Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

“You really don’t know anything,” the boy said, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings while amusingly observing Ruo Manni as she busily climbed up and down.

“My focus has always been on mech manufacturing. Before today, I had no real combat experience other than fighting monsters in games. Luckily, when the assessment started, you didn’t come after me too hard; otherwise, I definitely wouldn’t have escaped,” Ruo Manni replied, feeling quite innocent.

“Let’s add each other as friends. Our team could use a mech manufacturer; we can play games and compete together in the future.”

“Sure!” Ruo Manni had no objections.

Given that this boy was among the top candidates, if she made it to the end, they would be future classmates. If not, at least they could team up online for some games.

However, after adding him as a friend, Ruo Manni couldn’t help but smile. Although he was a martial artist, he lacked the typical roughness often associated with fighters and instead exuded the elegance of a wealthy young man, yet his username was Neptune.

Ruo Manni thought about Neptune in the solar system, a dark, frozen, desolate world that had nothing to do with elegance or youth.

“Not a fan of mechs?” Neptune read her mind, amusement in his tone. “That’s a bit backwards.”

“I was too young back then,” Ruo Manni replied helplessly.

Could she say she wasn’t a bit of a weeb? Unfortunately, changing her username required submitting various real identity documents, which was quite a hassle. She found it too troublesome and thought it was important to keep some traces of her original self, so she decided to keep the username.

“That’s fine too,” Neptune said with a smile. “It’s just a username; as long as you’re happy.”

As soon as he finished speaking, his demeanor shifted abruptly as he gestured to Ruo Manni, who quickly ducked out of sight.

Being a mid-level third-tier martial artist, Ruo Manni wasn’t very familiar with the strength of fourth-tier martial artists, but she was surprised by how sharp Neptune’s perception was.

After forming an alliance with Neptune, she significantly reduced her mental energy expenditure, only sensing a candidate approaching two seconds in advance.

The approaching candidate was alone. Although Ruo Manni couldn’t see his martial artist level, she sensed that his aura was weaker than Neptune’s, so she refrained from warning him. Neptune, however, sensed the threat just two seconds later.

Without hesitation, Neptune charged forward. In just a few minutes, his stick struck the opponent’s chest badge, sending him flying like a meteor and earning Neptune over five hundred points.

“This year, there are only four fourth-tier late martial artists in Xuan Gu, with over a thousand mid-level fourth-tier candidates. This guy is just a mid-level fourth-tier, so his points are too low,” Neptune remarked.

At this stage, any candidate remaining would have at least a thousand points. This candidate likely relied on dodging skills; Ruo Manni wondered why he suddenly targeted them—was he looking for trouble?

After teaming up, Ruo Manni expressed her concern about her mental energy consumption, leading Neptune to suggest he take the lead in combat while she provided support and only intervened in emergencies.

Ruo Manni recognized that this combat strategy favored her but was disadvantageous for Neptune. It would cost him significant energy, and if she assisted him in defeating an opponent, the points would go to her, leaving him with nothing.

Though she didn’t understand Neptune’s motivations for being so kind to her, she felt it was best to conserve her strength since she was uncertain about the combat assessment. She gratefully agreed to his plan.

If they became classmates in the future, she would definitely repay his kindness.

“We don’t need points right now; we just need to last until the end. We can afford to be cautious,” Neptune said.

The forest provided plenty of cover, and with Ruo Manni’s exceptional perception, along with Neptune’s keen awareness, it was easy for them to avoid encounters with other contestants.

With this cautious mindset, they managed to go over half an hour without running into anyone.

This strategy worked well; during the quiet times, Neptune stayed alert while Ruo Manni rested with her eyes closed, allowing her mental energy to recover faster.

However, this peaceful situation didn’t last long. When Ruo Manni briefly surveyed the surroundings and then closed her eyes again, she suddenly sensed a slight disturbance in the entire network space. She glanced at Neptune, who appeared unfazed, suggesting he hadn’t noticed.

Confident in her instincts, Ruo Manni looked around carefully, her expression suddenly sharpening.

“What’s wrong?” Neptune asked, noticing her change in demeanor; it was hard not to when her mood shifted so clearly.

“There’s something off in that part of the woods; the tree I marked before is gone,” Ruo Manni said, confused by her own lack of knowledge.

But Neptune, with his experience, understood immediately. He quickly jumped up. “This is bad! The map is changing. The area we’re in is shrinking.”

Ruo Manni, who was unfamiliar with combat strategies, looked at Neptune with a puzzled expression.

Neptune explained helplessly, “It’s likely because too many people have been eliminated. The map was too spacious, so the examination committee trimmed parts of the unoccupied areas to reduce the time contestants spend searching for opponents. This means…”

Before Neptune could finish, they both realized the consequences, as several contestants suddenly appeared around them, seemingly stunned for a couple of seconds before reacting.

This unexpected twist from the network shattered Ruo Manni and Neptune’s plans to bide their time and conserve energy. They were forced to face wave after wave of opponents.

Ruo Manni quickly noticed how high Neptune’s skill level was; he wielded that wooden stick with impressive fluidity. Plus, the contestants they faced were all of lower rank than him. Even against three mid-level fourth-tier warriors, his presence was formidable. After over a hundred exchanges, he struck the opponent’s chest card, eliminating them.

Ruo Manni felt fortunate that they hadn’t encountered opponents on Neptune’s level. So, despite facing five or six opponents at times, Neptune’s ability to draw attention allowed Ruo Manni’s ambushes to succeed with high rates.

She no longer worried about conserving her energy. With her support, Neptune avoided falling into a prolonged battle, significantly preserving his stamina.

However, this change in their situation led to Ruo Manni experiencing excessive mental energy consumption.

After several rounds of cooperation, Ruo Manni developed a basic level of trust in Neptune. Whenever they noticed that there were no opponents nearby, she would let Neptune stand guard while she sat down, closed her eyes, and rested to restore her mental energy.