Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

Ruo Manni first appeared in the public eye during the admission test at the Xuan Gu First Military Academy. Unexpectedly, she was thrown into the combat section of the examination without prior notice.

At that time, confused and disoriented, Ruo Manni’s first opponent was Dean Atchison. Out of a sympathy he didn’t fully understand, Dean Atchison extended a helping hand to Ruo Manni.

In the eyes of Hua Deyu and his wife, Dean Atchison’s act of kindness back then was considered a significant contribution. It was only natural that he received praise from his uncle and aunt: “Your help to your cousin has not gone unnoticed. Your uncle will remember it and might reward you in the future. You should take good care of your cousin from now on.”

“No problem,” Dean Atchison cheerfully agreed, though he added with a hint of disappointment, “But to be honest, why is she my cousin? I would have preferred her to be my younger sister.”

Dean Atchison’s comment made everyone laugh. Unfortunately for him, he was only ten days younger than Hua Deli and Ruo Manni. Despite being close in age, being an elder brother is much more prestigious than being a younger brother who is under his elder sister’s supervision.

Everyone in the elite class assumed that Hebrew Adam would not return to the school tonight and that they would be escorted back by bodyguards. Hua Deyu had initially felt uneasy and planned to arrange for his own people to escort them. However, just as they were talking, Hebrew Adam arrived beside them.

Hebrew Adam had changed out of his formal attire and into the training uniform he commonly wore at school, clearly indicating that he would be returning to the school with them.

Once back on Hebrew Adam’s spacecraft, the elite class members watched Hua Deli and Ruo Manni with curiosity.

“When I first saw the two of you, I thought you were siblings, and it turns out I was right. I really do have foresight,” Su Forty-Three said first.

Su Forty-Three was not from the Imperial Capital Star. Although he was aware of Hua Deli as a genius figure of the Gus Empire, his knowledge was limited to Hua Deli’s abilities and his status as a high-ranking family’s legitimate child, without knowing much else.

As for Ruo Manni, she had never appeared in public before, and her identity had been kept strictly confidential. So when she first appeared during the special training, Su Forty-Three intuitively thought Ruo Manni and Hua Deli were siblings. It was only Now that he realized his initial assumption was correct.

“No wonder I always felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with you. It turns out you’re my cousin,” Dean Atchison said, finally realizing that his strong feelings of closeness to a girl were not out of romantic affection but rather due to their familial connection.

Also, Ruo Manni often looked at him with a particular gaze, which, in retrospect, seemed like the look one would give a younger sibling.

With this thought, Dean Atchison couldn’t help but become suspicious. Reflecting on Ruo Manni’s expression during the recognition ceremony today, a thought crossed his mind. He looked at Ruo Manni and asked tentatively, “Did you already know about your true identity?”

At this point, there was no need to hide any longer, and Ruo Manni nodded.

The elite class members, being top students, quickly realized that since the beginning of the special training on the Grand Prince’s island before school started, Ruo Manni’s attitude towards Dean Atchison and Hua Deli had remained unchanged. This indicated that Ruo Manni had known her true identity before coming to the Imperial Capital Star.

However, even after six months, Ruo Manni had not taken any action, and her demeanor towards Hua Deli had remained consistently cold. If Hua Deli and his wife had not come to acknowledge her, they might never have discovered this matter.

Ruo Manni’s attitude clearly conveyed that she did not wish to return to the Hua De family.

Today, Ruo Manni’s attitude towards Hua Deyu and his wife was one of reluctant acceptance rather than joy, which somewhat revealed her true feelings.

The Hua De family is one of the top ten families in the Gus Empire, and Ruo Manni, being a legitimate descendant, would have significant benefits upon her return. Ruo Manni’s disregard for all these benefits and her unwillingness to return suggest a deeper issue.

The elite class members, after thinking for a while, unanimously concluded that the issue likely involves why Ruo Manni ended up in the civilian world. They all knew there must be some hidden, untold conspiracy behind it, and since Hua Deyu and his wife had not mentioned it on the spot, it would be inappropriate for them to ask now.

So, everyone turned their attention to Hua Deli. As the twin brother, he should have the strongest feelings about this. With his twin sister right beside him, and even Dean Atchison, his cousin, feeling something, Hua Deli couldn’t possibly be indifferent.

Seeing that their friends were all looking at him, Hua Deli struggled to articulate his mixed feelings and finally said, “I always find it strange and conflicting, but because of Mina, I don’t dare to get close to her.”

The elite class immediately understood and burst into laughter, with Mina-Olli blushing and looking extremely shy.

Despite the complex emotions, Ruo Manni also laughed along with everyone.

In Ruo Manni’s heart, she could accept Dean Atchison, her cousin, without any psychological barriers. However, she could not simply accept Hua Deli in the same way and couldn’t achieve a deep sibling bond with him. Yet, as a classmate and friend, she felt no such barriers.

Ruo Manni noticed that while her friends’ discussions revolved around their sibling relationship, no one was asking about what had actually happened in the past. They didn’t question why Ruo Manni ended up on the fringe planets, why she had known about her identity for so long, and why, despite coming to the capital star and being in the same class as her twin brother, she still hadn’t revealed anything.

Ruo Manni could easily guess that they were probably curious to the point of almost going crazy, as these kids were always full of curiosity.

However, they were very considerate about such major issues, knowing that it likely involved confidential matters about the Hua De family. As a result, no one asked any questions, which made Ruo Manni secretly relieved. She wasn’t sure how she would respond if they did.

While everyone was happily chatting, Ruo Manni noticed that Hebrew Adam seemed off. She had sensed something was wrong with him when he appeared with King Adam and Queen Amber at the banquet.

Hebrew Adam seemed to have been hit by something heavy, exuding an aura of gloom. Although he tried hard to conceal it after boarding the spaceship, the usually unruly prince had no acting skills to speak of, and he couldn’t hide it from Ruo Manni.

Ruo Manni wasn’t initially focused on Hebrew Adam, but he wasn’t a completely unrelated person. As the captain of their small team, his behavior could directly impact them, so she couldn’t ignore him.

Moreover, considering that Queen Amber’s premature birth and Ruo Manni’s plight on the fringe planets were all orchestrated by Hebrew Adam’s mother, Queen Amber had ended up powerless, Ruo Manni found it hard to believe and thus couldn’t ignore Hebrew Adam’s strange behavior.