Leaving the sub-fleet command headquarters, Wang Hu followed the main supply personnel group.
Soon after, he arrived at the Kangji-class Drake Frigate where he would be stationed.
Needless to say, along the way, any soldier who knew of Wang Hu cast scrutinizing and disdainful glances his way.
Not a single person was willing to acknowledge him.
As soon as Wang Hu entered the fighter hangar with the frigate's veteran crew, the squadron leader in charge of the ship's fighter operations looked at him with clear disgust.
"So you're the new Moebius pilot?" he said, then spat to the side before continuing, "Am I some stepchild here, or does command think we're just a suicide squad for cannon fodder? Why the hell are they dumping trash like you on me?"
The leader pointed at Wang Hu's nose and said threateningly, "Listen up—I'm Yang Wei. If you want to run, do it now. Fake an illness, pretend to faint from tripping over nothing—I don't care what your academy scores were. On my deck, especially now, if you screw up, I'll make sure you die on the battlefield before I ever see a court-martial. Oh, and—"
Noticing Wang Hu's calm expression, Yang Wei raised an eyebrow. "If you don't leave now, you won't get another chance. I'll have you charging bunkers with a satchel charge first."
Despite the intimidation, Yang Wei failed to elicit even a flicker of fear from Wang Hu.
"Understood, Lieutenant Yang Wei," Wang Hu replied after a pause, once the officer had finished his tirade. "But that's exactly why I'm here. Though these days, we don't need satchel charges. The Moebius may not be the best Space Fighter, but compared to our predecessors, we're in a far better position—by orders of magnitude."
Yang Wei snorted, sizing Wang Hu up and comparing him to the rumors he'd heard. This guy... didn't seem like the coward people said he was.
But just as Yang Wei was about to say more, a mechanic from across the hangar shouted for him.
"Remember this—pretty words mean nothing. We're soldiers, the last wall protecting civilians. We can fall, but the wall never will!"
Before leaving, Yang Wei punched Wang Hu in the chest and added, "Wang Hu, I knew you weren't a deserter."
The moment Yang Wei was gone, a young soldier nearby grinned. "Wang Hu, I knew you wouldn't run."
"Li Chengzhi?" Wang Hu asked, surprised. "Weren't you assigned as a trainee staff officer on a Nelson-class Battleship?"
Truthfully, Wang Hu had noticed him earlier, but with Yang Wei standing right there—clearly there to assert dominance over the "disgraced" newcomer—he hadn't been able to greet his old friend and rival. Now that the officer was gone, however...
Wang Hu finally had time to ask why the other person was here.
"This..." Hearing Wang Hu's question, Li Chengzhi hesitated slightly.
He didn't know how to begin, but fortunately the Coordinators outside the Nova Resource Satellite came to his rescue.
Just as Wang Hu was quietly staring at Li Chengzhi, waiting for his answer—
The ship's hangar speakers blared with an enemy alert and the voice of the bridge communications officer.
"This is Battleship Command. Per notification from Nova Resource Satellite Command: Satellite distance 29012, YELLOW sector, 21 Mark 17, CHARLEY airspace."
"One ZAFT Laurasia-class Battleship detected."
"Initial assessment indicates enemy forces attempting to bypass our satellite defense line for tactical intimidation of rear L4 Colony Satellite areas."
"Therefore, this ship will join one Nelson-class main battleship and two Drake-class escort ships for interception!"
"Report complete. Wishing everyone success in battle! For the civilians behind us!"
"Wang Hu!" Hearing the announcement, Li Chengzhi's expression changed.
Unlike Wang Hu who had been hospitalized for several days—
Since June 14, CE70 when ZAFT launched their attack, he had remained on the frontlines.
Having personally piloted Moebius mobile armors against Coordinators, he deeply understood their combat capabilities.
Watching Wang Hu look toward the speakers, Li Chengzhi—as Wang Hu's classmate and schoolmate—though he trusted and admired Wang Hu's academic performance—
After all, textbook knowledge and actual warfare were completely different!
And Wang Hu... could he really handle this?
When the enemy alert sounded earlier, he had immediately collapsed unconscious...
"What?" Noticing his old friend Li Chengzhi's gaze, Wang Hu grinned.
"Think just because I've been in the hospital a few days I wouldn't understand basic terminology?"
Shrugging, the sharp-witted Wang Hu knew exactly what the other was thinking.
So he continued in a joking manner:
"In modern space warfare, traditional coordinate reporting could easily go wrong."
"Thus we take our own position as center point, dividing space into six planes—"
"Front: Green. Rear: Blue. Left: Yellow. Right: Orange. Above: Indigo. Below: Red."
"Each plane is then quartered from top-left to bottom-right as ALPHA, BRAVO, DELTA, and CHARLEY sectors."
"X and Y axes provide supplementary distance markers, clearly identifying enemy approach vectors."
"You—!"
Hearing Wang Hu lecture him like a military academy instructor on first-year basics—
Li Chengzhi nearly choked on his own breath. He had graduated second in their class!
Of course he knew these fundamentals!
Then realization struck as he studied Wang Hu's faint smile.
His friend was deliberately lightening the mood to ease his tension.
But—
Li Chengzhi stared intently at Wang Hu, his concern evident. He was worried about him, worried that this rookie would be turned into a turkey by those Coordinators the moment he stepped onto the battlefield.
According to the school's data, fresh recruits on their first battlefield deployment—
They were the ones most likely to become just another number on the casualty list.
"I know what you're thinking," Wang Hu said, stepping forward and patting Li Chengzhi on the shoulder. He then ran both hands through his hair, sweeping the strands back from his forehead, adopting a look ready for a fight.
"Don't forget, in all subjects at school, I'm the top-ranked."
"Hahaha."
Hearing this, Li Chengzhi wasn't sure whether he was infected by Wang Hu's confidence or irritated that even now, the guy still felt the need to remind him—that he was only second in their year.
"The battlefield is nothing like school. If you keep this mindset and don't take war seriously enough—"
"Wang Hu!" Li Chengzhi warned sternly.
"You'll regret it."
"Chengzhi, I'm the top-ranked!"
(End of Chapter)