Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

Actually, the director didn’t need to report, because as soon as the red light flashed, the young man addressed as “His Highness” had already turned his attention to the screen showing Sector 16.

The reporters standing nearby couldn’t contain their excitement as they gazed at the young prince dressed in a black military uniform embroidered with red cloud patterns. His strikingly handsome appearance and extraordinary martial demeanor made their hearts race with admiration, and they could barely control their urge to take pictures.

This was the young male idol universally acknowledged in the Gus Empire. At only 31 years old, he had already reached the level of a seventh-degree warrior. They had never been this close to him before, not even the flashing red alarm could distract them from their awe.

Although the young prince was focused on the screen flashing red, his expression remained calm. With a graceful wave of his hand, he pointed in mid-air, causing the small, flashing red screen to expand into a light projection, which now occupied one-third of the room.

The player’s data appeared on the display for everyone to see. As soon as they saw the player’s initial values, everyone gasped. The first thing that caught their attention was the player’s astonishingly high mental power.

“This player’s mental power level is incredibly high, and she’s still in the youth category. Her potential likely exceeds 3D. Let’s check the age. If she isn’t close to adulthood yet, her future capabilities could be even greater,” someone said, his voice trembling.

An E-level mental power potential! The Gus Empire hadn’t seen a genius of this level for over a century. In normal times, encountering such an extraordinary talent would have been remarkable…

The people present were calculating scenarios in their minds, contemplating the possibilities.

But at this moment, a single thought surfaced in everyone’s minds: hope.

To ensure the player’s privacy and security, the image of the player’s projection was somewhat blurred, making it hard to see their facial features. However, no one doubted that the person was a girl, likely not even twenty years old.

A mental power genius under twenty, with a 3D-level rating, combined with a 3C-grade top-tier warrior physique. If fully trained, she could potentially advance to become an eighth-degree control-type mecha master in less than eight years.

Only mecha masters of the eighth degree and above were humanity’s hope in the fight against the alien invaders. Especially eighth-degree control-type mecha masters, who not only had immense combat power but also excelled as battlefield commanders with perfect control over the field.

Currently, there were only about twenty mecha masters of the eighth degree or higher in the Gumera starfield, and not a single one was a control-type mecha master.

The highest-level control-type mecha master in the Gumera Starfield was from the Vera Federation. Although this mecha master was a late-stage, seventh-level psychic force master, he had retired a decade ago due to old age, with no further potential for advancement.

The Gus Empire also had two seventh-level psychic force masters. However, one of them, despite being relatively young, was approaching middle age and was primarily a mecha maker. The other was only a mid-stage seventh-level psychic force master, and given his age, he was unlikely to advance beyond the late seventh level.

It’s no wonder that everyone was so excited to discover a young psychic force master genius. This was the future hope for the Gus Empire and the Gumera Starfield.

“Your Highness, given the current situation, we must bring this talent into the military,” a middle-aged officer in a crisp uniform said excitedly.

“She should be placed in our First Army. We will spare no effort to train her,” another younger officer chimed in.

“Our Third Army has more resources…” one said.

“She’s a citizen of a planet under our legion’s jurisdiction. If she joins, it should be in our Fourth Army…”

“Our Second Army…”

Several generals began to argue, each wanting to recruit the young talent. The young man addressed as “Your Highness” remained unmoved. After using his authority to review the player’s information, he glanced at the eager generals eyeing the data like a prized treasure and calmly said, “Generals, I’m afraid you will be disappointed.”

The generals, wary of their young prince, immediately grew defensive. Was he planning to recruit her personally?

However, the young prince turned his gaze toward a corner of the room, smiling as he said, “This girl is only fifteen years old. Headmaster Christian, we’ll need to have a conversation later.”

Headmaster Christian of the Xuan Gu First Military Academy, who had been watching quietly, approached with delight. The generals who had been vying for the girl understood the situation and quickly stopped their internal squabbling, instead turning their attention to cozying up to Headmaster Christian.

—

Topaz Star

When the door of the holographic gaming pod slid open, Lin Kexin sat up and pinched her face hard. The slight pain that registered in her brain was a clear indication—this was nothing like being a wandering soul. As a human, she now had the nerve sensations that spirits lacked.

Still somewhat in disbelief, Lin Kexin got up from the gaming pod, took a few tentative steps, and pinched her arm again. Finally, she was 100% certain this was not a dream. She was no longer an invisible soul trapped in a jade pendant—she had truly been reborn as a living person.

To be honest, Lin Kexin was bewildered by how such a fantastical event had occurred. What had orchestrated all of this? And had the real Ruo Manni truly perished?

The thought pained Lin Kexin. Over the past decade, she had “accompanied” Ruo Manni as she grew up, even though Ruo Manni had never known of her existence. To Lin Kexin, Ruo Manni had felt like a twin sister.

However, given that Lin Kexin had previously existed as a wandering soul after her death, she hoped that Ruo Manni’s soul had not completely dissipated into the world. Instead, she wished that, like herself, Ruo Manni’s soul was trapped somewhere, possibly awaiting a new opportunity in the future.

Lin Kexin didn’t know why fate had arranged for her to take over Ruo Manni’s body. Now, her soul had merged with Ruo Manni’s body, and she didn’t feel any discomfort or instability. Even if Ruo Manni’s soul hadn’t vanished, Lin Kexin had no idea how she could possibly return the body to its original owner. This wasn’t something she could change on her own, so she decided not to dwell on it. Since she had arrived here, she might as well make peace with the situation.

Besides, being reborn into this world wasn’t exactly a blessing. According to the novel’s storyline, Ruo Manni would only survive until next year at most.

When the jade pendant first changed hands and Lin Kexin’s consciousness was still foggy, she only vaguely felt that the name “Ruo Manni” sounded familiar when she first heard it from her new little owner.

As Ruo Manni grew older and Lin Kexin’s conscious periods became longer, Lin Kexin “accompanied” the young girl through her studies and life. Over the years, she gained a complete understanding of this world’s culture and technology. Eventually, Lin Kexin realized that this interstellar era was at least five or six thousand years more advanced than the time she had lived in. She dismissed the sense of familiarity as a mere illusion and let go of her lingering doubts.

That is, until five months ago, when Lin Kexin “saw” an announcement for the release of a new holographic game. The two glowing words “War Realm” struck her like lightning, clearing a fog in her mind. Suddenly, everything became clear.

Lin Kexin recalled the contents of the novel she had been reading just before her death.

Perhaps because it was the last book Lin Kexin read before she died—no matter how many millennia had passed—she still remembered its main storyline.

Ruo Manni, could she be that minor female supporting character who appeared in less than one chapter of the book?

If Lin Kexin remembered correctly, Ruo Manni was introduced to highlight a neighbor and classmate named Aoi Dan. If that was the case, then Ruo Manni’s neighbor, the girl named Aoi Dan, must be the novel’s main antagonist.

When Lin Kexin first realized that this world was actually the world of a novel and that her soul had somehow crossed into it, she found it all too absurd to believe. But as time passed, she came to accept it. After all, if she could become a ghost after death, what else was impossible?

Not long after Lin Kexin speculated that she had entered the world of a novel, Ruo Manni’s mother disappeared under mysterious circumstances—just as it had happened in the book.