A Bright Future

Libby's mockery was not without basis.

Their simulators featured a realistic physics engine.

The mass of the Mistral was clearly greater than that of the wreckage, so as long as the harpoon retracted, while the Mistral would move, the wreckage would obviously move toward it much faster.

However, just as Libby prepared to laugh, he saw Xu De's Mistral firing its Vulcan Cannon continuously while turning at full speed. The wreckage attached to the harpoon followed that forty-five-degree turn, performing a motion akin to fishing, and then...

The wreckage, suspended by the harpoon, carried its accumulated kinetic energy and slammed into the head of the Ginn.

"Bang."

There is no sound in space, only the vibration transmitted through the bones of the cockpit, and even this was realistically simulated.

A piece of wreckage alone could not breach the armor of the cockpit.

But the head sensor was packed with delicate instruments.

Smashed by Xu De using the wreckage, the Ginn's glowing pink mono-eye began to flicker.

It appeared to be suffering from instrument failure.

Simply put, it had been given a concussion.

Because of the combined force of Xu De's sharp turn and the recoil from the impact, he had managed to dodge the bullets fired by the Ginn that was closing in from behind.

The entire sequence of maneuvers was smooth as flowing water.

Xu De retracted the harpoon and sped away.

"Shit! Is he a freak?"

"What just happened?"

"Fuck, is that even a maneuver a human can pull off?!"

Accompanied by the excited shouts of the onlookers, Libby's face turned pale.

Because with the micro-maneuvers Xu De had just performed, the time had already exceeded ten minutes and thirty seconds.

"He broke the record!"

Following someone's shout, the scene erupted into an uproar.

At this rate, it looked like neither of the two Ginns could do anything to Xu De.

Not to mention that one of them had a damaged main monitor and couldn't lock onto Xu De's unit at all.

In other words, if things went smoothly, Xu De would likely push the record time to eleven minutes.

The crowd of onlookers fell silent, all silently watching the big screen ahead, waiting for the next miracle Xu De would create.

"Speaking of which, what is the record for the other fleets?"

"He must have already broken the army-wide record."

Hans looked at his brother-in-arms excitedly and couldn't help but say.

"You're overthinking it."

Flint rolled his eyes at Hans and continued.

"I heard the highest record after the update is fifteen minutes, set by someone named Mu."

"Records of twelve or thirteen minutes are rare, but they aren't non-existent."

Although they, as Naturals, could not pilot an MS, that didn't mean they were inferior in other aspects.

"However, considering how long Xu De has been in the service, achieving this result definitely broke the army-wide record."

Price couldn't help but remark.

Counting it all up, he had only been enlisted for a few months.

To be able to reach this level, he could be called a monster.

And what they didn't know was that Xu De was different from them.

He didn't rely on that "man-machine integration" intuition, but rather on the meticulous calculations and reaction speed in his mind.

If he were given a few years to train the Mistral to the point of man-machine integration, his results would only be stronger.

Of course, true man-machine integration would only be meaningful if he were piloting an MS.

Therefore, Xu De had no intention of getting familiar with the Mistral; he simply treated it as a tool to train his reactions and mental capacity.

Soon, amidst the chatter of the crowd, the eleven-minute mark arrived, and the next Ginn appeared.

With three Ginns, even if one of them lacked accuracy, their covering fire alone was enough to seal off half of Xu De's movement options.

With six degrees of freedom, three angles were now blocked by the Ginns, and other angles were guarded by MAs; Xu De was once again at a critical juncture.

However, Xu De was not overly nervous; in fact, after the previous round of maneuvering, he felt invigorated.

His calculations were correct, his strength was greater, and although he was exhausted, he was indeed making progress.

His current training direction was not wrong; as long as he kept going, he would become stronger.

Just thinking about this made Xu De feel excited.

At this very moment, Xu De attempted to repeat his previous tactic, but this time, having learned from the last encounter, the AI activated its attitude control thrusters the moment the harpoon struck, tilting its head back to evade Xu De's attack.

Watching this scene unfold, Xu De was not surprised; just as the attacks from behind were about to reach him, he separated the upper and lower sections, and after the trailer portion was destroyed, Xu De began to flee while piloting the remaining oval-shaped sphere.

That was right; stripped of all offensive capabilities and left with only two mechanical arms, Xu De had no choice but to run.

After fleeing with such agility for nearly forty seconds, Xu De was still cut down by the three Ginn units.

Exhaling a long breath, Xu De looked at the score of eleven minutes and forty seconds before him, the corners of his mouth curling upward slightly.

Although he did not know how this result compared to other participants, he had clearly made significant progress compared to himself.

This sense of achievement was incomparable to any comparison with others.

"Xu!!!"

"Xu!!!"

Just as Xu De was reviewing the battle in his mind and stepping out of the simulator, he was greeted by waves of high-pitched roars.

Beyond the excitement, it was due to Xu De's current ability; if his strength while piloting the Moebius had already been eye-catching enough to make them realize that Xu De was likely to become an elite in the future.

Then now, Xu De's actions were telling them that with his boundless talent, he truly was an elite.

It also proved that the Ginn—which they had debated endlessly over whether it was scavenged or shot down—was indeed downed by Xu De himself.

With the exception of a small number of Blue Cosmos members, Xu De had clearly become a heroic figure in the hearts of everyone present.

His prestige here was currently unrivaled.

Standing at the center, Xu De merely swept his gaze across the scene; unfazed by the enthusiasm, he offered only a humble smile.

"Sorry for disturbing everyone's rest."

"Not at all."

"Xu, I love you!"

Hearing the confession from the burly man, the usually composed Xu De twitched the corner of his mouth.

"Xu, wherever you go in the future, we're following."

"That's right, you're truly amazing!"

A variety of people were trying to climb the social ladder, even more enthusiastically than when he was in the Moebius.

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

Clearly, Xu De's influence had strengthened once again.

Watching this scene from the front, Revil also felt the corners of his mouth lift slightly.

Although it was not yet certain if he could pass the assessment, given the intensity Xu De had displayed, along with his unexpected, imaginative, and effective combat tactics.

Even if he didn't pass the assessment, he would quickly make a name for himself just by staying in the military.

But if he were to become a reserve MS pilot and head to the military academy for further training, what kind of brilliance would he radiate then?

That was a whole new world, different from here.

There, he would find not only better equipment but also stronger opponents, more powerful peers, and greater opportunities.

By then, Xu De would likely be able to secure both strength and connections.

Just thinking about it made Revil feel excited.

"Grow up quickly."

"Any later, and the great war will likely have already begun."

Revil muttered to himself.

The great war was both a danger and an opportunity.

It all depended on whether one could seize it and whether one had the strength to do so.

The time left for Xu De was truly not much.