Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

On the second floor of a small villa in the inner circle of B City Base, Lin Kexin had just returned from her jade slip space when she “heard” a conversation outside the door of another villa.

Although Lin Kexin typically disliked eavesdropping on gossip, ever since Lin Ruihai became the leader of B City’s survivor base, she had cultivated the habit of gathering information to help him monitor the movements of some of the base’s mercenary groups.

“…What? Song Changlong didn’t return from his mission yesterday? Everyone’s saying something happened to him. No, that’s impossible. Someone like Song Changlong couldn’t have gotten into trouble so easily.”

“I heard there’s a Tier-4 mutant animal near the outskirts of the base. Song Changlong encountered it on his way back. Lin Ruihai only became the base leader because of his father-in-law’s influence and Song Changlong’s support. If Song Changlong’s gone, Lin Ruihai will have lost one of his strongest pillars.” The woman speaking tried to mask her words, but her schadenfreude was so apparent that anyone with common sense could pick up on it.

Lin Kexin, who rarely experienced emotional fluctuations for certain reasons, felt a surge of anger upon hearing this.

She immediately recognized the speaker—a middle-aged woman who, along with her daughter, had been among the military families Song Changlong personally escorted to the safety of B City’s survivor base after the apocalypse began.

And yet, because Lin Ruihai, as Song Changlong’s subordinate, had overshadowed this woman’s husband in rank, and because Song Changlong had refused to accept her daughter’s advances, this woman now reveled in his potential misfortune. She didn’t even consider that Song Changlong had ventured out on a mission to gather resources for the very survival of the base.

“How does Song Changlong getting into trouble benefit our base? Why are you so gleeful about it? Over the past few months, it’s only because of Lin Ruihai and Song Changlong working together that we’ve had such a stable life. Are you tired of living peacefully and trying to stir up trouble? Think back to when the apocalypse first started—how miserable you were. It was Song Changlong who saved you back then,” another woman retorted sharply, unable to tolerate the gloating any longer.

“When did I ever gloat? I was just expressing my thoughts,” the woman in question quickly denied.

“Don’t assume that just because B City’s survivor base was established by the military, the army has absolute control. If it weren’t for Lin Ruihai and Song Changlong being the top two strongest individuals here, that Tiger Mercenary Group would have already caused chaos. If a civilian became the base leader, we military families wouldn’t have the comfortable lives we do now,” a calmer woman added matter-of-factly.

“Well, of course, Sister Lu isn’t worried. After all, her daughter is dating someone from the Tiger Mercenary Group,” the sharp-tongued woman shot back sarcastically.

“What are you implying? My daughter’s personal life is none of your business!” The woman referred to as Sister Lu flushed with anger, clearly embarrassed.

“Wait a minute. None of us in the military even knew that something happened to Song Changlong. Sister Lu, where did you hear about it? And with such specific details?” the calm woman asked pointedly.

“Why should it matter where I heard it? Everyone in the private mercenary groups knew about the Tier-4 mutant animal outside the base long ago, while our military is always the last to find out,” Sister Lu replied defensively, though her tone was confrontational.

Lin Kexin’s eyes narrowed slightly—Sister Lu’s behavior was highly suspicious.

Descending the stairs, Lin Kexin approached the group. The five military wives chatting at the neighboring villa’s entrance looked uneasy when they noticed her, greeting her awkwardly.

Fixing her gaze on Sister Lu, Lin Kexin offered a gentle smile. “Auntie Lu, I was wondering if you could help me with something.”

Sister Lu’s eyes flickered briefly, but she quickly responded naturally, “Of course, just let me know what you need, and I’ll do my best to help.”

“Could we talk inside my home?” Lin Kexin asked with a shy expression.

Aunt Lu followed Lin Kexin without hesitation.

The remaining four military wives watched her back in surprise and began whispering among themselves:
“When did she become so eager to help? Didn’t she always hate Lin’s little sister and often talk badly about her?”

“Maybe she’s feeling guilty for badmouthing her brother and Song Changlong?”

“Guilty? When have you ever seen her feel guilty? This woman would argue her way out even when she’s in the wrong. Feeling guilty is a joke to her.”

About ten minutes later, Aunt Lu emerged from the Lin family’s house.

Her gaze seemed vacant as she walked straight toward her home. When someone called out to her on the way, she only responded with a brief acknowledgment and kept walking, unlike her usual self, where she’d stop to gossip with others.

Once Aunt Lu returned home, she didn’t even bother taking off her shoes. She climbed straight into bed and went to sleep.

Contrary to Dai Yanping and Gao Genrong’s assumptions, Lin Ruihai wasn’t furrowing his brows or preparing to send out a rescue team because Song Changlong hadn’t returned overnight.

He had already received information late last night that although Song Changlong’s group had encountered danger, they were rescued.

Since their location was about 70 to 80 kilometers away from the B City base, they wouldn’t return until around noon.

Song Changlong had successfully obtained the batch of supplies as planned and was unharmed. Relieved, Lin Ruihai continued his usual training routine. It wasn’t until his sister came to him that he learned rumors were spreading wildly throughout the B City base.

People were saying that a Tier-4 mutant animal had appeared near the base and that Song Changlong’s team had encountered it during their mission yesterday, resulting in total annihilation.

“These rumors likely originated from the Tiger Mercenary Group. Big Brother, you should have someone keep an eye on their movements. I suspect that Song Changlong’s encounter with the Tier-4 mutant snake yesterday is connected to them; otherwise, they wouldn’t know the details so well,” Lin Kexin said, relaying what she had learned from Aunt Lu to Lin Ruihai.

Lin Ruihai nodded gravely. “I’ve already arranged for someone to investigate. It’s probably not convenient for them to report back yet, but I expect to hear something later.”

Hearing that Song Changlong was unharmed, Lin Kexin immediately calmed down.

Lin Ruihai, however, didn’t miss the worry that had flashed in his sister’s eyes earlier when discussing the possibility of Song Changlong being in danger. He couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. Despite his sister’s typically aloof nature, it seemed Song Changlong’s efforts had finally moved her.

“Big Brother, give me a car. I’ll go out and look for him,” Lin Kexin said.

Lin Ruihai was surprised. Even though he had assured her that Song Changlong was fine, his sister was still uneasy.

Most people believed Lin Ruihai to be the top expert in the B City base, but few knew that the real number one was actually his sister, Lin Kexin.

However, due to her ongoing recovery and her aversion to being in the spotlight, very few were aware of how powerful her abilities truly were.

“Although Changlong encountered some trouble, he didn’t even sustain a scratch. Plus, he should be back at the base by around noon, which is only an hour or so from now. There’s no need for you to go out of your way to search for him. Just wait a bit longer, and he should return,” Lin Ruihai reassured her.

When Lin Ruihai mentioned that Song Changlong was unharmed, the dark look in Lin Kexin’s eyes visibly eased.

“I’ll wait here for a while,” Lin Kexin said, still a bit uneasy.

What else could Lin Ruihai do but agree?

With the main topic addressed, an awkward silence settled between the siblings. Finding the atmosphere uncomfortable, Lin Ruihai resumed his training.

Lin Kexin, meanwhile, sat on a bench at the edge of the training ground, watching her brother train.

The young officers and soldiers on the training field, during their brief breaks after exhausting drills, couldn’t help but steal glances at the base leader’s sister.