Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

Ruo Manni and Dean Atchison were talking when they saw Hua Deli carrying Mina-Olli over, followed by Ninja King Ren Wuyue. He was doing his best to cover Mina-Olli with a waterproof cloth, completely ignoring the fact that he was already soaked to the skin.

Ruo Manni, Dean Atchison, and Gao Haitao all went up to meet them.

“Mina, how are you?” Ruo Manni asked.

In the dim light, the girl’s face looked pale, and she seemed very unwell. There was still a medical device attached to her thigh.

“My thigh bone is injured, but I’ll be able to walk by tomorrow morning,” Mina-Olli replied.

Ruo Manni glanced at Hua Deli, who no longer looked as disheveled as before and seemed to carry Mina effortlessly.

“Will tomorrow’s mission affect your injury?” Ruo Manni couldn’t help but ask Hua Deli.

Hua Deli looked at Ruo Manni with some surprise. Given the girl’s usual demeanor, this question could be considered as her showing concern for him.

“It’s fine. A bone crack is easier to treat than a fracture. Once it’s healed, there are no aftereffects and nothing to worry about. The instructor definitely knows what he’s doing,” Hua Deli replied with a bitter smile.

Although Hua Deli hadn’t overheard Ruo Manni and Dean Atchison’s discussion, as a well-trained heir of a noble family, he would analyze things afterward.

So, during his treatment, he had already figured out how cunning the instructor was and how they had been set up to gain some real experience.

Ruo Manni thought Hua Deli was right. The instructors were tough on them, not just to knock them down a peg but, more importantly, to teach them lessons and help them gain practical combat experience, not to prevent them from participating in the training exercise.

If someone had to quit early due to severe injuries, they wouldn’t achieve the ultimate goal of the training.

Now that Hua’s team had gathered, and after a tiring day, everyone just wanted to rest.

Ruo Manni made a gesture to leave. “You all get some rest. I’ll head back first. See you tomorrow.”

After speaking, Ruo Manni turned to leave. The sky had darkened significantly, and it was about to get even darker. However, the heavy rain had lessened to a moderate shower. Through the rain, she vaguely saw several flying ships landing above the beach, so she stopped to take a closer look.

“Those cadets who didn’t reach the island before dark must have failed this round. They’ll lose a lot of credits during the review,” Dean Atchison said as he looked in the same direction as Ruo Manni.

Ruo Manni turned back to say something more to Dean Atchison but suddenly felt someone nearby looking at her with hostility.

She tilted her head slightly and saw Aoi Dan staring at her from a short distance. But as soon as she looked over, Aoi Dan quickly looked away, their eyes just missing each other.

Ruo Manni’s gaze swept past Aoi Dan and returned to its original direction. Aoi Dan now seemed to have become more reclusive, no longer eager to confront her. Ruo Manni decided to temporarily set the matter aside.

“That girl was giving you a strange look. Is she the one who tricked you into using that potion? She’s your neighbor, right? Why does she seem to have such a grudge against you?” Dean Atchison asked in a low voice.

After spending so much time together, Dean Atchison had come to understand his little partner well. Although she could be sharp-tongued, she was always measured and not someone who liked to make enemies. Plus, they were just two girls of fourteen or fifteen; what kind of deep grudge could they possibly have?

“I suspect she’s after my custom-made holographic game pod,” Ruo Manni whispered.

Dean Atchison was shocked. “Only a hundred of those were pre-sold across the entire Gus Empire, and they were so expensive. How did you manage to get one? I couldn’t even get one. I had to rely on special connections to finally secure it.”

“I was quick and got lucky enough to grab the only trial version available. It only cost a few hundred thousand credits,” Ruo Manni replied.

This wasn’t mentioned in the novel, so it’s unclear whether it was the author’s motherly love or the protagonist’s special power at play. Ruo Manni only learned later from the receipts left behind by the original owner that she had mysteriously fallen asleep during the auction and wasn’t aware of what had happened.

Wow, this girl was truly a legend, her life was like a story that completely overturned his impression of commoners. Dean Atchison, who had always considered himself to have bad luck, didn’t even feel like talking to her today.

Ruo Manni returned to her team’s capsule apartment. After going out in the strong wind and heavy rain, she was soaked again. After cleaning herself up, she went into the living area.

As soon as she entered, she saw Hebrew Adam sitting in the center of the hall, looking at her, which made her feel like he had been waiting for her all along.

As she walked in further, Ruo Manni noticed that Su Forty-Three and the other three boys were sprawled out asleep in the hall. The most peculiar was Tamaki Kazia, who had rolled over to the edge of the hall and was sleeping against the wall.

Ruo Manni was truly amazed. Normally, these boys didn’t display the roughness typical of military school students and retained a certain elegance, but after being completely exhausted, they revealed their true selves.

However, the floor of the capsule apartment was soft and clean, so as boys, they weren’t worried about anyone seeing them sleep. As long as they felt safe enough, they could fall asleep right away.

Hebrew Adam raised an eyebrow at Ruo Manni, his gaze clearly asking where she had just been.

Because three boys were sleeping in the hall, Ruo Manni had to lean closer to Hebrew Adam and softly tell him the useful information she had just gathered.

Hebrew Adam gave her a look of approval and then said, “You did very well, but your mental energy hasn’t fully recovered yet. Leave the rest to me and get a good night’s sleep.”

“Do we need to keep watch? Could something happen during the night? Will the instructors come up with some new trick? I just have a feeling they won’t let us sleep through the night peacefully,” Ruo Manni said.

After today’s experience, Ruo Manni had lowered her expectations of the instructors’ integrity, seriously suspecting that Instructor Dudley and the others might launch a surprise attack tonight to catch them off guard and give them another hard time.

Hebrew Adam nodded and whispered, “I’m on guard for that too. I’ve already arranged a night watch schedule, so you can sleep without worry.”

Since Hebrew Adam, as the team leader, had his own judgment and took responsibility, Ruo Manni decided not to worry about it anymore. She wished him a good night and then casually entered the nearest room. Seeing a soft bed inside the small room, she closed the door and lay down.

As soon as she lay down, Ruo Manni felt a deep weariness and soreness all over her body. Listening to the “whoosh, whoosh” of the rain outside the house, she quickly fell asleep.

In a daze, she felt her wristwatch vibrating lightly. Ruo Manni instinctively sat up quickly, and her awareness immediately returned as she remembered where she was.

She checked her watch and saw that it was 5 a.m. on the second day after they had landed on the island. By her calculations, she had slept for a full eight hours, which explained why she felt so good now.

Her mental energy was not only fully recovered but had also slightly increased. Her physical stamina was at its peak, and she had made a small improvement.

Ruo Manni listened carefully and noticed that the capsule apartment’s living room was silent, and there was no longer any sound of rain outside.