The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

The turbulent water had receded, but the accumulated water remained, flooding most of the complex tunnel space.

Jiang Hui was floating on the water’s surface, struggling to keep her feet on the ground, but the water level was still quite high.

However, she didn’t have the luxury of time to observe anything else. Once she assessed her situation, her eyes began scanning for the two unfortunate souls who couldn’t swim.

If she, who prided herself on being able to swim, had nearly drowned, she couldn’t imagine what those two were experiencing.

The three of them had been tied together with elastic ropes, making it easier to find each other afterward.

So it wasn’t long before reality answered her question.

Huan Xian was struggling a bit as he pulled himself up on the hook attached to the wall to maintain his position in the water. When he saw Jiang Hui looking at him, he stiffly nodded in her direction, indicating he was still somewhat aware.

Great, he was holding on. But what about the other one?

Jiang Hui looked around but didn’t immediately spot the other figure, causing her to worry… was he eliminated?

Suddenly, she remembered that the three safety vests were linked in a circular fashion, so she quickly followed the rope around her waist.

…But why was this rope so long? Where was he? Had he really been eliminated?

Suddenly, a strong tug came from the other end of the rope, nearly causing Jiang Hui to lose her balance and fall into the water.

That pull didn’t come from Huan Xian; it was—

The accumulated water continued to flow through the complex tunnels, forcing Jiang Hui to swim in order to navigate.

Huan Xian seemed quite afraid of the water. Whether he was naturally afraid or traumatized by their recent adventure in the flood, he floated stiffly on the surface like a wooden plank, seemingly reluctant to move, despite the buoyancy of the simulation vest and the tether pulling him along.

Seeing his situation, Jiang Hui knew it was not wise to call for help, so she decided to explain to him and then went to find the other person herself. She swam a few meters toward the other end of the rope and, to conserve her energy, began to pull on the rope while swimming, hoping to elicit a response from Zhou Xiuwen.

What was this? As she swam, Jiang Hui suddenly felt something hard and oddly familiar with her right hand. She fished it out of the water and discovered it was a base for a row of nutrient solutions.

How could such a thing be in the water? Had someone else’s belongings been washed here? Why couldn’t it be something useful instead? She thought aimlessly.

Well, Jiang Hui knew better than to have too much hope for her luck. Just the fact that she hadn’t been washed away was already a stroke of fortune; how could she expect to casually find nutrient solutions?

It was fine, as long as she could stay in the competition, resources would eventually come, including nutrient solutions. If she really couldn’t find any, she could always buy three or five rows of nutrient solutions for herself after the competition and enjoy them then. Jiang Hui reassured herself.

However, she could never have imagined how soon she would experience the disparities of the world.

It seemed that Jiang Hui had pulled the rope a little too far away before, as there had been no response from the other end. After she swam a few more meters and pulled on the rope a couple of times, she finally got a faint response from the other side, however weak it was.

Considering the current situation, she thought it was unnecessary to worry about speaking too loudly, so she shouted, “Zhou Xiuwen! Zhou Xiuwen!!”

At first, she called out loudly, but there was no answer.

She pondered whether he hadn’t heard her or if he had gotten disoriented underwater and couldn’t respond. So she called out his full name a couple more times, yet still no reaction.

Suddenly, she heard a muffled “gurgle gurgle” sound coming from beneath the water.

Could he still be drowning underwater? Jiang Hui felt a jolt of fear and didn’t hesitate to plunge her head into the water to check on him.

The tunnel was already quite dim, and the space on the surface of the water was murky as well, making the underwater environment even darker, with almost no light penetrating through.

Though humanity in the interstellar age had enhanced genes in many ways, they hadn’t evolved organs to adapt to underwater environments. Her vulnerable eyes were struggling against the pressure underwater, making it very uncomfortable. In this dark environment, she could only see some vague shadows.

Then Jiang Hui spotted a familiar figure not far from her side. The rope connected to the figure extended toward her, so this person must be Zhou Xiuwen.

He hadn’t been eliminated! Jiang Hui didn’t know if she felt relieved or what, but she felt a significant weight lift off her mind. However, it was becoming increasingly puzzling…

He was wearing the vest properly, and everything seemed fine, so why was he sinking underwater?

After a difficult moment of observing him underwater, she noticed his figure shifting slightly, as if he was shaking something he was holding in his hands.

She had a lot of questions in her mind, but speaking underwater was undoubtedly the most foolish thing to do at that moment.

Once she confirmed that Zhou Xiuwen was likely okay, Jiang Hui suddenly burst up from beneath the water.

Since there had been no response earlier, she didn’t intend to communicate with him anymore. Jiang Hui struggled through the water, gently tugging on the rope connecting them while also using the segment attached to the hook to pull him slightly closer to her.

Could he have passed out? He wasn’t reacting much to her pulls. Feeling anxious, she quickened her movements.

“What’s going on?” Huan Xian, who had managed to set up a temporary narrow support against the wall using the rope, asked.

He didn’t seem to be in good shape either; he appeared a bit shaken. Although his expression had calmed down, the remnants of fear were still visible in his brow, and his face was pale. He looked quite disheveled after being in the water, like a “drowned rat.”

“Zhou Xiuwen seems to have passed out; I’ve called for a while, and there’s been no response. I don’t have enough strength to pull him up with one hand,” Jiang Hui said, struggling as she worked.

She released the rope connected to Zhou Xiuwen and began to use the hooks on either side for leverage.

With a strong enough pivot, it would be easier to maneuver the other end, utilizing the retractable feature of the rope.

She had good intentions, but why was it so difficult to execute?

Zhou Xiuwen was really heavy; Jiang Hui felt like she was using all her strength. After a lot of pushing and pulling, she finally got him close to the water’s surface.

“Hey, Zhou Xiuwen, wake up! Did you pass out? Don’t sleep here; if you can’t hold on, I’ll just send you out of the competition!” After all, staying submerged in this water would definitely cause problems.

Jiang Hui had mentally prepared herself for the possibility that he might have already fainted and was ready to put in the effort to haul him up from the water. To her surprise, the moment his head just touched the surface, he started to struggle vigorously.