The First Step, Becoming Elite

"I reckon that once this fight is over, those monsters will have no choice but to surrender."

On the way to the training grounds, Xu De was still pondering how he might secure one of the available slots.

Beside him, the constant chatter of recruits leaning toward Blue Cosmos filled the air.

"After all, they even blew up Junius themselves just to save their own skins."

Hearing his colleagues nearby, Xu De felt a slight sense of irony in his heart.

This narrative was nothing more than the official line pushed by the Atlantic Federation and Blue Cosmos.

Yet, people around him kept chiming in, and it seemed quite a few actually believed it.

Then again, it made sense; the recruits here had all volunteered, some for the money, some for a future, and the rest to defend a "clean" blue universe.

In short, they had been completely brainwashed by Blue Cosmos.

Ever since the anti-Coordinator faction took power within Blue Cosmos, they had transformed into the mainstream.

However, that was not currently within the scope of Xu De's concerns.

Having no intention to argue, Xu De simply continued speaking to Hans beside him.

"Are you certain there will be a slot this time?"

He remained confident in his own piloting skills.

Having spent two months studying the Moebius manual, the details were still fresh in his mind.

Aside from the troublesome inertia of the space environment, the hardware operations were much like the fighter jets from his previous life.

All in all, his chances were high.

After all, compared to the recruits here, his technical advantage was overwhelming.

"Probably? They want to stimulate the drive of us recruits, after all."

"I heard that if you get selected, you join a space fighter squadron and get officer benefits!"

"By then, plenty of pretty ladies will be looking for us!"

Hans grew more excited as he spoke.

It was hard to tell if he was more interested in the ladies or the officer status.

Xu De didn't dwell on it, instead falling into his own thoughts.

The flight squadrons here were roughly equivalent to the fighter squadrons he once knew, typically consisting of three or four MAs—in this case, the Moebius.

As far as he knew, the Third Fleet currently possessed over two hundred Mistrals and an unknown number of newly produced Moebius units.

The hundred of them were originally slated to be assigned to the 16th and 17th Heavy Unit Wings under the Third Fleet to pilot Mistrals.

The name sounded impressive, but in reality, it was no different from an army's heavy machinery brigade; it wasn't even a proper flight unit.

The Mistrals they would be piloting were ancient relics over a decade old.

But if one could become a Moebius pilot, as Hans had said, it meant intern-level officer benefits.

Starting as a Second Lieutenant—even if the rank wasn't official during the internship—was essentially a leap to the heavens.

"But come to think of it, with only one slot, it's probably impossible for us anyway."

"Besides, piloting that kind of machine on the battlefield is just asking to be focused down."

Before Xu De could respond, Hans sighed and shook his head.

Just as he said, piloting an elite machine on the battlefield would surely draw the concentrated fire of the enemy's Ginn units.

For an average recruit, it would likely lead to an even faster death.

Even if one managed to secure a machine, it didn't mean they could actually perform on the battlefield.

But Xu De was different; he already possessed the skill to pilot fighter jets, and rather than piloting a Mistral and begging the Ginns for mercy, he would rather take his chances in a Moebius.

"I'm going to give it my best shot."

"?"

Hans, who had been hesitant, met Xu De's resolute gaze, and confusion began to bubble up in his heart.

His good brother, who had agreed they would just lay low and go home with their discharge pay, suddenly seemed like a different person...

Still, he didn't try to dissuade him.

Among the hundred people here, many were planning to make a name for themselves.

Xu De and he were both of average ability; even if he had a sudden genetic mutation, he likely wouldn't pass the screening.

Thinking this, Hans shrugged in response to Xu De.

Along the way, most of the others—excluding Xu De—chattered excitedly and noisily, eventually arriving at the familiar training area via the slightly aged corridor.

This training area was massive, easily the size of a football field.

It was more than enough to accommodate the hundred men of their unit and the various training devices.

At the center of this massive training area, three devices resembling simulators had appeared today.

Or rather, they were simulators, specifically for the Moebius.

"I trust you have all heard of these, and know what they are!"

The blonde instructor stood before them, his voice booming across the room.

"Yes, sir!"

The response was not perfectly uniform, but it carried a certain raw, unruly edge.

In the memories of Xu De, such a performance would have been deemed unacceptable, inevitably leading to a harsh reprimand.

However, it was clear that this red-necked instructor did not hold them to high standards of discipline—or perhaps, discipline was simply not a priority here.

As cannon fodder, being able to follow basic orders was enough.

They were nothing more than screws that could be replaced at any moment if they broke.

"Very good!"

The blonde instructor shouted, his neck turning a deep shade of red.

"My requirements are simple!"

"Whoever destroys the most enemy craft in the upcoming mock battles will earn the right to pilot the Moebius!"

"And whoever defeats the current pilot of the Moebius within the next three days will seize that right for themselves!"

Amidst the passionate cheers of the others, Xu De took a deep breath.

All in all, the rules were simple; this was clearly a lure designed to weed out the elite.

The Moebius had only just been introduced, and aside from routine military exercises, every nation in this world was engaging in true space combat for the first time.

It was no surprise that the Federation had set this up to quickly identify and cultivate pilots who excelled in space warfare.

And this was his chance—a chance to fully demonstrate his worth.

Only by showcasing himself and increasing his own value could he climb higher.

Becoming an elite and receiving priority training would allow him to meet more people and find more opportunities in this world.

Therefore, whether for his safety on the battlefield or for his future, he had to secure the Moebius.

As he thought this, the specifications and manual for the Moebius surfaced in his mind.

Whether for the sake of realism or sheer laziness on the part of the designers, the cockpit of the Moebius was not significantly different from the fighter jets of his past life.

Furthermore, with various AI and operating systems to assist, the controls were even simpler.

It was like switching from a manual transmission to an automatic; there shouldn't be any major issues.

The only trouble was that the complexity of the space environment far exceeded that of aerial combat within an atmosphere.

Having once competed to become an astronaut, Xu De understood this deeply.

He still needed to observe the performance of those who went first and analyze more data.

"Aren't you taking this a bit too seriously?"

The two of them stood in line in the center, right in front of the three simulators. Seeing Xu De observing the distant machines with a thoughtful, serious expression, Hans couldn't help but speak up.

"I was just joking earlier."

"It's no big deal if we don't pass; even if there are pretty girls, who knows if we'll live long enough to enjoy it."

As grunts, they should act like grunts; keeping their heads down was the best policy.

Even if they couldn't be heroes, they could at least stay alive.

Seeing Xu De act as if he were truly determined to be a hero, Hans felt a sense of panic.

In contrast, Xu De's attitude remained exceptionally calm.

"Safety is more important than pretty girls."

Xu De replied earnestly.

His face, taut with tension and resolve, carried an inexplicable sense of conviction.

"But becoming a pilot is even less safe..."

"There are so many missiles and defensive cannons out there."

"Hiding behind the World Tree is much safer."

Hans felt exactly as he had back in college when his roommate suddenly started studying hard.

He felt inexplicably panicked, and even a little resentful.

He resented the other for working so hard, making him feel awkward by comparison.

However, Xu De simply shook his head, ignoring these concerns.

"Safety is something you have to fight for yourself."

With that, Xu De turned his gaze back to the simulators in the distance, once again mentally rehearsing the simulation of piloting the Moebius.

If he did not know the plot, perhaps he would have agreed with Hans.

After all, no one expected that PLANT would possess a divine artifact like the Neutron Jammer, capable of disrupting fire-control radar.

With the Neutron Jammer in existence, every single one of them was in danger.

The World Tree could not save them, and they were even less capable of protecting the World Tree.

The best-case scenario for now was to board a Moebius, avoid Le Creuset, and maximize their survival rate.

Of course, the hidden reward condition was to shoot down a Ginn; even if it were just one, the credit would be enough for Xu De to be groomed as an elite.

Taking it one step at a time, the future could always be changed.

"Hey, monkey! This spot is mine!"

Just as Hans was about to retort, a burly man, also a recruit, suddenly and aggressively interjected from behind.

Upon hearing this, several soldiers nearby looked at Xu De and Hans with a sense of schadenfreude.

The burly man was a typical local, his muscles as thick as if he had just stepped off a WWE stage.

He was also the top performer in this company for both physical fitness and simulation battles.

Disdaining the weak and worshipping the strong was not uncommon in the Federation's military.

With their free-spirited style and the prevalence of individual heroism, such people were a dime a dozen.

Bullying was an endless occurrence.

As the top performer in the Mistral simulation battles among the current one hundred recruits, the burly man looked down on Xu De, who stood out in every way.

Xu De did not speak upon hearing this; he merely shrugged and stepped back, yielding the position in front of him.

He was a fighter pilot, not some street-side vegetable; hand-to-hand combat was part of their training, and even if his body wasn't as strong as it used to be, he could subdue this recruit in minutes using technique alone.

But there was no need for that now; his top priority was to secure a Moebius.

As for this guy wanting to cut in line, he couldn't care less; having one more person in front to test the waters was fine by him.

At a time like this, the more one observed, the better one could analyze the movement patterns of the enemy aircraft in the simulator—only a fool would fight to cut in line.