David Thompson shrugged helplessly. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but exams really weren’t his strong suit. In this era, military academies had the highest admission scores, and as for the five major military academies, there was no point even thinking about them—they were places where the elite among elites gathered.

To give a simple example, after graduating from high school, David Thompson enlisted in the army. Passing the physical and assessments, he would start as an ordinary soldier. If he worked hard for a few years, he might become a mobile suit pilot, but that would only make him a sergeant. If he was lucky enough to earn some military merit, he might be promoted to captain, but that wouldn’t happen until he was over forty. On the other hand, graduates from the five major military academies entered the army as second lieutenants right away. Regardless of their position, just the rank alone was enough to make others envious. Each year, the very best students could go straight into the interstellar warship control department, and that meant a major’s rank—something an ordinary mobile suit pilot could never reach, no matter how hard they tried.

But that was reality. Mobile suit pilots were basically the infantry of the past, while those who piloted interstellar warships—even the regular staff—were high-ranking officers.

David Thompson was pretty open-minded about this. Everyone had their own strengths. Compared to piloting an interstellar warship, he preferred to be a real man—a mobile suit pilot.

But… military academy was always a sore spot for him. He didn’t think he was stupid, but the exam questions were just too twisted, and he really couldn’t get interested in all that theory.

“Haha, no rush, there’s still half a year left. Who cares if I make it or not, I’ve got to give it a shot. What about you, any plans?”

“Heh, I don’t have your grand ambitions of making a name for myself. I want to be a journalist—preferably in entertainment gossip, specializing in secretly photographing beautiful women. Don’t worry, when I get famous, any celebrity scandal photos, I’ll send you a set for free!”

The two of them slung their arms around each other’s shoulders and laughed lewdly. Youth was about doing whatever you wanted. David Thompson knew his friend’s personality—he loved digging for the truth, and he was good with words. Not mixing in that circle was a bit of a waste. Even though their interests were different, it didn’t stop them from being best buddies for over ten years. Still, his goal was the military academy, while Mark’s was the liberal arts college.

After they parted, maybe because Mark had rekindled some hope in his heart, David Thompson wasn’t in a hurry to go home. All around him were streams of maglev cars—so cool, but sadly, he couldn’t afford one.

Chapter Three: I’m Number One, Heaven’s Number Two

Don’t think that just because humanity entered the space age, Earth was ruined beyond recognition. Sure, there was inevitable destruction during wartime, but both sides consciously avoided the forests—after all, that was humanity’s shared mother. Even at the height of war, both sides restrained themselves from using nuclear or antimatter weapons. After the war, a lot was done for urban greening.

Green, high-tech cities still felt comfortable—at least David Thompson thought they were better than the old world in the movies, with more green space. Taking the city tram out to the suburbs, whenever he was troubled, David Thompson liked to go outside and breathe some fresh air. It felt great.

Lying on the artificial lawn, smelling the scent of earth mixed with grass, David Thompson just couldn’t calm down today. A soldier who doesn’t want to be a general isn’t a good soldier, and David Thompson had his own dreams. In the short term, getting into the military academy was his biggest dream. Besides, he had another reason—he had to get in… But why did it have to be exams? Even if there were exams, shouldn’t there be more diversity? Give people who aren’t good at theory a chance.

No, he had to give it a try. If he didn’t try, he’d have zero chance. If he tried, at least there was a one percent possibility. Life is short—go for it!

Thinking about those passionate moments, David Thompson could almost see himself in the glory of being a mobile suit pilot. He suddenly stood up, struck a cool pose with one hand pointing to the sky, and shouted, “I’m number one, heaven’s number two!”

Yelling out loud really was a great way to vent… Wait, what was that?

Just as he finished shouting, David Thompson noticed a strange ripple appear in the sky, and then a meteor streaked across.

Could it be that the heavens weren’t asleep? He couldn’t help but laugh, made a rather rude gesture, and kept shouting, “Man conquers heaven! If you’ve got guts, fire at me!”

He even beckoned with his hand as he shouted. After all, meteors always looked close but were actually far away. But just as he finished the gesture, something bizarre happened—the meteor really did come roaring straight at him, getting closer and closer.

David Thompson froze, then bolted. Damn it, is this for real? This is way too freaky!

But after just a few steps, he felt a huge pressure slam down on him. Amid the rumbling, he lost consciousness, and in a daze, he muttered angrily, “I hate flying rocks!”

Evening news: A student from Konghang AP High School was struck by a meteor after school in the suburbs and has been sent to the hospital. According to preliminary examination, the student is not in serious condition. This appears to be a rare astronomical phenomenon, with odds of one in a hundred billion. Everyone, please feel free to go on outings.

Mark, who was eating dinner, couldn’t help but spit out his food. It was actually someone from his own school! This buddy’s luck was amazing—he could even get hit with odds of one in a hundred billion. He should go buy a lottery ticket right away.

At that moment, the communicator on his wrist rang. A small virtual video window popped up, and a beautiful female voice said: Incoming call, incoming call.