The Most Powerful Brain in the Interstellar Space

Chapter 408 Mech Illusion (Part 2)

"You haven't been in good shape the last two times, and your mental strength seems to have dropped a lot. Is there anything wrong with your body?" After the mecha practice class, Stark kept Jiang Hui behind and asked him directly.

After saying that, he jumped directly into the mecha that Jiang Hui had just piloted and entered the cabin. Jiang Hui, unaware of his intentions, followed him.

Stark skillfully retrieved today's records from the mech database. The database contained data points automatically recorded by the mechs that day, including real-time data and performance curves. Although it couldn't compare to the detailed database used by the mech pilots, it was sufficient for basic analysis.

Stark pulled up her data from the previous two months and found that her recent figures had indeed dropped significantly. Although technological improvements had compensated for some of the disadvantages in mobility, overall it did seem like a regression.

However, Jiang Hui has been studying diligently for the past two months. Stark had checked her various courses and even physical training, and almost all of them showed an upward trend. Even though her grades were already among the best, the upward trend was still obvious – she clearly did not slack off in her studies.

However, she, who had always performed well in mecha piloting, suddenly fell down without warning. Stark's first reaction was that there was something wrong with her mental strength or even her brain, because this was not uncommon in the past, and there were even precedents.

Jiang Hui was also somewhat dazed upon hearing this. Indeed, she had felt somewhat powerless over the past month. It wasn't a physical feeling, but rather a feeling of reaching the upper limit of her mental energy's peak threshold; simply put, it felt like she didn't have enough mental energy.

But how could this be? The D-level mechs they're using for training shouldn't pose much of a problem for even B- or C-level users, let alone someone with Jiang Hui's A+ level. This wasn't happening before, so why is he suddenly finding it difficult?
Jiang Hui initially thought it was due to overworking her brain and abusing her consciousness space. Yesterday, Zhou Xiuwen said she seemed very tired, which made her feel guilty. After another unsuccessful attempt last night, she went to bed early. She didn't tinker with anything else and slept soundly until dawn.

Unexpectedly, instead of improving after a short rest, she seemed to be in worse shape than a few days ago. During her fight with Justi, a misstep nearly caused her to fall backward and hit the ground. This was very unusual; it felt more like a sudden loss of control over her mental energy while following a normal operational plan. This was why Stark kept her behind after class.

Stark then asked Jiang Hui about similar operational anomalies and the unusual events of the past few days, frowning as he said, "It might be caused by the instability of growth during the awakening period. Many high-potential individuals who are not fully awakened experience this during this period. You should have told me sooner."

How would I know? Jiang Hui shook her head and remained silent.

“Therapist Lu is away on business and won’t be back for a few days. Please schedule a time to visit the medical office then.” Stark shut down his mecha. “I heard from them that your studies are very demanding. Don’t study too hard; your health is important.”

Although Stark is a class instructor, he is ultimately an officer in the military establishment, responsible for military affairs. He often receives assignments and is required to carry out special missions, so he is still very busy.

Aside from the practical classes he was in charge of and the monthly class meetings, he handled most tasks remotely online, rarely being on campus. However, he was a very responsible teacher; even when not at school, he constantly monitored his students' learning progress, regularly reviewing and analyzing their updates. One student even claimed to have received a "death call" from Stark, supposedly because he had recently become somewhat lax, resulting in a significant drop in grades and other indicators. He was caught and severely criticized, and given an extra training package as a bonus.

However, from Jiang Hui's perspective, whether as a teacher or an elder, the other party was clearly not a student who required much attention. In fact, according to those teachers and classmates, Jiang Hui was someone who seemed overly hardworking and diligent.

This reminded Stark of her mother, Lieutenant Colonel Jiang, who was undoubtedly a first-rate "ascetic." In her youth, she was famously studious, studying relentlessly until she was practically dead, causing quite a stir and drawing complaints from many high-achieving students. This was because she wasn't just hardworking; she was also exceptionally talented. And yet, she still managed to live such a life!
Jiang Hui didn't resemble the other person at all, nor did she resemble her father, Jiang Hui, but for some reason, Stark could always see a trace of his old friend in her. He didn't know if it was because he missed them or—this was what was called bloodline inheritance.

However, while there's nothing wrong with studying hard, Stark felt it was necessary to offer a reminder, as an elder who might be the only one the other person could rely on.

Jiang Hui was greatly embarrassed and said with a slightly bitter face, "...Yes."

No, was she really that hard-working? How did word get to Stark's ears? "They," who are they?

Even after returning to his dorm, the person was still completely baffled.

Jiang Hui came out of the bathroom, glanced at the workbench piled with things, and finally decided to listen to her body's signals and rest early. She would rest well for the next few days and see if the abnormalities were due to overwork.

Of course, she didn't forget that tomorrow was Carlo's class, so she still needed to get up early and set an alarm that was neither too early nor too late.

Lying in bed, Jiang Hui thought she might not be able to fall asleep, because she rarely fell asleep with her mind completely blank. Since arriving in interstellar space and entering this strange and unusual environment, she usually fell asleep with questions and doubts. Today, however, she had truly left many things behind.

Unexpectedly, she had underestimated her situation, and before long, while muttering some random thoughts, she unknowingly drifted off to sleep.
The girl, covered only by a thin blanket, had barely fallen asleep when a strong sense of unease appeared on her face. Soon after, she broke out in a cold sweat, her cheeks turning blue and then red, looking extremely uncomfortable. Anyone present would have been alarmed, for what she was exhibiting was not merely a physical abnormality; the mental energy threshold within the room was fluctuating wildly, indicating an extremely unstable state and a hint of something spiraling out of control.

Her unusual behavior immediately attracted the attention of the students on the same floor, and some of them went out onto their balconies to watch, not knowing what was going on. Of course, that's a story for later; at the moment, Jiang Hui was still immersed in her consciousness.

(End of this chapter)