The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

The next day, Lu Jin came to check on Jiang Hui, utterly furious. Not only did he scold her harshly, but upon learning the details of the incident, he couldn’t hold back from berating the school and its leadership as well.

He let out such a tirade that Jiang Hui couldn’t help but wonder if the school had delayed paying this healer’s salary; otherwise, his attitude wouldn’t have been so filled with frustration and resentment.

In fact, her guess wasn’t far off. Lu Jin had only recently been transferred to Beska Intermediate Academy, yet he had already felt this same kind of dissatisfaction twice. The first time was before Jiang Hui had arrived, when he filed a complaint with the school. Although the administration formally agreed to be more attentive, nothing ultimately changed. The second incident was this one.

In Lu Jin’s view, both of these situations stemmed from the school’s rigid, militaristic mindset. The administration could have handled these issues better but repeatedly ignored the details due to their pride, resulting in all sorts of unfortunate consequences—consequences that could have been entirely avoided.

Lu Jin understood that this was typical for schools with a military background. It wasn’t just Beska Intermediate Academy; many schools he had seen in the capital star system operated in this way—stubbornly set in their ways and often so detached that the more vulnerable students suffered needless hardships.

But as a healer, Lu Jin couldn’t accept the rough way these schools treated students. After all, these kids were only studying military-related subjects; they weren’t actual soldiers. How could they be treated as if they were? Just look at the state they’d been driven into. Although Lu Jin disapproved, he knew this was the general trend these days and there was little he could do about it.

After completing Jiang Hui’s check-up, he prescribed her three days’ worth of medication and, like herding a piglet, sent her straight back to her dorm, ordering her to rest for at least 48 hours and not to use her mental power again so casually.

Back in the medical tent, Lu Jin was preparing to examine another student when he received a notification on his communicator. He glanced at it, and his perpetually furrowed brows relaxed slightly, a look of relief crossing his face.

So, he’d woken up. Finally, a piece of good news.

If that young officer from the Mace family had actually died here, the school might have managed to push through the ensuing storm and continue operations, but it would likely have suffered a significant setback.

It seemed that Yuri Mace, who was stationed at the DB2 defensive line, had taken the time to rush over at such a tense moment—a testament to his care for his younger brother.

Though Lu Jin’s relationship with Yuri wasn’t particularly close, they were classmates. Since Yuri had personally asked for his help, Lu Jin felt obligated to assist. Besides, the young Mace was certainly someone worthy of admiration.

Lu Jin called over the duty healer at the medical office to help with the student check-ups, changed out of his school medic uniform, and quickly left the campus, heading to the military hospital.

—

After a full day of nonstop activity, the incident finally came to a close, with all the wounded receiving appropriate care and treatment.

Since all the faculty were assigned to the investigation, classes were canceled for the entire school day. Jiang Hui followed the doctor’s orders to rest in her dorm, relying on instant meals for both breakfast and dinner.

She knew the campus was lively outside, as the rare break had given both new and returning students a chance to relax, taking full advantage of the day off to freely wander around campus and enjoy their downtime. After today, everyone—newcomers and seasoned students alike—would dive back into the intense training routine.

Perhaps Lu Jin’s prescribed special supplements were especially effective. Despite the extreme mental and physical exhaustion she’d experienced over the past 24 hours, Jiang Hui found herself not as completely drained as she’d expected when she entered her mental space today. She was only mildly hungry, rather than utterly depleted. This left her puzzled, wondering if regular supplements hadn’t been potent enough, and if she might really need something as strong as the special formula.

With this realization—that hunger in her mental space was tied to both her mental power and physical stamina—Jiang Hui quietly made a note to add these special supplements to her future budget.

So, having double the time that others do might sound wonderful, but this “golden advantage” doesn’t come without its costs. Double the time means double the responsibilities, even double the food and energy consumption, yet…rest remains limited to a single share. And if you try to rest more than that, your body and mind will automatically adjust, preventing you from sleeping too much. It’s selective, for sure.

Feeling bored, Jiang Hui had a quick meal in her mental space, then went back to the study room to read. She felt that the reality of her life was getting too complicated and urgently needed a good book to calm her nerves.

The next day—or rather, the third day after the training session ended—Jiang Hui finally returned to her class’s training routine. Due to medical advice, she’d had an extra day to rest.

Possibly because of all the recent events, everyone still seemed to be processing it all. Jiang Hui’s absence due to injury wasn’t unusual, so her return didn’t draw much attention. Some classmates even kindly asked about her recovery, completely unaware that she had been directly involved in the incident.

According to the original schedule, this week was supposed to be focused on specialized shooting training. However, considering the recent disruptions and the students’ restlessness, that training was postponed to the last week. This week would continue to focus on endurance and physical fitness, preparing everyone to be in the best condition for the final orienteering competition.

After that day’s events, Instructor Stark returned to his usual attitude toward her, not bringing up what had happened again.

But Jiang Hui couldn’t help but feel—though she wasn’t sure if it was her imagination—that his training for her had only gotten harsher, pushing her to the limit without any mercy.

She understood that the previous incident had likely triggered this response. She herself felt a bit ashamed for having fallen behind halfway through, though she tried to reassure herself that she wasn’t meant for this in the first place. She’d never intended to stay in the Combat and Infantry Division, so it was only natural that she’d struggle with this level of training… But it stung when she was giving it her all to keep up, only to hear the instructor say, “You’re holding everyone back.” It had left her feeling embarrassed and bitter.

It wasn’t that she felt resentful, nor did that simple statement of fact fill her with shame. After all, if she truly cared about proving herself, she wouldn’t have taken the risk of going back to save the others just because of Xierman’s words—she simply thought that Instructor Mace, who was leading the group, had always treated her with real kindness.

Still, Jiang Hui had to admit that what Instructor Mace had said affected her. For the first time, she became truly aware of how weak she appeared in others’ eyes. She didn’t want to be seen that way.