Chapter Sixty-Eight: Entering the War

Li Daoran glanced at Feichai, who was still smoking. The tip of the cigarette flared red, but he said nothing.

"That's right, the person I'm talking about is the one right beside you," Wang Mo continued, looking at Feichai. "Back then, he had it even rougher than Xu Xingxing, but he managed to pass the tests through sheer willpower and even made it into the War Tiger Special Forces. Of course, his body suffered irreparable damage in the process. Do you regret it now?"

"Regret? Not at all," Feichai scoffed, flicking the ash from his cigarette. "Making it into War Tiger was all my own doing. These injuries? Nothing worth mentioning."

"Heh," Wang Mo snorted. "With your abilities, you could have easily gotten into the Staff Department, maybe even become a general by now. But you insisted on being a mech pilot and wouldn't listen to reason. If you had this young man's physique, maybe it'd be different, but with your bones—how many more years do you think you can keep going? Was it worth it?"

"Who cares about worth? I wanted it, so I did it," Feichai spat, extinguishing the cigarette under his boot before picking it up and tucking it into his pocket.

Wang Mo, seeing Feichai's stubbornness, gave up on persuading him any further. He'd hoped Feichai would stop going to the frontlines and live a few more years in peace, but he knew now that nothing could change his mind. Shifting the topic, he turned to Li Daoran. "So, kid, what kind of mech do you want to pilot? Ever had any experience?"

"The eighth-generation Strider—would that be possible?" Li Daoran asked.

"With your physical qualities, you might just make the cut," Wang Mo mused. "But the eighth-generation's control difficulty is... well, it's hard to say. Still, with your physique, anything less would be a waste. We're moving at high speed now and can't connect to the network, so you can't practice on the intranet, which is a shame. For the next two months, though, you can get used to the exoskeleton armor. If your goal is the Strider, I have some ideas for your exoskeleton's design. Don't worry, I'll work overtime to get it done for you. As for your friend over there, his stats aren't up to standard yet—he'll have to train a bit more." With that, Wang Mo left, leaving Feichai and Li Daoran alone.

Feichai patted Li Daoran on the shoulder. "Let's go."

Li Daoran pointed to where Xu Xingxing was. "What about him?"

"What about him? He'll live. He can get up and go back on his own. Are we supposed to just stand here waiting? You got nothing better to do?" Feichai shot him a glance.

Li Daoran shrugged, thinking Feichai had a point—there was little use in waiting around. He said nothing more and followed Feichai, sensing the older man might have more to teach him.

Life aboard the starship was monotonous, yet Li Daoran found it more fulfilling than ever. He trained and studied not only on the ship but also whenever they returned to Aquablue. He bore it all in silence.

At last, the wheel of fate turned in the Nock System two months later. On May 18th, 1564 of the White Deer Star Calendar, the Mermaid Starship Fleet arrived at Fold Point Three.

It was a critical moment: the Milan System had just fallen entirely, and the Felid Empire was launching a fierce assault. The arrival of the Mermaid Fleet was like an injection of adrenaline for the White Deer Republic's forces, catching the Felid Empire completely off guard.

Not only did they hold Fold Point Three in the Nock System, but they also counterattacked, pushing into the Milan System and reclaiming control of its Fold Point Three.

This move was the first strategic piece placed by Liu Meng, known as the Horn of White Deer, since the war began. From millions of miles away, she orchestrated events, accurately predicting that the Felid Empire would seize the Milan System within two months and focus its main assault on Fold Point Three. This singular move broke the White Deer Republic's defensive posture, sounded the horn of counterattack, and steadied the hearts of its people.

The Felid Empire had been advancing swiftly, and the White Deer Republic had been in a state of panic. But Liu Meng struck at their weak spot. The Felid Empire’s failure to secure its footing in the Nock System exposed their overextended lines and shaky foundation after occupying the Milan System for three months.

Had they entrenched themselves in the Nock System, they could have stabilized the front and consolidated their hold over Milan. It would have been a situation where they could advance or retreat at will. Instead, they lost a significant portion of their forces in space and failed to hold the fold point. Much of their earlier gains were wiped out, and the overall balance of the war shifted against them.

Li Daoran knew nothing of this great battle. He continued his training as usual, clad in an unusual exoskeleton armor. "Unusual" because his armor was markedly different from the others'.

His suit's skin was not the standard issue: while everyone else wore the White Deer Republic's signature silver-white exoskeletons speckled with black stars, his was a sky blue tinged with teal—a hallmark of the Chongming Republic from the Sino-Alliance.

The White Deer Republic’s exoskeleton skin was famed for its incredible hardness under normal conditions and powerful self-healing after damage, resembling the liquid metal imagined in Aquablue’s dreams.

The Chongming Republic’s exoskeletons, however, prioritized comfort—their skins were softer, astonishingly elastic, with tensile strength thirty to fifty times greater than spider silk. They were almost impossible to tear and perfect for wearing close to the body. For exoskeletons, theirs could be considered the best possible skin, while the White Deer Republic’s materials were more suited to heavy mechs and starships.

Compared to the others, Li Daoran’s armor was not only different in skin but also in scale. Once donned, it barely increased his size, as if he had simply put on a tight suit.

In reality, its performance was on par with any other exoskeleton. Internally, it boasted five more energy slots than the standard models, yet its overall bulk was reduced. This was because the design focused on agility, running counter to the White Deer Republic’s traditional philosophy. In every sense, it was tailored just for Li Daoran.

He preferred skill and technique over brute force, and an exoskeleton that was nimble and responsive suited him far better.

It had been days since he last saw Feichai or Instructor Xiong. Usually, when he trained here, they would drop by to watch and pick up new techniques. In fact, Chen Ming had always taught Li Daoran the finer points of skill, and Li Daoran had, in turn, passed some of these on to Feichai and Instructor Xiong.

But in recent days, apart from the new recruits, everyone else seemed to have vanished.

Though surrounded by the tides of war, he was not yet qualified to take part in the battles that would decide its course. Oblivious to the fact that the starship was already engaged in combat, Li Daoran, with some curiosity in his heart, began a new sparring match with Xu Xingxing, who wore the standard silver-white exoskeleton.