Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

Just before completely losing consciousness, Ruo Manni saw Hebrew Adam rushing towards her…

Hebrew Adam caught the unconscious girl just before she fell into the muddy water. For the first time in his life, he felt true panic. He turned back and shouted, “Instructor!”

Instructor Dudley hurried over to check Ruo Manni’s condition, then pulled out a vial of medicine and administered it to her. After a sigh of relief, he said, “It’s nothing serious. Ruo Manni has temporarily passed out due to excessive mental exertion. Her body has instinctively put her into a deep sleep to restore her depleted mental energy. Just carry her back to the camp and put her in a treatment pod for a while; she’ll be fine. This little girl sure pushed herself too hard.”

As Instructor Dudley spoke, he reached out to take Ruo Manni from Hebrew Adam, but Hebrew Adam instinctively tightened his grip on her. Realizing he might be overreacting, he quickly and cleverly said, “Instructor, if you help us carry her, won’t that result in us losing credits for this training exercise? Also, what’s your designated role in this scenario? If we hand her over to you, does that count as surrendering her to the enemy?”

Hearing their captain’s concern, the other four teammates, who had been tricked by the instructor countless times before, also became alert. They quickly gathered around Hebrew Adam, afraid that the instructor might try to take Ruo Manni.

A faint smile appeared on Instructor Dudley’s lips. “That’s a possibility.”

Instructor Dudley’s smile was unsettling, and the members of Adam Squad all showed a wary expression.

“In that case, Captain, you should keep carrying the Vice-Captain,” Su Forty-three said decisively. “If you get tired, I’ll take over. We’re so close; it’s better to stay cautious.”

Hebrew Adam held Ruo Manni securely while the rest of the team surrounded him, clearly on guard against Instructor Dudley.

Instructor Dudley didn’t argue with them and led the way forward. Since Ruo Manni was unconscious, no one saw the flash of approval in Instructor Dudley’s eyes as he walked ahead of them.

After about three minutes, they arrived at the foot of the mountain, where they saw rows of buildings camouflaged to match the color of the forest.

Instructor Dudley called over a familiar instructor and said, “This girl has overexerted her mental energy and is in a deep sleep. Arrange for her to be placed in Treatment Pod No. 2.”

“Understood,” the instructor replied and stepped forward to take Ruo Manni from Hebrew-Adam.

But Hebrew Adam, still cautious, said, “I’ll carry her myself.”

Being in unfamiliar territory, there was no way he would hand over his unconscious and defenseless teammate to a stranger. Who knew where they might take her?

“Instructor Dudley, your students are highly vigilant,” the instructor said with a smile, not seeming offended. It appeared he didn’t recognize who Hebrew Adam was.

“It’s right not to trust others easily and not to hand over your teammate until you’re sure it’s completely safe. You’ve done well, and you’ll get extra credit for that,” Instructor Dudley praised Hebrew Adam’s caution.

However, the Adam Squad didn’t feel relieved; they were just more convinced that the instructor wasn’t acting out of kindness. Fortunately, they had been on their guard.

“Now, go tend to your wounds and change your clothes. Those injuries are quite an eyesore. Then go and get some nutrient drinks. Normally, we wouldn’t provide food during a training exercise, but since this rain is likely to continue until tomorrow, we’ve made an exception for tonight,” Instructor Dudley said, changing his tone again.

The Adam Squad wanted to yell at the instructor; after all, he was the one responsible for most of their injuries, and now he had the nerve to complain about how they looked.

After giving a few more instructions to the other instructor, Instructor Dudley turned and headed toward the beach.

The members of Adam Squad speculated that Instructor Dudley had likely gone off to ambush other students again. They wondered which unlucky team would end up in his hands.

To be honest, even though the elite class had been trained by Instructor Dudley for over three months, they hadn’t really faced him in a fight until now. Only now did they realize just how ruthless their instructor truly was.

You could tell how brutal Instructor Dudley was just by looking at their captain and vice-captain. The captain was covered in wounds, yet he still didn’t dare hand over the unconscious vice-captain to Instructor Dudley, fearing they might be tricked. And in fact, they had almost fallen into a trap.

As for the other four members, excluding Sheila, all of them were injured, and their specialized combat suits were in tatters, looking like beggar’s clothing. Six against one, and not only were they defeated, but they were also left in a pitiful state.

Ruo Manni, who had fainted, was unaware of all this. When she woke up, she found herself lying completely dry inside a treatment pod.

Sheila peeked over and asked, “Vice-captain, how are you feeling?”

“My head still hurts a bit,” Ruo Manni replied, rubbing her forehead.

“A little student, you’re fine now. A good rest tonight and you’ll be fully recovered. You should get up; the other cadets are almost here, and since there are too few treatment pods at the camp, you can’t keep occupying it,” said a familiar instructor who walked over.

Being told this, Ruo Manni couldn’t just lie there any longer. Feeling a bit dazed, she got out of the treatment pod and looked around. Besides the instructor, only Sheila was there, guarding her. The rest of her teammates were nowhere to be seen.

“Where are the others?” Ruo Manni asked.

“They’re all injured to some extent. After bringing you here, they went to another area for treatment. The captain asked me to stay here and watch over you,” Sheila explained.

“How bad are their injuries?” Ruo Manni asked though she wasn’t too worried because she had a good idea.

“The captain is the worst off. The others only have minor injuries, but for superficial wounds to heal completely, it’ll take some time,” Sheila replied calmly.

Ruo Manni glanced at Sheila. She seemed back to her normal, unbothered self. Could it be that the battle earlier, where Instructor Dudley had given her a hard time, had somehow realigned her nerves and made her normal again?

Sheila noticed Ruo Manni’s gaze and squinted. “I feel like there’s something wrong with the way you’re looking at me.”

“Not at all. I’m just checking if you’re hurt. I’m concerned about you,” Ruo Manni replied with a serious tone.

“I have a hard time believing you’re that kind-hearted,” Sheila said, full of doubt.

“Do you really think I’d have bad intentions toward you? When have I ever wronged you?” Ruo Manni put on a deeply wounded expression, like a delicate flower.

Sheila felt frustrated, reluctantly admitting to herself that she couldn’t match Ruo Manni’s wit or acting skills, which was why she always ended up losing in their verbal sparring.

The two of them bickered quietly as they walked outside. The rain was still pouring down heavily in the hallway, with no sign of letting up. The sky was gloomy, and dusk was approaching.

Ruo Manni checked her watch; it had been over an hour since they were attacked. In another hour or two, it would be dark. She wondered how the other freshmen were doing. Had they made it near the island?

The overall strength of Hua’s squad wasn’t much lower than their own. They should’ve been only about half an hour behind them at most. Why hadn’t they arrived yet? Could they have encountered some trouble?

As these thoughts ran through Ruo Manni’s mind, her telekinetic senses instinctively reached out toward the distance. In one “look,” she “saw” Hua’s squad…