Zhao Chen went to the waiting area kept for the squadrons' fighter pilots.
Here were rows of couches, with snacks and drinks beside them.
It could be called quite comfortable.
For the true fighter hangar lay in a sealed space; only when needed were the fighters raised into the combat hangar.
At which point the matching pilots would be called to board and fight.
Until then, every pilot not yet called waited in her squadron's ready room like this.
After all, with so many people, having them all in the combat hangar would get in the ground crew's way.
At the same time, in this ready room the squadron's people could talk over combat techniques, or how to work together in a fight.
Zhao Chen sat in the front row.
He noticed that no few people around him kept glancing him over.
Some pilots seated behind would make a pretext of going to fetch something to eat, pass by Zhao Chen, and look him up and down.
What these people had in mind.
Zhao Chen naturally knew.
They simply had their doubts about this man who had suddenly joined their elite squadron, and a ground-air transfer at that.
Most likely the Fifth Flight Group's people were quietly sowing discord as well.
That Zhao Chen had been a sergeant, for instance, and had been raised straight to master sergeant on a stroke of luck.
In a military setting, fast promotion is not always a good thing.
If you have not the ability to convince everyone, you will surely draw others' talk.
"What are you all gawking at? Since when do you lot fancy men? If you really fancy men, then once this battle is over. I'll arrange five men apiece for you, to wait on you properly!" Lieutenant Zhang had noticed these fellows too, and stepped straight out to point at them and bawl them out.
Lieutenant Zhang stood high in their minds.
Not daring to talk back to him, they lowered their heads, one and all,
and spied on Zhao Chen no more.
But Zhao Chen smiled wryly inside: an act like that might seem to settle the trouble now.
But in truth it had made trouble for Zhao Chen without anyone noticing.
Most likely no few of them now thought the less of him.
"Little Zhao. Don't be nervous. In the fighting, stay with my flight. Just show what you showed in training. I believe you can do it!" Lieutenant Zhang clapped Zhao Chen's shoulder, for all the world like his sworn brother.
For he knew Zhao Chen's flying deeply.
He admired this young man from the bottom of his heart.
Someone so gifted, flying ground-air fighters before, it was a shameful waste of a fine thing!
Happily he now had the chance to show his gift.
A jewel like this, before his own eyes, he would never let gather dust.
Lieutenant Zhang's eyes shone, as though he had already mapped out Zhao Chen's future.
Zhao Chen sensed the lieutenant was off on another inner drama.
He hurriedly changed the subject and asked, "Squadron Leader. This time, are we fighting the other world's interstellar civilization? Didn't they say our Star Alliance stands chiefly on the defensive? Why choose to attack this time?"
The drawback of being a common soldier was how little information one could learn.
Had he not been a fighter pilot but a soldier in some module of a starship, he would have known less still!
Zhao Chen could only try asking Lieutenant Zhang.
Hearing Zhao Chen's question, Lieutenant Zhang suspected nothing.
For it was a thing many people discussed in private.
"Little Zhao, I know something of it. But don't pass it on. If it gets about, it looks bad." Lieutenant Zhang leaned close to Zhao Chen's ear and said it quietly.
"Go on." Zhao Chen nodded.
"They say our Alliance sent some interstellar stealth scout squadrons into the other universe to spy out their situation. And in the course of that scouting. They found that at the place where the two universes meet. There is another small universe. This small universe has no sign of life; it is as though it were newly born. And in this small universe our people found a special raw material. By research on the samples brought back. This raw material may be the key material for us to enter T6 civilization entirely, and to break through to T7 in future! And the people of that other universe have already sent a body of fleets to set up a bridgehead position in this small universe. It seems they have found this material too! If they establish a bridgehead in that small universe first. It will be very hard for us to attack afterward! For by our estimate of strength. That universe's strength is about even with ours. They too are at the stage of moving from T5 into T6 technology and looking toward T7. So the Alliance's upper ranks decided. We cannot sit and wait for defeat. We attack first. Even if we do not invade their universe, we must at least control this small universe. And hold the output of that rare material!" Lieutenant Zhang said it all with an air of great mystery.
Zhao Chen understood at once.
A new raw material found, and bound up with T6 and T7 technology at that.
If so, the Alliance's sudden offensive made perfect sense.
Even the peace faction within the Alliance would not dare stand up now and oppose the war.
For such a material bore on a whole civilization's development.
Suppose the other side got it: that would be putting one's fate in another's hands,
with nothing left but to pray that the other was a merciful civilization.
Besides, the Alliance leadership's resolution now was to take that small universe.
So the peace faction naturally turned a blind eye.
Three universes?
Zhao Chen, for his part, was all the more curious about this.
That two universes should meet at all had surprised him.
What would that meeting be like?
But who would have thought a small universe would appear where two universes met?
Then how many universes were there?
And once he understood the principles of this universe thoroughly, might he be able to return to his own?
Zhao Chen kept the thought in his heart.
And rather looked forward to the coming war.
"I know that lot are all watching you. They think you're some rich young master sent down from above to gild himself. They're all sore about you. If Group Leader Cao hadn't ordered me not to make your record public. I'd dearly love to point at their noses and stand up for you. But I believe in you. You have real ability. You can build your own standing in the fighting to come!" Lieutenant Zhang clapped Zhao Chen's shoulder like an elder brother.
Zhao Chen nodded to show he understood.