Chapter Sixty-Three: The Rise of the Underdog

Li Daoran went to the cafeteria to pick up a high-energy compressed biscuit and a can of preserved food, then sat aside to eat. Before long, Xu Xingxing also came for his meal, carrying the exact same food. He walked over to Li Daoran and asked, “Where have you been all morning? I looked everywhere and couldn’t find you.”

“The gravity chamber,” Li Daoran replied, taking a bite of the compressed biscuit. It still tasted as dry as ever—future rations might not be delicious, but they were certainly nutritious. For most, one biscuit was enough to sustain a person for a day. And there was still a can of preserved food.

“You stayed in the gravity chamber all morning? Are you out of your mind?” Xu Xingxing was shocked. Their gravity training was generally measured in minutes, rarely exceeding an hour, and even then, one would feel unwell afterward.

“It’s fine, I can handle it,” Li Daoran mumbled through his mouthful.

Xu Xingxing sighed. “I really feel like the gap between us is growing. In the past, at least, I put way more effort into physical training than you did. You barely ever left the dorm except to complete a mission. But now, you’re pushing yourself even in physical training. What happened, did you get a talking-to last night? Did the captain say something to you?” Xu Xingxing leaned in, asking conspiratorially.

Xu Xingxing was extremely curious about what Captain Xiong had discussed with Li Daoran the night before. He still didn’t quite understand Li Daoran’s actions yesterday and was filled with questions.

Before Li Daoran could reply, another person sat down across from them, tossed his food onto the table, and grumbled, “This stuff again. Every day it’s the same, I’m sick of it.”

Li Daoran looked up and saw it was Feichai. Though he kept complaining, he still picked up his biscuit, broke off small pieces, and popped them into his mouth, careful not to waste a crumb.

“There are different flavors, you know. Today is chicken—nice and crispy,” Li Daoran commented.

Feichai glanced at Li Daoran’s food and then at his own. “Don’t we get the same rations? Mine’s beef, and it’s soft. Want to trade?”

Xu Xingxing looked at his own biscuit, identical to theirs, and said, puzzled, “Aren’t they all the same? Dry as dust, and totally tasteless.”

“That’s yours, mine’s different,” Li Daoran insisted.

“Yeah, ours isn’t like yours,” Feichai agreed, nodding. To prove his point, he pretended to tear at his biscuit as if it were beef, but it broke off with a loud crack, crumbs scattering. Still, he forced himself to say, “This beef’s a bit overcooked.”

Li Daoran and Feichai exchanged a smile. Xu Xingxing thought the two of them were odd, but somehow, the biscuit in his hand didn’t seem quite as unpalatable anymore.

“Do you know what your biggest problem is, kid?” Feichai said to Li Daoran.

Li Daoran didn’t know what he meant and stayed silent. But Feichai didn’t wait for an answer and continued, “You’ve never experienced war, so you take too much for granted.”

“You say that like you have. It’s been over a thousand years of peace—who here’s experienced war?” Xu Xingxing scoffed.

“Heh, war never really stopped, you just don’t know about it. You think there’s peace, but that’s only because someone is bearing the burden in darkness. Skirmishes at the borders have never ceased,” Feichai replied, his tone somber.

Li Daoran nodded. Chen Ming and the others had analyzed this before—peace was always just a facade. Even on a tiny world like Aquamarine, conflicts still occurred; it stood to reason that a world as vast as Daoran’s would see its share of strife. Still, these conflicts were likely kept within certain limits.

“In the vast darkness of space, on abandoned planets rich in resources but unfit for human habitation, countless battles are fought every moment. And now, the entire explored universe is nearly mapped out. For centuries, no new fold points have been discovered, and starships have already reached the limits of the known routes. War is about to bare its fangs at all humanity. No one will escape—this is a calamity for our entire race,” Feichai said.

“The flaws of human nature—no matter how boundless space is, it still can’t contain a proliferating humanity,” Chen Ming remarked.

“Some people, when destitute, agree to set aside disputes and pursue common prosperity; but when they succeed, their hearts are set on conquest,” came David’s sarcastic voice.

After these words, silence fell between them. Li Daoran could already imagine the stir this conversation would cause on Aquamarine—those two were likely to get in trouble again.

Li Daoran nodded. Deep down, he agreed with David, but he couldn’t show it.

So he changed the subject, “So, Feichai, what is real war like?”

Feichai accepted the diversion. “An entire fleet of giant starships bypassing the defense line? Impossible. Do you know how vast space is? What’s the fastest speed of a warship? From the Milan System to the Nok System, there are only three known routes without using fold points. The rest are blocked by asteroid belts, supermassive black holes, or enormous stars—impassable.

A starship’s top speed is five hundred kilometers per second. Do you have any idea how much manpower and resources it takes to build one? How long it takes to cross a single system, how much energy is consumed? If you stray from the established routes, even a stray asteroid could ruin your ship, and there’s nowhere to resupply. Opening a new route and maintaining it would cost more than you can imagine. Even the mighty Philian Empire couldn’t quietly open a new route without our knowledge, let alone move a fleet through it.

So, you think they could bypass the Milan System’s defenses and enter the Nok System? Not impossible, but highly unlikely—unless a new fold point is discovered. That’s where our attention should be. The strategic focus isn’t Silver Serpent—it’s the new fold point. If the enemy gets hold of a new fold point, that’s a disaster far greater than losing Silver Serpent. If we lose Silver Serpent, we can always retake it or find another, but if the enemy controls the fold point, the nation’s end is imminent.

That’s why, if the Philian Empire’s fleet is discovered in the Nok System, deploying the Mermaid is the only logical move. There are two fold points between the Milan System and the Philian Empire’s Newton System, so those forces can’t be redeployed. The Milan and Nok Systems are linked by three fold points, already stretching their forces thin. As for the Milan and Bailu Systems, there’s only one fold point, and though there’s a giant starship there, it can’t be moved—it’s responsible for the entire Nok System’s space security. So tell me, if not us, who else can secure this potential new fold point?”