Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

Xia Yiran and Ruo Manni used to be neighbors. Since she found out that the two girls from her neighbor’s house had been accepted into the Xuan Gu First Military Academy, she had been paying attention to them.

Xia Yiran took pride in these two girls in her heart, thinking that it didn’t matter if they were commoners; they, as commoners, could also get into Xuan Gu First Military Academy. She also had a subtle sense of pride, and she often bragged about her neighbors’ little sisters to her colleagues.

Who would have thought that later, one of the girls would explode into a huge scandal? Xia Yiran was dumbfounded when she saw the news. She couldn’t believe that someone close to her had such a dramatic background.

However, after confirming that the story was true, over time, the image of that shy and cute little sister gradually disappeared from Xia Yiran’s memory. In her place was the proud and noble image of a daughter from a prestigious family.

But because Xia Yiran had often boasted about her talented neighbor’s daughter before, when Ruo Manni’s true identity was revealed, all her colleagues in the same department found out that she and the now famous young lady of Topaz Star, Hua De Manni, used to be neighbors. Xia Yiran also received a lot of attention and was promoted to a prime-time anchor for a second-tier program.

When everyone found out that their news site, Feixun News Network, was the largest news website on Topaz Star and had been assigned to interview the young lady, many top anchors were eager to get the opportunity. It was clear that interviewing this legendary young lady would boost their program’s viewership to record-breaking numbers.

Xia Yiran, who was just a mildly popular anchor, had never dared to dream that this opportunity would fall into her lap. Her parents, Xia Father and Xia Mother, had specifically told her that their family had already received a lot of favors from the young lady, and they shouldn’t use their past relationship for anything that might cause trouble for her.

Xia Yiran had planned to just listen and stay silent, but somehow, this opportunity fell on her.

Needless to say, the other anchors, who considered themselves highly qualified, made quite a fuss. But when they learned that this small, lesser-known anchor was actually the former neighbor of the young lady, their reaction was quite something.

This small anchor was actually the young lady’s neighbor, and they understood why the higher-ups had chosen a small anchor for the interview. Although they were still somewhat dissatisfied, they no longer spoke disrespectfully.

Suddenly being struck by this unexpected windfall, Xia Yiran felt both excited and nervous. Others might think that because she and the young lady were once neighbors, their relationship must have been very close. But in reality, Xia Yiran had spent most of her time studying and working away from home, so how could she have been very close to the neighbor’s little sister?

However, Xia Yiran couldn’t say this, because this rare opportunity had fallen to her precisely because she knew the young lady.

“Don’t worry. That child is a good person. Even now, every once in a while, she still remembers to send things to us neighbors and arranges better accommodations for us. She’s not the type to change after achieving success. Just talk to her properly. But if your news network plans to use her for some kind of sensational story that harms her, you can’t stop it. Just tell her directly, and don’t let anyone make things difficult for her.” Xia Yiran’s father, who had a lot of experience, spoke these words, and they helped calm Xia Yiran’s nerves.

Anyway, according to her father, they were firmly on the young lady’s side, and Xia Yiran naturally felt the same. Once she had made up her mind, she no longer felt anxious. After all, she did know the young lady. Although she wasn’t very familiar with her, her parents had a very good relationship with the young lady’s family.

Although she had mentally prepared herself, when Xia Yiran and her two companions entered the seemingly low-key but actually very refined Hua De Courtyard, she couldn’t help but feel nervous when she saw the kind of scene that was rarely seen in the commoner world.

Xia Yiran was afraid the young lady might not remember her or might dislike having people from her humble past appear before her. Some people, after becoming successful, don’t like seeing those who knew them when they were struggling.

But when they entered the living room, the young lady, dressed in white casual clothes, smiled and stood up to greet them. Xia Yiran’s tense nerves relaxed.

Although the young lady had changed a lot in appearance, she immediately recognized Xia Yiran, called her without hesitation, and asked them to sit down and talk.

Xia Yiran quickly glanced around the living room, which was decorated in an elegant, classical style. It was indeed a noble yet understated luxurious atmosphere.

On the table near the host, there was an antique bronze incense burner, gently releasing strands of white smoke. The living room didn’t have the usual smell of smoke, but instead, there was a refreshing, pleasant fragrance that made one feel comfortable.

Xia Yiran recognized that this incense was very popular among the upper-class nobles. The fragrance in the incense burner was very precious and beneficial to the human body. She had only seen it once before, and at that time, the fragrance wasn’t as pleasant as this one.

“I didn’t expect it to be you, Sister Yiran, coming to interview me. This really surprises me,” Ruo Manni said with a smile.

Ruo Manni had the appearance of a neighborly girl, with no trace of aloofness or arrogance in her eyes. When she smiled, she looked just like the girl from back then. Xia Yiran was touched that Ruo Manni not only remembered her, but also didn’t mind bringing up the time when she was in a difficult situation.

“Given my background, I shouldn’t be the one to have this opportunity, but because they knew I knew you, they let me come,” Xia Yiran admitted candidly.

“I’ve been back in Topaz Star for a few months, but I’ve been busy training the troops. I didn’t want to trouble anyone, so I haven’t come back to visit. I hope everyone is doing well?” Ruo Manni smiled as she spoke.

Xia Yiran’s straightforward attitude was something Ruo Manni liked. This made their conversation flow easily and relaxed.

“Everyone’s doing well. When they found out I was coming to see you today, they asked me to bring you gifts,” Xia Yiran said.

Everyone was indeed doing well because, after Ruo Manni was taken back by the Hua De family, they sent people to Topaz Star and arranged for the six families who had helped her in the past to be well taken care of.

Now, these families were living in a small villa area for the wealthy, with their quality of work and life having greatly improved.

Ruo Manni naturally knew about this. However, Hua Deyu’s actions weren’t purely out of gratitude; he also wanted to move them away from their previous location to a more secure area. This would prevent anyone from trying to harm Ruo Manni or target those connected to her if they couldn’t find her.

Their original neighborhood was a working-class area, where there were too many people coming and going, making it difficult to guard against ill-intentioned individuals.

When Ruo Manni heard what Xia Yiran said, she politely replied, “My father and mother are very grateful to you. They would be even happier to repay you. What saddens them the most is that I’ve been alone and ignored by everyone.”

Ruo Manni’s words made Xia Yiran even happier. Soon, the two successfully completed the interview.

Given Ruo Manni’s special identity, the Feixin News Network didn’t dare to make any controversial articles. Most of the discussions were focused on the ongoing alien invasion, as well as future counterattack plans.

Ruo Manni naturally took the opportunity to say a few words to rally the people, assuring them that the empire would surely do everything possible to protect their homeland. What they needed to do now was to focus on training and improving their skills.

In the end, she couldn’t avoid the topic of her relationship with the second prince, which Xia Yiran, too, was quite curious about. Xia Yiran had watched the interview with the second prince that day and felt that the second prince truly liked their Young Miss.

In response to Xia Yiran’s question, Ruo Manni smiled faintly, but her gaze suddenly shifted to another female companion who had come with Xia Yiran.

Xia Yiran immediately sensed something was wrong, but before she could turn her head to check, she felt the aura of her companion beside her suddenly intensify.

Before Xia Yiran could react, she saw the woman suddenly leap toward Ruo Manni. The posture and speed were not those of an ordinary human, and the momentum she unleashed was even stronger than Ruo Manni’s by at least double.

Xia Yiran, being only a level-three warrior, could not help Ruo Manni. Upon witnessing this scene, she did not scream in fear but began retreating while loudly shouting, “Help! Somebody, come…”

Before she could shout more than twice, the girl beside Ruo Manni had already captured Xia Yiran, dragging her out of the hall. The male colleague was treated the same, dragged out by the young man beside Ruo Manni.

Xia Yiran was both shocked and frantic. The woman attacking Ruo Manni was a high-level warrior, and although she had come in as a colleague, she was now something completely different.

However, Xia Yiran was not dragged out of the hall immediately. She saw Ruo Manni’s quick reaction as she easily dodged the woman’s direct attack. At the same time, silver light flashed from Ruo Manni’s hand, and five throwing knives shot toward the woman, forcing her to dodge. But the woman was also very fast, avoiding the throwing knives and lunging again…

What Xia Yiran didn’t see was that, at that moment, two mid-level seventh-tier warriors appeared on either side of the woman, blocking her path. Ruo Manni then took the opportunity to leave the hall.

Once outside, Ruo Manni frowned when she saw the two people who had been captured.

But for safety’s sake, Ruo Manni took a careful look at Xia Yiran and said to the person holding her, Sheila, “Sister Yiran is fine, but we can’t just let her go back like this. It would be too unsafe. After the situation is resolved, we’ll send someone to escort her back.”

“I understand,” Sheila said as she released the person she was holding.

Xia Yiran, a commoner woman, had never experienced such a thrilling and terrifying scene. She had just been aggressively captured and, after being released, was left feeling disoriented and trembling, unsure of what to do as she looked to Ruo Manni for help.

“Sister Yiran, don’t be afraid. These people are from the National Security Bureau. Just cooperate with them, and it will be fine. Sheila, make sure Sister Yiran is looked after and doesn’t suffer any harm,” Ruo Manni reassured her with a smile.

Ruo Manni knew that there was no issue with Xia Yiran, but she wasn’t sure whether Xia Yiran was entirely innocent in this matter, so the investigation by the National Security Bureau was necessary.

“Understood, Young Miss,” Sheila responded, her demeanor showing that she had received an order.

“Young Miss, you should leave now, in case they have other plans for an attack. You’ll be safer away from here,” the deputy officer, Ma, suggested honestly.

It sounded like he was implying that Ruo Manni was the source of the problem. Ruo Manni shot him a glare, and under the protection of her guards, she headed straight back to the military camp.

It took Sheila two full hours to return, slumping down beside Ruo Manni.

“What happened to my neighbor, Sister Yiran?” Ruo Manni asked.

“She’s fine, and her male colleague is fine too. I’ve made sure they don’t leak anything about this incident, and they’ve been sent back with the interview material. But your neighbor sister was really frightened. The National Security Bureau’s people were very rough, not caring about gentle treatment. On your behalf, I reassured her a bit, telling her that if it weren’t for her connection to you, she wouldn’t know what kind of trouble she might have been dragged into. She seemed to feel much better after that,” Sheila explained.

Ruo Manni absentmindedly thanked her. Xia Yiran had clearly been shocked today, but it was a relief that she wasn’t implicated in any way. Sheila was right—the National Security Bureau had been more lenient with her and her colleagues, all because of their connection to Ruo Manni.

“Honestly, those people usually treat you with utmost care, but when it’s time to use you as bait, they don’t hesitate. You’re tough on yourself, knowing the danger yet still going ahead,” Sheila remarked with a sigh.

“This force is most likely targeting me, to be honest. If I don’t act while they’re unprepared, I’ll just be waiting for someone else to take their position and assassinate me later,” Ruo Manni said helplessly.

She and Hebrew Adam are both obvious targets. Because she is a girl and usually keeps a low profile, and because the Hua De family has strong internal cohesion, she has been targeted for assassination less frequently.

Hebrew Adam, however, is truly in danger. Not only does he have to face external threats, but he also has to deal with dangers within his own family.

Although the royal power in this interstellar era is somewhat restricted, it is still the highest form of rule in the empire and is inherited. As a result, many ambitious figures in Adam’s clan are secretly plotting behind the scenes.

The severe conflict between the Second Prince and the First Prince in the novel is the result of their Manipulation. Now that the two princes have united, some people want to destroy the Second Prince.

The situation today may seem not very dangerous, but in reality, if anything goes wrong, everyone in the entire villa may not survive.

This is because the assassin is also a human bomb—a human bomb with the cultivation of a late-stage seventh-level warrior. Besides retreating into the jade pendant space, Ruo Manni had no other way to survive.

This time, the National Security Bureau’s plan went awry. They didn’t expect the assassin to sneak in among the news staff. These three staff members had been checked in advance, and only after confirming they posed no threat were they allowed to enter.

Fortunately, Ruo Manni’s current perception ability is extremely sharp. As soon as she sensed something was off, she immediately lit the incense. This incense was brought to her by someone from the National Security Bureau.

It is said that when a human bomb smells this fragrance, it causes a sense of confusion in the brain, and the controlled nerves slow down, making it harder to “ignite” the explosive device within the body.

When Ruo Manni noticed that the assassin didn’t immediately attempt to attack her, she deliberately acted nonchalant, chatting with her neighbor sister to delay time, and then proceeded with the interview, all to make sure the assassin inhaled more of the scent.

Sure enough, the assassin did not forget her mission and launched an attack on Ruo Manni.

Ideally, if the assassin couldn’t kill Ruo Manni quickly, they should have chosen to perish together with her.

However, the assassin never detonated, and in the end, he was knocked out by two elite National Security Bureau agents, sedated, and taken away.

“That assassin could not only disguise himself as someone else, but also conceal his cultivation level, making it seem like he was only at the third level. This is terrifying. How can anyone guard against this? How did you discover him?” Sheila said, increasingly frightened.

“When I scanned them with my mental power, I sensed something off about the woman. I didn’t notice any specific issues, but I just felt something was wrong. For safety’s sake, I lit the incense. Fortunately, I was alert,” Ruo Manni explained.