Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

Speaking of the Crown Prince of the Gus Empire, Xiahai Adam, the Vera Federation’s instructor radiated deep envy and resentment from head to toe.

How could there be a man like him in this world, one who possesses everything that every man desires?

Unlike women, who are immediately captivated and want to win his affection upon seeing him, any capable man who sees him can’t help but feel a deep sense of unfairness, wishing to bring him down and take away everything he has.

The Vera Federation’s instructor said bitterly, “If the Gus Empire allows Xiahai Adam to remain in power any longer, our Vera Federation will be defeated by them within ten years.”

“He’s already an eighth-level martial artist now—who can take him down?” The Vera Federation diplomat sighed as well, also feeling a deep sense of envy, though not as intense as the instructor’s.

“Back then, those dark organizations were so rampant, yet even when Xiahai Adam used himself as bait, they couldn’t kill him. Now that he’s wiped out all those dark organizations by following their trails, there’s no hope left. You can’t count on finding such desperate groups again. The only possibility left is if someone close to Xiahai Adam tries to plot against him. Forget about directly assassinating him—it’s out of the question now.”

Xiahai Adam is not only capable but also extremely fortunate, seemingly impossible to kill. His opponents either end up dead or crippled, and now, in the Gumera Star Region’s black market, Xiahai-Adam is listed as someone not to be provoked.

“Didn’t the Queen of the Gus Empire used to trust our provocations and tried to harm the Crown Prince several times? Why is there no information about that anymore?”

“We used to think the Queen of the Gus Empire was truly foolish, but it turns out she was only using us to eliminate her son’s rivals. Once things took a turn, she either cleared out or bought off the people we had planted in the Gus Empire’s royal palace. In recent years, the information we’ve received has been chaotic, and we can’t even determine what’s real and what’s fake—it’s all a mess.”

“Later, when the Gus Empire sent us information on the Yunkai people, and the Vera Federation’s president confirmed its authenticity, we were ordered not to make any further moves against Xiahai Adam.”

“That’s for sure. If we make any further attempts to harm Xiahai Adam and the Gus Empire gets evidence of it, no one can bear the consequences.”

With the arrival of the Yunkai people, the Vera Federation might end up as the Gumera Star Region’s scapegoat. If they end up at war with the Yunkai people, it’s fine if they have the upper hand, but if they struggle, the Vera Federation’s officials could become the target of condemnation from all of humanity.

Knowing that a powerful alien race is preparing to invade the Gumera Star Region, the Vera Federation, despite their wariness of Xiahai Adam, no longer dares to entertain thoughts of eliminating him.

The Vera Federation diplomat and coach sighed in mutual understanding. After a moment, one of them said, “If such a formidable person were eliminated, it would likely be a loss for humanity. After all, in a few years, we will face such a strong enemy. Xiahai Adam could apply the tactics and abilities he’s used against us to the aliens, and he would surely accomplish great things.”

“That’s true. When it comes to dealing with this issue, we in the Vera Federation have to admit his superiority. Even though we’ve all worked together to develop the battle realm, for various reasons, we can’t invest as wholeheartedly as the Gus Empire. Look at how, in just three or four years, the average cultivation level of the Gus Empire’s citizens has surpassed the Vera Federation by an entire level. They used to be slightly below us.”

“Enough about Xiahai Adam; he’s beyond our reach and impossible to compete with. There’s no point in discussing him further. Let’s talk about the Gus Empire’s contestants. Have you found out the information I asked for?” The Vera Federation diplomat decided to change the subject, as dwelling on Xiahai Adam only deepened their frustration.

“I couldn’t get more detailed information,” the Vera Federation coach replied. “But I learned that they have just ten starting team members, all of whom have appeared in the Sky Net matches. These ten are the strongest young fighters in the Gus Empire, and they have no substitute players.”

The Vera Federation diplomat breathed a sigh of relief. “As long as there haven’t been any changes, that’s good.”

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple. I still suspect that the Second Prince and that young psychic girl might show up,” the Vera Federation coach said, not wanting to dampen the diplomat’s mood but feeling that the possibility was too high to ignore.

“Do you have no concrete information? It’s been so long, and you still can’t determine whether they’re alive or dead?” The Vera Federation diplomat nearly said that the Federation’s spies were useless.

“The royal family members are too closely guarded, and we haven’t been able to place anyone inside the palace. We do have agents on Topaz Star, but they haven’t uncovered any useful clues. All the information we have comes from what’s circulating on the Sky Net, with all kinds of speculation, making it hard for our analysts to distinguish fact from fiction. The only thing we can confirm is that the Second Prince and that psychic girl haven’t appeared in over two years. There’s no trace of them on any planet,” the Vera Federation coach said, feeling frustrated.

He knew how much manpower and effort he had spent investigating this, and the most frustrating part was that despite all the effort, they still hadn’t gathered any useful information.

Hearing the complaints, the Vera Federation diplomat felt a headache coming on. “The Crown Prince, Xiahai Adam, is hard to deal with, and now the Second Prince is just as troublesome. We can’t even figure out whether he’s alive or dead.”

“Three years ago, the Second Prince was already a Level 5 early-stage martial artist. If he’s still alive, there probably wouldn’t be anyone in the youth division who could match him.”

The Vera Federation diplomat and coach exchanged glances, both feeling like they didn’t want to continue the conversation.

If the Second Prince is still alive, there’s no need to guess—the Vera Federation can forget about winning the championship at this year’s Youth Elite Competition.

…

The members of the Vera Federation weren’t aware of the private discussions between their coach and diplomat. So on the morning of the opening ceremony, all the young participants appeared energetic, chatting and laughing as they prepared.

Meanwhile, though the Gus Empire team members also appeared energetic as they stepped out of their vehicle, it was obvious to the observant that they seemed somewhat distracted.

Hua Deli walked side by side with Mina-Olli, followed by the other members of the elite class, as they made their way down from the rooftop of the national sports stadium.

On the rooftop of the sports complex, twenty imposing security personnel stood dispersed in the corners. When Hua Deli stepped out of the flying vehicle, he scanned the area and noticed two familiar faces but discreetly withdrew his gaze.

After the Gus Empire’s team had walked down, one of the security members voiced their concern, “Why does our Gus Empire team only have ten participants while other countries have twelve?”

“There should be two more who haven’t arrived yet. With so many geniuses in our Gus Empire, it’s impossible that we don’t even have twelve elites,” another member said, a bit uncertain.

“These ten young men and women are the ones who won in the SkyNet selection matches; the others were eliminated by them…”

“Shut up, there’s a flying vehicle coming from afar,” the captain whispered sternly.