Where There Is a Hole, There Is Life; Where There Is No Brain, There Is Death

Jill Young hadn’t slept long—about five hours, tops—before she woke up. By then, the snow had stopped, but the clouds hadn’t cleared, leaving everything dark and hard to see. She still felt tired, but couldn’t go back to sleep, thanks to a faint rustling sound carried by the wind into her ears.

Years of living on the edge had given Jill a sixth sense for danger. In this nearly pitch-black environment, her hearing was on high alert. The moment she caught that rustling sound, she snapped awake, instantly shifting into peak condition.

Jill listened carefully, finding the sound odd—like something running across the snow, but too soft. She peered out, using the dim light to see she was perched on a modest snow peak. Compared to the distant mountains, it was just a bump, but in this landscape, it was still a risky spot.

Rubbing her eyes, she looked toward the source of the noise, spotting shadowy figures running in the distance. They looked human, and the rustling was probably footsteps. Some steps were heavy, some light—the lighter ones out front, running faster. These folks were heading straight for her snow peak, no hesitation.

Not knowing what was up, Jill decided she didn’t want to tangle with the local upright life forms just yet. Sure, they looked human from afar, but what if they were something else entirely? She chose to slip away and observe from the sidelines, turning to head down the other side of the hill.

But as soon as she poked her head out, Jill’s eyes narrowed—there were figures coming up this side, too. The leader was quick, zipping up the slope with steps so light the wind didn’t even carry the sound.

“Oh, come on, a pincer move?” Jill checked the other two sides—yep, more shadows running her way. A rough count said at least three hundred, enough to surround the hill. Dark night, strong wind, remote wilderness, mysterious strangers. Jill squinted, feeling like she’d stumbled onto the meetup spot for some illegal gathering.

“Can’t be this unlucky, right?” she thought. But yeah, it was probably just that unlucky. Crows are the same everywhere—these folks moved with that sneaky, nervous vibe you can’t fool the Queen of the Night with. No doubt, their motives and backgrounds were shady as heck!

But hey, their business wasn’t her business. Jill wasn’t looking for trouble, but she wasn’t afraid of it either. These hush-hush meetups were like some kind of selfie club—the last thing they wanted was an outsider crashing the party. If word got out, you’d have folks chasing you to the ends of the earth with knives.

To avoid a messy scene, Jill decided to make herself scarce. But the crowd was closing in fast, the wind howling, and the sound of their clothes slicing through the air was right on top of her.

From the east, a middle-aged man’s voice suddenly rang out. The sound was weird—quiet, but somehow carried far enough for everyone to hear. He spoke Chinese, with a strange accent, but it was definitely Chinese, so not some alien language. But what he said made Jill freeze. Four words drifted through the air, slow and clear: “Open—Minds—Thrive!”

Open Minds Thrive? What the heck does that mean? If you’ve got... a hole... you thrive? That’s way too pervy—even the Pure-Hearted or the Fox Sisters wouldn’t yell something that tasteless out loud!

Then, from the west, another voice echoed up from below, clearly playing along. A younger, booming voice, full of energy and menace: “No—Wit—No—Survival!”

No Wit, No Survival?! What’s that supposed to mean? Is every witless person doomed? Even the strictest anti-illiteracy campaign wouldn’t go that far! Jill’s eyes went wide.

With two whooshes, two figures shot up to the peak from east and west, landing in the snow. It was too dark to see clearly, but Jill could tell the eastern guy wore a robe, the western guy a leather jacket. Both were short—actually, a bit shorter than Jill herself.

Clearly, neither expected anyone else on the peak. Spotting Jill, both looked shocked. They exchanged glances, then glared at her. The western man spoke in a low voice: “Why didn’t you say anything just now? Where’s your code phrase?”

“Ha, ha... so it was a code phrase, huh...” Jill laughed weakly, pointing at the eastern man. “You’re Open Minds Thrive?”

“Indeed.” The reply was loud and proud.

Then she pointed at the western man. “And you’re No Wit... uh, No Survival?”

“That’s right.” He answered, full of confidence.

Jill took a long, dramatic breath, struggling to hold back her urge to roast the situation—but her inner comedian just couldn’t be stopped! With a full-throated shout, she declared, “Listen up, my code phrase is: Creative—Mind!”

She couldn’t help but snicker. Even if the next moment these guys came at her with knives, Jill was dying to laugh. Seriously, who’s the genius that picked these lines for secret codes?

Just as she was about to burst out laughing, Jill managed to hold it in—because, after hearing her code phrase, the two men didn’t get mad at all. Instead, they both stepped back and, with a sudden martial salute, said, “So you’re Creative Mind—our apologies, our apologies!”

Apologize to your brother-in-law! I can’t take this anymore! Did I accidentally stumble onto the set of a brainless drama?

Just as Jill was about to let her laughter explode, a long howl suddenly echoed from the south: “The—World—Is—Clear!” The howl was so fast, it beat an Olympic sprinter—first word at the foot of the mountain, last word at the peak. With a swoosh, a tall, thin man landed on the summit, glanced at the three, and saluted to all sides: “Open Minds Thrive, No Wit No Survival, Creative Mind, The World Is Clear—code phrases confirmed! Welcome, fellow brainstormers, to our grand gathering!”

(This chapter isn’t over yet ^.^, click next page to keep reading!)

“Fellow brainstormers?!” Jill finally lost it, bursting into uncontrollable laughter that echoed across the mountain. More figures rushed up the peak, all staring in shock as Jill laughed so hard she was practically rolling on the ground.

Even if she ended up getting chased by these folks later, hearing lines this refreshing was totally worth it!

Everyone looked at each other, confused. The 'World Is Clear' guy walked over and asked in a low voice, “May I ask, what’s so funny?”

Jill took a couple deep breaths, finally reining herself in. She straightened up, slapped the man’s shoulder, and gave a big thumbs-up: “Just—Happy!”

That slap did the trick—the crowd, which had been getting rowdy, suddenly quieted down. The way they looked at Jill now had a hint of respect. Even 'Open Minds Thrive' and 'No Wit No Survival' wore admiring expressions, and a few people even gasped.

Jill was totally lost, but 'World Is Clear' stepped back, bowing awkwardly. “I’m not much for fighting, but I do know a little lightfoot technique. For you to land a slap on my shoulder so easily, that’s some impressive skill. And you did it without using internal energy, which is even cooler. No wonder you’re Creative Mind—definitely a famous Master Brainstormer!”

I just randomly slapped your shoulder, dude! And—Master Brainstormer? I’m out of jokes, someone else take over...

The man went on, “With a hero like you joining us, how could we possibly fail?”

“Exactly!” The atmosphere heated up all around.

The No Wit No Survival guy waved and shouted, “Light the fire!” Groups of people at the foot of the mountain rushed up with all sorts of gear, placing a giant furnace in the center of the peak. Someone lit it, and flames roared up, illuminating the dim surroundings and revealing everyone’s faces.

Jill shrugged—once the lights were on, there was no blending in. She was definitely exposed now. But whatever, she noticed these people weren’t all that tough. The best were maybe eight times stronger than normal, the weakest only one or two times. Eight times sounds cool, but that’s just Steel Testicle City’s Spartan Squad level. To Jill, that’s nothing.

From what they said, these folks probably knew some martial arts. But Jill wasn’t scared—even Old Man Golden Wheel wouldn’t faze her now, and these guys, even with all their internal energy, weren’t much of a threat.

Surrounded by a bunch of nobodies, even if she got found out, it didn’t matter. With that carefree attitude, Jill sat back, waiting for someone to expose her for a good laugh.

But things took a turn she never expected.