The Importance of Intelligence Warfare

"How is it?"

Bella straightened her posture, looking proud, as if that rounded fullness was about to burst right out of the military uniform that tightly wrapped around her youthful frame.

"The environment is excellent."

Xu De nodded as he looked at the wealthy beauty before him.

This was the privilege of the zaibatsu and the class system.

He had seen plenty of such things in his previous life; the fig leaves of the Atlantic world were no secret to him.

Some people were born already standing at a starting line that others would never reach in their entire lives.

Layer upon layer of class acted like walls of copper and iron, separating them into different ranks and tiers.

What he needed to do was not to complain about heaven or others, nor to cling to the powerful and become some corporate dog, but to carve out his own path with his own strength.

"Is that so? That's good then!"

"I've never been to East Asia before, so as long as you feel comfortable, that's all that matters~"

To be honest, being cared for by a wealthy woman like this—if it were the original owner of this body, he probably would have been unable to resist falling for her.

But Xu De's core was different; it wasn't that he wasn't interested in such things, but rather that there were far more important matters awaiting him.

Across from Xu De, seeing the young man sitting there quietly, neither servile nor overbearing, Bella breathed a sigh of relief.

They were from different worlds, and she didn't truly know what kind of person Xu De was.

Seeing that Xu De didn't immediately pounce like the others, nor did he show much awe at the luxury before him, she felt relieved, yet also experienced a strange sense of disappointment.

"Regarding this assessment."

Xu De asked softly.

He had contacted her as soon as he arrived on the moon, and Bella's efficiency was high; she replied shortly after, which led to the meeting at the camp earlier.

"About that, I asked my uncle."

"This assessment will select five people, and you have nine competitors."

"The content of the assessment hasn't been finalized yet; it could be a duel, or it could be a comprehensive evaluation that includes combat."

"The simulation machine will be finished in about forty-eight hours. We'll give you two days to practice, and the combat will begin two days after that."

Bella said.

"And besides you, five of the others have records of solo-killing a Ginn, while the other four have records of team-coordinated kills against Ginns."

"These are the specific files."

Looking at the electronic dossier Bella handed over, Xu De's face remained as calm as ever.

He simply offered a polite apology before lowering his head to flip through them.

Ten people in total; nine excluding him.

The information Bella provided wasn't extensive, but it included names, combat records, and some evaluations from commanding officers.

It was clearly an internal file used for assigning positions.

Just as Bella had said, among these nine people, five had records of solo-killing a Ginn.

Their experiences were roughly similar to his own on paper.

They had all been scattered by the first three waves of the offensive and happened to have the opportunity to duel the enemy one-on-one.

Of course, without exception, they were all elites and commissioned officers.

The possibility of a common soldier breaking through their small universe to solo-kill a Ginn in the heat of battle was probably lower than winning the lottery.

Unless they ran into Kira.

As for the other four, they had taken down several enemy warships and Ginns through team coordination.

Likewise, without exception, they were all from special elite squads.

Some were even from top-secret units; the names of the units they originated from were crossed out with several black lines, making them impossible to see.

"The most dangerous person in here is this one."

As Bella spoke, whether intentional or not, she leaned in close to Xu De's side.

A faint, fragrant scent drifted over, and Xu De looked down to see the girl's eyelashes, like butterfly wings ready to dance, fluttering slowly.

Pulling his focus back, Xu De looked at the spot pointed out by Bella's delicate hand.

The young man was named Hal, belonging to the First Fleet's elite flight squadron, and he had taken down a Ginn single-handedly.

The commanding officer's evaluation was: lone wolf, selfish, and has slight violent tendencies.

"He might be a supporter of Blue Cosmos, so..."

Bella looked up with worried, beautiful eyes.

"So he might ignore the rules and target me directly."

Xu De finished the sentence for Bella.

"That's right, the people in there probably won't be willing to help."

Most of those selected who agreed to go were young commissioned officers eager to advance, aiming for field officer ranks or the chance to pilot new-model mobile suits to build their reputations.

If a corporal like Xu De showed up directly, they would certainly have objections.

Moreover, since everyone was in a competitive relationship, if that Hal really came to provoke him, it would be normal for them not to help.

Therefore, Xu De's situation would not be very good.

"Do you have videos of their detailed combat records?"

Xu De asked again.

"That's a bit difficult..."

Bella hung her head, looking a bit embarrassed.

"It's fine."

In reality, Xu De didn't hold much hope; after all, the black boxes recording combat achievements were considered classified, partly to prevent assassination attempts by ZAFT.

There was no way Bella could obtain them so easily.

On the other side, Bella thought for a moment and added.

"But training videos shouldn't be a problem."

"If they have trained in the public training areas."

"Thank you, I owe you a favor this time."

Xu De lowered his eyes as he spoke.

Training videos would be fine, especially given Hal's personality; there would surely be footage of him showing off in public training areas.

To know oneself and the enemy is the key to victory; the more data he could gather on his competitors, the better.

It was the same principle as playing chess: one must first observe the opponent's style and tactics.

Only with understanding could one launch a targeted strike.

This wasn't cheating; it was intelligence warfare.

It was relevant, as among these ten people, he was likely not the only one; his own training videos might also be seen by others, so it was best to be as cautious as possible.

"It's nothing, you saved me too."

Watching Xu De's solemn expression, Bella's snow-white face flushed as she spoke.

Perhaps due to a preconceived filter, Bella only felt that the youth looked incredibly handsome, making her heart flutter uncontrollably.

Xu De just smiled in response.

"Then consider that favor repaid."

There was an information gap between the two; after all, Xu De was just a corporal, while Bella was a scion of a prominent family—they were not from the same world.

Ultimately, most things in the world were like war: whoever grasped more detailed information first held the advantage.

Although he had the "plot cheat" and a natural advantage regarding the big picture, he was clearly lacking when it came to inside information.

Bella's information was immensely useful, so that debt of saving her life was indeed repaid.

"How could that be!"

Hearing Xu De's words, Bella pouted in dissatisfaction.

Her charming, naive appearance paired with a devilish figure was enough to stir up wild thoughts.

"In any case, I will repay you!"

As she spoke, Bella handed an electronic menu to him, heroically patting her equally heroic chest.

"Order whatever you want!"

"..."

Is this what it feels like to be kept by a rich woman?

Looking at the menu where a single dish cost nearly half a month's salary, Xu De was rendered speechless.

However, the youth was not one to be overly modest, so he took the menu and asked.

"Do you have any dietary restrictions?"

"Ah..."

Facing Xu De's concern, Bella's heart rate accelerated a few beats.

It wasn't that she hadn't received concern from others before, but when it came from the usually aloof Xu De, it gave her the feeling of being treated with unique tenderness.

"Probably... none?"

Bella said in a low voice.

"Then let's go with sweet and spicy."

Xu De nodded and said.