The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

While a group of people outside were anxiously running around trying to help, as the box traveled along its path, its speed gradually began to slow. Before heading into an unknown cave, it suddenly decelerated, gently bringing the semi-conscious trio into a dark area.

With their bodies malfunctioning and their consciousness forcibly thrown into a mental space, when Jiang Hui regained consciousness, she found herself surrounded by complete darkness. She couldn’t see her hand in front of her face, and all she could hear was a steady, rhythmic “gurgling” sound.

Huh? Where… where is this? Jiang Hui was confused. Although she couldn’t see the puzzled expression on her face in the pitch-black environment, it didn’t stop her from mentally putting a huge question mark.

Before losing consciousness, Jiang Hui had prepared herself to wake up outside the competition field. After all, everything they had gone through up to that point had been life-threatening.

Jiang Hui had even worried that her sudden decision might have cost her teammates their lives. Waking up outside the arena seemed like the best outcome she could hope for.

She moved her legs slightly, but whether it was because of numbness or because of the simulated vest holding her in place, it felt like she couldn’t move at all. She couldn’t make a proper judgment, so she waved her hand, but instead of feeling air, her hand landed on something warm.

“Mm… ugh—” A familiar voice.

It sounded like Zhou Xiuwen.

Jiang Hui quickly tried to speak, to ask about his condition, but her throat seemed to be completely hoarse. Her voice failed her—words were stuck in her throat, and no matter how hard she tried, they wouldn’t come out.

The person on her left seemed to have fully regained consciousness. After a brief dry heave, it was as though someone who had been suffocating for a long time finally regained access to oxygen and began gulping in huge breaths. The sound was so loud it was like the rush of wind from a turbine.

“NND, if I ever find out… who designed this… I swear, I’ll… I’ll…”

The words were a jumbled mess. Jiang Hui silently expressed sympathy for Zhou Xiuwen, then added in her mind, ‘It’s better for you to blame me, Jiang Hui, than to go after the designer.’

Jiang Hui knew this was her fault. It was her poor judgment and her cleverness that led to this huge mess. Now, they were all eliminated together, and in a way she hadn’t even considered. If anyone were watching right now, they’d probably be laughing their heads off.

But… well, at least they were still able to argue about it. From the looks of things, they seemed okay, and their lives were still intact. Jiang Hui didn’t have to worry about dragging her two teammates, with their bright futures ahead, down to hell with her. After all, she herself was no great loss—she was already a “dead person” in a sense. But if they died because of her, with their youth and bright prospects, it would truly be a grave sin.

Unable to speak just yet, Jiang Hui nudged the person next to her with her elbow.

“Hmm? Uh… Is this a rescue transit station? Why is it so dark… Who’s hitting me?”

“…I am.” Jiang Hui finally found her voice, speaking in a hoarse whisper.

“Jiang Hui, it’s you, Jiang… you’re here too?” The person seemed to relax a little. “I’m glad you’re okay. That scared me half to death. I’ve never been through something so terrifying in my life.”

“…Sorry.” Jiang Hui knew this was her fault. She was clearly the one to blame, and at this point, apologizing was pointless. But she could only offer a hoarse apology, feeling that the voice she had finally recovered was already losing its power.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Actually, it’s kind of fun, honestly. I wasn’t planning to stay in there for too long anyway. And, well, being stuck with you like this is better than I expected.” Zhou Xiuwen quickly added, as if realizing he’d said the wrong thing, and awkwardly changed the subject. “Where are we? Did the rescue team pull us out? Why isn’t the light on?”

“Can you move now?” Jiang Hui didn’t immediately answer him.

Zhou Xiuwen had always trusted Jiang Hui’s words, so without questioning her, he did as she asked.

“My hands and feet can move, but my legs are stuck,” he replied, a little confused. He could feel something, like a restraint, from his shoulders to his waist that was holding his lower half in place.

“Shouldn’t we be freed if we’ve been rescued? Why are we still like this?” he wondered aloud. If they had been rescued, they should have been out of the competition by now. Why would the school still be holding them here? This was strange. “You should check on Huan… Huan Xian. See how he’s doing.” Since Jiang Hui was facing the other way and couldn’t see Huan Xian, Zhou Xiuwen quickly asked.

“I’m fine.” A slightly weak voice came from the other side. The tone was calm, unmistakably Huan Xian’s.

Great, all three of them were still alive.

Jiang Hui let out a long breath, feeling as though a heavy weight had been lifted from her heart.

Taking deep breaths of the fresh air, feeling the long-lost sense of stability around her, Jiang Hui finally began to regain the feeling of being alive.

She was just about to apologize to Huan Xian for dragging him into this situation.

After all, Zhou Xiuwen had told her early on that he didn’t really care much about the competition, and he could easily accept being eliminated. But Huan Xian’s situation was different.

He had been completely dragged into this mess. If he had set his sights on winning or taking top honors in the competition, then it was all her fault for delaying his plans. The more Jiang Hui thought about possibly ruining someone else’s big opportunity, the more guilt she felt.

“It’s okay, actually I think it’s kind of… exciting,” Huan Xian’s voice came over from the other side, seemingly anticipating what she was about to say. His tone was calm and even had a hint of a smile.

“We… where are we? Why is it so dark?”

“I don’t know. It doesn’t seem like a rescue transit station. And no one’s come to release us for so long. Could it be that we’re being punished because we were eliminated early?” Jiang Hui mused, letting her imagination run wild.

“Gurgle, gurgle—”

“What’s that sound?”

“Don’t you think that sound seems a little familiar?” Jiang Hui wondered aloud.

It sounded just like the noise they heard when they first entered that cave—

The sound of the resource vehicle running.

Could it be that they were still on the resource vehicle? Could they… still not be eliminated?

But the electronic screen on their simulated vest hadn’t responded yet, which was strange.

“Beep, beep. Total energy block connected—Total energy O. Recharging now. Reminder: You have 30 star minutes remaining and will be teleported out of the supply point soon.”

As the voice echoed, the once blacked-out electronic screen on their simulated vest suddenly lit up.

They hadn’t been eliminated yet!

And they had found a new energy source. But what kind of place was this?

With the faint glow from the electronic screen, the three of them looked around at the other two faint outlines in the darkness, exchanging looks in the dim light.