The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

Xierman said excitedly, “Then I told him I made a friend at school. He was really happy and told me to play with you more. Oh, he also asked me to bring you a gift, which I’ll give you later. He said it was to thank you for taking care of me.”

Wait, hold on! When did I ever play with you? This makes no sense; it feels like we’re completely on different wavelengths.

Jiang Hui had no words left. She wanted to say something, but when she looked at his still somewhat youthful and clearly childish face, she fell silent.

For a moment, one spoke while the other listened quietly, creating a harmonious atmosphere—until someone suddenly broke the tranquility.

Hearing someone calling them from behind, both turned around at the same time.

Jiang Hui instinctively stood up. “Instructor Stark.”

Though Xierman didn’t know this person well, he recognized the military uniform, indicating that he was clearly a military officer with a respectable rank. Seeing Jiang Hui’s reaction, he smartly stood up and greeted the instructor.

“Have you two eaten well?” He glanced down at the plates on their table.

There was actually no other intention behind his words, just a reminder for the two. But in that moment, both Jiang Hui and Xierman instinctively felt their wrists tighten as they gripped their chopsticks.

“I’m done eating,” Jiang Hui said, her mouth moving faster than her brain.

In fact, she was indeed full, and there wasn’t much left on her plate. After hearing so much gossip, she had lost her appetite for the leftovers, so saying she was done was not incorrect.

“I—I’m done too,” Xierman chimed in, unwilling to back down. However, he had a lot of food on his plate, and since he had been chattering away the whole time, he hadn’t really eaten seriously. His claim of being done was merely a casual remark.

“Done? Then why is there still so much left? Food is hard to come by; don’t waste it.”

Now, neither of them dared to speak. It seemed that Stark intended to just stand there and watch them eat, showing no signs of leaving. So, they could only mechanically shove their utensils into their mouths. Jiang Hui stuffed the last few pieces into her mouth, while Xierman wolfed down his food.

The two of them were in a flurry, trying to finish what was on their plates, not really tasting the food at all; it was as if they were chewing on wax.

Seeing the two of them almost choking and about to cry, Stark was left speechless. Did he say anything?

“Alright, look at your progress… I came to find you two. It’s just perfect that you’re together, so I don’t have to split up to look for you. Come on, follow me.” With that, he turned around and walked away, not bothering to check if the two behind him were following.

Naturally, Jiang Hui and Xierman were both confused. But due to her trust in this Uncle Tang, Jiang Hui followed him, while Xierman trailed behind her. The three of them, this strange combination, boarded an airship and left the school together.

On the way, Jiang Hui really wanted to ask Stark what he was bringing them here for. However, he led them along in a hurry, then took charge of piloting the airship. By the time they figured things out, the three of them had already stopped in front of a tall building.

Even though Jiang Hui had never been here before, she immediately recognized it as a hospital. It used the same signage as the medium-sized hospital she had visited earlier, but this one seemed taller and had a larger area.

Stark finally took pity on them and answered their questions: “This is the military hospital of this planet. Someone wants to see you; follow me.”

Hospital, someone wants to see them… With that combination, Jiang Hui immediately thought of a certain person.

“The Warrant Officer Mace you rescued a few days ago has woken up today. He and his family said they hope to meet you.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve already taken care of your leave. The school approved it, so there won’t be any problems,” Stark said casually. Perhaps because they were outside of school, he seemed to be somewhat detached from the serious teacher-student relationship, and his tone and attitude became more relaxed.

He also reminded them to stay close and not wander off.

Mace had woken up. The two exchanged glances and instinctively quickened their pace to keep up.

They followed Stark as he turned down a few corridors, arriving at a rarely used elevator that took them straight up to the 37th floor, finally entering one of the hospital rooms.

The large room contained only a single hospital bed, with all the necessary furniture present, creating an environment that felt more like a recovery room.

However, the person on the bed still had his eyes tightly closed and appeared pale; in just two days, he had lost so much weight that he looked a bit unrecognizable. There were no signs indicating that he had regained consciousness. It was evident that the intense rescue efforts had nearly cost him his life.

But as long as he was alive, everything else could be recovered.

At that moment, Jiang Hui felt a sense of grounding, unsure whether to feel relieved or to sort through the complex emotions swirling inside her.

Both of their attention was on the person in the bed, not really noticing that there were others in the spacious hospital room.

But Stark naturally wouldn’t overlook this, as the two people present were not ordinary individuals.
Stark took off his hat and, facing the military officer standing at the front with his back to them, raised his right fist to chest level and solemnly saluted: “Lieutenant Stark of the Eighth Legion pays his respects to Major General Mace and Colonel Mace.”

The force of his actions and the clarity of his voice immediately drew the attention of the two children, who were completely unaware of the situation.

Jiang Hui finally realized that there were indeed other people in the room, and… a major general, was it that major general?

Seeing Stark display such rare respect, Jiang Hui felt no real sense of the presence of a major general in the room.

Jiang Hui really wanted to greet him loudly and politely, but she remembered that she wasn’t a formal soldier and hadn’t even learned the proper military salute. For a moment, she didn’t know what to do, so she stood up straight, intending to just shout a simple “I salute you, Major General.”

The officer standing by the bed finally turned around upon hearing her words. He was a very handsome middle-aged man, but his demeanor, both from within and outwardly, exuded a solemn aura.

This officer, whose features seemed to be marked by the passage of time, glanced at the two children and slightly relaxed his furrowed brow, seemingly trying to ease his overly serious expression. But in the end, he failed and could only speak in a soft voice, “You’re here, Lieutenant Stark.”

Then, as if he finally found a bit of a relaxed atmosphere, he spoke with a slight smile, “So you must be Jiang and Xierman, right? No need to be too tense; you’re still students and don’t need to be overly formal. You can wait until you actually join the military to salute properly.”

“And speaking of which, I’m not here today in my capacity as a Major General, but rather as… this child’s father.”

“I’m here to thank you for saving my child.” He approached them with a smile, slightly bent down, and gently patted their heads.