Simple Promotion and Reminder

"Refreshing, I like your style, hahahaha."

"Like my style my ass, you're the one who'd get shot first!"

The crowd erupted into another round of boisterous laughter at these words.

Amidst the laughter, Xu De chuckled along as well.

As long as he could make friends and they weren't Blue Cosmos, he was quite welcoming.

Of course, he figured an organization like Blue Cosmos, which bore an inexplicable resemblance to rednecks, wouldn't want to be friends with him anyway.

Their underlying logic was that their own people came first.

Especially after Coordinators had snatched away so many positions, jobs, and resources.

The situation was actually subtly similar to the one in Xu De's previous life.

When the economy goes into a downturn, the world shifts to the right.

This was something the current Xu De couldn't change, nor did he have such long-term aspirations.

For now, he just needed to take it one step at a time.

Since he had already achieved his goal of becoming a reserve Gundam pilot, his next objective was to master piloting and secure his position as a pilot.

At the same time, he had to prepare for Le Creuset's attack on Heliopolis, making sure he was ready to face the Le Creuset team head-on if the worst-case scenario occurred right there in Heliopolis.

Naturally, there were many detailed steps involved in this that would need to be completed slowly over the coming year.

In short, he had bought himself a year of time to react and learn.

A year from now, he had to at least match Mu's strength to be able to trade blows with the enemy.

Just as Xu De was chatting happily with the others, Cook and Halberton walked down from the observation room upstairs.

Seeing Halberton appear, the heated conversation among the group instantly vanished.

They saluted in unison, the sound of their boots stomping against the floor echoing loudly throughout the training area.

"You all performed well this time."

Halberton looked at the group led by Xu De, nodded slightly, and continued.

"Now, I will announce the list of those who passed the assessment."

[Xu De, Moody, Francis, Draco, Wells, Victor York, Nagata Toru]

"This is only the beginning. I hope you will continue to work hard, grow into the elite forces of the Earth Alliance as soon as possible, and find your own battlefields."

Halberton's words weren't stirring, and his tone didn't even rise much.

Yet, there was a simplicity in his words that made people's hearts surge.

They were unable to hold back their excitement.

The five of them saluted Halberton once more in unison.

"Thank you, sir!"

The five voices rang out in perfect synchronization across the training area.

"Mm."

After returning the salute, Halberton continued.

"Also, to those who did not pass, thank you for your hard work."

"However, after leaving here, I hope everyone will keep what you have seen and heard confidential."

In truth, even if Halberton hadn't said it, they had all signed documents; hearing this now, no one was about to blurt out anything foolish like "I'm definitely going to tell everyone."

After Halberton said a few more polite formalities, he finally looked at Xu De.

"Corporal Xu De, come with me."

"Yes, sir!"

After acknowledging the order, Xu De followed Halberton and left under the envious gazes of the others.

"This is your appointment letter, along with your rank and medals."

Inside Halberton's office, the general handed Xu De a set of shoulder boards and badges representing the rank of Second Lieutenant, a document, and a beautifully packaged wooden box with gold trim, stamped with the Earth Alliance logo.

"Normally, one would need to complete three months of special intensive training to graduate and be promoted, but this counts as a wartime promotion, so it has been waived."

"As for the medal, it isn't a high-level decoration, so there was no formal ceremony planned."

"You are one of the few who have been commissioned as an officer on the battlefield so far."

Halberton said solemnly.

Just as the man said, graduating from a military academy would naturally lead to becoming a Second Lieutenant, much like in Xu De's previous life.

But for a reserve recruit to be promoted to a commissioned officer within a few months of enlistment was absolutely rare.

Generally, it required over three years of service, a letter of recommendation from a superior officer, and an interview with a battalion-level commander to earn a promotion.

It was just like getting a professional certification.

Some certifications cannot be obtained simply by paying a fee; a junior college graduate must have three years of work experience, while a university graduate can apply directly.

In truth, the principle is the same.

A promotion directly from corporal to second lieutenant only happens during wartime.

Therefore, the battlefield is an opportunity to build a career and achieve greatness.

Of course, it is unlikely for the average person to grasp this opportunity; it depends on the tides of the times.

As for Xu De, he was clearly forcing a change in the original owner's trajectory.

Otherwise, according to the original path, let alone a battlefield commission jumping several ranks from corporal to a commissioned officer, he would have likely died at the World Tree long ago, and the same would have gone for Hans and the others.

Precisely because of this, as Xu De looked at the officer's rank insignia before him, his pupils dilated slightly, as if a sun were flickering within his eyes; this promotion also signified a future that could be changed.

Looking at the white uniform of the Earth Alliance, Xu De clenched his hands tightly and saluted Halberton.

"Thank you, sir!"

"Mm. As for the remaining 1.5 million, it will be transferred directly to the bank account you provided upon entry."

One million of this was for his previous military merit, and the other 500,000 was the reward for taking first place in the assessment—though for the Earth Alliance, which possessed the majority of Earth's resources, it didn't even amount to a drop in the bucket.

But for Xu De personally, it was still a massive sum.

Although the Atlantic Yuan did not have the same purchasing power as in Xu De's past life.

1.5 million was still enough for him to maintain the life of an ordinary person for ten years.

Of course, this was only calculated based on current market prices.

But considering the Neutron Jammer in the near future, prices would certainly skyrocket.

Skyrocket... Thinking of the impact the Neutron Jammer would have on Earth in the future, the plan Xu De had been harboring finally took shape.

With this in mind, Xu De continued.

"Admiral, I have a presumptuous question."

"Speak."

The Admiral replied.

Facing Xu De's serious expression, he was actually a bit curious about what the other party might say.

"May I ask, if ZAFT decides to drop a Neutron Jammer onto Earth, do we have any relevant contingency plans?"

"..."

Although he had thought Xu De had a keen eye for the battlefield.

The Admiral was still surprised enough to widen his eyes slightly upon hearing this.

"We have discussed your hypothesis during our meetings."

"But first of all, a Neutron Jammer also requires energy to operate. Logically speaking, they would be unable to keep a Neutron Jammer running on Earth for a long period."

The Admiral shook his head as he spoke.

Nuclear energy is a semi-permanent power source, but using nuclear energy to power a Neutron Jammer would be like taking off one's pants just to fart.

And other green energy sources like wind or solar power lacked sufficient energy conversion efficiency.

Not to mention, even if ZAFT dropped one, couldn't they just destroy it?