From the 7th Steel Company to the Synthetic Division

Watching Liao Bo speak with such enthusiasm, Chen Jun felt a rather strange sensation.

To hear your own legend from someone else, and to be genuinely admired by that person, is like having someone brag to you.

This was truly a first for Chen Jun in his life; he felt a great sense of accomplishment, but also a little amused.

The atmosphere had already reached this point, so Chen Jun couldn't very well step forward and admit it. He could only go along with the provocative words and say, "Now that you mention it, it really is pretty awesome."

"It's a pity, I'm in special forces, all I do every day is train, train, train, train. I never get to fight, and I probably won't have that chance in my lifetime."

Chen Jun was telling the truth.

To be eligible for an honorary title, one must have made significant contributions to the country.

Even if a special forces soldier trains to the point of being able to fly and teleport, at best he'll just be a top-notch soldier, with some influence in the field, able to participate in competitions and win some awards.

Even if a real war breaks out, a single special forces soldier can only affect a local battle at most.

It's absolutely impossible to have the opportunity to obtain a nationally recognized honorary title.

Liao Bo himself was well aware of what Chen Jun had said about how incredibly difficult it was for a special forces soldier to obtain an honorary title; he had never heard of anyone achieving it since the founding of the People's Republic of China.

However, to keep the conversation going, Liao Bo continued to encourage him, saying, "Life is a long time, who knows what will happen next?"

Since you were qualified to attend the award ceremony this time, who knows, next time you might be the one going up on stage to receive an award.

"Haha, then thank you for your kind words."

Chen Jun stopped playing the victim and genuinely accepted Liao Bo's wise words, hoping for a miracle tomorrow so he could receive the honorary title.

If we can actually get it, everything after that will become much simpler.

……

Liao Bo is indeed a very sociable person. He chatted briefly with Chen Jun at the dinner table and found that Chen Jun was very much to his liking. After the meal, Liao Bo took the initiative to invite Chen Jun for a walk.

Chen Jun also wanted to visit this "supreme hall" and, incidentally, get to know the future "research institute bigwig".

He readily accepted Liao Bo's invitation.

The two strolled around the "Four Headquarters Office Area," getting a good look at this mysterious "Military W Compound," while chatting about all sorts of things related to the military.

Before they knew it, an hour or two had passed, and the two found themselves increasingly sharing similar interests.

We've officially become ordinary friends!
After a walk to digest their food, the two returned to the guesthouse and went to their respective rooms, each filled with anticipation for the award ceremony, spending this unforgettable night.

the next day.

Through Liao Bo's introduction, Chen Jun got to know some people from other organizations.

Some came from a research team at a military factory, some from a military academy, some from research institutes, and some from organizations that were not comfortable disclosing their affiliations.

There are more than a dozen things to do next year, and I'll basically spend the whole day networking and building connections.

have to say.

Liao Bo really has the talent of a "social butterfly". He didn't know any of these people before he came here, but in just two days he made friends with dozens of young talents of similar age.

Chen Jun's social skills are really not as good as his. He can get to know more than a dozen outstanding young military industry talents in a day. He really has to thank Liao Bo.

I got to know so many people in the military industry, and I even managed to get their personal phone numbers or their company's external contact numbers.

Chen Jun believes that the people he knows will definitely play a significant role in the future.

The crucial third day has arrived.

The award ceremony was officially held on this day, and everyone went to the auditorium of the August 1st Building one after another and took their seats according to the positions arranged by the staff.

"Hey? Isn't that Chen Jun? Why is he sitting in the front?"

Liao Bo had just sat down when he noticed that one of the people in the second row from the front was Chen Jun, whom he had just met. He was immediately puzzled.

Liao Bo has met a lot of people in the past few days, talked to all sorts of people, and gained a lot of information.

Some of them have attended the award ceremony more than once and are very familiar with many of the rules and unspoken rules of the ceremony, knowing that the seating arrangement is very particular.

The first three rows of seats below the dais are not for just anyone.

That's the VIP section!
Those who are able to sit in the first three rows are either high-ranking leaders from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China or have a close relationship with the award recipients.

Liao Bo and Chen Jun had talked for a long time before, and Liao Bo learned that Chen Jun came from the special forces.

There were no special forces personnel on the list of award winners.

Liao Bo was certain of this.

Therefore, Liao Bo naturally assumed that Chen Jun, who was also invited to watch the ceremony, must have been seated at the back, just like him.

It's even possible that they'll sit further back than him, or even at the very back.

After all, the transfer came from the research institute, and the R&D personnel who participated in the development of national-level projects had a much higher status than Chen Jun.

It's not that Liao Bo looks down on Chen Jun; it's just that the rules and regulations are set up that way.

The results are better now.

Liao Bo had always thought that Chen Jun should sit in the back, but now he was sitting in the second row in front, while the first row was occupied by high-ranking leaders from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

In other words, Chen Jun's position in this ceremony was only slightly lower than that of these high-ranking leaders.

Moreover, information collected by Liao Bo shows that...

Usually, those sitting in the second row are people who have come to receive awards, or people related to the award recipients.

"Chen Jun is a special forces soldier from the special forces unit. There are no special forces soldiers on the list of award winners, but he is sitting in the award recipient's seat. That's strange."

If he hadn't truly been stumped and only come up with one conclusion after thinking for a long time, he would have felt that the possibility was slightly higher.

That person on the award list has a very special relationship with Chen Jun. It is because of this relationship that Chen Jun was able to sit in the second row.

Otherwise, this is the only possibility I can think of, and it's the only possibility that can make sense.

otherwise……

It was a lie told by Chen Jun; he didn't tell the truth.

These were the only two things Liao Bo could think of.

However, the diaper felt that the latter guess was unlikely, since Chen Jun was a stranger to him at this point, and there was no need for him to lie to him.

Therefore, the most likely possibility is the first one: Chen Jun has a close relationship with a certain award recipient.

"Oh, this is so strange. I wish I could go up and ask. Not being able to get an answer is making me so anxious and restless. It's so frustrating."

Liao Bo really wanted to rush to the front and ask Chen Jun, but in such a high-profile setting, he didn't dare to wander around carelessly.

As far as the eye can see, there are golden stars everywhere.

The pressure is immense.

Therefore, no matter how anxious Liao Bo was, he could only suppress his feelings and think about asking Chen Jun after the award ceremony.

It was 8:50 a.m.

The huge auditorium of the August 1st Building was already filled with specially invited representatives from various units, leaving only the stage empty.

This auditorium has a very unique design and can be adjusted to various modes according to needs. There is a standard meeting mode for relevant work meetings and reports across the entire military, which can accommodate 1000-1100 people simultaneously, using a classroom-style layout with 1.2m aisle spacing.

The venue is designed for foreign affairs activities and can accommodate 400-500 people. It features a layout that includes roundtable discussions and a simultaneous interpretation equipment area.

The emergency operational meeting mode is specifically designed to handle or respond to major crises, accommodating approximately 600 people, with a U-shaped table and command terminal seating arrangement.

and many more.

Various models.

Today's setup is a medal-awarding ceremony, featuring a theater-style layout with a second-floor corridor and additional seating, capable of accommodating up to 1500 people for the ceremony.

However, the layout today is relatively spacious, only accommodating a little over 1,200 people.

There are about 40 rows of seats from front to back, with an average of 35 seats per row. The more than 200 empty seats have been repurposed.

The first row is 8 meters away from the stage, which is a necessary safety precaution, sacrificing 200 seats.

The simultaneous interpretation booth and control room used in the technical support area occupy about 150 square meters of space on the right, which is equivalent to occupying 100 positions.

Chen Jun sat on the far right of the second row, about ten meters away from the podium.

The first row in front of him was already full. Although Chen Jun didn't recognize any of them, he did recognize the ranks on their shoulders.

The minimum is one gold flower, and the maximum is three gold flowers.

The school officers have no right to sit here!
The second row has a more varied rank, covering all three levels of military ranks, with the highest being a junior officer and the lowest being just a captain.

Chen Jun, who holds the rank of lieutenant colonel, is in the lower middle tier of this group.

The third row behind Chen Jun's row actually had higher ranks than the second row; they were mostly field officers, with seven or eight generals among them.

"Hey, that's really strange. Why is the third row of officers generally of higher rank than the second row? And why was I assigned to the second row?"

Chen Jun was completely baffled and didn't really understand the ins and outs of this.

He doesn't have Liao Bo's strong interpersonal skills.

Moreover, awarding ceremonies for honorary titles is usually highly confidential, and outside reports are very brief, rarely mentioning the details.

Even though Chen Jun had been a soldier for several lifetimes, he was completely unaware of these details.

After all, although he had done well in his previous lives, the highest rank he ever reached was senior colonel, and he had never experienced the top levels of the pyramid.

It's perfectly normal not to know about these top-level matters.

Chen Jun pondered for a long time, unable to figure out the reason, but he had a vague feeling that the second row must be extraordinary.

"Does that mean everyone in the second row is an award winner?"

When Chen Jun thought of this possibility, his heart suddenly burned with excitement. The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed, and he couldn't wait to find out.

Thinking of the colonel who was around forty years old sitting next to him, Chen Jun couldn't help but think to himself, "Are all the people in this row award recipients? If I just ask the colonel sitting to my left if he's here to receive an award, the answer will be obvious."

Chen Jun praised himself for his cleverness and immediately turned to look at the colonel on his left.

Under the colonel's questioning gaze, Chen Jun was about to ask him a question when he was interrupted by a command over the loudspeaker before he could even speak.

"stand up!!"

As soon as the loud command came over the loudspeaker, all the more than a thousand people in the ceremony hall stood up immediately.

Once all the more than a thousand delegates were standing upright, the door to the right of the rostrum was opened.

A group of people strode out.

The person leading the way was a three-star officer, and those following behind were almost all two-star officers, except for a very few who seemed to be staff members with lower ranks.

Chen Jun immediately recognized the Samsung leader walking at the front.

He is Lee Wei-cheng, the current National Defense Chief.

Once the high-ranking officials presiding over the award ceremony had taken their seats on the stage, the ceremony officially began.

Chen Jun, with a mix of skepticism and anticipation, savored this rare life experience.

The core procedures of the ceremony began to proceed step by step.

The first phase is the military honor guard.

The honor guards took their positions.

The 96-member guard of honor from the three services marched in, then stopped people as they walked, lining up on both sides of the red carpet.

The spacing between each person is exactly the same.

During the procession of the honor guard, the "Strong Army Battle Song" was played simultaneously, performed by the 1st Detachment of the PLA Military Band, at a tempo of 112.

Slightly slower than the original 120, but more solemn and sacred.

Then came the flag-raising ceremony.

The Party flag, the national flag, and the military flag entered the venue in sequence. The flagpole was exactly 7.1 meters high, reflecting the date July 1st and symbolizing the birth of the Party.

The whole process lasted more than ten minutes, but it didn't seem complicated at all.

At least Chen Jun thoroughly enjoyed watching it.

This experience is absolutely amazing.

After completing the first phase in about ten minutes, the ceremony officially began. Next, we moved on to the core phase of the ceremony—

The order is read aloud!

Every time Li Weizheng announced a name of an honorary title, one or a group of people in the second row would show an irrepressible joy on their faces.

Chen Jun noticed that everyone he saw was in the second row, and his heart couldn't help but burn even hotter.

Because he was also sitting in the second row!!

Under this intense anticipation, time, which usually passed quickly, became unusually slow, with each second feeling like a year.

Five people in a row had already been eliminated, and it wasn't them. There were only three spots left.

Chen Jun couldn't help but get anxious.

An uncontrollable anxiety and urgency.

Even if he had spent several lifetimes in the military, and even if his mindset had been tempered to be very mature, he simply couldn't calm down in this kind of situation.

Time passed slowly, each second feeling like an eternity, amidst this agonizing torment.

Until the last name was called...

"Comrade Chen Jun is awarded the 'Reform Pioneer Medal'..."

Hearing his name finally called, Chen Jun's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was completely relieved at that moment, and his tense face was finally filled with a smile.

The highest honor is represented by an honorary title.

He, Chen Jun, got it!!! (End of Chapter)