The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

The team was neither moving quickly nor slowly. With so many giant trees and overgrown vegetation in the way, clearing a path was genuinely challenging. Even if they wanted to pick up the pace, it was impossible.

The night was very dark, and everyone remained quiet as they traveled. If a person fell behind, they risked getting lost, and encountering unknown dangers would be disastrous. Therefore, the instructor at the front occasionally reminded the students behind him to keep up, taking moments to patrol from front to back to ensure everyone was progressing.

Jiang Hui noticed that the instructor seemed to be counting heads repeatedly, probably concerned about losing any students in such a place.

Furthermore, this section of the mountain path was steep, especially in the middle, which was significantly steeper than at the beginning of the climb. Standing on it felt almost like being tilted at a 45-degree angle; any misstep could lead to a fall that would take a line of students down with them.

So, even though everyone was unfamiliar with one another, they had no choice but to follow closely behind the students in front of them, adjusting their angles to stay safe while watching out for each other. This was the only way to navigate through this perilous stretch of the journey.

On the way, everyone dared not slacken their pace; each person was tense, closely following the one in front.

Thanks to the guidance of their instructor, Jiang Hui had undergone rigorous training over the past few days, resulting in significant improvements in her physical fitness and overall abilities. Compared to students in regular programs, she was in much better shape, managing to keep pace with those at the front, and even helping a few classmates move forward.

However, she was also more troubled than usual because, while her feet could barely keep up, she had to be mindful of the flag on her back.

The trees here were extremely tall. Even if they could clear a path, they could only make way for the lower part, like digging a hole at the bottom, while still being surrounded by dense, large leaves above. Occasionally, thick horizontal branches would jut out, posing a risk of poking someone if they weren’t careful.

Jiang Hui could dodge the protruding branches, but the flag was a different matter. She worried that if she got too caught up in the rhythm of walking, the flag might get snagged on those branches and be lost.

She remembered the warning from Lieutenant Lando when they set out—that the flag represented their team and needed to be well protected, as it would definitely have to be submitted later.

If she lost it, she wouldn’t know how to explain it. From her experience, this could turn into a major issue, and she would probably face some punishment for carrying such a burden!

Although she was reluctant to carry the flag on her back, now that it was her responsibility, she had to accept it. She knew she had to protect it well and do her best.

Jiang Hui was very cautious the whole way, constantly watching the little flag on her back, fearing that it might get snagged on something without her noticing.

Fortunately, the classmates around her were very considerate. Sometimes they would help her keep an eye on it, reminding her to be careful and helping to protect the flag.

What great teammates! Thank goodness she hadn’t encountered any incompetent ones; otherwise, she would truly have nowhere to cry.

Jiang Hui and her small team successfully navigated the dangerous ascent without any incidents.

At last, they arrived at the first designated resting point on the mountain.

From a distance, they could see a temporary work station marked with the school emblem, surrounded by a large circle for the students to rest. Flags were planted all around, and not far away was a separate medical tent. It was clearly a place belonging to their school.

The leading instructor, led the eager students to the resting area and signaled for them to sit down. They could take out food packs from their heavy backpacks to replenish their energy. Then he went to fetch them some supplementary food packs.

Although this journey felt tense and rushed, it seemed to pass in an instant without any major events. However, for everyone, it was a challenging and long journey that lasted about two hours, nearing dawn. They had covered more than thirty kilometers, with over one hundred and ten kilometers still left to go.

The students sitting on the ground quickly opened the food packs from their heavy backpacks and began to eat. They disregarded their manners, wolfing down the food as if they hadn’t eaten in days. Even the bitter cherry hard candies that everyone usually disliked were eaten cleanly, because although they were unappetizing, they were effective in boosting energy.

They had six minutes to eat and replenish with food packs, followed by another nine minutes of rest before they would need to continue the next leg of their journey.

At this point, it was evident that the military training had been quite effective for these students. After trekking over thirty kilometers, everyone had made it without falling behind.

Some had already struggled to the point of needing to use the limited energy supplements in their backpacks when they arrived, while others had sustained injuries but endured the difficult journey until they could no longer hold back their cries of pain. The majority of students in the resting area looked quite worn out.

Because they had been walking briskly, it was slightly better than running laps. For Jiang Hui, who had undergone rigorous training in the past few days, it was still bearable. After eating and drinking some saltwater, she felt much better.

Her spirits remained relatively high, so instead of resting in place, she decided to head over to the nearby medical tent.

While resting here, the instructor didn’t impose too many restrictions, just warning them not to wander too far so they could regroup later. However, they were allowed to walk over to the exchange work station and the medical tent, where they could redeem personal points for extra resource packs.

Generally speaking, each student’s backpack would be equipped with a basic resource pack. Although the supplies were limited, they were sufficient for the time being. Therefore, not many students chose to exchange for extra resource packs, but there were a few who did.

Jiang Hui originally planned to just take a look. Then…

“Hey, do you want to check this out?” A boy called out to Jiang Hui. He was wearing a duty uniform, indicating that he was a senior volunteering to assist with the event.

Isn’t this the medical tent? Why does it look so much like a marketplace… Several seniors were set up here displaying items for exchange.

This particular senior seemed to have only a couple of items for trade. Jiang Hui glanced at it and was about to leave, thinking that three minutes should be enough.

However, he insisted on promoting his items to her, and for some reason, she found herself agreeing to make an exchange.

It felt like she had fallen for a trick again…

Whatever, she thought, gathering was important. Jiang Hui hurried back to the gathering point, stuffing the vial of living cell bio-agent, which had cost her five points, into her medical pouch.