The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

“This child seems to have a good understanding of water…” Instructor Han said, somewhat surprised.

Stark shook his head. He really didn’t know that. He had known Jiang Hui for many years, ever since she was born, but the time they had actually spent together was minimal. In fact, they hadn’t even met much before this.

As for that guy, Jiang Hui’s father, though he was always talking on and on, the things he talked about were always irrelevant and mostly about things that happened when she was young. After all, just like him, Jiang Hui’s father had spent many years stationed far away, so there wasn’t much time for him to be with his daughter. In truth, his knowledge of Jiang Hui was quite limited, mainly just the regular communication they had on a fixed schedule every month.

So, this was the first time Stark found out that Jiang Hui could swim.

Swimming in the galaxy was a rather rare activity.

There were thousands upon thousands of planets in the galaxy, and each planet had its own unique ecosystem. Naturally, the state of the local water bodies varied. Not every planet’s water could be compatible with humans. Some water bodies contained substances that could be lethal to people.

Among these water bodies, few were suitable for swimming by humans. Only those water bodies created in the natural cycle of the home planet’s water system had the right structure and density, and the components were harmless—truly fitting for the origin of human life.

However, humanity’s home planet no longer existed. Apart from the species genes and non-biological samples that humans carried during their migration, nothing else remained. The original water species carried by the first settlers had long been depleted, leaving only a tiny bit preserved in the Imperial genetic vault.

So, all the existing home planet water bodies were simulated water. And because of the craftsmanship and cost, it was extremely expensive. Usually, it was only used in high-end restaurants as a rare delicacy. It was truly as valuable as gold.

Other water bodies that were suitable for swimming were likely even more expensive than the simulated home planet water, making them completely out of the question.

To learn to swim, one would first need to maintain a pool filled with simulated water and find someone knowledgeable in swimming to teach. It was easy to imagine how much effort that would take.

A skill that may not even be useful after learning it, and one that is extremely expensive, is naturally one of the most niche and unpopular activities. Even the children of wealthy families rarely choose to learn it.

Who would have thought that this child actually learned how to swim—was it out of interest? Now, it truly came in handy, and she taught it so skillfully.

“Sigh, so much simulated water… I wonder if it’s being recycled. That stuff costs money. Professor Denis really hasn’t changed; he’s as extravagant as ever.” Zap’s focus was clearly different from everyone else’s. Born into a poor family on the border, even after he joined the military and made a name for himself at a young age, he never changed his frugal ways. It was no surprise that he was the first to notice this.

Captain Lin Qi glanced at it again, then couldn’t help but ask, “That person over there seems to be… Young Master Zhou?” There were countless students with the surname Zhou in the school, but the only one they would call like that was ‘him’.

However, his appearance defied everyone’s expectations. When he first enrolled, he looked ordinary, even a bit shy, completely different from his renowned father. Those in the know couldn’t tell whether they felt disappointed or something else.

Looking at him now, it seemed they had underestimated him. Whether it was his ability to transmit psychic energy, his performance during the water crisis, or the way he overcame his fear of water in such a short time—he was far from ordinary.

“What about the other kid… yes, yes… no wonder he looks familiar. The guys from the Command Department are always so secretive. Their training is always mysterious. It’s the first time I’ve actually seen one today.”

The instructors kept talking, gradually getting into some strange territory. Stark, who usually rarely spoke, was no exception. No one tried to engage with him; he was like a cold wall. If Nie Erqi had been there, there might have been a few words exchanged, but Nie Erqi wasn’t truly free. He had only come by for a brief visit, and within less than two hours, he was called back to the hospital.

Stark watched the video of the group struggling, then turned to the big screen where the rankings were being updated, frowning as if deep in thought.

————————————

As expected, the process of teaching Huan Xian wasn’t smooth. Just as she had anticipated, he had a deep-seated fear of water.

At first, Jiang Hui thought it was likely the fear induced by the recent water crisis or some unknown natural trigger. However, as time passed, she realized that this person might not be afraid of ‘just’ the crisis. He was afraid of the water itself.

He was so terrified that even the sight of rippling water made his pupils tremble violently, making it impossible for anyone to force him to face something that caused him such deep inner fear.

Jiang Hui hesitated—should she just let it go? Maybe ask him to wait here for a while… or perhaps they should wait and see if the water would eventually recede by itself.

But if they did that, they would all end up dead. Both of them were running low on the simulated life vest’s energy, and if things continued like this, they would probably be eliminated soon.

Before she could come up with any reasonable explanation, he interrupted her thoughts.

“Try again,” he insisted. Jiang Hui then saw him take something and stuff it into his ears, then place a wide strip of tape over his eyes.

He couldn’t hear, and he couldn’t see.

What was he preparing for? Jiang Hui was puzzled… Could it be that if he couldn’t see or hear, he wouldn’t feel the water? She began to feel that her earlier assumption that he was afraid of the water itself might have been inaccurate. But since she didn’t understand his situation, she could only let him do as he wished.

Still not working…

Jiang Hui looked at the person who stiffened as soon as he entered the water, and was about to pull him up completely when he suddenly grabbed her arm. Jiang Hui was startled, realizing she had let her guard down. If he panicked and clung to her, she would be dragged down with him.

She had been so careful when teaching Zhou Xiuwen earlier, yet she had forgotten all about it this time.

She cursed herself mentally and thought about forcefully pushing his hand away, then simply pulling him back to the platform with the retractable rope.

But to her surprise, his grip was firm yet not frantic. The veins on the back of his hand were standing out, but the force of his grip seemed paradoxically gentle—this didn’t seem like the behavior of someone who didn’t know how to swim.

Hmm?

“Don’t move. Let me relax for a moment,” he said.

Jiang Hui looked down, but all she could see was him facing down, his head slightly raised. His soft, disheveled hair hung over his face, and the tape along his temples stuck to the back of his head, making his hair messy and covering his entire face. She couldn’t see his expression at all.

Is this it? Has he really started floating…?

She was very surprised, but he didn’t respond. Aside from the unchanging stiffness, his entire demeanor seemed to show no sign of fear at all.