Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

The genius psychic Ruo Manni suddenly emerged during the recruitment examination at the Xuan Gu First Military Academy, catching the attention of many noble families on the Imperial Capital Star. Naturally, the Hua De family had someone investigate her background.

Regarding her use of the second-generation gene enhancement drug, due to the involvement of Lieutenant Lin, the information everyone received was merely a rumor, with no solid evidence found.

Since the side effects of the second-generation gene enhancement drug are extremely high and terrifying, no one believed that a young girl could withstand the drug’s brutal effects. Even Hua Deli and the others didn’t believe it until Ruo Manni herself revealed the truth to confirm the matter.

It was said that Ruo Manni’s exceptional training potential was not innate but rather a result of secretly using the second-generation gene enhancement drug, which she survived against all odds.

A complex expression flashed in Hua Deyu’s eyes, and after a long pause, he said, “That’s quite audacious; she’s lucky to be alive.”

“Exactly! It’s said that she’s an orphan with no one to look after her, so she acted recklessly. According to her, at that time, she was in so much pain that she completely collapsed in the game pod and couldn’t move. Otherwise, she might not have been able to resist the urge to end her life.” These details were shared with Hua Deli by Mina-Olli, who had a knack for gossip.

Hua Deyu remained silent for a while before speaking again. “What’s the attitude of others toward her?”

“At first, everyone was indifferent, but later, when we were able to communicate with the outside world for the first time, people’s attitudes toward her gradually improved, and they showed an intention to befriend her.” Hua Deli could easily see their intentions.

Hua Deyu fell silent for a while before speaking again. “For a talent like her, it’s best to try to befriend her if you can. Since you’ve had this period of training together, you don’t need to force yourself to get close to her. The Crown Prince will likely ask Xuan Gu to have her team up with the Second Prince, and with Mina by your side, there’s no need to compete with the Second Prince.”

“Even though she treats me and the Second Prince similarly, she is quite nice to Mina. You could say that among all of us, she feels the least distance from Mina. But Dean’s earlier plan to team up with her has fallen through, and he’s pretty upset about it,” Hua Deli said.

For Hua Deli, the Second Prince was his cousin, and Dean was his younger cousin. Therefore, whether Ruo Manni fell under the influence of the Second Prince or Dean Atchison didn’t matter much to him; they were all part of his own faction.

In fact, with the sudden emergence of the Second Prince, Dean faced even greater pressure. According to Xuan Gu’s past practices, the top ten newcomers in the assessment would enter the elite class, which would then be divided into two small teams led by the two highest-ranking newcomers.

This year, there would be 11 people in the elite class, and since he ranked second, he could become the captain of one of the teams. However, Dean, who ranked third, would only be able to serve as the vice-captain. People like them all wanted to be in charge of their own destinies.

When Hebrew Adam returned to the palace, the back hall was also cold and quiet, with only Queen Amber present, but his treatment was even worse than that of Hua Deli.

At least Hua Deli was welcomed by an old butler who asked about him with genuine concern. In contrast, the palace steward offered polite greetings and a standard smile that resembled that of a robot.

Hebrew Adam looked at the steward’s standard smile and couldn’t help but think of a certain girl’s smile. As a girl from the border planet and an orphan, how had she learned to wear such a hypocritical smile? It was quite a self-taught skill.

His father, Adam the Twelfth, was still in the front hall of the palace meeting with the council members. His busy older brother, Xiahai Adam, had even taken a moment in the morning to send him a text saying he would return to see him that evening.

“Mother,” Hebrew Adam said as he approached his mother.

Queen Amber was in her beauty salon, getting her nails done. She looked indifferent and ignored her son, who had just returned after a month away.

“Weren’t you so determined to follow your brother? You actually came back,” Queen Amber said coolly, her gaze still fixed on the nail technician who was working on her nails.

“The special training is over,” Hebrew Adam said, unsure how to break the cold silence between him and his mother.

In the past, although he had been a playboy, he had listened to his mother quite well. They had stood together against his older brother, and she had been very gentle with him.

But two years ago, his brother had suddenly changed his attitude toward him, using the only Level Ten elixir of the Gus Empire to enhance his cultivation potential, forcibly confining him and compelling him to work hard on his training.

Although he was furious at his brother’s actions and loudly protested against them, he wasn’t foolish. His brother was investing the best resources in him, forcing him to grow rapidly. This was a sign of high expectations, hoping he would amount to something.

Even though he continued to outwardly resist, he no longer opposed his brother’s arrangements as he had before. In fact, he worked harder than others imagined.

No one knew that he had become a playboy on the surface due to his cultivation potential issues, but only he knew how deeply he yearned to become someone like Hua Deli.

So, when the elixir was altering his body, the unexpected excruciating pain didn’t make him suffer; instead, he found immense hope amidst that agony.

In the end, he finally became the person he had always longed to be.

However, life still held many troubles, and the conflict between his mother and brother intensified because of this situation.

During the two years he was trapped, his mother didn’t believe that his brother was genuinely looking out for him. She sought to “rescue” him, engaging in many activities that harmed the interests of the Empire.

Even though he returned with significantly increased strength, surpassing Hua Deli, who was always referred to as the Son of the Empire, his mother remained unwilling to let go of her schemes against his brother. Instead, due to his changes, she became even more eager to plot for him to seize the position of crown prince.

In the past, due to feelings of imbalance and not wanting to go against his mother’s wishes, the young Hebrew Adam openly opposed his brother, simply to make things difficult for him.

It wasn’t until two years ago when his brother was fatally injured in an assassination attempt that he realized he didn’t want to see his brother in such a state, pale and frail on the hospital bed, suffering injuries.

Moreover, with the change in his brother’s attitude afterward, which ultimately shaped the person he is today, Hebrew Adam certainly wasn’t going to follow the same old path.

As his cultivation improved, his perspective naturally broadened. He became more aware of how outstanding his brother was and the immense efforts he had devoted to this country.

Not to mention that his brother himself was exceptional, being twenty-five years his senior and already well-established in the military. If he listened to his mother and insisted on competing with his brother, the chances of success would be very low. The outcome would only result in various unrest and deplete the nation’s resources.

Just based on his brother’s care for him and his father’s expectations, Hebrew Adam did not want to be at odds with his family. If given the chance, he would prefer to compete fairly based on his own abilities, but he had no desire to resort to schemes and conspiracies.

Furthermore, with the crisis looming over the entire Gumera Star Domain, any unexpected trouble that undermined his family could lead to severe consequences, possibly even the destruction of the Empire.