Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

The two instructors quickly noticed that the members of the elite class seemed somewhat dispirited and immediately guessed that this was because they hadn’t yet adapted to such a brutal and bloody battlefield.

After all, these kids were still young, and their hearts were still too soft.

Instructor Dudley spoke up, saying, “It’s not that we humans enjoy this kind of bloodshed, but rather, it’s because humanity and the alien beasts are fighting for survival space and resources on this desolate planet. These conflicts are irreconcilable; it’s either you die or I die. There’s no right or wrong. In the future, you will face more of this, even more brutal situations. You need to adjust your mindset, or you won’t be able to comprehend battle intent and advance to high-level mecha warriors.”

“Remember one thing,” Instructor Han Zhengbang added seriously, “We soldiers kill to protect what we want to protect.”

The instructors’ words reminded the elite class that if they didn’t kill these alien beasts and stop them from charging into the city, it would be the human cities that were destroyed, and ordinary civilians would be torn apart and devoured. Life is worthy of respect, but in the struggle for survival resources, only the strong prevail.

They weren’t engaged in senseless slaughter; they were protecting the cities and the civilians behind them.

Thinking about the situation from this perspective, the elite class suddenly felt much more at ease, and their morale was greatly lifted. They understood these principles already, but being in the thick of it, their negative emotions had momentarily clouded their minds, preventing them from recalling this in time.

Although many alien beasts rushed out from the forest, the commander and the guards stood in front of and around the elite class. Under their control, the beasts that managed to break through for them to fight were within their ability to handle. So, although they were a bit exhausted, they weren’t in any real danger.

The members of Xuan Gu Military Academy fought on the battlefield for six hours before being replaced by another mercenary group.

This mercenary group had twenty members, each one a large, muscular man. The two leaders were both at the sixth level of martial arts, while fifteen of the others were at the fifth level, and only three were at the fourth level. Such strength made them stand out as one of the top-tier groups in the mercenary circles of the Gus Empire.

As these men glanced over them, their eyes were filled with scrutiny and suspicion.

Ruo Manni discreetly moved closer to Hebrew Adam beside her, pretending to be weak and exhausted. Hebrew Adam quickly reached out to support her. Before Ruo Manni could signal to him, Hebrew Adam’s right hand, which was holding her arm, tapped lightly on her arm in a rhythmic pattern…

Ruo Manni instantly understood the signal. Hebrew Adam had realized that there was something off about this mercenary group and was warning her to be cautious.

It turned out that the two highest-ranked sixth-level martial artists leading the mercenary group were actually puppets. Ruo Manni’s earpiece quickly fed this information back to her, and it was only after paying attention that she discovered this.

The twenty mercenaries continuously scrutinized the elite class, especially lingering their gazes on the three girls. That kind of look made Ruo Manni want to lash out and hit someone.

However, aside from pretending to be weak and leaning on Hebrew Adam, Ruo Manni didn’t dare signal her teammates or even lift her head to look at them. She feared that her acting skills might not be convincing enough and could raise suspicion, causing unforeseen trouble.

Despite this, Ruo Manni didn’t feel particularly nervous or afraid. Though the two were sixth-level martial artists, their aura was only slightly stronger than Hebrew Adam’s, and they were far inferior to the sixth-level warriors in their own group.

Moreover, the Wolf God Mercenary Group openly had eight sixth-level martial artists, so those twenty mercenaries definitely wouldn’t dare cause trouble.

Ruo Manni’s intuition told her that the appearance of the puppets was likely targeted at the elite class. After all, they had been away from school for six days already, and anyone with “well-informed” connections who wanted to track them down could have easily deduced that they were out for training.

However, since their movements had been so secretive from the start, if these people were really after them and managed to catch up to them on this desolate planet so quickly, it would suggest that someone in the military had leaked the information.

Perhaps the instructors had also sensed something, which is why, for this training mission, they didn’t seek military protection but instead disguised the group as a mercenary team.

Ruo Manni glanced back at Instructor Han Zhengbang and Instructor Dudley. They were talking to the soldier who had brought his men over for the handover, not even sparing a glance at the mercenary squad.

Ruo Manni overheard the soldier praising them, saying, “Your mercenary group is quite impressive, strong and capable. I imagine your gains this time will be substantial.”

Instructor Han Zhengbang, in his usual cocky manner, replied, “If it weren’t for training these brats, we wouldn’t even need to come to a place like this.”

Honestly, if Han Zhengbang were really a mercenary, with his level of skill, he wouldn’t bother coming to a place like this unless there were huge rewards involved. Veteran mercenaries wouldn’t find hunting alien beasts worth their time.

Only the relatively poor or lower-level young mercenaries would come to places like this to take on tasks, partly to train themselves and partly to earn some commission.

With Han Zhengbang’s explanation, it made sense why so many sixth-level warriors were here—because they were protecting the young mercenaries in their group.

The soldier didn’t seem too surprised. After observing their formation while fighting the alien beasts, he could understand their intentions. This was a common practice in large mercenary groups—young mercenaries needed time to grow, and the elders would generally train them gradually.

After the handover, the group from Xuan Gu Military Academy quickly left the battlefield. By this time, the elite class was truly exhausted. Mina-Olli’s legs were so weak that she could barely stand, and Hua Deli was half-carrying, half-supporting her.

Ruo Manni’s earlier display of weakness wasn’t entirely an act. Her sword arm was so tired that she could hardly lift it anymore. Hebrew Adam, fully aware of Ruo Manni’s stamina, didn’t let go and continued to support her.

However, Dean Atchison couldn’t bear to watch any longer. He was still holding up well, so he walked over and took Ruo Manni from Hebrew Adam. “I’ll take care of my sister.”

Ruo Manni had no objections. She felt much more at ease with Dean supporting her, as she didn’t have to worry about any rumors regarding the gender propriety of men and women.

Earlier, the soldier had explained to Xuan Gu Military Academy group that even during their rest, they couldn’t stray too far from the battlefield, and they would need to find their own resting place.

The soldiers had it easier, with organized warships docked at the rear, where those rotated out from the battlefield could go to rest.

As for the mercenaries, they were more varied. However, many mercenary groups owned private in-system spacecraft, which could be deployed as safe temporary rest areas. Those without ships had hover vehicles, which were still more discreet and secure than camping out in the open.

Instructor Han Zhengbang “pulled out” a fairly large in-system private spacecraft. Ruo Manni noticed the words “Wolf God” emblazoned in big characters on the ship.

Ruo Manni’s mouth twitched. Whoever came up with that name definitely had a bold, over-the-top, and slightly arrogant vibe. It seemed Instructor Dudley had prepared well in advance to disguise them as a mercenary group.

Everyone activated the auto-clean function on their clothes, cleaning themselves thoroughly. Only after the smell of blood was gone did they board the spacecraft.

The instructors and guards took care of the security arrangements. The exhausted elite class didn’t feel like talking. After drinking some nutrient supplements, they went straight to their rooms to sleep.