As Ves and Jovy continued to talk about how red humanity was actually faring in the war, they could not get around the most important subject. "To be honest, our current projections for the war are not optimistic." Jovy admitted with a weary tone. "The reason why that is the case is that our win conditions are not being met. If we want to turn this war around and gain the upper hand, we need to have the strength to back it up. We currently do not have enough advantages to beat back the alien offensive." "What are our win conditions?" Ves asked the obvious question. Jovy’s expression grew more severe. His physical projection crossed his arms and walked back and forth as if he was contemplating a heavy subject. "Breakthroughs." "Ah." "Despite the fall of numerous crucial star systems, none of the peak ace pilots we have kept an eye upon have yet to break through." Jovy said. "We have tried to raise the stakes for them as much as possible. We have offered advanced materials and technical support to upgrade their mechs further if they chose to accept our aid. Our god pilots have also given them private advice that is tailored to their own conditions. However, it is ultimately up to the peak ace pilots themselves to decide when to step on the road to no return." This was by far the most consequential and challenging decision a god pilot candidate could make. A candidate would always remain a candidate. He or she was in no way as genuine as the real thing. In order to transcend the candidate status, the peak ace pilot needed to stake his very life to an impossible transformation process that could only be realized through the inhumanly strong application of willpower. Every scrap of information that Ves learned about the mysterious Mech Body Merger Process sounded crazy even to him. To force a perfect merger between a mech pilot and a mech by relying on strength of willpower alone sounded incredibly outlandish. Yet saints were somehow expected to accomplish this god-like feat. It sounded extremely unfair. It was like asking a regular mech pilot to replicate the power of an expert pilot. The gap was too big. A mundane human could never fight like an expert pilot under normal and most abnormal circumstances. It took a huge amount of effort for such an individual to bridge such an enormous gap. The divide between an ace pilot and a god pilot was even bigger as far as everyone was concerned. Partial gods were still mortals as far as cultivation science was concerned. A true god pilot was a fundamentally different existence. Transcendence was more than just a straightforward power-up. It represented a fundamental transformation in life essence and a leap in life level. All of the mysticism and uncertainty surrounding god pilots underscored how difficult it was to attain this awe-inspiring rank. There were quite a number of peak ace pilots in the Red Ocean. Each of them were lucky, hard-working, gifted and courageous. Perhaps their brilliance did not manifest in their early careers, but through overcoming repeated challenges that genuinely pushed them to the brink of death or failure, they had proven themselves superior to almost all of their peers. They were the outliers of the mech piloting profession. They were the living legends whose careers were filled with accomplishments. They were the revolutionaries that made their convictions the center of their lives. Every peak ace pilot was an exemplar in many ways. They were more than human. Each of them embodied an ideal that many other heroes tried to emulate. Yet despite their impressive qualifications, most of them would die if they tried to step on the road to no return. They all sought to maximize their success rate by waiting for the right timing or the right combat scenario. A thought came to mind. "Mech pilots tend to break through as they experience more urgency." Ves said. "If a loss causes them to suffer greatly, then they will feel more desperate to acquire great power. This is why many peak ace pilots are waiting for the fifth defensive band to break entirely, right? This is why Human High Command deliberately allocated a lot of resources to buildup this defensive line to the exclusion of all else. By constantly telling these peak ace pilots that the downfall of the fifth defensive band will cause the rest of human space to become open to the aliens, you are deliberately raising the stakes." Jovy slowly nodded. "It took you a while to deduce that reasoning. You are correct, more or less. Our resources are limited, so it is not as if we can build a sixth defensive band without heavily compromising in other areas. However, it is not a mischaracterization to say that our entire defensive strategy is primarily set up to encourage successful breakthroughs at the highest level. We have manipulated our battlefields in a way that makes it very easy and straightforward for peak ace pilots to understand the stakes." That sounded incredibly dark, but that is exactly why Ves understood and approved of the strategy. It was a massive gamble to bet on any peak ace pilot breaking through the following months, but the probability that at least one of them would succeed should not be too low! "Since that is the case, it is still early." Ves said. "Those peak ace pilots must be feeling that they still have a chance to weather the storm and plug the gaps. The fortifications in the Upper Zones are still mostly intact. You constantly tell everyone that the Upper Zones must be held. Once they begin to fall, that is when those peak ace pilots grow truly desperate." "You make a good point. The stakes are not as high as they could be. That does not mean we are satisfied with the current situation. We do not want to rely on peak ace pilots handing over their homework a few seconds before the deadline has passed, yet that is what everyone appears to be working towards. It is… frustrating. We would rather see a peak ace pilot achieve a breakthrough much sooner. The hope that spreads from a successful breakthrough might reduce the urgency for other peak ace pilots, but that is a price that we can accept. Even one breakthrough can make an enormous difference in our strategic outlook." The Red Association put so much thought into this breakthrough-dependent strategy that Ves had only scratched the surface of its masterplan. It was not in Ves’ place to comment on these considerations. Besides, none of the ace pilots of the Larkinson Clan was close to breaking through. This shouldn’t be an issue that he should be worrying about for a long time. There was just one matter that Ves wanted to know. "Does exotic radiation help with peak ace pilots breaking through in any way?" "It does help." Jovy answered more confidently. "Their Saint Kingdoms become more powerful due to access to an additional energy source. Their senior ace mechs are also considerably stronger after the inclusion of hyper technology. E energy radiation is making a positive difference in this regard." "What about R particle radiation?" "..." "Hello, Jovy? I asked you a question." "And I cannot answer it, Ves." "Because you can’t or won’t?" "I cannot." Jovy earnestly replied. "I have never been informed about R particle radiation. I have my own ideas, but there is no backing for any of them. All I know is that R particle radiation is a real phenomenon, but is very difficult to detect. It is likely relevant to god pilots, but I am not clear if it makes a difference for peak ace pilots. I do not even know what R particle radiation even does. If you have any answers, then I am more than willing to lend an ear." "I know less about R particle radiation than you." Ves mildly stated. "Forget about it, then. It is not relevant to us if we can’t interact with it in any way. I just want to know… what if the fifth defensive band falls, but all of those peak ace pilots still failed to successfully advance to the rank of god pilot? Are we supposed to roll over and let the aliens massacre the populations of our vulnerable and under-defended star systems with impunity." "Yes." "..." Jovy carefully formulated his words. "It is all about the stakes, Ves. Peak ace pilots have the potential to perform truly godlike feats if they are motivated enough. If the fall of the fifth defensive band does not give them enough stimulation, then we must raise the stakes further. What better way than to make them extremely desperate by witnessing the ongoing genocides of red humanity? When billions or trillions of defenseless human beings die due to an ace pilot’s hesitation or inability to step on the road to no return, then that is a much stronger reason for them to pursue the strength of a god." The Survivalist Faction truly thought of everything. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶 The damned crazies even turned the unbridled slaughter of a huge amount of humans into a deliberate strategy to promote the breakthroughs of peak ace pilots! Ves should have considered this plan to be detestable, but he did not. He would have devised the same strategy if he was in charge. Everything clearly hinged on producing additional god pilots. They were the only ones that could truly turn this situation around. The Red Ocean was small enough that the rise of a handful of human deities could still reverse the tide of the war! Find adventures at freewebnovel "If… if we are truly pushed this far… then even if we get the god pilots you asked for, very little civilization will be left intact." Ves mentioned. "We may not even maintain a sufficient population and infrastructure to persecute the war any further." "That is the risk we have to take. This is also why we must discuss a new variable that can significantly improve their breakthrough chances. We need more superdimensional matter. We have already begun to develop customized arms and armor for a select amount of peak ace mechs. By granting them the power to challenge the most formidable of greater phase whales or phase lords, they will be able to fulfill many criteria when they successfully strike down these alien leaders in the most convincing fashion possible." That… sounded quite plausible, especially with all of the knowledge that Ves had obtained. The problem was that Jovy was talking to the wrong Larkinson about this subject. "I would like to get my hands on lots of superdimensional matter as well, but Ketis is the one who has shown the capacity to form a dimension breach." "We have already made repeated requests on this subject, but her responses are… vague and unsatisfactory. We would like you to contact her and see if you can obtain more precise answers. We are in dire need of more concrete information. Perhaps she is more willing to divulge information to a friendly face." "It won’t work." Ves shook his head. "The Heavensword is unfathomable. A Journeyman and Senior won’t be able to figure out how it works or what it can do. In fact, maybe addressing this relic sword directly may yield more positive results." "We burned that bridge many years ago…" Everyone was hungry for superdimensional matter, but it gained a whole new level of importance when people made the assumption that it could directly improve the breakthrough chances of peak ace pilots. Ves sighed. "I will speak to Ketis and do what I can. Still, I find it rather pathetic that we are dependent on an ancient relic weapon and a swordmaster to save our race and civilization. We are effectively hinging our survival on a gimmick." "Superdimensional arms are more than gimmicks." "You are right, but the point still stands. Maybe… we are not worthy to welcome a breakthrough." "If we cannot earn a breakthrough, then we will steal it, one way or another." Jovy ominous said.