they nodded to each other.

On stage, Black Crow opened the roster in his hands.

"The comprehensive rankings of the First Sequence will be announced starting from the bottom."

One name after another was read out.

"Fifth place, Long Ao."

Long Ao stood in the formation without even batting an eyelid.

Yin Chen glanced back at him and whispered, "At least give some reaction, Long Ao. You're in the top five, after all."

Long Ao still didn't speak. It was only fifth place.

Hong Yuan answered for him, "He doesn't care for it."

"Fourth place, Yin Chen."

Yin Chen touched his nose, his expression relatively calm.

"Third place, Su Yuehe."

Su Yuehe nodded slightly, a hint of surprise on her face, but also somewhat pleased.

She glanced at An Changqing in the front row. An Changqing turned around and smiled at her.

Hong Yuan tilted her head. "Getting third place at the fourth tier, Su Yuehe really is amazing."

"It's because I got more bonus points for teamwork and special contributions," Su Yuehe heard her and explained softly.

"Also, I'm at the fifth tier now."

Hong Yuan was instantly petrified.

"When did that happen?!"

"It just naturally fell into place."

On stage, Black Crow continued, not giving Hong Yuan a chance to press further.

"Second place, An Changqing."

Standing quietly in the front row, An Changqing made no big movement, merely nodding slightly in response.

Only one spot remained.

There was no doubt about who this spot belonged to.

On stage, Black Crow closed the roster in his hands.

His gaze swept from the front of the line all the way to the end, finally resting on the young man carrying a coffin on his back.

He paused for a moment.

Perhaps the wind had picked up, but the training field suddenly became exceptionally quiet.

"First place in the comprehensive rankings of the First Sequence Training Camp."

Black Crow's voice cut steadily through the cold wind, reaching the ears of everyone present.

"Chen Guan!"

No one was surprised.

Chen Guan had scored full marks in every category; who would be surprised?

At first, people only paid attention to him because of his out-of-place appearance, but now, he had long since earned everyone's respect with his strength.

Chen Guan stood where he was, unmoving. The coffin on his back was as conspicuous as ever. The cold wind lifted the hem of his clothes, but he didn't even blink.

Yin Chen turned to look at him, the corner of his mouth twitching as he whispered to Hong Yuan beside him, "Look at him. He's acting like it wasn't his name that got called."

Hong Yuan, however, uncharacteristically didn't chime in.

He wasn't faking it; this guy genuinely didn't care. Unlike a certain someone whose tail would stick straight up to the sky whenever others praised him.

"The specific scores for first place will be posted on the administrative building's bulletin board shortly."

Black Crow's voice rang out again, pulling everyone's attention back to the stage.

"The First Sequence Training Camp officially closes here. In half an hour, the teleportation array will open, and everyone is free to leave on your own today."

After he finished his final sentence, the leading instructors on the stage stood up one after another.

Someone began to clap. The sparse applause scattered in the wind and snow, then grew denser and denser.

Standing in the front row, An Changqing was the first to turn around. He nodded slightly in Chen Guan's direction, his eyes holding an unsurprised calmness, along with something indescribable.

Su Yuehe also joined in the applause. The sound of her palms clapping together was soft, but her expression showed genuine joy.

Long Ao stood in the middle of the formation, hands in his pockets, not looking back from start to finish.

But the corner of his mouth twitched.

The movement was very slight and fleeting.

After the closing ceremony ended, the formation on the training field disbanded, and the crowd began to scatter in all directions.

Yin Chen chased after him from behind, a husky's front paws resting on his shoulders. The steps of the man and the dog were surprisingly in sync.

"Chen Guan, wait a minute."

Chen Guan stopped in his tracks.

Yin Chen walked up to him, wearing his trademark smile, but with a bit more seriousness than usual.