The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

“That was close—almost forgot we don’t know the exact charging range. If we’d stepped right in, we’d have given ourselves away,” Xierman said with relief.

“Don’t worry, Huan Xian knows what he’s doing,” Zhou Xiuwen reassured, pulling Xierman a few steps back to avoid crowding the area. They watched as Huan Xian carefully nudged Clarens’s head forward, causing his entire body to shift slightly.

Jiang Hui: … Huan Xian has good judgment, but isn’t this a little brutal to watch?

For the proud Clarens, this position was probably worse than being taken out entirely. Judging by the look in his eyes, was he about to hold a grudge over this? If he decided to withhold information out of spite, wouldn’t all their planning be for nothing? But without this test, they wouldn’t be able to find the exact boundary of the central charging block’s range.

She hesitated but ultimately let logic override her conscience, silently playing along as they inched Clarens forward another ten centimeters or so.

“We’re here,” Clarens, lying on the ground with a stiff expression, said suddenly.

It seemed he’d taken Huan Xian’s earlier threats seriously enough not to risk defiance or sabotage. Although visibly unhappy, he obediently signaled that they’d reached the edge of the central charging zone.

They glanced at the map above; sure enough, Clarens’s ranking number “3” was now flashing in the L3 energy zone, confirming they hadn’t blown their cover. Each of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Huan Xian looked down at the rather disheveled Clarens. “Apologies, we’re really out of options here—none of this is intended to disrespect you. Just bear with it a bit longer; once we reach the next central charging block, we’ll be able to officially add you to the team.”

Although the leaderboard updates every star interval, the status is updated in real-time. For example, if someone is eliminated or joins a team, those changes are visible immediately.

If they immediately added Clarens to their team, he would appear as a member and become an obvious target, making it impossible for them to confirm the central energy block’s location without revealing their own. So, keeping Clarens listed as a solo player was currently their best option.

This was also why Huan Xian restrained him right away. He couldn’t trust someone who wasn’t yet an official team member, nor could he rely on a verbal agreement alone. It wasn’t the smoothest process, but it worked out, finally giving them the information they needed.

They’d managed to confirm their location without drawing attention—they were at energy point L3, the closest one to the L7 central charging block.

Not exactly good news.

Fortunately, thanks to some careful planning, they had minimized some of the risks in advance.

“It’s time to go; another two star hours has passed. They’ll definitely have seen our position by now,” Jiang Hui urged, her eyes fixed on the map above. Both she and Huan Xian had simulation vests showing numbers in the single digits now, with only 9% remaining. Time was running out.

Huan Xian nodded, apologized to Clarens, helped him up, untied his legs, and considered his next move.

“I’ll carry him,” Xierman offered quickly. “You should carry Jiang; her leg’s hurt, so she won’t be able to run fast.”

“I don’t need—” Jiang Hui began to protest.

But Huan Xian had already nodded, moving toward her without hesitation.

“Get on!” he reminded her when she hesitated. “You helped drag both of us through the water earlier, so it’s only fair I repay the favor. Don’t worry; I’m strong enough. I won’t drop you.”

Jiang Hui: … Not exactly her concern.

Fine, she thought. It might seem like a big deal, but her leg really couldn’t move fast. Even if she could push through the pain, her muscles and ligaments were weakened, and she’d only slow them down by insisting on walking.

With a resigned nod, she agreed without further resistance.

Xierman had already hoisted Clarens onto his back and reassured him, “Don’t worry, Clarens. I have experience with this kind of thing—I’ve competed in several weight-carrying events and even won gold before. My steps are steady… Here, let me tie a support strap so you won’t bounce around. If you don’t mind, you can even take a nap to recharge. It’ll be easier to focus when you’re rested. And maybe we can take down that annoying guy above you… um, I mean Holly, not Jiang.”

Clarens: … Is that really the problem here? But seriously, how could he sleep in a situation like this?

Everyone here was supposed to be a teammate, so why was he the only one this unlucky? Clarens felt a bit unfairly treated.

But Xierman clearly wasn’t someone who picked up on hints, so talking to him was pointless. Better to just stay quiet.

Huan Xian signaled to Zhou Xiuwen, who nodded and took position at the back, focused on tracking the live map to watch for any movements from key players and reporting them immediately.

So what was Jiang Hui’s role? She’d likely have to keep her gun ready for security.

With each of the five in position and their tasks set, they moved swiftly and with purpose toward the central energy block at L11.

… Something felt a little off, but there was no time to dig into the details. Running was the priority.

—

“Is that it? Just like that?” Someone watching from the outside couldn’t believe it. The voice was Zhou Yi’s, usually known for his sarcastic remarks and fault-finding, but this time, he sounded genuinely astonished.

The instructors watching from outside had clearly seen Clarens’s attempted ambush, hoping to see him catch Team T186 off guard. Who would have thought those guys would be even more cunning? They’d seemed like they were about to start a reckless argument, but when it came to action, they didn’t hesitate for a second.

Without needing to shout a single command, they’d moved in perfect sync and quickly captured Clarens, a highly skilled sharpshooter. It wasn’t unreasonable—just unexpectedly fast, almost hard to believe.

So, you think that wasn’t enough? Did you want to see even more dramatic stunts? Considering they weren’t even formally trained for this, achieving that level of coordination and strategy was already very impressive.

“Young Master Zhou’s early detection gave them the initial advantage, and Clarens’s appearance couldn’t have come at a better time. Such timing felt almost too coincidental, yet perfectly natural—it was the best possible outcome they could have hoped for in their current situation. Even if I were to step in under the same conditions, I might not have managed to reach this point,” Captain Lin Qi remarked with a complex expression.

Watching this mission to capture a new teammate had stirred something within him. Zhou Xiuwen’s quick thinking, Huan Xian’s meticulous planning, Jiang Hui’s powerful charisma, and even the seemingly ordinary Xierman, who displayed surprisingly keen observational skills at critical moments—all of it was impressive. And yet, not a single one of them was his student.