Gao Wu: A centenarian old man, many children and good fortune! Chapter 019

Upon hearing this name, even Xiao Yan’s breathing quickened slightly. A First-Class Valor Medal! This carried too much weight!

“The Alliance is never stingy with brave warriors who perform great deeds. Based on your merits and potential, the Alliance has decided to offer two development paths, each corresponding to different responsibilities and resource allocations. You can choose according to your own wishes.”

He extended two fingers:

“First, join the City Defense Army of our Fourth New Nanjing. Your main responsibilities will be to maintain internal order and security within the city, eradicate low-level mutated beasts or remnants of evil organizations that have infiltrated, and handle internal emergencies. Choosing this path, you can become a Special Warfare Legion Commander, just like Zhao Meng, directly commanding a special warfare detachment of one hundred men, all up to the standard of a Battle General. At the same time, you will be rewarded with 30 million credit points, three thousand Special Merits, and be assigned a detached villa located in the core area of the City Defense Army.”

This path meant stability, power concentrated within the city, and relatively more time to reunite with family.

“Second,” Commander Liu paused, his tone becoming more solemn, “join the ‘Guardians’ sequence, directly under the Alliance.”

“Guardians?” Xiao Yan repeated.

Commander Liu explained: “The ‘Guardians’ are the highest-level strategic force secretly established by the Alliance to cope with increasingly severe external threats, especially high-level mutated beasts and anomalies in the Abyssal Rifts. The Guardians’ mission is to venture deep into the perilous wilderness outside the city, explore intelligence about the Abyssal Rifts, and may even need to coordinate and execute top-secret, cross-city operations through the only remaining, extremely precious satellite communication network.”

“The missions are extremely dangerous, requiring long-term absence from the city, possibly for months or even years. However, correspondingly, the benefits are also the highest. If you choose this path, the Alliance will reward you with 100 million credit points and ten thousand Special Merits! You and your family will reside in a detached villa in the most core area of the city, enjoying the highest security and all conveniences. You yourself will also gain access to some of the Alliance’s top-secret information and fight alongside a ten-person elite squad composed of Rank Nine warriors or higher.”

This path represented glory, top-tier resources, and access to core secrets, but at the cost of immense risk and long-term separation from family.

Commander Liu looked at Xiao Yan, his gaze profound: “City Defense Army, or Guardians. Internal stability, or external expansion. Battle General Xiao Yan, what is your choice?”

The room fell into a brief silence.

Thoughts raced through Xiao Yan’s mind.

100 million credit points.

Ten thousand Special Merits.

The most core area.

Highest authority.

The Guardians sequence sounded incredibly tempting—greater honor, more generous rewards, access to the Alliance’s core secrets…

But this required long-term absence from the city.

Once he left, he wouldn’t be able to stay by Xiu Ying’s side, let alone… continue to procreate.

In contrast, while the initial rewards and military rank of the City Defense Army were slightly inferior, it would allow him to remain in the city, stay with his family, and steadily improve his strength through the system’s feedback.

With a solid foundation, there would be infinite possibilities in the future.

A stable environment would allow this “centenarian” to better expand his lineage, wouldn’t it?

A moment later, Xiao Yan looked up, his eyes gleaming with firm resolve, having already made his choice.

He looked at Commander Liu and said in a deep voice, “Commander, I choose to join the City Defense Army.”

Upon hearing this, a hint of imperceptible regret flashed in Commander Liu’s eyes.

Such a powerful combatant, yet he chose the more stable City Defense Army… His expectations for Xiao Yan had indeed diminished slightly.

He had thought that such a person would crave challenges and greater glory, but unexpectedly chose a relatively conservative path.

However, this was ultimately the other party’s personal choice, and the City Defense Army was equally an indispensable and important force for protecting the city.

“Good.” Commander Liu nodded, his face returning to calm, showing no dissatisfaction. “Since you have made your choice, I respect your decision. The City Defense Army is also a pillar of strength in defending our Fourth New Nanjing. Later, I will arrange for personnel to handle your onboarding procedures, assign your hundred-man team, and their corresponding defense zone. All your benefits will also be implemented as soon as possible.”

He stood up and extended his hand to Xiao Yan again: “Battle General Xiao Yan, welcome to the City Defense Army! I hope you can make even greater contributions to the city’s safety in the future!”

“I will not fail your trust.” Xiao Yan rose and shook hands with Commander Liu again.

…

When Xiao Yan returned to the familiar military family apartment building with Zhao Meng and a squad of stern-faced special forces members, the old neighbors who heard the commotion and peeked out from their doorways were stunned by the sight. Especially seeing Xiao Yan’s much younger face leading the way, and Battle General Zhao Meng respectfully walking beside him, they all gaped, then wisely retreated, not daring to look further.

As Xiao Yan reached his own door, the heavy alloy door was abruptly pulled open from the inside.

Li Xiuying, her face pale, was tightly cradling a sleepy-eyed Little Xiuyun, who seemed disturbed by the commotion outside and was looking out anxiously.

When she saw the familiar yet unfamiliar figure outside the door, and the group of powerful-looking soldiers behind him, Li Xiuying’s expression underwent a series of complex and rapid changes: from extreme worry and fear, to instant ecstasy and relief upon seeing Xiao Yan, then to bewilderment and tension at the appearance of Zhao Meng and the others.

“Hu… Husband!” Her voice trembled, and her eyes instantly reddened. She wanted to rush forward, still holding the child.

“Xiuying, don’t rush, I’m back.” Xiao Yan quickly stepped forward, steadying her, and at the same time gently stroked his daughter’s soft hair, softly comforting her, “It’s okay, it’s all over.”

Feeling the warmth from her husband’s hand and his steady presence, the worry that had plagued Li Xiuying all day finally subsided. But seeing Battle General Zhao Meng and the armed soldiers nearby, she was still a bit flustered. She quickly hugged the child and bowed slightly: “General Zhao…”

“Hello, sister-in-law!” Zhao Meng quickly returned a military salute, a warm smile on his face. He said to Li Xiuying, “Old Xiao is blessed, and now his strength has greatly increased. From now on, sister-in-law and niece’s lives will surely get better and better! I still have military duties, so I won’t bother you further.”

He turned to Xiao Yan and saluted again: “Old Xiao, you should rest well and comfort your family first. I will send a dedicated person to handle the subsequent procedures and arrangements. If anything comes up, feel free to contact me with that communicator.”

“Okay, thank you, Old Zhao.” Xiao Yan nodded.

Zhao Meng said no more, gestured to the special forces members behind him, and the group moved in unison, turning and swiftly departing, their footsteps fading down the corridor.

Xiao Yan closed the heavy front door, shutting out everything from the outside.

Only their family of three remained in the room.

Without outsiders, Li Xiuying could no longer hold back. Tears streamed down her face. She buried her face in Xiao Yan’s chest, hugging him tightly, as if to confirm that he was truly there before her eyes.

Little Xiuyun in her arms seemed to sense her mother’s emotions and also cried out, “Wah!”

“Alright, alright, don’t cry, it’s all over.” Xiao Yan hugged his wife with one arm and gently patted his daughter’s back with the other, softly comforting them, “Didn’t I come back perfectly fine? Not a single scratch.”

After a while, Li Xiuying finally stopped crying. She lifted her swollen eyes and carefully examined Xiao Yan, feeling both heartache and lingering fear: “You scared me to death! The news said the Social Security Bureau was a mess… You… are you really not hurt?”

“Really not.” Xiao Yan cupped her face and looked into her eyes seriously, “Not only am I not hurt, but I even gained from this misfortune and made some contributions.”

He settled Li Xiuying and Little Xiuyun on the sofa, then briefly recounted what had happened at the Social Security Bureau, as well as his rewards and joining the City Defense Army.

Li Xiuying listened, wide-eyed and with her mouth slightly agape, completely stunned by her husband’s thrilling experiences and the enormous change in his identity within just two short days.

From a centenarian Rank Nine veteran, he had transformed into a battle-hardened extraordinary Battle General, and even a high-ranking officer in the City Defense Army?

“So…” Li Xiuying took a while to process it all, then grasped the main point and asked uncertainly, “Are we… are we moving? Moving to that… detached villa?”

“Yes.” Xiao Yan nodded. “It’s a reward from the Alliance, located in the core area of the City Defense Army. Security will be better, and it’s spacious, convenient for our Xiuyun to run around and play later.”

“Moving?!” Upon hearing this, Li Xiuying’s first reaction wasn’t surprise. Instead, she suddenly stood up and said somewhat flustered, “Then… then we need to quickly pack! All our things from so many years, and Xiuyun’s toys, milk powder… Oh, how long will this take to pack? You didn’t even say anything earlier!”

Watching his wife’s flustered, instinctively ready-to-start-tidying-up movements, Xiao Yan felt both annoyed and amused, yet also filled with warmth.

He stepped forward, placed his hands on her shoulders, and made her sit back down. Looking at her cheeks, slightly flushed from excitement and panic, he said gently, “Silly girl, we don’t need to pack ourselves.”

“Ah? We don’t need to pack?” Li Xiuying was stunned.

“Hmm.” Xiao Yan smiled and said, “These matters will naturally be handled by dedicated personnel. They will move all our belongings to the new house, completely intact. We just need to go there ourselves.”

Li Xiuying stared blankly at Xiao Yan, at the certainty and matter-of-factness in his eyes, at the invisible aura of strength and authority emanating from him.

She then belatedly nodded, realizing that their lives were truly different now, completely different.

…

At night, Little Xiuyun had long since fallen asleep to her mother’s gentle humming. Li Xiuying softly closed the bedroom door and saw Xiao Yan standing in the center of the living room, slowly practicing the set of “Military Tai Chi” that she had seen countless times.

Under the lamplight, Xiao Yan’s figure was graceful and steady, his movements still fluid and smooth. But Li Xiuying keenly sensed a difference. Before, watching her husband practice, she only felt a sense of stability and power, carrying the robustness of a soldier. Now, however, every move he made seemed to contain something deeper, more profound, and more immense. With every gesture, he seemed to stir the subtle flow of the surrounding air, carrying an indescribable charm.

After finishing the set of forms, Xiao Yan slowly concluded his movements, exhaling a long, white plume of air.

This plume of air, condensed and substantial under the light, slowly dissipated into the air after several seconds.

“Hoo…” Xiao Yan felt the surging energy flowing within him, which was slowly guided by the Tai Chi, and his brows subtly furrowed.

It’s not enough.

This set of “Military Tai Chi,” which had accompanied him for most of his life, helped him build a solid foundation, and even played a crucial role at the breakthrough point, was now clearly insufficient for him.

Warrior-level cultivation methods focused on harmonizing qi and blood, and refining the physical body.

But now he had stepped into the extraordinary realm, and the energy flowing within him was purer and more powerful. Continuing to use this old cultivation method to guide and cultivate it was like trying to use a narrow stream bed to contain the surging Yangtze River—not only was it inefficient, but it could even cause damage to his meridians due to improper guidance.

He needed a higher-level cultivation method—a method truly suitable for extraordinary beings, for Battle Generals!

Moreover, it wasn’t just about the cultivation method. While the “Military Dragon Subduing Fist” was fierce and domineering, for a Battle General, it was also somewhat crude, relying more on brute strength and fist intent. To maximize the extraordinary power, a complementary combat technique that could perfectly guide and unleash energy was also essential.

Strength! He urgently needed to improve his strength now!

He didn’t want to wait a single minute!

He planned to first browse the Alliance’s internal resource library to see what Battle General-level cultivation methods and combat techniques were available.

Although the rewards hadn’t arrived yet, it was always good to know in advance.

However, just then.

“Ding!”

A clear, pleasant notification sound came from his personal terminal on his wrist.

Xiao Yan raised his hand and saw two messages pop up on the screen:

[Alliance Ministry of Finance: Esteemed Battle General Xiao Yan, the 30, 000, 000 (thirty million) credit points awarded for your outstanding contributions have been transferred to your account. Please check.]

[Alliance Merit Management Department: Esteemed Battle General Xiao Yan, the 3000 Special Merits awarded for your outstanding contributions have been recorded. You may use them in the Alliance’s internal network resource library and exchange platform.]