The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

Since the five-person team was reduced to three-person squads, Jiang Hui naturally had to move her position back, and by the time it was her turn, several rounds had already passed.

She wasn’t sure if she had developed some resistance to the pressure, but Jiang Hui felt much more relaxed than before, adopting a confident and fearless attitude as she prepared to take her shot.

On the other side, someone who had just been focused on shooting in the center exchanged a glance with a nearby person and, in the blink of an eye, swapped places, positioning himself at the far left front.

Meanwhile, Jiang Hui found herself at the far right front.

The two positions faced each other.

Noticing the change in her surroundings, Jiang Hui, who had been concentrating on the target ahead, turned her head in confusion and saw that a different person had taken the position next to her.

However, this new guy appeared very aloof, offering her only a profile as sharp as a knife, giving off a cold demeanor… Why does she keep encountering people like this lately? A fleeting thought crossed Jiang Hui’s mind, but she quickly pushed it aside. After all, she had more important things to focus on.

But to Nie Erqi, the scene looked somewhat peculiar.

Because they needed to establish a sense of authority over these young newcomers, the benchmark they selected had to be sufficiently outstanding. The three second-year students had been personally chosen by Nie Erqi, and he had witnessed their individual skills firsthand.

The most outstanding among them was a student named Hess from Captain Marlene’s class. He had a proficient shooting technique and a calm demeanor, exuding the air of a great general. At a young age, he had already grasped the essence of shooting and dedicated himself to mastering this skill, unlike the others who treated it merely as a supplementary activity.

He could be considered a promising talent, and even Nie Erqi found himself somewhat tempted. After much effort, he managed to persuade himself not to rush the process; after all, this child was still a young one receiving a secondary education. He would wait until Hess entered college before making any decisions.

In contrast, Jiang Hui was different; she was a natural shooter who had not yet been refined. She had many flaws and appeared quite immature, with her basic skills not being particularly outstanding. Such individuals were the most unstable but also held immense potential. Therefore, Nie Erqi paid considerable attention to her as well.

Seeing Hess, who had always been steady and composed, suddenly change positions without warning, Nie Erqi felt a twinge of unease. This was not characteristic of him.

Since he had come to the training ground to compare himself with the other students, Hess had not shown much enthusiasm. True, he was serious about each shot, but he lacked passion and drive, treating it more like a task with no spark in his eyes.

However, Hess had visibly changed this time. Not only did he actively move his position, but that expressionless face of his had gained a hint of liveliness. While Jiang Hui thought he remained calm and collected, Nie Erqi noticed that Hess had cast a sidelong glance at her several times.

Nie Erqi realized that the guy clearly recognized Jiang Hui, and it seemed he had somehow gotten into a confrontation with her.

But the two were in different grades, one a freshman and the other a sophomore, with no apparent connection. Their expressions were quite unfamiliar, suggesting they weren’t well acquainted—unless they were exceptional actors. What on earth could have led to this? Surely Hess didn’t recognize Jiang Hui as a talented individual and wanted to challenge her?

…Well, he couldn’t come up with anything more to say to himself.

Something must have happened that he was unaware of to lead to this situation.

This was not Nie Erqi’s fault; after all, he had only come in the last week of military training and had not seen the live broadcasts of the training exercises. He had no way of knowing about the “competition” between Jiang Hui and Hess, nor did he realize that Hess had developed a slight obsession because of Jiang Hui.

He instinctively wanted to step forward to intervene.

Some might wonder why there was a need to intervene. Although there might be some animosity between the two, it didn’t really matter who they were competing against in this simple shooting comparison. After all, the original purpose was just to intimidate and give a bit of a warning… wasn’t it the same no matter who received it?

Of course, it was not the same. The intimidation Nie Erqi spoke of was within a reasonable range; he had reminded the sophomore students to be mindful of their limits. It was important not to go too far, as that might dampen the spirits of these young newcomers.

Seeing Hess’s clearly targeted behavior, he naturally wanted to stop it. Both were promising talents he had his eye on, and it would be counterproductive if they harmed each other.

However, his movements were not as quick as those of the two youngsters. Before Nie Erqi had even taken half a step, both of them were already prepared, with their guns loaded and ready, only needing to aim and pull the trigger.

The shot hit its mark.

Jiang Hui was very pleased; her condition today was quite good, and she hit her target on the first shot. Looking at the range and intensity of the laser color applied, it was much better than yesterday—she was in great form. It seemed that the hard training over the past few days had indeed had some effect.

But why did it feel… hmm, a bit different today? The sensation in her hands and the visual effect seemed slightly altered. Jiang Hui couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

While she was lost in thought, she suddenly felt a burning gaze directed at her. Who was on her right? Jiang Hui suddenly remembered that there seemed to be a group of senior students demonstrating nearby. She had been so absorbed in her own thoughts that she hadn’t even glanced at their demonstration before jumping right in.

At this moment, Jiang Hui didn’t realize that she not only forgot to watch the demonstration but also seemed to have deviated from the standard operation…

Since the primary role of the three students was to demonstrate, almost every group of newcomers would shoot a bit slower to first observe how the seniors performed. This was precisely the effect Nie Erqi wanted to see, so he didn’t stop it and even intentionally adjusted the pace to help the newcomers clearly see the demonstration.

Unexpectedly, a foolish student who was too immersed in the moment directly followed the command to shoot without fully understanding the situation.

In other words, Jiang Hui shot at the same time as the neighboring comparison group, rather than aligning with her own trio.

Moreover, Jiang Hui’s shooting posture and the final shooting result turned out to be on par with the senior beside her, not falling behind. At least, it appeared that way on the surface. With this, it was impossible for Jiang Hui not to stand out.

After carrying out such an operation, she remained in a daze for a while. Did she truly not regard the others at all?

Of course, for the freshmen who had just been demoralized, this was another way of reclaiming some confidence. They didn’t care that they were still within training time; they couldn’t help but cheer in agreement, instantly adding a lot of energy to the previously subdued training ground.