Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

Hearing that the Seventh Army wanted to take this opportunity to eliminate the young lady, the deputy commander wasn’t surprised by their decision. The Seventh Army had always been intolerant of opposition. If Lin Changfeng hadn’t aligned himself with the Crown Prince and relied on his powerful protection, he would have lost his life long ago.

However…

“Us? They’re not sending their own people?” the deputy commander asked anxiously.

“They’re ordering us to handle it ourselves,” the commander said, his face clouded with frustration.

“No way, Commander. There’s no way we can do it ourselves—that’s just sending us to our deaths!” the deputy commander exclaimed in shock, firmly opposing the idea.

Since Lin Changfeng had taken power and solidified his position, they’d lost almost all their local support on Topaz Star. If the Seventh Army wouldn’t send anyone, they’d have to rely solely on their own resources for any action.

But with the limited forces they had, even a desperate fight wouldn’t guarantee they could harm the young lady, let alone kill her without leaving a trace.

They’d allied with the Seventh Army to gain more benefits, not to throw their lives away.

“So, what should we do?” the commander asked, rubbing his temples in frustration.

The sudden arrival of this young lady was challenging his authority on his own turf. He was a commander, yet he couldn’t do anything about a mere lieutenant. How could he tolerate such a powerful adversary here?

But he had yet to find a way to get rid of her. And by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow, he’d have to face her in a challenge. If he lost, his position would soon be in jeopardy.

“The young lady challenged the Third Company’s deputy commander today. Is she really that formidable? Defeating him in under ten moves? Could he have been cooperating with her to put on a show?” the commander asked darkly.

“I saw it with my own eyes. Her swordsmanship is exceptional. The deputy commander didn’t even have a chance to retaliate,” the deputy commander replied.

He left out the fact that she had set an example of the deputy commander the moment she arrived, without even exchanging words with him. There was no chance he was cooperating with her. Besides, her skill level was so high that she didn’t need anyone’s cooperation to make her point.

The commander understood the deputy’s implication but was still furious. “The guy didn’t last even a day after getting beaten; he immediately pledged loyalty to her?”

With the young lady’s generous display of power and influence, it was only a matter of time before the deputy commander would have been left powerless, even without defecting. She was, after all, the official company commander. Her soldiers were obligated to follow her orders.

“The challenge tomorrow might be an opportunity… Commander, do you have any ideas?” the deputy commander suggested.

The commander looked up at him, and the deputy lowered his voice, “Commander, don’t you have that type of poison? Could it be administered discreetly? We don’t need to kill her, just slow her down.”

If the poison took effect, the commander could then “accidentally” kill the young lady in the fight. Although military rules prohibited fatal injuries in such matches, accidents could happen in the heat of combat. A slight “loss of control” could lead to a “misstep.”

Even if he faced consequences for the “accident,” the Seventh Army’s backing would protect him. With their support, Lin Changfeng would be forced to cooperate publicly. At most, the commander would be put under temporary detention or lose some salary—likely without even a demotion. Since the young lady was challenging a superior officer, disciplinary action in these cases was typically light.

However, there was also a possibility that Lin Changfeng or officials from the capital could intervene, resulting in the commander being stripped of his rank for intentional murder and even imprisoned.

The most troublesome part, however, would likely be dealing with retaliation from the Hua De family afterward. They weren’t sure how much value the Hua De family placed on this young lady, who had only recently returned to them, making it difficult to gauge their reaction. If the Hua De family sought revenge, could the Beery family shield the commander?

And then there was the Second Prince—what might he do if his fiancée was harmed?

The deputy commander suddenly realized he hadn’t yet told the commander that this young lady was actually the Second Prince’s fiancée. After a moment’s thought, he decided to keep that information to himself, at least for now. He worried that if he revealed this detail, the commander might lose any remaining resolve to act against her. If the commander refused to confront her, it would only complicate matters further.

“Commander, think this through carefully, and discuss it with the Seventh Army. If things succeed, can they protect you from any backlash from the capital?” the deputy commander suggested before leaving, hoping his words would guide the commander’s decision.

The commander glanced at his deputy, who had always played the role of his advisor, and a thoughtful expression crossed his face.

As a rule, stationed soldiers were required to live in the barracks except during leave, to ensure participation in daily training.

In this world’s military barracks, the separation between male and female quarters was quite strict, and any misconduct involving relationships was severely punished. Consequently, men’s and women’s barracks were generally in separate buildings.

As a lieutenant, Ruo Manni was assigned a private suite, whereas Sheila only had a single room. Though the difference in accommodations was notable, both were content to have a safe, private space—enough for them to access their gaming pods at night. They weren’t picky.

While Ruo Manni and Sheila were housed in the same building, Ruo Manni’s room was on the seventh floor, and Sheila’s on the third—clearly an attempt to separate them.

Military rules were strict, and Ruo Manni couldn’t keep her two lieutenant guards constantly by her side. Vice Lieutenants Tong and Ma, as well as Tamaki Kazia, were assigned to other buildings within the male soldiers’ quarters, deliberately dispersing the group so they couldn’t quickly assist each other in case of danger.

Fortunately, the person of utmost importance, Ruo Manni, was highly trained and also a psychic. As long as she remained cautious, no one in the First Regiment could harm her. Otherwise, her safety in this generally unfriendly environment would be a major concern.

This building housed only female soldiers and officers, and the number of women was low, with most appearing to be administrative personnel. According to Vice Lieutenant Tong’s findings, the highest-ranked female soldier here was only at the late stage of Level 4. Not only would they be unable to confront Ruo Manni, but even Sheila would be out of their reach.

When Ruo Manni and her group headed upstairs, they encountered a few female soldiers, all of whom looked at them coldly, without a hint of friendliness—whatever their superiors had told them had clearly shaped their attitudes.

Ruo Manni and Sheila had no intention of trying to make friends. With Ruo Manni’s higher rank and Sheila’s rank as a sergeant, these women were required to salute them upon encountering them.

Perhaps because the logistics department already knew Ruo Manni’s true identity, no further tricks were attempted. When Vice Lieutenant Ma checked Ruo Manni and Sheila’s rooms, he found nothing unusual inside, unlike the suspicious items previously discovered in the office.

That night, Hebrew Adam only had a brief conversation with Ruo Manni. The poor young man had just confirmed his relationship with his love the previous day and was eagerly looking forward to sweet nightly chats. However, he had a mission tonight—he couldn’t even sleep, let alone enter the war realm—so he reluctantly sneaked in a quick video call to Ruo Manni.

Ruo Manni felt a little disappointed too, but for those like them, with pressing responsibilities, they had long learned not to let personal feelings interfere with their routines.

In fact, given the uncertain safety of her current environment, Ruo Manni didn’t dare enter her gaming pod at all. Even when sleeping, she remained on high alert, careful not to fall into a deep sleep. Fortunately, she and her team had been trained for such conditions, so in the short term, this wouldn’t impact her health too significantly—although prolonged vigilance would undoubtedly take a toll.

Ruo Manni estimated that if anyone had plans against her, they wouldn’t act on their first night there, when her team was most vigilant. Sure enough, her prediction was correct, and the night passed without incident.

Early the next morning, upon arriving at the camp, Ruo Manni observed the soldiers of the Third Company. Each one looked energetic and enthusiastic—likely motivated by seeing the new training facilities yesterday and realizing that following her could truly lead them somewhere promising.

Ruo Manni didn’t mention training that morning, as she was preparing to challenge the regiment commander and couldn’t yet focus on scheduling the sessions. Instead, she instructed the vice-commander to lead the soldiers on an hour-long run, then to gather them to watch the match once the challenge began.

“Miss, please be careful,” advised Vice Lieutenant Tong. “The commander won’t tolerate you establishing yourself within the regiment, and the Beery family will surely seize any chance to take your life.”

Ruo Manni nodded. She knew well that, with her return to Topaz Star, the Beery family’s first response would likely be to want her dead.

When she was on Imperial Star, it was obvious from the attitude of the Beery family members that they believed Ruo Manni was the reason the Second Prince had a change of heart. In their minds, if Ruo Manni hadn’t appeared, the Second Prince would have undoubtedly fallen for Brittany Beery.

According to the Beery family’s thinking, without Ruo Manni in the way, Brittany Beery would surely be able to “win over” the Second Prince.

“The Beery family is struggling to protect themselves lately,” Ruo Manni said. “The Seventh Army likely doesn’t have the resources to come after me for now.”

Because Hebrew Adam rejected Brittany Beery, and since the Beery family sensed that the First and Second Princes were planning to undermine the Seventh Army and take control, they attempted to eliminate the Second Prince to disrupt the alliance between the two princes. Their plan backfired, however, and they ended up in serious trouble, inadvertently providing the princes with incriminating evidence against them. Now, the Beery family likely hates Ruo Manni even more, thinking that if not for her, the Second Prince would not be targeting them, forcing them into a desperate situation.

Yesterday, while Ruo Manni and Hebrew Adam spent time together in close company—though it was agonizing for the prince—Ruo Manni still managed to ask everything she needed to know, gaining a basic understanding of the assassination attempt against him.

Ruo Manni suspected that Hebrew Adam had deliberately chosen her return route to Topaz Star to leave a “vulnerability” as bait, luring the Biri family to make a move against him. His plan was likely to use this incident as a reason to confront the Seventh Army, effectively hitting two birds with one stone: restraining the Seventh Army while also giving Ruo Manni the chance to firmly establish herself in the First Regiment.

“Miss, your abilities far surpass the regiment commander’s. He has little chance of winning,” advised Vice Lieutenant Tong. “There’s a good chance they might pressure him to use underhanded tactics during the duel, so be cautious of any tricks he may attempt.”

“Do you have any guesses about what methods they might use to try to sabotage me?” Ruo Manni asked the group.

“An ambush with firearms?” Pan Shaolu suggested immediately.

Since firearms are forbidden in the duel, an ambush with firearms would indeed be the easiest way to pull off an attack.

“We definitely need to guard against that possibility. Being struck by firearms at close range could be fatal. Miss, please be cautious about this,” Vice Lieutenant Ma nodded.

“In a public setting, the regiment commander would have to be desperate to attempt such a thing against our lieutenant,” added Vice Lieutenant Tong. “That would constitute premeditated murder, and a military court would likely sentence him to death. He’s more likely to resort to subtle schemes.”

“Tampering with the arena,” Tamaki Kazia mused, “Since this is their home ground and we’re new here, it would be easy for them to set up traps in the arena.”

“What sort of traps could they use?” wondered Sheila.

“Hidden mechanisms,” Pan Shaolu quickly replied.

Ruo Manni shot him an approving glance—he had a sharp mind.

“Poisonous substances,” Sheila added, as the idea occurred to her.

Both Vice Lieutenants Ma and Tong nodded, clearly having considered that possibility as well.

“That’s the hardest one to defend against,” Tamaki Kazia remarked, furrowing his brow. “This world has so many toxins that even high-level pharmacologists can’t always detect them. Does anyone here have more experience in that area?”

Ruo Manni, however, was unconcerned; Hebrew Adam had “borrowed” plenty of antidotes from Doctor Paul for her, including many that could neutralize a wide range of toxins.

Ten minutes early, Ruo Manni and her team arrived at the arena. By then, the primary and vice commanders of the Mecha Battalion were already present. These two had been “on assignment” yesterday and absent from the camp, only just returning from their “trip.”