Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

Song Changlong could naturally see that Miss Ruo Manni’s words concealed a lot and blurred many key details. She hadn’t revealed anything concrete about where these people came from or their exact origins.

Their backstory was also too fantastical, like a plot straight out of a TV show or movie, making it hard to believe. If not for the apocalyptic circumstances, neither Song Changlong nor Li Zhongping would believe a single word of it.

The problem, however, was that these twelve teenagers were barely adults but already possessed such incredible combat abilities. This clearly indicated that they were far from ordinary. Song Changlong could accept the claim that they were specially selected and trained from a young age to achieve such skills.

Since the apocalypse began, many ordinary people had awakened special abilities, suddenly making them much stronger than regular humans.

However, these ability-users were previously untrained civilians. Without learning martial arts or combat techniques, they rarely managed to fully utilize their powers and relied mostly on brute force to fight.

But these teenagers were different. Not only were they exceptionally skilled, but they also displayed advanced combat techniques. Furthermore, their weapons were extraordinarily sharp, making them deadly. Even a Tier-4 mutated snake was easily slain by them in seconds.

Song Changlong, who had trained in the military for years and was already a strong combatant, had also become a strength-type ability-user. If he had weapons as sharp as theirs, he could likely defeat a Tier-4 mutated snake too, but definitely not in just a few moves like they did. Clearly, these teenagers were far superior to him in combat.

Based on these observations, Song Changlong and Li Zhongping concluded that, despite sounding dubious, Miss Ruo Manni’s story might actually be true.

Nevertheless, the combination of their extraordinary skills and mysterious origins was unsettling. Song Changlong speculated that perhaps only Lin Ruihai from B City’s survivor base could rival one of them in strength.

However, Song Changlong reminded himself that these people had saved his life. Looking more closely at them, he noticed that these twelve recently-adult youths exuded a mix of aloofness and nobility. There was no hint of darkness or danger about them.

Earlier, when they saw someone in peril, they acted immediately without hesitation. Their calm demeanor now showed they had acted out of goodwill rather than for personal gain.

This suggested that these young people, despite their exceptional skills, were neither arrogant nor reckless. They were not the type to resort to unnecessary violence or harm the innocent. With such a temperament, there was little to fear about them causing trouble in China.

Given the current state of affairs, where neither home nor country remained intact, it mattered less whether they were Chinese or not. If they could abide by the basic rules of the B City survivor base, having them stay would be a blessing.

After all, with their immense strength, if they chose to establish their own survivor base, they would undoubtedly attract many followers.

Every survivor wants to rely on the strongest base, and with the power these twelve demonstrated, they would face little competition within China.

Both Song Changlong and Li Zhongping fervently hoped that Miss Ruo Manni truly had a familial connection to the Lin family.

If what she said was true, it would mean that her group was a band of rootless wanderers with no specific ties to any one place. In such a case, if Ruo Manni were connected to the Lin family, it might create a sense of connection to China, prompting them to settle here.

In this chaotic world, any country or survivor base would be eager to host individuals of such remarkable skill, as long as they desired a peaceful life.

“What do Mr. Adam and Miss Ruo Manni plan to do in the future?” Song Changlong asked directly.

“I want to meet the Lin family first, and then decide on our next steps,” Ruo Manni replied.

It was evident that Miss Ruo Manni was one of the leaders of the group, as none of her companions showed any sign of disagreement with her words.

“The gates of the B City survivor base are already closed. The earliest we can enter is tomorrow at dawn,” Song Changlong said.

“Then tonight, why don’t you also stay here with us? Don’t worry, Miss Ruo Manni and her team enjoy eating mutated animal meat, so they’ve been using this method to lure them along the way,” Wang Miaomiao enthusiastically suggested.

By traveling with them into the B City base tomorrow, they wouldn’t need to waste time asking around for information.

Liu Yang gently tugged at his girlfriend’s sleeve, signaling her to stop speaking so freely. It wasn’t their place to extend such an invitation.

Ruo Manni, however, graciously acknowledged Wang Miaomiao’s enthusiasm and nodded. “Don’t worry. No matter how many come, we can handle them.”

Song Changlong and Li Zhongping couldn’t help but feel a mix of admiration and embarrassment at her confidence. While they barely survived encounters with mutated beasts, these people fearlessly used lights to lure them in, as if it were all part of a game. Indeed, comparing themselves to Ruo Manni’s group was humbling.

However, she was right. In the middle of the night, in such pitch-black darkness, there wasn’t a safer place to rest than here.

“That works well. Tomorrow, we can guide you into the base, which will make your entry smoother. The current base leader is Lin Kexin’s brother, Lin Ruihai,” Li Zhongping offered politely.

“That sounds good,” Ruo Manni replied.

Song Changlong and Li Zhongping, not wanting to overstay their welcome, said their goodbyes and descended from the RV terrace.

Watching their retreating figures, Ruo Manni pondered their words. ‘So, in this world, my brother has become the leader of a survivor base. That must mean his combat skills are quite extraordinary—probably even better than Song Changlong’s.’

She felt relief knowing that Lin Father, Lin Mother, and Lin Kexin had the protection of their neighbor, “Big Brother Lin.” It meant they likely hadn’t suffered much during the apocalypse. Even though this world’s Lin Father and Lin Mother weren’t her biological parents, she still couldn’t bear the thought of them enduring hardship.

Hebrew Adam, who had recently learned more Chinese, now not only spoke in a somewhat clumsy manner but also understood most of what was being said. Though his sentences sounded awkward, he had clearly improved in comprehension.

These people believed there was some connection between Ruo Manni and Lin Kexin because of their resemblance. Ruo Manni, seizing the opportunity, crafted a plausible backstory for her group as travelers from another world.

However, Hebrew Adam felt something was off. While the other members of their elite team might not have noticed, he sensed a strange familiarity between Ruo Manni and these people. When Ruo Manni saw the soldier named Song Changlong, her eyes revealed a fleeting mix of nostalgia and melancholy.

Hebrew Adam recalled Ruo Manni’s player name in the battle simulation world—it was “Lin Kexin.” This prompted him to suspect a potential connection between her and the Lin Kexin everyone kept mentioning.

Ruo Manni’s subtle microexpressions when meeting Wang Miaomiao and Song Changlong were identical, as if they weren’t strangers to her. Hebrew Adam found this peculiar. Both of them were closely connected to Lin Kexin—one as her classmate and the other as her neighbor.

He also remembered Ruo Manni’s initial reaction upon arriving in this world: her emotional breakdown and tears. Moreover, she not only could read the language of this world but could also speak it fluently.

A seemingly absurd and unbelievable thought began to take root in Hebrew Adam’s mind. Perhaps there was an extraordinary connection between Ruo Manni and Lin Kexin.

At the very least, it was clear to him that Ruo Manni had prior knowledge of Lin Kexin’s existence as a person from another world.