The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

Chapter 197 - Mental Energy Supplement



Jiang Hui had chosen a temporary resting spot along the inner wall, where she and Huan Xian couldn’t see much of the tunnel’s movement ahead. Only Zhou Xiuwen, sitting on the outermost edge, had a clear view. While their vantage point wasn’t ideal for observation, it offered decent concealment, and with their backs against the wall, they didn’t have to worry about attacks from behind. However, the one keeping watch had to stay especially vigilant.

Naturally chosen as the lookout, Zhou Xiuwen had turned to glance back several times, which was unusual. His frequent checks seemed excessive for just keeping watch.

“…It looks like something is floating over here,” he said, just before Jiang Hui could ask what was up.

She instinctively thought about diving in to take a look, but remembering the last few times she’d checked with only disappointment, her enthusiasm faded.

‘Oh, it’s probably just more floating trash,’ she thought. ‘Maybe it’s just another scrap of packaging or base layer—no actual supplies.’ Jiang Hui was baffled. The number of floating items seemed to be increasing, but it was all useless packaging waste—nothing they could use.

The feeling of reaching into the water for something only to come up empty had become all too familiar. Her hope would rise, only to sink each time, leaving her a bit numb. She even cynically thought that maybe the last box of ammunition was the best they were going to find.

“So this time is probably the same as before… right?”

No, this time was different. Turns out, luck really does favor some people. Jiang Hui felt a mixture of frustration and disbelief.

Why was it that whenever she looked, all she ever found were packaging bags, empty nutrient solution bases, or broken bits of paper? But the moment someone else checked, they’d find something useful? Was the universe playing favorites?

Despite her lack of expectation, Jiang Hui was still the only one among them capable of moving easily in the water, so retrieving the item fell to her. However, just as she was about to dive in, Zhou Xiuwen stopped her.

He examined the direction and angle of the floating object, estimating that it would drift close enough to the edge. When it did, all he would need to do was lean over and stretch out his hand to pick it up—no need for Jiang Hui to go back into the water.

Jiang Hui didn’t mind; if it floated away, she could always go in and grab it. It was a chance to save some energy.

Sure enough, after a while, Zhou Xiuwen reached into the water and pulled something up. At first, he lifted it casually, but as soon as he felt its weight, he paused and then gave his wrist an extra twist to bring it up fully.

“It’s got some weight,” he remarked objectively, placing the item on his lap.

Jiang Hui’s eyes lit up; she sensed this might be different.

What Zhou Xiuwen pulled up was another small box, made of similar material to the previous box that had contained the bullets. Whatever was in it, it had definitely been meant to hold resources. It seemed like they were beginning to grasp the pattern of the resource drops in this stage.

However, seeing yet another small box, Jiang Hui kept her expectations low. She had previously retrieved two similar items herself—one had been even heavier, almost solid, yet when opened, it was either empty or full of useless scraps of paper, leaving her thoroughly annoyed.

This one might also turn out to be empty.

But Zhou Xiuwen’s comment, “It’s got some weight,” wasn’t casual. The weight could be from the box itself or from whatever was inside. They’d seen empty boxes before, where the weight had turned out to be from the box material alone. But if it was from inside… his comment implied there was something substantial in there.

Without a word, Zhou Xiuwen opened the box under Jiang Hui and Huan Xian’s watchful gazes. Inside… was a valuable find. Jiang Hui couldn’t help but feel a mix of awe and disbelief. Why was it that Zhou Xiuwen always seemed to pull out the good stuff on the first try, while she kept getting trash? Was the universe playing tricks on her?

Jiang Hui’s face clearly showed her frustration, creating a brief moment of awkward silence. The air felt thick, as if everyone heard a faint sound like something breaking.

If Jiang Hui could hear their thoughts, she’d probably tell them, “That’s the sound of a heart breaking.”

‘Fine, fine, I should’ve accepted it by now—my hands are just hopelessly unlucky.’

Jiang Hui took a deep breath, adjusted her mood, and urged Zhou Xiuwen to quickly take out the item for a closer look.

When he finally pulled it out and turned it over to read the label, they all felt a wave of surprise. This was—

“…a mental energy supplement!”

Though it was a common replenishment medicine on the market, it specifically targeted mental energy. In their current state of exhaustion, both mentally and physically, this was exactly the lifesaver they needed. It was an essential resource they hadn’t had any of until now, so finding it at such a crucial moment was nothing short of good luck.

“Wow, kid, your luck is incredible! This is just as good as the stuff in that last box.” Jiang Hui’s earlier frustration vanished entirely. Even though she hadn’t been the one to find it, it had still been recovered for their team, and it was exactly what they needed. In a way, she could count this as her own stroke of luck.

She even began to wonder if she should just leave all future retrievals to Zhou Xiuwen. After all, she’d fished around five or six times only to come up empty, while he had only tried twice and hit the mark both times. It was hard not to believe in such “luck.”

The team had gone through endless hardships—dragging two others along, half-swimming, one of them constantly struggling against a fear of water. The journey had been nothing but grueling, with little to show for it. Small wonder they’d all felt so drained and defeated.

But finding this box of mental energy supplements was like raising a rallying flag; their spirits lifted, as though this confirmed that all their persistence had been worthwhile and wasn’t just wasted effort. Maybe even more resources awaited them ahead.

Thinking this, even Huan Xian, who had been downcast most of the time, couldn’t help but crack a faint smile.

By habit, Zhou Xiuwen handled the distribution. The team had already developed a system for dividing resources; they worked in sync without needing to say much.

But this time, Jiang Hui intervened, stopping Zhou Xiuwen’s movements. She separated the four supplements he had handed out, taking two and giving them to Huan Xian, then handing one back to Zhou Xiuwen, leaving just one for herself.

With only five doses in the set, splitting them this way left no extras.

“I can’t…” Huan Xian protested, unwilling to accept them.

“Take them. I don’t need them much,” Jiang Hui said. “You two have been handling that mental energy transfer the entire time, right? You must’ve used up a lot of energy, so you both need these more.”

Zhou Xiuwen looked at her curiously. “Wait, did I accidentally transfer some to you?”


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