Chapter 101 Stormwind

The Stormwind had 56 military academy students on board, the majority of whom were from the moon, mostly from the Starship Department. The Mech Department only had Li Hao, Maxis, Basta, Romero, and Solomon. No one knew how Solomon had managed to get in; probably through sheer financial power. This expedition was an opportunity to climb the ranks for many, but for someone like Solomon, who was born into privilege, there was no need to take risks. It seemed he had an ambitious heart.

Throughout the morning, staff members led the group on a tour of the Stormwind. This was one of the NUP's main active battleships, and its level of advancement was beyond question. "Solomon, how did you sneak in?" Dumeira asked with a frank laugh.

"I'm in both the Mech Department and the Starship Department. The Starship Department at Udeir Academy is quite advanced on Earth. Besides, I came with a donation," Solomon said without reservation. It would have been difficult for him to get in based on his own merits, but his Second Brother was here, along with the goddess Arths. If he couldn't come to the Stormwind, why would he participate in any expedition?

In fact, it wasn't just Solomon. There were two types of people who could come to the Stormwind: the elite of the elite, and the well-connected second generation. Of course, their basic levels wouldn't be too bad. Every expedition had many purposes behind it.

"Those of us specializing in mech combat will likely have to participate in landing operations in the end. We won't be needed much in the early stages." Everyone seemed distracted; they probably weren't really interested in the warship or the scenery of space.

Training began in the afternoon, and Li Hao was in charge of this part. They all wanted to see what this newly crowned S-match champion was capable of in the realm of star warfare.

Li Hao knew this, of course, but he was magnanimous and wouldn't bother with these people. Looking at their provocative gazes, he really felt that these young people had a bit too much energy.

"Everyone here is an elite from various academies, so I won't waste your time. My position is open for anyone to take at any time, but before that, we need to do what needs to be done. If the training is too easy, you'll all think I'm insulting you. Let's start with basic training at five times gravity," Li Hao said.

"Li Hao, when can we challenge you? Don't just talk the talk," a lunar warrior asked. People like Anluo and the others wouldn't rashly make a move, so someone would naturally come out to test the waters first.

"After you complete the training, you can," Li Hao said with a slight smile, and everyone immediately felt more comfortable. "You're not planning to exhaust everyone's strength first so you can take advantage, are you?" someone asked.

Li Hao waved his hand helplessly. "Where's the trust between people? I'll be participating in the training too. We'll all be treated the same."

Anluo and Ace exchanged a look. They hadn't expected this kid to be so cooperative. As long as he didn't hog the spot, they wouldn't make things too difficult for him. A mere five times gravity was just like drinking a glass of water for top-tier starship warriors. Did he really think that the Mech Department was necessarily stronger than the Starship Department?

If the prospects for starships weren't better, Anluo and Ace could have shone just as brightly, or even dominated, in the Mech Department. Was the title of Interstellar Dan Emperor fake?

Li Hao's training content was quite simple: 2000 push-ups. The starship department felt that Li Hao looked down on them, so Li Hao naturally took the lead, and everyone lazily started doing them. But soon, Arths's voice rang out, "Everyone, the reservists in the fleet are rotated. The Stormwind will only keep the most outstanding warriors."

In an instant, everyone was energized, and they immediately began training with standard and muscle-flexing movements.

Maxis and the others weren't careless at all. They knew Li Hao relatively well. This guy was a sly one and definitely wouldn't make it easy. So they conserved their physical strength and didn't show off unnecessarily. Besides, those from Apocalypse weren't often without brains.

The other team members knew that Arths was watching, and they couldn't wait to show off all their back muscles. Many people were speeding up, trying to be the first to finish. For a time, only the sounds of panting filled the gravity room. More than a dozen female warriors, led by Dumeira, proceeded methodically. Their physical strength wasn't inferior at this level.

In less than an hour, some people had finished and stood up proudly, wiping the sweat from their foreheads, as proud as peacocks, seemingly waiting for the goddess's praise. Then, people stood up one after another, as if in a competition. Anluo and Ace and others also finished in a little over an hour. Li Hao, Maxis, and the others were a bit slower. Everyone who finished was covered in sweat. Even with the superhuman physical qualities of new humans, this intensity was still quite draining.

It took an hour and a half for everyone to finish. No matter how they had gotten in, it seemed they all had some foundation. After Solomon finished, he felt his heart pounding wildly, as if about to jump out of his chest.

Seeing that everyone had finished, Li Hao nodded. "Very impressive. It seems the physical strength of the Starship Department isn't just talk. Okay, now that the warm-up is over, let's get to the main course: eight times gravity, planking, for one hour to start. Save some energy."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's expression changed. If they were anywhere else, they would definitely be cursing. They were the future officers of the esteemed Starship Department, and they didn't need such hard labor. This was simply making trouble. "If you can't hold on, you can ask to rest. Don't force yourselves; it's easy to get injured," Li Hao added.

Everyone knew that Arths was watching, and the staff members were definitely recording their training. This was unbearable. Whether they could stand out and catch the goddess's eye depended on this.

A good first impression.

Everyone could only smile on the surface while cursing inwardly. Suddenly, they felt that this bumpkin from Earth was deceptively wicked.

No one quit at eight times gravity. It might not be the last straw that breaks the camel's back, but under physical exhaustion, the sudden strong pressure did make some people's heads buzz. Physical exertion accelerated, and the load on their organs also increased.

Li Hao, Maxis, and the others were very calm, even feeling a bit refreshed. Their physical strength was much greater than that of ordinary people, and they had experienced and seen much more difficult things than this. They even knew that Li Hao wasn't just trying to intimidate them; he simply didn't take these people seriously and was just carrying out his task. Some people had already used the Golden Zone to adjust. This intensity was a bit much, especially for those who had overexerted themselves in pursuit of speed earlier. This amplified the demands on their physical strength in an instant.

After more than ten minutes, some people couldn't hold on and fell down. They were immediately carried out, lying on stretchers with resentful looks in their eyes, glancing at Li Hao. Anluo Dan and Ace Gran were very calm, as if they had known this would happen. The Mech Department had always been known for its sly and cunning individuals, and they knew that Li Hao would pull this trick. He was definitely afraid of facing them one-on-one, so he was deliberately exhausting them first.

Unfortunately for him, they weren't afraid. Moreover, this guy was exhausting himself as well. So what if it was a battle of attrition? They weren't afraid of anyone. They adjusted their breathing and heart rate and didn't need to use the Golden Zone at all. At this time, the difference in physical strength began to show. Endurance was equally important for both ground mechs and space mechs. Top military academies wouldn't neglect this.

Li Hao took the lead, performing the movements perfectly. Although everyone was unconvinced, no one dared to cheat or play tricks here. Those who were thinking of doing so probably wouldn't have made it to this place.

After more than twenty minutes, Solomon couldn't hold on any longer. He had tried his best, but going any further would be risking his life, and that wasn't necessary. The future was long, and today was probably just Second Brother taking stock of these people's basic abilities.

After half an hour, more than a dozen people had gone out to rest. Not a single woman among them. After recovering, each of them was red-faced, feeling that they were still capable, but they had just overdone it at the beginning. They had lost face this time.

Under eight times gravity, an hour of planking directly eliminated more than half of the people. Some people were only a few minutes away from finishing, but they just couldn't hold on at the end. Basically, those who remained, except for a few, had already used the Golden Zone, and their level of control was obviously quite high. If the mastery of the Golden Zone wasn't good enough, it would be more explosive, but after reaching a certain level, one could control the intensity and stability of its use.

In detail, Li Hao wanted to see how many people like that there were. By this stage, only about ten people remained who hadn't used the Golden Zone and were relying purely on physical strength. This not only indicated that their physical strength was sufficient but also that their level of the Golden Zone was probably top-notch. Without a strong enough body, one couldn't withstand the backlash of the Golden Zone.

Li Hao's training wasn't really about testing endurance; the basics could reveal many details.

After the second round, Li Hao, Maxis, Ace, Anluo, Basta, and the others stood up, their breathing still relatively normal, but their expressions were obviously much more serious. Unknowingly, it had become another competition for everyone. Dumeira's breathing was noticeably more rapid at this time, but this level of intensity wasn't enough to defeat her.

In the command room, Captain Elena and Ayouyou 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 also be some space mech competitions to maintain combat readiness and activate the warriors' states.

"You think highly of Li Hao. Anluo Dan and Ace Gran are both experts in this area. They might give him a lesson," Elena said. She had delegated authority to Arths, but she hadn't expected her to give a deputy team leader position to Li Hao.

Elena was also from the Dalivan faction and was well aware that the Dalivan family had high hopes for Arths. In the era of the fall of the Moiraffe family, Dalivan's rise was unstoppable. Of course, she also admired Arths's abilities. Arths coming to her warship was both Elena's cultivation and care and also an acknowledgement of Elena. Elena had been in the position of major general for some time. In the Starship Department, becoming a major general was relatively easy, but taking the next step was much more difficult. Many talented captains were stuck at this step until retirement.

These things didn't need to be said explicitly; both sides knew it. Of course, at Elena's level, she wasn't just accompanying the crown prince; she also had to consider Arths's practical judgment. This was indeed a different concept from fighting in the S-match.