Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

After swimming in the ocean for most of the day, the members of Adam’s team were all exhausted and hungry. In such a situation, hearing Ruo Manni say that she had something that could replenish their strength and fill their stomachs with minimal harm to their bodies, no one hesitated—they all urged her to quickly take it out.

Having been together for so long, the team members knew Ruo Manni to be a cautious person who wouldn’t speak or act without confidence. They trusted that if she had prepared something in advance, it would pose little risk to their health.

They also believed that, given the circumstances, there were likely many monitors around them. The instructors wouldn’t let them have too much freedom, so it was unlikely Ruo Manni had any harmful intentions under these conditions.

Thus, the team trusted Ruo Manni. When she took out small packets of powder from her backpack, everyone accepted them without hesitation.

Following Ruo Manni’s instructions, they poured the green powder into their mouths and washed it down with a few sips of water.

Even though the powder tasted as bitter as Ruo Manni had warned when it entered their mouths, within two seconds of swallowing, they felt a warmth spreading from their stomachs to their limbs. The feeling of weakness from hunger disappeared, and the bitter taste in their mouths turned sweet.

In less than a minute, the faces of the Adam team members visibly improved. Although they didn’t feel full, the hunger was gone, and they naturally felt more energized.

“It’s a pity that such a good powder can’t be widely promoted,” Hebrew Adam said regretfully.

The prince’s perspective was different; he was thinking from a national standpoint.

“Its ability to stave off hunger isn’t that great. It only creates the illusion of fullness and contains mild toxins, so it doesn’t have much development value. The people of Topaz Star only use it in emergencies,” Ruo Manni replied, not finding it particularly regrettable.

However, the members of Adam’s team found it quite good. Many of the potions they consumed also contained mild toxins, but they had their methods of detoxifying their bodies. As long as it wasn’t a strong toxin or something that could multiply within their bodies, they weren’t concerned.

So, the other team members didn’t mind the mild toxins Ruo Manni mentioned. Instead, they thought the powder was excellent and planned to buy some from her as a backup after the training exercise, knowing they would have more rigorous training ahead.

The ocean wasn’t a great place for conversation, so feeling much better, the Adam team started swimming forward again.

Dodging and weaving, another hour passed without them realizing it, and Sheila was too exhausted to swim any further.

The team’s second-strongest member, Su Forty-three, and the third-strongest, Tino Venamoinen, each grabbed one of Sheila’s backpack straps and helped her swim slowly, while Kazia took up the rear.

“If we hadn’t taken so many detours to avoid the sea beasts, we should have almost arrived by now based on the distance we’ve swum,” Ruo Manni said, checking her watch and encouraging the team.

Hearing this, the four team members perked up and swam a bit faster.

But just as Ruo Manni finished speaking, within less than a minute, the previously clear sky began to change. Clouds started gathering from all directions, and soon the once-clear sky was dark and oppressive.

“Why aren’t we there yet? It’s going to rain, and the waves are getting bigger,” said Sheila weakly as she was being carried.
“We’re almost there. Based on our swimming speed, we should be less than ten nautical miles away,” said Hebrew Adam.

Having swum with Ruo Manni for so long, Hebrew Adam was also growing tired, and Ruo Manni could feel his breath becoming unsteady and more labored.

After another minute, the sky had turned completely dark, with clouds almost touching the sea surface. Lightning flashed within the clouds, and rain was imminent. At this point, the outline of the island finally became visible through the gloomy weather.

“Look, that’s the island! We’re almost there, keep going!” Ruo Manni, who was the first to spot it, excitedly informed her teammates. She then let go of Hebrew Adam’s backpack and started swimming on her own.

Judging by their distance, they were less than 3,000 meters from the island, and since Ruo Manni said there were no sea beasts around, Hebrew Adam no longer insisted that she conserve her strength and instead took over helping Sheila.

Su Forty-three and Tino Venamoinen were much more fatigued than Hebrew Adam. By the time they had swum to this point while helping Sheila, they were already exhausted. If they had to continue carrying her to the island, they would likely become completely drained.

This would be a very unfavorable situation because reaching the island was just the first step of their training exercise. They hadn’t even started their mission yet, and it was clear the tasks would be conducted on the island. Who knew what the conditions there would be like? They couldn’t afford to be exhausted when facing potential challenges.

Instructor Dudley had emphasized before that during these three days and two nights, they would have to handle everything on their own, with the school offering no assistance whatsoever.

Unless a first-year student from Xuan Gu sent out a distress signal or encountered a life-threatening situation, the instructors wouldn’t step in. And if an instructor did intervene, that student would be considered eliminated from that round, and their training score would be extremely low, with no chance of earning credits.

So no matter what, they couldn’t allow themselves to become too exhausted to handle the next challenge.

Just as the Adam team was about to celebrate spotting the island, a torrential downpour suddenly fell, hitting them like hammers on their faces. At the same time, the sea grew even more turbulent.

From the instructors’ perspective, the Adam team’s situation looked dire. The six dark figures in the churning sea looked like tiny ants, seemingly at risk of being swallowed by the waves at any moment, giving the impression that they were in extreme danger.

However, the instructors remained unmoved and made no move to assist.

The Adam team members didn’t feel they were in much danger either.

When the rain started falling, they were less than 2,000 meters from the shore. Although they were all very tired, the strong winds and high waves would only make swimming more strenuous, nothing more.

The impact of the waves wasn’t enough to harm their bodies, and the rain wouldn’t hinder their ability to reach the shore. They had already been soaking in the ocean for nearly six hours—there was no way they were afraid of getting wet from the rain.

The rain actually helped by washing away the saltwater on their bodies since rainwater was much cleaner.

Although the Adam team’s progress slowed due to the storm, they still managed to reach the island’s edge in less than half an hour, getting ashore without too much difficulty.

However, this “without too much difficulty” applied only to the boys. When they reached the shore, they found that the waves crashing against the coastline were much stronger than those in the open sea. For someone with lower cultivation and smaller stature like Ruo Manni, it was much more challenging.

When she first set foot on the sand, the incoming waves nearly knocked her off her feet. If it hadn’t been for Hebrew Adam’s quick reflexes in grabbing and steadying her, she would have likely been swept back into the sea by the waves.