The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

Watching Huo Qi casually emerge from the towering forest, Mu Kun and the others nonchalantly asked, “Is it over?”
But why was there no gunfire? Could it be that no one was inside, and they just misjudged the situation?

They naturally trusted Huo Qi. Even though they had experienced two previous defeats, none of them questioned Huo Qi’s abilities. In fact, because of the shared experiences and hardships they had endured together, their respect for Huo Qi had only grown. He was the leader they had personally witnessed leading them to victory in the competition.

In truth, many of the participants misjudged their outlook. None of them were particularly afraid of failure.

So what if they failed? They all knew it was just a small, internal competition, and a temporary failure didn’t mean much.

However, they also understood that this was more than just an internal competition. It was a platform, the beginning of a game where the strong compete on the same starting line.

From this moment on, they knew they had to give their best effort, to continuously improve themselves. This way, when they truly entered the battlefield one day, they would be fully prepared for what lay ahead.

So when they lost their first chance to stay in the game, they didn’t feel it was because their leader, Huo Qi, was weak. Instead, they felt the strength of the enemy and their own weakness. This team didn’t belong solely to Huo Qi.

When they lost their second chance to stay in the game due to the siege by the allied team, they didn’t feel it was because they were weak, but because the enemy was skilled at coordinating the collective power of their group. It was Huo Qi’s timely decision-making that saved them from losing their last chance.

After enduring such setbacks, the R256 team became even more united. They were no longer the brute-force assault team that had been forcibly molded together by sheer power. They began to understand the importance of cooperation, the power of strategy, and how to avoid sharp conflict while waiting for the right opportunity… This new approach made them more focused, more dedicated, than before.

Although they only had one more chance left, they didn’t intend to hide as others had speculated. On the contrary, they were filled with determination, eager to fiercely seek revenge against the allied team that had been attacking them.

After all, while they had recognized the power of strategy and unity, the teams from R197 were too shameless. Fifteen people gunning down five of them, and doing it in such a disorganized and ugly way… It was far from the intense showdown they had faced in their first defeat. Losing to this “rabble” was just too humiliating, and they certainly couldn’t swallow that insult.

So the group quietly plotted as they cleared out the scattered contestants around them, keeping a close eye on the three allied teams from a distance. To their surprise, they actually spotted something unusual.

However, before they could take any action on how to deal with it, they saw the enemy fiercely surrounding a small team.

At first, they thought it would be another one-sided massacre of “more people bullying fewer,” with no real skill involved. But to their surprise, it turned into something much more lively.

The team ranked at the top ended up clashing with teams R197, R87, and R117. Huo Qi and the others naturally didn’t want to miss this excitement. They put in a bit of effort, helping to corner and trap the enemy into a corner.

However, on their way to take advantage of the chaos, they encountered a small unexpected surprise.

It was unclear which skilled lone soldier had ended up crossing their line of fire. Thinking that things wouldn’t get messy so quickly over there, they quietly made their way toward them.

To their surprise, the person was very crafty and good at hiding. After several changes in direction, they almost lost track of him, which only made the R256 group more intrigued.

In the end, it was Huo Qi who entered the forest alone. They naturally trusted their team leader’s abilities and didn’t think this unknown lone soldier could outmatch their team’s ace. They waited outside, confident in their leader.

But to their surprise, Huo Qi never fired a shot. When they asked him about it, he actually shot them a rare glare and inexplicably said, “If you can’t hide, at least move farther away…”

What did he mean by “move farther away”? Didn’t the enemy want them to wait here? Even Xiao Li, who usually understood Huo Qi’s thoughts, was puzzled.

Huo Qi didn’t plan to explain to them. After all, there were still people eyeing them inside, and they had to leave before the enemy changed their mind.

It was a pity though, not being able to face this unknown opponent head-on. Huo Qi really wanted to know… whose gun was faster?

However, in such a situation, it was destined to remain unclear. The enemy not only stood their ground but also had strong teammates, while Huo Qi’s… let’s not say they were bad teammates, but from the looks of it, they were definitely holding him back to some extent.

In fact, there was a moment earlier when Huo Qi wanted to fire without hesitation, and once he lost control, it would be easy for him to act recklessly. However, with Jiang Hui facing him with her gun and Xierman also not idle, aiming at Huo Qi’s teammates outside the forest, Huo Qi found himself facing a double threat.

Yet his teammates seemed oblivious to the fact that anyone was planning to attack them. They didn’t even bother to think about why Huo Qi was suddenly retreating so inexplicably…

Huo Qi absurdly thought, if he weren’t the one leading the team today, who knew if these people would have been wiped out by the enemy without even realizing it.

Was the enemy too strong, or were his teammates not putting in enough effort? Huo Qi, who had always been moving forward without looking back, found himself thinking about such irrelevant and pointless questions. But soon, he shook these thoughts off and discarded them.

Shaking off his teammates’ doubts, he looked at the dense forest covered by layers of thick branches and leaves, then quickly led his team away from the area.

Mu Kun and the others were confused, but they didn’t forget their original purpose. They quickly followed, their attention returning to the allied team.

It wasn’t until they had retreated to a location 1.7 kilometers away that a few of them suddenly saw Huo Qi turn around, raise his gun, and take a shot at the air in a certain direction. That’s when they realized—

“Was there really someone in that forest just now?!” Mu Kun widened her eyes in disbelief. “Why didn’t you just shoot and take them out earlier? Why shoot now? Are you crazy?!”

You’re only just realizing it now… It would be crazy if I had any expectations of you. Huo Qi sneered, glanced once more at the empty space, curled his lips into a smirk, then shrugged off the angry person behind him and continued on his way.

The forest returned to its calm state. No one knew that just moments ago, the two contestants who had been locked in the fiercest battle had quietly and intensely completed their second confrontation.