The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

The two of them had just worked together to take down a lone enemy, and the other person efficiently grabbed the military pack and began sharing its contents with Jiang Hui.

“Looks like you’re quite skilled at this,” Jiang Hui remarked, eyeing this guy who could at least be considered a new teammate.

The other party didn’t mind at all; he scratched his nose and grinned, just like he had throughout their journey so far.

Initially, Jiang Hui had approached with the mindset of “Let’s see what you’re up to,” and she had even thought coldly that if this guy was trying to pull something on her, she would definitely make him experience the harsh realities of society. She was always prepared for that.

However, throughout their journey, he seemed to show no signs of being suspicious, even appearing unusually trusting of her most of the time. He would dart ahead one moment and then lag behind the next, showing much less caution than she did. Sometimes, Jiang Hui couldn’t help but wonder if he realized that she could easily rob him of everything he had if she chose to ambush him from behind.

Now that was what one would really call the harsh realities of society.

As for how this situation developed into what it was now, even Jiang Hui couldn’t quite explain it. They had simply wandered aimlessly through the chaotic tunnels for a while before encountering a misfortunate individual also loitering in the tunnels, though this person’s attitude toward them seemed rather unfriendly.

This guy was… a bit taller and sturdier than them, and he looked quite fierce. He ignored their friendly greetings and launched a rapid attack right away.

He had a knack for targeting people, and he went straight for the shorter and skinnier Jiang Hui, who looked weak all over. Would Jiang Hui let him have his way?

A little over a month ago, there might have been a chance… but after a whole month of undergoing devilish training in individual combat, Jiang Hui definitely would not just stand there and let him hit her. Not to mention, she was sure this big guy wasn’t as agile as she was.

The moment he attacked, Jiang Hui’s mind raced through several calculations.

Looking at the way he threw his punches, hmm… he seemed rather slow and not very clever. Jiang Hui gave him a slight opening to act, and just as his fist was about to close in on her arm, she quickly crouched down.

Her bones were quite flexible, and in the blink of an eye, she disappeared from the opponent’s line of sight.

This guy really wasn’t very smart; his reaction was a beat too slow. By the time he figured out what was happening, his heavy frame couldn’t stop in time and he came crashing forward due to inertia.

Jiang Hui silently measured the trajectory of the guy’s movement and where he might fall, preparing to execute a sweep kick or a vertical kick to make his landing even more painful.

Then, the other person, who had been observing without moving, sprang into action. He grabbed the strong man’s arms, one on each side, then slightly leaned to the side, pulling and yanking, and finally, with a twist of the wrists, he gave him a push. The bulky man, who could barely jump, seemed to be pulled by some enormous force and flew several meters away.

If this had happened in reality, he would either have fractured a bone or at least knocked himself unconscious. Fortunately, the simulation vest on the opponent worked and deployed a shield as tall as a person, completely protecting his head and body from injury.

However, the simulation vest could only offer protection and cushioning; it couldn’t prevent him from landing awkwardly, nor could it save him from the “tragic fate” of his face hitting the ground. In the end, he didn’t even have time to let out a scream before it got stuck in his throat, resulting in a rather pitiful appearance.

Jiang Hui had originally planned to let the opponent simply fall in a way that looked ridiculous, but now she felt a twinge of pain for his face and hair.

Seriously, bro, are you that brutal? This guy won’t end up dead from that fall, will he? Jiang Hui glanced at him, and he happened to look back at her, their eyes meeting.

The subtle indifference and confidence that had been on his face earlier were gone, starkly contrasting with the casual demeanor he had shown while talking to Jiang Hui before, making it seem as if he had switched personalities.

Seeing the suspicion in Jiang Hui’s eyes, the expression on his face quickly returned to normal, and he wore a slight look that was hard to tell if it was embarrassment or something else. “Uh… it was just a coincidence, really. The key was that it depended on you, Jiang. If you hadn’t drawn this big guy’s attention, I wouldn’t have been able to take advantage of the chaos like that. Heh, heh…”

“Didn’t I say something? Your overly modest and somewhat guilty demeanor is even more concerning, you know? By the way, if I give you a chance later, will you do the same to her?”

Of course, this was just speculation; Jiang Hui wasn’t suspicious to that extent.

She had already chosen to cooperate by leaving with him, which implied her acceptance of this partnership. Her vigilance along the way was simply Jiang Hui’s cautious habit, as well as a principle she always kept in mind during this competition. It wasn’t about mistrust of the person, but about being cautious with the situation.

However, since she had chosen to cooperate, she wouldn’t be completely unwilling to offer some trust. Throughout the journey, the other person had been evasive and playful, almost like they were on an outing, leaving Jiang Hui uncertain whether this was their true nature or an attempt to disarm her. Still, he hadn’t done anything to harm her; in fact, when that man had charged at her earlier, he hadn’t pulled any tricks and even helped her out.

Thus, he had done a good job fulfilling his responsibilities as a partner.

Initially, the two of them had been brought together by coincidence and were merely maintaining a superficial teammate relationship. However, after that small incident, their partnership had solidified considerably, and they had gained a bit of understanding about each other.

In comparison, the man’s true intentions and the skills he had not shown seemed less significant, especially since she hadn’t given him her complete trust either and was still harboring various doubts in her heart.

“It seems you’ve trained before; your skills are quite good,” Jiang Hui said lightly in the end, then moved closer and slowly extended her hand.

The other person appeared somewhat surprised but quickly responded with a faint smile, shaking her hand lightly. “Huan Xian, Class 2 of the Command Department.”

“Jiang Hui, Class 2 of the Combat Infantry Department,” Jiang Hui replied. Although he seemed to have learned her name from somewhere since he had been calling her ‘Classmate Jiang’ from the start.

In a brief moment, they reached some sort of agreement and quickly reacted to the fact that the enemy they had taken down together had not moved for a while. “Is he okay?!”

Given that the man had been down for almost a minute without any response, it was hard to believe he hadn’t been seriously hurt.

Jiang Hui and Huan Xian were both students participating in this competition to train and improve themselves; they never intended to hurt anyone. If their excessive force had truly injured a fellow student, they would feel terrible about it.