Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

The white plaques were covered by white snow. If it weren’t for the yellow lettering, Ruo Manni might not have noticed them. The instructors’ approach really frustrated Ruo Manni; she wondered how teams without mental power would manage to find them.

Without hesitation, Hebrew Adam took the number 1 plaque and put it in his backpack. Then he led his teammates according to the directions on the plaque, heading in the direction opposite to the one they came from.

Ruo Manni examined the number 2 and number 3 plaques. The directions on these plaques were different from the number 1 plaque, indicating that the routes down for the second and third teams were not the same as theirs.

By this time, it was already afternoon. Adam’s team was eager to leave the icy peak to avoid being stranded overnight. They had consumed their nutrient solutions over an hour ago, and if they couldn’t leave before dark, they would have to endure hunger. With such a high level of physical activity, hunger was the most unbearable thing.

When Adam’s team reached the other side of the peak, they saw the glacier river sloping steeply downwards and couldn’t help but collectively gasp.

Ruo Manni thought of an old saying from Earth: “It’s easier to go up the mountain than to come down,” and this was true even on an alien planet.

Standing at the edge of the summit, Adam’s team realized that the wind was coming from this side, making the wind on this slope even stronger. The blizzard had blown away the snow from the glacier in increasingly strong gusts.

From above, the glacier river appeared to shimmer with a jade-like white glow—beautiful but intimidating.

Hebrew Adam turned to his teammates and said loudly, “The descent will be very slippery, so be careful as you go.”

The teammates nodded, and Hebrew Adam led the way down.

Ruo Manni was prepared, but sometimes preparation isn’t enough. She carefully descended the slope, but after fewer than ten steps, she stepped onto a very smooth patch of ice, lost her footing, and slid directly toward Hebrew Adam below.

Hebrew Adam’s footing was usually very stable. Ruo Manni had hoped he would steady her, but unexpectedly, Hebrew Adam also lost his balance. Not only could he not hold Ruo Manni steady, but he was also tripped by her.

When Hebrew Adam fell, he landed on top of Ruo Manni and instinctively held onto her. The two of them rolled a few times down the steep slope before being stopped by the four teammates behind them.

The biggest contributor to stopping them was Tino Venamoinen. As soon as he saw Ruo Manni fall, he braced himself and tried to use the climbing rope to stabilize her.

Hebrew Adam first sat up and then reached out to pull Ruo Manni, only to find her lying there, curled up and looking very uncomfortable.

“How are you? Did you hurt yourself when you fell?” Hebrew Adam asked, startled, as he leaned over.

“I’m fine, just a bit sore,” Ruo Manni gritted her teeth and replied.

Although Ruo Manni said she was fine, Hebrew Adam could see the pain in her eyes and sighed, thinking that the girl was incredibly tough.

With the wind howling making it hard to talk, Hebrew Adam carefully helped her sit up.

However, after a while, Ruo Manni still hadn’t stood up. Hebrew Adam squatted down again to ask if she had any injuries, and Ruo Manni just shook her head repeatedly.

Ruo Manni was very grateful she was wearing a hat, which only left her eyes exposed, so Hebrew Adam didn’t see her flushed face.

Ruo Manni was deeply experiencing what could only be described as indescribable pain.

In reality, the fall itself wasn’t very painful, but when she caused Hebrew Adam to fall, he ended up landing on her unexpectedly.

Although Hebrew Adam had reacted quickly and used his hands to brace himself so he didn’t land directly on her and cause internal injuries, he might have slipped, causing him to end up pressing down on her again…

In a normal environment and atmosphere, this situation would have been very embarrassing.

However, in this particular environment and atmosphere, everyone had almost ignored any distinctions between genders. Falling was a natural occurrence, and falling together wasn’t unusual at all. Even Ruo Manni didn’t feel any awkwardness or ambiguity in the situation.

Despite the superior performance of Ruo Manni’s specialized combat suit, it couldn’t protect against all types of injuries, especially under pressure. The suit clearly couldn’t handle the impact, and she was hurt in a sensitive area where she was still developing. The pain was so intense that Ruo Manni almost wanted to cry, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak up about it; she could only silently endure.

Ruo Manni was relieved that, in this environment, the only person who might have noticed her unspoken pain, Sheila, was too far away, muffled by the snow and wind. Otherwise, being mocked by that girl would have been mortifying.

Seeing Ruo Manni sitting there without moving, Hebrew Adam thought her injuries might be serious, and that she was just being tough. Looking at the slippery slope, he leaned closer and said, “How about I carry you?”

The idea of carrying her… imagining that “wonderful” scenario.

“I’m fine,” Ruo Manni said, forcing herself to stand up despite the pain.

However, looking down at the long, steep glacier river ice, Ruo Manni felt her fear of heights from her past life starting to act up again.

“We should have each taken a stick before heading up the mountain,” Ruo Manni lamented.

If they had had support poles, descending would have been much easier given their skills. Now, it seemed they would be stumbling all the way down.

Still shaken from her previous falls, Ruo Manni lacked the fearless spirit to just fall and keep falling. She looked at the slippery ice surface and came up with an idea.

However, due to the strong wind, Ruo Manni had to lean close to Hebrew Adam’s ear and said, “Can we sit down and slide down like skiing?”

Hebrew Adam considered this. Their combat suits were specially designed to withstand this kind of friction. They could stop if it got too hot, so it was indeed a good idea.

Hebrew Adam nodded, signaled to the teammates who were bracing themselves behind him, and the other four teammates carefully made their way over, half walking and half sliding. Even so, Tamaki Kazia still fell once, nearly causing Sheila to fall as well.

“Everyone, sit down together,” Hebrew Adam commanded, and the team sat down in unison.

At this moment, if an outsider had been watching, they would have found Adam’s team’s actions quite amusing. The six of them were sitting in a line on the icy river, sliding down the slope.

“These kids are so inventive,” commented one of the observing instructors with a laugh.

“It’s indeed a good method,” said Instructor Dudley, who didn’t mind praising his students. “Excellence is not just about talent but also about clever thinking.”