The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

The four-person team was one of the groups that had barely escaped from the supply point.

They had a stroke of both luck and misfortune. On one hand, they managed to fight their way out among many competitors, leaving with simulation vests fully charged with energy. But on the other hand, calling them “lucky” didn’t feel quite right, as the only useful thing they got from the supply point was those vests. Other than that, they left with hardly any resources. It was basically a wasted trip.

The team was pretty skilled at scheming, and their shooting abilities were decent, but there weren’t many strong fighters among them. Adding to that, they had terrible luck. They spent most of their time at the supply point being chased around by other teams, constantly dodging and hiding, let alone seizing resources from others. Just getting out in one piece felt like an unexpected win.

Fortunately, they managed to avoid the water hazards, survived the supply point, and returned to the open area of the training grounds, a place where they felt more at home. Out here, facing down enemies wouldn’t be as complicated as it was in the supply point. If they could aim accurately, no enemy would be too tough to take down.

Now they were back to being a team of four again, having used a temporary teammate—whom they had tricked into joining earlier—as a human shield and sent him out of the game. Back at the supply point, the rules didn’t penalize them for such actions, but out here things were different.

The four of them were fairly skilled shooters with decent mobility, but a team of four was still at a disadvantage when operating as a temporary group. One mistake could cost them dearly, so they debated whether to rope in another “easy target” to join them.

With only a little time left in the competition, they genuinely considered forming a proper squad. After all, after everything they had been through, the four of them were now bound together, having faced a lot of challenges. Their earlier idea of going separate ways once they cleared a certain stage had faded away, replaced by a sense that staying together in this loosely cooperative arrangement was pretty decent.

However, there were still a few unresolved issues within their team.

But it wasn’t a big deal, as there wasn’t much time left. Anuya believed that any lingering tensions among his teammates would be easily overcome.

What they didn’t expect, though, was that Kent’s incessant talk about “something feeling off” since they’d left the supply point had actually been true. They hadn’t taken him seriously, and they almost paid a heavy price for it.

After his humiliating escape earlier, that little punk Xierman had been holding a grudge. He had been stealthily trailing them the whole time, and none of the four noticed.

If it hadn’t been for an unexpected attack that forced Xierman to reveal his position, they might never have realized they were being followed. The group then recalled the strange “bad luck” and uncanny “close calls” they kept encountering back at the supply point, along with the faint, ever-present sense of someone lurking in the shadows. It all made sense now—this guy had been hiding behind them the whole time, plotting ways to mess with them.

Xierman was a big part of why they had such a rough time at the supply point. He had the patience to bide his time and the stealth to stay hidden. Truly a piece of work. Looking back, they regretted kicking him out of their team in the first place; having him as an ally would have been way better than roping in a random unreliable person.

But now, they’d burned that bridge for good, and Xierman had been dogging them, making trouble every step of the way. Their relationship had become irreconcilable—it was clear they’d have to settle things once and for all.

Besides, Anuya and his teammates couldn’t allow a “snake” to keep slithering in their shadow, constantly causing trouble for their group. No matter how much effort it took, they were determined to take him down. There were four of them, after all. No matter how good Xierman was at hiding, he was only one person. Surely… that should be enough, right?

As it turned out, it wasn’t so simple.

“Damn it, is this guy a mole? How can he hide like this? One second he’s there, and then—bam, he’s gone! We only catch the faintest trace of him before he slips off again, leading us on a wild goose chase. How many times have we actually caught a glimpse of him? Is he just playing us?”

“No luck. His trace vanished again. Do you think he could’ve already moved outside the area?”

“Impossible. We barely caught sight of him just moments ago, and it’s only been half a star unit of time since then. No one can cover that much ground that quickly.”

“Enough with the chatter. Let’s focus and spread out our senses to scan the area. Kent, you’ve sensed him a few times already, and he’s in your class, right? Think—does he have any habits or weak points you know about? Or… can you get a sense of where he might be?” Anuya, the team’s barely-chosen leader, had at least proven to have a knack for decision-making.

He was the only one who could manage to hold together a group of such varied personalities. Although each of them had their own motives, they were now genuinely committed to becoming teammates, and were able to quickly pull together and cooperate like a single unit.

So, even though Anuya and the others had clashed with Kent a few times over this issue, none of them ever let it escalate. When Anuya realized that Kent had been right all along, he didn’t hesitate to let him take the lead.

Now wasn’t the time for pride or grudges. The four of them were now bound together with shared interests, so any misstep would hurt them all. Anuya was confident that Kent would understand this and step up.

Kent felt a bit annoyed, as he’d been ridiculed earlier when they dismissed his warnings as mere paranoia. But now that they knew he was right, they had no problem tossing the responsibility onto him.

Still, Kent didn’t refuse. He knew that they were all in this together now. Besides, Xierman was someone Kent had brought into the team himself, so if anyone had earned Xierman’s grudge, it was him.

If Xierman truly wanted revenge, he would most likely come for Kent first. How could he possibly ignore such a threat?

The moment Kent realized that the lurking presence he’d sensed was Xierman, a sense of dread began to creep in.

Logically, a four-person team like theirs should have no reason to fear a lone opponent. But Xierman’s persistence and patience were beyond anything they’d expected, sending chills through all of them.

Kent had no doubt that if Xierman ever got the chance, he’d wait until the perfect moment to strike back and make them pay dearly.