The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

More than ten kilometers from the finish line, this area was filled with wind, rain, thunder, and lightning.

The wind was so strong that the rain was almost falling upward.

If Jiang Hui was here, she would find that the acidic smell in this place was nearly overwhelming, to the point of making one feel nauseous.

The corrosive acid rain mixed with the earthy scent of the air, combined with an indescribable animalistic sourness, creating an exceptionally eerie atmosphere.

Suddenly, a flash of lightning illuminated the entire forest, making everything within it crystal clear.

Anyone who was here might be terrified to the point of losing their mind at the sight of the scattered corpses and the chaos around.

In this relatively large clearing in the forest, on the west side lay a massive “alien body,” its highest point towering over ten people high from the ground, emitting a strange silvery glow.

With another clap of thunder and flash of lightning, this colossal creature seemed to have triggered some kind of activation. The small appendages extending from its main body—though they appeared small only in comparison to its massive frame—suddenly sprang upward.

As it merely shook, several objects interspersed among the appendages fell to the ground with a soft “thud.” The smooth surfaces of these objects seemed to be coated in a honey-colored, viscous liquid that slowly slid off as the appendages twitched.

These unidentified objects fell down, joining the layers of similar ones that had already accumulated below. At first glance, they varied in size, and from the side, one could see the tufts of strange fibers standing upright on these bizarre things, making them appear particularly terrifying in the dim light.

Following the appendages upward, it became evident that the main body was covered in a silver plating that had been torn apart by some unknown sharp object. Some areas had merely scraped off the shiny surface, while others had been pierced by long, thin appendages resembling antennae that had dropped from an unknown creature, directly damaging the internal structure and revealing its intricate deconstruction.

As a flash of lightning illuminated the scene, the front half of this colossal being was revealed, showcasing a pair of enormous pincers grasping something that was desperately struggling to break free.

Ultimately, even in the darkness, this pair of extremely sharp pincers clamped down with a “crunch,” slicing the creature in half. The remains fell to the ground and, after a brief, dying struggle, lay still.

With the last enemy eliminated, the massive alien entity seemed to exhaust all its strength, coming to a complete stop. Its pincers slowly drooped, lifelessly hanging at its sides, and even the appendages that had been forcefully raised now fell weakly.

The once shiny and smooth silver plating appeared to have completely lost its luster, becoming still and dull.

The upper control chamber was in a state of ruin, the mechanical patterns on its outer layer losing their shine as the internal energy drained and the life functions of the operator diminished, resulting in an overall dim appearance.

A gigantic pincer penetrated the ocular area of the spider-shaped mech, passing through its head and ultimately landing at the control connection of the second limb segment.

The operating chamber was directly connected to the rear of the ocular area of this spider-like mech. This penetration severely damaged a large portion of the control panel, forcing the person inside to rely on a temporary panel for the final cleanup.

While the enemy had been thoroughly eliminated, the remaining backup energy within the mech had also been exhausted, rendering the mech incapable of maintaining operation.

With the mech coming to a halt, the life of the person in the control chamber was also gradually approaching its end.

Mace had already lost all hope for rescue from the school. Since he had become embroiled in this desperate battle, he had sent multiple distress signals to the observation center, and the location was not far from the center, yet there had been no response.

Moreover, he had deployed the mech here and engaged with a not-insignificant group of star beasts… Normally, even if the observation center failed to intercept the signal, those at the destination should have noticed something amiss and sent someone to check. The absence of any response likely indicated that the signal had been blocked by some force, or that something had gone wrong on their end.

But he probably wouldn’t have the opportunity to investigate further. Because to understand what was happening, he first had to survive… but could he really survive?

That pincer came from the leader of the ant-like star beasts, directly piercing through the control chamber, damaging the entire control panel, and penetrating his right shoulder, pinning him up against the upper section of his seat.

As if misfortune had not been enough, after an intense battle, a careless mistake raised the pincer slightly, causing him to be half-hanging in his seat.

This position made Mace’s wound bleed and tear continuously. He had to elevate one leg to use the control panel for leverage while balancing his other leg on the toes to maintain stability in the control chamber.

He relied solely on his incredible willpower and the support from his legs to keep his position intact, preventing his shoulder from being completely shredded by the pincer.

However, in such a situation, it became even more difficult for him to save himself or extricate himself from the control chamber. He couldn’t even move his legs or arms freely because any slight relaxation of those four support points could lead to him losing his balance, resulting in the pincer piercing through him entirely, flesh and bone alike.

At that point, he wouldn’t just die; he would die a horrific death.

He could accept dying a heroic death, but he wanted to avoid a tragic end.

Mace wished to maintain some semblance of dignity in his final moments, so as not to frighten his family too much. He thought to himself, trying to find some humor in the bleakness of the situation.

Of course, he naturally wanted to survive.

After all, although his career had been somewhat unsatisfactory in recent years and his life plans had been shattered, he hadn’t given up on himself. Instead, he wanted to break free from this unjust predicament and take revenge on those who controlled his fate.

However, he hadn’t expected to meet his end in such a minor training assignment before he could even rise from this low point. Truly, life is unpredictable.

Mace even regretted wasting nearly a year of his time, allowing himself to wallow in frustration. If he had pulled himself together, he might have escaped this predicament long ago and sought revenge on those people. After all, the Mace family was merely experiencing a temporary downturn, not completely gone.

It was only now, on the brink of death, that Mace truly understood what regret meant.

But it was alright; he felt that dying wasn’t entirely in vain.

By holding off this group of star beasts, he could give those kids a chance to survive, so his death wouldn’t be for nothing.

At this moment, he feared that some reckless fool might come back looking for him. In the end, Mace could only vaguely confirm that the surrounding star beasts had been cleared out but could not fully assure safety.

What if they encountered star beasts lying in ambush on the way? Then he would have saved them for nothing.