Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

“This isn’t the work of the Gus Empire. These individuals are no longer purely human; they have been transformed into a hybrid of Yunkai Star beings. They can disguise themselves as regular humans, only revealing their true nature when they attack. How did you detect this in advance?” Hua Deqi asked, his subordinate having reported to him that Ruo Manni had lit the incense, specifically designed to counter the human bomb puppets.

“I used my telekinesis to scan them and sensed that the woman’s aura was unstable. Her gaze was off, and it just didn’t feel right, so I lit the incense. However, the device that tests for puppet-like beings didn’t work,” Ruo Manni explained.

Hua Deqi looked troubled. Most people are not telekinesis users, so Ruo Manni’s method wouldn’t have worked on them. Fortunately, they had captured a live specimen, so they should be able to find a way to detect it.

“Luckily, Lin Changfeng’s control over Topaz Star has been tight, or we would have never discovered this alien,” Hua Deqi said.

“Has such a creature never appeared before?” Ruo Manni asked.

“Never. But in recent years, it’s not just the Gus Empire; other countries in the Gumera star domain have seen some previously unknown modified creatures, each causing great damage. This time, thanks to your incident, we were able to detect and respond quickly, preventing any severe consequences,” Hua Deqi said with a somber tone.

Ruo Manni fell silent. No need for further explanation—everyone could guess that this was the handiwork of the Yunkai Star people. Despite the setbacks from the Crown Prince, the Yunkai people remained “active.”

Since there was no mention of such events in the novel, and Ruo Manni didn’t have any “prophet” abilities, all she could do was be vigilant.

In the novel, the puppet beings caused significant harm to humanity, but in the real world, because the Crown Prince had united the world as a “prophet,” nearly all of the puppet beings had been wiped out, causing minimal damage.

Ruo Manni thought to herself that perhaps the Yunkai Star people had decided to create a new type of modified human with better concealment abilities, as the puppets were too easily discovered.

“Thankfully, we got them before they caused any damage. Once they fall into our hands, they’re no longer a secret. But Ruo Manni…” Hua Deqi’s expression turned extremely serious. “The two level-7 bodyguards we’ve sent must stay by your side. So far, you’re the only one who’s encountered this kind of attack. They are most likely targeting you.”

Hua Deqi must have learned something, or he wouldn’t have instructed Lin Changfeng to have Ruo Manni conduct the “baiting” interview and send assistance so quickly.

Ruo Manni nodded. “I also suspect that. A modified human with such strong power shouldn’t be easy to make. If they could create such beings, they wouldn’t need to wait for aliens; they could use these modified humans to destroy many people.”

The Crown Prince had repeatedly warned Ruo Manni that the Yunkai Star people were particularly concerned about human telekinesis users, as high-level telekinesis users were their natural enemies. He advised her to be extremely cautious.

Ruo Manni was the most likely telekinesis user among all to be promoted to level 8, so the Yunkai Star people would not allow her to grow stronger. They were doing everything they could to eliminate her.

“Stay in the military camp and don’t go out casually. This way, the people around you will be familiar faces, and any unusual behavior will be easy to detect. Even if they want to, they won’t directly come to the camp to carry out an assassination,” Hua Deqi said. “In the next two years, they will likely intensify their destructive actions.”

Under Hua Deqi’s suggestion, the fact that Ruo Manni was a level 7 telekinesis user had not been made public.

This was also why the Yunkai Star people sent a level-7 late-stage warrior instead of detonating a human bomb immediately. They hoped to use brute force to deal with her.

If they knew she had already reached level 7, they would likely have detonated the bomb right away. Their main goal was to kill Ruo Manni.

“I didn’t expect it to be so dangerous. I almost put you both at risk,” Ruo Manni said to Sheila.

“No danger, no merit points. You took the risk yourself, so why would we be afraid of death?” Sheila replied calmly.

Ruo Manni had warned them of the potential dangers during the “baiting” mission. They had volunteered and were prepared for any dangers. What was there to say when danger arrived?

In fact, it was indeed very dangerous, but they survived, and both of them earned a significant number of merit points, enough for them to be promoted by one rank.

Ruo Manni was satisfied. They were soldiers, and accepting missions was part of their duty. They couldn’t refuse just because of the risk, but there was a difference between being forced and being aware of the risks.

Almost brushing past death didn’t have much of an effect on Ruo Manni, perhaps because she was confident that she had a backup plan for escape. She didn’t realize that her attitude made everyone see her as a fearless soldier, which made them admire her even more.

Ruo Manni was now the commander of the group, and her daily duties were not easy. Vice-commander Tong, who took on most of her work, had no time left for training.

Fortunately, not long after, the original Mecha Battalion Commander, Yu Paul, broke through and became a level 6 early-stage warrior. Ruo Manni immediately promoted him to the position of deputy commander.

The former vice-commander, Gong Jiafeng, was promoted to the commander of the Mecha Battalion. His cultivation was also at a breakthrough point and could reach level 6 at any time.

The original deputy commander of the third mecha company, Du Zhijun, was made vice-commander, and the company commander of the third mecha company was appointed as Tamaki Kazia, with the deputy company commander being the original squad leader.

The commander of the second company was taken away along with the former commander and deputy commander during their downfall. Ruo Manni appointed the original deputy company commander as the new company commander, with Sheila as the deputy commander.

Sheila was now a mid-level level 5 warrior, and her strength was comparable to that of the company commander. Although Ruo Manni had openly promoted her, no one had any objections. Everyone knew that being close to the young lady meant they were not ordinary people, so no one viewed them through the lens of ordinary individuals.

Although Ruo Manni was just the acting commander, due to her strong background, remarkable cultivation, and effective training methods, the entire base was unified as one. Everyone seized the rare opportunity to train tirelessly, pushing themselves to improve.

As for Xia Yiran, who had escaped from the terrifying incident, though she had been greatly frightened, her spirit was now invigorated. This was a world she had never encountered before, and it allowed her to see some things that were completely different.

Xia Yiran worked in the news media industry, so she was more well-informed than others. After returning, she did some research and learned about the operating style of the Gus Empire’s National Security Bureau.

She realized that if the target of the assassination had not been Ruo Manni, the two people who had been with the assassin would likely have been thrown in prison for some time, even if they were not directly involved, until everything was thoroughly investigated.

In other words, it wouldn’t have been like their situation where, with Ruo Manni’s guarantee, they were released after a quick check.

From this, Xia Yiran understood that the world of geniuses may seem glorious to outsiders, but behind the scenes, they are constantly on the edge of danger. Seeing how calm Ruo Manni was, it was clear that she had been through countless battles.

No wonder after Ruo Manni returned to Topaz Star, she never went back to visit her former neighbors. It seemed that her change in status was not the only reason; she likely feared bringing danger to those around her.

From the interview, Xia Yiran could sense that Ruo Manni truly came back to defend Topaz Star. If she had stayed in the Imperial Capital, these dangers wouldn’t have directly come to her.

The little girl from back then had truly grown into a heroic figure. Xia Yiran, filled with gratitude, compiled the interview footage and released it.

Once it was broadcast, the effect and response were overwhelmingly positive, and it was eventually broadcasted by the entire news network of the Gus Empire.

Tong, the officer in charge of such matters, told Ruo Manni that the interview had received an excellent response, and the unrest among the citizens of Topaz Star had started to calm down. The people were now spending more time on cultivation after their work hours.

Perhaps due to the strict control on Topaz Star, or because Ruo Manni had stayed in the military camp without leaving, she hadn’t encountered any further incidents.

Everyone was immersed in cultivation, and the entire planet had settled down. Even social news had decreased significantly.

Time passed quickly during the cultivation period, and before anyone realized, half a year had gone by in the blink of an eye.

Compared to Ruo Manni’s peaceful cultivation life, things on Hebrew Adam’s side were tumultuous, full of waves and turbulence.

Hebrew Adam took a full six months to finally gain full control over the Seventh Army. During this time, he dismissed one-tenth of the soldiers, highlighting the extent of the corruption within the Seventh Army.

If it weren’t for Prince Albert Adam, an experienced general, being stationed there, and if Hebrew Adam wasn’t a prince, it would have taken him even longer—perhaps even double the time—to resolve the situation.

However, this also meant Hebrew Adam wasted six months. In the time ahead, he would need to conduct intense, grueling training on his soldiers in order to catch up with the plan.

Thus, although Ruo Manni and Hebrew Adam were in love, they were stationed on two neighboring planets and couldn’t even find time to meet. If it weren’t for the war world, where they could meet every two or three days, they might have even forgotten what each other looked like.

One year after Ruo Manni’s arrival on Topaz Star, the First Battalion had added five level 6 early-stage warriors and twenty-three level 5 early-stage warriors.

Such impressive “soldier-making” abilities made Ruo Manni’s reputation in the Topaz Star military rise in another way, causing other battalions to feel extreme envy and jealousy.

The soldiers lamented why the young lady wasn’t assigned to their battalion, completely forgetting how they had gossiped and taken pleasure in the misfortune when they first heard she was assigned to the First Battalion.

What they didn’t know was that Ruo Manni had custom-designed level 6 starry mecha for Yu Paul and the other five level 6 warriors, or else there might have been a rebellion.

Ruo Manni herself was a level 7 Mecha Master and had the powerful backing of the Mecha Manufacturing Guild from the Imperial Capital Star. She collected comprehensive data on Yu Paul and the other four, including their physical data, skill data, and more, and sent it to the Mecha Manufacturing Guild in the Imperial Capital Star.

Soon after, Yu Paul and the others received their custom starry mechas. Not only did they receive specially designed mechas, but they were also provided with after-sales service. Ruo Manni personally fine-tuned the mechas for them to better suit their habits, allowing them to unleash their full potential.

The newly promoted level 6 early-stage and level 5 early-stage soldiers, under Ruo Manni’s leadership, quietly went out into space for mecha training.

Ruo Manni had a small spaceship and the privilege to freely enter and exit Topaz Star. She was able to bring people in and out of the planet without alerting anyone or passing through the space station, doing so discreetly.

It was only in space that Yu Paul and the others were able to fully unleash their skills and truly experience the power of their custom mechas. The mechas enabled them to perform at a level comparable to level 6 mid-stage warriors, far surpassing ordinary mechas by more than double in strength.

However, they had only paid for the cost of standard mechas. Without the backing of a powerful figure, they would never have received such treatment.

With these mechas, they would have a significant advantage in future interstellar wars, and Yu Paul and the others were well aware of this.

Even though they had become important figures in the Topaz Star military and the general military district wanted to recruit them, they were still willing to follow Ruo Manni as battalion leaders.

While Ruo Manni didn’t get many opportunities to act, they knew her strength far surpassed theirs, and they found her abilities to be unfathomable. The two highest-ranking individuals in Topaz Star military were in the First Battalion, which meant that following such a leader was their best chance of survival in the upcoming interstellar war.

Recently, Yu Paul and the others had begun to suspect that Ruo Manni was likely already a level 7 mid-stage psychic.

They had noticed that Ruo Manni’s cultivation level had always been in sync with the Second Prince’s progress. The Second Prince had already reached the level 7 mid-stage about two or three months ago.

Therefore, Yu Paul and the others suspected that Ruo Manni had also leveled up recently, considering that her warrior rank had already reached the level 6 early stage.

Although the young lady’s promotion speed was truly astonishing, she was a prodigy, and they couldn’t view her through the lens of ordinary people. Moreover, this was the hope of them all, and of the entire Topaz Star people.

The stronger the young lady became, the greater their hope.

Although Ruo Manni never openly admitted it, she didn’t deny it either, as she had indeed reached the level 7 mid-stage as a psychic. However, due to the opinions of the Crown Prince and Hua Deqi, she no longer revealed her psychic level publicly.

Tamaki Kazia and Sheila were also at the critical point of breaking through to level 6, just one step away. They both reached this level two or three months earlier than planned.

When Ruo Manni first arrived at the First Battalion, she had promised to help Du Zhijun, the original deputy commander of the Third Company, be promoted to a level 6 warrior within three years to win his loyalty. He had unexpectedly reached the critical point much sooner than anticipated—more than a year earlier, which showed how effective the potions were for him.

In addition, two level 5 late-stage warriors from the First and Second Companies were also at their critical points, with a high possibility of advancing to level 6 at any time.

The number of people at the critical point of level 4 late-stage was even greater. Because the unit had many level 5 warriors now, they had become quite experienced at stimulating the combat potential of individuals.

Watching the thriving scene in the First Battalion, Ruo Manni estimated that she wouldn’t need to wait another year. Give her another six months, and she would be able to form a special operations team without needing to pull people from elsewhere—she could just recruit from within the First Battalion.

From her year of training experience, Ruo Manni clearly felt that soldiers from more backward regions were more sensitive to enhancement potions. When paired with training suited to their own limits, their cultivation levels skyrocketed quickly.

Initially, Ruo Manni thought that before the arrival of the Yunkai aliens, the most she would face would be occasional attacks from their puppet soldiers, sent to assassinate her. However, she could still train her special operations team in peace.

But one day, just as Ruo Manni was preparing to take her team into space for training, she received an urgent message from Lin Changfeng, telling her to bring her team to the Sixth Battalion to rescue people.