The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

Jiang Hui is currently unaware of the uproar outside; she is quietly immersing herself in the battlefield with her new teammates.

Afterward, they pulled off a similar operation, but this time their luck was not great—they were discovered. Their opponents were also fierce and managed to turn the tables on them, leading to a complete failure. In the end, the two of them could only gather a few scattered targets and escape.

Then the two began their unknown guerrilla journey, stopping and going, not letting go of any opportunity to earn points. Fortunately, they didn’t encounter any formidable opponents along the way; although their progress was slow, it wasn’t too far behind.

Just when they thought they could hold on for a while, an unexpected event suddenly interrupted all their plans and caught them off guard.

————————————-

Nearly nine star hours had passed since the competition began, and they were about to reach a quarter of the way through. Calculating, she realized she would have to endure another day and night to complete this match. Just thinking about it made Jiang Hui feel a bit of a headache.

Oh, of course, if she were eliminated from the competition area with less than thirty-six star hours, she wouldn’t have to worry about this at all.

It was just past six o’clock in the evening, and the sky suddenly turned dark, serving as a natural timekeeper. The training ground lacked any lighting, and the simulated super moon in the sky was not enough to illuminate their path through the forest.

Aside from the tools they were carrying, the only source of light was the electronic screen on the upper right corner of each person’s simulated vest. In the darkness, it flickered incessantly, more conspicuous than the scattered stars in the sky.

However, in such an environment, this light was obviously not beneficial; instead, it made them more likely to be exposed in the darkness, turning them into targets for others to shoot at.

With the changed environment, things were no longer as easy to navigate as they had been during the day, so they had to adjust their strategy—this was essential.

Without a light source, the two dared not venture too far or speak out loud. In the end, they managed to find a rocky crevice by feeling their way with the remaining light, where they could temporarily hide.

They actually had flashlights and light panels on hand—each had one, which was sufficient—but they were reluctant to use them lightly.

It wasn’t that they were unwilling to use them; it was just that shining a beam of light in this pitch-black area would only draw attention. Who would want to give away their presence to anyone nearby? Feeling uneasy in the dark, they could only suppress the urge to use their flashlights to scan the surroundings.

The entire training ground was constructed to mimic a real forest, with genuine bushes and trees that easily attracted small natural creatures. Of course, larger animals and even small star beasts had been removed early by the school authorities to avoid incidents like the one that occurred last time.

Then, as Jiang Hui and Zhou Xiuwen hid under the cover of night, they could still hear the pleasant sounds of birds singing, as if some unknown species was serenading them, and it sounded quite nice.

“Jiang, are you there?”

Jiang Hui, who had been momentarily distracted by the bird calls, was startled by this voice, which was quite unfamiliar to her.

Although she rarely spoke to Zhou Xiuwen due to the need for stealth, they had exchanged words at the beginning to prevent others from locating them based on their voices.

If she remembered correctly, the other person’s voice didn’t seem like this. Moreover, the tone felt a bit stiff, as if it was muddled, with the words connected in a way that sounded somewhat unclear and strange.

Jiang Hui did not realize that what she thought she “heard” had already surpassed the limitations of normal sensory perception; she was actually using a mental power she was still quite unfamiliar with to “listen.”

“Jiang, is that you? Can you hear me?”

Jiang Hui hesitantly tapped the shoulder of the person next to her. “Yes, it’s me, Zhou…” This part was also choppy, but Jiang Hui clearly heard the name “Zhou” at the end, and the person next to her responded at the right moment, confirming for Jiang Hui that these two strange voices were indeed coming from Zhou Xiuwen, who was very close by.

However, she was sure that it was not the other person’s voice, and it seemed that this sound did not enter through her ears but appeared directly in her mind.

Through the stuttering expression of the other person, Jiang Hui finally understood that this was indeed the effect of mental power transmission. This meant that not only was the voice distorted, but there was also no physical sound being emitted in reality; the other person was directly transmitting to her mind through mental energy.

So, mental power had such a wonderful application. This was the first time Jiang Hui faced something that transcended her understanding.

God knows that in her world, being able to transmit sound over the internet was probably the limit. She never expected to personally experience something akin to “whispers in the ear”… Well, it was actually mental energy transmission, but in terms of function and effect, it was quite similar.

Although she still didn’t know the principles behind it, it was truly amazing—so amazing that it made her feel a bit restless.

It turned out that mental power had such uses. In the past few days of military training, this aspect had not been covered at all; it hadn’t even been mentioned. Was this something only taught in formal courses, or was it some kind of special talent?

How was this even possible?! If the occasion were more appropriate, Jiang Hui wouldn’t be able to resist grabbing the person and asking about the principles right now.

Well, it was fine; there was no rush. After all, this person wasn’t going anywhere, and it wouldn’t be too late to find him after they left the competition area to ask for clarification.

The person in question was completely unaware that he was being closely observed by Jiang Hui, who he considered very reliable, and was still struggling to convey his thoughts clumsily through mental energy.

The other person told him that this action was quite exhausting for mental energy; speaking too much would consume a large amount of it. Given his level of mental energy, it wouldn’t last long, so he should focus on the essentials first.

After a while, Jiang Hui, with a puzzled expression, instinctively looked down towards her right shoulder: ??

Was there…? No way!

If you asked her how she felt at the moment, it could be described as being caught in the rain with a leaking roof—just plain unlucky. Why did it have to happen at this time?
She was out of power.

Why hadn’t anyone told them that this thing also needed to be charged?! What would happen if it really ran out of power? Would they be thrown out of the competition area? That would be truly frustrating.

Yes, the thing she was talking about running out of power was the simulated vest they were currently wearing. She had always thought it was just a control device and also served as a safety protective equipment… but no one had told her that it also needed to be charged.

So where could she charge it?

Jiang Hui was bewildered, and Zhou Xiuwen was also confused. At this moment, many new students present were equally puzzled by the same situation.

Outside the Audience Area

Suddenly, a gentle music filled the competition venue, followed by an announcement from the broadcast station: “We have reached the quarter mark of the competition. The first round of supply points is now open. All participants are requested to proceed to the designated locations for supplies and energy replenishment.”

This announcement also reached the training ground, and the thousands of surviving students inside looked up in surprise or confusion upon hearing it.