The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

“Packaging Bag – Trash X1”

She really shouldn’t have gotten her hopes up about her luck.

Jiang Hui muttered and was about to throw away the torn packaging paper, but after a moment’s hesitation, she decided that it was too wasteful to toss something she had worked so hard to retrieve. In the end, she just grumpily folded it into a small bundle, tied it with a small leather string, and tossed it into her marching bag.

Then, under the slightly strange gaze of her two companions, her movements came to an abrupt stop.

Jiang Hui couldn’t help but feel both amused and frustrated… No, she hadn’t intended to collect trash; she just thought that such a large, clean piece of material might come in handy later.

If this were on Blue Star, a piece of rubber like this, that couldn’t be torn, would probably be picked up by countless people for use. It didn’t matter whether someone was rich or poor—something useful, just lying around, was always better than spending money to buy it, right?

“Use it to its fullest, maybe it’ll come in handy…” Jiang Hui forced a dry laugh and ultimately didn’t throw it away.

The group was back to square one.

Zhou Xiuwen, perhaps unable to stand the silence any longer, softly suggested, “Should we keep moving? This isn’t getting us anywhere.”

That was definitely true, provided you two could actually “move.”

Jiang Hui had been holding on to the hope that the water might eventually subside. The fact that it had gone from overflowing to the current half-submerged state meant there must be an outlet somewhere. Perhaps, if they waited, the water would eventually flow out and drain.

Unfortunately, after waiting for a while, the water level hadn’t decreased at all, and neither of the two seemed like they could adapt to the water anytime soon. Jiang Hui, already feeling frustrated, was not pleased when Zhou Xiuwen spoke up with such a suggestion.

He seemed to want to prove his point by daring to move his legs into the water, tentatively kicking a few times. A hint of regret flashed across his face, but since he’d already spoken, he had no choice but to push forward.

He thought to himself, it’s no different than stepping forward or stepping back—either way, it wouldn’t make much of a difference. Since they had some time, he might as well try it. If something happened, his teammates could help him out.

…Trust, he thought, I need to learn to trust.

Suddenly, he remembered the small stories his father used to tell him when he was young. Those stories, with only simple titles and plots, never hinted at the bloodshed or brutality of war. Yet, they conveyed the quiet warmth of trust and solidarity between comrades-in-arms, how they relied on each other and moved forward together.

The seed of belief was planted deep in Zhou Xiuwen’s heart when he was just a young child.

Though the years had passed, and he was no longer the eager young cub dreaming of a bloody battlefield, but just an ordinary noble son who had learned to go with the flow, and though his father was no longer the once powerful and influential general who dominated the galaxy but instead a bedridden, frail man… he still believed in that ideal.

For those true comrades-in-arms, as long as they were willing to trust, they would never be let down.

Suddenly, he wasn’t so afraid anymore. He relaxed his legs, and his body sank deeper into the water.

The water was cold, just like the relentless current that had seemed never-ending earlier, forcefully pulling him toward an unknown direction. That overwhelming, passive fear surged in his chest again, preventing him from staying calm.

However, this time, there was no rope pulling at his waist. In the seemingly bottomless water, he lost his balance and began to fall, down and down…

In his desperate struggles, he felt as if the simulation vest he was wearing might slip off from his chest.

Zhou Xiuwen suddenly panicked.

Thinking about something was one thing, but facing it was another.

A person who didn’t know how to swim had just experienced a terrifying near-drowning; how could he suddenly overcome his fear of water? Moreover, Zhou Xiuwen had been submerged under the water for a long time due to that box of bullets. Only he knew the psychological ordeal he had gone through during that time.

Just by looking at Huan Xian’s pale face, it was clear how much this water disaster had affected someone who was unfamiliar with water. Zhou Xiuwen, in fact, was psychologically quite resilient.

Though he was the weakest fighter of the three, he was the one who understood the world and could observe things the best.

While Jiang Hui was assessing the surroundings and worrying about their next move, Zhou Xiuwen had already figured it out.

He knew that, in this situation, the two of them had clearly become a burden to Jiang Hui.

Without them, she wouldn’t have stayed here so long. She would have likely swum to an unknown place and found a way out by now. There would have been no need for her to stay here, helplessly waiting for them.

Jiang Hui was always that kind of person. No matter the time or the situation, whether with the group or alone, she could always think for herself and move forward without fear.

The water wouldn’t retreat on its own, and Jiang Hui had no intention of abandoning the two of them. So, the only option now was for the two of them to overcome this difficulty and get out on their own.

Before Jiang Hui could voice any suggestions, Zhou Xiuwen took the initiative and proposed to try going into the water. He jokingly pleaded with Jiang Hui to make sure to help him out if he couldn’t handle it, or else he wouldn’t be able to survive.

But when he actually stepped into the water, he realized the difference between what he had imagined and the reality.

“Wait, my good friend Jiang Hui, aren’t you coming to save me? I can’t last much longer with this remaining energy!” Zhou Xiuwen thought, as his mind started to feel a bit suffocated.

Suddenly, someone placed a hand on his abdomen. His hands instinctively began to move wildly, sliding in all directions, seemingly trying to grab something.

“…Don’t move!” A voice came from across the water, not very loud but carrying a hint of muffled noise due to the water’s interference. “Didn’t we agree? If you move again, you’ll really send yourself out of the game.” The voice seemed somewhat helpless.

Zhou Xiuwen’s slightly foggy brain regained a bit of clarity. He vaguely remembered that before going into the water, Jiang Hui had repeatedly reminded him not to make any big movements and that even if he started to drown, he should relax his body and let her adjust his position.

Right, relax… he had moved too much earlier! The position of the simulation chest armor had slid down to his neck and chin, making it hard for him to move properly now.

Though he didn’t manage to relax fully, at least he gave the appearance of doing so.

Seeing that Zhou Xiuwen was starting to calm down a bit after his earlier frantic movements, Jiang Hui, who had been waiting outside, felt it was easier to handle him now and began adjusting his position.

Jiang Hui was grateful that she wasn’t weak at the moment—thanks to her training over the past few days. Otherwise, with her condition before the start of school, Zhou Xiuwen’s frantic movements would have likely sent her flying, and there would have been no chance to adjust his position like this.