Chapter 413

Chapter 413: There Are Mountains Beyond Mountains

Lin Mo’s outstanding performance in the attention allocation ability test not only surprised the technicians at the training center but also drew the attention of many candidates who saw the rankings. As more candidates participated in the tests, his score stood out even more.

Wei Yuni, the female pilot and group leader of Group F, couldn’t help but glance at number one, Lin Mo. Being able to defeat the group leader of Group A in the simulated air battle truly showcased his exceptional skills, revealing something unique about him.

Many people felt that those with higher rankings had greater potential, often demonstrating outstanding abilities. As time passed, the differences between people became increasingly apparent, contrary to what Major General Sun had reassured them about random assignments.

One could sense the dissatisfaction among many who felt misled by such claims. Everyone has their own strengths, and instead of competing where they are weak, they preferred to focus on their strengths, believing that the leaders at the training center would eventually make the right selections.

Fifteen minutes later, the score for Group F’s group leader, number four Wei Yuni, was released—79 points. Many were surprised that she didn’t even reach 80, as those in the top ten for intelligence and memory generally had excellent qualities across the board. Why was there such a stark difference in scores?

Many couldn’t wrap their heads around it.

“Hmph! Let me show you my strength!” Wang Xuejun clenched his fists, striking them together, gritting his teeth. He remembered clearly what his superior had said before he set off, "Never underestimate any astronaut; their talent and training may not be inferior to yours. Among China’s vast population, there are bound to be one or two extraordinary talents. Even I am just a small leader; I cannot give birth to superhumans."

It was laughable that he once boasted that, looking across all of China, there were hardly any like him who started so early. Many were indeed late starters and simply couldn’t match his experience.

Experience in piloting relies on the types of fighter jets flown and hours logged in the cockpit, which is the most direct measure. Yet, Wang Xuejun discovered that many of those performing exceptionally were individuals he had never heard of before. He truly wondered where the country had found them from.

Soon, it was Wang Xuejun’s turn. Facing the test instrument with three different sound signals and eight different light signals to respond to, he took a deep breath, calming himself. Clearing his mind, he focused all his attention on the eleven buttons in front of him.

After forty minutes, Wang Xuejun left the test area with a very grim expression, his teeth clenched, revealing his frustration. Damn it, he thought, I slipped up.

This kind of test was not new to him, but the intensity and difficulty here far exceeded anything he had encountered before, as if it pushed him to make mistakes. Despite giving it all he had, he did not achieve perfection.

Only by experiencing it firsthand could one understand how immense the pressure of each point’s difference could be.

In the attention allocation ability rankings, first place went to number one, Lin Mo, with a perfect score of 100.

Second place went to number fifty-five, Qin Shenghua, with 80 points.

Third place was Wang Xuejun at 79 points, tied with Wei Yuni in fourth place, also with 79 points. The two of them were indistinguishable in scores; Wang Xuejun’s name began with a ‘W’, just like Wei Yuni’s, so they couldn’t be ranked against each other. However, since Wang’s second character, ‘X’, came before ‘Y’, he was given the advantage of the third position.

At that moment, a dark horse, number fifty-five, unexpectedly emerged to take second place, surprising everyone.

However, despite emerging fifty-five, this second place score was still 20 points lower than the first. A score of 100 was nothing to scoff at; it was merely a limit, and everyone knew that there was a possibility that it could exceed 100 points. Perhaps 100 was not even Lin Mo’s true maximum.

Once the ability tests were over, the rankings for the morning session were consolidated based on a specific formula derived from each item’s scores.

At that moment, Wei Yuni temporarily ranked first, Lin Mo second, and Wang Xuejun third.

In non-physical qualities such as intelligence, women tended to outperform men. This may be a compensation from the heavens for women’s naturally lower physical capacity. Wei Yuni knew this well and had put extra effort into improving these areas, and now her hard work was yielding impressive results.

Wang Xuejun couldn’t even vent his frustrations. As Lin Mo from Group E had emerged, now he saw Wei Yuni from Group F ranking just as high. His advantages seemed to vanish. He had hoped to stand out like a crane among a flock of chickens and be proudly selected as an official astronaut, only to find out that the pool of hidden talents exceeded his expectations tremendously.

Wang Xuejun faced an unprecedented blow, realizing he was not the best.

There are always mountains beyond mountains, and people beyond people.

This saying taught Wang Xuejun a valuable lesson.

In the cafeteria, everyone received lunch boxes with their names written on them, and each meal was almost different.

The one-on-one individual service for fifty-nine candidates was a luxury that the aerospace training center could afford.

Some meals were large, some small, some contained more meat, while others included special ingredients.

However, staring at the food in front of him, Wang Xuejun had no appetite. He forced himself to eat a few bites of rice before abandoning his chopsticks and staring blankly at the table.

The other members of Group A were puzzled but did not have a chance to speak up, so they quietly ate, waiting for the afternoon test to begin.

“Boss, do you think the training center is biased? Look at this, you have meat, and I have only vegetables. They must be trying to starve me!" Meng Yinan, the Tabby Cat, remarked as he looked at his large bowl of salad, five or six pieces of corn, and two boiled eggs—with nothing else. As a carnivore, he found it hard to endure.

“Huh? Um!”

Lin Mo frowned, staring at his meal—salted cheese, a large bowl of braised beef, a bowl of peanut butter, two portions of tuna, two cucumbers, a plate of stir-fried vegetables, and a tomato. Compared to Meng Yinan’s near-vegetarian meal, it was a feast for kings, yet he still felt unsatisfied.

The reason was simple; although his meal could feed two adult men, it was still insufficient for Lin Mo’s appetite.

The training center was excellent in many ways, but it always left people feeling hungry. Everyone had strict dietary control, and overeating was strictly prohibited. Those who sneaked food would face serious consequences and possible score deductions; persistent offenders might even be eliminated from the selection process.

The nutritionists here had absolute control over the candidates’ diets and equally wielded power over their fates.

“Hey! Number 18, what are you doing?!”

A staff member monitoring the cafeteria shouted at Meng Yinan, who was secretly reaching for Lin Mo’s large bowl of braised beef. He intended to sneak a piece, thinking it would go unnoticed, but he was caught before he could grab anything, almost dropping his chopsticks in shock.

“Ah! My God, how can I live like this?” Meng Yinan cried with a sorrowful face, wishing he could dive headfirst into his salad bowl. With no meat, how could this meat lover survive?

Yet, there was a pile of delicious food right in front of him, clearly tempting him to make a mistake.

“Hmm? Be careful; you need to control your mouth here. Once the selection is over, I’ll treat you to a proper meal,” Lin Mo quickly moved his bowl of braised beef away, realizing that this was not just about a piece or two of meat. If caught, it would severely affect their selection results. Opportunities like this were rare, and ruining it over a moment of indulgence would bring lifelong regret.

“I don’t want to live anymore.” This Tabby Cat was trying to gain sympathy from the nutritionists while playfully pouting.

Gentle laughter spread through the cafeteria, as his pitiful act seemed to have landed him in a pitiful place.

The nutritionist responsible for Meng Yinan frowned and told the cafeteria staff, “Give number 18 a plate of textured soy protein."

The staff member quickly brought a plate of block-shaped items from the kitchen and placed it in front of Meng Yinan.

“Hmm, what is this?” Meng Yinan, who was laying on the table, perked up his nose to sniff, his eyes widening as he stared at the steaming plate in front of him. Eagerly, he grabbed his chopsticks and exclaimed, “I’m trying it!”

He picked up a piece and examined it with confusion.

“It smells so good! Is it chicken? Beef? Pork?”

It seemed promising, so Meng Yinan put it in his mouth, chewing in surprise before nodding vigorously.

“Not bad, not bad! It’s meat, it’s meat!” His baby-faced expression lit up as his appetite surged, drooling excessively as he quickly devoured the food, clearly delighted.

“Hey! This little guy is fooled; it’s simulated meat made from soy! Up to now, he hasn’t even had a bite of real meat, and he might as well lower his blood fat level a bit more,” Lin Mo overheard the nutritionist mumbling to herself and turned to look at Meng Yinan with sympathy. Poor kid, fooled so easily; someday he would probably get tricked into becoming a monk with the way he eats.

“Number one! Your blood sugar has been consistently low lately; what’s going on?”

Lin Mo barely took a few bites of his lunch when his nutritionist approached him, holding a tablet in her hand, seemingly alarmed by some troubling data.

On Lin Mo’s right wrist was a health monitoring bracelet, corresponding to the watch on his left wrist.