Maliu's Appearance

"But if you've got energy to burn, I think it'd be faster to just find yourself a pretty girl."

"I'm sure plenty of people have been asking for your contact info lately, right?"

Hans opened the training cockpit and muttered in a muffled voice.

"Mm."

Xu De nodded, having already selected his mobile suit and the simulation scenario.

Without seeming to hear a word, he beckoned to Hans with a flick of his finger.

"Let's train!"

"...Fine."

Unable to refuse his good brother, Hans slumped his shoulders listlessly.

It's over; his brother couldn't have swung the other way, could he?

Training time passed quickly as they buried themselves in the effort.

Walking down the corridor toward the mess hall, breathing in the slightly stale air, Xu De's presence didn't attract much attention.

This place was packed with personnel from three entire fleets.

Their group of one hundred recruits wasn't particularly eye-catching.

Even though Xu De had become the top performer among the hundred, it remained the same.

No one was going to go out of their way to publicize it.

After all, even if he was a Natural-born superman, he was from East Asia.

To them, while whether one was a Coordinator or not was the new standard for categorization, that didn't mean the old standards had ceased to exist.

His existence was destined not to be heavily promoted by the military.

However, Xu De didn't mind.

People fear fame just as pigs fear being fat; having no reputation was, in fact, a form of protection.

It was enough that the people who needed to know were aware of his capabilities.

As for the others, whether they were informed or not was irrelevant.

"Say, isn't the air quality in here getting even worse?"

Hans grumbled in a low voice.

"Well, it is a decades-old antique, after all."

This slightly flippant remark didn't come from Xu De, but from a young man who had caught up to them from behind.

Beside the young man walked a beautiful, mature woman.

This maturity wasn't just reflected in her bright, vivid features, but also in her devilish figure.

Both of them were commissioned officers.

Xu De didn't let himself be distracted by the somewhat familiar-looking woman for too long; he simply raised his hand in a salute.

"Officers!"

"Mm, no need for formalities."

"You must be Xu De, right?"

The young man asked, his face wearing such a frivolous expression that it was hard to get a read on him.

"Yes!"

Xu De replied loudly.

"Pleasure to meet you. Lieutenant Libby of the 28th Flight Squadron, Third Fleet, under Lieutenant Colonel Revil."

"And this is Second Lieutenant Maliu Ramias of the Special Operations Division."

Acknowledging Xu De's gesture, the lieutenant nodded and spoke.

Hearing this, Xu De's heart skipped a beat.

He hadn't expected to run into Maliu here.

However, the Special Operations Division was responsible for everything from research to logistics.

Considering this major war would be the first true combat test for the Moebius on the front lines, it made sense for Maliu to be here.

"Hello, Libby has told me about you."

Maliu said with a smile.

Her bright features became even more charming under that smile.

"The honor is mine."

Xu De spoke.

"Maliu, let's go, time to eat."

Seeing the posture of the two, Libby took a step closer to Maliu and smiled.

"Hmm..."

Maliu stepped back, avoiding Libby's approach before turning to leave.

Libby did not immediately chase after her, instead casting a glance at him before turning to walk away.

"Are they a couple? That Second Lieutenant is quite the looker, isn't she?"

Hans said, watching the two depart.

"Perhaps."

The gaze of that man just now carried a coldness that differed from his outward appearance.

His furrowed brows clearly showed his dissatisfaction.

They might be called a couple, but it was obvious he was still in the pursuit phase, and it wasn't going very smoothly.

However, that was none of his business.

"But I reckon you'll be joining their ranks soon enough, Xu."

"We'll see when we get there."

Xu De shrugged and continued.

"Let's go, those animals eat like they're drinking water; if we're late, there'll only be salad left."

As Xu De spoke, he followed along toward the mess hall.

"It's the same few things anyway, coming and going."

Hans grumbled, not dwelling on the two from earlier.

Food in space wasn't great; most of the time it was sandwiches, chicken, salad, and yogurt sets.

It wasn't because of a lack of funds.

It was because the mess hall was located in a part of the old space station.

Specifically, the part that existed before the Lunar City was built.

There was no artificial gravity.

Food that wasn't solid tended to float everywhere.

"If only there were private rooms for officers, then we could order off a menu."

Hans said, looking at Xu De with eager eyes.

"Even commissioned officers can only order their own rations."

Xu De replied, speechless.

"I just wanted you to show me the ropes, what kind of person do you take me for, Hans!"

"A starving ghost?"

Xu De replied without missing a beat.

"Screw you."

The two traded barbs and jokes, and two days passed by in a flash.

It was a typical Friday, and just as Xu De was thinking about heading to sleep after training, the sudden blaring of an alarm shattered his drowsiness.

"Coming at this hour, they look like they mean business."

There was only one day left until the seven-day mark, and ZAFT had actually chosen to attack during the early morning hours when they were at their most exhausted.

They used Atlantic time for space, so it wasn't hard to determine.

"First combat alert, all combat personnel are to report to their stations immediately."

"Repeating..."

As the voice echoed throughout the World Tree, Xu De blended into the chaotic crowd and quickly found his station.

After swallowing a stimulant pill in the cockpit, Xu De activated the system.

By now, the military public channel was already flooded with messages.

In short, ZAFT had directly wiped out their advance reconnaissance team, causing a delay in intelligence transmission.

Now, they were only about two hours away from entering each other's firing range.

Furthermore, the number of warships in this ZAFT offensive was in the dozens; they had definitely assembled the bulk of ZAFT's total strength.

Although the number was still not as high as their three main fleets, twelve combat groups, and four garrison forces combined.

It was definitely a fight to the death.

"Both sides have their own schemes."

"It is a pity that the Atlantic is too eager for quick success, though they are merchants after all."

Xu De sighed with emotion before pulling his focus back.

No matter who won, the benefits would only go to the upper echelons of both sides.

It had nothing to do with a small fry like him.

What he needed to do now was not to weigh these gains and losses, but to survive the battlefield and, if possible, rack up a merit or two.

Then, he would follow the main force to the Moon and make further plans.

Just as Xu De was preparing to initiate a system self-check, his communication channel was patched through.

"Corporal Xu De, this should be your first time piloting a Moebius. Do you need assistance with the system self-check?"

A beautiful, clear female voice echoed through Xu De's cockpit.

With a hint of magnetism, this was a voice he was very familiar with.

"Troubling you, Commander."

"No need for that; maintaining the Moebius is part of my job."

"But do you still remember me?"

Maliu asked with curiosity.

The gloom of the encroaching enemy army in his heart dissipated by a few degrees.

To have the other party remember his name after only meeting once.

Especially when she was someone who appeared to be a haughty elite.

This was a significant satisfaction for his vanity.