Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

Dr. Saint Paul looked at the nervous and hopeful Hebrew Adam, then at the other expectant and praying boys and girls. Each one was a good child, and he nodded with satisfaction. “Go out and take care of yourselves first—get some sleep or something. By tomorrow morning, I will return your companion, full of energy.”

Hearing Dr. Saint Paul’s confident words, the tension in Hua Deqi’s heart finally eased. He knew this person well; in matters of medicine, Dr. Saint Paul always kept his word. He never spoke without confidence.

Hua Deqi then said to Hebrew Adam, “Your Highness, you’re covered in dust and have some superficial wounds. You should get treated first. I’ll handle everything from here.”

Leaving his unconscious companion in the hands of strangers like this… Would she blame them for not staying by her side? Hebrew Adam suddenly realized he was feeling unexpectedly fragile.

Hebrew Adam was certain that there was an inside agent among the school’s instructors involved in this incident. Otherwise, this wouldn’t have happened. However, he couldn’t spare the effort to investigate now. Without the traitor being identified, who knew if there would be further schemes? In Ruo Manni’s current state, she couldn’t afford to suffer any more harm.

And then there’s Hua Deqi…

Hebrew Adam couldn’t shake his unease, feeling increasingly unsettled.

Hebrew Adam, still young, couldn’t entirely hide his concerns, and the instructors, Dr. Saint Paul, and Hua Deqi, all seasoned individuals, easily noticed his anxiety.

Hua Deqi, with a face full of approval and a smile, said, “Your Highness shows great responsibility towards your companions, just like your elder brother. Very good, very impressive. Rest assured, I am here to guarantee that I will heal your companion properly and ensure she doesn’t face any further issues.”

Hua Deqi, far from being offended by Hebrew Adam’s mistrust, felt that the Second Prince truly had a sense of responsibility and cared deeply for his companions. With such a demeanor, Ruo Manni would not suffer any grievances in his team.

Thus, Hua Deqi revealed a rare smile and said, “Your Highness, I represent the Crown Prince. Haven’t you understood his intentions? He instructed me to carefully oversee your treatment. First, take care of your own injuries. Later, I will need your assistance during the interrogation.”

Hua Deqi’s words contained a lot of information. With assurances from these two influential figures, Hebrew Adam finally relaxed a bit and took his companions outside. However, his plan was to finish up quickly and return as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, back with Hua De’s team, except for Mina-Olli, who had the privilege of enjoying some meat soup to satisfy her cravings, the others were left tantalized by the aroma of the rich soup and tender meat that Ruo Manni had prepared, finding it hard to eat their plain food.

Yet, to fill their stomachs and replenish their energy, they had no choice but to force themselves to eat, putting on a rather pitiful display of reluctantly swallowing their food and gulping down water.

Dean Atchison, feeling that life was unfair, grumbled, “Ruo Manni knew me first. I was supposed to team up with her.”

But who could have predicted that the Second Prince would suddenly appear and snatch away his companion? The other members of Hua’s team mentally finished his sentence for him, while casting a sympathetic glance in his direction.

Dean Atchison was a young noble from a top aristocratic family. He had outstanding talent and cultivation, and his appearance was strikingly handsome. Unfortunately, he had bad luck; if only he were a year older or younger, he would have been a prominent figure among his peers.

Unfortunately, his luck was particularly bad; in the same year, there emerged two rare geniuses who were hard to come by even after hundreds of years, dimming his own brilliance and making him feel genuinely unfortunate.

Of course, if we talk about this, the most unfortunate one is not Dean Atchison, but rather their captain, Hua Deli, and, well, Mina-Olli too. In short, everyone in Hua’s team felt that their group was simply a “sad second team.”

Finally, after forcing themselves to fill their stomachs, both Hua’s team and Asimu’s team set off almost simultaneously, heading toward the forest on the hillside.

By this time, over a thousand military academy students had already climbed up from the edge of the cliff. Each of them, upon reaching the top, would collapse like a salted fish. Without the temptation of delicious food, they would all remain spiritless for quite a while before they could get up again.

Without comparisons, there is no comfort. Having been disheartened by Adam’s team, the members of Hua’s team and Asimu’s team suddenly found that, by comparison, their own teams appeared energetic and full of vitality.

The two teams, one following the other, walked along the route taken by Adam’s team and arrived in front of the forest. Just as they were about to enter, they suddenly heard intense explosions coming from the center of the forest.

The instructors had previously made it clear that during this training exercise, the military academy students were not allowed to use thermal weapons. If such weapons were used, it would mean immediate elimination from this stage.

Adam’s team was already far ahead of them, so being eliminated in this round would greatly impact their ranking; there was no way Adam’s team wouldn’t be concerned about their standing.

From this, it can be inferred that for Adam’s team to use thermal weapons so recklessly, and such powerful ones at that, they must have encountered a threat serious enough to endanger their lives. Their enemy must be formidable.

Both Hua’s team and Asimu’s team simultaneously paused in their tracks. Adam’s team had encountered danger; what should they do? Should they rush in to rescue them or withdraw from the forest and seek help from the instructors?

Right, Adam’s team was in danger. Had the instructors already gone to intervene? Since they couldn’t directly communicate with the instructors, they were unclear about the situation…

The two teams hesitated for only a second. The military academy’s code, which dictates that students must not shy away from danger, combined with their concern for their comrades, quickly overcame their fear. With united resolve, both teams charged into the forest.

As soon as the two teams had rushed into the forest, less than a hundred meters in, an extremely sharp soundwave suddenly emanated from deep within the forest.

Mina-Olli and the male telekinetic student from Asimu’s team were able to immediately neutralize the attack of this telekinetic soundwave, preventing it from harming their minds.

However, the other ten or so students in the two teams weren’t so fortunate. Except for Hua Deli, Dean Atchison, and Abulaiti Asimu, the others clutched their heads, falling to their knees and crying out in pain.

Fortunately, this terrifying soundwave attack only lasted for two seconds before disappearing, and it did not cause any real harm. The headache it caused gradually faded away on its own.

“They probably encountered a mutated wood with a spiritual core at the late stage of Tier 4 or the early stage of Tier 5,” Mina-Olli said worriedly. She was not like Ruo Manni, who only had a half-baked understanding of these things.

When Hua Deli and Dean Atchison “heard” the telekinetic soundwave, they felt only a slight prickling pain in their heads. Once the soundwave stopped, they quickly recovered. Now, hearing Mina-Olli’s speculation, their expressions turned very serious.

“This thing shouldn’t appear here,” Dean Atchison said grimly. This was definitely a conspiracy, some kind of underhanded scheme.

Hua Deli understood this too. Just as he was about to clarify some things, he and his teammates simultaneously received a message on their wrist communicators.