Medal for a New Recruit

On his way to report to the military district, the recruit Alexander Bennett sees a school bus go into a river. He goes into the water with another soldier to pull people out. Close to drowning himself, he awakens the Super Soldier System, and the skill it gives him, "Dragon in Water," keeps him alive and lets him bring the others up. Thirteen people come out of the bus. He arrives late for enlistment. A video of the rescue has spread and the bus driver vouches for him, so he is processed anyway. At the recruit camp he leads the training. He holds attention without moving, memorizes at speed, strips weapons blindfolded, and his skills keep accumulating, from command presence to cooking. During live-fire drills he uses ballistic calibration and hits an enemy reconnaissance plane, which is enough to keep his comrades from being cut from the unit. He is awarded a first-class merit citation. He also acts to save a fellow recruit who sleepwalks.