Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

Having grown up together, the cousin understood his younger cousin (the young prince) very well. When he spoke with that tone and expression, it meant there was no room for negotiation. Besides, he himself agreed that this was indeed the safest approach.

After all, they both knew now. With the two of them keeping an eye on things, no matter what the other party’s intentions were, nothing could go wrong.

Moreover, it wasn’t as if they would never reveal the information — they were just waiting for the right moment. Eventually, their uncle would find out anyway.

“Set 01’s information to top-level confidentiality, and double-lock the gene sequence,” the young prince said cautiously.

“Understood,” his cousin, who was also his adjutant, responded. After receiving temporary authorization again, he operated the interface, and, teetering on the edge of overstepping his authority, secretly added an extra layer of encryption to hide the information.

Just as the adjutant finished and logged out, the vehicle arrived at its destination. The two of them quietly exited the vehicle, and under the protection of bodyguards, entered their quarters. Seeing that the young prince did not intend to say anything further, the cousin couldn’t help but speak up, “Your Highness…”

The young prince, deep in thought, turned back and said, “From now on, you’re fully in charge of everything related to 01. Be especially careful with security.”

“Understood.” While the cousin’s expression remained unchanged, a glimmer of excitement appeared in his eyes.

At exactly 7 a.m., Ruo Manni, feeling refreshed, stepped out of the game pod. The immersive War Realm game pod lived up to its reputation. Even though she had spent the entire night in the game after her rebirth, she didn’t feel a bit tired. In fact, she felt fantastic.

Enduring the agonizing pain of the second-generation gene enhancement serum had indeed paid off. After exiting the special version of the War Realm immersive game pod, she realized that she had unexpectedly advanced to a late-stage Level 2 warrior, and her mental power class had also increased.

Was this the “blessing in disguise” people talk about? Or was it some sort of cheat code from the god of fate for her, a transmigrator? Advancing by a full level meant she had effectively skipped two years of training. This meant she could likely reach Level 7 as a mental power practitioner within five to six years.

Ruo Manni wanted nothing more than to dive into her training and not emerge, but according to the original owner’s life schedule, it was a weekday, and she had to go to school.

It was obvious that such a drastic change overnight would certainly attract attention.

The level of her mental power could be concealed easily—if Ruo Manni didn’t test or use it, low- to mid-level warriors and mental power practitioners wouldn’t be able to detect her actual rank. However, her warrior rank was another story. She had advanced an entire major level overnight, something she simply couldn’t hide.

At the very least, Fang, the mentor who was now her guardian, would certainly ask questions. When that time came, how should she explain? Would she discover that this Ruo Manni was no longer the same person?

While worrying about this, Ruo Manni went to the bathroom for a shower. After changing into the uniform of Mingxin Intermediate Academy, she had already come to a decision. She would blame all the differences between herself and the original owner on the second-generation gene enhancement serum.

Feeling pleased with her plan to shift the blame, Ruo Manni returned to the dining room. Looking at the delicious breakfast made by the household robot, her mood improved even more. Being human felt wonderful—only by being alive could one enjoy the delicacies of the world.

Classes at Mingxin Intermediate Academy started at 9 a.m., so she had plenty of time, an hour and a half, to spare. Ruo Manni leisurely ate her first breakfast since being reborn, savoring every moment. But just then, the doorbell rang, abruptly ruining the mood.

Ruo Manni paused, quickly guessing who the visitor was. There was no need to think too hard—it had to be Aoi Dan, coming to “inspect” the results of last night. To avoid spoiling her good mood, Ruo Manni calmly finished the rest of her breakfast, wiped her mouth, and only then walked towards the front door.

Without the owner’s command, the robotic butler wouldn’t open the door on its own. It simply stood by, waiting for instructions as per its programming. Ruo Manni didn’t want to let Aoi Dan inside to ruin her day, so she decided to meet her at the door herself.

As she approached the door, Ruo Manni glanced at the video feed. Outside, Aoi Dan, with her light gray hair and gray eyes, was repeatedly pressing the doorbell.

Aoi Dan had been persistently ringing the bell for a full minute. Normally, after this long without a response, a visitor would assume that either the owner didn’t want to answer or wasn’t home and leave. But Aoi Dan didn’t give up. She didn’t seem annoyed by the lack of response. While her expression looked worried, there was an unmistakable gleam of hidden joy in her eyes.

Aoi Dan likely thought that Ruo Manni had died in the holographic game pod, and she couldn’t wait to confirm the outcome. Though her malicious plan had indeed succeeded, luck wasn’t on her side, as she hadn’t accounted for Ruo Manni’s unexpected rebirth.

Ruo Manni let out a cold laugh and suddenly swung open the door, startling Aoi Dan, who took a step back.

When she saw Ruo Manni standing there, looking completely renewed and with her cultivation level greatly increased, Aoi Dan’s face twisted with surprise. She almost let out a gasp, but barely managed to regain her composure. Her tone was awkward and stiff as she said, “Manni, you didn’t answer the door for so long, I thought something had happened to you.”

Even though Ruo Manni knew that, given her current weak position, she shouldn’t provoke the reborn Aoi Dan, avoiding conflict might no longer be possible. After all, this venomous woman had already made a move to harm her. Ignoring or running from the problem wouldn’t solve anything.

Ruo Manni gave Aoi Dan a meaningful smile and said calmly, “Last night, I almost lost my life… Luckily, the gods protected me. I survived, and not only has my physique changed significantly, but my warrior rank has also advanced by a full level. I plan to go back to school later to take a test. Aoi, I will remember your great kindness and favor for the rest of my life.”

Aoi Dan wasn’t particularly clever, but with a guilty conscience, she immediately sensed the underlying meaning in Ruo Manni’s words and noticed that her demeanor was quite different from usual. Try as she might, Aoi Dan couldn’t take this as genuine gratitude. Feeling instinctively guilty, she nervously replied, “It’s great that you’ve made such progress. Now you can easily apply to the Xuan Gu First Military Academy.”

“Mm! Thank you! I won’t keep you any longer. I’m going to find my mentor, Fang, and have a good chat with her. Make her happy. Do you want to come with me to see Mentor Fang?” Ruo Manni asked, giving Aoi Dan a meaningful look.

With these words, Ruo Manni’s insinuation was almost impossible to miss. Aoi Dan’s pupils constricted slightly, but her expression remained unchanged. If Ruo Manni’s mental strength hadn’t increased, she wouldn’t have noticed that brief moment of tension.

“No, it’s fine. I was just a little worried about you, so I came to check on you. You go ahead to school; I’m going back to have breakfast, and then I’ll head to class later.” Aoi Dan responded with the same friendly smile she had shown before, like a close friend.

This woman recovered quickly, but that suited Ruo Manni just fine. She didn’t want to openly break ties with Aoi Dan so soon, but at the same time, she wasn’t keen on walking together with her and feeling uncomfortable. So, she went along with it and politely declined.