Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

Not long after Ruo Manni and Hebrew Adam discussed the matter, the various nations of the Gumera Star Region jointly issued a statement announcing the official establishment of the Gumera Star Region Allied Forces, effective immediately.

This was followed by extensive preparations. Half a month later, during the inaugural ceremony of the Allied Forces, it was officially announced that the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces would be the Grand Prince of the Gus Empire, Xiahai Adam.

As part of the agreement, the Gus Empire and the Vera Federation, being the two superpowers in the region, each committed to stationing 5,000 star mecha warriors as permanent members of the Allied Forces. Other smaller nations contributed between 1,000 and 3,000 warriors, depending on their population and military capabilities.

The Vera Federation, though often unwilling to concede superiority to the Gus Empire, was left speechless when they witnessed the caliber of the 5,000 star mecha warriors dispatched by Gus. Of these, 3,000 were Level-7 mecha warriors, and their five unit commanders were all Level-8 star mecha masters.

In stark contrast, the Vera Federation’s own contribution of 5,000 warriors included only one Level-8 star mecha master, the same individual appointed as the Allied Forces’ Deputy Commander. Gus, however, fielded five such masters in one stroke, creating an undeniable gap.

Even more embarrassingly, Vera had only 1,000 Level-7 mecha warriors among their contribution, highlighting a stark disparity between the two powers.

Initially, the Vera Federation had hoped to hold back some of their elite forces for their own use. But they hadn’t anticipated that Gus would send such a formidable contingent, leaving them looking inferior and humiliated across the entire Gumera Star Region.

Over recent years, the perception among the people of the Gumera Star Region was that the Gus Empire had been gradually surpassing the Vera Federation in overall strength. However, this event made it clear that the Gus Empire was no longer merely overtaking Vera gradually—it was doing so at an alarming pace.

Judging by the deployment of Allied Forces personnel, it was evident that the Gus Empire’s military power had far outstripped that of the Vera Federation. Even if Vera launched a desperate bid to catch up, it seemed unlikely they could ever close the gap.

The shock was palpable among Vera’s populace. Faced with undeniable evidence of the vast disparity between their nation and the Gus Empire, many struggled to accept the reality. Discontent and complaints flooded the network, with citizens venting their frustrations endlessly.

Some claimed that the establishment of the Gumera Star Region Allied Forces inherently benefited the Gus Empire. They argued that Gus was merely using the alliance to have other nations fight on the front lines for them, which is why they were willing to dispatch so many Level-7 mecha warriors. This, they insisted, was what Gus was supposed to do.

In contrast, they justified Vera Federation’s smaller contribution to the Allied Forces as a humanitarian gesture, suggesting that it was not unusual for Vera to send fewer troops. They argued it was unfair to evaluate a nation’s overall strength based on such a deployment.

The problem, however, was that anyone with eyes and reasoning could see the reality. It was clear that Gus wouldn’t have deployed all of its elite forces to the Allied Forces. If Gus could send 3,000 Level-7 mecha warriors as permanent members of the Allied Forces, it indicated that the number of Level-7 warriors within Gus itself far exceeded this figure.

While the general populace of Vera Federation might not fully grasp this, its officials understood all too well. Vera Federation had a total of no more than 3,000 Level-7 mecha warriors, making it impossible to compete with Gus’s scale of strength.

Thus, no matter how much the citizens of Vera raged online—protesting why the commander of the Gumera Allied Forces wasn’t from Vera or questioning why Gus should lead the alliance—the Vera government remained silent. Their officials were deeply conflicted but had no way to counter the evident disparity.

Meanwhile, the smaller nations were thrilled. It was widely known that Gus’s number of Level-8 warriors was already enviably high, but the revelation of their Level-7 warrior count stunned everyone.

In comparison, Vera Federation was relatively better off, but the smaller nations were pitifully weak. For many of these smaller countries, having even a few dozen Level-7 warriors was an achievement, and their Level-6 warriors barely reached a few hundred. Consequently, the troops these smaller nations contributed to the Allied Forces were significantly weaker.

In contrast, Gus had dispatched 3,000 Level-7 mecha warriors as their contribution—more than the total Level-7 warriors from all the smaller nations combined, excluding Vera. Importantly, this figure represented only those deployed to the Allied Forces, not Gus’s total number of Level-7 warriors.

Given this disparity, it became clear that future interstellar wars would likely be dominated by Level-6 and Level-7 star mecha warriors. During wartime, the Gumera Star Region Allied Forces would have the authority to mobilize military forces from any nation in the region.

This meant that the stronger the Gumera Star Region Allied Forces became, the greater the likelihood of receiving powerful reinforcements during times of crisis.

With this in mind, aside from the Vera Federation—a nation that seemed perpetually misguided—the other smaller countries in the Gumera Star Region submitted to Gus Empire’s leadership. They stopped engaging in petty schemes with the Vera Federation, no longer prioritizing trivial gains over their collective survival.

As the Yunkais, the extraterrestrial invaders, were expected to arrive in the Gumera Star Region in just about a year, a sense of unease had gripped everyone, even if they didn’t openly express it.

Given the technological level of the Gumera Star Region, undertaking a large-scale interstellar migration was barely feasible. Only Gus Empire and Vera Federation had the resources to attempt it, and even they would require over a hundred years to travel to the Yunkai System using their fastest spacecraft.

Meanwhile, the Yunkais had managed to traverse the same distance in just ten years, highlighting the stark technological disparity between the two civilizations. This realization left the citizens of the Gumera Star Region deeply unsettled.

Although it was assumed that the Yunkais would first strike Gus Empire, turning it into the initial battleground, other nations considered themselves fortunate to not face the immediate brunt of the invasion. However, they knew that if Gus failed to hold its ground, no other power in the Gumera Star Region could withstand the Yunkais’ onslaught. The fall of Gus would eventually spell doom for the smaller nations as well.

Unlike the Vera Federation, with its layered emotions and political maneuvering, the smaller countries had simpler concerns. Their only wish now was for the Gus Empire to grow as powerful as possible.

Watching the live-streamed inauguration of Crown Prince Siahai Adam of Gus Empire as the commander-in-chief of the Gumera Star Region Allied Forces, people were captivated. The prince, exuding charisma and authority, delivered his speech with poise and confidence.

Under the live-stream video on the SkyNet platform, the comment section erupted into a flurry of ecstatic messages:

“Ah…ah…!”

“I can’t believe I never realized before how stunningly handsome the Gus Crown Prince is! My God, such a young Level-8 warrior…what have I been missing all this time?”

“I really want to marry him, I really want to marry him…”

“Dream on, even in your dreams, you’re not worthy…”

“This is absolutely the number one heartthrob of the Gumera Star Region! Who could possibly compare to him…”

“The Crown Prince of the Gus Empire, the most eligible bachelor with the highest status…”

Even Ruo Manni’s eyes sparkled as she watched. Truly, he was the idol she’d admired in both her past and present lives. In two lifetimes, she had never encountered anyone who could match the prince’s charisma.

Although Hebrew Adam was exceptional in his own right, unless he too had some miraculous rebirth, there was no way he could compare to his older brother.

“I’ve always believed the Crown Prince is the most handsome man in the entire Gumera Star Region,” whispered Sheila, her eyes twinkling like stars as she leaned closer to share her admiration with Ruo Manni.