Renyu stretched his limbs with contentment, savouring the Evolution Battlefield's full-body treatment. The sensation felt like liberation after enduring ill-fitting shoes for too long—all accumulated aches and the discomfort from internal bruising vanished in an instant. He flexed his limbs, relishing the long-forgotten feeling of a healthy body, his entire frame light as a feather.

  ‘Now that I'm fully recovered, perhaps I ought to allocate some attribute points...’ Renyu glanced at his 17 unassigned points. After a moment's consideration, he decided to hold onto them for now, reserving the decision until he located Zhao Weiguo and the others. In the brutal environment of the Evolution Battlefield, one ultimately relied on the strength of compatriots, friends, and organisations.

  Alone on the vast square, Renyu waited for Li Ziming and the others to appear. As one of the officers who had returned to the Evolution Battlefield earlier, the square felt particularly desolate at this hour. Roughly ten minutes later, dozens of beams of light suddenly descended from above, from which emerged officers of every description: some wore expressions of sheer relief, others bore the look of survivors after a catastrophe, some appeared thoroughly satisfied, while others couldn't hide their discontent. A diverse mix of races mingled among them—Afro-Americans, Caucasians, East Asians, and more.

  Yet the calm was swiftly shattered—fourteen beams descended simultaneously, and the emerging crowd instantly split into two opposing factions. Both comprised East Asians, with one group swiftly converging upon a young girl. This mixed-race girl possessed an unforgettable appearance: jet-black hair, a straight nose, bright eyes, and a frame combining the sculpted features of a European beauty with the soft grace of an Eastern woman. Her long legs and porcelain-like skin were particularly striking, her features blending the boldness of northern Chinese women with the spirited elegance of Slavic peoples. Surprisingly, this seemingly youthful girl was an exceptionally rare reserve lieutenant colonel.

  Yet not all approaching her held friendly intent. A man with delicate features flicked a gleaming blade from his hand. Though Evolution Battlefield's safeguards ensured non-lethal outcomes, such a vindictive ambush was sufficiently vile. Just as the blade was about to strike, a figure darted forward like lightning—a powerful flying kick sent the assailant hurtling through the air like a baseball. The astonishing burst of power indicated the attacker possessed an Agility attribute well above 5 points.

  The kicked individual flew directly towards Renyu. Instinctively, Renyu reached out to steady the dishevelled figure. The man spoke in a peculiar accent blending Min Nan dialect with Japanese grammar: ‘Lieutenant, withdraw immediately. Fall back to the unit...’ Without the Evolution System's instant translation, Renyu would have struggled to comprehend the words.

  Renyu scrutinised the two predominantly Asian groups. The major who'd delivered the kick sneered in a coarse northern accent: Watanabe, can't win on the battlefield, so you seek revenge off it? You lot are useless as ever." His contemptuous gaze swept over the man Renyu had helped up, but upon seeing the bronze rank insignia and reserve mark on Renyu's chest, he chose to ignore him entirely.

  In that moment, Renyu deeply understood the principle that one should never help just anyone. Fifteen years spent in the mission world, living side by side with researchers and soldiers, had ingrained a habit of mutual support. Having just returned to the Evolution Battlefield, he found it difficult to adjust. Faced with this group of senior officers who were clearly no pushovers, Renyu wisely chose silence. He opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing, turning swiftly to leave—this was a war for the big shots, and he wasn't qualified to participate yet.

  The two factions continued their standoff, utterly indifferent to Renyu's departure. The Asian Alliance leader spoke in a language Renyu couldn't comprehend, while the kicked lieutenant colonel spat venom: ‘Materialiser, our enmity is now sealed! In the missions ahead, you'll be hunted down by the entire Asian Alliance!’

  The burly man who'd delivered the kick responded with contempt: Save your breath. We've already lost a colonel in this mission. With only four colonels left in your Asian Alliance, who else do you plan to send to their deaths?"

  Just as the burly man prepared to continue his taunts, the girl standing amidst the crowd spoke. Her voice was as melodious as celestial music: ‘I, the Materialiser, whose true name is Sun Binghui, welcome you all to “challenge” me.’

  Renyu, who had retreated fifty metres and blended into the onlookers, overheard the murmurs around him. A captain, clearly from the Son of Heaven Covenant, said wistfully, ‘So the Materialiser's real name is Sun Binghui. What a beautiful name. If only she could assist me in completing my promotion mission...’ A lieutenant beside him poured cold water on the idea: "She's a lieutenant colonel. Don't get your hopes up. Why would she waste her time on your lowly mission?"

  Further back, someone murmured in confusion, ‘Why did she suddenly reveal her real name?’

  An informed observer explained, "Codenames obscure personal identity, concealing one's talents, disposition, and attribute points. Officers are most vulnerable during their junior years; the more famous they become, the greater the risk of being targeted. Now, the “Object Binder” moniker is known throughout this sector. Revealing her real name matters little. It seems Commander Object Binder has grown so powerful that she fears nothing."

  Renyu suddenly discerned a familiar footfall amidst the background chatter behind him. He instantly recognised Li Ziming. Li Ziming strode calmly through the crowd, his presence drawing astonished glances from officers who recognised the Tower Shield insignia on his chest.

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  ‘He survived the promotion mission? Impossible! That Zhao Weiguo's assignment...’ murmured someone fifty metres behind, incredulous.

  Li Ziming frowned slightly at the remark, then turned with his signature affable smile. ‘Father Zhao's mission concluded successfully. Thank you all for your concern.’

  The crowd fell silent for a moment before erupting into waves of congratulatory shouts: ‘Congratulations, sir!’

  ‘Captain Li truly possesses both capability and honour. To emerge unscathed from a promotion mission is truly admirable!’

  From these reactions, Renyu instantly grasped the significance—recalling Li Ziming's mentor-disciple, father-son dynamic with Zhao Weiguo during the previous mission. Perhaps Zhao Weiguo's mission had been widely viewed as hopeless, leading many to speculate whether Li Ziming might perish in that assignment.

  Li Ziming smiled broadly, bowing his hands in a gesture of acknowledgement before striding directly towards Renyu with Lu Ming in tow.

  ‘Keep your findings confidential. Not a word to anyone,’ Li Ziming murmured, patting Renyu's shoulder. Seeing Renyu nod, he gestured towards the two opposing forces in the arena: ‘Looks like the Asian Alliance's been thoroughly thrashed. That bloke Duan Chonghe actually brought in a “Codeholder” officer!’

  At the mention of ‘Codeholders,’ Li Ziming shot Renyu a meaningful glance. ‘Codeholder officers refer to reserve officers possessing extraordinary innate talents and vast knowledge reserves. When paired with regular officers, they achieve a synergistic effect where one plus one equals more than two. To safeguard their developmental paths, the Son of Heaven Covenant and other organisations assign them codenames.’

  As he spoke, Li Ziming summoned his personal holographic display, sending Renyu a congratulatory message while inquiring, ‘We'll keep your real name, abilities, and talents confidential too. Have you decided on a code name for yourself yet?’

  Meeting Li Ziming's gaze that clearly said ‘Yes, you're exactly the type,’ Renyu gave a wry, resigned smile before shifting the question: ‘What exactly is that “Materialiser” talent?’

  ‘The specifics are unknown, but it's understood she possesses a pure logistical talent, primarily boosting Intelligence attributes,’ Li Ziming explained in a lowered voice. ‘Her talent likely involves altering material properties—transforming graphite into diamond, for instance. She was practically a game-breaking presence on the Evolution Battlefield. Rumour has it she could produce VX nerve agent even in the Bronze Age, making her a coveted collaborator for all commissioned officers. The opposing side must have been utterly crippled by her during this mission.’ By the end, Renyu clearly detected the schadenfreude in his tone.

  Renyu murmured under his breath: ‘Solidification... solidification... a talent that turns decay into wonder.’ He looked up at Li Ziming. ‘I don't need a codename for now. I barely used my talent during the rookie missions.’ This response instantly deflated Li Ziming, who had been brimming with enthusiasm to craft Renyu a formidable codename.

  In Evolution Battlefield, codenames primarily served to conceal traces of ability usage during rookie missions, preventing identification and deduction of one's talents in subsequent operations. Yet Renyu's situation was truly unique—his only recorded ability use during the rookie mission had been to extract shrapnel from himself. Beyond that, he'd shown nothing. His failure to achieve a score above 95 was purely because the Evolution System deemed his near-total absence of talent usage during the mission a significant deduction point.

  Ironically, this ‘mistake’ had become the perfect cover. Andrew and the others mistakenly believed Renyu possessed computational talents. Moreover, in the recently concluded mission, Mingus and his team across the ocean hadn't even encountered Renyu, leaving them utterly unaware of his true talents. As long as Zhao Weiguo, Yun Chenhe, Li Ziming, and Lu Ming maintained their silence, Renyu's talents and capabilities would remain classified for the next mission.

  By now, the two groups on the square had dispersed. The outmatched Asian Alliance departed in indignation. Li Ziming signalled for Renyu to follow, intending to rejoin their organisation. Yet their path led directly towards the group that had confronted the Asian Alliance moments earlier. Renyu couldn't help but ask, ‘Are our people over there?’

  ‘That was a team battle,’ Li Ziming explained. ‘Our Lieutenant Colonel participated too.’

  Lieutenant Colonel Wang Leming stood there, Yun Chenhe quietly positioned behind him. Renyu had heard Yun Chenhe was a veteran seconded from the organisation by Zhao Weiguo, having served in three Firepower Era missions.

  Noticing Renyu, Yun Chenhe offered a friendly smile and sent a private message through the system: ‘I shall uphold strict confidentiality protocols regarding all your information. I look forward to your assistance in my promotion mission.’ Renyu noted Yun Chenhe's rank remained Lieutenant, clearly not yet meeting the criteria for early promotion.

  This revealed another predicament for reserve officers: as they neared promotion, the difficulty of their assigned missions increased accordingly. Consequently, few regular officers were willing to take such reserves on missions—effectively raising their own mission difficulty. These reserves were often randomly assigned tasks. The ensign stage proved particularly perilous, as it attracted all manner of eccentric characters; the slightest misstep could lead to ruin. Consequently, by the time officers reached the captain rank, the number of reservists dwindled significantly, with most survivors having transitioned to full commission. Exceptions included those bound by special contracts requiring ‘contract work,’ or individuals like Li Ziming who had forged deep bonds with regular officers.

  Li Ziming is a prime example, cultivated by Zhao Weiguo through the ‘Prosperity Silk Knot’ programme, ultimately forming an unspoken bond of mutual support. Yun Chenhe, however, clearly does not fall into this category—his capabilities have long transcended the limitations of the Iron Age, having fully mastered the technology for manufacturing breech-loading rifles and understanding how to command armies in the Age of Firearms. Given his standing, many commissioned captains would readily grant him favours upon request. His invitation to Renyu thus carried deeper implications.

  Yet Renyu now faced another awkward predicament—a barrage of piercing stares fixed upon him. His earlier act of ‘supporting the wrong man’ had initially been something the Son of Heaven Covenant's bigwigs weren't inclined to dwell on with a mere passerby. But now that this passer-by had come knocking, the score had to be settled.

  Facing the scrutinising gazes of the assembled officers, Renyu raised his hand weakly in a dismissive wave. ‘Earlier... that was a misunderstanding.’