Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

Ruo Manni “heard” Wang Miaomiao lamenting to Liu Yang about how food for survivors was becoming increasingly scarce. Mutated animals, while valuable, could only be captured by those with significant combat abilities. Now, with so much mutated animal meat available, they could only take a small portion. She bitterly wished she had spatial abilities.

After some thought, Ruo Manni took out a spatial ring with a capacity of twenty cubic meters, erased her imprint on it, and handed it to Wang Miaomiao. “Place it on your forehead and focus with your mind,” she instructed.

Wang Miaomiao was a bit puzzled but remembered their whispered conversation from the night before. Both she and Liu Yang had come to the same conclusion: if these people wanted to harm them, they could do so effortlessly. There was no need for tricks. Thus, whatever they were asked to do, it was best to comply.

Although Wang Miaomiao didn’t fully understand why the girl asked her to do this, she obediently pressed the ring against her forehead.

Without revealing much, Ruo Manni gently guided Wang Miaomiao’s thoughts. Moments later, Wang Miaomiao’s eyes shot open as if struck by lightning, and she stammered, “Th-this… this…”

“This is a spatial ring,” Ruo Manni said calmly. “Use it to store these mutated animals. When we reach the city today, we’ll get some cooking supplies. You can turn the meat into jerky in the RV kitchen. From now on, you’ll be in charge of managing ingredients, and this ring will be yours.”

In her original world, Wang Miaomiao’s father was a chef, and she had inherited his talent. Her cooking skills were excellent, and this world’s Wang Miaomiao was likely just as capable.

Wang Miaomiao was so overwhelmed that she couldn’t find the words to respond. Heaven above! She had heard tales of ancient artifacts being spatial storage devices.

At the previous base they stayed at, there was a rumor about the base leader’s daughter gifting her mother an antique bronze Buddha statue before the apocalypse, which turned out to be a spatial storage device.

Last night, she and Liu Yang had seen this girl summon items out of thin air and suspected she was a spatial ability user. But now they realized she possessed spatial storage devices—and she was even giving one away! Even more astonishing, her companions were completely unfazed by the gesture.

The only plausible explanation for their indifference was that every one of them also had spatial storage devices, likely far superior to the one given to her.

Liu Yang stood by and watched. When he realized what Wang Miaomiao had just received, he felt his understanding of the world shatter yet again. These people were truly incredible—even the legendary spatial storage devices were abundant among them.

Once more, Liu Yang thought about how wise and decisive his choice was to follow this group. It had been the best decision he could have made.

Ruo Manni helped store the majority of the mutated animals, leaving only five for Wang Miaomiao to put away. Since they planned to enter the city shortly, they left some space for her to store supplies.

Liu Yang took note of the RV’s design. Its chassis was exceptionally high, and the wheels were wide and large. No wonder it drove so fast and so smoothly.

For breakfast, everyone drank nutrient solutions. Both Wang Miaomiao and Liu Yang looked deeply satisfied—they hadn’t experienced the feeling of being full in a long time.

The vehicle moved quickly, and it wasn’t long before they saw a city.

Ruo Manni had given auxiliary driving permissions to Tamaki Kazia and Sheila, partly to allow them to take over when needed. When they approached the city, Tamaki Kazia didn’t hesitate and steered directly toward it.

Seeing the city’s name, Liu Yang became a little excited. “We’ve already traveled nearly 1,000 kilometers since yesterday. At this pace, we should reach City A by the day after tomorrow.”

Ruo Manni didn’t respond to Liu Yang’s comment. Today, she and her companions were sitting in the larger common area, while Liu Yang and Wang Miaomiao were tucked away in the smaller lounge at the back.

Leaning lazily against the back of her chair, Ruo Manni watched the holographic projection of the RV’s surroundings—an immersive 3D street view.

The city, abandoned due to the apocalypse, clearly showed signs of desolation. Three months had passed since its abandonment, and it already looked eerily lifeless. Cracks in the pavement were overgrown with lush shrubs and grass. If not for the zombies wandering about, it would have resembled a ghost town.

Within Ruo Manni’s sensory range, there were no living humans left in the buildings. After two or three months, those who could escape had already fled, and those who couldn’t likely starved to death.

Her gaze fell on the thriving wild grass and the flourishing trees they’d seen on their journey. Turning to Wang Miaomiao, she asked, “Since the apocalypse began, have all plants been growing unusually well?”

“Yes,” Wang Miaomiao replied, nodding. “Their growth rate is at least double what it used to be. No one knows why.”

“Many people have noticed this phenomenon,” Liu Yang added. “It’s been a topic of conversation, but so far, no one has figured out the cause.”

Ruo Manni furrowed her brow and asked, “Has there been any incidents where mutated plants attacked humans?”

“I haven’t heard of anything like that,” Wang Miaomiao replied, looking a bit worried. “But the vegetables we used to eat now contain mild toxins, and the wheat and millet don’t even produce heads anymore.”

At this moment, the RV began entering the streets on the outskirts of the city. It moved almost silently, easily crushing any obstacles in its path.

“This vehicle has excellent performance,” Wang Miaomiao remarked. “The engine makes almost no noise, and only zombies within about ten meters are drawn to it.”

No sooner had Wang Miaomiao finished speaking than the RV came to a stop.

“What’s going on?” Liu Yang stood up, sensing they had encountered trouble, otherwise they wouldn’t have stopped.

“Nothing much,” Ruo Manni replied casually. “There’s just a vehicle blocking the way.”

“That’s common in the city,” Liu Yang said. “Too many people ran into trouble while trying to escape, leaving vehicles blocking the streets. But there’s bound to be a way around it. Should I go out and check?” He was eager to use his abilities—he was a speed-type mutant, and scouting was his forte.

“No need, but you can go down and help,” Ruo Manni said.

Tamaki Kazia and Hua Deli got out of the vehicle, followed by Sheila and Mina-Olli. Hebrew Adam stayed still, so Ruo Manni remained seated as well.

Liu Yang glanced at Hebrew Adam, and the more he observed, the more certain he became that this blonde young man and the black-haired girl were the leaders of the group.

Liu Yang and Wang Miaomiao didn’t feel comfortable just sitting there like the others, so they got out of the vehicle, hoping to help at least with fighting the zombies, which they were confident about.

However, as soon as Liu Yang and Wang Miaomiao got out of the car, they saw the four young people who had gone ahead. Two of them worked together to lift the vehicle that was blocking the road and toss it aside.

Soon after, four more teenagers emerged from the second vehicle. Just two of them were able to lift a seven-seater car, and when zombies tried to attack, they didn’t even need to fight back—one kick was enough to send the zombies flying far away. Though the zombies were still moving when they hit the ground, they couldn’t get back up.

Liu Yang and Wang Miaomiao stood there, stunned, their minds racing with only one thought: these people couldn’t possibly be human, could they? How could humans have that much strength?

Wang Miaomiao and Liu Yang stood frozen, hesitant to approach. They felt they couldn’t be of any help. If they insisted on trying, they would only make things worse.