The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

Meanwhile, chaos erupted in the dormitory area.

The sudden alarm had jolted everyone awake from their sleep. Both new and senior students were startled, jumping out of bed, thinking something serious had happened.

After hearing the broadcast, the senior students calmed down and went back to sleep, knowing it didn’t concern them. Having been through this before, they understood what was going on and couldn’t help but feel a bit of sympathy for the new freshmen.

The freshmen, however, were facing this situation for the first time. Confused and unsure of what to do, they got up, organized themselves, and followed the broadcast’s instructions, heading toward the nearest assembly point.

But with a large group of people, chaos was inevitable.

Some students were quite particular and, despite the rush, insisted on tidying themselves up before heading out. Others, in a hurry to leave, rushed to use the bathroom first. If the dorm housed many people, these situations led to arguments. Even if no physical fights broke out, verbal disputes still took time and caused delays.

Additionally, the dorm hallways were narrow, and with so many people rushing at once, bottlenecks formed. At one point, they were stuck in the hallway, unable to move forward or backward, delaying the evacuation even more.

When they arrived at the nearest assembly point, they realized everyone had had the same idea. The most convenient assembly areas quickly filled up, and some latecomers had to scramble between locations, only to find each one overcrowded. They were left searching for a spot that could still accommodate them.

By the time they finally found a place, most people were already in position. Their instructors were standing at attention, with stern, eagle-like gazes fixed on every latecomer.

At Jiang Hui’s training field, the same issue occurred, but she had left early enough and arrived just in time. However, more late-arriving students kept coming, and the instructors sent them to other locations for assembly.

Jiang Hui discreetly scanned the field and noticed that all her classmates and teachers had been mixed up. She didn’t see any familiar faces—none of her classmates, her class instructor, or any teachers she recognized. Some people were dressed in casual professional attire, while others wore military uniforms, making it hard to tell who was from the military department.

After more than a week of training, these once undisciplined freshmen had finally started to grasp the concept of military discipline. Even in the midst of the chaos and haste, they stood in silence, afraid to move or speak, each trying to maintain a posture that was straight but not overly rigid.

The instructors patrolling around didn’t seem intent on correcting them, but rather observed quietly, as if they were waiting for something.

Finally, the stillness of the training ground was broken by a brief, sharp sound that caught everyone’s attention.

“Assembly complete. Students who were unable to make it to the assembly should return to their dormitories, await registration by instructors, and are strictly forbidden from wandering around.”

So, some people didn’t make it. How deeply could they have been sleeping? And registration… What will they be noted for? How many points will be deducted? Jiang Hui couldn’t imagine the fate of those unfortunate students.

The students who had made it to the assembly looked somewhat relieved at first, but they soon realized they weren’t off the hook. The broadcast continued: “Assembly time was set for 3:15 AM. Anyone arriving later will be marked as tardy and deducted 30 points.”

“Those with improper military attire, poor posture, talking, or standing incorrectly will each have 15 points deducted, as recorded by the duty officers for public posting.”

Jiang Hui:?

All students: … They’re really pulling this underhanded trick.

No one had told them about these penalties beforehand, and now points were being deducted without any warning—no room for even a second of leniency.

Jiang Hui was grateful she had anticipated the school’s “habit” of sudden inspections, knowing they liked to spring surprises. During the assembly, she had been extra mindful of her behavior, standing perfectly straight.

Turns out, not paying attention could indeed lead to point deductions—15 points at that.

It was rumored that even the most basic violations during the school’s entrance inspection only resulted in a 10-point deduction. Losing 15 or 30 points in one go would leave many students with negative points in no time.

While Jiang Hui stood at attention, not daring to slack off, she couldn’t help but internally criticize the school for its cunning methods. It was clear they had set up traps specifically targeting the new students.

The broadcast continued, reporting several misconducts during the assembly, even calling out the offenders by name. Jiang Hui wondered how the school was monitoring everything so closely, as these students were immediately warned or even punished.

With this series of stern actions, the new students became too scared to move, anxiously waiting for further instructions. After the announcements, the patrolling instructors returned to their positions in the front, standing guard over the students as if anticipating something.

Finally, the sound of heavy, commanding footsteps echoed through the assembly area where Jiang Hui was standing.

Lieutenant Lando marched in confidently, ignoring the stares of the 500 students present. He walked straight to the podium in the front row and announced, “The first night drill for the 89983 batch of freshmen begins now. You will follow this formation for a full distance of 150 kilometers. Do not fall behind.”

One hundred and fifty kilometers… That sounded like a death march. Jiang Hui could barely manage 50 to 60 kilometers at most, and even pushing herself, 70 kilometers would be her limit. Running 150 kilometers would absolutely exhaust her to the point of collapse.

Although Jiang Hui had grown accustomed to the harsh training during military drills, such as running laps, which had become a daily routine for her, it seemed the school kept pushing their limits harder each time.

Did this mean they had to run even if they couldn’t? Would they even make it back to the dorms alive after this? These thoughts raised serious doubts in everyone’s minds.

Besides students like Jiang Hui, who were part of the Combat Specialist program, there were also many students from regular disciplines. These students had never faced such intense training before. For them, let alone running 150 kilometers, even 30 kilometers would be a serious challenge.

As a result, the students’ expressions changed subtly, and a sense of reluctance towards the upcoming task set in. Despite understanding that they had no choice but to comply, the prospect was daunting.

Unfortunately, Lieutenant Lando didn’t give them a chance to protest, nor even time to mentally prepare. He swiftly divided the students into random teams, assigned instructors to lead them, and immediately ordered them to start running.