The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar

How was he supposed to lead a group of non-combatant, partially awakened individuals safely out of this deadly danger zone? No one knew how anxious Mace felt inside, despite his seemingly calm demeanor.

In fact, he had sensed something was off just a short way into the forest.

Before conducting comprehensive training, the school would usually clear the area, and even some of the higher military academies that held practical training would send personnel to tightly secure the perimeter to eliminate the possibility of students encountering sudden dangers.

After all, students, by definition, are new learners who still need education. They haven’t completed basic training, nor have they been exposed to real battlefields or missions, so there’s no need for them to face these dangers too early.

Whether it was for the protection of the partially awakened individuals or the rules for nurturing talent, these students should receive the strictest protection.

Beska Intermediate Academy was one of the top few intermediate educational institutions in the area, and with his military background, it was unlikely they didn’t have the capability to do this, let alone neglect the importance of clearing the area.

The area should not have a particularly strong psychic magnetic field. The school wouldn’t possibly arrange a challenge that could threaten him to test the new students.

Mace felt something was off at that moment, so he discreetly led the students along the edge for a while, intending to turn back. On the way, he also contacted the observation center to inquire about the situation.

He wasn’t sure if the magnetic field was disturbed, or if the observation center thought it was no problem, or if this was simply arranged by the school… Mace wasn’t quite clear, but his training told him not to proceed any further.

So, he decided to stop and wanted to turn back directly. However, they hadn’t even made it halfway back when the culprit behind the abnormal magnetic field couldn’t help but jump out.

Mace was unsure whether to feel relieved for his quick reaction in turning back early or regretful for not having abandoned his concerns and taken the students away sooner. If he had done that, they could have gotten much farther by now.

He quietly instructed everyone to huddle closer together, with those with stronger psychic abilities on the outside and the weaker ones inside, forming a circle. He then reminded them not to panic or lose their way regardless of what they saw; they just needed to listen to his commands.

Before he could think of any strategies to deal with this group of enemies, the star beasts, which had likely been lurking in the shadows, drooling over this group of prey for quite a while, could no longer hold back.

A dozen new students huddled together anxiously, their eyes darting around the surroundings. The wind and rain, coupled with the incessant rumbling of thunder, added a layer of gloom to their fearful state of mind.

Shadowy figures flickered out from the darkness, illuminated by flashes of lightning, revealing the terrifying mandibles of these arthropods and the pair of menacing antennae raised high on either side.

They were segmented into three parts: head, thorax, and abdomen, with each one standing as tall as half an adult man. If they used their hind legs to support themselves, they could easily crush an entire person.

Ants?

No, even giant ants of the order Hymenoptera were rarely this large, and moreover, these creatures possessed aggressive psychic abilities that ordinary ants lacked. These were star beasts, likely some kind of ant-like star beasts.

At this moment, the entire squad started to panic, forgetting even their instructor’s admonitions.

Before they could call out to the only person they could rely on, a massive shadow suddenly loomed overhead, as if some colossal creature was descending upon them.

Everyone instinctively tried to scatter, thinking the star beasts were pouncing to devour them. However, they were taken by surprise when dozens of long, whip-like appendages suddenly shot up around them, densely packed into the ground and forming an almost cage-like structure around them.

“It’s me, Instructor Mace. Don’t move! Stay within the protective range of my mecha and don’t get too close to the gaps. If any star beasts approach, don’t panic; I have a plan.”

Only then did the group realize that these appendages belonged to their instructor… no, they must belong to the mecha.

Some instinctively looked up, glancing at the massive shadow that loomed over them.

The occasional flashes of lightning illuminated the surrounding area.

They not only saw the swarm of star beasts encircling them in the hollow ground, but they also beheld a magnificent, spider-shaped mecha.

Currently, they were being shielded underneath this mecha.

After that, everyone felt a bit dazed. Although the star beasts were not very large, they were significantly more troublesome than the typical new beasts they had seen in textbooks.

Despite their smaller size, they were incredibly agile and fiercely aggressive. The star beasts showed no interest in Instructor Mace’s spider-shaped mecha; instead, they relentlessly pursued the new students sheltered beneath it, treating them like a feast.

Thus, the new students had no choice but to follow the movements of Instructor Mace’s protective cage, running, jumping, or moving quickly in rhythm with the battle, fearing that one misstep would lead them to be thrown off. If they couldn’t wait for the instructor to rescue them, they would likely be devoured by those giant ants on the spot.

Instructor Mace’s combat ability was exceptional. His spider-shaped mecha was a lightweight animal-type attack mecha, primarily focused on agility, and it also had strong offensive capabilities. When he was alone, these ant-like star beasts would never be able to get close to him. However, the problem was that he was currently protecting a group of new students.

Additionally, due to the special customization of this mecha, there was no space inside for anyone to take cover. Mace could only engage in combat with the mecha to protect the students.

What made things worse was that these ant-like star beasts could emit a gas similar to toxic fumes.

This gas had a very sour smell at first. It was the same odor that Jiang Hui had been smelling all along. If one was surrounded by it without sufficient airflow, they would begin to feel dizzy and nauseous. If it continued, it could lead to uncontrolled stimulation of their mental power.

Mace also realized he couldn’t allow the kids to remain there any longer, as he felt he was gradually being affected as well; during the fight, he occasionally felt a bit lightheaded. If he was feeling this way… how much worse would it be for those children?

It couldn’t go on like this.

After a tough battle, having defeated a dozen enemies, Mace finally found a closed-off exit. He quickly deployed a spare protective shield around the group of new students to lead them away from the combat scene, hoping to give them a better chance at survival.

But Mace probably didn’t expect that his protective shield would crack right from the start, and the students, in their hasty escape, got disoriented and scattered in different directions.

The one who ran over to Jiang Hui was one of them.