Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

The exhausted elite class, relying on the protection of their instructors and guards, went straight to sleep after coming off the battlefield. Seven hours later, they were woken up and given nutrient supplements to prepare to return to the battlefield.

“Wait, didn’t they say we’d only rest for six hours? Why are they waking us up after seven?” Dean Atchison asked curiously.

“Today, thirteen mercenary groups suddenly arrived on Desolate Star, so the battlefield isn’t as pressed. Naturally, we were able to give you more time,” Instructor Dudley responded calmly.

Ruo Manni, Hebrew Adam, Hua Deli, and Dean Atchison immediately became serious.

Ruo Manni glanced at the others and quickly understood that Hua Deli and Dean Atchison had also noticed that some of the mercenaries they encountered after leaving the battlefield were puppets.

Hua Deli was always expressionless, so it wasn’t surprising that he didn’t show anything. But for Dean Atchison, who was usually lively, hyperactive, and had a bit of a dramatic streak, to show no reaction at all, even hiding it from Ruo Manni, really made her see him in a new light.

“The news of our arrival on Desolate Star was leaked four days ago,” Instructor Dudley continued. “Over the past two days, the number of mercenary groups coming here has increased significantly.”

The implication was clear: some of these mercenary groups could very well contain assassins targeting them. The other members of the elite class, realizing the gravity of the situation, quickly turned serious.

Four days ago, they had still been on the military spaceship, and besides Instructors Han Zhengbang, Dudley, and Hebrew Adam, no one else knew the destination of their mission. Yet somehow, the information had already been leaked.

“Could it be that someone from the warship leaked the information?” Hebrew Adam asked with a frown.

“It’s not clear yet,” Instructor Han Zhengbang replied. “However, those people don’t know our plans and still think we’re with the military. So, just act as if nothing is wrong and stay alert. If there’s a problem, we’ll retreat. Leaving now would only expose our identity.”

The elite class had no objections. As soldiers-in-training, they couldn’t just run at the first sign of danger. If others found out, they’d become a joke, and it would be hard to maintain their reputation.

Ruo Manni couldn’t help but feel concerned. If those puppets and assassins were truly after them, their situation was looking grim.

The impending beast tide was expected to reach a massive outbreak in the coming days, making their situation precarious already. Adding the threat of the puppets could put them in a dire situation, much like being caught between a rock and a hard place—just like in the novels where the protagonists are attacked from both sides.

At least the protagonists in those stories didn’t have bounties on their heads, and weren’t dealing with the threat of assassins.

The problem was, the novel didn’t specify the exact timing of the full-scale beast tide, so Ruo Manni didn’t have any “prophetic” advantage in this regard. Even if she knew, unless she was willing to reveal her secret of being reborn, she couldn’t voice her concerns.

Ruo Manni had no choice but to stay on high alert, carefully watching for any unusual movements from the alien beasts or any suspicious behavior from the surrounding mercenary groups.

Ruo Manni could only hope that the Crown Prince truly had the “prophet” ability to send reinforcements before the outbreak. With the current troop strength on Desolate Star, they would definitely be overwhelmed by the beasts during a massive surge.

What made Ruo Manni despair in reality was that out of the ten mercenary groups she had encountered in the past two days, five had puppets among them. This kind of scale likely meant they were indeed targeting them.

Fortunately, their disguise was well-executed, with no exposed points of suspicion. It was at this moment that Ruo Manni realized that there was indeed a very famous Wolf God mercenary group in the Gus Empire. The spacecraft they used belonged to this mercenary group, and their uniforms were also from there, so no one doubted their identity.

Thanks to their effective disguise, along with the formidable reputation of the Wolf God mercenary group and the presence of eight sixth-level warriors as escorts, no one dared to provoke them, allowing them to pass the last two days without incident.

The mercenary groups with puppets also behaved themselves, quietly hunting the monsters.

However, Ruo Manni did not let her guard down. The puppets weren’t particularly intelligent, so it wasn’t surprising that they hadn’t discovered any discrepancies in their disguise.

The assassins hidden within the mercenary groups, on the other hand, were different. Their capabilities and intelligence were not on the same level as the puppets. Ruo Manni had been keeping an eye out over the past two days, yet she hadn’t spotted anyone who seemed to be an assassin.

As a result, no one could guarantee that there were no assassins nearby, or that those assassins hadn’t discovered their true identities and were now pretending to be oblivious while secretly searching for an opportunity to strike.

The first day of the Xuan Gu group’s arrival on Desolate Star passed quietly, and the second day went smoothly as well. However, Ruo Manni couldn’t shake off a feeling of unease, sensing that something was tightening in the air.

On the morning of the third day after their arrival, a large number of warships suddenly appeared in the sky—there were really a lot, at least five to six hundred, likely bringing nearly two hundred thousand reinforcements.

“We’ve already killed so many alien beasts; according to past practices, we usually just have to endure for another four or five days before things calm down. Why are they sending so many reinforcements?” one mercenary grumbled, clearly worried that these soldiers would cut into their earnings.

“Just ignore them. This time, the military on Desolate Star is particularly generous and trustworthy. We’re getting merit points and credit points for every beast we kill, settled daily, so we don’t have to worry about them snatching our achievements,” another replied.

However, Instructors Han Zhengbang and Dudley looked grim at the scene, and Ruo Manni suspected they had noticed something unusual.

Ruo Manni herself felt a huge sense of relief; the Crown Prince indeed had prophetic abilities, having sent so many soldiers. She no longer needed to worry about the massive beast tide breaking through humanity’s defenses all at once.

Once the Xuan Gu group was relieved and returned to their spacecraft, Instructor Han Zhengbang asked Hebrew Adam, “Hebrew, did you receive any information?”

Hebrew Adam nodded. “Three hours ago, I received a message from my brother. He said there were unusual movements within the Desolate Forest and that a large-scale beast tide might erupt tonight. He hopes we will retreat to the city and assess the situation before taking further action.”

Instructor Han Zhengbang nodded. They had come here to train these students, not to lead them into danger. In uncertain situations, it was better to avoid exposure.

He immediately activated his holographic device and submitted a request to enter the city for rest and resupply.

The military had minimal interference with the mercenary groups, only requiring them to follow orders. In the past two days, many mercenary groups had arrived, and the number of alien beasts pouring out of the forest had significantly decreased. The battlefield was not tense at the moment, so there was no reason to deny such a compliant request. They quickly approved their request to withdraw from combat and issued a permit for them to enter the city.

It was only a little past one in the afternoon on Desolate Star, with more than five hours until nightfall. Having just come down from the battlefield and feeling exhausted, the Xuan Gu group unanimously decided that they had ample time. Since the situation in the city was unclear and they were not in good condition, it was better to rest and recover some energy before heading into the city.