The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

Water, water… After eating a bit, she felt thirsty and gulped down several barrels. The “hard currency” bottled water she had stored at home was completely consumed in her ravenous drinking spree.

The deep, soul-level thirst finally eased, and the dizzying sensation of seeing stars faded somewhat, allowing her to think more clearly.

Propping herself up slightly, she stood and looked around, realizing that she was indeed in her mental space.

Of course—she never slept more than ten hours in the real world, let alone sleeping through the entire 24 hours in her mental space. She must have slept like she was dead to be out for so long.

Jiang Hui noticed she had collapsed in the living room. What had saved her life earlier was a giant pack of potato chips from the snack cabinet, and the water she drank was from neatly stacked barrels nearby.

She was still five or six steps away from the kitchen. If she had waited to crawl that far, would she have starved to death in her mental space?

She should be thankful for being so familiar with the room that her instincts guided her to the closest food, saving her life.

But she was still so hungry. Why was she so hungry? While stuffing a few more pieces of dried tofu into her mouth, Jiang Hui finally realized: she needed to eat—eat everything, as much as she could.

So, the girl half-lying on the ground lifted her head and looked toward the stove in the open kitchen, her eyes gleaming like a hungry wolf.

Steaming hot rice, sizzling hot dishes, hot pot ingredients like juicy slices of beef soaked in rich broth or tender vegetables in a fragrant soup, crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside taro… No, if she kept thinking about it, she’d practically drool herself to death.

Determined to eat herself full, she mustered all her strength! Jiang Hui straightened up with a burst of energy, her weak legs straining as she clung to the nearby cabinet and slowly stood, step by step inching her way to the kitchen.

Half an hour later, the coffee table was covered with a huge spread of fresh ingredients, and in the middle was a pot full of hotpot broth. Sitting at the center, she stared eagerly at the ingredients cooking in the bubbling water, unable to stop herself from swallowing hungrily.

Even though she had eaten everything on the table hundreds of times, every time she started a meal in this mental space, the food would be perfectly restored, regenerating endlessly. It made Jiang Hui wonder if this mental space of hers was specifically designed as an infinite food paradise for a glutton.

But calling it infinite might be an exaggeration. She had tested it before—if she grabbed the same item more than ten times in 24 hours, it would eventually run out. After a while, though, if she waited, it would reappear. This left Jiang Hui unsure of the exact rules governing this mysterious space.

Could it be that these ingredients aren’t truly unlimited? Then, what is the basis for their regeneration, or rather, what force causes them to endlessly respawn in this mental space?

Jiang Hui knew she shouldn’t take something so mystical and unscientific too seriously. Yet, she couldn’t help but have this nagging thought—what is the limit of this space? Where is the boundary?

Forget it, she thought. Better to eat her fill first. Eat, eat, eat—Jiang Hui had had enough of that desperate feeling of starvation.

Once she had eaten her fill, she didn’t bother cleaning up, knowing everything would be restored to its original state by tomorrow, leaving no trace of any cooking. Although for now, the space still held some lingering smells.

The earlier feeling of extreme hunger had completely faded.

Holding a pot of hot milk tea, Jiang Hui continued to ponder: where exactly did this sudden hunger come from?

It couldn’t be just because of the running today, could it?!

Hmm? Actually… maybe it could. She recalled the day’s events—aside from the medical check-up, all she had done was run.

But after the check-up, she had felt perfectly fine, and even during the run, she performed well, covering nearly nineteen kilometers, far exceeding her previous understanding of her own stamina.

Aside from the brief period when she fainted, Jiang Hui hadn’t shown any unusual signs until she went to the cafeteria for dinner. She had only felt a bit hungry, but that hunger disappeared after eating two full meals. So it couldn’t be that this hunger from not eating enough had extended into her dream space and amplified — that wouldn’t make sense.

If it wasn’t physical hunger from reality, could it be some kind of mental hunger? A hunger for spiritual energy?

But that didn’t add up either. If she had used up her spiritual energy to such an extent during the tests or while running—nearly starving to death in the mental space—how had she managed to go through the whole day without any significant problems? She had walked, run, eaten dinner, and even made it back to the dorm to sleep without any major issues.

She couldn’t figure it out. The hunger in her mental space seemed to have appeared without warning.

Mental space hunger… hunger…

Suddenly, Jiang Huai felt like she was on the verge of understanding something, but the thought slipped away before she could grasp it.

She pondered for a long time, her mind filled with chaotic and scattered thoughts, leaving her more frustrated and powerless.

Staring at the motionless screen in front of her, Jiang Hui finally gave up and turned to head back to her study. After all, she had already slept quite a while in her mental space, and with only six hours left before waking up, she thought she should save some time for studying.

It’s actually quite strange—ever since coming to this interstellar world, Jiang Hui has found her desire to study heightened to an unbelievable degree. In the past, she hadn’t really enjoyed studying, but now absorbing knowledge feels almost instinctual, as if it gives her a special kind of strength.

The Next Day

Jiang Hui stepped out of her dorm just before the first light of dawn.

It wasn’t even 6:00 AM yet, and the simulated night sky hadn’t lifted. The whole planet was still cloaked in darkness, and everything seemed to be in a state of slumber.

Considering yesterday’s extreme running session, Jiang Hui should have been too sore to get up today. Her body hadn’t been through much training—she had an average D-level physique, and her stamina was an F-level, the second lowest. She was the typical beginner with zero foundation.

However, after the strange adjustments in her mental space and a few hours of real-world rest, she had mostly recovered by the time she left her dorm. Only a slight soreness remained in her muscles and joints.

To leave enough time for a full breakfast, Jiang Hui left the dorm before the simulated night ended, heading toward the cafeteria.

It was still too early; along the way, she barely saw any upperclassmen. The few she did encounter seemed to be those on night duty, and they gave her curious looks.

Jiang Hui figured it was because the training uniform she was wearing clearly marked her as a new student.

She shrugged and continued jogging toward the cafeteria, unaware that one of the upperclassmen stared at her retreating figure with wide eyes.

“Whoa… are freshmen this tough now? After their first day of training, she’s still so full of energy. When will I ever be like that?”

Jiang Hui: …It’s because of my cheat ability.