The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

Uh… if Jiang Hui could see herself right now, the best way to describe the expression on her face would probably be “confused.”

What is this? It started mysteriously, the process was a bit mysterious, and the ending was also anticlimactic. So what’s the point of all this conflict?

Jiang Hui said, somewhat perplexed, “So, do we just clean up and continue moving forward? Keeping R87 and 197 teams around is definitely a problem. If we delay, the others will probably have already wiped them out.”

Huan Xian & Clarens: …

This guy still hasn’t figured out the source of the conflict, and just cuts straight to the chase? Was she even listening earlier?!

Jiang Hui, of course, was listening, but she just didn’t understand what these two were agonizing over. Could it be that the maturity she felt from them earlier was just a facade? Were they really still just arrogant little kids at heart?

The world of adults is never this awkward. If they had this time, it would be better spent solving the problem instead.

“No need, I…” Clarens didn’t finish his sentence and was interrupted by Zhou Xiuwen.

Zhou Xiuwen could clearly hear the argument between the two, but at the time, he honestly didn’t know how to persuade them. Even now, he still didn’t fully understand Clarens’s inexplicable insistence.

Why did Clarens insist on going solo? Was he that confident in his own abilities? Or was he worried that teaming up with the others would divide the spoils?

Zhou Xiuwen didn’t want to think too darkly about a teammate he had been working with for a while. But Clarens’s sudden, inexplicable request was hard to explain. Initially, Huan Xian had tried to persuade him in a calm and patient manner, but as Clarens kept silent and stubbornly stuck to his own opinion, Huan Xian’s patience wore thin, and that was when the disagreement started.

At this point, Clarens was still stubbornly silent, making Zhou Xiuwen feel like he had no choice but to start doubting him. Had he misjudged him? It seemed like Clarens had never truly trusted them… Didn’t they all know that this was the best chance for him to fight for second place?

“Clarens, I know you’re strong, and many people can’t compare to you. You could definitely take second place on your own. But things are never absolute. What if there’s a one-in-a-million chance? Our fates in this competition are tied together. Leaving the team to go solo is definitely not something we should consider,” Zhou Xiuwen said, his expression growing serious as he spoke.

Hearing the sincerity in Zhou Xiuwen’s words, Clarens’s expression softened slightly. But when he heard the phrase “what if,” he couldn’t help but think back to what had happened not long ago. Indeed, wasn’t he struck by a member of the Huo Qi team precisely because of one of those “what if” situations?

At the moment he was hit, even he couldn’t believe it. So how could the rest of R186 trust him after that?

Clarens looked at Huan Xian, whose expression was indifferent. He could tell that Huan Xian didn’t really care about this competition as much. What mattered more to him was the people in the team, and he seemed to enjoy working with everyone in the group. Clarens could also see that Huan Xian had a somewhat different attitude toward Jiang Hui. His strong opposition was probably because of Jiang Hui. It was understandable… In Huan Xian’s eyes, he might be an unpredictable, unstable factor, and how could he be trusted?

The young man couldn’t quite figure out what he was feeling at the moment. It was a sense of confusion, as if the pride he had been holding up for so many years had suddenly shattered. It was the unease of realizing his true self, something he was too afraid to face, and the subtle sense of grievance from not being understood by others or even by his teammates…

So what was he being so stubborn about? Maybe he wasn’t as strong as he had imagined.

Although Clarens’s expression seemed the same as usual, Jiang Hui somehow felt that he seemed unusually downcast, for reasons she couldn’t fully understand, as if Zhou Xiuwen’s words had affected him.

He really wanted to go out and act alone? Well, it wasn’t impossible. If that was what he wanted, then forcing it wouldn’t be beneficial. Jiang Hui didn’t think much of it; after all, it was just a competition, and there would always be opportunities to collaborate in the future.

However, now that things had escalated, she felt the need to clarify the situation and ask why he wanted to go off on his own. Jiang Hui always felt that Clarens wasn’t the kind of person to be stubborn and unreasonable. If he wanted to go alone, there must be a valid reason behind it.

Otherwise, judging by Huan Xian’s personality, he would probably have an issue with it. Even if he didn’t show it, Jiang Hui felt that he was quite stubborn, just like Clarens—sticking to his own views in his area of expertise.

Although this competition temporarily brought everyone together, whether they would have any further interactions in the future was uncertain. But since they had met, it was fate, and they couldn’t leave things on a sour note. Any problems or conflicts should be cleared up.

Clarens, though proud, wasn’t the type to take his frustrations out on others. He returned to his usual aloof but somewhat friendly demeanor as he looked at Jiang Hui: “Your leg injury isn’t fully healed, so you shouldn’t be running around too much.”

Oh… Jiang Hui suddenly realized—was he worried about this?

If that was the case, no wonder he had difficulty expressing himself. Clarens was already proud, and it seemed from the moment they met that he had a tendency to look down on others. She didn’t expect him to also be concerned for someone else.

Of course, Jiang Hui didn’t think so darkly, imagining that Clarens was afraid she would “steal his prey” or anything like that, since it contradicted his proud nature. A truly self-confident person wouldn’t think like that, driven by luck or chance.

So after thinking it over, this seemed to be the reason.

He should’ve just expressed his concern properly, instead of letting it cause misunderstandings. Looking at Huan Xian’s expression, it seemed he had misunderstood and was obviously not happy about it earlier, but he had just held it in without saying anything. Why not just say it clearly?

Jiang Hui controlled her expression and waved her hand repeatedly: “I’m fine. Since it’s a competition, I’m going to stick it out until the end. How can I give up halfway? Once you’ve started strong, you have to finish strong. Naturally, wherever you go, I’ll go. We’re a team after all.”

She added somewhat apologetically, “But I might need you to carry me sometimes.” She didn’t expect them to carry her all the time, as walking at a normal pace was fine, but running would be a bit too much for her.

A good start, a good finish… a team?

Clarens repeated that thought in his mind a few times, and he couldn’t help feeling a bit uncomfortable.

What he didn’t say was that, aside from worrying about Jiang Hui’s injury, he also felt a sense of misplaced pride.

Clarens knew that if he wanted second place, the others would do everything to help him. But he didn’t want to simply accept their help like that. He had joined the team, yet he hadn’t contributed much. In fact, he had almost dragged them down in the end.

With the major threat eliminated, his pursuit of second place was his own business, and he would earn it through his own efforts. Staying in the team would only divide the others’ spoils, and if he truly wanted to achieve something, he needed to fight for it on his own.

This was the true pride of Theophilus Clarens.