Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

“Miss Ruo Manni, I am Captain Akar Kessel, the aide to the Colonel. The Colonel sent me to pick you up,” Captain Akar Kessel said, giving a formal military salute to Ruo Manni.

Both his demeanor and tone conveyed respect for Ruo Manni, with no hint of condescension. It was clear that someone who could serve as an aide to a military leader must be sharp and competent.

As a military academy student, Ruo Manni also needed to return the salute. She performed a proper military salute and said, “Please, Captain Kessel, give me your guidance!”

“Not at all,” Captain Kessel replied.

Rick Amber noticed that Captain Kessel’s gaze towards Ruo Manni had softened, no longer indifferent as it had been before.

Captain Kessel was known for his cold, robotic demeanor. Rick Amber had known him for over ten years and had only gradually earned his respect. To his surprise, Ruo Manni, with just a few words, had already gained Captain Kessel’s initial approval.

Rick Amber guessed that part of the reason Captain Akar Kessel seemed to naturally approve of Ruo Manni was that Kessel himself came from a civilian background. He might have a natural recognition for talented individuals like Ruo Manni who also come from a civilian background. Additionally, Ruo Manni’s outstanding, intelligent, and well-mannered nature made it easy for others to like her.

Rick Amber felt this was very positive. Captain Kessel was one of the most important aides to their teacher. Since Ruo Manni was still a minor, if there were future school breaks, the teacher would likely want to keep her close for guidance. Having a capable and high-powered aide like Captain Kessel frequently assigned to escort and protect her would be ideal.

Captain Kessel arrived with ten soldiers aboard a light military spacecraft. Each soldier looked formidable, and as the person being protected, Ruo Manni felt reassured by such a strong guard.

Sirius was the largest companion star of the Imperial Capital Star and the most crucial defense point for it. Traveling from the Imperial Capital Star’s Xuan Gu Military Academy to Sirius took only three hours on a privileged military spacecraft.

Perhaps due to the secretive nature of the mission, Ruo Manni had good luck and didn’t encounter any accidents on the way. It could also be because she wasn’t the protagonist and lacked the typical “trouble-attracting aura” that protagonists often have, so she arrived at Sirius smoothly.

Although Sirius was the largest companion star of the Imperial Capital Star, as a companion star, it meant the planet was relatively small. If the planet were large enough, it could completely escape the gravitational pull of the Imperial Capital Star and be “self-governing.”

What Ruo Manni didn’t expect was that the small planet was barren, with gray land devoid of any greenery, making it appear extremely desolate. The climate was also harsh.

When Ruo Manni arrived at Sirius, the planet was being swept by a massive sandstorm. Out of curiosity, she sat by the observation window to view the scene outside. She felt that the military spacecraft she was on was like a tiny boat amidst the raging storm, constantly at risk of being overturned.

In reality, despite the intensity of the storm outside, the spacecraft flew steadily, with only slight vibrations and minimal impact from the sandstorm.

This showed that with the level of technological advancement in this world, the effects of ordinary natural disasters on humanity have been significantly reduced.

The spacecraft soon entered a large transparent dome, revealing a massive military base to Ruo Manni, while the sandstorm was kept outside the dome.

Ruo Manni had previously seen the military base on Topaz Star. Although she was still far from being a skilled soldier herself, she had enough perspective to recognize that this military base was far superior to the one on Topaz Star.

The spacecraft quickly hovered and landed on top of the military headquarters building. Ruo Manni followed Lieutenant Akar Kessel as they jumped down from a height of five meters.

Even though Lieutenant Akar Kessel personally led the way, Ruo Manni went through three rounds of security checks before reaching General Li Qixing’s office.

The security here was much stricter than on Topaz Star. One of the checks involved scanning brainwaves; not only did Ruo Manni have to undergo this check, but so did Akar Kessel.

Ruo Manni speculated that this check was likely to prevent “brainwashed” puppet humans from Yunkai Star from infiltrating the military stronghold.

Contrary to Ruo Manni’s expectations, General Li Qixing did not reprimand her. He only asked about her experience during the training exercise at school, specifically when she encountered the fourth-level mental core mutation. After personally examining her mental state and confirming she was fine, he took her home.

“Your mentor’s wife has been wanting to see you for a long time, but we haven’t had time to return to Capital Star, which has delayed the meeting,” Li Qixing said.

Acknowledging that the mentor’s wife is also an important elder, Ruo Manni felt a bit embarrassed: “Teacher, you and Senior Brother didn’t inform me beforehand, so I didn’t prepare a gift.”

“You’re just a child; you don’t need to bring any gifts when visiting the mentor’s wife. However, she does enjoy the company of young girls. If you have time, just chat with her more, and she will be very happy.”

As Li Qixing spoke, he took Ruo Manni downstairs, where he opened a two-seater convertible flying car. They exited the military base and entered a transparent shielded tunnel that was five meters wide and ten meters high. The sandstorm outside had already buried half of the tunnel, leaving only the upper part exposed.

The protective shield tunnel was not long, about a kilometer in length. Soldiers stationed on both sides of the tunnel saluted Li Qixing but did not stop them for inspection.

Beyond the tunnel was the residential area, specifically for military personnel and their families. This residential area also had a transparent protective shield above it. While the dust and sandstorm outside raged, the inside of the shield was lit with artificial natural light.

Rows of neatly arranged white cottages surrounded by green trees, with well-maintained flower beds blooming with various bright flowers, created a sharp contrast with the dust storm outside the protective shield. The fresh and elegant scenery inside the shield presented a truly wonderful sight.

Although Li Qixing was the head of the military, the small cottage he lived in was similar to others. Ruo Manni wasn’t sure if the interior decoration was the same as the others.

However, since Sirius is a fortress protecting the capital star, only military personnel or their families are allowed to enter. Therefore, the living conditions here are likely well-established.

The mentor’s wife was a very beautiful woman who appeared to be in her thirties, though it was hard to believe she was actually over sixty.

Mrs. Li was overjoyed when she saw Ruo Manni. A fifteen-year-old girl who was both beautiful and charming, and being the disciple of her husband, she could almost treat her as her own daughter.

Mrs. Li happily had the robot butler prepare a lavish meal. As Ruo Manni tasted the food, a hint of surprise appeared in her eyes. The food, cooked with unknown plants, seemed to contain strands of energy that could nourish one’s psychic energy source.

This was Ruo Manni’s first realization that food could actually contain a source of psychic energy.