The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

Through Zhou Xiuwen’s quiet recounting, Jiang Hui finally pieced together what had happened to cause such a major shift.

As soon as he entered, he was transported to a different area. Zhou Xuiwen had rather bad luck—once again, he was thrown into a chaotic melee upon arrival.

Many contestants, unfamiliar with the reduced effectiveness of firearms at the supply point, wasted large amounts of bullets and resources in an all-out fight. Eventually, they realized that bullets couldn’t take down opponents easily here and that the cost in resources was too high. Only then did they reluctantly cease fighting and begin looking for ways to replenish their supplies.

Zhou Xiuwen, however, wasn’t interested in gathering resources—he was focused on finding Jiang Hui. Amid the chaos, he searched high and low for any sign of her. Despite his efforts, he couldn’t find her, until he ran into someone who suddenly tried to take advantage of him.

Normally, someone as cautious as Zhou Xuiwen would back down… or, wait, why should he give in? If they were outside, he might have surrendered, since his shooting accuracy was reliable within ten meters but became much less so beyond that range. With Jiang Hui absent, it would leave him vulnerable to any opportunist.

But here at the supply point, guns were ineffective, and his energy vest still held 61% power, so those opponents couldn’t take him down easily—unless someone was strong enough to eliminate him outright.

When a scrawnier opponent, shorter than him, showed up trying to steal his resources, Zhou Xiuwen decided he couldn’t just cower and avoid the fight. Otherwise, he’d be letting Jiang Hui down after all the help she’d given him on this journey.

So, Zhou Xuiwen finally shrugged off his “non-combatant” mindset and went bare-handed into battle with his would-be thief. The guy clearly hadn’t sized up the situation well and ended up getting soundly defeated by Zhou Xuiwen, ultimately eliminated from the competition.

Afterward, Zhou grabbed the resources he’d collected and moved on, only to stumble upon the chaotic skirmish taking place around Jiang Hui.

If it were anyone else, Zhou Xiuwen would probably have taken a detour to avoid the fight. But when he caught a glimpse of Jiang Hui’s face in the distance, he immediately changed his mind. Deciding to turn from bystander to ally, he charged forward and delivered a finishing blow. This is how the current scene unfolded.

Everything aligned quite well—his timing was perfect, and his intervention was critical. Without Zhou Xiuwen’s timely help, the outcome of this skirmish would have been uncertain.

Having defeated the enemy and reunited with her teammate, Jiang Hui felt a bit more at ease.

Suddenly, she noticed the electronic display on Zhou Xiuwen’s right shoulder, which showed an energy level of 56%. Curious, she asked, “Did you find a place to recharge?”

She remembered that when they first arrived, his energy vest had shown an even lower charge than hers, nearly empty. This was one of the main reasons they had both rushed to the supply point—surviving outside without energy would’ve been nearly impossible.

Now, however, his energy vest was at 56%, even after using some during the fight. So it was unlikely he had used the limited 40% charging station they had encountered. Had he found another supply point?

Sure enough, Zhou Xiuwen nodded. “Yes. I got lucky and stumbled upon a hidden charging spot, and it had a limit up to 60%.”

Jiang Hui was pleasantly surprised. If she could find it, her remaining energy plus that extra charge would nearly bring her to 100%, meaning she wouldn’t have to worry about energy for the next round of the competition.

After confirming this, Jiang Hui eagerly asked if he remembered the route.

Zhou Xiuwen’s expression turned a bit hesitant. “I’m not sure if I can find it again. But I did leave a few subtle markers along the way—hopefully, they haven’t been discovered.”

Jiang Hui didn’t mind this at all. In fact, she thought it was pretty clever of Zhou Xiuwen to leave markers. As for whether someone else might have found and followed them—she wasn’t too concerned. After all, her last charging station had been swarming with people, and even her current teammate had been picked up from that chaotic scene, so she was already used to it.

If they happened to encounter enemies at the charging station, so be it. They’d deal with things as they came. Besides, there were enemies all over this supply zone, and from someone else’s perspective, they were the “enemy” as well.

Rather than worrying about potential encounters, Jiang Hui was more concerned about not finding enough energy to recharge.

How long had they been in the supply zone now? Two star hours, probably. Yet they hadn’t managed to collect much in terms of resources, and their energy vests were barely half-charged due to various restrictions. If they were suddenly thrown out now, all their efforts would have been for nothing.

No, no! Jiang Hui forced herself to shake off this “terrifying” thought and return to practical thinking.

She always had a clear mind for strategy. Right now, the priority was definitely to fully recharge her energy vest, ensuring she’d have enough power to reach the end of the next stage. This was the most critical goal for their current supply run. Resources could be gathered later when there’d be more opportunities.

Jiang Hui initially wanted to invite both teammates to set off together, but when she looked at Huan Xian, her newer companion who had only recently joined them, she found herself asking instead, “Huan Xian, would you… still like to join us?”

It was a bit awkward, admittedly, as it felt like she was singling him out. But she meant no offense—just that things had shifted, and it was better to clarify things upfront to avoid any miscommunication leading to bigger issues later.

Zhou Xiuwen had been by her side for a while, so Jiang Hui was quite clear on his intentions—he obviously wanted to follow her. She was comfortable working with him since they knew each other a bit better and collaborated well. She didn’t mind having him as a helper.

However, she hadn’t forgotten that her team with Huan Xian was only a temporary arrangement. While Huan Xian had shown a willingness to work with her, it didn’t necessarily mean he wanted to team up with someone else Zhou Xiuwen joining would turn their duo into a trio. Jiang Hui thought it was best to clarify this with him.

Huan Xian glanced up at her without immediately replying, dropping his usual playful expression and looking unexpectedly serious.

Just as Jiang Hui began to worry he might be unhappy or have other objections, he finally spoke up, “We should at least split up the resources before heading out, right?” With that, he handed her the resource pack he’d taken from the opponent Jiang Hui had single-handedly defeated, then divided the remaining resources from the other player evenly into three portions.

Jiang Hui thought to herself, ‘This guy might be taking fairness a bit too seriously! Even now, he’s making sure we each get an equal share of the resources.’

Still, this seemed to imply he didn’t mind joining forces with Zhou Xiuwen. Not minding was good enough for her.

With Huan Xian’s agreement, the three of them set off together toward the charging point, hoping it would still be there when they arrived.