Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

As for the other woman, it wouldn’t be surprising if she tried to stop Ruo Manni from going to the Imperial Capital Star, but Ruo Manni is certain that the woman wouldn’t harm her, so the assassin definitely wasn’t sent by her.

Tonight, the most surprising thing for Ruo Manni was the appearance of that black-clad figure. She felt that the person’s skills were very high, and the assailant definitely wouldn’t be able to escape.

The reason the assailant had the chance to run away was that the black-clad figure first checked Ruo Manni’s window, confirming that no one had entered her room, which allowed the assailant a moment to escape.

Although her psychic ability level was relatively low and she couldn’t see clearly, Ruo Manni could still tell from the black-clad figure’s actions that they had no malicious intent and were actually quite concerned for her safety.

When Ruo Manni asked Officer George if he knew who the black-clad figure was, he replied that they hadn’t secretly sent anyone to protect her, so the figure was likely not one of Captain Lin’s people.

Who is the black-clad figure? Could it be that person…

She recalled the information she had heard before the jade pendant was placed around the original owner’s neck.

According to what she knew, that person must have thought Ruo Manni was already dead, since the pendant was a burial gift from him.

However, if that man knew Ruo Manni was still alive, it wouldn’t be surprising for him to spend effort to hire a bodyguard for her.

But whether it was that woman or that man, both seemed to have a common goal: while they wouldn’t harm Ruo Manni, they also wouldn’t want her to go to the Imperial Capital Star.

After all, some embarrassing matters, once exposed, would reflect poorly on anyone involved.

Although Ruo Manni couldn’t be sure about the origin of the black-clad figure who hadn’t appeared in the novel, she decided to put aside her concerns since she had no way to investigate further. It was clear that the figure meant her no harm.

After this analysis, Ruo Manni was increasingly convinced that the assassin tonight was likely connected to Aoi Dan.

But Ruo Manni felt frustrated—so what if she figured it out? She currently lacked the strength to eliminate Aoi Dan without leaving traces.

So, until she had the ability to bring Aoi Dan down, she would have to endure for now.

However, Ruo Manni narrowed her eyes; she wouldn’t just keep taking hits forever. After all, people do grow, and both she and Aoi Dan would end up in the same military academy in the future.

As long as one is determined, opportunities are always created.

That night, unable to sleep, Ruo Manni felt a surge of anger building inside her.

When dawn broke, she unleashed her frustration on the challenger who dared to confront her.

This candidate, ranked ten thousandth, was also at the early level of a fourth-tier warrior, but his combat skills were inferior to Ruo Manni’s. The result was naturally disastrous. He was struck in the head by a flying dagger and simultaneously had his throat slit by a longsword.

In the virtual combat simulation, with a 90% realism rating, the pain was indeed very real, but death wasn’t real; Ruo Manni felt no pressure in killing him, and this violent release significantly eased her earlier frustration.

Perhaps due to the high level of simulation, the pain of death was still too much for the young man to bear. It could also be that Ruo Manni, who had previously been mild-mannered, suddenly turned deadly, which startled the other candidates.

Moreover, with her ranking being so high, those who previously doubted her luck now saw her true strength after the ranking battles yesterday; her abilities were beyond question. As a result, no candidates dared to challenge her anymore.

After venting her frustrations, Ruo Manni occasionally checked the leaderboard during her downtime, gradually calming her emotions.

The assassination plan had failed; the one who should be feeling uneasy was Aoi Dan.

Ruo Manni was not some helpless person without protection. She would wait until she had the capability to retaliate; there was no need to torment herself now.

After calming down, Ruo Manni casually browsed the forum and noticed that the names of the top hundred candidates remained mostly unchanged. The most fluctuations occurred among those ranked beyond the eighth thousand, with many changes every refresh. As expected, they were picking the low-hanging fruit.

Imperial Capital Star

Early in the morning, the young prince, dressed in military uniform, was having his breakfast as usual, sipping tea with an elegant and composed demeanor, unlike the usual swift actions of soldiers.

“Your Highness, 01 was attacked last night,” the captain of the crown prince’s guard reported softly as he entered.

From the calm tone of his subordinate, the crown prince discerned that 01 was unharmed. He leisurely finished his tea, set the cup down on the table, and asked, “Have you found out who did it?”

“The task was taken anonymously from the black market; we can’t trace the issuer.”

The crown prince did not show any displeasure on his face, merely contemplating. He then activated his light brain to check for information while asking, “Has there been any unusual activity at the imperial border in the past few days?”

“No.”

The crown prince nodded, closed the light brain, and stood up to walk outside, saying, “Continue to monitor closely; raise the alert level to one for 01.”

“Yes, Your Highness!” the captain of the guard replied.

Suddenly, the crown prince seemed to remember something and added, “Make sure to thoroughly check if 01’s neighbors had any unusual activity last night. Increase surveillance on that woman as well, tracking her every move. If she shows any harmful intent toward 01, execute Level A action.”

A smile curled on the crown prince’s lips as he mentioned executing Level A action, but the captain felt a chill at the sight.

As the crown prince’s personal guard, no one understood his methods better. Ever since the crown prince was severely injured in an assassination attempt three years ago, he was no longer the gentle and refined prince he once was.

“Yes, Your Highness!” the captain responded again.

Ten minutes later, the crown prince’s flying car arrived at the military district headquarters. As soon as he entered his office and sat down, his cousin, an aide, rushed in to inform him about 01’s attack that night and shared something the crown prince didn’t know.

“There hasn’t been any unusual activity from that family. I previously sent people to test them in batches, and according to the feedback from surveillance, they don’t seem to know anything about 01, so they likely aren’t involved,” the aide reported.

“I don’t suspect that family; the assassin is weak. If it were them, they wouldn’t hire someone like that. But don’t let your guard down. 01’s abilities are better than we anticipated, and once she arrives at the Imperial Capital Star, the challenges will only grow. She is our future hope, so do everything possible to protect her,” the crown prince said, his expression serious and vigilant.

The aide’s face also showed a serious expression; he was one of the informed. People like them were often more cautious than ordinary individuals, fearing failure even more. If they lost, the cost would not just be personal; it could very well mean the downfall of an entire nation.