The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

They had no chance to protest as they were led out in small squads. Leading them was a young and strict-looking sergeant, though his rank seemed low, likely just an instructor from the regular disciplines.

The sergeant marched Jiang Hui and the others in perfect step to the exit, where they would collect the heavy packs they had to carry for the night drill.

At the exit, the squad leader saluted an officer standing there, “Greetings, Lieutenant Lando.”

Lando returned the salute and then tossed out a temporary storage grid, where 50 heavy-duty packs were laid out on the ground.

He motioned for the students to step forward one by one and collect a pack.

Jiang Hui, who stood in the middle due to her average height, grabbed her pack when it was her turn and immediately noticed how heavy it was. She had assumed it might just contain things like blankets and water bottles, nothing too heavy.

But now it seemed like it might be filled with iron weights.

As soon as Jiang Hui picked it up, her hands couldn’t help but sag a bit under the weight. Fortunately, her strength had improved recently, so after a brief pause, she managed to hoist the pack onto her back.

She didn’t notice that Lieutenant Lando glanced at her briefly.

After everyone had strapped on their assigned packs, Lieutenant Lando walked to a rack on the desk, which had several small flags. He grabbed a long pole with a red flag that bore the school’s emblem and a number.

Carrying the flag, Lando walked to the back, then returned to the middle, and finally planted the flag on Jiang Hui’s pack.

Jiang Hui: ???

At first, she didn’t think much of it. Seeing him with the small flag, she assumed it was for the lead student or the instructor.

But as Lando wandered around, eventually approaching her, Jiang Hui started to feel uneasy. To her surprise, he chose her, neither too tall nor too short, and placed the flag on her pack.

Excuse me? Could you not stick it on me?!

Without even glancing at her, Lando addressed the whole squad in a deep voice, “This flag represents your squad’s symbol. Remember, at the end of the drill, you must return with this flag.”

He said nothing more, quickly urging the lead instructor to take the squad away, while he continued distributing packs to the next group.

Jiang Hui felt her back tense up. The pack was already heavy enough, and now with this fragile yet important flag stuck to her, it felt like she was carrying a spiky board on her back. She had the unsettling sensation of a thousand tiny insects crawling all over her.

The instructor noticed some restlessness among the students in the back, with a faint sense of unease and murmuring. He frowned and turned around, sternly ordering everyone to stay silent. It was time to begin the day’s field training.

The instructor even shot Jiang Hui a deliberate glance, making the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. She wished she could toss away the “hot potato” on her back, but unfortunately, this wasn’t something she had any choice in carrying or not.

Helpless, Jiang Hui had no choice but to begrudgingly take the burden with her as they set off on the march.

Field training was different from regular drills. It didn’t require strict marching steps, nor did it involve constant running. The only requirement was for everyone in the squad to walk together in relative sync, ensuring that no one stood out or fell behind.

Since all the freshmen were doing the field training tonight, they ran into several other squads along the way. Jiang Hui even spotted a few students from Class 2 scattered among different teams.

When they recognized each other, they could only exchange silent, bitter glances. After a brief moment of shared understanding, they were quickly pulled apart as their squads moved off in different directions.

If these students had been training on Blue Star, they likely would’ve been walking on flat ground. The risk of mountain paths for ordinary students was just too high. But clearly, the interstellar approach to education for minors followed a different set of standards and expectations.

Although this field training involved students from various disciplines, the route still had a distinct military style. The path they were following was a mix of mountain and flat terrain, though neither was what they initially expected. It wasn’t until later, when they encountered the terrain, that they realized this.

They started by walking along the mountain path. The mountain they were climbing was an untamed one near Beska Intermediate Academy, called Mingshier Low Plateau Mountain.

However, despite its name, Mingshier Low Plateau Mountain was neither low nor flat. The reason it was named this way was because it was measured by the mountain standards of Planet 732.

Planet 732, when compared to Blue Star, was a massive planet, known for its gigantic landscapes and flora. While humans on this planet remained their usual “small” size, everything else—plants, animals, and even the geography—was enormous.

As previously mentioned, the flowers and plants on this planet were gigantic, with almost no small flowers or grasses. If there were any, they were likely alien species transplanted from elsewhere. Non-living things, such as mountains, rivers, caves, and even small islands, were also of massive scale.

Compared to the other enormous peaks on the planet, which humans could only ascend using mechs or interstellar transportation, Mingshier Low Plateau Mountain was at least climbable by human effort. Therefore, it was classified as a “low plateau” by the standards of Planet 732.

If you had to compare the size of this mountain, it would at least be on par with Mount Everest, possibly even taller. However, due to the climate on Planet 732, there were no snowcaps or storms on this mountain. From the base, looking up, all that could be seen were brownish-red plants, giving the impression of a dense, untouched jungle.

The leading instructor acted as if he didn’t notice anything unusual and signaled for the students behind him to follow him up the mountain.

The mountain didn’t look easy to climb, and the path seemed difficult to navigate. In reality, it was even harder to ascend than they expected!

There was no proper path at all, and it was far more overgrown than Jiang Hui had imagined. The tall trees grew densely together, and the shrubs, without any proper branches, had leaves that, while appearing soft, were as hard as iron. If they accidentally brushed against them, the leaves could leave cuts and scratches on their skin, so they had to carefully clear the way using the climbing sticks provided in their gear.

Jiang Hui had to be grateful that the school hadn’t issued them cheap equipment. The climbing sticks were of high quality and had a small mechanism that revealed a sharp blade, making it fairly efficient for cutting through the plants and leaves in their way.

Jiang Hui noticed many students immediately activating the blade to cut through obstacles.

However, Jiang Hui remained cautious and refrained from using the sharp edge. After all, they were in the wilderness, and who knew what dangers might lurk around. It seemed wiser to reserve the blade for emergencies, keeping some form of backup just in case.