Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

Ruo Manni, ready to spend the entire day training, checked the campus map as she walked out of her dorm. She realized that the women’s dormitory was two kilometers away from the swimming training facility. The vast size of the Xuan Gu First Military Academy’s campus surprised her. After all, wasn’t it said that due to the high population density of Imperial Capital Star, the average living space per person was the smallest in the entire Gus Empire? Despite the academy being less than a thousand years old and lacking the long history of other prestigious schools, its campus size was surprisingly large. Perhaps it was due to the academy’s significant resources.

This military academy had indeed produced many high-ranking officers, including the current king of the Gus Empire, Adam, and the crown prince, both of whom graduated from here. Even the second prince had enrolled, and with his current potential, it was hard to predict just how far he might go in the future.

Ruo Manni recalled seeing on the school’s internal network that students could use an on-campus flying car service. Curious, she followed the instructions, and after raising her hand outside the dorm, a flying car flew over and stopped in front of her.

Using the flying car cost one credit. The two-kilometer walk would only take Ruo Manni about seven to eight minutes, given her current stamina. However, being a bit of a “country bumpkin,” Ruo Manni was curious about the flying car experience and decided to hop in to broaden her horizons. After all, she couldn’t remain a “country bumpkin” forever.

Since it was flying within the campus, the car wasn’t fast, allowing her to enjoy the view of the campus along the way. The experience was pleasant.

Five minutes later, the flying car arrived at her destination. Only after getting out did Ruo Manni feel the sting of regret. One credit could be used to swim for an hour in the training facility, yet she spent it on just a five-minute ride. It felt like a poor trade.

The swimming training facility was located on the outskirts of the academy’s training zone. From a distance, Ruo Manni could see the various grand, spacious training facility buildings, each exuding a sense of majesty.

The mecha training facility, in particular, took up nearly half the space. Its bright red building, designed to resemble the shape of a mecha, stirred a sense of excitement in anyone who saw it.

Ruo Manni had experienced the training grounds of Tooaz Star military headquarters, but this place was on an entirely different level. There was no comparison, and the small, humble facilities on the island didn’t even come close.

Even though classes hadn’t officially started, the entire training zone was bustling with people, and many students were heading into the training facilities, particularly the mecha training center, which attracted the most traffic. These students, all dressed in school uniforms, were senior students.

The thrill of piloting a mecha was undeniable, and Ruo Manni couldn’t resist checking the internal network for information about the mecha training center. The mecha training facility operated in two-hour sessions, each costing 20 credits. Additionally, there were limitations: each student could only enter once every five days, and they could only train for one session at a time. This was likely due to the high demand and limited availability.

Twenty credits, though—that was no small sum. Ruo Manni exhaled deeply, realizing that most freshmen wouldn’t be able to afford this.

Reflecting on the past month’s special training, she recalled how Instructor Dudley had required them to pilot mechas for more than eight hours a day. Back then, it had felt exhausting and unbearable, and she had mentally cursed Instructor Dudley multiple times. But now she realized how many credits they had saved by not having to pay for that training.

Thanks to the pre-term special training, the eleven of them had already surpassed their peers in mecha skills. Now, Ruo Manni needed to focus on steady progress instead of constantly chasing rapid improvement.

Reluctantly tearing her gaze from the mecha training center, Ruo Manni turned and entered the swimming facility.

Among the five major training centers, the swimming facility was probably the smallest in size, but that was only relative. It was still quite large, with 30 swimming lanes, each 1,000 meters long.

Following the instructions, Ruo Manni scanned her student card at the facility’s terminal. Unsure of what to expect, she decided to start with a one-hour training session.

After scanning her student card, a middle-aged female instructor walked out of the training facility’s office. She smiled kindly at Ruo Manni and said, “Since you’re a new student and haven’t trained here before, let me explain. You might not be used to the gravity training in the pool at first, so I’ll start you off at the lowest level. Once you feel comfortable, send me a message, and I’ll gradually increase it step by step.”

“These three devices need to be attached to your chest and temples. I’ll monitor your training closely, and once you’re done, I’ll provide a training assessment.” The instructor handed Ruo Manni two flesh-colored devices and one white, button-sized device.

The instructor’s name tag read “Qing Huaci” (meaning “Blue-and-White Porcelain”). Ruo Manni held back a smile, trying not to show any reaction. In this world, porcelain flowers were a type of beautiful, precious plant. However, with the surname “Qing”, it brought a different connotation to someone with a soul from Earth.

“Thank you, Instructor Qing,” Ruo Manni said, trying to focus and forget about the name. She accepted the measuring devices earnestly.

Ruo Manni placed the two flesh-colored devices on her temples. She marveled at how stable they felt, barely noticing their presence after attaching them. As for the white device for her chest, Ruo Manni, unlike other girls who could nonchalantly slip their hand under their clothes in front of others, turned her back to everyone. She discreetly lifted her shirt slightly and attached the device to her chest.

This device was just as secure, but when Ruo Manni tried to remove it, she realized it took considerable effort, which piqued her curiosity. She examined it closely, impressed by its design.

“You’re quite curious, aren’t you, Ruo Manni?” the instructor said with a warm smile. “This is the latest technology. It helps us monitor your training more accurately. Now, hurry to your training—don’t waste your credits.”

The swimming lane assigned to Ruo Manni by Instructor Qing was long and wide, designed for only one person.

Obeying the instructions, Ruo Manni leaped into the pool.

As a Level 4 beginner martial artist, swimming was very easy for her and was on a completely different level compared to her experiences in the Earth realm.

She propelled herself forward by six or seven meters in one swift motion, and with a single stroke of her arm, she could cover five or six meters. Even though swimming was her weak point, after finishing a thousand meters, she felt no fatigue at all.

However, when she turned around to swim back, she noticed that her body felt considerably heavier than before. It was not as effortless as it had been; the gravity system in the swimming lane must have been activated by Instructor Qing.

Without even looking at the timer, Ruo Manni knew she was swimming much slower this time. Compared to her previous thousand meters, she spent nearly double the time reaching the end this time.

Although Ruo Manni was slightly out of breath, she didn’t feel exhausted yet, so she turned around and propelled herself forward again.

However, after she turned again, she felt her body weighed down even more and sensed a subtle suction force from the bottom of the pool trying to pull her down. She had to swim with greater force to break free from that pull.

This time, when Ruo Manni reached the end, she was breathing more heavily, and her arms and legs felt a bit heavy.

Not in a hurry to swim back, she leaned against the railing to catch her breath. Once her breathing calmed down, she turned around to head back.

As expected, the gravity in the pool increased again. This time, it took her a long time to reach the end. She was not only gasping for air, but her hands also felt weak.