Chapter 1 At That Time

At this moment, Lin Yue suddenly thought of something and asked,

"Lord Xiao Wen, aren't you and Lord Chen Shan part of the intermediate officer system? Don't you live in the upper district?"

Xiao Wen shook his head and replied, "Most of our people live in the lower district. How could we live in the upper district ourselves? The rank of a position is only to better exert one's abilities, not because someone is more noble! Besides, in the lower district, it is also more convenient to go on missions and go to training and combat areas."

After listening, Su Mo felt a little more admiration for Xiao Wen. There were not many people who could do this these days.

"Yes, Lord Xiao Wen, you are right."

Lin Yue replied in agreement.

"Why talk about those things? Let's go to the dormitory and put down our luggage."

Chen Shan didn't care at all.

"Well, everyone, disband in place and follow the SMS prompts to find your rooms."

Xiao Wen turned his head and gave orders to his subordinates behind him.

"Yes!"

Everyone who came with him responded.

Then Xiao Wen led Su Mo and the others towards a metal building.

Before long, Xiao Wen led Su Mo to a very small single room. He pushed open the door, and the metal room contained a bed, a desk, and a very small private bathroom. The entire room was probably only fifteen square meters.

"Su Mo, this will be your room from now on. The conditions are limited, so please make do with it."

"No, it's pretty good."

Su Mo looked around and was very satisfied. At least it was a private room. Although it was a bit narrow, the privacy was not bad.

Xiao Wen then said to Su Mo, "I'm glad you're satisfied. Also, I have something to tell you."

"Go ahead."

"Since you made a temporary decision to participate in the expedition, we didn't prepare too many daily necessities for you. If you didn't bring enough, you can have Chen Shan accompany you to the trading market in the middle district to purchase some. There are two types of currency used here, one is the Federation Credit, and the other is Star Coins. Of course, Federation Credits are enough for ordinary things, and Star Coins are only used to buy more valuable items."

Xiao Wen reminded Su Mo.

"I understand, but I'm a little confused. Isn't this ship officially sent out by the Federation to mine? Why would it set up such a large free trade zone? Judging by your tone, it seems like private trading is allowed."

Su Mo asked with some confusion.

"This is to promote economic prosperity and some balancing needs. Fifty percent of the people on this ship are professionals like us. The remaining fifty percent are not. There are production personnel, private researchers, scholars, and external hires, and most importantly, there are a large number of private development companies. These private development companies are allowed to board the ship and follow the mining after paying a high entrance fee to the Federal government. Of course, they have to pay taxes on the minerals or other resources they mine. But after paying taxes, the goods belong to the private individuals, so they can naturally be freely traded. Actually, there's nothing strange about it. History has proven that a one-sided plan and dictatorial policies are not good for the market economy. A certain amount of free capital is still needed."

Of course, Xiao Wen didn't tell Su Mo the most important thing, which was that most of these people were large consortia hiding behind the scenes, each with the power to reach the sky.

"Oh, I understand."

"Also, you are boarding the ship as a consultant, so your next actions will be linked to our team. Your salary is 20,000 Federation Credits per month, but I also know that you are not a real professional soldier after all, so I won't be too harsh on you in terms of work and attendance. When there are no important tasks, you are free to arrange your own time."

Xiao Wen explained the general situation to Su Mo. Others didn't know much about Su Mo's skills, but Xiao Wen was very clear. He sincerely admired Su Mo, so he, who had always been very rigorous, was unusually tolerant.

"Thanks."

Su Mo nodded in response.

Chen Shan patted Su Mo on the shoulder and said with a smile, "What's there to thank? We're brothers who can fight side by side in the future. If you have any needs or troubles, just come to me."

Just then, a broadcast sounded, and a steady voice rang out.

"Dear passengers, I am Li Ruiqi, the captain of the Black Yao. Please return to your rooms as soon as possible. The Black Yao will officially take off in five hours. At that time, after six hours, we will start sub-light speed flight. During this time, there may be severe turbulence inside the ship, so please pay attention to safety."

"Also, a friendly reminder, during the Black Yao's sub-light speed flight, in order to save energy, the gravity system will only partially work, covering only the living and control areas. Other areas will be weightless. At the same time, some areas of the ship will not be covered by the life support system. Please do not leave your living areas without permission and run around, intruding into areas you shouldn't enter. If you really do that, you will not only bear the corresponding risks, but also be subject to relevant penalties..."

.....

Lin Yue said in surprise, "It's taking off so soon? I thought it would be at least 24 hours later."

"It is a bit rushed indeed. Let's not talk about these things. Su Mo, you can rest here first. We have to go and inspect the situation of others."

Xiao Wen said after thinking for a while.

"Okay."

Su Mo responded.

Then Xiao Wen and the others left, leaving Su Mo alone in the room.

He looked at the unfamiliar room, stretched deeply, and felt a faint excitement in his calm heart.

Inside the Black Yao's ship control room, operators were busy making final preparations for takeoff, constantly checking the status of various circuits and listening to reports from patrol personnel in various areas.

"Power Area A1 is normal!"

"Integrated Circuit Area is normal!"

"Freezer Area is normal!"

......

Li Ruiqi sat steadily in the command chair, listening to the reports from his subordinates.

At this time, Putmi (the Black Yao's vice-captain) standing next to him frowned and said, "Isn't this too rushed? It's a bit too hasty."

"We should compress the time as much as possible where we can, otherwise, we won't even have time to cry when we encounter irresistible factors. You should know better than anyone how tight our mining time is this time. Now that everyone is on board and the preparations have been completed, let's set sail as soon as possible."

Li Ruiqi had no intention of changing his mind.

"Okay."

Putmi's expression changed for a while, and finally he didn't say anything.

Li Ruiqi raised his hand and looked at his watch. Seeing that the time was almost up, he said,

"Time's up, close all boarding entrances and send a message to the spaceport ground crew to evacuate everyone on the surface!"

"Yes, the message has been sent!"

An operator responded.

In the next second, the ground crew at the huge spaceport immediately received the evacuation order, and the commander shouted loudly.

"Withdraw! Withdraw quickly!"

Many ground crew pushed some equipment and began to evacuate.

On the high-rise observation deck of the spaceport terminal, Long Ming and others stood there, watching the Black Yao about to take off.

Everyone's expression was extremely serious. This was not just a mining mission, but also carrying the hopes and future of the Federation.

And this mission will be fully commanded by Augulas and Spader.

Before long, the Black Yao, which had no end in sight, was activated, and a huge roar resounded throughout the area. Then the Black Yao began to float slowly.

The anti-gravity device was running at full power, and the energy shield was opened to the maximum.

The altitude of ascent was getting higher and higher. Each team was running at full power, and the tail nozzles were opened, with hot tail flames spewing out.

Then the huge mothership began to fly towards the vast universe, and its figure gradually became smaller.

Looking at the gradually receding mothership, Long Ming breathed a long sigh of relief and said to the people beside him, "They have set off, and we should do our things too. I look forward to the Federation's official rise in three years!"

"Understood!"

Iserin and the others responded.

.......

Several days later, in the lower district of the Black Yao's living area, Su Mo was still sleeping.

Buzz~

Suddenly his phone vibrated.

Su Mo picked it up and glanced at it, then sat up. The assembly training was about to begin.

He washed up a bit. Although Xiao Wen had said before that he could participate if he wanted to, and skip it if he didn't. But he had missed several training sessions in a row, and it seemed a little unreasonable, especially since he was receiving a high salary.

You should know that the normal salary is only around 3,000 Federation Credits, and this price has been increased because participating in the expedition is life-threatening.

A moment later, Su Mo, biting on a nutrition bar, ran towards training area k52.

......

After a long time, after going around and around, Su Mo finally found training area k52.

This ship was really too big, and the terrain was extremely complicated. If you were really hiding in a corner, it would be hard to find.

The entire k52 training area was super lively, with at least 10,000 people gathered here, and ten different teams training.

Heave-ho! Heave-ho!

Teams were doing regular physical running.

Although the interstellar era has arrived, the power of individuals has become very small, and various mechanical weapons have become mainstream. But having a strong physique is still the foundation of everything.

"Speed up, didn't you eat breakfast?"

Training officers shouted loudly.

"Yes, sir!"

Soldiers responded loudly.

Just listening to the sound makes people feel excited.

……

Su Mo walked around in the training area, attracting a lot of attention, but when the training officers saw the style of his uniform, they ignored him.

They could tell at a glance that Su Mo was an external hire. Generally, there are two types of externally hired people, one is a relationship hire who comes to enjoy benefits and loaf around, and the other is someone with real skills.

Regardless of which type, externally hired personnel are very free.

Before long, Su Mo found Xiao Wen and the others in the corner.

He saw Xiao Wen's people forming a large circle.

Inside, soldiers were doing physical confrontation, free-style hand-to-hand combat.

"Good!"

There was occasional enthusiastic applause.

Su Mo also walked over at this time, and Chen Shan saw Su Mo coming and said with a smile.

"Why did you get up so early? We originally thought about letting you rest more before calling you."

"I have nothing to do when I'm idle."

Su Mo replied, sitting directly next to Chen Shan.

"You can stroll around the living area if you have nothing to do."

"Forget it, it's more interesting with you guys."

"That's right, why not go up and try it?"

Chen Shan asked with a smile.

Lin Yue leaned over at this time and complained, "Chen Shan, are you doing it on purpose? Su Mo is not a regular soldier, how could he know free-style hand-to-hand combat?"

"Oh, didn't I forget?"

Chen Shan also looked embarrassed.

"It's okay, I just want to stretch my muscles."

Su Mo looked at the hand-to-hand combat in the field and was also a little eager to try. He hadn't fought anyone for a long time since he graduated.

"Su Mo, you don't have to force yourself, don't listen to Chen Shan's nonsense, it wouldn't be good if you got injured later."

"It's okay."

Su Mo was still very confident, so he stepped forward.

Xiao Wen, who was watching his subordinates' hand-to-hand combat, was also a little surprised to see Su Mo coming up, but he quickly reacted.

So he blew the whistle in his mouth.

"Pause, is there anyone who wants to try with Mr. Su Mo?"

"Me! Me!"

Soldiers in the field were eager to try. Except for the upper-level officers who knew Su Mo better, no one else knew him at all. So they had always maintained a curious attitude towards this externally hired officer.

But because of Chen Shan and the others, no one dared to object.

Now that there was such a good opportunity to test this guy's skills, everyone was as excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

In fact, in the army, it is very simple to gain people's respect, that is, to show your skills.

"Qi Hang, it's you, remember to stop when you've made your point."

Xiao Wen pointed his finger at a big man who was shouting the loudest.

"Don't worry, sir."

Qi Hang replied, grinding his fists and wiping his feet.

The others below booed, "Qi Hang, don't lose, that would be embarrassing."

"Go away, I'm so good at fighting, when have I ever lost?"

Qi Hang scolded with a smile.

Then Qi Hang walked up to Su Mo, and the two saluted each other at the same time. Xiao Wen blew the whistle directly, and the duel began.

"Sorry, sir!"

After Qi Hang finished speaking, he punched Su Mo with a whistling wind. It must be said that Qi Hang's fist was exceptionally fierce, especially since he was an i-type gene-enhanced person.

He was confident that he could make a dent in even ordinary steel plates with this punch.

But in Su Mo's eyes, this punch was like a movement at 10 times slower speed, and Su Mo also felt very novel. Originally, he could easily dodge it, but strangely, he wanted to try what it would be like to take a hit.

So he didn't dodge!

So Qi Hang punched Su Mo in the chest.

Seeing this scene, Lin Yue's heart also tightened.

"Su Mo!"

Chen Shan's expression also changed slightly, this is bad!

The people present were also confused, Su Mo didn't dodge. However, in the next second, an even more amazing scene appeared.

Qi Hang, who had punched Su Mo in the chest, suddenly withdrew his hand, with a painful expression on his face.

His entire right fist was bleeding, and he felt like he had hit an alloy wall.

At this time, Su Mo moved, and he instinctively kicked out, and at the moment of kicking out, he instinctively felt that something was wrong, even though he had retracted most of his strength.

But even so, Qi Hang raised his left hand to block!

Crack!

A crisp cracking sound came from his entire left hand, and then his whole person flew out like a kite with a broken string, and fell heavily on the ground.

Su Mo's face changed drastically, and he quickly stepped forward to check.

"Are you okay?"

"It's okay, it just seems like my hand is broken."

Qi Hang covered his hand, with cold sweat on his face, and said while enduring the pain.

Seeing this, Xiao Wen turned his head and said to the subordinates next to him, "Send him to the medical room!"

"Yes!"

Two soldiers quickly went up to help Qi Hang leave.

The people present immediately changed their eyes when they looked at Su Mo. There was no contempt or doubt in their eyes, but full of admiration.

Xiao Wen was also very surprised to see that Su Mo was so good at fighting, and he asked.

"One more round?"

"No."

Su Mo refused decisively. He found that his body had deviated from the category of ordinary people. If it were in the past, although he could defeat that person named Qi Hang, it would definitely not be so easy.

He would have to exchange two blows at least, instead of crushing him. He couldn't fight anymore, there would be problems later, and it would be difficult to explain why he was so strong.

"Well, continue with the free confrontation training. A strong physique is the foundation of everything for us. Only if you are strong can you better control the mecha. Tonight, the Black Yao will end its first sub-light speed flight. At that time, we will stop the ship for repairs, and then we will carry out alternating mecha training. Anyone whose physical training is outstanding during this time will have priority for mecha training at that time."

Xiao Wen said to everyone.

"Understood!"

Everyone replied excitedly, as if they had been injected with chicken blood. They could finally touch the real mecha.

When Su Mo heard this, he became even more curious. He retreated to Lin Yue and Chen Shan and whispered, "Are we assigned mecha?"

"We are assigned them, but the number is pitifully small. We are only assigned 10 i-generation mecha, not even one ii-generation mecha."

Lin Yue sighed.

"It's okay, we'll have them in the future."

Su Mo was also very surprised that not even one ii-generation mecha was assigned.

"There's no future. Since the number of ii-generation mecha and iii-generation mecha is extremely small, the higher-ups decided to adopt a merit-based exchange system. That is to say, whichever team completes the mission the best in the following days can have priority to exchange for high-level mecha. In short, it's a competition."

Chen Shan complained.

"Okay."

Su Mo didn't say anything. Under extremely scarce resources, this may not be a bad idea. Good steel is used on the blade.

"Su Mo, do you want to come and try the mecha together tonight?"

Lin Yue asked Su Mo expectantly.

"Of course."

Su Mo himself hadn't touched a mecha for a long time, and he was feeling a little itchy.

.......

At night, Su Mo and others were waiting in the training area.

At this time, multi-functional transport vehicles drove over, and then brand new black mecha were moved down.

Everyone immediately surrounded them excitedly.

Su Mo also curiously joined in, looking up and down at these i-generation mecha, the Iron Guards.

In fact, from the outside, these mecha are similar to the Green Shields, but their size feels much lighter than the Green Shields, and there are six launch ports on the back.

They are relatively flexible and should be more suitable for space combat.

"Real mecha! They feel so cool!"

"Look at you, these are just i-generation mecha."

.....

Just then, a series of dull footsteps woke everyone up.

Su Mo and others turned their heads to look, and saw a ii-generation enhanced Black Steel mecha, twelve meters tall, with a shiny black armor all over its body, and a whole circle larger than the i-generation mecha, driving over.

"Wow, wow, ii-generation mecha!"

Everyone couldn't help but exclaim.

"Line up, everyone, and try driving it one by one."

Xiao Wen's voice sounded from inside the Black Steel mecha.

Immediately, everyone shouted excitedly: "It's Lord Xiao Wen, Lord Xiao Wen has a ii-generation mecha!"

The excited shouts immediately attracted the attention of other teams training next door, and the faces of the other sergeant majors became a little unsightly.

"Old Xiao, why do you have a ii-generation mecha and we don't?"

Xiao Wen turned his head and shouted at them: "Go buy one yourself."

"Damn it! You're awesome."

Hearing Xiao Wen's words, those sergeant majors collapsed their faces. Where would they get the money to buy one? They're as expensive as shit.

Chen Shan patted Su Mo on the shoulder and said, "Let's go, let's try the Iron Guard mecha together."

"Okay!"

Su Mo walked towards an Iron Guard.

Soon Su Mo climbed into the Iron Guard's cockpit. He looked at the familiar operating interface and got started very easily.

He closed the cockpit and tried pulling the control lever, and the entire Iron Guard mecha moved.

Su Mo began to drive the Iron Guard to move around a little, and he obviously felt a hint of awkwardness. He didn't know why, even though the simulation degree in the Star Ring was 100%, driving in reality felt a little different from the Star Ring.

No, it should be more of a psychological obstacle.

Su Mo quickly found the problem.

At this time, there was a loud bang next to him!

An Iron Guard mecha had just taken a few steps and actually fell down.

Chen Shan saw this scene and scolded with both heartache and anger: "I told you all, there is still a difference between reality and virtual reality. Don't think that if you can control the mecha in the Star Ring, it will be easy in reality. Muscles need to memorize, and mecha need to be broken in. Cheer up and don't make such low-level mistakes."

"Yes, Sergeant Chen Shan."

The subordinate who fell down hurriedly controlled the mecha to climb up.

The sergeant major of the other team next door smiled and said to his subordinates: "Did you see that, that's the best lesson from the past. Haste makes waste. All of you cheer up and get familiar with the mecha little by little. Don't be clumsy and pull the power to the maximum."

Just then, Su Mo pushed the power lever to the end, and the power unit of the entire Iron Guard mecha hummed.

At the same time, the spray ports on the back opened.

In the next second, Su Mo drove the Iron Guard out at low altitude, circling the entire training field twice.

The movements were very light and flexible, and from time to time Su Mo controlled the mecha to test other performances!

"Good! Handsome!"

The soldiers present applauded excitedly and whistled!

At this time, the sergeant majors reached out and slapped the heads of the soldiers who were booing.

"What are you booing about? People have the ability to drive like that. Don't you idiots drive like that, I can't afford to repair it if you break it!"

"Uh, yes, sir."

"But damn it, who is that guy? His skills are so good. It's a pity he's not my soldier."

....

Then Su Mo drove the Iron Guard to an emergency stop in mid-air, landed heavily, and the entire mecha supported itself on the ground with one hand, and then stood up steadily.

"Long live Commander Su Mo!!!"

Many soldiers looked at Su Mo driving the mecha and were extremely excited.

Chen Shan also sighed: "I feel that Su Mo's skills are getting better and better. Although theoretically there is no problem for me to drive like that, I really wouldn't dare to do it so soon after touching the mecha."

Lin Yue replied with a smile: "It's not easy, Commander Chen Shan, there are times when you admit defeat."

"Go, go, I can do it too if I familiarize myself with it."

Chen Shan felt a little embarrassed.

In the cockpit, Su Mo touched the buttons on the console, feeling unusually comfortable. Although the performance of this Iron Guard was really not very good, it used a high-concentration fuel engine, but the operating performance was still good among the first-generation mecha.

In addition, Su Mo found that his neural reaction was faster since he was injected with the genetic medicine.

He could easily perform some difficult skills.