A Clever Trap

"Let him win first; Xu De is betting on the skill of both pilots, and Hal isn't exactly brainless."

Draco replied coldly.

However, Moody still caught the softening in the other's tone, and the smile on his face brightened a fraction.

"Then let's watch."

The two fell silent, and the eyes of everyone in the observation room were now drawn to Xu De.

It was unclear what that teacher was thinking, but Maliu's beautiful eyes remained fixed on the man, showing no intention of looking away.

Maliu believed that his performance would absolutely be enough to catch her teacher's attention.

After all, this maneuver was even smoother than Hal's.

Although there seemed to be a delay as if playing an online game, he was still more agile than Hal, who was just charging in headlong.

And most importantly, the spirit behind it.

When Hal treated his machine like a fighter jet, he had likely already lost in the teacher's heart.

After all, they were looking for an MS pilot, not an MA pilot.

If it doesn't have legs, can you even call it an MS?

And Xu De, though he held the lowest rank here, seemed to Maliu to have the greatest potential of them all.

Back on the battlefield, Xu De had his rear thrusters wide open, heading toward the wreckage of the Agamemnon-class ship.

Hal followed closely behind, entering the vessel.

"Seeking your own death!"

Looking at the narrow, familiar corridors of the warship, the smile on Hal's lips widened.

In such a confined space, he could force his opponent into a dead end.

This person was foolish enough not to discard his legs; while his agility was higher than his own, in a narrow environment, Hal held the absolute advantage.

"At the end of the day, you're just a piece of trash with zero experience!"

Listening to Hal's taunts, Xu De said nothing, merely scanning the Agamemnon-class hangar in a flash.

He then relied on a pre-programmed sequence to turn rapidly, struggling to maintain leg balance while grabbing a discarded emergency arresting net, similar to those used on old aircraft carriers, from within the bay.

At the same time, he dropped his machine gun and drew the heavy sword from his waist.

No sooner had he finished this series of actions than his opponent charged in, like a bull blinded by bloodlust.

Even seeing the raised arresting net, there was no room for him to turn back.

This wasn't a fighter jet; reverse thrust relied on leg thrusters and the machine's attitude control.

However, seeing the net before him, Hal panicked and, at the very last moment, unlocked his legs to adjust his posture.

Hal was indeed not brainless; he had been hiding his strength, and in fact, he could still control his legs for a short time using preset programs.

But Xu De didn't give him the chance to show off.

Since a Natural piloting a Ginn was already a beat slower, even with his posture adjustment, he was a step too late.

Hal plunged headfirst into the arresting net.

He looked just like a hairy crab from Yangcheng Lake.

The net, originally intended for emergency landings, had become a trap he had walked right into.

It completely immobilized Hal's already inflexible Ginn.

"It's over."

Accompanying Xu De's cold verdict, the auxiliary thrusters beneath the boy's feet flared suddenly, leaving a trail of red light on the Agamemnon's deck as he drove his heavy sword into the opponent's cockpit without a moment's hesitation.

However, due to poor gravity control, he stumbled and lunged forward himself after piercing Hal.

But compared to Hal, who had been run through, he was absolutely unscathed.

"What the..."

The crowd, who had been certain of Hal's victory, were stunned by the scene that had just unfolded.

If you called it underhanded... it certainly seemed quite underhanded.

But the fact that Xu De could control a Ginn to this degree—with both hand and leg movements being barely fluid enough to set a trap—was impressive.

On that point alone, he was already stronger than Hal.

"What the hell, he can actually control it?"

Someone couldn't help but mutter.

At that moment, Hal jumped out of his own cockpit and charged toward Xu De.

The flush spreading from his neck to his face was proof enough that this elite had entered a state of pure, overheated rage.

"Trash! Get out here!"

"Hmm?"

Hearing this, Xu De slowly emerged from the cockpit to look at the elite officer before him, his expression remaining entirely unchanged.

Of course, to someone already flushed with rage, this composure of Xu De's felt more like pouring oil on a fire.

Without another word, the red-necked man swung his fist and lunged toward Xu De.

Seeing this, Moody narrowed his eyes; like Draco, he made no move to intervene.

Rather than looking to make friends, the way the two of them watched Xu De was more like they were sizing up a potential business partner.

As for Xu De, he certainly wasn't about to just stand there and take a beating.

Although the massive computational load from moments ago had left him dizzy and lightheaded, his long-tempered body possessed ingrained reflexes. After clearly reading the path of the punch, Xu De nimbly sidestepped, grabbed the man's arm, and used his own momentum to execute a shoulder throw.

Naturally, in the absence of gravity, this move didn't deal much physical damage, but being sent flying to land face-first was enough to max out the psychological damage.

"You..."

Before Hal could spew any filthier insults, Cook, who had been in the observation room, came down.

"Sub-Lieutenant Hal, leave at once!"

Cook, this seemingly ordinary middle-aged man, furrowed his brows, projecting an intimidating presence.

Though he spoke no threats, merely issuing a direct order, the pressure radiating from him plunged the entire area into silence.

However, Hal was already blinded by rage; ignoring Cook, he let out a roar and charged at Xu De once more.

But this time, he was sent flying by a kick from Cook, who had sprinted up from behind.

"Military Police! Take him away!"

Cook said coldly, smoothing out his uniform as if that impressive kick hadn't just happened.

"I'm going to kill you!! Kill you!!"

Hal roared, but Xu De remained unmoved.

If he could truly be killed by someone like Hal, all his past experience would have been for nothing.

Still, leaving someone with such violent tendencies unchecked might pose a threat.

Enduring his headache, Xu De looked at Cook, the uncle of Bella.

"You, come with me."

Cook only glanced at Xu De once; though he was increasingly satisfied, he didn't show it on his face.

It was impossible to tell whether he was calling him over for a reward or a punishment.

Xu De didn't flinch, following Cook toward the observation room above amidst the admiring gazes of the others and the meaningful looks from Moody and Draco.

"Xu De, we meet again."

Halberton looked at the young man before him, his smile warm and gentle, giving Xu De the feeling of a spring breeze.