Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

The second prince’s reaction to the Ruo Manni was exactly what she least wanted to see.

As the saying goes, don’t judge by appearances. On the surface, the prince’s words were unappealing, but Ruo Manni sensed they were more of a test.

Thinking it over, it became clear that this prince, having grasped the concept of battle intent at sixteen, was no longer the spoiled royal of the novels.

Such a person would be even more formidable. The fact that he didn’t get angry at her direct mockery made her instinctively feel she needed to distance herself from him.

The current second prince was nothing like the spoiled brat people talked about; he was leagues away from the caricature in the stories.

Her doubts only deepened.

Since seeing the second prince online, Ruo Manni had wondered if he might be a reborn individual like Aoi Dan. Now that she had met him in person, witnessing his reactions and tests, her suspicions only grew stronger.

However, given her status and situation, she had no way to investigate or confirm her thoughts about his oddities, especially since she didn’t know him before and had no means to gather information now.

Moreover, it seemed the second prince was suspicious of her, considering how drastic her changes had been.

Ruo Manni couldn’t help but marvel at her own vigilance. After arriving at the capital star, she intentionally crafted a backstory for her significant transformation, even if it meant embarrassing herself in front of these elite youths by exposing her experience with the second-generation gene enhancement drug.

The second prince, even if he were a reborn individual, would likely attribute any unexpected changes he noticed in her to this incident, as long as she remained cautious and didn’t reveal anything.

However, caution was essential. Ruo Manni worried that she might accidentally slip up, so she considered how the real Ruo Manni would react to the prince’s words.

As a passionate youth, only the inherently timid would swallow their pride, and based on her behavior over the past month and a half, she was certainly not timid.

Thus, Ruo Manni decided to follow her instincts and subtly retorted to the prince. As expected, he didn’t get angry; instead, he changed the subject.

Although his response wasn’t what she hoped for, it confirmed that her reaction was correct, and he didn’t focus on her too much afterward.

Yet Ruo Manni didn’t relax. The fact that the prince was training with them suggested he would likely enter the elite class, meaning she would be his classmate for years to come. Just thinking about it made her weary.

Still, deep down, she preferred the idea of the second prince being a reborn individual, as his status and influence could lead to significant changes, especially since he was reportedly on good terms with the first prince.

In the novels, the first prince managed to turn the tide and find a way out for humanity amidst dire circumstances. With the second prince’s prior knowledge, the first prince would undoubtedly do even better.

Ruo Manni resolved that unless she was unmasked and had no choice, she would never reveal her “rebirth” secret.

What she knew was merely superficial details from the novels, which had no real bearing on the larger situation.

Her goal was to attend military school here and, after graduation, return to Topaz Star, avoiding deep connections with the people on Capital Star.

As a Level 5 beginner telekinesis master, Ruo Manni piloted a Level 1 telekinesis mech. Although she initially clumsily fumbled, she quickly made it so that people couldn’t laugh anymore.

Within ten minutes of getting into the mech, Ruo Manni had already mastered her balance well. However, to hide her true skill, she practiced basic movements for another ten minutes before showing her agility.

Feeling that she had unlocked the proper way for a Level 5 mech pilot to start, Ruo Manni stopped pretending and earnestly began practicing more difficult maneuvers.

Opportunities for learning were rare, and nothing was more important than enhancing her own abilities. Pretending would only harm herself.

Immersed in her studies, Ruo Manni was unaware that to the other mech pilots around her, her learning ability could only be described as monstrous.

Among the eleven participants, Ruo Manni was the only one who had never piloted a mech before. The others, even if they didn’t have family resources, would still train at the training facility. Even Gao Haitao had piloted a Level 4 mech multiple times.

Therefore, the relatively experienced group quickly noticed Ruo Manni’s astonishing progress. She was able to achieve the same level they reached after five or six days of training in just half a day.

It’s important to note that they had always been recognized as geniuses among their peers, with abilities that others could only aspire to. Moreover, Ruo Manni’s training potential was not innate; it had been “stimulated” just six months ago using genetic enhancement drugs.

The significant jump in her training potential didn’t necessarily mean her comprehension abilities would also improve correspondingly. Ruo Manni’s learning capacity was truly exceptional.

The other geniuses felt a pressure emanating from Ruo Manni; this was what a real genius looked like. Due to her previous learning conditions, they had been unable to gauge her true learning limits.

With their limited perspectives, they could estimate her growth rate based on her current performance. Aside from the second prince, who was able to keep pace with her, none of them could match her.

However, being young and proud, they didn’t consider themselves mediocre, so no one was willing to give up. Everyone was determined to train hard, putting all their effort into it; aside from their sleeping hours, it was either focused on their beliefs or training.

Diligent children are always likable, especially those with exceptional talent who are willing to work hard in training, earning the admiration and joy of the soldiers on the battleship.

Thus, whenever they had the chance, the soldiers would privately teach the new students some practical mecha combat techniques, skills honed in real battles.

Even the captain privately remarked to Instructor Dudley, “These eleven new students are extraordinary. The top few are the most outstanding I’ve ever seen, and their future achievements will surely surpass ours. It’s a worthy investment for you to have such students, Dudley.”

Although Instructor Dudley didn’t respond verbally, a smile crept onto his stern face. However, he didn’t relax his standards; instead, he became even stricter, pushing the newcomers to their limits.

The initial extreme physical training had made their days feel like years, but the mecha training later became an addiction, pulling them in deeper.

Despite the hard work, the young students found immense joy in piloting the mechas and engaging in various basic sparring exercises every day.

So when they realized a month had flown by in the blink of an eye, they wished time could rewind.

Engrossed in their mecha training, they suddenly noticed the start of the school year approaching. With a heavy heart, they began packing their belongings to part ways… But wait, the official school start is just five days away, and they would see each other again soon.