Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

When Hua’s team and Asimu’s team smelled the rich aroma of meat, they could no longer lie there, exhausted. They quickly forgot their fatigue, sprang up, and saw Adam’s team hiding in a nearby mountain hollow, enjoying their food.

One of the most unbearable things in the world is to see your teammates enjoying delicious food while you are both tired and hungry, and you can only smell it without having any yourself.

Asimu’s team swallowed their saliva, trying to suppress their craving for the food. They worked together to walk up the slope, gathering firewood from the forest about a thousand meters away to start a fire.

Hua’s team felt the same way. If they weren’t worried about losing the fight, they would have shamelessly demanded some of the food.

“What are you eating?” Dean Atchison couldn’t help but sneak a look at the food.

Seeing the spread-out rubber gold, Dean Atchison finally understood what Adam’s team had been pulling out of the fire that morning.

“The beast meat can be prepared like this too.” Hua’s team was also amazed, realizing that it wasn’t too difficult. They decided they wouldn’t forget to bring rubber gold for their next training exercise.

Asimu’s team and Hua’s team quickly set up their respective campfires.

Ruo Manni looked at the two teams. Everyone was quite smart; they had brought food for lunch when they prepared breakfast at the base. However, they had only brought dry, roasted meat. Re-roasting it over the fire didn’t improve its taste much, especially when they were both exhausted and hungry.

Therefore, the tender, juicy meat chunks and the fragrant wild vegetable and beast meat soup from Adam’s team were particularly tempting.

Ruo Manni waved to Mina-Olli. Mina-Olli hesitated for a second but then left her team and came over. She took a big sip of the hot soup Ruo Manni handed her, and her pale face gradually regained some color.

Without asking, Ruo Manni could tell that Mina-Olli was also suffering from overexertion of her mental energy. It was evident that Mina-Olli had expended a lot of energy during the fight with the red-beaked alien bird.

Earlier, Mina-Olli had been carried up the mountain by Hua Deli, and the distance had to have been considerable, or Hua Deli wouldn’t have been so exhausted.

“How’s your leg injury?” Ruo Manni asked with concern.

“It’s better, doesn’t affect climbing,” Mina-Olli replied.

“If it has no effect, then there’s at least a slight effect.” Ruo Manni knew Mina-Olli’s stubborn nature and didn’t press the matter further.

Teenagers around fifteen or sixteen years old have vigorous vitality and strong recovery abilities. After Adam’s team had eaten their fill and restored most of their energy, they packed up the remaining food and continued their climb.

Hua’s team and Asimu’s team were just starting to chew on the dry, cold beast meat, watching enviously as Adam’s team’s figures disappeared from sight. Of course, the focus was on the net pouch on Su Forty-Three’s backpack, but Adam’s team was quite ruthless and refused to look back.

After climbing the sheer cliff, they had reached about two-thirds of the way up the mountain. The slope beyond the cliff top was gentler compared to the middle of the mountain, with only a gradient of about fifty to sixty degrees.

They would soon enter the mountain forest after climbing another thousand meters, and exiting the forest would bring them to the end of the glacier. Beyond that was the snow peak at the highest point.

Although the remaining distance didn’t seem far, no one thought that the remaining mountain path would be easier than the previous ones. They stayed highly alert, keeping a watchful eye and ear for any potential threats.

The team formation remained the same: Hebrew Adam leading at the front, Su Forty-Three bringing up the rear, with Ruo Manni following behind Hebrew Adam, and Tamaki Kazia and Tino-Venamoinen flanking Sheila in the middle.

Because their progress was smooth, Adam’s team quickly reached the edge of the forest.

The wind on the high mountain was strong, so the forest had deep-rooted, short, and sturdy trees with small, resilient leaves. Although it was a forest, the light within was quite sufficient, and there were no old, accumulated leaves on the ground—likely all blown away by the gale.

Ruo Manni looked at the dark green forest and thought to herself that the color of the forest was rather unsettling.

Adam’s team carefully entered the forest. The main concern in such a forest was the possibility of a surprise attack from beasts. However, with their large numbers, they weren’t too worried, just cautious and careful.

But after walking over a thousand meters into the forest, Ruo Manni began to sense something unusual. She recalled the typical appearance of forests from her memory and suddenly stopped, carefully observing the surrounding trees and ground.

“What’s wrong? Did you notice something?” Hebrew Adam asked, turning back.

As the most perceptive member of the team, Ruo Manni’s teammates knew that if she acted unusually, she had likely detected something.

“Do any of you feel that something is off about this forest? Do you have any strange sensations?” Ruo Manni continued moving forward, though her pace was slow as she remained attentive to her surroundings.

Her teammates fell silent for a moment. It was clear that they all felt something unusual, but they couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

“Tell me what you’re feeling,” Ruo Manni urged. Since she wasn’t familiar with the typical state of forests on Emperor Star, she wanted to confirm her suspicions from other perspectives.

“It’s too quiet,” Sheila said.

“There are no traces left by beasts, and there’s no scent of beasts around,” Hebrew Adam said with certainty.

“It’s not unusual for a forest to lack beasts. This area is small and separated from other regions by cliffs, so it’s not likely to have many beasts,” Su Forty-Three said, not entirely agreeing with Hebrew Adam’s concern. “But I also feel a bit uneasy. I just can’t pinpoint what’s wrong.”

“If a forest doesn’t have any beasts, that’s not surprising. But if there are no other small animals either, wouldn’t that be unusual?” Ruo Manni asked.

Usually, forests are filled with various small creatures.

The group looked around in shock, their eyes scanning the surroundings.

Sheila suddenly understood, “Oh, that’s where the problem lies. No wonder it’s excessively quiet in this forest.”

“Forget about small animals; there aren’t even any small insects,” Su Forty-Three concluded after observing for a while.

“There are small insects, though I saw only a few,” Ruo Manni said.

“This forest must have something strange about it,” Hebrew Adam nodded in agreement.

The group looked at Ruo Manni.

Manni sighed, “I only sense that something is off, but I can’t pinpoint the reason. My mental energy has only recovered by one-third, so I’m reluctant to use it up recklessly.”

Now everyone understood the significant role Ruo Manni’s telekinesis played among the team, and they were most worried about her running out of mental energy: “You mustn’t use your telekinesis anymore.”

So, the focus shifted to Hebrew Adam. What should they do next?

“Since we know something is off, let’s be cautious, but there’s no need to be overly intimidated. Are we going to be afraid?” Hebrew Adam said arrogantly.

Indeed, they were out here for training and weren’t easily scared. They never shied away from challenges.

“However, it’s already afternoon. We should try to get out of the forest before dark. Camping in the forest at night is more dangerous,” Hebrew Adam decided.