The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

When Jiang Hui finally returned to her dorm room, washed up, and lay in bed, she sorted through her tired mind, blinking a few times before closing her eyes. Her breathing slowed, and she seemed ready to fall asleep immediately. Suddenly, however, her eyes snapped open, and she sat up abruptly.

Wait, hold on! She seemed to have forgotten something—something important. Did she even pay the bill when she left the hospital just now?

Could she really have just walked out without paying the medical fees? Jiang Hui quickly activated her smart device and logged into her account to check her balance. Sure enough, there were no recent transactions, meaning she had actually left without settling the bill… And it wasn’t just that she’d had an all-night consultation with the therapist and received a professional analysis, but she’d also taken an entire box of medications home with her. This was bad—really bad.

Would the Inspection Bureau end up calling her to investigate this? What was she going to do?!

With her eyes wide open, Jiang Hui knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep like this. Unable to ignore her nagging worry any longer, she finally sent a message to Stark, who was likely busy at that moment, to ask about the medical fees.

Unexpectedly, Stark replied, telling her not to worry about it—he had already covered the costs. But he mentioned that Michael, the therapist, hadn’t actually accepted the payment, saying he planned to continue monitoring Jiang Hui’s recovery with regular check-ups in the future.

It made sense. Given the senior rank of the therapist, the fact that he’d agreed to treat her was a stroke of luck. For him to put so much effort into her case without charging a fee… aside from genuine kindness, perhaps he also had a professional interest in studying her unique condition. Jiang Hui didn’t mind being observed as a special case; in fact, she was happy to assist if she could.

Reflecting on her two encounters with him, she felt genuine trust and gratitude for the old therapist.

After confirming she hadn’t skipped out on the bill or caused any mix-up, Jiang Hui relaxed and fell back onto her dorm bed, her consciousness gradually slipping into sleep.

Unbeknownst to her, the campus outside was buzzing with excitement.

The entire school was given a day off to rest in preparation for tomorrow’s event, so no classes were scheduled. The atmosphere on campus was lively, with students filling the normally quiet paths, chatting and laughing. The energy felt almost celebratory.

This burst of enthusiasm was due to an announcement made earlier that morning.

Following tradition, the end of the freshmen’s one-month military training would be marked by a challenging orienteering race—their first major trial since entering the academy. This was the moment for ambitious students to start building a reputation.

Upperclassmen from the second and third years were also excited, curious to see what interesting new faces might emerge in this year’s cohort. The annual race had always been a highlight.

But this year was different—it marked the 150th anniversary of Beska Intermediate Academy. The Board of Trustees had authorized an expansion of all the events to celebrate the occasion.

Additionally, fortune seemed to favor them this year. Recently, two prominent families had made significant donations to the academy, earmarking funds specifically to enhance this month’s orienteering event and raise the stakes with new rewards.

Not only would the scale of the race increase, but the quality of the course and equipment would also be upgraded. The level of investment alone was enough to make this event feel like its own anniversary celebration.

Yet, the biggest buzz centered around the prizes. To recognize the challenge of the intensified course and to support student welfare, all participants would receive a stipend, and a free meal service would be provided for spectators in the viewing area.

Rumor had it that among the prizes was a custom-built mecha, which immediately ignited everyone’s fighting spirit. Such a prize was worth more than a fortune—it was far superior to past rewards of simple star credits or campus points. Unsurprisingly, this stirred envy among some of the upperclassmen, who wished they could go back in time and become freshmen again just for a chance at this reward.

As the fortunate first-year class, the freshmen were both thrilled and stunned. While not everyone would meet the standards required to win a top prize, just participating would earn them a stipend, which was already worthwhile. Besides, some felt that if they didn’t try, they’d never know what they were truly capable of.

The Office of Academic Affairs released the announcement and posters a day early, posting them all around campus. Now, nearly everyone was talking about it, and the school’s forums were buzzing with excitement.

With the entire school on break today, the campus atmosphere was livelier than ever. Jiang Hui, who’d stayed up all night, was too exhausted to notice the buzz when she returned in broad daylight. She slept the entire afternoon, waking up just in time for dinner. Since she hadn’t wandered around campus all day, she missed out on all the gossip.

As she walked around, she noticed everyone seemed unusually excited. ‘Could just having a day off really be this thrilling?’ she wondered.

As it turned out, it wasn’t the break that had everyone excited. It was likely because they’d all been caught up in the hype and gossip.

Jiang Hui sometimes couldn’t help but wonder if Xierman had some kind of tracking device on her, or maybe some uncanny skill she hadn’t noticed. Somehow, he always managed to find her exact location. Just as she left her dorm to head to the cafeteria, Xierman intercepted her halfway.

Watching him animatedly recount the day’s big news, Jiang Hui quietly took a bite of meat, wondering just how long he’d stay this excited.

Seeing that Xierman finally seemed to be wrapping up his story, he suddenly remembered something and asked, “Hey, Jiang! The campus was buzzing today—even those third-year upperclassmen who usually keep to their training came out. Around lunchtime, I was going to invite you to grab a bite with me, but…” He hadn’t expected her to have slept through the entire afternoon.

“A few things came up,” Jiang Hui explained. In truth, she’d stayed up the entire night dealing with some matters, but she couldn’t exactly explain that to him directly. At least this was a reasonable answer.

Xierman seemed satisfied with her response and cheerfully assured her it was no big deal.

Jiang Hui assumed he’d go back to excitedly talking about the grand orienteering event scheduled for tomorrow, but to her surprise, he changed the topic.

Looking around with a mischievous glint in his eye, he said, “Oh, by the way, I heard the other day that someone in our department beat one of the big-name second-years in a shooting match. The first and second years are all talking about it!”

Jiang Hui:?

At first, she didn’t pay much attention—after all, there were quite a few good shooters even within her own class. But as Xierman continued, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something about this story sounded off…