Heard Le Creuset Received a Medal

Of course, it could not be said that he currently possessed the weight of two people.

Building upon this foundation, perhaps he would be able to unlock even more abilities unique to him in the future; this might well be the key to his continued growth.

This step had already been taken, and the next phase of becoming stronger was to unearth more of his own exclusive capabilities.

It was precisely while Xu De was still studying how to excavate his own powers that the three of them left the training area together.

However, they had not gone far when a Major came drifting toward them in the corridor.

He looked cold and detached, possessing the haughty air of an elite.

"Sir."

Facing the man, the three of them stopped and saluted the Major.

"Hmph."

The Major merely replied with a snort through his nose, his disdainful gaze sweeping over Xu De.

He then ignored them entirely and continued walking forward.

"Don't take it to heart."

Seeing this, Moody quickly whispered into Xu De's ear.

"Major Harris, if I recall correctly, is a member of Blue Cosmos; he's been promoted very quickly."

Draco added this for the two of them, his tone carrying a hidden note of warning.

Upon hearing this, Xu De guessed what was going on.

Since Blue Cosmos had infiltrated most of the military's upper echelons, his path to promotion would likely be blocked in the future, while Blue Cosmos officers would be favored for advancement.

Although he was in the Earth Alliance, his military registration was ultimately with the Atlantic Federation.

The Eighth Fleet did offer a relatively fair environment for promotion; after all, Halberton was a man who could patiently counsel even a Coordinator like Kira.

Moreover, Halberton had the support of quite a few council members.

Of course, the prerequisite was that he had to help them avoid the fate of total annihilation.

The things he needed to do hadn't changed much—it was all about preserving the Eighth Fleet.

Muttering to himself, Xu De didn't pay any more mind to the man from just moments ago.

If someone crossed him or threatened his interests, he would simply strike back.

As for the sour face? He would just ignore it.

Who didn't know how to make a sour face?

With these thoughts in mind, the three of them arrived at the living quarters designated for Second Lieutenants.

It was only a small single room with an independent bathroom, but at least it was a private room rather than a communal barracks.

For them, this was an incredible privilege.

"Want to come check out my room?"

Looking at his own door, Moody turned to look at the other two.

He blinked his eyes, as if signaling them.

Xu De and Draco exchanged a glance, then nodded one after the other.

As soon as they returned to the room and closed the door, just as the two had expected, Moody lowered his voice.

"I heard that ZAFT recently awarded a medal to that guy named Le Creuset."

This news might be headline material in pro-PLANT nations, but in the Alliance—especially within the Atlantic military—it was forbidden information.

"He shot down a total of 37 MAs and 6 warships, receiving the highest-level Nebula Medal; they've been propagandizing him as a Coordinator superman."

As Moody spoke, his face grew increasingly ugly, the hidden hatred causing his usually sunny expression to twist.

It revealed the darkness hidden beneath that bright exterior.

"My former superior was killed by him."

Upon hearing this, Draco's face remained icy, though his brows were tightly locked together.

"That man... I saw him from a distance. It must have been him. His presence was terrifying."

Hearing that Draco had actually encountered Le Creuset, both of them looked over in surprise.

"Holy crap, you actually survived running into that freak!?"

Moody said, shocked.

Although the combat data was rather vague—not specifying if the MAs were Moebius or Mistral, or if the warships were Agamemnon-class or Drake-class—even if you put thirty-seven chickens in front of someone, it would take a while to slaughter them all, let alone six warships, which were massive behemoths even if they were only the weakest Drake-class vessels.

"We didn't meet head-on..."

"I watched him charge into a defensive line formed by Drakes using a single Ginn, take out an Agamemnon-class ship of the Second Fleet, and then we retreated."

As Draco spoke, though his face remained cold, he could not stop a sliver of fear from seeping out from within his heart.

"...Hiss."

After a moment of silence, Moody drew a sharp breath.

"If you really run into him, I advise you to run immediately. Being court-martialed for desertion is better than throwing your lives away for nothing."

"Don't even think about revenge; it will only get you killed."

Draco said this with absolute seriousness.

Moody looked a bit annoyed, but he didn't refute the point.

If things were as Draco described, then that Le Creuset was indeed someone they couldn't afford to provoke.

As for Xu De, although he agreed with Draco's words, he didn't feel that running away was an option.

After all, if he chose to flee, he could forget about ever getting his hands on a Gundam.

But that man was the big boss, someone they simply couldn't compete with in their current state.

They would have to be fully prepared.

However, precisely because of Le Creuset's reputation, if they managed to drive him off or even kill him later at Heliopolis, the military merit would be immense.

Their prestige would also rise to a new level.

Of course, for now, that was just wishful thinking.

It would be better to think about how to survive an encounter with Le Creuset.

They were all Naturals, so why was the gap between them so absurd?

Did they add something extra during the cloning process?

Complaining inwardly, Xu De's expression grew a bit more serious.

The road ahead seemed like a death trap, but he still had the advantage of knowing the plot; there was a path to survival, however slim it might be.

But human effort can overcome anything, and they still had nearly a year.

"Can you get your hands on Le Creuset's combat footage?"

Xu De asked.

Right now, Le Creuset didn't know him, but he knew Le Creuset—this was a golden opportunity.

As long as he carefully studied his combat patterns and prepared thoroughly, combined with the performance gap of the Gundam, he would have a chance a year from now.

He wanted both the Gundam and the military merit.

Only then could he secure his value and status; otherwise, if he just hid from everything, he would eventually be killed by the many dangers here.

If death was inevitable, at least he could choose how to face it.

"That's a bit difficult. I doubt the higher-ups would make it public," Moody said, shaking his head.

The reason was simple: making it public would disrupt morale.

It was like knowing there was a superman on the other side; most rank-and-file soldiers would be terrified.

It was impossible for them to promote the enemy's strength just because PLANT was doing so.

"The most direct way would be to ask Admiral Halberton."

Moody pointed upward as he spoke.

"How about it? If you're going, I'll go with you!"

Moody had also become somewhat interested in that footage.

Hearing this, Draco glanced at the two of them.

"Are you two really trying to get yourselves killed?"

"It's just knowing the enemy and knowing ourselves. It's hard to say we won't run into him."

"If we really become MS pilots, we'll definitely be on the front lines in the future."

"Even if we have to run, we need a plan."

Xu De said earnestly.