Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

After Hua Deli and the others came down from the building, they headed straight to the Gus Empire contestant room. On the way, they cleverly “ran into” the Vera Federation team who were out for a walk.

The rest area for the Vera Federation was on the floor below, and since their pathway to this location was different from that of the Gus Empire team, there would be no chance of a “chance encounter” unless they came out for a walk.

Although everyone had not met in real life before, they had already played a few matches online. While the images were somewhat blurry, upon seeing them in person and distinguishing them by their abilities, it was easy to recognize the people they had met online.

Everyone greeted each other politely, but the Gus Empire team expressed their unwillingness to “chat,” so the Vera Federation team had to continue “walking” downstairs.

“Those guys are deliberately waiting for us here, right? Did you see their little glances when they realized we only have ten members? They can’t really think we can’t produce two substitutes,” Sheila said somewhat angrily.

“That’s fine; the more optimistic they are, the worse their expressions will be when our president and vice president arrive,” Tamaki Kazia comforted her.

Over the past two years, with Ruo Manni absent from school, no one had been there to challenge Sheila, so she had become much quieter. However, her temper had increased a little, and Tamaki Kazia had unknowingly become the one who could accurately quell Sheila’s anger.

Tamaki Kazia’s words were quite true, and the friends all agreed with him.

“I wonder if those two have arrived yet. Those guys definitely haven’t seen them; otherwise, they wouldn’t have such expressions,” Sheila said, eagerly pushing open the door to the Gus Empire team’s lounge.

The lounge was empty, with no one inside…

“Didn’t they say they would come here directly today? Where are they?” Dean Atchison said unhappily.

“They said they’d be back half a month ago; why are they still not here?” Sheila also expressed her dissatisfaction.

“They arrived last night, but Ruo Manni was intercepted by my mother and stayed at the Hua De family’s house for the night. As you know, this is Ruo Manni’s first time in the Hua De family, and the elders and various uncles and aunts had to meet her in the morning, so it ended up taking a bit longer. Plus, Hebrew Adam returned to the palace, and after being away for so long, both the queen and king certainly wanted to have breakfast with him and chat,” Hua Deli said, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes.

The friends glanced at Hua Deli; it was rare to hear him speak so much and in such a playful tone. It seemed that his sister’s return had put him in a good mood.

And rightfully so; everyone had been happily attending school, training, and gaining experience together, only to have two friends leave for years because of an assassination organization. They all felt quite unhappy about it.

“Speaking of which, it’s been a long time since Aunt Lixi last saw Ruo Manni. She’s been gone for nearly three years, and there hasn’t even been time to hold a formal welcome banquet for her return to the Hua Deli family,” Mina-Olli said.

“They do often meet on the Net, but not under Ruo Manni’s original identity,” Hua Deli replied.

Mina-Olli looked at Hua Deli; ever since Ruo Manni was found, Aunt Lixi and Uncle Hua De’s relationship had improved significantly, and Aunt Lixi’s attitude toward Hua Deli had also become much warmer.

But it was a different story; Aunt Lixi showed no coldness toward Ruo Manni, truly acting like a loving mother. In comparison, Mina-Olli felt that Aunt Lixi was still somewhat distant with Hua Deli.

Hmm! Not to mention Ruo Manni, Mina-Olli felt that Aunt Lixi was much friendlier toward her, Hua Deli’s fiancée, than she was with Hua Deli himself.

Perhaps because Hua Deli was a boy, Aunt Lixi wasn’t quite sure how to interact with him. And because Ruo Manni had been lost for so many years, Aunt Lixi probably wanted to make up for that, which is why she was so focused on Ruo Manni.

“Let’s go inside and wait; they should be here soon. I received a message from Ruo Manni while we were on the way saying that she had already left home,” Hua Deli said as he led the way inside.

They couldn’t just stand outside talking; other country’s competitors were peeking at them.

The Gus Empire team walked into the lounge and each found a seat.

Dean Atchison opened the live holographic projection of the meeting venue and set it to a mode that everyone could see, so the group turned their attention to the projection.

“The one in the middle, the diplomat responsible for this diplomatic affair for our Gus Empire, is your cousin, right?” Hua Deli asked Dean Atchison, recognizing the familiar face of the diplomat.

“Yes,” Dean Atchison replied, already knowing about this matter earlier and showing no signs of surprise.

“Your cousin is famous for being a smiling tiger. Dean, you should let him show those guys what he’s made of,” Su Forty-Three joked.

“You don’t need to remind me; my cousin has always been someone who can put others in a tough spot without any remorse. Just look at the diplomats from the other countries; they seem a bit dispirited,” Dean said.

The friends closely observed the diplomat from the Vera Federation and found that it wasn’t just Dean Atchison boasting; the diplomat really did seem somewhat lackluster.

“Wow, your cousin is really impressive,” the friends exclaimed in admiration.

“This morning, my cousin sent me a message. Among the twelve competitors from the Vera Federation, there is a twenty-year-old whose cultivation level is the same as yours, Captain. But my cousin said he was promoted six months ago,” Dean Atchison said to Hua Deli.

Since Hua Deli had been promoted only half a month ago, it seemed on the surface that he was indeed weaker in both age and cultivation level.

However, only Jerome Atchison, who was unaware of their true strength, would worry. Dean Atchison had no such concerns; only they knew what kind of rigorous training they had undergone over the past two years.

Additionally, with the special potions provided by the country, if they hadn’t been suppressing their advancements to focus on consolidating their foundations, each of their levels would be at least a minor tier higher than they currently were. So while their cultivation levels appeared to progress slowly, their combat power was absolutely capable of fighting beyond their ranks, and they weren’t afraid of facing opponents at the same level.

“That guy never appeared in the preliminary matches; he probably wants to make a spectacular entrance at the venue just like our president,” Ninja King Ren Wuyue said dismissively.

Thinking about how that guy from the Vera Federation wanted to show off but ended up being slapped in the face by their president, the friends all felt delighted. Even if Hua Deli couldn’t defeat that guy, they still had their president; winning was just a dream, no, it wouldn’t even be possible in a dream.

“I think that telekinetic from the Vera Federation seems to still retain some strength. I always feel like her state at that time didn’t look like she had used up all her power,” Mina-Olli said.

This was a feeling that Mina-Olli developed after carefully reflecting on that battle.

“Those guys are so convoluted; they probably want to catch us off guard to compete for the championship,” Su Forty-Three said, narrowing his eyes.

“Isn’t that everyone’s ultimate goal? Would they just give up without a fight?” Sheila said disdainfully.

“Let them dream…” Tamaki Kazia was halfway through his sentence when the door suddenly opened by itself.

The elite class immediately looked expectantly toward the door, and when they finally saw the two people standing there, they all gasped in shock…