This game is so weird!

Since most players had headed to the Im Energy Mine, the base was much smaller. Fortunately, the addition of many simulator players and gamers, along with the fact that Colonel Hoffman had brought a number of members from the Security Government Alliance, made the celebration hall less empty.

There was even a group of reporters with long lenses and microphones inside.

Since the day of the incident, humanity has retreated again and again until it was forced to the Jacinto Plateau to launch the Dawn Hammer Project, which gave it a moment to breathe. But it didn't get much rest before the Orcs broke through the granite layer and invaded Efila, the capital of COG on the Jacinto Plateau.

It wasn't until the Photon Missile Project that the Orcs hiding underground were truly dealt a heavy blow, and a turning point arrived.

Therefore, the league leadership decided to highlight this hard-won victory to boost morale and pave the way for a further counterattack.

That's why so many reporters came. Of course, the number of reporters attending the Security Government Alliance celebration far exceeded that at the front-line base.

Night Rain and Black Duck stood excitedly below the stage, their faces flushed, surrounded by reporters who had arrived with Colonel Hoffman, imagining the medal-awarding ceremony that was about to take place.

From childhood to adulthood, their academic performance has been mediocre, and their hobby is playing video games. Even now, as they are about to graduate from university, they have never had such an experience!

The experience was fantastic, with medals awarded in public and reporters taking photos.

They even planned to buy several copies of the newspaper or video as souvenirs once it was published.

See? Mom and Dad, your kid is pretty successful, haha.

Compared to the few players who were still naive college students, the other players were much calmer. Although experiencing the military medal awarding process firsthand was still very attractive, most of their attention was focused on what kind of game effects the medal would bring.

"...Thank you all for your efforts; we have finally ushered in peace!"

Fortunately, neither Leon nor Colonel Hoffman were fond of public speaking, and they quickly finished their speeches before the ceremony began, officially moving on to the medal awarding ceremony.

"Please come up one by one to the stage, the brave warriors who participated in the photon missile program and brought peace to the Jaxintu Plateau."

Black Duck, who had been waiting for a long time, was the first to rush forward. Seeing this, Night Rain and Wooden Fish also followed and stood next to Marcus.

Upon seeing a strange octopus-faced figure approaching, even though Anya had warned her beforehand, the female clerk holding the medal box couldn't help but tremble slightly.

Soon, the 40 players and Team D stood on the makeshift awards stage, feeling the curious and admiring gazes of the spectators. Especially Leah, who was being held by Miley, had eyes that seemed to glow with respect.

In this situation, even Muyu and Ermiao couldn't help but smile slightly, standing on the stage with great joy.

Hoffman and Leon stepped forward from both sides and took out magnetic medals, attaching them to the soldiers' armor one by one.

Halfway there, Li Ang looked at the wooden fish in front of him, now dressed in civilian clothes, and his lips twitched. "Where's your armor?"

"Reporting to the chairman, it was burned black and thrown into the warehouse."

Muyu raised his hand to speak, but the smile in his eyes betrayed his true thoughts.

He had been waiting for this moment since he had seen that it was a magnetic badge, wanting to see if these NPCs had any contingency plans.

"very good."

Seeing that several players around him were paying attention, Li Ang nodded expressionlessly, took out a helmet from his backpack, put it on Muyu's head, and attached the medal to it. "Thank you for sharing for the guild."

"Hahaha!!"

Seeing the wooden fish with a pink helmet covering its head, obscuring its octopus face, Er Miao burst out laughing.

Are you stupid? I told you there are no easy targets among the NPCs in the guild, but you didn't believe me. I just gave you the chest armor, but you didn't wear it. Now look what happened.

Hearing the laughter, he took off his helmet, held it in his hands, and looked at Er Miao with a wooden fish-like expression, shaking the pink helmet in his hands.

"Isn't this just making an extra helmet?"

The players' smiles froze on their faces; it seemed that was indeed the case.

Seeing that the other players were eager to try, Li Ang quickly finished distributing the medals, then pushed them aside and looked at Colonel Hoffman standing in front of Marcus.

After awarding honors to Anya, Dom, and others, Colonel Hoffman stood before Marcus, looking at him without saying a word.

After a long pause, he picked up the medal and affixed it to Marcus's left chest.

"Well done, Phil."

Welcome back.

Marcus nodded, looking at Hoffman's noticeably aged face, his emotions a mix of feelings.

The complex emotions stemming from disobeying military orders, causing the front lines to collapse, and even failing to save his father, have lingered in his mind throughout his years of imprisonment.

Gazing at his superior, who had once admired him and personally ordered his arrest, the emotions that had already festered within him in his imprisonment surged back, leaving him momentarily speechless.

Colonel Hoffman didn't make things difficult. He patted Marcus on the shoulder, turned around, and walked with Leon to the center of the stage. They accepted the drinks offered by the cyborg guards acting as waiters, and standing on the red carpet, he raised his glass and said:

"Let us applaud the heroes on the award platform and the soldiers on the front lines! Victory belongs to humanity!"

"Waaaaaah!!!!"

The homeless people in the field clapped their hands excitedly, shouting loudly with sobs in their voices, their excitement reaching the sky.

After taking a few group photos, the players who received their medals left the stage in twos and threes, opened their chat windows, changed into their new iron-gray and blood-red skins, and went off to show off to their friends. Meanwhile, the gamers, under the expectant gazes of the emulator players, began to enjoy their evening's meal.

Only Colonel Hoffman and a few officials, as well as Leon, Marcus, Anya, and others, remained on the field.

"Gentlemen, we can discuss the details of the cooperation later. For now, let's celebrate this hard-won victory together."

Li Ang pointed to the dining table in the hall and invited them to join him. The simulator players were still waiting for tonight's scores, and the remaining guests on the stage were all VIPs representing double points. Disappointing the players was not his style.

"Okay, let's finish eating and then talk."

Colonel Hoffman nodded and said to the other officials behind him, "You all go and enjoy yourselves, and take a look around. Don't worry, the base is very safe."

I saw some players getting into a fight and drawing their guns, but the guns fell to the ground instantly. Two guards suddenly appeared out of nowhere and took the two away.

Because of this, Hoffman had a lot of confidence in the base's security capabilities, but also harbored some apprehension about the possibility of surveillance.

Given the precedent of the leaked photon missile program, at least no one dares to casually communicate the Alliance's classified information anymore.

Even leaking it to allies is unacceptable.

At the enthusiastic invitation of Li Ang and a chef player named Dudu, Colonel Hoffman hesitated slightly before picking up something that looked like an octopus tentacle, but was actually not, and putting it in his mouth.

"Mmm, it smells delicious! And it's very bouncy."

Feeling the bouncy texture in his mouth, Hoffman looked at the player curiously.

"Fried Predator Tentacles!"

"puff--"

Just as Li Ang was about to pick up the tentacle, he quietly put down his chopsticks and wiped them with a tissue.