Chapter Fourteen: Ranked Thirty-Nine

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The miniature craft No.16 looked quite different up close. Unlike the massive vessels outside, this shuttle had invisible wings folded neatly along its sides, resembling a bird at rest. Xu Yan and Duan Peng entered from the rear of the shuttle.

Inside, the space was tight—only about four meters wide.

It was divided into two cabins, front and rear, and both men curiously studied the layout.

They climbed up through heavy steel, surrounded by flickering cold blue lights that exuded a strong sense of advanced technology.

The rear cabin served as an auxiliary chamber, with various devices neatly arranged. The left side was almost entirely taken up by display screens, while the right side housed an array of weaponry.

Some of the weapons were familiar to Xu Yan and Duan Peng from past experience; others remained somewhat mysterious.

As they stood at the hatch, a mechanical voice announced, “Please familiarize yourselves with the equipment and weapons. Time allotted: one hour.”

Simultaneously, the displays on the left began to show detailed introductions and locations of each piece of equipment and weapon.

In summary, the left side contained mostly detection and monitoring devices, while the right side was equipped with traditional firearms of varying ranges, as well as laser, radiation, and electromagnetic weapons, and even mechanical grappling tools reminiscent of oversized ancient wall-climbing claws.

For a full hour, the two men worked without pause to inspect and learn everything, leaving no room for excitement.

Just ten minutes in, the mechanical voice reminded them of how many devices and weapons remained unfamiliar, leaving no free time whatsoever.

One hour was just enough to thoroughly master all the equipment and weaponry.

Following the mechanical guide, they proceeded to the front cabin’s control room.

This space was under ten square meters but packed with buttons and levers, resembling a miniature command center.

The moment they entered, the mechanical voice sounded precisely: “Welcome to the No.16 Shuttle control room. Beginning automatic system check. All functions normal.”

Again, they were given one hour to familiarize themselves with every control.

Before they could relax, the voice returned: “Score: 65.7 points. Basic qualification achieved. Captain 116.”

Xu Yan and Duan Peng were stunned by this sudden assessment. So there was a test! Their hearts trembled.

Indeed, the captain’s earlier warning had been overlooked; now they realized how serious this was.

The control room’s main display immediately showed the scores of all 50 shuttles undergoing testing.

They ranked 39th, with two shuttles scoring below 60 points and disappearing from the screen after a single round of display.

While they were still in shock, the rear cabin’s floor panel slowly rose.

The mechanical voice asked again: “Contact central control?”

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From their earlier training, they knew this was the preflight protocol. Exchanging a glance, they nodded, closed their helmets, tested their communication frequencies with each other and the shuttle, then sent the command to contact central control.

At the command from “Captain 116” Xu Yan, the front console’s display flickered to life, revealing the image of a person from central control.

“No.16 Shuttle, all systems normal. Requesting mission instructions.”

“Target: outer space, 90,000 kilometers away. Mission: intercept enemy intrusion.”

“Received. No.16 Shuttle requesting departure.”

“Permission granted.”

“Received. No.16 Shuttle departing immediately.”

Xu Yan nodded to Duan Peng. Their roles naturally divided between front and rear cabins—this was the simplest mission assignment.

They both exhaled slightly, relieved that they were familiar with each other.

Upon pressing the start button, the display cycled through various scenes they had seen earlier outside.

“120 shuttles in the vicinity, 48 currently launching.”

“No.16 Shuttle awaiting takeoff.”

“10 shuttles launched… 20 shuttles launched… countdown 10 seconds, No.16 Shuttle preparing for takeoff!”

The shuttle’s launch sequence was automatically arranged according to their test scores. This order clearly mattered greatly for the upcoming assessment, making them extremely tense and alert.

The shuttle’s takeoff felt sudden—not forward, but vertically upward. The previously sealed underground chamber opened a hatch.

After ascending 2,000 meters, the mechanical voice prompted, “Open wings?”

“Continue climbing to 10,000 meters,” Xu Yan responded without hesitation, refusing to deploy the wings.

The wings served to maintain heading and adjust direction, but their mission was 90,000 kilometers out in space.

Opening wings within the atmosphere would only slow their ascent.

Duan Peng heard Xu Yan’s command in the rear cabin and was momentarily startled before understanding.

Xu Yan aimed to maximize speed to catch up with the 38 shuttles ahead.

Indeed, as Xu Yan accelerated sharply, the shuttles on either side began to be overtaken.

All other shuttles started opening their wings after 3,000 meters, but No.16 held off until 10,000 meters before deploying its wings—unique among all 48.

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In the underground observation room, all eyes were fixed on shuttle No.16.

The question was not about technology or craft durability, but whether the two pilots inside could endure the pressure changes.

An elder in the room commanded, “Open the surveillance feed of No.16.”

At his words, the largest screen shifted from the launch pad view to the shuttle’s interior.

The image showed Xu Yan and Duan Peng seated one behind the other, their gazes steady, hands gripping firmly despite the stiffness of their interstellar battle suits.

The elder’s gaze shifted to the altitude indicator, watching as they climbed from 5,000 meters to 10,000 meters, until finally hearing Xu Yan’s command: “Deploy wings, tilt 15 degrees.”

“Shuttle pitch angle 30 degrees, continue ascent. Begin adjusting cabin pressure.”

The elder then asked an aide, “Who is the captain of No.16?”

The aide glanced at the display and reported, “Sir, Captain Xu Yan of shuttle No.16 is currently a member of the Jinjiang Special Forces. Employment date… employment date…”

“What is it?” the elder asked, puzzled.

“Employed for three months.”

“What?” The elder’s usually calm eyes showed surprise. “Investigate who assigned him.”

“Yes, sir!” The aide was the highest-ranking commander of this interstellar squad’s simulation test and also head of logistics.

He privately suspected a clerical error but dared not voice it before his superior.

Though the display showed all of Xu Yan’s records, including training received, he still felt something was amiss and suspected data inaccuracies.

Meanwhile, Jing Zemin, also in the observation room, smiled quietly but held back his excitement.

After all, they were still in the ascent phase.

The simulation was just that—a simulation. Though the shuttle’s internal and external conditions seemed to change, the craft itself remained stationary without moving an inch.