The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

Jiang Hui had been very cautious all along, wary that something unexpected might suddenly appear and, with a “smack,” hit her in the face.

She didn’t expect that her random thoughts would turn out to be right.

The instructor had run ahead, and without control, the group naturally became a bit chaotic. The previously quiet students were starting to lose their composure, and the small team suddenly became lively.

The male classmate in front of her turned around, seemingly wanting to say something. Jiang Hui, however, wasn’t paying attention and wasn’t in the mood for conversation. She looked in the direction…

Through the left shoulder of this classmate, she caught sight of a faint red dot of light, refracted from a distance.

Jiang Hui immediately became alert. In that direction, there was a presence that had been bothering her the whole way—though when she looked, all she could see were piles of disorganized rocks, nothing else.

Then the faint red light started to move upwards, directly pointing at her eyes. Startled, Jiang Hui’s body tensed, her shoulders tightened, and her head instinctively tilted. In the next moment, realizing something was wrong, she lunged forward, knocking down the person in front of her.

What on earth is this?

Right after that, Jiang Hui heard the unmistakable sound of gunfire. Instinctively, she shouted “Get down!” and then everything descended into chaos.

Jiang Hui didn’t think that just lying down would keep her safe. If she stayed like this, at most, the guy she was lying on top of would be safe, and she didn’t want to be a human shield for someone else. So, she quickly got up, crouching low and half-squatting on the ground to assess the situation.

Seeing the guy she had knocked down trying to get up, Jiang Hui whispered, “Someone’s shooting from the shadows. You don’t have the strength to dodge, so don’t get up. Lying down is safer for now.”

Xiu Wen (Zhao Xiu Wen) was still in a daze, not yet comprehending what had just happened. All he could hear was the chaotic scene around him and the repeated sound of gunfire, with people shouting loudly. Having never been in such a situation, his instinct was to get up and run.

But after hearing Jiang Hui’s words, he hesitated, slightly lifting his head. He noticed another person nearby, also lying on the ground, scanning the surroundings. Their eyes met, creating an awkward tension in the air.

After giving her warning, Jiang Hui lost interest in worrying about the guy in front of her.

With just a moment of observation, Jiang Hui quickly deduced that the shooting was likely arranged by the school. She wasn’t being overly casual; it was just that if it were a real enemy attack, they wouldn’t have given them so many chances to react. Would the enemy really wait for you to notice the attack before firing at you?

Definitely not. Naturally, they’d shoot anyone on sight, kill them, and be done with it… That’s the attitude an enemy should have.

Judging by the pace and the commotion, it was almost certain that the people attacking them had been sent by the school for a surprise drill.

But what was up with the gunfire? Would the school really use live ammunition in a drill? Jiang Hui was puzzled and tried her best to stay calm.

However, the gunfire became more and more frequent, like it was coming from everywhere, making people feel panicked. To her, without fully understanding the situation, it felt like she was trapped in a terrifying environment filled with ambushes. She had no idea when the hidden shooter might target her. It was utter chaos.

Sometimes, what you fear the most really happens. Just as she was thinking this, she saw a figure stumbling right in front of her, as if they had been shot. The person collapsed to the ground.

Jiang Hui felt a chill in her heart and instinctively wanted to check on the situation. But just as she crouched down, she saw the person also looking at her… They looked familiar?

Wait, was it someone she knew?

The person opened their mouth as if trying to say something. Jiang Hui lowered her head slightly, reaching out to touch the damp, dark red stain on the person’s chest. “I…”

Suddenly, she collapsed entirely, falling to the ground in a strange posture, as if in close contact with the ground. The person who had been looking her in the eye was left completely confused.

“…I just wanted to tell you that the gun isn’t real. The marks left by the shots are just regular fluorescent paint. But why did you fall down?”

Jiang Hui had intended to dodge the gunfire from somewhere, but as soon as she hit the ground, she heard the guy lying there say… it’s paint? The gunshots are fake?

Jiang Hui: …

This school really goes all out with its drama.

Jiang Hui was tempted to just lie there until the drill ended. Since she could now confirm it was the school behind the attack, likely trying to add some excitement to the training, she figured she might as well go along with it.

Getting up now wouldn’t accomplish much, so she thought she might as well stay down. Why bother getting up just to be hit with more paint?

That’s what she thought, but unfortunately, it seemed the others weren’t planning to let her have her way.

“WOC!” Jiang Hui couldn’t help but curse, flipping over on the spot and quickly rolling several times toward a more open area. Then, with a quick move, she sprang to her feet, half-squatting and cautiously scanning her surroundings.

By now, she noticed that there weren’t many people left standing. She wasn’t sure if they had all been hit or, like her, were trying to dodge the hidden shooters by lying down.

Jiang Hui realized the school’s objective was probably to “hit” each of them, leaving a clear red paint mark on anyone who was “shot.” These marks were likely being used to track who had been hit. The guy next to her had clearly been hit, which explained why the hidden shooters had stopped targeting him.

But Jiang Hui felt she had been lying down perfectly well in a hidden spot. How did they spot her? Could they possibly have some radar that detects who’s been hit and who’s just pretending? Shaking her head, she tried to dismiss this ridiculous idea.

That wasn’t important. What mattered now was figuring out how to avoid getting hit.

Ugh, another shot! This time, the shooter’s skill was clearly better than the last one. Jiang Hui found it harder to dodge, and her movements were a bit more awkward, but she still managed to avoid getting hit.

After that, she dodged three or four more shots from different directions, using increasingly bizarre and awkward positions.

Each dodge made her more exhausted, and her stamina was clearly running out. Jiang Hui wasn’t sure how much longer her remaining strength would last.

She knew by now that this was likely just a training exercise arranged by the school, with carefully planned stages. The guns were fake, and the so-called “gunshots” just left red paint marks.

If she relaxed for just a moment, the hidden shooters would hit her with one of those paint marks, and she could finally rest, lying on the ground alongside her classmates. In fact, it might even be more comfortable than the two brief breaks the instructor had given them during the march.

But Jiang Hui simply didn’t want to get hit… Not at all!