Space Odyssey from Abandoned Mining Space Station

Chapter 651: Chapter 199 Advancement_2

And the time had quickly come to the day of Bai Quan’s promotion ceremony.

Although Chen Ming couldn’t attend, he still needed to pay some attention to the ceremony.

So, he specifically contacted his boss in advance to discuss any matters that might arise.

Of course, even without Chen Ming bringing it up, the boss would certainly inform him at that time.

After all, Chen Ming had a significant aspect to reveal during this ceremony.

With Bai Quan and the related personnel in position.

The promotion ceremony began as scheduled.

However, the actual conferring of the Vice Admiral rank to Bai Quan was only open to relevant military and government personnel, and not many people could witness it.

Nonetheless, the subsequent banquet saw many invited attendees.

Besides the military personnel, there were numerous representatives from companies maintaining cooperation with the military.

Thus, the entire banquet hall was essentially divided into two sides.

One side was solemnly occupied by the people of the Fourteenth Legion, creating a tense and somber atmosphere.

While the side occupied by those collaborating with the Fourteenth Legion had a much livelier atmosphere.

After all, such a banquet is an excellent place for networking; people from different professional spheres meeting each other and discussing business is quite natural.

With the Vice Admiral insignia already affixed to his chest, Bai Quan entered the banquet hall.

The banquet hall’s atmosphere was at its peak.

Yet everyone present was restraining their actions.

After Bai Quan entered the banquet hall, he firstly walked over to the side where the military was seated.

Then he moved on to the side where various forces collaborating with the Fourteenth Legion were concentrated.

Alongside him were a few juniors from within the Fourteenth Legion who Bai Quan had previously mentored.

They were those who stood out from their peers and had already demonstrated talent and practical ability.

They represented the future of the Fourteenth Legion, so they needed to accompany Bai Quan to connect with these collaborators of the Fourteenth Legion.

This included Cheng Xinghe, who had encountered Chen Ming before, and his sister, Cheng Xinghai.

However, Cheng Xinghe was not in great condition, appearing rather dispirited.

This was partly due to him being beaten up by Chen Ming, who had no command experience, and eventually being captured.

Although he remained unaware during the cold storage and hibernation period, it was still manageable, as long as he was still alive.

The main reason for his current state was Bai Quan took him back and personally subjected him to heavy beatings several times, causing him to be demoted repeatedly despite his hard work.

Moreover, upon returning alive, he was assigned some tasks.

He had to personally manage the compensation and follow-up arrangements for all the soldiers who sacrificed due to his previous decisions.

This was the Fourteenth Legion’s rule; every battlefield commander must personally undertake this obligation.

Although this task was troublesome and difficult, for Cheng Xinghe, it wasn’t too terrible; he understood the advantages of doing so.

But Bai Quan had given him an additional extremely troublesome task of overturning already settled matters.

All the intricacies within were exceptionally vexing.

He had heard that this task was stirred up by Chen Ming, making him nearly develop PTSD from hearing Chen Ming’s name.

So when Bai Quan approached Wu An, who was surrounded by many as the core focus, Cheng Xinghe silently bowed his head, feigning ignorance.

In stark contrast, Cheng Xinghe’s sister, Cheng Xinghai, was with him.

Despite also wearing a military uniform, her short hair added to her vitality.

She appeared nothing like the other military personnel at the banquet, instead seeming extremely lively.

She cheerfully walked to the front, pushed through the crowd, and greeted Wu An.

She even pulled her brother, who was feeling embarrassed, over to meet Wu An and greeted him.

Cheng Xinghe knew Wu An’s relationship with Chen Ming was strong, so during the days when Wu An was clearly at their Fourteenth Legion headquarters, he had been avoiding him. But now, avoidance was not possible.

After all, Bai Quan had first led them over to meet Wu An, and following Bai Quan, there was no getting around it.

And those who initially complained about Cheng Xinghai’s slightly unruly actions quickly changed their expressions upon noticing Bai Quan had arrived.

Some abandoned Wu An to crowd around Bai Quan, full of praise for Bai Quan, hoping to engage in conversation with him.

However, they dared not be too forward, as Bai Quan responded to them with a smile, they took the initiative to clear a path leading to Wu An, who they had surrounded earlier.

Originally seated, Wu An graciously stood up to toast Bai Quan.

Bai Quan immediately raised his glass lightly crashing with Wu An’s and said, ”Mr. Wu An, I heard you insisted on personally receiving the gifts when you came this time?”

”Indeed, some things require your personal reception.”

Both their gazes directed towards a corner of the banquet hall, where a box-like object was covered with a cloth.

”How about now?”

”Alright.”

Wu An agreed and together with Bai Quan, proceeded to a corner of the banquet hall amidst a crowd of people.

On the way, Bai Quan suddenly inquired, ”Mr. Wu An, could you reveal slightly what it is in advance?”

”I heard from Chen Ming a few days ago that he would give me a surprise, but since he didn’t come...”