Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

After the grand meal, Lin Ruihai mentioned he had something to discuss and took Ruo Manni and Lin Kexin to his office.

Ruo Manni knew that Hebrew Adam wasn’t interested in the affairs of the B City base. Besides, he had just advanced in his cultivation and needed time to consolidate his progress, so she urged him to return to his training.

“They are incredibly dedicated to their cultivation,” Lin Kexin remarked.

“They bear the weight of the entire galaxy’s fate; they don’t have the luxury to focus on anything else,” Ruo Manni explained. “Hebrew Adam, in particular, is under immense pressure. When the war begins, the Gus Empire will be at the frontlines. Currently, the Crown Prince is holding the most dangerous positions. If Hebrew Adam doesn’t grow stronger as planned, he’ll have to watch his brother become cannon fodder.”

The Crown Prince was Ruo Manni’s direct cousin. While Lin Kexin didn’t plan to return to the Gus Empire, she still remembered the Crown Prince and felt proud to have such a cousin.

No matter how terrible Queen Amber was, Lin Kexin thought it was reassuring that the Crown Prince and Hebrew Adam stood united. This softened her disapproval of the second prince just a bit.

Lin Ruihai’s office was located in the building at the entrance to the villa district. The spacious courtyard in front of it had been transformed into a training ground.

As Ruo Manni watched the soldiers training, she suddenly remembered she had a set of training equipment in her spatial storage. She decided to discuss it with Lin Ruihai later, thinking it could be a great opportunity to train his soldiers more intensively during the harsh winter.

The three siblings, all exceptionally attractive, naturally drew the attention of the young soldiers in the training ground. Most of the glances, however, were directed at Ruo Manni.

Lin Kexin, meanwhile, was addressed as “Sister-in-law” by the soldiers saluting her. Though she felt a bit awkward, she didn’t object. Lin Ruihai didn’t say anything about it either, making it clear that the matter had already been acknowledged publicly.

“You’ve accepted it,” Ruo Manni observed.

Lin Kexin nodded shyly. “I used to have some unresolved feelings, but after meeting you, those feelings disappeared. Everything just fell into place naturally.”

“Big Brother Song is a good man. His cultivation aptitude is excellent, and he’ll be able to accompany you for a long time. Plus, he knows about us, so being with him feels natural. There’s no need for secrecy or pretense. It’s much less exhausting this way,” Ruo Manni said approvingly.

Lin Ruihai turned to Ruo Manni and said, “Manni, take a look at your sister-in-law too.”

“Don’t worry, Brother. Since Sister-in-law was able to awaken her powers, it means she has great potential for cultivation. I’ll help her test it as soon as we get back,” Ruo Manni replied.

“Thank you, Manni,” Lin Ruihai said with heartfelt appreciation.

When they entered his office, Lin Ruihai’s expression grew noticeably serious.

“Is something wrong, Brother? You’ve been frowning all day,” Lin Kexin asked.

“I’ve come across something troubling. Take a look at this,” Lin Ruihai said, pulling up images on his terminal and sharing them with his sisters.

“Look at these pictures,” he added with concern.

The images were taken via satellite surveillance and showed zombies standing motionless under heavy rain. There were over twenty photos, covering key cities across China’s southeast, northwest, and northeast regions.

“This means that during that heavy rain, zombies across the entire country were just standing in it,” Ruo Manni noted after reviewing the locations. Lin Ruihai then shared additional photos. This time, they depicted the same behavior from zombies in other countries.

“It’s likely that the rainwater contains energy that benefits not just humans but zombies too,” Lin Kexin suggested.

“It probably accelerates their evolution. Remember that post we saw? It mentioned that after the winter season, zombie strength would suddenly increase, and even mutated animals would start retreating,” Ruo Manni said.

“The post mentioned zombies surviving the harsh winter by cannibalizing each other, with those that endure becoming much stronger, at least at Tier 4. But it seems it’s not just cannibalism—it’s also this rainwater speeding up their evolution,” Lin Kexin hypothesized.

Ruo Manni pondered for a moment and decided to share another discovery. “Hebrew Adam found something else—there are unidentified surveillance satellites orbiting Earth.”

Lin Ruihai was slower to grasp the implications, but Lin Kexin immediately snapped her head up, staring at Ruo Manni with alarm.

“Mina-Olli suspects that the zombie virus did not evolve naturally. Instead, someone deliberately used the massive explosion caused by a meteorite’s impact to rapidly spread the virus across Earth,” Ruo Manni explained, continuing to share their findings.

“Why would anyone do that?” Lin Ruihai finally caught on.

“Crystal cores,” Ruo Manni replied. “Zombie brains contain crystal cores, and the higher the zombie’s level, the better the quality of the core. In the interstellar age, crystal cores are a precious energy resource. Some mutated beasts develop crystal cores in their brains, and humans even dedicate entire planets to raising these beasts. When the beasts age, humans harvest top-quality crystal cores from them.”

“Before zombies appeared, people on Earth had no knowledge of crystal cores and still don’t know how to harness their energy,” Lin Kexin said grimly.

“So, you’re saying that the zombie virus was deliberately introduced to Earth for the crystal cores?” Lin Ruihai asked, his face darkening.

“Yes,” Ruo Manni confirmed. “And it’s very likely that the mastermind behind this isn’t human.”

“This means Earth is facing an alien invasion. The real crisis for human survivors is yet to come. Based on that post, by the third year of the apocalypse, human survivors are barely hanging on. If aliens intervene further, humanity could face extinction,” Lin Kexin said with a sigh. “Why do aliens always seem to be involved everywhere?”

“These are different aliens from different times and spaces,” Ruo Manni said calmly.

“If aliens have already gone to the extent of deploying such measures, they likely won’t tolerate intelligent life on Earth,” Ruo Manni stated coldly, delivering her harshest prediction.

Lin Ruihai and Lin Kexin’s expressions grew even heavier.

“What should we do to face this crisis?” Lin Ruihai asked.

Earth’s civilization hadn’t yet ventured beyond its own planet. Facing an alien civilization seemed as futile as striking a stone with an egg. Moreover, Earth had already been ravaged by the zombie apocalypse, its nations disbanded, and its people unable to unite their remaining strength.

However, with Ruo Manni and her companions’ formidable abilities and experience in combating aliens, Lin Ruihai held onto a glimmer of hope.

“Hebrew Adam analyzed those unidentified satellites. Their technological level doesn’t seem to match the interstellar age,” Ruo Manni added, offering a piece of relatively good news.

“Hebrew Adam has stated that while he will offer as much help as possible, this war is not one they will fight for you,” Ruo Manni explained.

“The safety of Earth should be defended by Earth’s own people. Outside help is temporary; only by becoming strong yourself can you truly stand tall,” Lin Kexin agreed firmly.

Lin Ruihai nodded, his thoughts more pragmatic. “What kind of help can you provide us?”

“We can provide enhancement potions to accelerate cultivation, interstellar cultivation methods, and advanced mechas and weapons,” Ruo Manni said. “We’ll assist those with strong potential to grow as quickly as possible.”

“Mechas? Sister, did you bring many mechas with you?” Lin Kexin asked eagerly.

“Mechas?” Lin Ruihai asked, visibly excited. “Are we talking about the kind of mechas seen in sci-fi movies?”

Ruo Manni sent him detailed information about mechas. After reading it, Lin Ruihai couldn’t hide his excitement.

“I have a Level 5 Mecha,” Ruo Manni revealed. “Both you and Brother Song are currently at Level 4 in your cultivation. Focus on reaching Level 5 as soon as possible to pilot it.”