The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

By the time Jiang Hui returned home, it was already night. The staff at the intermediate academy were likely off-duty, and calling their system now would probably only connect to an AI service. Since this issue couldn’t be solved by AI, she decided to call first thing in the morning.

She also planned to follow up with lawyer Ms. Jian tomorrow, as she figured it had been a long day for everyone and they deserved a rest.

With everything on her mind, Jiang Hui returned home and dug out the brochures from various intermediate academies she had collected when choosing a school.

Beska Intermediate Academy, located on Planet 732, was a mid-to-upper-level intermediate school plan, catering to students aged 15 to 18 star years. It offered a wide range of majors, covering nearly every field imaginable.

Due to its military background, its military-related programs were quite strong, ranking among the top on the planet. It was said that its military programs could even provide graduates with a direct pathway to military universities—though, of course, that also required competition and testing; it wasn’t something easily obtained.

Of course, the school offered both military-related majors and general ones. After all, most people in the interstellar society were civilians, and various sectors needed diverse talents to keep society running smoothly.

Jiang Hui flipped through the school’s brochure, which was thicker than some books, and found quite a bit of interesting information. She got so engrossed in it that she lost track of time, staying up quite late.

Just before midnight, she suddenly and inexplicably entered the strange space again, almost as if she was forcibly pulled in. In the blink of an eye, she was inside, reminding her once more of the mysterious nature of this mental space.

Since she had prepared herself this time, it didn’t surprise her much. Plus, she had gotten smarter—before reading the brochure, she had tried to bring some items that could help pass the time into the space. She memorized some entertaining items, hoping to bring them along.

Unfortunately, most attempts failed due to lack of precision. Her light-brain device, smart gaming console, and interstellar puzzle toys all failed to appear in the mental space. Ironically, the unassuming brochure from Beska Intermediate Academy, which she hadn’t even intended to bring, was the only thing that made it through.

As she lost consciousness in reality, she had just reached the last page of that brochure.

Jiang Hui flipped through the brochure, and whether it was due to her current body’s improved memory or the influence of the mysterious space, the entire manual was perfectly imprinted in her mind. It materialized in the space as a physical booklet.

With nothing else to do, she reluctantly continued reading it to pass the time.

Although Jiang Hui believed there was little chance of changing her major after missing the deadline, she still held on to a glimmer of hope. As soon as she entered the space, she skimmed through the brochure’s list of majors, focusing on the non-military ones. She was well aware that anything beyond her abilities would be too much for her to handle.

Surprisingly, she found two majors that seemed suitable for her to study and pursue a career in: Ancient Language and Literature, and Human Origins Studies.

The former involved studying ancient and modern human languages. After doing some research, she discovered that these so-called “ancient languages” were quite similar to the languages of Earth, with only slight differences. Given that she already knew Chinese, she felt this major would be manageable with minimal pressure when it came to studying or finding a job.

The latter major focused on researching the culture of humanity before their interstellar migration, specifically during their time on their home planet. Based on what she had learned, the culture of the home planet bore a striking resemblance to Earth’s, giving her a sense of familiarity. She figured that studying this would also be relatively easy for her.

Yes, Jiang Hui was someone who sought the path of least resistance. She had no interest in choosing those intense, high-risk careers that involved guns, battles, and danger. All she wanted was a simple, stable life.

This philosophy was a result of her experiences as a seasoned worker on Earth—her key takeaway was not to overwork oneself, as it only led to misfortune. While it was a half-joke, it contained some truth. Given her current situation, she believed it was better not to stand out too much. A peaceful and uneventful life was her ideal goal.

After putting down the brochure, she had more or less decided on her major, even coming up with a couple of backup options. With nothing else to do, and having already read the only two booklets in the space, she decided to simply sleep.

Jiang Hui fell asleep within the mental space, resting until she exited it once more.

However, when Jiang Hui woke up this time, she no longer intended to go back to sleep in real life. She quickly got out of bed, ready to find something to entertain herself.

She planned to watch a set of interstellar soap operas to get a sense of the lives of the interstellar people, and then indulge in a plate of interstellar-style cheesy fries with a fizzy drink.

This seemingly leisurely life didn’t sit right with Jiang Hui, though. Sigh, how would she get through the days ahead? After staying up all night and watching the sunrise, she got up, tidied herself, and went outside to sit in the main hall.

She had now confirmed that the mysterious space’s cycle occurred roughly every twenty-four hours—once a day. However, the timing was not fixed; it could happen at any point within that period. If she didn’t enter the space voluntarily during the cycle, some kind of force would compel her to enter automatically.

Once inside, she had to remain there for twenty-four hours before she could leave. In other words, Jiang Hui had to live through forty-eight hours in a single day.

Moreover, what she did inside the space seemed to affect her real-world self. For instance, if she slept too much inside the space, she would find it hard to fall asleep in reality. And if she ate a lot in the space, she wouldn’t feel hungry even though she actually was.

Jiang Hui speculated that this strange space was more of a mentally-based static zone.

Having forty-eight hours in a day might sound enviable to those who are always short on time. After all, life is short, and time is never enough. Having double the time would mean double the possibilities.

However, for Jiang Hui, who was used to modern, fast-paced entertainment, this extra time felt more like a burden for now. She didn’t know how to spend the long hours in a place without a computer, smartphone, or TV. If she could find a reasonable way to pass the time, maybe she would be happier to have this special ability.