Chapter 5: One of a Kind

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Lying in bed, Levi couldn’t tell whether it was day or night. Except for his first simulated flight at the Air Force Academy, it had been a long time since he’d felt this dizzy. As his restless mood gradually calmed down, the corners of his lips slowly curved into a smile, unable to hide his excitement. This dizziness meant that the “Monochrome Lady” was indeed faster than any of the current aircraft in use, including the “Blue Crisis.” Just from the attack system equipped on the Monochrome Lady, it was more complete and complex than that of the Blue Crisis. With proper use, it could kick those alien invaders’ butts.

“What are you smiling about?” A refined voice sounded in his ear.
Without opening his eyes, Levi already knew who it was.
“Last time you said it was because I didn’t show up to report in, so you entered my room without permission. What’s your reason for entering my room this time?”

The edge of the bed sank slightly, and Claude sat beside Levi.
“Checking in on a subordinate on sick leave.”
“But the last thing I want to hear right now is your voice.” Levi turned to his side, but due to his dizziness, he completely got the direction wrong, and his nose bumped right into Claude. The other person, considerate as ever, gently steadied him with his hand.
“If you want to feel better, why not open your eyes and focus on something fixed?”

“I don’t want to look at anything.”

“I’m not messing with you. Try opening your eyes,” Claude said with extreme patience his tone even carrying a hint of coaxing. Levi swallowed and opened his eyes—immediately overwhelmed by an even worse wave of dizziness than before. Just as he was about to close them again, his head was gently held in place by the other person.

“Look at me,” Claude ordered, his tone firm and undeniable. Levi looked at Claude’s still handsome face. “I’m afraid I’m going to throw up on your face.”
“You don’t have much left in your stomach,” Claude replied with a dazzling smile. Levi really wished he could throw something up, but he couldn’t even muster the bile. “Now, look into my eyes.”
Levi made an effort to focus on Claude’s eyes. “What color do you see?”

“Blue.”
“What kind of blue?”
“Sea blue.”
“Does this color remind you of anything?”

“It reminds me… of the first time I flew a fighter jet over the ocean. Back then the instructor told us our flying skills were so bad that we shouldn’t get too close to the sea. If we went down, it’d take a lot of effort to fish us out.” Levi seemed to recall something amusing, and a smile appeared on his face.
“But you weren’t the obedient type.”
“No, I flew right over the surface—no matter how much that annoying instructor yelled.”
“Flying that close to the sea on your first flight, you’re a genius.”
“Thank you for your honest praise.”
“What was it like? Flying so close to the sea?”
“It felt like moisture was brushing against the soles of my feet—like the wind was weaving through my ears, and the air had a damp feel to it… though, of course, all of that was just my imagination. People like us, who live in fortress cities, have never actually touched the sea.”

“But if you want to, you can fly the ‘Pristine Lady’ to see the sea. No one will nag you and your speed as you skim over the water will stir up waves. You can watch the sea rise and fall because of you. The boundary between the sky and sea will blur, all because of you.” Claude’s voice was soft, and Levi felt as though his mind was entirely led away by him.
All dizziness, all nausea disappeared in that moment.

“You are free, so nothing can hold you back,” Claude seemed to cast a spell over Levi as the spinning world gradually slowed to a halt. “The ‘Pristine Lady’ is free too. She’s waiting for someone to take her to that blue expanse.” Everything in the world was immersed in the ocean blue of Claude’s eyes.

When Levi regained consciousness, it was eight hours later. He had slept deeply, and as his fingers twitched awake, he noticed the ceiling was still spinning though not as severely as the day before.
He staggered out of bed and into the bathroom. The voice of the intelligent system, Lilith, echoed in his ears. “Good morning, Levi. You’ve slept for eight hours and twenty-two minutes.”

“Thanks for the calculation,” Levi muttered, and then asked, as if remembering something, “When did Claude Sean leave?” “One hour and six minutes ago,” Lilith answered with precision.

“Huh? So he stayed here for seven hours, doing what exactly?” Levi flopped back onto the bed, feeling alert but not at all sleepy. “He watched you.”
“Watched me?”
“If you’d like a literary description, he ‘gazed’ at you.”
“Alright, besides watching me, what else did he do?”
“He drank a cup of coffee, read yesterday’s evening paper, and then sat next to you.”
“And then?” Levi was puzzled. If Claude wanted to sleep, wouldn’t he just go to his own room? Why squeeze onto a single bed with him?
“The Major General also said, “When will you truly be able to fly?” Levi fell silent.

After being dizzy for two days, Levi finally left his room in time for dinner. He went to a small bar where several officers were also relaxing. The lighting was dim but not gloomy, and the music. flowed like moonlight. Although the bartender had only seen Levi twice, he remembered his preferences very well. “Fried squid rings and a large beer.”

“Thanks.” In fact, Levi was still dizzy. He had swayed his way here, and although his stomach was empty, the smell of fried calamari made him feel like vomiting again. When he looked at the large bottle of beer—he wished he could dunk his entire head into it. An officer, a lieutenant, walked over. “Hey, are you Levi Van Pelt? The guy who lasted five minutes in the ‘Pristine Lady’s. simulation system!”

At his words, some other officers looked his way, and a few even walked over. Levi shrugged weakly. “After holding out for five minutes in that crazy system, I couldn’t tell north from south.”
“Yeah, it’s the most insane flight system. To fly the ‘Pristine Lady’, you have to turn yourself into a maniac. So as of now, the craziest pilot is you, Levi Van Pelt.” The lieutenant clinked his glass against Levi’s shoulder.

At first, Levi thought the guy had come to mock him. No doubt—word had already spread around K11 that he had thrown up everywhere and passed out, needing an IV drip. He wouldn’t be surprised if he became the laughingstock of the entire air force. But from the lieutenant’s tone, it actually sounded like praise.

“Has no one lasted longer than five minutes?” Levi asked, surprised, as more officers gathered around.

“Kid, are you bragging? Even the elite pilot Filio Zhuolong from the ‘Gaze’ space station only lasted a little over three minutes. That’s why the ‘Pristine Lady is known as an impossible-to-fly fighter jet.”

“But what’s the point of five minutes?” Levi rested his head in his hands. “A battle isn’t going to last only five minutes.”

“But you just got here. You haven’t even had specialized system training yet. Right now, it’s only five minutes—but in a month, you might last ten. Two months, maybe twenty. In a year, you could be blasting those invaders out of the sky!”

“You have to get the ‘Pristine Lady’ into the air. You don’t know how smug Claude Sean is! Over the past two years, so many people have criticized the Pristine Lady as a waste of resources, a useless display. But he keeps saying that there are no un-flyable planes-only pilots who can’t fly them!”

“He insulted the entire air force’s abilities!” “Give that guy something to think about!”

Levi suddenly buried his head in his arms, his shoulders shaking with laughter. So Claude Sean had offended people like this before. Even someone as composed as him couldn’t always keep his mask in place. “Hey, Levi, what’s so funny?”

“N-nothing, I’m just still dizzy.”

“If you’re dizzy, don’t drink beer. The alcohol will only make your head hurt more,” a deep and mellow voice sounded in Levi’s ear. Long fingers grasped the rim of his beer glass—setting it aside. In an instant, the lively atmosphere cooled. Levi slowly lifted his head, flashing a broad smile. “Hello, Major General Claude Sean.”

Two seconds later, the officers around him snapped to attention—saluting with tense expressions. After all, they had just been gossiping about Claude.

“Hello, Corporal Levi Van Pelt,” Claude responded, as if he hadn’t heard their discussion at all. “At this moment you should be in your dorm waiting for the doctor to replenish your IV fluids, not eating greasy fried food that will harm your stomach.”

“My sincere apologies,” Levi said with a serious look on his face. “Don’t pretend.” Claude stood up and, grabbing Levi by the collar, lifted him effortlessly to his feet.

As Levi was dragged away, he still managed to call back to the others, “Goodbye.”
Back at the dorm, the doctor was already waiting for him.

“Claude Sean, why do I feel like you’re particularly concerned about me?” Levi raised an eyebrow, looking directly at Claude, who was sipping tea across from him.

“Yes, I am concerned about you. Because you’re currently the most likely pilot to operate the ‘Pristine Lady’,” Claude replied, smiling as if he already knew that Levi had more to say.

“You’re concerned about me because you see hope in me. If I can really get the ‘Pristine Lady’ to fly—it will prove that it isn’t impossible to control. It will prove that all the resources you poured into it weren’t wasted. You know that the ‘Pristine Lady’s greatest flaw is its difficulty to pilot. You need someone to overcome that flaw to validate your work.”

“That’s correct.” Claude’s eyes remained calm—showing no sign of being provoked by Levi’s words.

“You selfish bastard. You want to use the entire air force to build your own reputation.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” Claude reached out and lifted Levi’s chin, forcing him to meet his gaze. “Because I’ve always believed that the ‘Pristine Lady’ wasn’t designed for just anyone. it’s meant for a select few, or even one specific person. Because the Pristine Lady is one of a kind.”
In that moment, Levi’s nerves tensed. He turned his face away as if another second of eye contact with Claude would draw him into that ocean-blue gaze—never to escape.

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Editor & Proofreader: Meowrii