Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

A family of four living in three courtyards retained their privacy while still allowing for easy interaction through the small gates connecting the courtyards. It was convenient, and everyone was naturally pleased.

After touring their living quarters, the mother and her two children sat in the main living room. An elderly-looking housekeeper, actually a robot, served them fruit. Smiling at Ruo Manni, the robot said, “Welcome back, Miss. If there are any fruits you like, just let the housekeeper know, and I’ll prepare them for you.”

Ruo Manni’s eyes lit up as she looked at the robot. Its body, skin, speech, and mannerisms were indistinguishable from a real human. Unless you looked closely at its eyes, you couldn’t tell it was a robot.

“Mother, can I take this robot apart and see how it’s made?” Ruo Manni asked eagerly.

As a skilled mecha engineer, Ruo Manni was very familiar with mechanical manufacturing. She had already modified her own robot housekeeper several times, replacing many of its internal components. Although the exterior remained the same, she still felt it hadn’t met her full expectations.

So, upon seeing this highly realistic robot housekeeper, Ruo Manni couldn’t help but fall into the habits of a craftsman.

“Miss, you can’t harm me,” the robot housekeeper said cleverly.

Even though Ruo Manni knew it was just the robot’s programming speaking in a playful manner, she couldn’t help but laugh. She really liked this particular robot housekeeper.

“The permission is in your father’s hands. When he returns, he can set it so you’re allowed,” Lixi Amber readily agreed. How could she let her daughter down over something so minor?

Hua Deli, meanwhile, was already used to Ruo Manni’s obsession. In the War Realm, he had seen her several times transform into a completely different person while assembling mechas.

“You’re staying home for two more days, so no rush. Have some fruit first,” Lixi Amber said, patting her daughter’s hand and pulling her attention away from the robot housekeeper, which she looked ready to disassemble on the spot.

No wonder the child managed to continue studying mecha-making, even with her heavy training schedule, and learned so quickly. It was clear she truly loved this field.

Lixi Amber sighed inwardly. If only her daughter’s talent weren’t so exceptional. Given the current state of the world, there was no room for her to avoid her responsibilities. If her daughter had more ordinary aptitude, she would have encouraged her to become a dedicated mecha engineer.

It wasn’t until Lixi Amber handed her a piece of fruit that Ruo Manni reluctantly pulled her gaze away. She picked a grape-like fruit and popped it into her mouth.

She didn’t expect the sweet and sour taste to be exactly the same as the grapes from her previous life…

Ruo Manni felt a wave of nostalgia, her mind momentarily drifting. She couldn’t quite describe how she felt, unsure whether she liked it or not, but instinctively she reached for another one.

Ruo Manni didn’t notice Lixi Amber exchanging a glance with Hua Deli. Lixi Amber checked the time and reluctantly said to Ruo Manni, “Manni, I’m sorry. The day after tomorrow, my leave ends, and I’ll have to go. After this, it might be more than half a year before I get another break.”

It seemed Lixi Amber had used up most of her leave on this visit.

Sensing her mother’s reluctance to part, Ruo Manni leaned in to hug her and comforted her, “Mother, we can meet online. Now I don’t have to disguise myself or meet you only during limited times. As long as we both have time, we can meet whenever we want.”

Although Lixi Amber was reluctant to leave her daughter, she wasn’t one to dwell on emotions. Military orders were absolute, so when the time came, she left decisively.

After seeing Lixi Amber off, Hua Deyu still hadn’t returned. Having hardly trained today, the siblings began to feel restless.

“I think we’ve gotten used to being pushed so hard that without much training today, it feels uncomfortable,” Ruo Manni said uneasily.

“Then let’s go train,” Hua Deli suggested. “The Hua De estate has training facilities just like our military academy, but ours are more advanced and better. The training center is open to all Hua De family members. Would you like to go train there?”

Ruo Manni hadn’t expected the Hua De family to be so generous, but she knew that sacrifices were needed to gain such advantages. The Hua De family had impressed her with their willingness to provide all family members with training opportunities, regardless of their potential.

“I’m not really in the mood to smile and greet people,” Ruo Manni sighed at the thought.

There would likely be many Hua De family members training there, and the thought of socializing exhausted her. She didn’t find it appealing and had no interest in going.

Ruo Manni now had a reduced gravity chamber in her jade pendant space, which was far more useful to her at the moment.

“Then let’s each train in our own rooms. If you want someone to spar with, just send me a message, though I’m not sure I’m a match for you anymore,” Hua Deli said with a wry smile.

As the older brother, realizing his cultivation level was much lower than his sister’s, Hua Deli felt he needed to work even harder.

Ruo Manni agreed, and the two of them returned to their respective small courtyards. Each of their buildings was equipped with a fully furnished training room, weapon room, and meditation chamber, making it very convenient for them to train at home.

Ruo Manni’s building was actually 50 square meters larger than Hua Deli’s, as it included an extra mecha assembly room.

That night, Ruo Manni had already checked out the mecha room, which was fully equipped with everything she needed. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that she could assemble a Level 6 mecha using the parts provided there.

After an afternoon of training, Ruo Manni was interrupted by the robot butler knocking on her door. Lixi Amber had returned to the military, and Hua Deyu, who had been called away in the afternoon, hadn’t come back. However, he had remembered to have someone bring an exceptionally delicious meal for the siblings.

After hours of training, the hungry siblings laid out the meal in Ruo Manni’s courtyard and had dinner together.

It was Ruo Manni’s first time spending time alone with Hua Deli. Thanks to their bond as classmates, the two siblings got along naturally.

At school, Hua Deli, although usually aloof and quiet, was able to put aside his pride when talking to his younger sister, Ruo Manni. He shared many stories about their classmates, as Ruo Manni had been away for three years and was unaware of many things happening at school.

After eating their fill, the like-minded siblings went back to training. Since they didn’t have school the next day and no one was forcing them to train, Ruo Manni actually stayed in the weapon room practicing until late at night.

After cleaning herself up, Ruo Manni sat cross-legged on her bed. As part of her nightly routine, she opened up the interstellar web to check the latest news.

To her surprise, the trending section was filled with suspicious-looking posts. As she quickly skimmed through them, she noticed that every post was related to aliens.

Alarmed, Ruo Manni wondered if the Yunkai people had made another move.

She immediately clicked on the top-ranked post, marked in black and red:

“Do you know what the government is hiding from us? This concerns the survival of humanity. We must unite and face this together…”