The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

If she wasn’t clear about the situation before, the prompt from the simulated vest helped her understand it pretty well.

After realizing that these people had no inclination to attack, Jiang Hui carefully observed the conditions inside the cave and bravely chose a relatively good spot on the edge to replenish her energy.

She even had the audacity to eavesdrop on a nearby guy’s conversation with his companion.

That person was clearly a chatterbox, saying everything that should and shouldn’t be said, practically forcing others to listen in.

The process was quite simple: she arrived the same way they did.

After entering the supply point, everyone had been separated just like Jiang Hui. Of course, some were luckier and quickly found a larger group, but they too wandered around the tunnels for a while before arriving here, ultimately discovering this total energy block.

Although this energy block only allowed a charging limit of 40%, for many whose simulated vests were already running low on power, it was a much-needed relief, and naturally, more and more people gathered and refused to leave.

It started with one or two people, then a few teams, and eventually swelled to a hundred or more. With so many people, problems were bound to arise.

In fact, issues had already emerged when several teams ran into each other. They were used to shooting at each other outside the training ground, so they naturally wanted to bring that behavior here.

In their eyes, anyone who squeezed in was there to compete for energy and resources, and it seemed only reasonable to eliminate one to gain a point.

Unfortunately, they quickly discovered a problem: in this strange supply point, firearms and ammunition were ineffective. It wasn’t that they didn’t work, but the cost of shooting someone to eliminate them was just too high.

Just think about it—outside, it was generally one shot per person, and if a team coordinated well, it was even possible to wipe out an entire team.

But in the supply point, firing a single bullet only depleted 1% of the opponent’s simulated vest’s energy. This meant that to eliminate one person, they would need to fire dozens of bullets, and who could afford such a loss? Even if they could afford it, they had no idea how the points would be calculated… or how to even calculate them.

So, that’s how Jiang Hui began to witness the scene before her.

Logically, even if everyone couldn’t outright eliminate each other, they should at least be able to form factions. It was absurd for them to sit together like animals, huddled in a group; the scene was overly harmonious.

It took her a while to understand why the situation was like this—because even Jiang Hui found herself unable to resist getting closer to the crowd. Since she entered, she had already changed locations three or four times, and it was only after the fifth move that she ended up here, where a tall, thin classmate sat nearby.

This cave seemed like a specially enclosed area. Once the participants stepped inside, their simulated vests would automatically receive energy waves from the total energy block for recharging.

However, the recharging efficiency wasn’t the same throughout the entire cave. Each spot—or rather, every moment at each spot—was different and could change at any time.

To put it simply, the A point Jiang Hui first found had a rapid charging speed, with her simulated vest’s electronic screen jumping from 8% to 13% in an instant. But after a few minutes, it was stuck at 13% and wouldn’t move. Meanwhile, the people who had just moved next to her had already jumped their percentages twice.

As a result, Jiang Hui had to follow the others and change to a different spot, B. Although this place wasn’t particularly fast, it was better than being stuck where she was. After waiting for a while, her vest charged from 13% to 15%, but then it got stuck again… This back-and-forth continued without her ever reaching a full charge.

Clearly, she wasn’t the only one in this situation; nearly everyone faced similar challenges. It was just a matter of moving around.

So, almost everyone in the cave was shifting positions, especially those on the outskirts. No one paid attention to them because they were all solo fighters destined to not get a good spot. Most of those occupying the inner circles close to the total energy block were members of organized teams.

Was it true that charging efficiency would be better closer to those inner circles? Well, it was quite possible. Given their tense expressions as they fought for position, it was evident that it was useful; otherwise, why would they willingly huddle together with so many strangers? Although sometimes, Jiang Hui could hear their occasional ruckus, and it didn’t sound that great.

The total energy block was located right in the center of the crowd, surrounded by layers of people, preventing her from seeing it clearly until now.

Jiang Hui took a general look at the people present. Unfortunately, out of the hundreds of people, she couldn’t see Zhou Xiuwen. They had both entered through the same entrance almost simultaneously—had he gotten lost somewhere else?

She didn’t join up with anyone else, instead carefully keeping a small distance from others, trying to remain inconspicuous. In fact, Jiang Hui wasn’t very reassured by the current situation; she felt uneasy and was constantly on edge, remaining vigilant without a moment’s rest.

Fortunately, she found that the charging efficiency in the outer circle wasn’t too bad. Perhaps it was because her vest still had 8% of its basic energy remaining, so charging didn’t take too long. Before she knew it, the energy level on her simulated vest had reached 38%, with 10% left to fill.

But did she really want to charge it all the way to the top? No matter how full it got, it could only reach 48%.

Jiang Hui began to ponder whether she should make a run for it now. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to charge to the maximum; it was just that if she filled it up, the others would likely finish charging around the same time. Once they had no concerns behind them, could this “win-win” situation really hold?

At that point, if… no, she was sure they would start fighting. Moreover, these people were deliberately crowding so closely together, clearly plotting something for when that time came. Jiang Hui could almost imagine the chaotic scene that would unfold.

Though she could hide on the side and scavenge something, in such an open space with no cover, she couldn’t guarantee her own safe escape. Jiang Hui quickly dismissed that thought and focused on something more practical.

There had to be more than just this one supply point. Since there was a limit of 40% for charging, there could be points with a 60% limit or even unlimited charging options. In any case, there would surely be a way to fully recharge her simulated vest.

Only by fully charging her vest and obtaining enough energy to face the next quarter of the competition could she continue to advance further in this contest.

She couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

Watching the numbers on the prompt board rise to 38% without her noticing, Jiang Hui made up her mind.

So when that boy seemingly untrustworthy extended an invitation to her, Jiang Hui hesitated for a moment before decisively agreeing, despite the look of surprise on his face.

Amidst the increasingly tense atmosphere, the two found an opportunity and quickly slipped out of the cave, running down a tunnel that led who knows where.