Three Minutes on Stage

Unaware of the crowd's discussion, and entirely indifferent to it, Xu De's Vulcan Cannon began hammering away at the debris in front of him long before he even neared the Ginn.

Under the law of conservation of momentum, most of the debris was sent hurtling toward the Ginn, while a few of the larger fragments took different trajectories.

Yet, as they collided with other debris, their paths gradually shifted, much like a game of 3D pinball, forming a dense barrage of projectiles appearing right in front of the Ginn.

"What's the point of that?"

Someone couldn't help but ask.

The barrage looked intimidatingly dense, but its speed was not high; even if it struck, it wouldn't cause any substantial damage to the Ginn.

However, Xu De's actions soon provided an answer to the puzzled crowd.

His mobile suit remained hidden behind a piece of debris; while infrared sensors could detect Xu De's presence, the machine gun in the Ginn's hands could not penetrate the wreckage to strike his unit.

Meanwhile, Xu De was constantly shifting his position, using the debris as if they were individual shields.

The Ginn, however, was not just standing there; it was also rapidly closing the distance.

"As expected, the computational load is still too high."

Watching the debris he had scattered into a field before him, Xu De smiled with satisfaction.

This simulation was quite realistic, and he actually wanted to continue simulating.

But clearly, his body could no longer hold up; with these results, he would undoubtedly secure the mobile suit.

Naturally, he would have priority for the use of the simulator, so there was no need to rush at this moment.

After this test, he had not only secured the mobile suit but also found a path for his future.

His physical potential had indeed improved compared to his previous life.

But potential was only potential; to become stronger, he still needed to keep working hard.

Keep calculating to increase his processing power.

Keep practicing to sharpen his battlefield intuition.

Keep training his body to continuously improve his hardware foundation.

In short, the future was bright and full of hope.

As long as he put in the effort, that was something he was intimately familiar with.

Just like that, having gained the experience, Xu De used the advantage of the debris to engage in an incredibly dangerous close-quarters dogfight with the Ginn, though in the end, he only managed to take the opponent down with him through a point-blank self-detonation.

Of course, even so, when Xu De stepped out of the simulator, he was met with the enthusiastic applause of the majority.

Their reasoning was very simple.

One Moebius traded for two Ginns—their new chief was far braver than the previous one.

If they clapped louder now and left a deep impression on this future elite, It would be easier to talk later, and perhaps he would look out for them in the future, whether on the battlefield or in official circles.

Although a few people still looked at Xu De with bitterness and hatred, they had become the minority.

With the Coordinators as a common enemy, most people did not care about the issue of race.

When it came to ideology and interests, any rational person knew how to choose.

Facing the enthusiastic cheers, Xu De only smiled calmly before stepping off the simulator and returning to his seat.

At this moment, Xu De's childhood friend was not cheering like the others, but instead staring at the youth in a daze.

Listening to the incessant cheers in his ears, he began to deeply doubt the life experiences of his past eighteen years.

"Stunned?"

The corners of Xu De's mouth lifted slightly; the smile was not one of arrogance, but his usual humility.

"No... where on earth did you learn that!?!?"

Hans, who had finally snapped back to reality, shouted.

His voice even momentarily drowned out the surrounding clamor.

This friend of his had been a brother-in-arms since they started struggling to survive in the orphanage together.

From being bullied by the older kids to going from having nothing to eat or wear to working as child laborers for scraps, the two of them had endured countless hardships together.

Yet, he had never once discovered it.

That this friend of his actually had the ability to use his own strength to shatter a world that treated them so unfairly.

And if one really had to talk about their duo, it was implicitly Hans who had taken the lead.

While he wasn't exactly a protector, he was, relatively speaking, the backbone—at least, that was how it had been before.

It was precisely because of this that his confusion now seemed so natural.

It was as if a brother who had always been struggling in the mud with him had suddenly put his underwear on the outside and turned into Superman.

"We'll talk when we get back."

Xu De said softly.

His abilities could not be hidden from his good brother, nor did he intend to hide them.

But knowing each other inside and out, there were many ways to explain things.

With the existence of memories, it was not difficult to gloss over the truth.

Thinking this, Xu De changed the subject and raised an eyebrow.

"For now, you should just focus on doing your best."

Only upon hearing Xu De's words did Hans remember that he was the next one up to pilot the Moebius.

Thinking of this, Hans, as thick-skinned as ever, momentarily forgot his shock at Xu De's words, his face turning bitter.

"There's no point in thinking about it; it's impossible for me to pass anyway."

His good friend had traded one Moebius for two Ginns; how was he supposed to compete with that?

It wasn't just him; the crowd queuing behind Hans had lost their temper, looking at Xu De with a mix of helplessness and admiration.

"This is a good opportunity to correspond with the training battlefield."

Xu De said earnestly.

"Three minutes on stage requires ten years of practice off stage; this applies to the battlefield as well."

"Do not let any opportunity to become stronger slip by."

The youth's voice was not loud, yet it faintly spread to those around him, causing some to lower their heads in shame, while others who cared about their pride glared at Xu De.

However, the youth did not care at this moment.

He said whatever he wanted to say.

On the battlefield, what matters is the collective, not individual face or dignity.

These people were not his subordinates, so if they couldn't handle it, it was none of his business.

"Xu De..."

Looking at his brother's serious and earnest expression, even without saying anything, Hans felt a fire inexplicably ignite in his heart.

"I will do my best!"

Even if he was lacking, he had to put in the effort, whether to survive or to achieve his own goals.

Just as the two were talking, Revil, inside the observation room, looked at his subordinate before him with great interest.

"Well?"

The indifferent voice echoed through the observation room, making the instructor feel even more awkward.

"Sir... there are still three days left."

Although he said this, it sounded more like a meaningless struggle.

After all, no matter how they looked at it, it was impossible for them to surpass Xu De's terrifying combat record in three days.

On the other side, Revil looked at his subordinate's resentment, his lips curling slightly upward.

"Yes, three days."

"If he gets washed out within three days, then it can only be his bad luck."

Although he said that, there was a hint of mockery in Revil's heart.

That half-baked top student wanted to defeat that youth?

Whether it was the machine or his own body, he would likely struggle.

Thinking of the look in that youth's eyes just now, Revil's gaze held even more satisfaction.