The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

How could Jiang Hui not know? She thought for a moment and said, “Not really, but it’s pretty much the same. The sound of your mental energy connecting is so loud that my ears are still buzzing.”

All along, Zhou Xiuwen and Huan Xian had been using two-way mental energy transmission. Normally, only the two of them should have been able to “hear” each other. So Zhou Xiuwen immediately assumed he had accidentally relayed it to Jiang Hui due to his lack of control over the mental link.

“You can hear us talking?” Huan Xian asked in surprise, looking somewhat disbelieving.

“I didn’t catch any actual words,” Jiang Hui shook her head. “It’s just this irregular buzzing noise.”

At her response, Huan Xian’s expression shifted, a mix of slight disappointment and unexpected wonder.

Mental transmission doesn’t involve sound in the usual sense; it allows thoughts to be converted into mental energy waves and conveyed directly into another person’s mind, achieving true, seamless communication. Only a rare few with awakened abilities can do this, and those who can are considered natural leaders.

What they were transmitting wasn’t sound but energy waves—magnetic energy wavelengths that should be impossible for regular ears to pick up.

So the fact that Jiang Hui picked up on any of it at all likely meant she had some sensitivity to these energy wavelengths. But since she didn’t actually “hear” the contents, it ruled out her having an ability similar to his. Still, Huan Xian thought, it was perhaps for the best. Otherwise, Jiang Hui, trusted by her friends as she was, might have faced the same difficulties he did.

Jiang Hui’s unique case might have to do with her mental strength. When Zhou Xiuwen had tried transmitting directions to her earlier, he’d felt an unusual level of resistance, the kind you’d only encounter in people with exceptionally advanced mental abilities. Yet, given her untrained state, how could she possibly be sensitive enough to detect something as subtle as mental energy waves?

Oblivious to his thoughts, Jiang Hui continued, “How to describe it… it doesn’t sound like normal noise. It’s more like a ‘buzzing’ sound with a faint vibration to it, on and off.”

At first, she thought it might be the tunnel pulling some new trick on them or maybe even an enemy attack, so it startled her a bit. But then she noticed her two floating teammates were completely still, each quieter than the other, as if they were actual corpses.

Jiang Hui found it strange. Could she really be the only one hearing it?

At the time, Jiang Hui was already exhausted from swimming, short on energy, and didn’t want to startle her two teammates who were still struggling to adjust to the water. So, she held back her curiosity and listened more carefully. She soon realized that the sound wasn’t coming from anywhere else—it seemed to be coming from behind her, from the two teammates she was towing along.

It wasn’t a sound from either one specifically, but rather an exchange between them, as if each was contributing to a back-and-forth conversation in simulated speech tones. Although there wasn’t any distinct content, she could clearly sense a peculiar connection between the two of them.

Wait—were they actually talking? Using mental transmission?

Jiang Hui observed them more closely for a while and eventually confirmed they were indeed communicating through mental energy transmission.

So, it was just these two having a quiet conversation. Nothing serious, then, as long as it wasn’t some unknown danger.

She’d been a bit concerned about how long Huan Xian could hold out in his worn-out mental state. If Zhou Xiuwen was able to keep him engaged, it might help distract him.

As for what these two might discuss, that wasn’t really Jiang Hui’s concern. They barely knew each other, so it wasn’t odd for them to want to get acquainted. Besides, since they were working together, building trust was essential for collaboration. Jiang Hui didn’t feel particularly curious about their conversation.

Besides, if they discussed anything important, they’d likely inform her anyway. If they kept it private, then it probably wasn’t critical or necessary for her to know. In fact, Jiang Hui was pleased to see her teammates actively communicating, even though they weren’t yet close friends.

She did recall, however, that Zhou Xiuwen had mentioned that using this mental transmission consumed significantly more mental energy. Although she didn’t fully understand what “mental energy transmission” involved, she could grasp its meaning from context.

Considering how much mental energy the two had likely expended during their journey, she figured the mental energy replenishment serum would be more beneficial for them. Jiang Hui believed firmly in “optimizing resources to maximize the team’s effectiveness”—wasting supplies on unnecessary things made no sense.

As for herself, she truly didn’t need it as much. She had recently replenished her energy in her mental space, and though some of it had worn off over time, she was still in better shape than her teammates, who hadn’t rested in over ten star hours.

“Alright, let’s stop passing this back and forth,” she said firmly. “I really don’t need it, since I haven’t used much mental energy. You two should be careful, though—mental exhaustion is no small issue. No one else is around here, so if you don’t need to keep things private, just say it out loud. Why waste the energy on mental transmission?” Jiang Hui suggested pragmatically.

Unable to refuse Jiang Hui’s insistence, the two finally accepted the mental energy supplements without further fuss, lest they accidentally drop them into the water while trying to argue.

Upon hearing Jiang Hui’s remark, Huan Xian’s hand, which was holding two vials of the supplement, froze slightly. He pursed his lips, as if he wanted to say something but then decided against it.

Zhou Xiuwen responded, “I noticed that Huan’s mental state was a bit tense, so I thought using mental energy transmission to help him relax might do some good. I was just trying to keep it quiet, but I had no idea you could actually hear it…”

“The sound wasn’t loud, but it was noticeable enough to be distracting. Anyway, just watch yourselves. Make sure you’re monitoring your mental energy levels; I’m not about to haul you both around if you exhaust yourselves,” Jiang Hui warned, raising her eyebrows playfully.

With Jiang Hui turned away, chatting with Zhou Xiuwen, she missed the slightly conflicted expression that appeared on Huan Xian’s face. The younger teammate noticed it, though he showed no reaction, continuing to chat with Jiang Hui as if nothing had happened.

Zhou Xiuwen couldn’t quite understand Huan Xian’s reservations. What was there to hide? Sure, it was an unusual talent, but hardly something terrifying.

Huan Xian, in Zhou Xiuwen’s view, was perhaps a bit too sensitive. He hadn’t been spooked by Huan’s ability… well, maybe just a bit startled at first, before he fully understood it.

Zhou Xiuwen was both curious and impressed by Huan Xian’s unique skill. Although the team was facing difficulties at the moment, he believed it was only temporary. If they could continue working together, Huan’s talent could become a powerful asset to the group.

As for why he hadn’t directly explained all this to Jiang Hui, Zhou Xiuwen thought the current situation was already overwhelming enough. Even though Jiang Hui appeared to handle everything with ease, he didn’t want to burden her with one more thing.

Since he could help Huan Xian through this tough phase, he figured it was better to take it upon himself. After all, not everything should fall on Jiang Hui’s shoulders.

As a teammate, he felt he needed to be of use—wasn’t that what teammates were for?