Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

“It’s nothing, just a small cut. Since you know some potion-making, you could actually apply a numbing agent to your flying knives. This would enhance their damage. As long as it’s not poison, it’s legal,” Instructor Dudley suggested.

Ruo Manni, who was feeling down because Instructor Dudley had easily caught her flying knives with only minor injuries, became interested upon hearing this.

“You can spread out your telekinetic knives or position them one in front and one behind. This way, it’s harder for me to catch them all at once.”

“Oh, I see,” Ruo Manni acknowledged.

It was clear that Instructor Dudley was testing their ability to handle night attacks rather than simply tormenting them, so after giving Ruo Manni some advice, he left.

While Ruo Manni was talking with Instructor Dudley, the rest of Adam’s team had already woken up. After the conversation, Instructor Dudley left, and they couldn’t immediately go back to sleep. Therefore, Su Forty-Three and Tamaki Kazia went out to check if anyone else had been attacked.

After going out for a round and coming back, Su Forty-Three excitedly said, “Hua’s team and Asimu’s team were also prepared and didn’t fall for it, but a lot of teams were caught off guard.”

The next morning, after dawn, the instructor gathered all the military academy students together and handed out two nutritional supplements.

Then, they were given a half-hour lecture. First, the instructor criticized those who hadn’t completed their tasks and then those new teams that had been wiped out in the night’s ambush due to not keeping watch.

The new students were thoroughly reprimanded. Even the three top-performing teams—Adam’s team, Hua’s team, and Asimu’s team—didn’t dare to say a word for fear of drawing hatred upon themselves.

In the end, the instructor leader gave a summary. The results of this exercise were very poor, the worst they had taught in recent years. Originally, they were supposed to take a flying ship back from the island today. However, due to their poor performance, they had to swim back to the starting point before they could take the flying ship.

Because of this lecture, the military academy students, who were initially excited about the end of the training exercise, now packed up their belongings in low spirits, preparing to swim back.

Since Ruo Manni’s left arm couldn’t be used forcefully, after they entered the sea, Hebrew Adam tied her to his backpack with a rope, making Ruo Manni a literal accessory.

However, being a telekinetic made a difference. Ruo Manni still played a significant role throughout the journey. She was able to scout the surrounding waters and use her telekinesis to create a “barrier” to help the team avoid detection by sea beasts, ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted journey.

Their return trip was unexpectedly smooth, and they arrived at the starting point over an hour faster than they had on the way there.

Of course, this also benefited from the fact that everyone had improved their physical fitness after the round trip in the mountains. A good rest at night made the return journey naturally quicker.

Hebrew Adam didn’t need to switch shifts with Su Forty-Three; he steadily brought Ruo Manni to the shore. Since they hadn’t encountered any sea beasts, he was only slightly out of breath.

However, the Adam squad, who saw the coastline from a distance and were still celebrating, suddenly noticed a group of stern-faced instructors standing at the shore.

After the Adam squad disembarked and saw that their numbers were far fewer than the instructors’, and given the instructors’ serious expressions, they felt genuinely intimidated.

Except for Hebrew Adam, everyone else displayed their best behavior. They lined up and approached Instructor Dudley with respectful salutations.

Instructor Dudley’s expression was also not pleasant. With his hands behind his back, he stood there scrutinizing them and suddenly asked, “How do you think you did in this training exercise?”

The question was loaded with countless traps and pitfalls, and no student dared to answer such a question from the instructor lightly.

“Cat got your tongue?” Instructor Dudley’s voice was extremely stern.

The helpless squad members looked to their captain for guidance, believing that such matters should be addressed by the captain.

“Report, Instructor. If a hundred points is the full score, my team and I should receive eighty-five points,” Hebrew Adam responded firmly.

The squad admired Hebrew Adam’s courage and braced themselves for the impending storm. They knew that when Instructor Dudley was angry, he didn’t care that Hebrew Adam was the second prince of the empire; he would scold him just as harshly.

Instructor Dudley glared at Hebrew Adam for a long time without speaking. Hebrew Adam stood tall and unflinching under the instructor’s piercing gaze, appearing as a fearless warrior.

Unfortunately…

Ruo Manni stole a glance at Hebrew Adam’s hands behind his back. They were clenched into tight fists. If he hadn’t unconsciously made this gesture, it would have been perfect. However, standing in front of Hebrew Adam, Instructor Dudley couldn’t see this.

“Based on your performance, eighty-five points is indeed a fair score,” Instructor Dudley said, surprisingly gentle, so much so that it was hard to believe.

“During this training exercise, your on-the-spot response and combat abilities were outstanding. As the team leader, you were quite competent. However, you do have some shortcomings, especially the injury to Ruo Manni due to your lack of experience. After you return, you must thoroughly review this mistake and submit a ten-thousand-word reflection report to me,” Instructor Dudley said in a very gentle tone, giving Hebrew Adam praise he had never received before.

Although the ten-thousand-word reflection report was quite a burden, for Instructor Dudley, it was a very light punishment.

The Adam team members were somewhat incredulous that Instructor Dudley would actually praise them. Even Hebrew Adam was unsure and, like his teammates, glanced up to check Instructor Dudley’s expression, fearing that his praise might be sarcastic and that they might fall into a trap.

However, it was clear they were overthinking it. Instructor Dudley was genuinely praising Hebrew Adam. After finishing his remarks, he turned his attention to Vice-Captain Ruo Manni, signaling that the discussion about Hebrew Adam was over and it was now Ruo Manni’s turn to present herself.

Instructor Dudley’s gaze towards Ruo Manni was calm and unremarkable, lacking the sharpness he had shown towards Hebrew Adam. His voice was equally calm as he asked, “Ruo Manni, how do you think you performed?”

How? Ruo Manni felt like pulling her hair out. She really didn’t know how to evaluate herself. Why hadn’t she anticipated that the instructor would ask such a question?

Instructor Dudley looked at her calmly, but Ruo Manni felt as though he was like a pressure cooker—seemingly calm on the surface but under high pressure inside.

“Report, Instructor. I think I should have seventy-five points,” Ruo Manni replied loudly, not daring to hesitate further.

“Ruo Manni has quite a bit of confidence in herself. You truly live up to the role of Vice-Captain. You managed the logistics, conducted reconnaissance along the way, and handled the situation well when your teammates were in danger. You deserve eighty-five points just like Hebrew Adam. However…”

Here it comes, the key point. Ruo Manni shrank back nervously. Instructor Dudley’s smile was so frightening.