Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

Aoi Dan never expected that Ruo Manni, who survived taking the second-generation genetic enhancement drug, would undergo such a drastic change, becoming a prominent figure in the enrollment assessment at Xuan Gu’s first military academy.

If Ruo Manni remains in the top ten during tomorrow’s ranking assessment, she would undoubtedly become a national sensation in the Gus Empire, a genius rising star from Topaz Star, and then gracefully enter the elite class of Xuan Gu’s first military academy.

In her previous life, Ruo Manni was merely a foolish girl who disappeared without a trace, but this life saw such a significant transformation because Aoi Dan had urged her to use the second-generation enhancement drug…

Aoi Dan had only considered the drug’s lethal side effects and hadn’t realized that a substance that reckless training enthusiasts fervently sought would indeed have such a remarkable effect on enhancing training potential.

This meant that her previous plan had inadvertently benefited Ruo Manni, turning her into the genius psychic girl praised by everyone online…

Aoi Dan found it hard to accept this outcome.

It was said that the second-generation genetic enhancement drug had severe pain and hallucination side effects, and even a fourth-tier warrior couldn’t survive it.

Half a month ago, the drug dealer was successfully prosecuted in court, and all produced drugs had been confiscated, with orders to compensate users a large amount of credit points.

Aoi Dan couldn’t understand how someone as delicate and foolish as Ruo Manni managed to survive. What was going on?

No, this couldn’t be accepted. Aoi Dan refused to accept Ruo Manni’s current state.

Ruo Manni should have been a pathetic bug, unable to pass the exam, and even if she managed to get in next year, she should have faced a fate like her short-lived mother—disappearing forever.

Only Aoi Dan was the destined daughter, the most outstanding genius of Topaz Star. No one else could steal her brilliance.

In fact, if Ruo Manni’s assessment scores had appeared on the mecha manufacturing department’s ranking instead of the mecha combat department’s, Aoi Dan might not have reacted so strongly or found it so difficult to accept.

After all, different departments couldn’t be compared in terms of strength; without comparison, there would be no harm. Now, in comparison, Aoi Dan was not just a little behind Ruo Manni, which made it unbearable for her.

Before the enrollment assessment began, even though Ruo Manni hadn’t “predicted” any unexpected events in her assessment, she knew Aoi Dan would go crazy upon seeing her scores.

However, her guard against Aoi Dan never lowered, fearing that Aoi Dan would cause trouble during the major exam to make things difficult for her.

To guard against Aoi Dan causing trouble for her, Ruo Manni had already agreed with Mentor Fang before the assessment that she would stay in her room and not come out until it was over, contacting her via her holographic device for any matters.

So when Aoi Dan went a bit crazy after seeing Ruo Manni’s scores and knocked on her door, Ruo Manni, calmly eating in the dining room, resolutely pretended not to hear and refused to open.

Later, after Ruo Manni went to bed, unaware that Aoi Dan had knocked in frustration, Aoi Dan, with a mindset aimed at disturbing Ruo Manni, called the police. She feigned concern, claiming that her neighbor was a solitary girl who hadn’t left her home in months and wasn’t responding to knocks.

Fortunately, Captain Lin had prepared beforehand, leaving guardian information at the police station and giving them a heads-up. As soon as the officers heard it was about the B-ring XXX community unit XXXX, they immediately contacted Captain Lin for confirmation. With his assurance, Ruo Manni was spared the shock of a police visit.

Unaware that a near-incident had occurred at her home, Ruo Manni felt fully restored after a solid three hours of sleep. The unexpected challenge of the assessment had even slightly increased her psychic energy, equivalent to a month of training.

After getting up, the first thing Ruo Manni did was contact Mentor Fang, knowing that she must have seen her unexpectedly becoming a candidate for the mecha combat department during the assessment.

If it had been the original Ruo Manni, she would have been utterly confused and wouldn’t have suspected anything unusual. However, the current Ruo Manni could guess some possibilities, as she had been trapped in the jade pendant and, though sometimes confused, had heard things she hadn’t seen.

Of course, these are just guesses. She has no evidence and doesn’t plan to share these melodramatic events with Mentor Fang. She believes that even if the other party acts against her, their goal is only to stop her from going to the Imperial Star, and they shouldn’t harm Ruo Manni’s life.

However, if she involves Captain Lin and his wife, it wouldn’t be beneficial for them. They might not act harshly against her, but there’s no telling what they might do to others. So unless absolutely necessary, she doesn’t want to expose Ruo Manni’s background.

Ruo Manni is quite satisfied with her current situation. Although publicly she is seen as an orphan, she lives comfortably with plenty of spending money and has guardians who genuinely care for and protect her. She enjoys her freedom and sees no reason to create trouble for herself.

However, she still needs to maintain appearances. Normally, when students encounter such issues, they would ask the school why their application choices were changed.

If she doesn’t ask anything, it will only raise suspicions among those with ulterior motives, prompting them to take more drastic measures against her. This could seriously jeopardize her chances of being admitted to the Xuan Gu First Military Academy.

Mentor Fang is also concerned about Ruo Manni’s changed application. Over this period, through connections with the school and Captain Lin, she has gathered all the information she could find.

“Once the map assessment ended, I inquired with the Xuan Gu First Military Academy about this unexpected incident. They responded that the system detected you have potential beyond that of a normal psychic, believing you are more suited to become a mech combat specialist. Therefore, you were forcibly transferred to the combat assessment area; no one altered your application.”

Mentor Fang continued, “Your Uncle Lin also used his channels to inquire. According to the information he received, the Empire has ordered the focused cultivation of starry sky mech combat specialists since two years ago.

Starting last year, any new student with the potential to become a level five starry sky mech combat specialist would be unconditionally assigned to the mech combat department. It’s just that our school in Topaz Star lacks timely information, which left you unprepared. Thankfully, you are clever and capable.”

Mentor Fang paused for a moment before continuing, “I believe this is the reason. After all, you grew up in Topaz Star, and your mother doesn’t have any connections in the Imperial Capital. You, as a child with no enemies, couldn’t possibly have someone go through such trouble to change your application for no reason.”

To alter the assessment system of the Xuan Gu First Military Academy, one would have to have a significant identity. And as a girl who has now become an orphan, even if Ruo Manni’s mother had offended someone in the past, they wouldn’t go to such lengths to target her; there would be simpler methods to achieve their goals.