The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

Lin Maowu furrowed his brows and said to Nancy, “Please keep an eye on the R117 line. They’re pushing too aggressively and exposing too much.”

Nancy seemed to have heard him, but it was unclear whether she had truly listened. She continued aiming at a spot ahead. Lin Maowu could clearly see that she hadn’t taken his words seriously, and there was even a hint of subtle defiance.

The more Lin Maowu observed, the tighter his brows furrowed.

“…Captain Lin, I believe I am just a temporary member of your team, and the terms of our agreement didn’t say that I have to obey your every command. My original team never required such things from transferred members. Isn’t this a bit much?” By this point, Nancy could no longer hold back her temper.

She wasn’t a gentle person by nature. In fact, she was rather stubborn, with a strong sense of independence. Unless she decided to change her mind, no one could shake her resolve.

All along, her cooperation and obedience to Lin Maowu had been because she understood the necessity of being placed here and also recognized that his leadership benefited the entire team. But that didn’t mean she would blindly follow his instructions.

Nancy hadn’t forgotten that she was placed in this team as a hostage, meant to safeguard and strengthen the connection between the three squads. However, her true allegiance still lay with R117, the team she was meant to protect.

She and Captain Tader shared a strong rapport. While they couldn’t be described as having complementary personalities, their cooperation had always been in sync, often without either of them consciously trying. Even now, despite having to temporarily separate from her original team and join a different, unfamiliar one for the sake of the plan, she could instantly understand Tader’s decisions.

If the other party had a request, she would naturally help ensure its success.

As for Lin Maowu’s thoughts, they weren’t even something she considered. Their cooperation had ended right there.

However, she hadn’t expected that when she tried to avoid saying anything that might damage the relationship between the two teams, he would force his way in without hesitation, pushing her to the point where she had no choice but to openly confront him.

Lin Maowu didn’t care at all about her rudeness. In truth, he hadn’t considered her one of his team members either. They were all temporary needs; naturally, she wouldn’t really act in the interest of his team.

But who he used didn’t matter. Even if she had her own personal interests and groups to serve, that wouldn’t stop him from using her to achieve his goals.

So, with a bit more patience, he said, “Nancy, you need to understand, I don’t want to harm you. It’s just that your reckless actions are exposing your team’s position even more. The members of R186 aren’t ordinary marksmen, and what you’re doing is too risky.”

Had he not said this, it would have been fine, but once Lin Maowu spoke, Nancy immediately became angry. “But it’s been over half an hour, and we still can’t break through. Is there any point in continuing like this? Don’t forget, our original plan was to make them disrupt their own formation and expose their weaknesses.”

“But now, after all this time, we’re the ones worried about being exposed. Is there any point in continuing like this? At this rate, we might as well change tactics or shift our approach. Continuing this way will only keep us stuck in an endless passive situation.” The girl spoke coldly.

This chaotic battle was nothing like what she had imagined. Entering a completely unfamiliar team, facing unknown people, dealing with a group of enemies with unknown capabilities, and having to constantly watch out for her temporary teammates… All of this put a lot of pressure on Nancy.

Lin Maowu’s inscrutable demeanor only deepened her wariness and caution toward him.

Lin Maowu’s lips pressed into a thin line, no longer wanting to deal with this teammate from a different team who was on a different path. He thought to himself that it was almost time to switch team members anyway, and was about to say something.

“Boom!”

Suddenly, Nancy’s face went pale, her whole body stiffened, and she was paralyzed, unable to move. Her back slumped weakly against the rock, and she slowly collapsed to the ground.

Her consciousness was blurry as she heard chaotic sounds from afar, among which she could vaguely make out Tader’s scream, abruptly cut off.

Then Lin Maowu appeared within her low field of vision, his expression cold as he said, “Sorry, my people are on the other side. I had no choice but to do this.”

At the same time, Tader, struck by a bullet from an unknown source, froze, losing all ability to move. She could only manage to glance at Pavla beside her, who seemed just as stunned by the situation, and suddenly a terrifying thought crossed her mind.

It couldn’t be…

But it was too late. Pavla didn’t make a move, but Lin Maowu, hundreds of meters away, had already taken action.

It wasn’t until the moment she lost consciousness that she realized—this so-called joint effort of three teams was likely a lie from the very beginning. It was all a ruse created by Lin Maowu to manipulate the other two teams into serving his purpose.

The triangle might seem like a stable structure, but it was ultimately built on different paths. Even if one side was removed, the remaining two sides could still form a relatively stable structure, perhaps even safer and parallel without intersecting.

They had been discarded.

Lin Maowu had feared that R87 would take the opportunity to tear up the agreement and strike, so he made the first move to eliminate Nancy, destroying R117’s last chance. After removing the unstable element, he seized the opportunity and rushed to where Pavla was attempting to escape.

Aris and the others were already positioned somewhat farther away, and by the time they reacted, they had lost the initiative. They could only watch as Lin Maowu, without hesitation, tore up the agreement and re-placed Pavla into his own team, forcefully establishing a “new agreement.” Although the other party was completely unprepared, it was clear that Lin Maowu had succeeded.

This series of events took place within a half-star’s worth of time, changing rapidly. Some of the team members didn’t even manage to react in time.

By the time Aris realized something was wrong, it was already too late. His sister had once again joined Lin Maowu’s team.

This was not the problem. The real issue was that not long ago, Lin Maowu had used such ruthless tactics to eliminate Tader’s team, and then preemptively detained Pavla. This made Aris feel that the other party was unpredictable and unscrupulous.

Aris even had a feeling that his group might also fall within Lin Maowu’s calculations. If necessary, Lin Maowu would not hesitate to use similar methods to get rid of them.

Thus, Pavla being in Lin Maowu’s hands had become a form of leverage. Lin Maowu would undoubtedly use this to deepen the bond between the two teams, until he no longer needed them.