Chapter 515: Confrontation

There are 56 military cadets on the Kuangfeng, with Moon People making up more than half; most are from the Starship Department, while only Li Hao, Maxis, Basta, and Romero are from the Mecha Department, along with Solomon—no one knows how this guy managed to squeeze in, likely through "money power." For many, this expedition is an opportunity to leap up the social ladder, but for someone born in Rome like Solomon, there is actually no need to take the risk; it seems he has an ambitious heart.

Throughout the morning, staff led everyone on a tour of the Kuangfeng; it is one of the NUP's active main warships, and its level of advancement is beyond doubt. "Solomon, how did you manage to sneak in?" Dumela asked with a laugh, not being polite at all.

"I am both Mecha Department and Starship Department. The level of the Starship Department at Udier Academy is still quite leading on Earth. Besides, I brought a donation with me." Solomon did not shy away from it; his own strength would have made it very difficult to squeeze in, but his second brother is here, and so is the goddess A Youyou—if he couldn't come to the Kuangfeng, he wouldn't have bothered participating in this expedition at all.

In fact, it is not just Solomon; there are two types of people who can come to the Kuangfeng: one is the elite of the elite, and the other is the second generation with deep backgrounds. Of course, their basic levels are not too bad, and behind every expedition, there are many purposes.

"Those of us in the mecha combat major will likely have to participate in landing operations in the end; it won't be much use in the early stages." Everyone was watching absent-mindedly; perhaps what they really wanted to see was neither the warship nor the scenery of the universe.

The afternoon training began, and this part was overseen by Li Hao. They all wanted to weigh and measure this new S-Tournament Champion to see how much weight he really carried in star warfare.

Li Hao certainly knew this, but being as magnanimous as he was, how could he possibly bicker with these people? Looking at the provocative gazes one by one, he really felt that these young people had a bit too much energy.

"You are all elites from your respective academies, so I won't be long-winded. I welcome anyone to replace me in this position at any time, but before that, we need to get done what needs to be done. If the training is too simple, you will surely think I am insulting you, so let's start with basic training at five times gravity," Li Hao said.

"Li Hao, when can we challenge you? Don't just talk, let's see some action," a Moon Warrior asked. Anluo and the others would not rashly make a move in such matters; naturally, someone else would come out to test the waters first.

"You can do it after completing the training," Li Hao said with a faint smile, and everyone immediately felt a bit more at ease. "You aren't planning to exhaust everyone's stamina first just to take advantage, are you?" someone asked.

Li Hao waved his hands helplessly, "Where is the trust between people? I will be participating in the training too; everyone will be treated equally."

Anluo and Ace exchanged a glance, not expecting this kid to be so sensible. As long as he didn't hog the spot, they wouldn't make things too difficult for him. A mere five times gravity is just like drinking a glass of water for top starship warriors; did he really think the Mecha Department was necessarily stronger than the Starship Department?

If it weren't for the better prospects in starships, Anluo and Ace could have shone just as brightly in the Mecha Department, or even dominated it; was the Star Alchemy Emperor supposed to be a fake?

Li Hao's training content was quite simple: 2,000 push-ups. The Starship Department felt that Li Hao was looking down on them, so Li Hao naturally had to take the lead, and everyone started doing them sluggishly. However, A Youyou's voice soon rang out, "Everyone, the reserves within the fleet are rotated; the Kuangfeng will only keep the most outstanding warriors."

In an instant, everyone was as if injected with adrenaline and immediately began standard, muscle-flexing training.

Maxis and the others, however, were not careless in the slightest. They knew Li Hao relatively well; this person was a "closet pervert" who would absolutely not make things easy, so they were quite reserved with their stamina and would not perform any unnecessary displays. Besides, coming from Apocalypse, there weren't many who didn't use their brains.

The other team members knew A Youyou was watching and were eager to show off all their back muscles; many were speeding up, striving to be the first to finish. For a time, only the sound of heavy breathing remained in the Gravity Room. More than a dozen female warriors led by Dumela were proceeding step-by-step; at this level, their physical fitness was not inferior.

In less than an hour, some had finished, then stood up proudly, wiping the sweat from their foreheads, as proud as peacocks, seemingly waiting for the goddess's praise. Then, one after another, people stood up, all as if in a great competition. Anluo and Ace and the others also finished in just over an hour, while Li Hao, Maxis, and the others were even slower. Everyone

who finished was drenched in sweat; even with the superior physical fitness of a New Human, this intensity was quite draining.

It took an hour and a half for everyone to finish. Regardless of how they got in, it seemed they all had a certain foundation. After Solomon finished, he felt his heart pounding wildly, almost as if it were off-track.

Seeing that everyone had finished, Li Hao nodded, "Very impressive. It seems the physical fitness of the Starship Department is not just talk. Alright, the warm-up is over; let's have the main course: eight times gravity, planks, let's start with one hour, save some energy."

As soon as these words fell, everyone's expression changed. If they were anywhere else, they would have started cursing. They were dignified future officers of the Starship Department; they didn't need this kind of manual labor at all—it was simply making trouble.

"Those who can't hold on can apply for a rest; don't force it, it's easy to get injured," Li Hao added.

Everyone knew A Youyou was watching and that the staff must be recording their training situation. Damn it, if their grandmother could endure it, their uncle couldn't! Whether they could stand out and catch the goddess's eye depended on this moment.

A beautiful first impression.

Everyone could only smile on the surface while cursing internally, suddenly feeling that this bumpkin from Earth was insidiously evil.

No one quit the eight times gravity. It couldn't be called the straw that broke the camel's back, but under the condition of physical exhaustion, the intense pressure did indeed make some people's heads buzz; physical stamina consumption accelerated, and the load on their organs increased.

Li Hao, Maxis, and the others were all very calm, even feeling a bit of a "sour-sweet" sensation. Their physical strength was much fiercer than the average person's; what they had experienced and seen was much harder than this. They even knew that Li Hao wasn't trying to intimidate them; he simply didn't put these people in his eyes and was truly just carrying out a mission. Some had already used the Golden Zone to adjust; this intensity was a bit high, especially for those who had just exerted too much force in pursuit of speed, which instantly magnified the demand on their physical stamina.

After more than ten minutes, some couldn't hold on and collapsed, immediately being carried out. Lying on the stretchers, their eyes still glanced at Li Hao with resentment. Anluo Dan and Aisi Gelan were quite calm, as if they had long known it would be like this. The Mecha Department had always produced "old oilers," and there was no shortage of underhanded tricks; they knew Li Hao would pull this, surely fearing a one-on-one with them and deliberately exhausting them first.

It was a pity they weren't afraid, and this guy was also consuming his own energy; wasn't it just a war of attrition? Who was afraid of whom? Adjusting their breathing and heart rate, they didn't even need to use the Golden Zone. At this moment, the gap in physical stamina had begun to manifest. Endurance is equally important for both ground mecha and space mecha; top military academies would not fail to value it.

Li Hao took the lead, performing with absolute standard form. Although they were all unconvinced, no one here was slacking off; those who would think of doing that probably wouldn't have made it to this place.

After more than twenty minutes, Solomon couldn't hold on anymore. He had tried his best; to go further would be risking his life. There was really no need for that; there would be plenty of time in the future. Nine times out of ten, today was just his second brother wanting to weigh the basic situation of this group of people.

After half an hour, more than a dozen people had already gone out to rest... not a single woman among them. After catching their breath outside, they were all red-faced, feeling that they were still capable, but they had been too fierce at the beginning, and this time they had lost face in a big way.

Under eight times gravity, an hour of planks eliminated more than half the people directly. Some were only a few minutes away, but they couldn't hold on for that final stretch. Basically, those who remained, except for a limited few, had already used the Golden Zone, and their control level was clearly quite high. If one's mastery of the Golden Zone is not good enough, it is more explosive, but after reaching a certain level, one can master the intensity and stability of its use.

In terms of details, Li Hao just wanted to see how many there were like this. By this stage, only about ten people were left who hadn't used the Golden Zone and were relying purely on physical stamina. This not only indicated that their physical strength was sufficient, but their level of Golden Zone mastery was likely also top-tier; without a sufficiently strong body, one cannot withstand the backlash of the Golden Zone.

This training of Li Hao's was really not about checking endurance; basic things can reflect many details.

After the second round was finished, Li Hao, Maxis, Ace, Anluo, Basta, and others all stood up. Their breathing was still okay, but their expressions were clearly much more cautious.

Unknowingly, it had become another contest among everyone. Dumela's breathing was clearly much more rapid at this moment, but this level of intensity still couldn't stump her.

In the Command Room, Captain Elena and A Youyou were watching. They had already finished the fleet meeting. During the voyage, there would be various tactical military exercises and coordinated operations in suitable star regions. At the same time, there would be some competitions for space mecha, which on one hand maintained immediate combat readiness, and on the other could activate the state of the warriors.

"You think highly of Li Hao. Anluo Dan and Aisi Gelan are both experts in this field; perhaps they will teach him a lesson," Elena said. She had naturally delegated power to A Youyou, but she hadn't expected her to give a deputy captain position to Li Hao.

Elena was also of the Daliven faction and was very clear that the Daliven Family had high hopes for A Youyou. In an era where the Meraphis Family had fallen, the rise of the Daliven was unstoppable. Of course, she also greatly appreciated A Youyou's abilities. A Youyou coming to the warship where she was stationed was both a matter of Elena's cultivation and care, and also a recognition of Elena. Elena had been in the position of Major General for some time; in the Starship Department, becoming a Major General is actually relatively easy, but the difficulty of taking the next step is far too great. Many talented captains were stuck at this step until retirement.

These things didn't need to be stated clearly; both sides knew it in their hearts. Of course, having reached Elena's level, she wasn't just accompanying a "crown prince" in his studies; she also had to evaluate A Youyou's practical combat judgment, which was indeed two different concepts from fighting in the S Tournament.