The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

“…Damaged, really, it’s just too damaged.” Looking at the person whose hand was moving so fast it almost seemed like an afterimage, Min Hao shook his head.

“Where did this kid learn this from? This definitely doesn’t look like the work of an amateur.” Captain Nordbay observed carefully, somewhat puzzled.

“What’s so strange about it? There are countless students from military families in the school’s armed forces. It’s probably not the first time he’s come into contact with this, so it’s not surprising.” Min Hao could barely make out that the other person seemed to be trying to sabotage the firearms.

Captain Nordbay, however, shook his head, his expression becoming serious. “No… It’s not just familiarity.”

He had taken several military weapons-related courses in college and his perspective on firearms was different from that of ordinary soldiers. Others only use firearms and may become familiar with their functionality and characteristics, but he had studied the construction and operating principles of firearms in depth.

Moreover, because of his excellent grades during his studies, his first post-graduation assignment had been at the armory. Originally, if nothing had gone wrong, he would have continued to develop his expertise in weaponry, and it wasn’t impossible that he could have become a weapons specialist.

But later, due to the needs of the frontline, he was reassigned and sent to the front lines, where he had remained ever since, no longer involved with firearms.

Today, seeing the kid’s skilled movements reignited memories of his youth, including the knowledge buried long ago amid the chaos of war.

From his near-expert perspective, the kid had already reached a certain level of proficiency with various firearms’ internal structures and principles. In fact, in some of the techniques, he was even more skilled than Nordbay.

This was a seasoned firearms expert. Judging by his technique, the kid had at least five years of experience handling firearms. But how old was this kid?

Just watching how quickly he handled each weapon, carefully adjusting certain structures or with a swift “click” tossing the firearm aside, was enough to tell.

Many people outside, who hadn’t received professional training, couldn’t understand what was happening and thought that Huan Xian was either playing around or experimenting. Only those with military training could discern that he was adjusting or even sabotaging the internal structure of the firearms.

His every movement wasn’t heavy-handed, even seeming somewhat nonchalant, but in fact, each action was precisely aimed at the key parts of the firearms. Whether it was delaying the firearm’s firing, causing wear on a specific part, or possibly making it jam at a critical moment, rendering it useless when needed.

It could be said that his technique was very professional.

This level of skill was on par with military personnel who specialize in managing weaponry, which even made Captain Nordbay, an experienced soldier, admire his actions.

The number of people in the command department was small, with only two people talking. On the other hand, the combat unit had more people, and they had gradually been drawn toward the several outstanding teams in the field, no longer focusing on the scattered students. Instead, they began analyzing the top-performing teams.

For example, the team of Jiang Hui, Zhou Xiuwen, and Huan Xian became one of their key focuses, and naturally, Huan Xian’s actions attracted attention. Some instructors, who weren’t familiar with firearms, curiously asked their more knowledgeable colleagues, discussing it among themselves.

“That Huan Xian seems to be from the command department, right? His skills are quite extraordinary. How come I’ve never heard of his name before?”

“You said he’s from the command department, didn’t you? They like to keep things under wraps. It’s not strange if you haven’t heard of him…”

“Does the command department teach this?”

“I don’t like what you’re saying. Our combat unit doesn’t teach swimming either. Young people can learn a little bit of everything, what’s the problem with that? Does it have to be a specific profession?”

“I didn’t mean that. I’m saying he knows a lot. You could believe he’s an old hand based on his technique. Anyway, even the teachers I had before weren’t necessarily at this level.”

“…This student Huan Xian…” Instructor Tan’s gaze focused on the exceptionally dazzling figure on the screen.

It was rare for Stark to turn his head and look at Instructor Tan, because he had never seen such an expression on the other person’s face before.

However, the other seemed to want to say something but then hesitated, as if he didn’t want to continue and switched to another topic. Stark didn’t press him, simply following along with the new topic.

But in truth, Instructor Tan had been mulling over this in his mind for many years. He thought about it but felt it was a personal matter, something difficult to say, so he decided to let it go.

Instructor Tan was also aware of this student, Huan Xian, and had just remembered it now.

Huan Xian had been sent over by the military. Although there were no specific instructions for special treatment, Instructor Tan, as the head of the first-year management team, still knew about it.

In the past, there had been instances where students’ parents had sent their children here, usually from families with special backgrounds. If necessary, the school would provide some consideration.

For example, Zhou Xiuwen was such a case. With the backing of his family, the school couldn’t possibly ignore him, even though Marshal Zhou himself and his subordinates seemed to make no such demands.

Huan Xian, however, was different. He had come directly from the Eighth Legion aboard a quantum spacecraft, but what was strange was that a major general from the Nineteenth Legion was accompanying him.

This was unusual. The Eighth and Nineteenth Legions were both elite military corps directly under the Empire. It was hard to compare their combat abilities, as their political affiliations were different, their battlefronts and territories were far apart, and there was little overlap, but they didn’t have any conflicts either. So how was it that such two factions got entangled over such a young person?

Of course, the military had no need to explain this to the school; they simply arranged his enrollment and did not make any further requests. However, this piece of information was still noted by the school and communicated to the grade administrator of Huan Xian’s year, just as a precaution.

So, in this year’s batch, there were quite a few students and even teachers with special backgrounds. Instructor Tan had been worried about this before enrollment, fearing that campus life would end up being dominated by power struggles and competitions. Fortunately, these individuals seemed to be quite low-key and well-behaved, and some were so inconspicuous that Instructor Tan might not even have remembered them.

Huan Xian was one of them, and Instructor Tan had even forgotten about him. But now, seeing his skills, and after hearing a certain report from his homeroom teacher, it was clear that he was a tricky and special case. In the future, he would have to keep a closer eye on him.

“This batch,” Instructor Tan sighed, “looks like it will require extra effort to teach.”

Hearing this, the other homeroom teachers, regardless of their individual opinions, nodded in agreement.

It was now past eight o’clock in the morning, and the orienteering race had already lasted over twenty-three hours, with only thirteen hours left in the competition. At this point, there were only 424 students remaining in the military category, and 692 students in the non-military category. The competition had officially entered its final stages.

The top-ranked competitors were showing their strengths, and the situation was becoming clearer, though the overall outcome was still undecided.