A Bright Future

Libby's mockery hadn't come out of nowhere.

Their simulators used a realistic physics engine.

Mistral was clearly heavier than the wreckage, so when the harpoon retracted, Mistral would move too, but the wreckage would obviously come in faster.

But just as Libby was about to laugh, Xu De's Mistral kept firing its Vulcan Cannon while also turning with all its might. The wreckage attached to the harpoon turned with it, swinging forty-five degrees in a move that looked like he was fishing. Then...

The wreckage dangling from the harpoon shot forward with all the momentum it had built up and slammed into the Ginn's head.

"Bang!"

There was no sound in space, only the vibrations transmitted through the pilot's bones. Even that had been realistically simulated.

The cockpit alone, of course, couldn't be breached by a single piece of wreckage.

But the head's main camera was packed with delicate instruments.

When Xu De smashed it with the wreckage, the pink glow of the Ginn's mono-eye began to flicker.

It looked like some of its instruments had failed.

In simple terms, he'd given it a concussion.

And the sharp turn Xu De had just made, combined with the recoil from the impact, happened to let him evade the bullets fired by the Ginn closing in behind him.

The whole maneuver had been as smooth as flowing water.

Xu De retracted the harpoon and sped away.

"Shit! Is he a freak or what?!"

"What just happened?"

"Fuck, is that even humanly possible?!"

As the spectators shouted excitedly, Libby's face had gone pale.

Because of Xu De's precise control, the time had just passed ten minutes and thirty seconds.

"He broke the record!"

Someone shouted, and the crowd erupted.

At this rate, it seemed neither Ginn could do a thing to Xu De.

One of them had even damaged its main camera and could barely aim at his Mobile Armor.

In other words, if all went well, Xu De might push the record to eleven minutes.

The spectators fell silent, all watching the giant screen and waiting for Xu De to work his next miracle.

"By the way, what are the records from the other fleets?"

"He's already broken the whole army's record, hasn't he?"

Hans watched his friend with excitement and couldn't help saying so.

"You're getting ahead of yourself."

Flint rolled his eyes at Hans, then continued.

"I heard the best record since the update is fifteen minutes. It was set by someone named Mu."

"Not many have made it to twelve or thirteen minutes, but there are a few."

Just because Naturals couldn't pilot Mobile Suits didn't mean they were inferior in every other way.

"But Xu De's only been in the military for a few months. Getting this far really does break the whole army's record."

Price couldn't help commenting.

He'd only been enlisted for a few months, give or take.

To have reached this level was monstrous.

Besides, they didn't know that Xu De was different from them.

He wasn't relying on the instinctive feel of becoming one with the machine. His results came from careful calculations and quick reactions.

If he spent a few years training until he and Mistral moved as one, he'd do even better.

Of course, that kind of unity would only matter if he were piloting a Mobile Suit.

So Xu De had no intention of getting used to Mistral. He simply treated it as a tool for training his reflexes and his mind.

As the crowd chatted, eleven minutes passed, and another Ginn appeared.

Three Ginns—even if one couldn't aim properly, their covering fire alone was enough to cut off half of Xu De's escape routes.

There were six degrees of freedom. The Ginns had blocked off three angles, while Mobile Armors guarded the others. Xu De was once again at a critical moment.

But Xu De wasn't particularly nervous. After the last exchange, he was practically glowing.

His calculations had been right. He was stronger now, and although he was exhausted, he really was improving.

That meant he was training in the right direction. As long as he kept going, he'd grow stronger.

The thought alone excited him.

At that moment, Xu De tried the same trick again. But after the harpoon hit, the AI had learned from last time and immediately activated its attitude-control thrusters. It leaned its head back and dodged Xu De's attack.

Xu De wasn't surprised by what he saw. Just as the attack from behind was about to reach him, he split the vehicle in two. After the lower towing section was destroyed, he piloted the remaining oval-shaped pod and fled.

That was right. With no weapons left and only two mechanical arms, Xu De could do nothing but run.

He dodged nimbly for nearly forty seconds, but in the end, the three Ginns cut him down.

Xu De let out a long breath and looked at his time: eleven minutes and forty seconds. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

He didn't know how his time compared with the other participants, but he'd made great progress compared with his own previous attempt.

The sense of achievement was incomparable to measuring himself against others.

"Xu!"

"Xu!"

Xu De reviewed the battle in his mind as he climbed out of the simulator. He was met with a chorus of shouts.

Their excitement wasn't just about what he could do. His earlier performance piloting Moebius had already been eye-catching enough to make them think he might become an elite.

Now his actions had shown them that he really was one, with talent beyond measure.

They'd also been arguing over whether he'd salvaged that Ginn or shot it down himself. Now they had proof that Xu De had brought it down on his own.

Aside from a few Blue Cosmos members, everyone here now saw Xu De as something of a hero.

His popularity was unmatched.

At the center of it all, Xu De swept his gaze over the crowd. Their enthusiasm didn't faze him; he only smiled modestly.

"Sorry for disturbing everyone's rest."

"Not at all!"

"Xu, I love you!"

Hearing the burly man confess his love, even the usually composed Xu De couldn't help twitching at the corner of his mouth.

"Xu, wherever you go from now on, we'll follow you!"

"That's right! You're amazing!"

The crowd was full of people eager to cozy up to him, even more enthusiastic than they'd been after his run in Moebius.

They included veterans, sergeants, staff sergeants, and even second lieutenants.

Xu De's influence had clearly grown once again.

Watching the scene, Revil's lips curved into a faint smile.

It was still uncertain whether Xu De would pass the evaluation, but based on his current abilities and his unorthodox, unpredictable, yet effective tactics, he could make a name for himself in the military even if he didn't pass.

But if he became a Mobile Suit reserve pilot and went on to study at the military academy, what heights might he reach?

It was a whole new world, nothing like this one.

There, he'd have better equipment, stronger opponents, more capable peers, and more opportunities.

Xu De could gain strength and connections there, too.

Just thinking about it made Revil excited.

"Grow up quickly."

"Otherwise, the great war will probably start before long."

Revil murmured to himself.

War meant danger, but it also meant opportunity.

It all depended on whether Xu De could seize it—and whether he had the strength to do so.

Xu De didn't have all that much time.