The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

“Classmate Huan, it’s so crowded here—are there any other places you’re interested in?”

Huan Xian shook his head. He had roughly walked through the nearby floors earlier and hadn’t found anything that particularly interested him, so he just wandered around aimlessly for a bit.

Then earlier on the seventh floor, he ran into Jiang Hui, who was frantically shopping. Huan Xian hadn’t spoken up or interrupted her at the time—he simply waited nearby until Jiang Hui finally noticed him.

Jiang Hui glanced at the time—it was already afternoon. She hadn’t even realized that much time had passed, but the truth was the entire morning was gone. It was already past 1 p.m., meaning she’d spent four to five hours here… That was pretty insane.

She had spent way more time in the recycling center than she originally planned. The idea she just had about browsing the old book section disappeared instantly.

Once Huan Xian confirmed he had nothing else to check out, the two of them went downstairs and quickly found the other two, who were completely absorbed in the sea of books in the old book section. They then contacted Xierman through the lightbrain communicator—he had already left earlier because he couldn’t stand the crowd.

By the time everyone had checked out and packed up, and regrouped, it was already around 2 p.m. Most of the day had basically gone by just like that.

The group didn’t have any other plans afterward, so they discussed it briefly and decided to grab a casual meal nearby before heading off on their own.

Xierman volunteered to recommend a well-known restaurant in the area, hoping to have a nice sit-down chat with his friends—but before they could even find seats, the group started thinning out.

The first to have an issue was Zhou Xiuwen. He suddenly received a lightbrain call—on the other end was a young man, seemingly a house steward… or maybe not, either way, his tone was polite as he asked where Zhou Xiuwen was and said there was something urgent at home requiring his return.

Jiang Hui couldn’t quite describe Zhou Xiuwen’s expression in that moment—his usually gentle demeanor instantly sharpened. Ignoring the looks from everyone around, he immediately asked, “Is something wrong with my father?”

The man on the other end denied it, saying only that “his father needs to see him.” Zhou Xiuwen seemed to relax a bit at that but looked troubled as he replied that he was currently out with friends.

Naturally, no one in the group minded. If your father’s people call saying it’s urgent, a casual meal with classmates doesn’t really compare. They all told him to go ahead and take care of it.

With things said that clearly, Zhou Xiuwen didn’t protest further, apologized to everyone, and left.

They thought that might be the only unexpected departure—only to have Huan Xian receive a message shortly afterward too. His was just a text, but after reading it, he also excused himself and left.

That left only Jiang Hui, Xierman, and Clarens.

Great. Three people. The overly friendly one was still here. Very stable.

So, the entire meal ended up being carried entirely by Xierman. He chatted with Clarens, asked Jiang Hui about her haul from the recycling center, and basically kept the whole thing going by himself.

Jiang Hui didn’t mind—she was already used to Xierman’s personality. When they first met, he was the same way. Even after just one meeting, if they ran into each other again, he’d act like they were old friends—inviting her to meals and asking her for help with homework. Classic case of “you might feel awkward, but he definitely doesn’t.”

What surprised Jiang Hui, though, was that Clarens could actually keep up with someone like Xierman. She couldn’t tell whether he just didn’t know how to respond or if he secretly liked the enthusiastic energy. Either way, he was polite enough, didn’t brush Xierman off, and would occasionally reply with a few words—just with his usual cold demeanor.

However, Clarens was always so cold, and his coldness had varying degrees; this was actually one of the friendlier ones.

Although the conversation was fine, it wasn’t the kind of exceptional chemistry you’d have with a close friend. When it came to eating, it was purely about the meal itself. Not long after finishing, everyone said their goodbyes and headed home, agreeing to meet again tomorrow for the open competition.

This time, Jiang Hui didn’t refuse Xierman’s offer for a ride and took his private airship back to the fourth ring of the city, while Xierman dropped Clarens off at his residence in the first ring.

The whole day passed by like a flowing river, as if nothing much had happened, but everything she intended to do was almost completed. Jiang Hui was quite satisfied with the outcome.

She touched the internal space button on her jacket, thinking about the mech materials stacked inside. Somehow, she felt a warm rush of excitement, and her steps quickened.

Just as Jiang Hui passed the front desk’s smart robot certification, her lightbrain suddenly received a message from Huan Xian.

He briefly asked if they had made it home safely, reminding them to be cautious on the road. Jiang Hui didn’t overthink it and simply replied briefly, and then there was no further response, likely because he was busy.

As for Zhou Xiuwen, he was clearly occupied, so Jiang Hui didn’t think about messaging him. She still wondered what kind of urgent matter had caused him to rush back, even though the tone of the person who passed on the message didn’t sound urgent. However, the tone and context seemed somewhat serious.

Jiang Hui stood at the entrance, paused before the certification gate, and then her steps suddenly faltered. That’s right… she thought to herself, she knew it—there was something oddly familiar about the person who contacted Zhou Xiuwen earlier today. But she was sure she didn’t know this person; it was the first time she had heard that voice. So why did it feel familiar?

Then it hit her. It wasn’t the voice itself that felt familiar; it was the tone, the way the person spoke, and their language habits that seemed familiar.

The person’s tone, inflection, and even their language habits felt similar to Stark, and also to Captain Zou Yi from the next class, even resembling many of the officers in the Single Soldier Department at their school—typical military style. The person who contacted Zhou Xiuwen today was clearly a military officer, and from their demeanor, they were the more serious type.

Yet, their tone toward Zhou Xiuwen was relatively respectful, even polite to the point of being formal, unlike how an older person would typically speak to a younger one.

Zhou Xiuwen, based on his age, surely couldn’t hold a military rank. Moreover, he was studying at Beska Intermediate Academy alongside them, clearly just an ordinary student. How could someone with such a serious military officer’s demeanor treat him so respectfully?

The person sounded like a subordinate of Zhou Xiuwen’s father, and not just any subordinate, but one with some authority. Could it be that Zhou Xiuwen’s background… was actually quite high?

Jiang Hui thought about it for a moment, her thoughts drifting far off, and then she quickly realized she was completely off track. She hurriedly refocused and continued with her household entry certification.

What was she even thinking? This was so far out of line. She needed to take care of her own matters first.

There was still a huge pile of items from her shopping trip waiting for her to sort and organize, and if she didn’t handle it tonight… she couldn’t possibly leave it all until after the competition tomorrow and then rush back to sort everything out.

Time to get to work…