Do You Know Xu De?

Bella was talking with Cook.

Revil, who had heard them from the other side, gaped in shock. He looked at Xu De with a mix of confusion and admiration.

"You look so honest, kid. When did you manage to win her over?"

Seeing the girl still acting coy, Revil hurriedly whispered in Xu De's ear.

"...Sir, if I'd won her over, wouldn't she recognize me?"

Xu De explained helplessly.

"She's probably with the Garrison Force. I guess I saved her."

"You little—"

Looking at the youthful, obviously well-connected young woman across from him, Revil didn't know what to say.

He'd thought two Ginns were already the limit, but now there was another one—and this one might be worth even more than a Ginn.

He had no idea what kind of connections the girl had.

But judging by how carefully Cook treated her, her family clearly had some influence.

"I'm busy right now. Once they've finished their meeting, I'll help you look for him."

Cook was explaining himself to the girl with a helpless expression.

"You're lying! You never intended to look!"

Bella glared at the man. His gentle words weren't fooling her.

She knew what Cook meant.

He clearly didn't think Xu De could survive a fight with a Ginn. He'd already written him off as dead.

But what if he wasn't dead?

What if Xu De was only injured?

What if he was waiting for someone to rescue him?

After all, he'd saved her without hesitation. She might be mischievous, but she still had a sense of decency.

"Bella... take a look at what's happening outside."

Cook helplessly gestured toward the window.

Mistral crews were everywhere, repairing their ships, which kept exploding or losing power.

At the same time, they were salvaging valuables from the wreckage scattered through space.

In short, they were swamped.

Xu De might look like he had time on his hands, but without his military achievements, they'd have been called in to work overtime too.

"Look around. Who has time to search for a member of the Garrison Force?"

Cook's tone grew a little more forceful.

It wasn't that he couldn't search. It was just that the Xu De the girl kept talking about wasn't important enough.

"You..."

Seeing the girl's eyes grow red, Cook sighed helplessly.

He seemed about to say something when his gaze was drawn to the young man in front of him.

"Um, Corporal, do you know Xu De?"

They were all from East Asia, so Cook's question was perfectly natural.

"Reporting, sir. I do."

After a brief silence, Xu De finally spoke, under Revil's increasingly eager gaze.

"Really?"

Relief finally showed on Cook's face. But the girl beside him stared blankly at Xu De's voice, as if only now noticing that a young man from East Asia was there—and that his voice faintly matched the one in her memory.

"Can you get in touch with him?"

Cook asked.

"Um... Lieutenant Colonel Cook, Xu De is my subordinate."

Revil, finally able to hold his head high, looked thoroughly pleased with himself. As he spoke, he patted Xu De on the shoulder.

He looked less like a subordinate and more like a brother.

"It really is you!"

At Revil's words, Cook hadn't even recovered from the shock when Bella, now certain of Xu De's identity, kicked off with her slender legs and propelled herself toward him in the zero-gravity environment.

"..."

Quick to react, Xu De hurriedly reached out with both hands.

His palms touched her rounded shoulders, snugly encased in her flight suit.

Warmth spread through him, but Xu De remained calm, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

"Miss Bella, be careful."

"Ah... okay..."

Meeting the young man's gentle gaze, Bella blushed even more.

She'd imagined what her Prince Charming might look like, but facing his handsome, resolute, and gentle expression, she still couldn't stop her heart from racing.

Even her shoulders, touched by Xu De through her flight suit, felt scorching hot. The heat seemed to flow through her veins straight to her heart.

Seeing Bella looking so smitten, Cook finally snapped out of it and coughed loudly.

"Ahem!"

His booming voice echoed through the lounge, finally drawing the girl's runaway heart back into place.

"I never expected this... You're Xu De."

"But Revil, why did you bring him here?"

Cook couldn't quite manage to keep the coldness on his face anymore. He spoke with suspicion instead.

He looked like a wealthy relative, suspecting that someone from another branch of the family was trying to curry favor.

"Why don't you ask Xu De how he made it back in one piece?"

Revil lifted his chin and spoke with an air of pride.

"Don't tell me he shot down a Ginn?"

Cook asked.

"Not quite. He only shot one down and captured another."

"???"

Cook had only been making conversation, but at that answer, his eye twitched. He looked as if his CPU were about to overheat.

"Xu De, you're amazing!"

Unlike Cook, Bella readily believed Xu De's achievement. Stars practically sparkled in her deep brown eyes.

As the two of them reacted in completely different ways,

Revil proudly gave a brief account of what had happened.

Xu De felt no particular excitement or smugness. He remained as composed as ever.

Revil really was a good guy. He'd probably kept quiet earlier because he was worried Cook might take advantage of them. But after seeing Bella's attitude, Revil had clearly changed his approach.

In that respect, Xu De could trust his commanding officer more, too.

Meanwhile, Cook's earlier contempt had vanished. Genuine surprise filled his eyes as he looked at Xu De.

He never would have imagined that this new recruit, in his first battle—a war in which the whole nation had been committed—could have achieved something like this.

The world was descending into chaos, and all kinds of heroes were beginning to emerge.

Cook didn't know whether Xu De would make it to the end, but he put away every trace of the contempt he'd felt earlier.

He wasn't fawning over Xu De, but neither did he look down on him anymore.

Then Cook turned to Bella beside him.

As expected, now that she'd heard the details of Xu De's achievements, her face had grown even redder.

Fine. Let her family worry about her.

Cook grumbled to himself. He didn't bother with the lovestruck girl any further, instead straightening his face and saying,

"I can pass along your request. Whether the admiral agrees to see you is beyond my control."

"Sorry for the trouble."

Revil nodded in satisfaction, and Xu De saluted.

Seeing Xu De's polite manner, Cook's expression softened a little. He stood up and said,

"Come with me."

"All right."