The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

Is this the thrill of finding hope at a dead end?!

Jiang Hui had been despairing over their dire predicament. She lay back, exhausted and ready to give up. Nearby were her equally worn-out teammates, and with their simulation vests about to fail, she was racking her brain… What on earth were they going to do?

So, when she heard the sudden announcement through her dizzy haze, it was like someone had struck a gong next to her ear, snapping her instantly awake. She sprang to her feet in a flash.

‘They found it? They really found it!’ Finally, they’d located a new recharge point—one with unlimited charging capacity! At last, they’d found a lifeline… After four star hours of near-constant hardship, adding the two star-hours they had left, that made six star-hours in total—almost a quarter of the competition’s time. Jiang Hui couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for the grueling journey they had endured so far.

The competition lasted a total of 36 star hours. Jiang Hui had overheard the broadcast mention “a quarter mark,” and she’d assumed that the competition would be divided into four stages, each about nine hours long, with minimal time at supply points. But it turned out the first supply point alone was taking six star hours to reach, so it was likely the second round of supplies would be similarly time-consuming.

So, logically, the competition would probably be broken into three main phases at most. And they were only just finishing the first phase… This was truly brutal—like a survival course in the wild. Who came up with this design?

Shaking off the whirlwind of thoughts, Jiang Hui quickly sat up to check on her two teammates.

They’d heard the announcement too, and both were struggling to sit up, although they still looked quite weak.

But their exhaustion couldn’t mask their relief, especially Huan Xian. His pale, almost ghostly face seemed to regain some life and color.

Zhou Xiuwen also looked relieved, but for him, it was clear he was mostly thrilled to be free of their ordeal. “I didn’t think there’d actually be a ‘Total Energy Block A1.’ All that suffering wasn’t in vain. But… I really never want to do any water activities again, if I can help it.”

It seemed he had indeed developed a bit of a phobia. Jiang Hui couldn’t help but laugh and shook her head, “I was actually going to suggest that you guys learn to swim at some point.” After all, who knows when a similar situation might happen again? This time was just a simulated competition, but if they were ever in a real-life situation, waiting for rescue would hardly be an option.

Jiang Hui, having once lived on Blue Planet, understood all too well the dangers of water, and how many lives were lost to it every year.

As she listened to her teammate’s comments, Jiang Hui realized that he had a point. They’d first encountered the Total Energy Block A3, which had a recharge limit of 40%, followed by the A2 block, which allowed for 60%. But neither of these provided enough power to carry them through the competition. To continue, they’d need a higher-capacity energy block to keep their simulation vests charged.

Now, they’d finally located the A1 energy block—an unlimited charging block, exactly what they needed. Only then did the tension they’d been holding finally ease, a relief even greater than when they’d found extra ammunition.

Watching as their simulation vests connected to the A1 block and showed their charge levels increasing, they all felt reassured. They then began to take stock of their surroundings.

Jiang Hui noticed that they were in a narrow, one-way corridor leading forward to an unknown destination. Behind them was the pool they had just climbed out of, its edges surrounded by solid, seamless walls. This was clearly a dead end.

The water, seen from above, didn’t appear deep; it was clear, with visible stones at the bottom, and looked like an ordinary, small pool—though had they not almost drowned in it, they might have dismissed it as nothing special.

They had emerged from the bottom of this pool, which meant that this corridor was on a higher level than the one below. So, was the exit really somewhere above? Jiang Hui had speculated as much before.

“Where did all this water come from, anyway?” Zhou Xiuwen crouched by the edge of the pool, looking curious.

“It’s probably some kind of hidden mechanism,” Jiang Hui replied, considering the unusual structure. It seemed likely that there were traps or levers between the two levels. She then noticed Zhou getting a bit too close to the edge. “Weren’t you just saying you’re afraid of water? Why are you edging closer now? Be careful! If you fall in again, I’m not fishing you out!”

Jiang Hui couldn’t help but warn Zhou Xiuwen as he crouched so casually by the edge of the pool. She knew he wasn’t about to just topple into the water without reason, but the edge offered neither guardrail nor support. Who knew if he might suddenly lose his balance and fall? There could even be an undertow below; if he slipped, he’d likely be pulled away in an instant.

After managing to convince him to keep a safe distance from the pool, Jiang Hui moved over to where Huan Xian was sitting cross-legged. “Are you feeling better now?”

“I’ll be fine after resting a bit,” he replied. His complexion looked significantly better—probably due to finally being away from the water, which had visibly lifted his spirits. Glancing at the screen on his right shoulder, he suggested, “Why don’t we wait until we’re fully charged before exploring further?”

Jiang Hui agreed. She was doing all right, but the other two had nearly run out of power earlier and almost been ejected from the competition. Recharging was their top priority.

Based on the previous message about connecting to the A1 total energy block, they probably had about two hours to stay here. Two hours—she doubted it would be completely peaceful. Knowing how the competition organizers operated, there were likely more challenges awaiting them soon. Better to take advantage of this time to fully recharge their simulation vests.

So, they decided to rest for now. Jiang Hui called Zhou Xiuwen back from where he’d been wandering and observing the surroundings, and the three of them sat quietly together, either restoring their energy or clearing their minds.

But really, it wasn’t exactly quiet.

Huan Xian closed his eyes to rest. Jiang Hui, who had already had a nap earlier, wasn’t particularly tired, but she could definitely use some time to regain her strength. Today’s physical exertion had been overwhelming, even for her. As for Zhou Xiuwen…

“Gurgle… gurgle…”

“Glug… glug…”

The first time the sound echoed, none of them, including Zhou himself, reacted much, perhaps thinking it was just a fluke. But when it happened again… the person resting couldn’t help but open his eyes, and Jiang Hui, deep in thought, turned her gaze toward the source of the sound.

The person instinctively covered his stomach, his face immediately flushing as he explained, “I—I haven’t eaten anything all day.”