Success and Failure

"Xu De, I hear you're quite strong."

Not long after returning to their Drake-class ship, Xu De ran into Lieutenant Libby in the corridor.

At this moment, the lieutenant, who usually carried himself with high spirits, looked rather weary, and his arm was wrapped tightly in bandages.

"Sir, it was just luck."

Xu De replied with his customary modesty.

"Luck..."

Upon hearing this, Libby's mouth twitched as if he had been provoked by something.

Thinking of how he hadn't managed to shoot down a single Ginn, and comparing that to the person before him—someone he had once overlooked—along with the man's indifferent expression, he felt a sting.

It felt as if their roles had been reversed, as if Xu De were the one standing above him.

This thought, mixed with the pent-up resentment and frustration accumulated on the battlefield, caused Libby to step forward.

"You coward! You have this kind of strength, yet you ran to the rear to save your own skin!"

The jealousy in Libby's eyes seemed ready to turn into a raging fire to incinerate the youth before him.

If... if he had been in the rear, he surely could have achieved such results as well.

To Libby, who aspired to be a hero, Xu De's existence made him feel as though he had been demoted from a hero to a commoner.

"Do you know how many of our men died!!!"

"I do."

Xu De met the other man's gaze without flinching.

Libby wanted to stand on the moral high ground and condemn him, to lecture him thoroughly.

But if Xu De could have truly prevented the deaths of those who fell earlier, he would have done so.

Besides, as a newcomer, if he had truly joined the fray, would they have even accepted him?

Looking at Libby's attitude, it was clear that was impossible.

The elites here were all proud.

They felt they were different from ordinary people, and in the eyes of Libby and his peers, the former Xu De was nothing but an ordinary person.

If he had been forced to follow their orders, he might have died even faster.

Therefore, he did not regret his decision.

"But even if I had joined, what could I have done?"

Xu De asked.

"Or does the Lieutenant think I have the ability to turn the tide of the battle?"

"..."

Stung into silence by Xu De's retort, Libby's face turned beet red.

His internal rage was clearly about to explode due to his verbal defeat.

Xu De took a step back; though his posture remained unchanged, he was prepared for any sudden move from the other man.

Just as the atmosphere grew heavy and ready to snap, it was interrupted by a deep, resonant voice.

"That's enough."

Revil walked over from around the corner.

"Lieutenant Libby, go back and rest."

"But!"

"Lieutenant Libby!"

Revil's voice boomed, drowning out Libby's shout.

"...Yes, sir."

Meeting Revil's gaze, which possessed the natural, imposing authority of a lion, Libby shot one last resentful glare at Xu De before turning to leave.

"He's just anxious."

Revil watched Libby's retreating back, speaking slowly only after he had disappeared from sight.

"I know."

Xu De nodded.

He didn't want to make enemies, but he wasn't afraid of them either.

Watching Xu De's unchanging expression, Revil sighed again.

His subordinates were too impatient; in truth, if Libby hadn't lost his composure on the battlefield, he might have achieved some results and reduced their losses.

His simulator scores were top-tier, and his usual performance was fine, but he hadn't expected the man's reaction to sudden, unexpected situations to be so poor.

Of course, Revil had no intention of telling Xu De any of this.

As for Libby, he would deal with that when the time came.

With that thought, Revil continued.

"I've looked into the background of that Bella."

"She's from the Phoenix family, one of the major shareholders behind Sikorsky, and they hold many other assets."

Revil spoke with gravity, the solemn expression on his face causing Xu De to furrow his brows slightly.

Sikorsky, despite the name, was an Atlantic company—a brand founded in 1923 by a Russian-descended American aeronautical engineer.

The famous Air Force One was produced by them.

It had existed in his past life as well.

Though later on, it was acquired by Boeing's competitor, Martin.

They were, without a doubt, an industry leader.

Why would a young lady of that caliber appear here?

Relationships were divided into various tiers; if she were truly a core member of the Phoenix family, she wouldn't need to come up here in person.

Thinking this, Xu De looked at Revil, who wasn't overly excited but rather solemn, and began to form his own deductions.

"Bella, she's from a collateral branch of the Phoenix family, right?"

"Correct."

Revil, who had originally intended to keep him in suspense to see if Xu De would lose his head or remain capable of calm judgment, nodded in satisfaction.

He hadn't become blindly ecstatic upon hearing that the girl was from a prominent family; most people would have had their tails wagging in the air by now.

Revil continued his thought.

"She carries the future of that collateral branch on her shoulders, which is why she's here."

Revil sighed with a touch of emotion.

"In any case, handle this big family as you see fit."

"Understood."

Xu De replied.

A family like that, with the weight of a collateral branch's future on her shoulders—it sounded like trouble no matter how you looked at it.

But if utilized well, perhaps he could gain access to other information.

Now that he had a rough understanding of her background—that she wasn't the type he'd be killed for merely touching—he felt more prepared to see Bella on the Moon.

"Thank you."

Xu De lowered his eyes as he spoke.

Revil had been quite attentive toward him.

These were all debts of gratitude; as for the matter with Libby earlier, he didn't really mind, and there was no reason to blame Revil for that.

"It's nothing. I just have high hopes for your future."

"Just make sure you keep climbing."

Revil smiled and patted Xu De on the shoulder, then his face turned serious again as he continued.

"And regarding the MS matter."

"The Admiral will be organizing an assessment at the Moon Base."

"If you succeed, you can return to the military academy on the mainland for systematic training and advanced studies."

"If you fail, you may choose to remain in either the Eighth Fleet or the Third Fleet, with the rank of Second Lieutenant, a bonus of one million, and the Cosmic Silver Cross Medal."

"Of course, if you succeed, that rank, bonus, and medal will still be yours."

Hearing this, Xu De's expression grew solemn as well.

For an average person, the second option might be quite tempting.

But if he chose the second path, it would be difficult for him to control his own destiny.

Remaining in the Third Fleet meant the total annihilation at the Moon, and the Eighth Fleet meant the total annihilation at the Low-Orbit Battle.

Furthermore, both of those outcomes were dealt by Le Creuset.

Even if he continued to improve, without a Gundam, the pressure of fighting against Le Creuset would only grow.

His own strength would be unable to keep up with the intensity of the war.

If he chose the second path, he would have no choice but to run.

And he did not want to run.

Therefore, to seize control of his own destiny, only the first path remained.

Pass the assessment and go to the Atlantic to receive systematic pilot training.