《Deep Space Wandering Fleet》 Chapter 1 - Chapter 1: Chapter 1 Day 30 Countdown Chapter 1: Chapter 1 Day 30 Countdown Editor: Henyee Translations July, Xia Country, Donghua City. The blazing sun felt scorching, with not a breath of wind; people were drenched with sweat just rolling down. Two young men were discussing something at the foot of the mountain. ¡°Since we¡¯re here, we should at least go up and take a look.¡± The other person quickly refused, ¡°Too exhausting. If it weren¡¯t for this damn task, I¡¯d rather stay home and enjoy the air conditioning!¡± ¡°In that case¡­ I¡¯ll go up by myself!¡± Sunlight filtered down through the dense branches and leaves, leaving shadows on the ground like scattered coins. Beneath his feet was the real yellow earth, heavy and solid, not something that could be worried would collapse underfoot; the oxygen he breathed in was the original product of photosynthesis from the plants. ¡°There¡¯s nothing like Mother Star!¡± When Zhang Yuan reached the peak of the mountain, it was exactly 6 p.m. He sat gasping on a rock, wiping sweat from his forehead. It was rare for someone with his sort of insanity to climb a mountain just to watch a sunset, especially during the hottest season. The Sun set slowly, the clouds on the horizon glowing red. A few birds flew by, chirping, free and at ease. These were all scenes of beauty not found in space. ¡°Still¡­ 30 days left?¡± Zhang Yuan sighed, opened the memo on his phone, and checked off ¡°Witness a sunset with my own eyes.¡± The screen displayed the words ¡°Completed¡± in large font. Zhang Yuan was a bit puzzled, unsure if he was on vacation or fulfilling a task assigned by his superiors. This peculiar memo contained many trivial matters, like ¡°Have a sumptuous meal,¡± ¡°Climb a mountain,¡± ¡°Get caught in a rain shower,¡± ¡°Witness a sunset,¡± ¡°Run a marathon,¡± and so on. A hodgepodge, it had almost everything. The memo was designed tailored for individuals by the medical AI ¡°Green Elf,¡± after collecting personal data. According to the experts, they said, ¡°Let them leave without any regrets, reducing the chances of psychological issues midway.¡± All right, to put it plainly, Zhang Yuan had no serious illnesses, no suicidal tendencies, and no thoughts of ¡°owing a billion and wanting to run away with his sister-in-law.¡± Leaving meant leaving Earth, leaving the Solar System, boarding the ¡°Earth Era¡± spaceship to Gliese 581g, 20.3 light years away, to embark on interstellar colonization! 20.3 light years! Anyone with some knowledge of space knew this was truly an astronomical number. The long journey, with the spaceship traveling at 0.007 times the speed of light, would take approximately¡­ 3000 years! Humanity had been preparing for this deep space colonization for far too long. The Constant Starship ¡°Earth Era,¡± along with 500,000 carefully selected volunteers from various fields, would bear the responsibility of restarting civilization on Gliese 581g. Nevertheless, no matter how well-prepared, the 3000-year-long interstellar journey remained an unprecedented expedition, and no one could guarantee its success rate. Therefore, with humanitarian consideration, almost all volunteers were granted a long vacation after completing their space skills training, to experience their last days on Earth¡­ For these reasons, Zhang Yuan was enjoying this last month¡¯s holiday. ¡°3000 years, by then, how will Earth Civilization have developed?¡± ¡°It must be incredibly powerful by then¡­¡± ¡°Who knows, later spaceships might even catch up with our first Colonization Ship!¡± Zhang Yuan took a deep breath, dreaming of humanity¡¯s bright future, and when he thought about becoming pioneers in history, he felt a surge of pride and ambition. The Sun gradually set¡­ Just as he descended the mountain, a tall young man with dark skin, wiping sweat from his face, ran up quickly. His name was Li Zhendong, and like Zhang Yuan, he was one of the astronauts about to leave the Solar System. Li Zhendong wasn¡¯t as heat-resistant as Zhang Yuan, and even without climbing the mountain, he was still drenched as if fished out of water. As he used his palm to fan his face, he complained, ¡°I told you, you could see the sunset from the foot of the mountain, but you insisted on climbing up. What kind of lousy memo is that, can¡¯t you skip it? Finally getting a vacation, and you still have to do this stuff. Isn¡¯t watching a sunset something for old people to do?¡± Zhang Yuan was also unbearably hot and shook his head, ¡°All right, all right, let¡¯s accomplish what we can. Things that feel annoying and troublesome now may become beautiful memories later.¡± He looked toward the horizon filled with fiery clouds, ¡°¡­After all, besides reincarnation, it seems like there¡¯s no other way to return to the Solar System. It¡¯s a one-way ticket, no turning back.¡± Saying this, Zhang Yuan caught his breath, ¡°All right, completed this task perfectly, let¡¯s see what the next memo is¡­¡± With a tap of a finger, the next entry in the memo appeared¡­ ¡°Find a girl you like and become a real man!¡± What? Zhang Yuan¡¯s heart skipped a beat, cursing the AI that created the memo¡ªwhat a fool! What kind of psychological counseling was this? He only had a month left of his vacation; who had time for romance? Behind this was a line of small text from ¡°Green Elf,¡± explaining the reasoning for this memo entry, ¡°A woman is a man¡¯s best teacher and a deep emotional support. Deep space travel is lonely and isolating, Mr. Zhang Yuan, given that you haven¡¯t yet¡­¡± Without time to look closely, he hurriedly tapped the screen again, trying to scroll to the next entry. Unexpectedly, Li Zhendong had sharp eyes, catching a glimpse of those words on Zhang Yuan¡¯s phone, as if discovering a New Continent. ¡°Hahahaha! Zhang Yuan, you¡¯re actually still a virgin? Haven¡¯t been in a relationship?¡± ¡°How embarrassing, how embarrassing!¡± The joyful laughter even drew frequent glances from passersby. The AI ¡°Green Elf,¡± having developed over fifty years as a medical AI, served over a billion people, with a high precision of analysis and a satisfaction rate of 61.69%. All right, in the demanding medical system, this satisfaction rate was already pretty decent. Since Zhang Yuan¡¯s memo stated ¡°to become a real man,¡± it implied he was still a virgin¡ªno doubt about it! ¡°Shut up, shut up!¡± Zhang Yuan¡¯s face felt hot, and he was somewhat embarrassed. Many college students had been in love so many times they couldn¡¯t count them on two hands. Someone like Zhang Yuan, who had lived for 23 years yet hadn¡¯t lost his virginity, could easily be thought to have a series of unmentionable physiological problems. ¡°I¡¯ve been in love so many times already, all right?¡± Li Zhendong boasted while laughing. He extended his fingers one by one, flaunting them before Zhang Yuan as if to show off his experience with girls. Seeing Li Zhendong¡¯s ¡°you¡¯re no match¡± look, Zhang Yuan unwillingly retorted, ¡°What are you thinking? I was in a relationship in high school too!¡± He pulled out a photo from his phone from long, long ago, ¡°Look, see, that¡¯s my girlfriend from high school¡ªcute and adorable, isn¡¯t she?¡± Li Zhendong saw it was indeed a photo of Zhang Yuan with a girl, the two cozily cuddled together, smiling happily at the camera. ¡°The girl seems nice¡­ is she your actual sister?¡± Zhang Yuan rebutted irritably, ¡°Please, where would I get a sister?¡± ¡°And then?¡± ¡°¡­We broke up after graduation, for various reasons, anyway.¡± ¡°That¡¯s dull.¡± Li Zhendong seemed to think of something, ¡°If you really have some unspeakable illness, you should quickly get it treated. Once you¡¯re on the spaceship, there are only a few clumsy AI doctors; there aren¡¯t many infertility specialists!¡± ¡°Scram, I¡¯m perfectly fine!¡± Zhang Yuan gave a kick, but Li Zhendong dodged nimbly. ¡°Got stuff to do, gotta go.¡± Zhang Yuan briskly walked to an electric car and got in. The electric car¡¯s left signal light flashed once and slowly started up. ¡°Bye!¡± Watching the white car leave, Li Zhendong took a long breath. He licked his lips, squinted his eyes, looking around as if he was a thief. Cautiously, he opened his own memo. He shivered suddenly! Only to see the memo read the same words, ¡°Find a girl you like and become a real man!¡± Li Zhendong murmured, ¡°Damn it, truly¡­ artificial idiot!¡± ¡­ (New book, new features. After months of preparation, finally got the outline mostly done. The early part of this book might feel like a scholarly story, but it is truly an interstellar tale.) (If you have votes, please cast them, thank you all!) (Is anyone looking to invest in a new book? I surely can¡¯t fail to pass this contract threshold, can I¡­) CREATORS¡¯ THOUGHTS Henyee From 18 Dec 2020, there will be only 40 chapters for Trial Read, with Chapters 20 to 40 locked. After a book is picked, Chapters 20-39 will have the locks automatically removed. Chapters 1-39 will become free to read, with Chapter 40 remaining a Premium chapter. The selected book will have a mark on the corner of the book cover in 30 days to indicate continuation. Coins spent on all books during Trial Read will all be refunded within 30 days. However, Fast Passes will not be refunded. Thank you for your understanding. Chapter 2 - Chapter 2: Chapter 2 Property Donation Chapter 2: Chapter 2 Property Donation Editor: Henyee Translations The autonomous electric vehicle was speeding down the road, and Zhang Yuanping calmed his mind. By the 23rd century, it was an era that placed great emphasis on intelligence, but the attribute of ¡°appearance¡± still held importance in social interactions. People who looked good had certain advantages in their personal development, regardless of gender. Zhang Yuan felt¡­ he looked good. It shouldn¡¯t be narcissism, because his relatives and friends all said so, and the fact that he had a decent romantic history from a young age indirectly proved it. As for why there were no women around him, it was because he aspired to be an astronaut since childhood, so he consciously suppressed that part of his desires. ¡°There were plenty of girls chasing after me¡­¡± With less than a month of vacation left, such a short time was at most just mutual attraction driven by hormones. It was impossible to form a connection on a spiritual level. Of course, finding a girl for physiological exchanges wasn¡¯t difficult. If it was agreed beforehand to just have fun, there would still be a lot of ¡°modern women¡± willing to have a story with ¡°astronauts,¡± which could be a source of bragging with companions in the future¡­ In this open era, few people cared if their future marriage partner was a virgin. However, Zhang Yuan did not like random hookups. Suddenly, his phone vibrated. He tapped open his phone, and it was a spam message. Since he never bothered to organize, there was a large number of unread red dots on it. [Four of your phone contacts on ¡°Possibly¡± set you as a ¡°secret crush.¡± Since you have not registered, we specially notify you via text message¡­ Download address¡­] Soft advertisement, so annoying, even in the 23rd century these things couldn¡¯t be eradicated. ¡°Forget it, forget it.¡± He wasn¡¯t some seasoned player in the love field, so since he couldn¡¯t be emotionless, there was no need to add emotional burdens before leaving. After skipping over this memo, Zhang Yuan felt much more comfortable. The autonomous vehicle was moving steadily on the road, and the vehicles on the road were very orderly, almost all moving at the same speed with no queue jumping or cutting in line of any unruly behavior. In terms of driving vehicles, artificial intelligence had much higher reliability than humans, and manual driving in non-emergency situations had already become illegal. Zhang Yuan was not a rich second-generation, and this autonomous vehicle wasn¡¯t his own; it was just a ride-share taxi on the roadside, anyway, readily available and no different from having his own car. The in-car screen was playing a space history documentary. ¡°¡­we have come this far, stepping over mud and hurdles, exploration and development have always been the main theme of the era¡­¡± He watched the documentary with interest. It had to be said, the progress of modern technology had been much slower than people of the old era had imagined. In 1969, when Americans first landed on the Moon, many scientists optimistically believed humans could colonize the Moon by the year 2000; by 2020, humans would occupy the Solar System and become a true interstellar civilization. Humans would find the legendary aliens, would have collisions and friction with alien civilizations, would experience strong artificial intelligence developing self-awareness and rebelling against humans¡­ In the end, it was a pity. The entire 21st century, nothing happened. There were no Brain chips, no strong artificial intelligence leading to the singularity, and no Eternal Life Technology. Virtual Imaging Technology remained expensive; AR glasses attempting to replace mobile phones were popular for a while, then eliminated for inconvenience; battery capacity never met demand; room temperature superconducting materials were never invented¡­ Not to mention things from science fiction novels like curvature engines, wormholes, Time Travel, and anti-gravity. In a comfortable life, humans seemed to have reached the limit of the entire civilization. Progress in Information Science gave people the illusion that science was still developing vigorously, numbing human nerves. Unfortunately, some critical technologies had not broken through for a long time. Finally, at the end of the 21st century, the exhaustion of oil caused a terrible global energy crisis. Two consecutive world wars caused human society to regress by a century! The entire 22nd century was bleak, later referred to by people as¡­ the ¡°Gray Era!¡± The male voice in the documentary, with a magnetic voice, said: ¡°Fortunately, everything has gotten through, we¡¯ve explored the unknown and found a new direction¡­¡± ¡°Controlled Nuclear Fusion!¡± ¡°¡­the successful ignition of the Artificial Sun, accompanied by the booming development of Space Industry, Space Botany, and Nanomaterials Science, brought human civilization into the golden stage once more!¡± ¡°In the latter half of the 23rd century, we will enter an unprecedented¡ªInterstellar Colonization Era!¡± The documentary was inspiring and had a bit of exaggeration, enough to fool some ordinary citizens. Zhang Yuan shook his head and chuckled. Fusion energy indeed brought endless energy, changing the living situation of humanity, but it did not mean that all humanity could achieve a greatly affluent life because of it. For the reason that oil wasn¡¯t just a source of energy, it was also an important industrial raw material. To give a few simple examples: without fertilizers and pesticides, human grain production directly reduced by half. Where do fertilizers and pesticides come from? Certainly from oil-derived products. Without acrylic, polyester, nylon, or vinylon, clothing prices soared, and the vast majority of people couldn¡¯t afford clothes, having to live naked. Where do these chemical fiber products come from? The answer is oil-derived products. Without petroleum solvents, chemical raw materials, lubricants, and other oil-derived products, over 90% of industrial factories would directly shut down. ¡°Oil is the lifeline of industry,¡± this phrase had no falsehood. Even though fusion energy was inexhaustible and limitless, it still had extraction costs, electricity transmission costs, and power station maintenance costs. Using industrial means to forcibly synthesize organics from inorganics with electricity remained too costly, much more than extracting oil in the old era. Up until now, many poor small countries¡¯ people still couldn¡¯t eat their fill, precisely due to the lack of oil substitutes. Fortunately, the booming development of Space Botany was slowly healing humanity¡¯s ¡°oil dependence syndrome.¡± Many industrial raw materials, such as polymer fibers, ethylene, benzene, Methane, and so on, found substitutes from Space Mutant Plants, and these plants could be grown on a large scale on the ground. Just like the high call from a small country¡¯s president: ¡°Praise Space Botany, finally letting us escape the survival crisis! Praise!¡± ¡­ An hour later, the autonomous vehicle passed through the agricultural zone and the industrial zone, entering the urban area. ¡°Distinguished guest, you have reached your designated destination. This service time was 1 hour and 2 minutes, total charge 43 coins¡­¡± A gentle electronic prompt sounded, Zhang Yuan paid and got out of the car, returning to his home. ¡°Home is still comfortable.¡± He first took a cold shower, then turned on the computer, logged onto the notary public website, and enthusiastically clicked the ¡°Property Donation¡± button on the webpage. After thinking carefully, he uploaded his home¡¯s property certificate. A line of information popped up on the webpage: ¡°2236-9 Beiping Street, Donghua City, room area 163.3 square meters, estimated value of 2.865 million federal coins.¡± Donating the house to the social welfare institution! Zhang Yuan took a deep breath, felt a bit reluctant, experiencing a sense of being the legendary godly rich, the kind who casually rewarded to show off¡­ ¡°If it¡¯s donated, then it¡¯s donated, bro is just that noble!¡± Actually, it wasn¡¯t that he was of high moral character. Zhang Yuan had no old people above him, no children below him, and since he had decided to leave Earth, could his Earthly property be brought onto the spaceship? ¡­ (ps: Updates every night at eight o¡¯clock.) Chapter 3 - Chapter 3: Chapter 3 Intelligence Enhancement Potion? Chapter 3: Chapter 3 Intelligence Enhancement Potion? Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°` So, since assets couldn¡¯t be brought onto the spaceship, it would be better to donate them to social welfare organizations, putting an end to it and saving the worry. However, donating also had its intricacies. Nowadays, welfare organizations were a mixed bag, many of which were established by the wealthy specifically to evade inheritance taxes. Donating assets to these organizations was just like throwing a meat bun to a dog. After much consideration, Zhang Yuan still decided to donate all his assets to the ¡°Deep Space Foundation.¡± This massive global nonprofit organization was the initiator of the entire interstellar colonization program. It was directly managed by the United Government, and the cash flow and a series of procedures were exceptionally standardized. Standing in front of the camera, Zhang Yuan said, ¡°I am willing to donate all of my fixed assets and monetary funds to the Deep Space Foundation, with the effective date being the year 2266¡­¡± He recorded a video, then filled in specific details, and the entire donation process was thus completed. Until the effective date arrived, the assets remained his own, and he could change his mind at any time. He pondered carefully for a while and set the effective date for two years later. A two-year buffer, the ¡°Earth Era¡± spaceship was expected to reach Pluto¡¯s orbit. If nothing went wrong, that would be best. If, unfortunately, something happened, even if a rescue team was sent, it was highly unlikely any of them would survive. ¡°Let¡¯s leave it at that!¡± ¡°Such a waste, really such a waste!¡± He heavily pressed confirm, feeling both pain and joy in his heart, a sense of inexplicable emptiness as if his whole body was paralyzed. These were the inheritances left to him by his father, just squandered like that. Soon, Zhang Yuan comforted himself a bit and pushed the reluctance in his heart to the back of his mind¡­ Afterward, it seemed there was nothing to do. Previously, when working in Space City, there was always endless work every day. The trainee captain bossed them around like dogs, grandly calling it ¡°stress training.¡± Suddenly having free time, he felt somewhat at a loss. Humans really were a wretched species. Some people liked to indulge and vent crazily before leaving. But he felt there was no need for that. ¡°Might as well read some books; studying a bit wouldn¡¯t hurt.¡± Zhang Yuan walked into the study and browsed the catalog on the bookshelf. ¡°Far Abelian Geometry and Tame Topology.¡± ¡°On Almost Complex Structures in Symplectic Spaces.¡± ¡°Integral Geometric Methods in the Langlands Program.¡± Looking at these titles, Zhang Yuan couldn¡¯t help but click his tongue. There were two types of mathematics books: The first kind made you not want to read after the first page; the second kind made you not want to read after the first sentence. But now, these books belonged to the third kind, making you not want to read just by looking at the titles. Zhang Yuan, with resignation, randomly flipped open a book. On a certain page, a certain line read, ¡°For prime number p, the projective limit of (Z/p^nZ)n¡Ý1¡­¡± ¡°1/5 =¡­5412541254125412¡± It was neither English nor an alien language, but any combination of these words couldn¡¯t be understood, especially with ellipses oddly placed before the number. What on earth was that? In neat small characters, a line on the blank space of the paper said, ¡°¡­Regarding the problem of p-adic integers, I have a better idea, but unfortunately the space here is too small to write it down.¡± Zhang Yuan¡¯s pulse on his forehead twitched a few times; he sighed and gave up on this area of struggle. To ask why his home had such books, of course, it was¡ªleft by his godfather-like father. According to his father¡¯s words, ¡°The world¡¯s problems ultimately fall into two categories, one being philosophical problems and the other being mathematical problems. Mastering mathematics, everything becomes simple¡­¡± Indeed, Zhang Yuan was the son of a scientist. The advantage was that he received the best education from an early age and developed many good habits. The disadvantage was that when his innate intelligence was simply at the average person¡¯s level, he had this feeling of being mentally challenged. Even though he worked hard and got into a decent university, graduating with excellent grades, compared to his father, he still felt like an idiot. The intelligence gap between people was sometimes greater than that between humans and dogs¡­ Ding dong, ding dong. Just then, the shrill doorbell rang from the doorway, pulling back his thoughts. Zhang Yuan jumped up from the stool and opened the door, only to find a delivery robot standing outside. ¡°Hello, Mr. Zhang Yuan. Your parcel, please check for receipt!¡± This kind of six-axis robot paired with driverless vehicles was already capable of performing some simple manual labor. Decades ago, a large number of delivery personnel were replaced by robots and became unemployed, which at the time caused large-scale protests (though, of course, abroad). ¡°Mine?¡± To save costs, the delivery robot only had simple AI without complex logic capabilities like language judgment. ¡°Hello, Mr. Zhang Yuan. Your parcel, please check for receipt!¡± Zhang Yuan looked at the senders¡¯ signature, and to his surprise, it was ¡°Donghua City Law Firm,¡± causing his heart to skip a beat. ¡°What¡¯s going on, a lawyer¡¯s letter? Did I break the law?¡± ¡°Hello, Mr. Zhang Yuan. Your parcel, please check for receipt!¡± The robot just mechanically repeated. ¡°¡­¡± After pressing his fingerprint to confirm it was the recipient himself, the robot handed him a large package. With a bang, he shut the door, feeling a bit nervous inside, eagerly unpacking the package. If he was really inexplicably guilty, perhaps his permit to board the spaceship would be canceled. That¡¯s something he definitely wouldn¡¯t want to see. The outermost layer was a paper letter, ¡°Dear Mr. Zhang Yuan, this is an item your father entrusted us to keep. The will only takes effect when you are about to leave Earth¡­¡± Feeling relieved, it turned out to be a ¡°gift¡± left by his father. Inside was a folding tablet computer and a cold iron box, with the dry ice inside the package still emitting a ghostly cold mist. He opened the tablet computer. ¡°Zhang Yuan!¡± A familiar figure appeared on the screen. It was his father. ¡°Dad.¡± Zhang Yuan murmured as he looked at the screen. The middle-aged man on the screen smiled, ¡°Recently feeling unwell, perhaps the end is near, and I¡¯m going to see Einstein¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­If you plan to live honestly on Earth, I believe the wealth I left you would be enough for a while.¡± Indeed, his father left him a house in Donghua City and a couple of million federal coins, enough to marry and raise a child. ¡°¡­If you want to leave with the ¡®Earth Era,¡¯ then these legacies are useless, just donate them. Only knowledge is the most important.¡± Zhang Yuan forced a smile; surprisingly, his and his father¡¯s thoughts were quite similar. ¡°I feel I¡¯ve not taught you enough knowledge. Although you seem diligent, in many fields, 1% of talent is more important, and you don¡¯t have a talent for research, just an ordinary person¡­¡± Zhang Yuan awkwardly scratched his head, his heart calm. Perhaps having been hit since childhood, his face had become thicker than a dead pig¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯m not a genius, but at least I¡¯m not dumb, otherwise, how could I have passed the astronaut exam? I¡¯m doing alright, okay.¡± Zhang Yuan was just somewhat puzzled as to what this already deceased father was doing. Why, at the last moment, send a computer to scold him? His father babbled on for half a day, and finally got to the point, ¡°Ahem, this computer contains some of my ideas and thoughts. These include the fields of artificial intelligence, robot algorithms, and some other cutting-edge technologies; they are still unpublished, you can take a look.¡± These were indeed good things! ¡°¡­Don¡¯t think about picking the fruits easy, they have not been completely perfected. If you¡¯re interested, you might try to improve them. It could be a small gift from me. Of course, if you don¡¯t understand the knowledge inside, copying it won¡¯t be of any use.¡± When discussing his academic achievements, his father waxed lyrical, as if only these things could ignite his desire to talk. After a while, his father¡¯s face slightly flushed, his expression began to look tired. ¡°¡­Oh, by the way, there¡¯s a¡­ potion in that iron box.¡± His expression turned somewhat strange, paused, and said, ¡°There is a 35% probability it will make you smarter, a 50% probability it won¡¯t change anything, and a 15% probability it will make you duller!¡± ¡°If you¡¯re dissatisfied with your current intelligence, perhaps you can give it a try.¡± ¡°All the consequences are yours to bear!¡± ¡°` Chapter 4 - Chapter 4: Chapter 4 The Feeling of Genius Chapter 4: Chapter 4 The Feeling of Genius Editor: Henyee Translations After finishing his sentence, his father closed the video and went back to work. At that time, even though he was seriously ill, he still insisted on working. The Earth Era, this giant spaceship of a new era, was built piece by piece by this group of workaholics. Zhang Yuan stared at the iron box, lost in thought. Even after being mocked, he still felt a sense of reluctance. His father¡¯s memory had become somewhat blurred, but now it became clear again, as if they had just parted yesterday. That feeling was really sad¡­ After two seconds, he remembered something and suddenly looked at the iron box. A drug that could enhance intelligence! Was it real or fake? Zhang Yuan swallowed a mouthful of saliva, frowned, and opened the iron box. He found a small blue glass bottle filled with liquid inside, along with a disposable syringe. Enhancing intelligence, impossible, could such advanced black technology really exist in the world? Impossible, absolutely impossible! ¡°If it really existed, the world would already be full of geniuses, and PhDs would be as common as dogs. Even if the price were high, it wouldn¡¯t matter.¡± But, since his father mentioned it, it probably wasn¡¯t groundless. He picked up the glass bottle, affected by dry ice, it was freezing cold, and the light blue liquid inside was no more than 3 milliliters. Zhang Yuan hesitated, wanting to find an institution to test the components of the liquid. But he was also afraid that this thing might be time-sensitive. Once the temperature rose, it might deteriorate and lose its effect. So, should he use it or not? Clenching his fists, he pondered hard for three seconds. First, the probability of success was greater than the probability of failure. Second, since it was sent by his father, it shouldn¡¯t be harmful¡­ Third, he was really unwilling to just be an ordinary person. Not using it would be foolish! Having made up his mind, Zhang Yuan stopped hesitating, took out the disposable syringe, and drew the blue liquid from the glass bottle. ¡°Inject intravenously¡­¡± ¡°Calm, calm.¡± With a deep breath, he plunged the syringe into the vein on his arm. A sharp pain. As an astronaut, he had received some medical training, so he was not unfamiliar with this kind of thing. Just an injection. Zhang Yuan bit his teeth and pressed the syringe with his thumb, slowly pushing the blue liquid in. Soon, his cheeks began to flush, a strange drowsy feeling emanating from his head. He couldn¡¯t tell if it was due to nerves or the drug taking effect. Suddenly, everything spun! His eyes widened, and he collapsed to the ground. ¡­ When he woke up again, he felt his mind was muddled, as if a whirlpool was spinning rapidly. He continued lying on the ground for a few minutes until the intense pain in his brain gradually subsided. ¡°¡­Able to think.¡± Zhang Yuan laboriously got up, looked around suspiciously, and then repackaged the syringe and glass bottle, putting them in the fridge. If necessary, maybe he should find a place to analyze the components of the remaining liquid. ¡°Have I gotten smarter or dumber?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s try!¡± he thought enthusiastically. The simplest test, of course, was calculation. Zhang Yuan gave himself a problem: ¡°7812378*7812378=¡­¡± ??? ?? ? It was like a machine had rusted and jammed, the answer didn¡¯t leap into his mind immediately. It¡¯s over! A wave of irritation. His entire face turned beet red. Damn it. Haven¡¯t become smarter, have I become dumber?! ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be this unlucky¡­ Ah, if I really am this unlucky, I¡¯ll just have to accept it.¡± He got up from the ground, checked the time, it was already 9 PM, and his stomach was rumbling with hunger. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s low blood sugar causing brain dysfunction¡­¡± He randomly found an excuse, trying to calm his chaotic emotions, walked into the kitchen, cooked a bowl of noodles for himself, and slurped it down. Man is iron, food is steel, test IQ after eating the noodles. Zhang Yuan took steps toward the study and pulled out the book, ¡°Far Abel Geometry and Tame Topology.¡± He couldn¡¯t understand it, still couldn¡¯t understand it. ¡°That¡¯s not right, maybe I¡¯m being too impatient, this book is too hard.¡± Understanding a book doesn¡¯t just depend on intelligence, it also requires accumulated knowledge. Far Abel Geometry is a distant branch of Algebraic Geometry, even PhD students in Mathematics find it overwhelming. Without relevant prior knowledge, even if Zhang Yuan¡¯s IQ were 250, he couldn¡¯t possibly understand its content. Then switch to another, simpler book. ¡°The Art of Computer Programming¡± A very classic book! In this era, programming had become a compulsory course in high school and university, even though many people disliked this course just as they disliked Mathematics and Physics. In their words, ¡°What¡¯s the use of learning this? I might not work in this field in the future!¡± But there¡¯s no denying that Software Engineering was still the highest employment rate specialty, whether in the field of Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology, or various mechanical designs, programming is needed. Zhang Yuan¡¯s university major was ¡°Space Machinery Engineering,¡± a messy field where you learned a bit of everything, programming was of course also mediocre. Zhang Yuan recalled the knowledge in his mind and opened the first page. [Volume 1, Chapter 1, Basic Algorithms.] ¡°Just think of it as reviewing. Though this book is classic, its elementary applications concerning simulation, numerical methods, symbolic computation, software, and system design are still pretty difficult.¡± Gradually, he entered a highly focused state, and a peculiar emotion arose in his mind. When pondering and solving problems, it was like conquering one challenging checkpoint after another. This powerful sense of conquest and satisfaction stimulated him to keep reading. Time passed by the second, until the entire book, over two hundred pages long, was finished. Zhang Yuan nodded, feeling like he had enjoyed a sumptuous feast. A pretty good book, no time wasted! He stopped his pen, hammered his achy back, continually reflecting on the knowledge he¡¯d acquired. He looked up to check the time. No way, it¡¯s already 3 AM, he¡¯d been reading for six hours! Time had passed quickly, it was time to sleep. Wait a minute! Intel¡­ Intelligence! Suddenly, he remembered something, and a deep sense of joy surged through him. In the past, although Zhang Yuan was a diligent and self-disciplined good student, he couldn¡¯t be diligent enough to study a boring book for six hours straight without any distractions¡­ He hadn¡¯t even noticed the passage of time. But now, something seemed different, the whole book wasn¡¯t just understood in one go, there weren¡¯t any obstacles in the middle, everything seemed to happen naturally. Haha! It was real! I really have become smarter! He excitedly rolled around on the bed¡­ Chapter 5 - Chapter 5: Chapter 5: The Trait Called "Workaholic Chapter 5: Chapter 5: The Trait Called ¡°Workaholic Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°` After being excited for a few minutes, the same question popped into his head. ¡°7812378 * 7812378 = ¡­¡± ??? ?? Still couldn¡¯t do it within a second, what was going on? As¡­ ahem, a genius, he shouldn¡¯t be stumped by such a problem! Zhang Yuan frowned, a vertical multiplication problem appeared in his mind. He stumbled through it for half a minute before finally coming up with the result. ¡°61033250014884.¡± Not bad, still got it. Thinking it over carefully, a look of realization appeared on his face. ¡°So that¡¯s it¡­ the old me would have solved such problems directly on a computer, which caused my calculation skills to degrade significantly. If you don¡¯t use your brain, even geniuses can¡¯t instantly pop out answers¡­¡± ¡°Calculating slowly now is just because of a lack of proficiency and not mastering the relevant techniques. If I use mental arithmetic long-term, I can definitely improve.¡± The next day¡­ Zhang Yuan woke up bleary-eyed and rubbed his groggy head. Maybe it was because he was too excited last night, constantly testing his IQ, that he just couldn¡¯t fall asleep. By the time he finally managed to doze off, it was nearly dawn. He looked, and it was already 10 o¡¯clock. ¡°Darn!¡± Zhang Yuan rolled off the bed, quickly washed up, then hurriedly rushed out the door. ¡°I hope I¡¯m not late, otherwise Auntie will nag me for ages¡­¡± The 30-day vacation was tight, with every day planned out clearly, and he had already scheduled to have lunch at his aunt¡¯s today. July in Donghua City was like a furnace, with heat waves rolling over, and the roadside plants were caught in the inferno. Zhang Yuan hurried to the subway station, where there was always a comfortable air conditioner. This era did not lack energy, and the power generation of each large fusion nuclear power plant was comparable to the Three Gorges Hydroelectric Power Station of the past, with domestic electricity priced as low as 3 cents per degree. Thanks to this, apart from plastics and other traditional petroleum-derived products that remained expensive, high-energy-consuming industrial products like steel and cement had become unusually cheap. In particular, the vigorous development of nanotechnology had resulted in generation after generation of upgraded building materials. For example, adding 6% nano-silicon dioxide to cement could double its compressive strength and improve the overall working properties of concrete. The widespread availability of cheap, new materials had led to increasingly taller surface buildings in the city, with kilometer-high skyscrapers being commonplace. Two hundred years ago, the 828-meter-tall Burj Khalifa was the tallest building in the world, but now, it was merely the tallest building in a village. Moreover¡­ the same construction cost could now build at least five! Some transportation tracks were even placed thousands of meters high, with skyscrapers as the rail pillars. These became very popular in almost all large cities, making aerial rails the face of big cities. ¡°So many people.¡± Donghua City was one of the five first-tier cities in Xia Country. Even though he had missed the morning rush hour, the subway station was still crowded. ¡°Passengers, please give way to the elderly and children.¡± ¡°Please refrain from smoking or begging inside the carriages.¡± Completely solving traffic problems was impossible. Critics always found the most comfortable angles to attack the government, if the transit was too crowded, the government would definitely catch flak. But if there were too many subway trains, with lots of empty seats, it would be considered a ¡°waste of taxpayers¡¯ money.¡± No matter what, they would get criticized, so they just made do. Zhang Yuan stood at the back of the line, hearing someone constantly complain about ¡°not adding more trains¡± and so forth. He chuckled to himself, not thinking much of it, and instead picked up his phone to start doing exercises. This was a very popular app called ¡°Super Brain¡± that could test a person¡¯s memory, arithmetic skills, and reasoning ability. Since he was bored anyway, doing a few problems wasn¡¯t a bad idea, and he could also test his IQ. IQ was currently the most important issue to him. Every time he found his IQ to be high in a test, the satisfaction was indescribable. The subway station was noisy, making it hard to concentrate, but somehow, doing exercises always produced a peculiar sense of accomplishment, giving him a sensation like eating chocolate candies. Maybe it was because after using that elixir, he acquired a trait called ¡°workaholic¡±? ¡°I finally understand why someone would want to work all day long, turns out it¡¯s so darn enjoyable. Using my brain has become an unexpectedly fun thing!¡± Ding-dong¡­ The subway arrived, and the crowd surged in, clearing the earlier waiting area. Zhang Yuan entered the subway, found a random place to stand, and continued doing another problem. With increasing proficiency, he reduced the time for seven-digit basic arithmetic from half a minute per problem to 10 seconds per problem, and his calculation speed kept improving. That feeling of the answer almost jumping out was finally slowly emerging. The more he used his brain, the sharper it became, and this result pleased him greatly. Soon, he was no longer satisfied with ordinary basic arithmetic and moved on to square root calculations. ¡°Let¡¯s start with something simple, ¡Ì7812 (keep four significant figures).¡± Zhang Yuan gave himself a difficulty boost. There are many different methods to manually find the square root of an integer. The most conventional one is called trial and division, a bit like division, and if your mental arithmetic is good enough, you can indeed calculate it directly. Some algorithms are a bit more troublesome, like continued fraction expansion, bisection, Newton¡¯s iteration, etc. Fifteen seconds later, he got the specific conclusion. ¡°¡Ì7812 = 88.38¡­¡± Correct answer! ¡°¡Ì444¡± ¡°21.07¡± Correct answer! Ha ha! Is this¡­ what it feels like to be a genius? Gosh¡­ it feels awesome! The carriage was very quiet, except for the subway¡¯s electronic prompts, everyone else was busy immersing themselves in their own little world. Occasionally, a few people, whether they were reading a novel or watching a video at a peak moment, would burst into laughter like fools¡­ ¡°Subway time should be used for self-improvement, not entertainment!¡± A ¡°well-informed¡± guy who had returned from studying abroad frowned, lamenting this poor social trend. The phenomenon of ¡°phone addicts¡± was often criticized by major media outlets, but criticizing it didn¡¯t do much good; people still played on their phones and kept their heads down. You can¡¯t expect the government to legislate, banning playing phones in public, can you? This man¡¯s name was Ye Fan, and in his perception, foreign subways had everyone reading newspapers instead of playing on phones, and the social climate was a hundred times better than in Xia Country (though it was just that there was no internet). Anyway, no matter what, in his opinion, young people abroad lived much healthier lives than young people in Xia Country! ¡°No wonder these folks can¡¯t get into space, it¡¯s because they¡¯re putting learning time into entertainment¡­ No wonder they aren¡¯t making it to space!¡± Ye Fan thought secretly. ¡°There¡¯s a saying, what¡¯s it again? I just used the time others spent drinking coffee on work¡­¡± Especially the young guy next to him in a short sleeve shirt, who had a mysterious grin on his face. Tsk tsk, must be dating a 2D girl, huh? Hopeless! (By the way, let me explain the book¡¯s title. Originally, I wanted to call it ¡°Deep Space Era,¡± but it was too serious, and the click rate would be low.) (It¡¯s sci-fi, you know how it is, even though ¡°Wandering Earth¡± was a hit, that doesn¡¯t mean other sci-fi can hit too. Most people would see ¡°Deep Space Era¡± as a title and probably wouldn¡¯t even want to read it, not even want to click it.) (After thinking it over, I decided to change it to this, ¡°Deep Space Captain,¡± even though it sounds kind of corny, the click rate should be a bit higher¡­) ¡°` Chapter 6 - Chapter 6: Chapter 6: Who is this person? Chapter 6: Chapter 6: Who is this person? Editor: Henyee Translations Ye Fan felt a deep disdain in his heart and decided to return to the office to write an article, thoroughly criticizing this unhealthy phenomenon. If he could spark a topic and stir up quite a bit of heat, he could also boost his own reputation in the process! He even already had a title in mind¡ª¡±The Subway¡¯s ¡®Head-Down Tribe¡¯¡ªA Cultural Perspective of the Masses.¡± Thinking of this, he discreetly aimed his phone at Zhang Yuan, intending to use this counterexample as an illustration for his article. He glanced again at Zhang Yuan¡¯s phone screen and frowned. ¡°Huh, not flirting with a two-dimensional girl. Turns out he¡¯s doing Super Brain.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t be used as a picture anymore then¡­¡± Of course, he had seen this TV show that was all the rage across the nation. The Super Brain app was specially developed to select contestants. Contestants confident in their intelligence could answer questions on their phones, and the top one thousand of each season would qualify for the selection. After the selection, they could showcase their skills on the real stage. Because it was an online competition, many people used computers to cheat, making the whole result not very genuine. However, these cheaters would eventually be exposed during the selection. ¡°Quick calculation, huh, I can do that too!¡± Ye Fan curiously watched, eager to give it a try. He had also learned mental arithmetic in his childhood and now subconsciously wanted to compete with Zhang Yuan. ¡°88.8*8+88.88*8-8.99/8.88=¡­ (retain 4 significant digits)¡± Zhang Yuan thought for a few seconds and directly wrote down the answer. ¡°1420¡± ¡°So fast?¡± Ye Fan was surprised, ¡°Though you only need to retain 4 significant digits, just enough to omit the decimals¡­ This question is a bit interesting.¡± Still, he didn¡¯t think much of it, assuming Zhang Yuan had been calculating for quite a while. Next question, Zhang Yuan tapped with his finger. ¡°ln(40) (retain 3 significant digits)¡± This time, both stood at the same starting line. Ye Fan put in all his effort, racking his brains. ¡°Wait a minute, how do you calculate a logarithmic function? What is the base change formula again?¡± For a while, his brain turned a bit chaotic. He struggled with it: ¡°ln(40)=ln(4)+ln(10), and then¡­ Oh, no, still can¡¯t figure it out, do we need to memorize some logarithm tables?¡± Zhang Yuan again wrote down the answer on the screen. ¡°3.69¡± ¡°Correct answer!¡± Ye Fan¡¯s eyes widened, as if he had seen a ghost. He still hadn¡¯t figured out how to calculate the logarithm and had no idea. Right then, the other party started the next question again. ¡°sin(24¡ã) (retain 3 significant digits)¡± What was this? How to calculate trigonometric functions again? Double angle formula? Not right. sin(24¡ã), no way to calculate by hand! The person wrote the answer on the screen again: ¡°0.407¡± ¡°Correct answer!¡± ¡°¡­¡± After suffering a series of invisible blows, Ye Fan had a knot in his head and could only give up. He was too embarrassed to ask, so he searched through his phone and found the answer he wanted. ¡°So, hand-calculating logarithms or trigonometric functions requires Taylor series expansion¡­ Well, it¡¯s normal not to compete with these long-term trained people!¡± He couldn¡¯t help but pout, thinking with discontent: What¡¯s the big deal about quick calculation? This skill is completely useless¡ªno matter how fast a person calculates, can they match a computer? Perhaps, he could write another article to criticize those educational institutions teaching mental arithmetic. There was no need to burden children with irrelevant learning. Thinking so, he quietly took out his phone and opened the calculator app, thinking, with a computer¡¯s speed, could he not match your mental arithmetic? Zhang Yuan vaguely felt a sharp gaze at his back, as if someone was watching him. He looked around but didn¡¯t find anything. However, he didn¡¯t mind too much. A thief? Haha, he didn¡¯t have a cent in cash, and the only valuable item was the phone in his hand. Besides, what¡¯s on his phone screen wasn¡¯t particularly private. Glancing at it wouldn¡¯t take away a piece of his flesh. After completing a whole set of questions, the screen displayed the final score: ¡°Congratulations! Final time 312.42 seconds, SSS, ranked 28th today!¡± ¡°Please keep up the good work!¡± A two-dimensional girl with an admiring expression popped up on the screen. Only 28th place. It seemed a bit lower than expected. Zhang Yuan thought to himself, ¡°There are still many geniuses in this world; it¡¯s normal to rank like this.¡± With more training, perhaps his performance would improve again. But there was no need for that; he wasn¡¯t participating in competitions, and his calculation ability was just about enough. He casually opened the leaderboard. ¡°First place, Eternal Eternity, time 0.01 seconds.¡± ¡°Second place, Writing Novels Will Eat Dirt, time 0.07 seconds.¡± ¡°Third place, Can You Support Originals, time 0.11 seconds.¡± ¡°Third place, When Can I Take Leave, time 0.12 seconds.¡± Zhang Yuan smiled; humans couldn¡¯t possibly complete 20 questions in 0.01 seconds. These results must have been created by a program using screen-reading software to capture information. Some people like this, using cheats to pretend as if they are very capable. Human computational speed couldn¡¯t compare with cheats, so he extinguished this aspect of ambition. ¡°Dragon Bridge Station has arrived. Please get off. Distant Industrial and Commercial Bank reminds you: Please be careful when going out, mind your steps¡­¡± Watching Zhang Yuan leave, Ye Fan was still in a state of confusion. For longer calculations, even at the speed of his computer, he couldn¡¯t keep up with the other¡¯s mental arithmetic speed! Who the hell was this person? Calculation champion? Ye Fan tried hard to recall how long it took the last Super Brain champion to complete 20 questions. ¡°How long was it exactly¡­¡± 300 seconds? 200 seconds? It didn¡¯t seem right. He searched again, and tens of thousands of alpacas drifted across his mind. 313.6 seconds! Just one second more than the number he had just seen. ¡­ Intelligence was composed of three factors: memory, reasoning ability, and language ability. Quick arithmetic didn¡¯t necessarily mean high intelligence, but it undoubtedly represented a higher reasoning ability than ordinary people. Throughout the training process, the exaggerated pace of improvement also excited Zhang Yuan immensely. From a rusty brain to a flexible one, it took only a night! He even had another slight suspicion in his heart: maybe¡­ the speed of learning other disciplines was just as fast! There was a faint feeling in his heart that this was a kind of luxury. Becoming an all-around scientist like Newton in this era was already impossible. No more Newtons or Einsteins had appeared in history because the entire civilization¡¯s knowledge system was too vast, beyond the brain capacity of humans. No, it was difficult to bear even one ten-thousandth of the knowledge! History was full of brilliant figures, and these geniuses laid the foundation for the knowledge system of civilization. From the first Industrial Revolution to now, hundreds of years have passed, and the whole world had undergone dramatic changes. Yet human innate intelligence hadn¡¯t improved much, still using very primitive brains. Two hundred years ago, universities taught calculus; nowadays, universities still teach calculus. It¡¯s not that science hadn¡¯t progressed but that ordinary people¡¯s intelligence was like this. So, modern humans were not smarter than those of the 21st century, but they had to master more knowledge. To create new knowledge, one first had to stand on the shoulders of these giants. How hard was it? ¡°If it¡¯s really possible¡­¡± Zhang Yuan hoped to find the point he was most interested in, then add some useful stuff to this mountain of knowledge; that would already be great. Chapter 7 - Chapter 7: Chapter 7 The Child Next Door Chapter 7: Chapter 7 The Child Next Door Editor: Henyee Translations Stepping out of the subway station and walking east for about ten minutes, he arrived at his aunt¡¯s house. ¡°¡­ Are you really leaving Earth? You¡¯re the only son of your family! If you were my son, I¡¯d definitely scold you to death!¡± Unsurprisingly, his aunt, teary-eyed and extremely reluctant, said a lot to persuade him to stay. Faced with the concern from his relatives, Zhang Yuan awkwardly smiled, not knowing what to say. He turned his gaze outside the window. His aunt¡¯s home was on the 192nd floor, and looking out, one could see a vast distance. Donghua City was well-planned, with the outermost ring as the agricultural and industrial areas, and the city center in the middle. The buildings were spaced far apart to ensure every household could be in the sunlight. ¡°It¡¯s already planned. Turning back would be desertion and would face very severe punishment. It¡¯s also my dad¡¯s wish, and if he were alive, he¡¯d definitely support me¡­¡± Recalling countless days and nights of hard work, how could he possibly give up now? ¡°You¡¯re not coming back?¡± ¡°Yeah, not coming back¡­¡± His aunt¡¯s eyes turned red, and she opened her mouth, unable to speak. To cover up her sadness, she hurriedly ran to the kitchen to cook, occasionally wiping her eyes with her sleeves. Meanwhile, his uncle was cracking sunflower seeds and watching TV, sitting with crossed legs on the sofa. He said with great openness, ¡°A good man¡¯s ambition should be boundless. Going to space is a good thing! It¡¯s not like you¡¯re dead. I don¡¯t understand why your aunt is so sentimental!¡± ¡°Look at this news, if I weren¡¯t so old and lacking knowledge, I¡¯d want to sign up too!¡± The TV was blaring loudly, playing a documentary about the ¡°Earth Era¡± spaceship. Phrases like ¡°witness history,¡± ¡°restart new civilization,¡± and ¡°humankind¡¯s first¡± stirred his uncle¡¯s emotions, making him wish he could also venture into the stars. ¡°Alas, I¡¯m getting old. I wish I were as young as you.¡± Half an hour later, the meal was ready. The atmosphere at the dining table was somewhat silent. His aunt kept urging Zhang Yuan to eat more, saying things like ¡°eat well before the journey¡± and ¡°you won¡¯t get chicken, duck, or fish in space,¡± which were rather odd. To ease his relatives¡¯ worries, Zhang Yuan proactively talked about his future plans. ¡°¡­ Besides some routine maintenance work on the spaceship, there¡¯s plenty of personal time. So, I plan to learn as much as possible before hibernation, hopefully completing Master¡¯s and Doctorate courses before reaching the destination¡­¡± ¡°Are there teachers on the spaceship too?¡± ¡°Of course, there are fifty thousand people there! Most have special skills, with education levels higher than mine.¡± ¡°And there are many experts, like professors from universities and senior engineers from companies. These experts are very skilled, even some at the academician level!¡± His uncle nodded, sighing, ¡°That¡¯s a great idea. One should keep learning throughout life. Xiaoqing, did you hear that? Without studying, you can¡¯t establish yourself in society. Whatever you do needs knowledge! It¡¯s not the old days anymore¡­¡± The girl sitting next to Zhang Yuan was Ye Qingqing, his aunt¡¯s daughter. Suddenly being lectured, she couldn¡¯t help but pout. Although Zhang Yuan wasn¡¯t some top genius, he was a typical hardworking student, a ¡°good student¡± in the eyes of relatives. Ye Qingqing naturally wasn¡¯t pleased with being constantly compared to the ¡°good kid.¡± She quietly retorted to herself, ¡°I don¡¯t even use trigonometric functions to sell vegetables¡­¡± Ye Qingqing didn¡¯t dare to speak too loudly for fear that her father might hear and scold her. With how things evolved, the anti-intellectual argument that ¡°learning is useless¡± had long been discarded by the public. A simple comparison: the average income of staff in major Space Cities and Moon Bases was around 600,000. In contrast, Xia Country¡¯s average income was roughly 60,000. A tenfold difference in average income between the two! Xia Country had already become one of the wealthiest countries on Earth. Without studying, it¡¯s embarrassing to venture into space and one would ¡°likely¡± be a low-income earner. In essence, for ordinary people, working in a Space City or at a Moon Base was a very respectable job. ¡°By the way, when will you enter hibernation? Didn¡¯t the TV say that most of the journey would be spent in hibernation, with an average conscious time of less than ten years per person?¡± Zhang Yuan thought for a moment, then said, ¡°Well, it depends on one¡¯s abilities. If you¡¯re outstanding, you can apply to enter hibernation later. Ordinary people will likely enter hibernation after resupplying at Jupiter, sleeping through hundreds of years, waking for a few years, then entering hibernation again. We take turns working to get through these difficult times.¡± ¡°It will ultimately take three thousand years to reach the destination.¡± ¡°Three thousand years, huh.¡± His aunt¡¯s eyes turned red again. By that time, they would long be gone, not even their bones left. No one knew what would happen in the future, and who would contemplate things three thousand years from now. His uncle also sighed, ¡°Ah, let¡¯s eat, let¡¯s eat first.¡± Zhang Yuan felt a wave of emotions. Every astronaut had to face such a choice¨Cthey had to abandon their Mother Star, abandon everything, everything here¡­ Time aged quickly, and past stories were hard to find. These fifty thousand people would become witnesses of Earth¡¯s history, personally experiencing the next three thousand years of Earth¡¯s future. It sounded glamorous but was, in reality, profoundly harsh. They would be abandoned by the entire era. Some might wonder why there would be such fifty thousand people. It sounded strange, truly strange. Because¡­ The morning fungus knows not of twilight, and the cicada knows not spring and autumn. Without venturing beyond Earth, one would never understand just how vast the starry sky truly was. Viewed from the Universe¡¯s scale, Earth seemed so very small, small enough to make one¡¯s heart flutter, as if it could be obliterated with a flick of a finger. Just like a hundred years ago, when Professor Qi Yuanshan, the founder of the Deep Space Foundation and the Father of Nuclear Fusion, made his resounding proclamation, ¡°What does aerospace have to do with profits!¡± The atmosphere grew more silent, with only the sounds of eating. His uncle suddenly said, ¡°Uh, Xiaoqing is taking the college entrance exam next year. Are there any good majors you can recommend? The kind with good job prospects.¡± Zhang Yuan got into university Z, considered the best achievable school for ordinary people with effort. Plus, he had interned in a Space City, so he knew the situation there. Ye Qingqing looked up. She was already a high school junior, having a lively personality and not fond of studying. Based on her usual grades, she had a realistic grasp of her abilities and didn¡¯t expect to get into a particularly good university. In her view, not studying was the ultimate liberation; as long as she didn¡¯t need to study, life would be easy and happy. Even going to the market to sell vegetables seemed better than studying. Zhang Yuan thought for a moment, ¡°It depends on her interests for choosing a major.¡± His aunt awkwardly said, ¡°She doesn¡¯t have any particular hobbies¡­¡± This was quite normal. Most high school juniors didn¡¯t know what they wanted to do in the future and didn¡¯t have a complete life plan. Anyway, they just dutifully studied when teachers and parents told them to. It was only when it came time to fill out application forms that they hurriedly spent a few days planning their lives. Chapter 8 - Chapter 8: Chapter 8 The Higher the Education Level, the Better Chapter 8: Chapter 8 The Higher the Education Level, the Better Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°` Taking a responsible stance, Zhang Yuan organized his thoughts and began, ¡°The current pillar industries are Space Botany, Space Industry, and Nanomaterials Science.¡± ¡°Space Botany, which means cultivating superior Mutant Plants, these plants are widely used for growing food, extracting industrial raw materials, and in medical fields.¡± ¡°However, the minimum educational requirement to work in this industry is a graduate degree¡­ I guess that¡¯s the case.¡± ¡°A master¡¯s degree, huh¡­¡± Ye Qingqing frowned and muttered softly. She actually quite liked plants, all kinds of flower and herb cultivation, both enjoyable and rewarding, with high pay. But hearing this educational requirement made her somewhat hesitant. Zhang Yuan continued, ¡°The space industry system is even more massive; basically, there are all kinds of sectors, and the top-level manufacturing has been moved to the Moon. Low gravity and an oxygen-free environment are more suitable for developing heavy industry. The latest generation of Photon Chip technology is produced on the Moon.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a huge talent gap in this area, with higher-end being various Engineers and lower-end being Mechanical Technicians. For these, at least a graduate degree is needed.¡± ¡°Further down are technical workers, the minimum requirement is a bachelor¡¯s degree from the 995 type¡­¡± ¡°995¡­¡± Ye Qingqing stared, repeating once more. The 995 program was a major decision made by Xia Country at the turn of the century, with a total of 40 universities selected, basically the best universities in Xia Country. She involuntarily stuck out her tongue, ¡°This kind of school, definitely won¡¯t be able to get in¡­¡± Zhang Yuan continued, ¡°As for research in Nanomaterials, the academic requirement is even higher, you can¡¯t manage without a doctoral degree. Even in the production workshop, the technical workers also need 995.¡± ¡°Oh, if you graduate with just a bachelor¡¯s, you can only be a worker¡­¡± Young Uncle murmured, also startled. ¡°And it has to be 995!¡± Workers in Space City were much more valuable than those on Earth; an annual salary of several hundred thousand wasn¡¯t easy to get. Zhang Yuan quickly added, ¡°Oh, and there are various service industries in Space City, after all, people can¡¯t just work, they also need to rest and entertain. For girls, for instance, doctors, nurses, and the like, if they¡¯re excellent enough, they can still go to space. Artificial Intelligence hasn¡¯t been able to fully cover these fields yet.¡± ¡°The acceptance rate is about one in a thousand.¡± One in a thousand! Ye Qingqing¡¯s face turned red; even if she wasn¡¯t good at Mathematics, she knew what this number meant. ¡°¡­So, if you want a good prospect, you have to do well in university exams, and if there¡¯s a chance, it¡¯s best to study until you get a doctorate. Anyway, there¡¯s no such thing as having too high an education level. Unlike in the old days where PhD graduates couldn¡¯t find work, this likely won¡¯t happen anymore.¡± Ye Qingqing¡¯s brows already furrowed into a knot; although she knew the importance of studying, at her age not yet having entered society, not knowing the sweet and sour of life, there was always a sense of disinterest in studying. Studying was really annoying! Oh dear, if in the future one must study all the way to a PhD, studying for ten years, her heart felt as if inhabited by an angry little bird, wishing to bang her head against the culprit, Zhang Yuan¡¯s, face. ¡°Cousin¡­ what education level are you pursuing?¡± Ye Qingqing mischievously asked, her eyes rolling. ¡°Me¡­¡± Zhang Yuan scratched his head, embarrassed, and said, ¡°My major is Space Machinery Engineering¡­ I just graduated with a bachelor¡¯s degree, so my degree isn¡¯t enough, and I¡¯m just a repair worker. On the spaceship, my daily work is to check and maintain the spaceship, or do some cleaning, very simple work.¡± ¡°If I learned more, I should be able to take on a higher-level position¡­¡± Saying he was a worker was no big deal when he was one of the few who made it out of a one-in-a-thousand ratio. Zhang Yuan was always a very diligent person; now, with enhanced Intelligence, he was even more industrious. He had confidence in reaching higher levels within a few years. ¡°Spaceship repair worker, can you fix things? Fix the air conditioner, fix the television?¡± Ye Qingqing asked again. Faced with such a strange question, Zhang Yuan was taken aback; he repaired spaceships, how could he fix air conditioners? The two were worlds apart. ¡°Can you fix my dad¡¯s broken radio?¡± Ye Qingqing asked slyly. With a turn of thought, Zhang Yuan quickly understood what the little girl opposite him wanted. She was trying to undermine the ¡°usefulness of studying¡± argument to reduce future parental pressure on herself! And he, Zhang Yuan, inadvertently became the detestable ¡°other people¡¯s child.¡± Smiling inside, this kind of dislike for studying at that age was normal. He had gone through it like that himself; apart from a few exceptions, who likes studying all day? Did they really think using their brains wasn¡¯t tiring? ¡°That radio is really noisy, honestly noisy! Brother, can you help fix it?¡± Faced with the challenge from the little girl, as a¡­ ahem, genius, how could he be stumped by such a basic job? Fixing things was no big deal! Zhang Yuan shamelessly said, ¡°The structure of ordinary electronic devices isn¡¯t complicated; for the radio, it shouldn¡¯t be difficult either.¡± Young Uncle quickly interjected, ¡°Talking about radios here, first eat, first eat!¡± ¡­ After the meal, somehow Zhang Yuan felt a curiosity tickling his heart. This strange exploration desire continuously urged him to try, to explore. ¡°Young Uncle, if possible, let me give it a try!¡± Young Uncle hesitated for a moment, reluctantly returning to his room to bring out his cherished item. ¡°It took quite a lot of money to buy it! A small bargain was picked, and if it weren¡¯t for this defect, it would have been even pricier¡­¡± Faced with his precious collection, Young Uncle was beaming, his face full of pride. Zhang Yuan was stunned; it was actually a 20th-century antique. The square radio in front of him, with two long antennas. The black plastic surface was wiped very clean, feeling relatively rough to the touch, exuding a strong sense of history. Nowadays, people generally referred to the era before the oil crisis as the ¡°Old Era¡±; the chaotic and regressive hundred years in the middle as the ¡°Gray Era¡±; and the era after the ignition of nuclear fusion as the ¡°New Era.¡± Collecting electronic devices from the Old Era had become a new fashion trend, akin to collecting jade antiques. Young Uncle was one of the fervent enthusiasts. ¡°Can this still work? It¡¯s almost 300 years old!¡± When mentioning ¡°300,¡± Zhang Yuan inadvertently dragged out the sound. Hearing Zhang Yuan¡¯s astonished tone, it seemed to scratch an itch in Young Uncle¡¯s heart, ¡°Of course it can work; it¡¯s just a bit loud at first. I¡¯m not sure why there¡¯s so much noise; that¡¯s the only flaw¡­¡± He took a cassette tape from the safe and inserted it into the radio. The cassette was certainly an antique too; the image stuck on it no longer identifiable, depicting which star. After plugging the radio into a specially made power source, it suddenly emitted a stream of static, with the entire device trembling slightly. ¡°Buzz¡ªbuzz!¡± It startled Zhang Yuan. ¡°` Chapter 9 - Chapter 9: Chapter 9 Reading Is Still Useful Chapter 9: Chapter 9 Reading Is Still Useful Editor: Henyee Translations After a long while, the radio finally went back to normal and played the music from the tape. ¡°Sweet honey, your smile is so sweet, as if flowers bloom in the spring breeze¡­¡± An unknown singer, but the voice was quite pleasant. ¡°This is exactly the problem. It¡¯s only like this when it first starts up; it gradually gets better afterward, no idea why¡­¡± Young Uncle said, suddenly feeling uneasy in his heart. He had approached several shops, trying to get the thing repaired. But these shops didn¡¯t dare to take the job because if it was damaged, they¡¯d have to compensate. These old electronic products were very delicate; just a few touches might break one of the internal lines. Moreover, the various components of the radio had long since ceased production. Even if factories still produced them, they wouldn¡¯t fetch any price. Antiques, after all, needed the ¡°antique¡± aspect; if modern electronic components were installed in ancient instruments, what difference would it make from sticking a band-aid on it? Since it could still play normally, Young Uncle just made do with what he had. Zhang Yuan was eager to try and walked up to the radio: ¡°Let me try to fix it!¡± ¡°But¡­ sigh.¡± ¡°Give it a try.¡± The tone was obviously one of distrust. Young Uncle was suffering in his heart, feeling he might have overboasted. Even though his nephew was quite impressive, studying something called ¡°spaceship management¡± and even capable of fixing spaceships, fixing a spaceship was vastly different from fixing a radio! The most critical part was, if it broke, he couldn¡¯t possibly make his nephew pay for it! Seeing Zhang Yuan¡¯s hands already touching the radio, his heart clenched tightly! But, for the sake of face, he couldn¡¯t say much, only glancing viciously at his daughter. Ye Qingqing wasn¡¯t intimidated; she returned her father¡¯s glare, her heart blooming with laughter. In her view, this old antique had long been out of production, and even the design drawings were lost. Who could possibly fix it? Especially since¡­ dealing with minor issues was actually far more challenging than major ones. Knocking her cousin, this ¡°child from another family,¡± off his pedestal, at least temporarily, seemed to prove that ¡°studying was useless,¡± and maybe she could study a little less in the future¡­ At this moment, Zhang Yuan had already unscrewed the radio¡¯s casing, exposing the internal electronic structure: switches, power supply, variable capacitors, potentiometers, magnetic rods, and so on, which were not too complicated. It was precisely these uncomplicated things that had withstood the test of time and survived to the present. The more complex and delicate the things, the more prone they were to damage; few remained from 21st-century Huawei and Apple smartphones, with those retained commanding sky-high prices. Zhang Yuan had never repaired such an old artifact; this was a brand-new challenge. In the past, he might have avoided it, but now, he felt a strange, eager curiosity. He took a deep breath, his brain began to spin rapidly. He tried to predict the working mode of the radio using knowledge learned before. Any electronic equipment dealt with electricity and magnetic fields; essentially, they weren¡¯t much different. The working principle of a radio was merely to convert audio signals through various circuit structures. ¡°And this radio used tape playback just now, so the antenna, variable capacitor, and demodulation circuit basically didn¡¯t come into play. The noise at the beginning was unlikely to be caused by these parts¡­¡± ¡°Could it be a tape issue?¡± Zhang Yuan removed the tape, manually reset it, and inserted it back in. ¡°Sweet honey, your smile is so sweet¡­¡± This time, it played from the beginning without any noise. Zhang Yuan changed another tape and pressed the play button. ¡°My love for you is endless¡­¡± Still no noise. ¡°So, it shouldn¡¯t be due to the tape.¡± Young Uncle watched him trying again and again, growing more anxious, hastily saying, ¡°There¡¯s only noise when it first starts; afterward, there isn¡¯t any. If it doesn¡¯t work¡­ just forget it¡­¡± His heart always tightly clenched, just hoping his nephew would give up. Don¡¯t break it. Dear Lord, don¡¯t break it! ¡°Is it only like this at the start?¡± Zhang Yuan waited for a while, then brought the radio under the air conditioner to cool it for ten minutes. He plugged it back in, and surely enough, the cooled-off radio started blaring again. ¡°Buzz¡ªbuzz!¡± The piercing sound was gut-wrenching. After a while, it finally quieted down. Zhang Yuan was thoughtful. The whole troubleshooting process was somewhat like debugging in computer programming. The way for the bug to appear was already identified; now it was only necessary to find the cause and fix it. Zhang Yuan paced the room back and forth, quickly contemplating suspicious points. Poor contact? No, poor contact wouldn¡¯t cause the mad blaring at the beginning, only intermittent stoppage. ¡°Nor is it the current hum issue.¡± After thinking it over, it was most likely a preheating issue. This old-fashioned radio utilized vacuum tube technology. In this nearly vacuum-sealed chamber, there were two main devices: one was called the heater, located at the center of the vacuum tube, which would glow when operational; the other consisted of the cathode, metal grid, and metal plate. ¡°If the vacuum tube warms up improperly within the circuit, it can cause the circuit¡¯s voltage to be chaotic. This disordered voltage would erroneously transmit into the subsequent amplification circuit, causing the recorder to blare in the absence of an electrical signal.¡± ¡°And eventually, once the RF circuit fully warmed, the vacuum tube voltage adjusted, everything would return to normal, and the recorder would work properly.¡± Zhang Yuan clapped his hands; that should be the reason! Young Uncle watched Zhang Yuan pacing back and forth, just eating fruit, feeling terribly disheartened: how could a normal repairman be pacing around like this? Ye Qingqing just covered her mouth and snickered. Zhang Yuan lowered his head, squinting while he began disassembling the vacuum tubes one by one. He actually started dismantling! I¡­ Young Uncle nearly wanted to cry, trembling all over: ¡°Zhang Yuan, if it really doesn¡¯t work, how about going to a professional antique repair shop! I know a very skilled craftsman¡­ albeit a bit expensive.¡± Zhang Yuan paid no heed, wholly engrossed in his work. He truly hadn¡¯t heard what Young Uncle was saying. He restructured the arrangement of the vacuum tubes and then screwed each of them back in, waiting for the radio to cool down. Young Uncle¡¯s face was bright red, unable to help but wonder to himself: would it be broken? Did any extra parts appear? Even Aunt could hardly bear watching: ¡°Why are you so tense? It¡¯s just a radio; what¡¯s the big deal?¡± ¡°What do you know? Even if it¡¯s just a radio, do you know its history? It¡¯s very¡­¡± Zhang Yuan did not answer but pressed the play button instead. With a click¡ª The radio behaved like a docile lamb, warming up obediently with no more noise. ¡°Sweet honey, your smile is so sweet¡­¡± The gentle song echoed in the air. Chapter 10 - Chapter 10: Chapter 10 Smart Medicine? Chapter 10: Chapter 10 Smart Medicine? Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°` ¡°It¡¯s very expensive¡­ it is¡­¡± ?! Suddenly, hearing this soft music, Young Uncle¡¯s mouth gaped wide in astonishment, big enough to fit a pear. He had intended to say something but quickly swallowed his words. Unexpectedly, Zhang Yuan actually fixed the radio, and he did it in a very simple way! He was stunned for a few seconds, then hurried forward to inspect it closely. Every screw was tightened just right, and there were no extra parts left over. ¡°How did you do it?¡± After cooling the radio, he turned it on again, repeating the process several times. Each time it played perfectly, and he couldn¡¯t hide the smile on his face. ¡°You can fix radios?¡± The value increased, as the flawed antique became a perfect one. His previous doubts had long since vanished, as if they never existed. Zhang Yuan thought for a moment and honestly answered, ¡°I haven¡¯t learned it formally, but I read some related information online before¡­ Think it through carefully, and you can find the cause.¡± He then recounted his entire line of reasoning. ¡°¡­So I guessed that the former owner of this radio might have also removed these vacuum tubes when cleaning the dust. Then when reassembling, they mixed up the order, causing this problem.¡± Young Uncle listened with a vague understanding but felt it made a lot of sense. In other words, his nephew thought about it for a while, then took action and genuinely fixed it. Thought about it for a while¡­ It sounded simple, but in reality, it wasn¡¯t an easy feat. He restrained the urge to brag in front of friends and said with a smile, ¡°With the skills you just showed, opening an antique repair shop could easily earn you hundreds of thousands a year!¡± ¡°No way¡­ I actually don¡¯t really understand it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth!¡± Actually, the important thing wasn¡¯t the level of skill in fixing things, but this ability to see through the surface to the essence. The specific principles are easy to explain, but how many can really think of it? ¡°So, Xiaoqing, you still need to study hard. If you don¡¯t understand the principles, you¡¯ll just be fumbling in the dark when fixing things.¡± Watching from the side, Ye Qingqing blinked her eyes, realizing that once again she was being lectured. So infuriating! He actually fixed it. Kids from other families really are lifelong adversaries! Terms like ¡°vacuum electronic tube¡± and ¡°radio frequency circuit¡± sounded impressively knowledgeable and convincing, leaving her with a deep sense of helplessness, not even a chance to chime in. Even¡­ A faint feeling of admiration emerged. She thought about what was in her head: 50% of her energy was used on longing for ¡°romance,¡± like the attractiveness of the school heartthrob, the class crush, and the superstar Cai Xukun; 30% on pondering what to wear and eat today, and whether she¡¯d get pimples; the remaining 20% was divided among various things, including novels, TV dramas, and¡­ studying. No wonder she couldn¡¯t learn anything well. Her head couldn¡¯t help but droop down. Young Uncle kept thanking Zhang Yuan profusely, even wanting to offer repair fees, making him feel quite embarrassed. ¡°If it were outside, the repair fee would be at least two to three thousand¡­¡± ¡°Young Uncle, how could I take your money¡­ money doesn¡¯t mean much to me.¡± Zhang Yuan was utterly embarrassed. Ye Qingqing just chuckled from the side. Suddenly, having a smart cousin seemed quite nice after all. At least, she could boast about it in front of her best friends. The word ¡°cousin¡± could even be dropped, just calling him her brother was fine, since they grew up together anyway. Being an astronaut was an incredibly esteemed identity¡­ Imagining the envious and jealous looks on her friends¡¯ faces, Ye Qingqing felt more and more that this was really cool, really cool! ¡­ When he walked out of Young Aunt¡¯s house, it was already three in the afternoon. Before leaving, Young Aunt had insisted on stuffing a big red envelope into his hands, a full ten thousand federal coins! Actually, Zhang Yuan didn¡¯t lack money, and money didn¡¯t serve much purpose for him. However, since it was the heartfelt gesture of family, he still accepted it. After all, he couldn¡¯t refuse as the red envelope was passed back and forth, and he really couldn¡¯t win against the elders. Walking on the bustling pedestrian street, Zhang Yuan was reflecting on his performance just now. ¡°99 points¡­ leaving the remaining point to avoid being too proud of myself!¡± An antique radio that produced noise, something he¡¯d never encountered before, would have left him utterly confused in the past. This rich sense of satisfaction felt like a strong coffee, leaving a lingering aftertaste. Undoubtedly, his reasoning ability and thinking ability had greatly improved! Previously, even if he had the knowledge in his mind, he wouldn¡¯t necessarily be able to deduce relevant conclusions, lacking the ability to infer by analogy. Possessing knowledge and applying knowledge are two entirely different challenges. ¡°But now, it¡¯s different¡­ Ha!¡± This magical power left Zhang Yuan absolutely thrilled. Not only that, he seemed to have regained a childlike curiosity, a strong desire to explore everything. Human curiosity and imagination are strongest in childhood, but as we age and our level of education increases, curiosity and imagination continuously diminish. This is the price of growing up. Children can play with mundane toys for a long time, with a boundless desire to explore the world. But upon growing up, they can¡¯t; doing one thing becomes tedious, and they dislike learning and using their brains. In other words, he had regained his innocent curiosity! Put simply¡­ he had the desire to learn, whether it was mathematics or physics. Exploring this world brought a vibrant sense of achievement. Things that once seemed very dull now seemed incredibly interesting. ¡°I just want to go back and keep studying¡­ have I become a freakish science giant?¡± Zhang Yuan was a little curious about the components of that strange potion, able to change a person¡¯s thinking level and interests. ¡°On Earth¡­ is there really such black technology?¡± ¡°Smart medicine?¡± With a casual search on his phone, Zhang Yuan was startled, there really was such a thing! ??? Some neurostimulant Western drugs, including Ritalin, Modafinil, and others, were dubbed ¡°smart medicine.¡± Many high school students, college students, and corporate managers took stimulant-like drugs to enhance temporary memory, making their thinking more agile. But this type of drug belonged to stimulants, with some degree of addictiveness, and long-term use would lead to dependency. It could even possibly cause insomnia, among other side effects. Zhang Yuan calmed his thoughts, ¡°This is insane¡­ these drugs are just stimulants, taken daily, and can¡¯t possibly have such strong effects.¡± ¡°Dad wouldn¡¯t give me something with side effects anyway.¡± So, what exactly was it? ¡°` Chapter 11 - Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Its Time to Learn Chapter 11: Chapter 11: It¡¯s Time to Learn Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°` Lying low for now, Zhang Yuan was unwilling to casually find an institution to test the composition of the remaining liquid. Who knows, maybe it might unintentionally expose some secret. If things get blown out of proportion then, it would not be worth the loss. He understood the principle of hiding one¡¯s wealth. The benefits his father gave him were enough for him alone to enjoy. ¡°Sigh, forget it, what¡¯s meant to be known will eventually be known. What shouldn¡¯t be known, it¡¯s better not to meddle unnecessarily¡­ Since Dad was vague and didn¡¯t explain the reason, he must have his own reasons.¡± Zhang Yuan suppressed his curiosity and cast the matter out of his mind. There were many shops on the pedestrian street, including convenience stores, clothing stores, restaurants, and fruit shops. The fruits here were cheap and fresh. There was a type of sea plant called ¡°Pu Pu Grass,¡± a new species cultivated a hundred years ago, known as ¡°God¡¯s gift to humankind from space.¡± This stuff tasted sweet, much like grapes, and its flesh was rich in a B-group vitamin with antioxidant properties, which was very beneficial to human health. Long-term consumption could even directly increase the average human lifespan. Zhang Yuan bought several pounds of ¡°Pu Pu Grass¡± at 3 federal coins per pound, intending to take them home to savor slowly. Next were the clothing stores, an endless row of them. Even now, with highly developed logistics and cheap online shopping, women still couldn¡¯t shake the bad habit of shopping. To them, online shopping and going out shopping were two completely different matters. This was because, in this era, there was no petroleum, and clothes were a bit expensive. Owning a wardrobe full of diverse clothes required a significant economic cost. As a result, women loved shopping even more; just looking and touching was fine for them. Zhang Yuan walked into a store selling underwear and casually bought several pieces of underwear, panties, and socks. ¡°After an eighty percent discount, it totals 887 yuan!¡± ¡°Make it cheaper, boss,¡± Zhang Yuan attempted to haggle. ¡°Sorry, no bargaining!¡± The reason there were sales clerks in the store was to increase employment. Even with Xia Country¡¯s productivity and social welfare system capable of supporting many idle people, if the overall unemployment rate got too high, these people would be idle, and the crime rate would rise. So, it was better to increase some low-end jobs without technical content. Really expensive! Four pairs of panties, three pieces of underwear, five pairs of socks, none of them brand names, yet they cost more than eight hundred yuan. An average person¡¯s salary was only about four to five thousand a month. Zhang Yuan twitched his nose, deeply realizing how poor his bargaining skills were, or maybe it was because the other party was a man. If it had been a female clerk, she might have been swayed by his looks and given a discount. However expensive it was, these were all clothes made of nanomaterials, very high quality, not easy to get dirty, and they wouldn¡¯t wear out for several years. Considering it like this, it was still a bargain. He planned to take these clothes for use on the spaceship. As he walked out of the store, he glanced at the latest clothing advertisement from a well-known fashion manufacturer, ¡°Nano-plastic fabric clothing, icy texture, an unprecedented silky enjoyment¡­¡± He casually touched this white dress that resembled stockings; it really was cool and refreshing. Ordinary clothes would block infrared radiation, but this nano clothing had no insulation capability; the nanopores in the material could let infrared radiation through, helping the body to dissipate heat. Of course, because the new material was thin and soft, when girls wore it, it accentuated their figure. Its price was quite steep as well, one piece costing more than two thousand. Nanotechnology changed the world, including fashion. Zhang Yuan felt it several times, the texture was incredibly good, and his mind wandered aimlessly: ¡°Looks somewhat like white stockings, pretty soft.¡± ¡°Petroleum is truly a wonderful thing, why were old-time clothes so cheap?¡± ¡°They actually burned petroleum as fuel!¡± Zhang Yuan sighed. He then thought of some countries on Earth, whose people, to this day, just barely had enough to eat, yet still couldn¡¯t afford clothes, submerged in misery. He didn¡¯t have much sympathy in his heart because most of these countries were former petroleum producers. They used to be the wealthiest on Earth, but now their current condition could only be described in one word: depletion. A flower doesn¡¯t stay in bloom for a hundred days, and people aren¡¯t good for a thousand days, there have been countless countries that have declined in history, whether individuals or civilizations, everything has its lifespan. Rising during times of crisis, declining in comfort and enjoyment, this is an unchanging truth. In times of prosperity, if one doesn¡¯t plan for the future, then they could only suffer when hard times come. Next, Zhang Yuan walked into a life insurance company, wanting to buy two extra retirement insurance policies for his Young Aunt and Young Uncle. Even if their family wasn¡¯t short on money right now, society changes, fortunes change, what if something happens in the future? Having more insurance is always better. ¡°¡­ Could you please not inform the involved parties for now, and do it two years later, is that possible? Pay the fees in one lump sum, no need for installments.¡± ¡°Of course it¡¯s possible!¡± The pretty clerk was exceptionally enthusiastic, her face flushed. Selling insurance comes with a commission, especially big deals like this, she couldn¡¯t be happier. Moreover, the other party was handsome, his manner was so cultured, giving people a very pleasant feeling. ¡°The total cost for two people¡­ three hundred thousand. Post-retirement, each person receives a refund of 2,000 federal coins per month, break even in 75 months without considering inflation.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Zhang Yuan cheerfully signed, then paid in full. Even though it was a splurge, his heart didn¡¯t ache; it was like a small parting gift for these relatives before he left. Having finished this, there weren¡¯t too many trivial matters to bother with. Zhang Yuan returned home and organized his current tasks. Regarding various memos, for some trivial matters, he simply abandoned attempts to fix them, now he only wanted to study. Study tirelessly! In the following days, Zhang Yuan joyfully browsed through various books, initially attempting to review all university courses, including ¡°Mathematical Analysis,¡± ¡°Real Analysis,¡± ¡°Near-contemporary algebra,¡± ¡°University Physics,¡± etc. The days passed by quickly. His biggest wish at the moment was to understand the articles his father left on the tablet. These articles were somewhat like casual notes, apparently recorded when Dad had inspirations at work, appearing somewhat disorganized. But Zhang Yuan had no doubt about their value¡­ ¡°` Chapter 12 - Chapter 12: Chapter 12 Please cooperate with the inspection Chapter 12: Chapter 12 Please cooperate with the inspection Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°A New Community Discovery Algorithm¡± ¡°Improvements in Machine Learning Classification and Regression Algorithms¡± ¡°Research on Whole-Body Motion Mapping Robots¡± Within this tablet, there were only a few lengthy articles, and much more were personal thoughts, making Zhang Yuan dizzy with all he saw. ¡°¡­The research work on deep neural networks should be strictly monitored. Artificial intelligence had no morals and no self-awareness. The instability of algorithms could easily lead to unforeseen crises.¡± ¡°¡­Social ethics had already begun to influence the development of science, especially biotechnology. Artificial womb technology, due to the prohibition of clones, had been unable to break through for a long time¡­ The old paradigms did not allow things that violated ethics to emerge. Only a new civilization could break this shackle¡­¡± Unfortunately, apart from these somewhat unethical thoughts and viewpoints, he could not understand the vast majority of the knowledge. With an insufficient level of knowledge, it felt like possessing a treasure mountain but being unable to dig out the treasures inside, leaving him annoyed and restless. In the end, the root of the issue was: his mathematics proficiency was inadequate, and he lacked prerequisite knowledge. Mathematics was the key to unlocking everything; without this key, it was difficult to unlock the corresponding knowledge points. But solely relying on undergraduate mathematics was definitely not enough. Zhang Yuan let out a sigh; he still needed to take it slowly. Even if he became smarter, it was impossible to reach the sky in one step. Then it was time to burn the candle at both ends, burning out night and day until the world turned dark and day and night reversed! ¡­ On this day, his friend Li Zhendong suddenly called, saving Zhang Yuan, who was nearly drowned in the ocean of knowledge. ¡°Zhang Yuan, have you visited all your relatives?¡± ¡°What?¡± he said, puzzled. ¡°Have you visited all your relatives? I¡¯m asking you!¡± Wait a minute, who are you? Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing? With dark circles under his eyes, Zhang Yuan heavily shook his head and suddenly realized that his holiday balance¡­ only had 20 days left. ¡°I¡¯m asking you a question! Have you visited all your relatives?¡± Li Zhendong loudly questioned. Zhang Yuan came to his senses and stiffly said, ¡°Ah, almost. Most of them are distant relatives, not much interaction¡­¡± Actually, he had not gone out for several days. Apart from being closer to his little aunt¡¯s family, the other relatives had not interacted much since his father¡¯s passing, which was quite convenient. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Are you sick? What a face you have, looking like you¡¯ve overindulged.¡± ¡°No, no.¡± ¡°What are you doing cooped up at home all day? Not going out to play, not gaming, not posting on social media, like you¡¯ve disappeared.¡± ¡°Cultivation¡­ no, studying!¡± After a while, Zhang Yuan finally returned from the void to the present. He raised the tablet in his hand. The screen displayed an e-book. He said excitedly, ¡°I felt that what I learned before wasn¡¯t solid enough, so I simply re-learned it and picked up a lot of stuff. It was quite refreshing!¡± ¡°Stu¡ªdying?¡± These two words were deliberately drawn out, and Li Zhendong shouted discontentedly, ¡°You¡¯re not studying human physiology, are you? Exercise some restraint. Look at your face, don¡¯t think about those filthy things all day!¡± ¡°Shut up, open your damned eyes!¡± He showed the cover with the words ¡°Study Guide for Group Theory.¡± Zhang Yuan looked like an infatuated man, revealing a look of fascination, ¡°Mathematics is so much fun, especially the joy of calculating repeatedly using different methods and finally getting the answer, which is indescribable with words!¡± In his heart, Li Zhendong couldn¡¯t help but utter an internal ¡°boastful snob.¡± Such a good holiday, actually spent studying, are you a dog or what? However, recalling every move Zhang Yuan had made previously, it seemed a little possible. Just a little bit. ¡°¡­Why not read Deng Jiaxian¡¯s Academic Lecture III¡ªGroup Theory?¡± ¡°E-books are too expensive! 308 yuan per copy, I can¡¯t bear it. And it¡¯s a book from three hundred years ago; apart from being famous, it¡¯s nothing special¡­¡± Zhang Yuan said regrettably, ¡°By the way, what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°My mom wants to treat you to dinner; do you have time tonight? Come over to my house and hang out.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Zhang Yuan was reluctant to go and wanted to continue burning the midnight oil. That learning ecstasy was inescapable. But at this moment, a sudden fatigue invaded his mind, and he knew he could not continue further. ¡°Alright.¡± Li Zhendong lived in the neighboring East Sea City, over four hundred kilometers away. Fortunately, modern transportation was developed, making travel convenient. After receiving the invitation, Zhang Yuan reluctantly put down the e-book and stood up to examine himself in the mirror. Lethargic! Truly lethargic. After ten days of intensive reading, apart from eating, drinking, and answering nature¡¯s call, he just read, read, and read. His entire self seemed rusty. Massive dark circles, a sallow face, and not to mention aches all over his body. ¡°I finally understand how academic gods in bionics rise up¡­ Humans¡¯ physical constitution truly sucks.¡± Zhang Yuan painstakingly walked out of his room. Outside, it was still scorching hot. ¡°Beep, ID number 330841244¡­ Zhang Yuan, please cooperate for inspection!¡± As he left the community, he was stopped by a security robot. The robot forcefully plucked a few strands of hair and drew a drop of blood for testing before finally allowing him to pass. ¡°Check completed, thanks for your cooperation. Have a pleasant trip.¡± ¡°Really unlucky! Perhaps my terrible complexion triggered some mechanism? How could I possibly be a drug addict?¡± Zhang Yuan shook his head and was not particularly opposed. These robots were specifically aimed at drug users. If someone took illegal drugs and the robot detected it, that person would be forcibly sent to a detox center. Thanks to such strict supervision, the drug abuse rate in Xia Country had always been low. However, over in North America, due to the prevalence of illegal drugs, they could already rename it Cannabis Country. There was still time, so perhaps a massage. He went into a self-service massage shop, paid, and then the massage machine began automatically massaging him. Soft music played, and his entire body¡¯s meridians seemed to be smoothed out. ¡°Truly pleasant¡­ Life on Earth is beautiful.¡± Because he was overly exhausted, Zhang Yuan unknowingly fell asleep. When he woke up, the machine had already stopped working. On the next bed lay a stylish middle-aged woman, who also squinted her eyes in enjoyment. Judging by her attire, she seemed to be a publicity aunt from the local community¡¯s ¡°Encourage Fertility Committee.¡± ¡°Hey handsome, are you local? I haven¡¯t seen you around before!¡± the middle-aged woman greeted out of habit. ¡°I live at 2236-9.¡± ¡°Oh, I remember now, the son of Zhang Qiming. You used to come to our house to play when you were little! Are you an astronaut? You¡¯re leaving Earth?¡± the middle-aged woman prattled on in a string. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°What about your assets? And no one to carry on the family line?¡± The middle-aged woman¡¯s gossiping urge surged, asking about family matters. Carry on the family line? Zhang Yuan secretly rolled his eyes. I¡¯m not even dead, and I¡¯ve already spread seeds onto an outer planet. Isn¡¯t that enough to bring glory to the ancestors? However, he only thought about saying this and did not speak it out loud. ¡°I can carry on the family line aboard the spaceship, and as for the assets, just donate them.¡± ¡°Donate¡­ donate?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s of no use anyway.¡± ¡°You really are generous.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not really generosity, it¡¯s simply a matter of letting go.¡± ¡°¡­¡± In the slightly incredulous gaze of the middle-aged woman, Zhang Yuan rolled off the massage bed, smiled, and left the self-service massage shop. It is very difficult for people to truly understand each other. Especially for those who have not witnessed space firsthand, it is even harder to comprehend this kind of thinking. In fact, there was no need to demand the whole world to understand oneself, having a group of like-minded companions was enough. Chapter 13 - Chapter 13: Chapter 13 Ill Tell Your Mom! Chapter 13: Chapter 13 I¡¯ll Tell Your Mom! Editor: Henyee Translations Zhang Yuan took out his phone, opened the ridesharing app, and used voice input for his destination. ¡°Destination: East Sea City, distance about 412 kilometers.¡± ¡°Searching for a carpool match, please wait¡­¡± A radar-like icon was spinning. This intercity bus carpooled ten people, with a cost of 60 yuan per person, quite economical. It quickly got onto the intercity high-altitude track, with a speed of up to 400 kilometers per hour. Such speed was beyond what an ordinary human could handle, so it had to be controlled by an unmanned system to strictly maintain the distance between cars. Once there was a fool who wanted to show off his driving skills in front of someone and switched to manual driving in non-emergency conditions, and the result¡­ as expected, was dust to dust. At a speed of 400 kilometers per hour, the car crashed into the high-track railing, with not a single organ intact. The carbon nanotube railing, however, remained unharmed in the accident, and the safety of the high track became legendary. An hour later, after getting off the bus, Zhang Yuan took the subway to reach his destination. ¡°You sure are on time, not a minute early!¡± Li Zhendong opened the door. ¡°I took a nap in the massage parlor, so I was a bit late¡­¡± ¡°Tsk tsk, that¡¯s a great place for a romantic encounter!¡± Li Zhendong had a mischievous expression. Spending too long in Space City had turned them into tinder, seemingly ready to ignite just upon contact with the opposite sex. Zhang Yuan responded irritably, ¡°Come on, they were all middle-aged women, where¡¯s the romance in that? My taste isn¡¯t that bad¡­ Can you stop talking about this stuff the moment we meet¡­¡± ¡°Zhang Yuan!¡± Li Zhendong suddenly looked serious, as if contemplating something. ¡°What?¡± Zhang Yuan felt a chill down his spine. Li Zhendong, looking excited, waved his phone, ¡°I¡¯ve been chatting with a girl these days, maybe something could happen¡­ Look at the photo, she¡¯s quite nice.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Taking the phone, Zhang Yuan saw it was a cute girl with pouty lips, fair and delicate. Chat history: [Girl: Does your job pay well?] [Li Zhendong: Not very high, money doesn¡¯t matter much to us, the main thing is to be happy¡­] [Spaceship photo] [Li Zhendong floating in zero-g photo] [Girl: Space seems so fun! I¡¯ve always dreamed of going there, but the travel costs are too expensive.] [Li Zhendong: Risking your life to do this work surely isn¡¯t fun. In zero gravity, you can choke just drinking water, and there have truly been such cases!] [Girl: Is your dad also a Space City worker?] [Li Zhendong: Of course, but I¡¯ve never relied on my dad, I got there on my own.] [¡­] (One thousand words of flirtation omitted) [Li Zhendong: Look, I¡¯m about to get on the spaceship. Can you join me for a movie? I¡¯ve never been on a date in my life.] [Girl: Haha~ Really? You don¡¯t have a girlfriend?] The girl still hadn¡¯t replied formally but seemed a bit interested. Li Zhendong, full of pride, boasted, ¡°See how good I am? Want me to teach you how to pick up girls? The first trick is to act innocent¡ªsome ladies like that! They like virgins!¡± Zhang Yuan furrowed his eyebrows as he listened. ¡°The second trick, letting go to capture.¡± ¡°The third trick, monkey steals the peach!¡± ¡°What¡­ steals the peach?!¡± Li Zhendong grew more agitated and louder, ¡°Oh, I mean steals the heart¡­ Just imagine, even after you¡¯re gone, left Earth, those girls still keep you in their hearts. In the deepest place, they reserve a spot for you, filled with the beautiful times you spent together.¡± ¡°One year, ten years, a hundred years later, at the moment of their passing, their last words are your name¡­ while you are in another corner of time and space.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you find this meaningful?¡± For some reason, Zhang Yuan felt nothing, even a bit nauseous¡­ He sighed, acknowledging that his friend, despite being intelligent, a genius, effortlessly achieving top-notch results¡ªa level befitting an Academic God¡ªhad one flaw¡­ extremely reserved and loved to brag. Zhang Yuan suddenly grinned, ¡°Player!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell your mom about this!¡± The atmosphere plunged into a deathly silence. Zhang Yuan repeated verbatim, ¡°¡­One year, ten years, a hundred years later, at the moment of their passing, their last words are your name?¡± ¡°Li Zhendong! Li Zhendong! Oh, I¡¯m dying.¡± ¡°Is that how they call out? Enjoy it? Enjoy it?¡± Silence engulfed them again. In a certain way, Zhang Yuan also showed some talent. Li Zhendong sighed as he stared at the ceiling, ¡°Right now, I just want to beat you to a pulp, truly!¡± ¡­ At the dining table, Li Zhendong behaved like a model son, saying nothing extra, just quietly eating. Mrs. Li was amicable, urging Zhang Yuan to eat more, saying, ¡°You won¡¯t find natural meat in space,¡± ¡°This big drumstick is real free-range chicken,¡± and so on, just like what a maternal aunt would say. And it was true; the limited space and poor ecological environment on the spaceship allowed for some plant cultivation but made it impossible to luxuriously breed pigs, cows, sheep, chickens, ducks, or fish. So the food in Space City was synthetic meat, tissues from animal cells cultivated in petri dishes. Li Zhendong¡¯s father, Li Cheng, and Zhang Yuan¡¯s father were colleagues at Space City. He was sharing stories from the past when they designed the ¡°Earth Era.¡± ¡°¡­Your dad, Zhang Qiming, truly was a genius. The problems we couldn¡¯t solve, he figured out with just a tap on his head and a twist of the pen, like he was on drugs!¡± ¡°Drugged?¡± Zhang Yuan couldn¡¯t help but wipe the sweat off his face. ¡°He built the majority of the spaceship¡¯s control program. So far, only 212 minor bugs have been found; it¡¯s incredibly difficult¡­¡± ¡°Sadly, he left too soon, such a pity¡­¡± Li Cheng felt complex emotions, even drinking a bit of alcohol. ¡°Even 212 is a small amount?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand, the spaceship¡¯s control engineering, one ring connects to the next, one layer overlaps another; the more complex the system, the greater the risk. The Earth Era has safety monitoring systems, energy systems, ecological systems, material cycle systems, communication systems, and several small industrial plants; the complexity of control engineering is beyond your imagination!¡± ¡°Software and hardware complement each other; software isn¡¯t any less difficult than hardware!¡± The two youngsters couldn¡¯t chime in with anything. After a while, Zhang Yuan asked, ¡°Can¡¯t the spaceship go any faster?¡± Li Cheng shook his head, ¡°Seven-thousandths of light speed is already very fast. Unless propelled by large-scale nuclear bombs, reaching possibly 3% of light speed, but our materials can¡¯t withstand the explosive power of nuclear bombs¡­ and in the foreseeable future, materials resistant to nukes won¡¯t emerge.¡± Li Zhendong also asked, ¡°Dad, after we leave, will they build the next Colonization Ship?¡± ¡°No, in the coming years, even decades, likely not¡­ the entire Earth¡¯s economic circle needs some time to recuperate.¡± ¡°This project was quite taxing, even with the strong support from various governments and the Deep Space Foundation, it requires a good rest period to slowly recover its vitality.¡± ¡°Public opposition to the special aeronautics tax is strong; several countries are quite stirred up¡ªit¡¯s likely to be canceled¡­¡± Zhang Yuan asked in confusion, ¡°Are we the only batch of Deep Space Colonizers?¡± ¡°Not exactly, as for the future, who knows?¡± ¡°The basic technology for deep space voyaging has matured; building a second large Colonization Ship won¡¯t be as costly as the first. Perhaps, once the governments have spare funds, launching a second one might be possible.¡± ¡°However, without new technology, significantly boosting travel speed is tough. Don¡¯t count on later ships catching up with you.¡± Zhang Yuan gnawed on a drumstick, pausing slightly, he deciphered a crucial piece of information: the once financially robust Deep Space Foundation seemed to be out of money. Chapter 14 - Chapter 14: Chapter 14 As Long As You Can Learn Chapter 14: Chapter 14 As Long As You Can Learn Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°` The construction of the ¡°Earth Era¡± consumed 2.07% of humanity¡¯s GDP every year. Over so many years, the total cost had reached an astronomical 159 trillion federal coins! This was an extremely large figure, and over time, ordinary people naturally became unwilling to accept it. Consider this: many people on Earth were still struggling to make ends meet! Li Cheng sighed again, ¡°The Deep Space Foundation still needed to prepare at least another trillion in funds to pave a path for the ¡®Earth Era.''¡± ¡°In the next 20 years, the Jupiter Industrial Base needed to collect a large amount of nuclear fuel. Its fusion energy would be used to launch long-distance lasers¡­¡± Zhang Yuan nodded, lost in thought. The Earth Era adopted a dual propulsion mode of light sail and nuclear fusion propulsion. A light sail referred to light pressure propulsion. When photons hit a smooth surface, they could change direction like a ping pong ball bouncing off a wall and impart corresponding force to the object, thus propelling the spaceship. However, the light pressure from the Sun was too weak to quickly propel a giant spaceship weighing tens of millions of tons. Only large artificial light sources from the Moon and Jupiter Base could generate enough pressure to move it. Think about it, the nuclear fuel on Jupiter, though seemingly inexhaustible, still required human cost. Moreover, this light path needed to be continuously launched for 20 years. The laser launching devices numbered in the tens of thousands and needed constant replacement, which was another massive expense. One could hardly imagine how, back then, Professor Qi Yuanshan, the ¡°Father of Nuclear Fusion,¡± persuaded those shrewd businessmen and cunning politicians. Deep space colonization, this super massive project had no apparent benefits. Not even in hundreds or thousands of years would it generate any profit. It was quite puzzling. After chatting for a while, Li Cheng found talking about these matters with the younger generation somewhat dull, ¡°Whether there¡¯s enough budget is a matter for the bosses above to worry about. You just focus on doing well in your tasks.¡± He shook his head, as if something had come to mind, and abruptly stopped eating. He stood up from the dining table, walked into his study, and became absorbed in contemplating some question alone. Although Zhang Yuan was very curious about this gossip, seeing this, he could only let it be. After dinner, Zhang Yuan privately complained, ¡°Your dad and my dad are really alike, just workaholics. Suddenly getting an inspiration and then getting all excited, busy writing it down. At times like this, you should never disturb him, or you¡¯ll either get a scolding or hear some inexplicable words.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Li Zhendong agreed wholeheartedly, ¡°I remember when I was little, I asked my dad why 1 + 1 = 2. Do you know what he said? He actually told me about Peano¡¯s axioms, and I was just in kindergarten at the time. I seriously doubted if he had any common sense!¡± ¡°Was your sister educated in a similar way?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Li Zhendong exaggeratedly said, ¡°Once, my sister asked him why the area of a rectangle is length times width. He directly spouted some esoteric stuff about Euclidean spaces and inner products. Fortunately, my mom was a normal person, or else she¡¯d be driven out of her mind by him.¡± Zhang Yuan also burst into laughter, reminiscing about his dad¡¯s eccentric behavior. At that time, he was playing with a Rubik¡¯s Cube on the sofa, and his dad suddenly had a whim and sternly began explaining Group Theory to a seven- or eight-year-old child. Yes, Group Theory, a subject Gawaro spent a night writing a paper on. ¡°It¡¯s just math from over five hundred years ago, very simple. Once you learn this, kids will look at you in awe!¡± Zhang Yuan was overjoyed, ¡°I want to learn; I want to learn!¡± ¡°¡­The group composed of all operations is called the Rubik¡¯s Cube group. Obviously, the Rubik¡¯s Cube group is a non-Abelian group¡­ If you can decompose it into products of simpler subgroups and then construct generators for each subgroup, you can prove its solvability. It¡¯s been proven: All Rubik¡¯s Cubes can be solved in less than 20 moves.¡± During this process, Zhang Qiming was animated, thoroughly enjoying the pleasure of being a teacher. But in the end, he discovered his son seemed to be staring at him blankly, unable to understand. Unable to understand? Zhang Qiming blurted out a curse, ¡°What an idiot!¡± He didn¡¯t know if he was referring to his son or himself. Zhang Yuan sighed. These memories, when looked back upon, didn¡¯t evoke the resistance they had at the time. Instead, they were nostalgic. It had been three years since his father¡¯s passing, hadn¡¯t it? Time flew by so fast; a blink of an eye, and three years had passed. The deceased were gone, leaving only memories. Seeing Zhang Yuan in a somewhat gloomy mood, Li Zhendong turned on the TV and switched to the children¡¯s channel, where a cartoon called ¡°Bear Out: The Bear Becomes a Sheep¡± was playing. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me as just a bear¡­¡± It was a very childish cartoon, but the little girl nearby watched it with great delight. Zhang Yuan then asked, ¡°When you leave, won¡¯t your parents miss you?¡± ¡°They won¡¯t. I still have a sister,¡± he pointed to a little girl in her early teens nearby, speaking without a care, ¡°And we can have several more in the future. Anyway, technology is advanced now; we can have as many children as we want and can afford to raise them.¡± He continued, ¡°Think about it. If I don¡¯t go on the spaceship and instead work on the Moon, visiting home once a year for the Spring Festival, spending three days each time, and accompanying them for two hours every day¡­ Considering 60 years, the time spent with them would only be 360 hours¡­¡± ¡°Now, I stay at home every day, eating and drinking, accompanying them for seven or eight hours a day, summing up to over two hundred hours a month. With the entire vacation, I¡¯ve already spent most of my life accompanying them, so what regrets are there?¡± Zhang Yuan scratched his head. What kind of absurd logic was this? But listening to it, it somehow made a bit of sense¡­ Mrs. Li smiled as she cut some fruit for them, seemingly accustomed to Li Zhendong¡¯s neurotic remarks, ¡°Zhang Yuan, why don¡¯t you stay with us tonight? We have an empty room anyway.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Zhang Yuan nodded, sighing inwardly. Li Zhendong¡¯s situation was quite similar to his own, but the difference was, Li Zhendong¡¯s parents were alive, and his family was harmonious. While he, Zhang Yuan, was the result of a test tube baby, with a father who provided the sperm, and an unknown woman donor from the human gene bank who supplied the egg. To this day, he didn¡¯t know who his biological mother was, nor did he need to know¡­ But who wouldn¡¯t love to have a kind and gentle mom? In university, their grades were quite similar. However, Li Zhendong was an Academic God, goofing around and still scoring over 90 in exams, while Zhang Yuan was just an academic achiever who needed to put in more effort to earn good scores. This was actually a difference in intelligence¡­ But it didn¡¯t matter! Thinking this, Zhang Yuan took out his phone and started browsing the ¡°Super Brain¡± app. When he saw those mathematical symbols, a strange sense of happiness arose in his mind. There was no need to envy others¡ªlearning made him happy, learning made him grow! As long as he could study, he felt he had the whole world! ¡°` Chapter 15 - Chapter 15: Chapter 15 Let Go of Your Claws! Chapter 15: Chapter 15 Let Go of Your Claws! Editor: Henyee Translations Li Zhendong glanced at Zhang Yuan, saw him smiling sweetly at his phone, and was momentarily stunned. Okay, got a girlfriend now. His nosy mind burned with curiosity. He took a quick peek, but no, he was actually doing Super Brain? Li Zhendong had to pinch his nose and said irritably, ¡°Working so hard, huh?¡± ¡°Boredom, just solving problems for fun. Look at this integration, what a beautiful method, it¡¯s rare to find integrals that can actually be solved analytically.¡± Just for fun¡­ Fun¡­ Ju¡­ Li Zhendong¡¯s forehead pulsed with veins, and his breathing quickened. Recalling his university days, Zhang Yuan was just as hardworking, causing him to be frequently criticized by his parents. ¡°Look at him, then look at you!¡± His father¡¯s judgment seemed to echo in his ears. Li Zhendong couldn¡¯t help feeling agitated; after graduating from university, this guy only ramped up his efforts instead of restraining himself. Solving problems had become a sophisticated leisure, that impressive?! ¡°Wait, my sister can¡¯t get through a game, a puzzle game, why not give it a try if you¡¯re bored.¡± Game? ¡°Let me have a look.¡± Seeing the mischievous look in his eyes, Zhang Yuan grew a bit interested. What difficulty could a child¡¯s game hold? A little girl handed over a learning machine, on which there was a small program called ¡°Lights Out.¡± The objective was this: A 4¡Á4 grid of lights was lit up on the panel, and every time one light was operated, it, along with its surrounding lights above, below, left, and right, would all change state (on to off, off to on). If you could turn all the lights off through a series of operations, the game would be cleared. ¡°This is pretty simple.¡± Zhang Yuan tapped a few times, turned off all the lights, and cleared the level. The screen then switched to another image, this time becoming a 5¡Á5 grid of lights, with a few lights already turned off in the middle. ¡°The difficulty has increased.¡± Zhang Yuan thought for a moment, tapped a few more times, and cleared it again, but this time took a bit longer than the previous attempt. Obviously, as the grid of lights increased, the game became more challenging. ¡°My thought is¡­¡± The little girl¡¯s eyes sparkled as she timidly said, ¡°If there¡¯s a very large grid of lights and their initial state is arbitrary, is there a mathematical algorithm to solve this problem, rather than randomly tapping?¡± Zhang Yuan scratched his head and laughed, ¡°Your sister has a way with math, this general algorithm, um, let me think¡­¡± ¡°Of course, she has half my intelligence!¡± ¡°Brother~ I¡¯m smarter than you~¡± ¡°In what way are you smarter than me?¡± Li Zhendong smiled externally and internally. This problem was hard. Why was it difficult? Because Li Zhendong thought for a while and couldn¡¯t figure it out. So, puzzle-loving Brother Zhang, take your time, think yourself into exhaustion, day and night¡­ He was very pleased! Extremely so! ¡°I¡¯ll go take a shower first. You take your time with it.¡± The little girl looked at Zhang Yuan expectantly; after all, she definitely couldn¡¯t solve this kind of problem. Yet as the person who posed the question, there was also an unusual pride in her heart. Zhang Yuan¡¯s response took them by surprise; he felt a bit embarrassed, ¡°No need, don¡¯t shower yet, I¡¯ve already solved it.¡± What? Solved it? Li Zhendong¡¯s eyes nearly popped out as he dashed out of the bathroom, then sheepishly put his clothes back on. Zhang Yuan spoke eloquently, ¡°According to the problem, when you press a switch once, the light itself and those around it all change state. So, we can draw a conclusion: for a given light, pressing the switch an odd number of times is the same as pressing it once; pressing it an even number of times is equivalent to not pressing it at all, or zero.¡± Interesting. ¡°So, if the problem has a solution, each light only needs to be operated on at most once, or not at all.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s first discuss an N*N matrix, which is actually a binary group and isomorphic to a full-rank matrix. Since the matrix is full rank, there must be a unique solution¡­¡± After listening to just a few sentences, Li Zhendong¡¯s head was about to explode, inspiration bubbling like a spring! Wait. It seems like¡­ that¡¯s it¡­ Such a simple problem. How did I not think of that? He shouted unwillingly, ¡°How can you use group theory? How can a middle schooler understand group theory? You can¡¯t do this to my sister!¡± Even Li Zhendong¡¯s mother came out to check, seeing they were not up to anything, shook her head, and returned to the kitchen. ¡°Alright then. Middle schoolers have learned systems of linear equations, right?¡± The little girl nodded, indeed binary system equations are part of middle school content, they can be solved by elimination method or substitution method. Even problems with three variables or four variables are manageable. Zhang Yuan continued, ¡°Assume Aij is the number of times the j-th light in the i-th row is adjusted. Obviously, according to what I just said, Aij is either 1 or 0.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take the simplest 2¡Á2 matrix as an example, assuming the initial state is off for zero and on for one.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s assume the matrix¡¯s initial state is like this: [1-0] [0-0]¡± ¡°Then we can write four equations: A11¨’A12¨’A21=1 A11¨’A12¨’A22=0 A11¨’A21¨’A22=0 A12¨’A21¨’A22=0¡± ¡°By solving, we get A21=A11=A12=1, A22=0. So just toggle these three lights in order, A21, A11, A12, it doesn¡¯t matter what order.¡± ¡°Every N*N matrix problem can be calculated this way, and there¡¯s always a solution. But an N*M problem may not have a solution, and here¡¯s why¡­¡± Li Zhendong watched helplessly as admiration filled his sister¡¯s eyes, practically seeing stars! Even though he knew she probably wouldn¡¯t understand¡­ But, but, at this age, girls are innocent and pure, their eyes focused on learning, they have no resistance to intellectual brilliance! It¡¯s over; his sister¡¯s admiration for her brother has been stolen! Then he heard his sister ask, ¡°Why does this plus sign have a circle around it?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s a binary field operation, 1¨’1=0, 1¨’0=1, 0¨’0=0, in computing it¡¯s called XOR operation¡­ If you use a regular plus sign, it would result in a negative number.¡± ¡°Brother Zhang, you know so much!¡± ¡°So you have to work a little harder, otherwise, like your brother, having talent that¡¯s unfulfilled means being smart is useless¡­¡± Bastard, still putting me down! Go die! ¡°Brother Zhang, help me with those Math Olympiad problems, a lot of them I don¡¯t understand. My brother won¡¯t help me.¡± ¡°Sure¡­ all right.¡± My sister is still a minor! Let go of your paws! ¡°Ahem!¡± Li Zhendong coughed heavily, warning, ¡°I¡¯m going to take a shower, don¡¯t mess around, my parents are home.¡± What? Zhang Yuan scratched his head. The little girl couldn¡¯t help but roll her eyes. She was already in middle school and knew a lot; even dating wouldn¡¯t be opposed by family. She felt her own brother was a bit brainless, while Brother Zhang seemed more normal¡­ Chapter 16 - Chapter 16: Chapter 16 No Aliens Attacked Earth Chapter 16: Chapter 16 No Aliens Attacked Earth Editor: Henyee Translations Sure, here is your translated text: ¡°¡± Late at night, when everything was quiet, two young men were frantically working on their study problems. Li Zhendong was very angry, really angry. Every time Zhang Yuan surpassed him, he had to work hard again to surpass him back. For him, working hard was a painful affair. Especially when this guy was working on middle school math problems and grinning foolishly, what¡¯s that about? Doing middle school math problems with such joy, is he even human? Ruffling his hair, Li Zhendong grew irritated, and the various texts in the book looked like fleas jumping around, bouncing here and there. After a while, he still didn¡¯t understand a thing. Unable to calm down, he stopped looking. He glanced at Zhang Yuan¡¯s problem: ¡°Prove: the nth root of 2 is irrational. (n being an integer greater than or equal to 2.)¡± ¡°Proof: Assume the nth root of 2 is rational and denoted as p/q, with p and q being primes to each other.¡± ¡°Then 2 = (p^n)/(q^n), which means 2(q^n) = (p^n).¡± ¡°Rearranging gives p^n = q^n + q^n.¡± ¡°By Fermat¡¯s Last Theorem, there are no positive integer solutions to this equation. Hence, the assumption is wrong, and the nth root of 2 is irrational.¡± Li Zhendong nearly spat out old blood: ¡°You can¡¯t teach my sister like this, you really can¡¯t! Besides, you¡¯re helping her with math problems, how is this ok?¡± Zhang Yuan paused, realizing that he had unconsciously turned into a free homework doer. But it didn¡¯t matter, if the entire proof was copied exactly, the teacher would definitely laugh hysterically. ¡°Forget it, I¡¯m done. This much distraction is enough.¡± Zhang Yuan yawned, feeling quite carefree. Li Zhendong finally breathed a sigh of relief, eagerly put down the books in his hands, and rubbed his aching temples. He picked up a telescope, walked out to the balcony, and looked in the direction of deep space. Gliese 581, a Red Dwarf Star located about 2 degrees north of the Libra ¦Â Star, was their destination. Its mass was 0.31 solar masses, its radius was 0.38 solar radii, and its surface temperature was approximately 3,480K (3206.85¡ãC). A +10.56 apparent magnitude meant that ordinary telescopes couldn¡¯t see it, but Li Zhendong continued his ceaseless search. That was the future Mother Star after all! Li Zhendong had a sudden thought: ¡°Do you think there¡¯s a deep-space plan because the high human councils already know Aliens will attack Earth?¡± ¡°Impossible!¡± Zhang Yuan responded casually, ¡°If that were the case, they would definitely be building spaceships on a massive scale with global resources. Plus, would people like us get the chance to escape? Surely you¡¯ve watched various sci-fi movies, where, at the apocalypse, how expensive are tickets for Noah¡¯s Ark? Even as sons of scientists, there¡¯s no guarantee of us being that important!¡± ¡°Movies aren¡¯t reality, but they do somewhat reflect reality. Right now, no national leader is rushing to escape, since when have humans been so noble?¡± Silence ensued for a while. The 500,000 volunteers were not the most outstanding individuals of Earth Civilization. Everything depended on personal will. There were some scientific giants with dreams, but true political bigwigs would not abandon everything on Earth to venture into such desolate lands. Li Zhendong chuckled, ¡°Indeed. So there are no Aliens attacking Earth. Then what do you think is the reason?¡± Zhang Yuan pointed to two directions in the sky, frowning as he spoke, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s that, or maybe it¡¯s this¡­ or possibly both, or perhaps there are more important reasons we don¡¯t know.¡± Where Zhang Yuan pointed, one star was KIC-8462852, commonly known as Tabby Star. In the other direction, there was Eta Carinae. Looking up at the sky. The moon was bright, and lights from the big city obscured the dazzling starry sky above, making finding these stars all the more challenging. In the historical year of 1977, North America experienced a massive blackout. During that night when the lights vanished, the boundless heavens revealed their original, primitive appearance. In an amusing turn of events, on that night, police stations received many alarm calls reporting, ¡°Aliens are attacking Earth!¡± The reason was nothing more than¡­ these urban people had never seen the true Milky Way, and the primeval force from antiquity left them bewildered and alarmed. Indeed, Mother Earth was simply too warm and gentle, so gentle that humans of that era were reluctant to leave the swaddling, slowly forgetting the vast world outside. However¡­ This world was not just for humans. The universe wouldn¡¯t simply disappear because humans chose to cover their ears and pretend nothing happened. The first challenge came from ¡°Eta Carinae,¡± also known as Eta Carinae, a supergiant star with more than a hundred times the mass of the Sun. Scientists estimated that this star might explode within a million years, forming an extreme supernova! Note, it is an extreme supernova, with the word ¡°extreme¡± added. If considering Eta Carinae¡¯s distance from the Solar System of 7,500 light years as a somewhat okay news, then the other news was utterly deadly¡­ Research indicated its rotational axis possibly already aimed at the Solar System, like a stellar cannon ready to fire at any moment! When Eta Carinae exploded, powerful gamma-ray bursts would sweep across the entire Solar System. ¡°Unfortunately, this bright star cannot be seen from the Northern Hemisphere.¡± Of course, this disaster could be very large, or very small. Firstly, the timeline for its explosion was very blurred, perhaps a million years from now or maybe tomorrow, or even already happened a hundred years ago. Moreover, scientists were still in heated disputes over the rotational axis deviation of Eta Carinae and disaster prevention¡­ Human knowledge of such celestial bodies was minimal, making it difficult to accurately predict the disaster it might bring to human civilization. Gamma-ray bursts, after a long journey, might destroy the entire ecosystem or perhaps have little effect. It was unclear. The second challenge came from KIC 8462852, Tabby Star. In the 21st century, humans had already discovered this strange star, whose periodic dimming had garnered widespread attention from astronomers. At the time, many scientists speculated that a nebula or other large celestial body obstructed the star, causing its dimming. However! Hundreds of years of observation only proved one thing: Its dimming was increasing at a rate of 0.064% per decade. In other words, if the maximum dimming data ten years ago was 22.112%, now it would be 22.176%, without exception. What did this mean? It meant there was an artificial structure near that star, and it was being built at a constant speed. This construction had continued for hundreds of years! The Dyson Sphere was right there. It wouldn¡¯t change due to human will. This fact caused a significant panic among the high echelons of civilization. A distance of 1,400 light years was too far for humans, yet it was not enough to quell such panic. Any normal person knew what a ¡°Dyson Sphere¡± signified. In comparison to a civilization capable of building a Dyson Sphere, human civilization was merely an amoeba! At the time, Professor Qi Yuanshan, the ¡°Father of Nuclear Fusion,¡± excitedly wrote in his diary, ¡°Without Aliens, humanity might destroy itself through idleness!¡± ¡°¡­ just like the old days, the forthcoming entertainment craze and non-toxic neural drugs will inevitably destroy much of human spirit for progress. The Dyson Sphere being proven true, humanity might revive from decadent consumerism and capitalism, similar to the US and USSR Cold War effects!¡± ¡°Truth be told, having a good neighbor might bring hope, fortunate¡­ exceptional!¡± ¡°¡± Chapter 17 - Chapter 17: Chapter 17 Farewell to Once, Farewell to the Past Chapter 17: Chapter 17 Farewell to Once, Farewell to the Past Editor: Henyee Translations Zhang Yuan sighed, ¡°But I feel that the reasons for deep space colonization still aren¡¯t enough. The Dyson Sphere sounds indeed terrifying. But it directly proves the existence of truly powerful alien civilizations in the universe. Civilizations can be exposed.¡± ¡°It also proves that the universe isn¡¯t a dark forest; it can be communicated with. It¡¯s not as dangerous as we imagined.¡± Back in the 21st century, when it hadn¡¯t been proven to be a Dyson Sphere yet, scientists were already eagerly sending electromagnetic signals in that direction. After all, scientists often did such things. This series of signals represented humanity¡¯s ¡°friendly greetings¡± and ¡°aspirations for peace.¡± Although it was quite laughable to speak of ¡°aspirations for peace,¡± even when humanity experienced two world wars in the 22nd century, it indeed happened. There were always many optimists in the world who believed that aliens could be communicated with amicably. If true communication succeeded, human civilization would undergo a qualitative change! ¡°How can you be so optimistic? Powerhouses can be exposed, but what about the weak? Earth would be toyed to death by them, so why would they help monkeys?¡± Li Zhendong chuckled, these ridiculous events happened so often that they became normalized. Even now, there were still people sending electromagnetic waves toward KIC 8462852, hoping that the ¡°alien god¡± could help them escape suffering. Secretly transmitting electromagnetic waves, the government couldn¡¯t do anything; they had no means to stop it. Zhang Yuan teased along, ¡°Who knows? The people over in South America might eat the monkeys; but over here, people genuinely help the monkeys. When they see a sick monkey, they rescue it and give it food. Monkeys even boldly steal things, and if you harm them, you get fined¡­¡± ¡°Maybe in a while, aliens will come to Earth to distribute food.¡± ¡°Yeah, that would be really sweet¡­ When the time comes, don¡¯t say it was unexpectedly good.¡± Fortunately, the transmission speed of electromagnetic waves was only the speed of light, taking over 1,200 years to reach KIC 8462852. Moreover, electromagnetic waves attenuated significantly in cosmic space, coupled with cosmic radiation interference, turning into garbled nonsense 1,200 light years away. So, there¡¯s really no need to worry too much; ordinary civilian equipment couldn¡¯t possibly send signals that far. Whether Earth was exposed, no one knew. Perhaps, they observed primitive people thousands of years ago, paying no attention to these native monkeys. Looking up at the starry sky, Zhang Yuan felt a bit tired. He yawned, suddenly seeming invigorated, clenched his fist, ¡°So, I have to study!¡± ¡°Only by becoming stronger can one evolve from a monkey to a human.¡± ¡°Fighting, keep it up! Work hard!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Li Zhendong was at a loss for words; they had just rested for a few minutes, and this guy again wanted to study. What to do, waiting online, it¡¯s quite urgent! But quickly, Zhang Yuan declined the thought himself, ¡°Forget it, it¡¯s too late, not efficient, better to rest first. The time squeezed out would only be slept back, so it¡¯s better to have a regular schedule.¡± Li Zhendong was relieved. ¡°I¡¯ll report to Xisha Aviation City tomorrow.¡± Li Zhendong got nervous, ¡°Why? This vacation is mandatory, you¡¯re not allowed to end it early!¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to do at home¡­ I¡¯ve finished all the books.¡± Zhang Yuan shook his head, explained, ¡°Buying e-books myself is really too expensive; the university there allows free book reading. Plus, there are many documents available for free, and some professors and experts can be consulted; inventing things behind closed doors isn¡¯t good.¡± This era greatly valued intellectual property, watching pirated material was illegal, and being caught would result in hefty fines. Professional books and papers were even more expensive. According to Zhang Yuan¡¯s current reading speed, with books and literature, he burned through hundreds to thousands of dollars daily. ¡°So, my plan is to read two books a day, plus five papers, for 20 consecutive days. Tens of thousands of dollars is still money¡­ might as well save a bit and donate to the Deep Space Foundation.¡± Li Zhendong felt his mind was about to explode, almost fainting to the ground. Reading two books a day¡­ Two books¡­ Two¡­ Are you a dog? Is a book a meaty bone? He felt entirely unwell, mumbling, ¡°You really are a damn¡­ wealthy dude!¡± ¡°That¡¯s it, sleep, sleep.¡± Watching Zhang Yuan step into his room, Li Zhendong took a deep breath. Thinking about how he spent his vacation flirting, playing games, teasing his silly sister, while others were studying, working hard, and diligent, he inexplicably felt a sense of guilt. Then, he picked up the half-read ¡°Complex Semi-Simple Lie Algebra¡± and began reading again. So frustrating. ¡­ forced, have no choice. ¡­ The next morning, Zhang Yuan got up early, bid farewell to Li Zhendong¡¯s parents, and returned to his own city. Despite the heartache, after purchasing a series of the latest electronic products, he copied all sorts of materials left by his father onto 10 mechanical hard drives. Over 3,000 years of interstellar travel, there¡¯s nothing reliable, especially electronic products. Who knows, maybe one day, this tablet would become unusable. Only by diversifying risks could these materials be preserved long-term. Even though these things would be worthless three thousand years later, Zhang Yuan still hoped to keep them. After checking several times, ¡°This should be it.¡± The Deep Space Planning Bureau allowed every astronaut to carry 20 kilograms of personal belongings. Inside the suitcase were some change of clothes, a few mementos from his father, and various messy electronic devices, including the latest photon chips, storage devices, etc., making sure nothing significant was missing. ¡°Sigh, I¡¯m about to leave here¡­¡± Zhang Yuan looked at this home he¡¯d lived in for more than a decade, every detail so familiar. He had laughed here, cried here, been mocked by his father, and also been sullen alone in the room¡­ So many, many stories happened. It felt like his mother; hiding here brought a harbor-like warmth. Sadly, he ultimately had to leave it. Gone for good, with no chance of regret. After cleaning up the place until every spot sparkled and discarding the trash, he shut the door with a ¡°bang,¡± the deep attachment in his heart growing stronger. He turned back and bowed. ¡°Goodbye.¡± ¡°Goodbye!¡± Saying farewell to the past, a tear unknowingly rolled down. Zhang Yuan wiped it with his sleeve, heading to the elevator. A man always had to head to distant lands, dry his tears, and not overthink things. Dragging his suitcase to the entrance of the community, there was a familiar park there; because the weather was too hot, there weren¡¯t many people inside. He remembered playing there often as a child. One day, he suddenly tumbled to the ground. Then, he had a flash of inspiration and started crying at the corner of the wall, unable to stop. His dad asked him what on earth he was doing, Zhang Yuan said, ¡°I know I have to die eventually, so I cried. Even if I won¡¯t die now¡­ a long, long time later, I still will, so I felt sad.¡± A little child, suddenly comprehending the concept of ¡°death,¡± couldn¡¯t wrap his head around it immediately, felt very uncomfortable, and could only keep crying. It seemed so absurd, yet so real. Death, such an unglamourous affair, yet the endpoint for everyone. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is¡­¡± his dad coolly said, ¡°Dead is dead, what¡¯s the big deal? Do you know the meaning of living? If you don¡¯t, why be afraid?¡± ¡°Living is for eating!¡± Zhang Yuan, all snots and tears. ¡°Hahaha, makes sense!¡± His father just laughed heartily and uncommonly made no further comments. As smart as his dad was, even he couldn¡¯t answer such an ultimate question. Chapter 18 - Chapter 18: Chapter 18 Xisha Aviation City Chapter 18: Chapter 18 Xisha Aviation City Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°` Zhang Yuan hurried to the train station. The phone displayed a message, ¡°[Dahua Transport] Dear passenger Zhang Yuan, your ticket was successfully paid at 10:03. Train G888, second class seat, Donghua (10:30) ¨C Xisha (11:45), ticket number 781234¡­¡± The time was almost up. Zhang Yuan boarded the train and found his seat. A gentle electronic voice sounded in the carriage, ¡°This train is bound for Xisha and will take one hour and fifteen minutes¡­¡± The gray-black sea-crossing bridge lay across the sea like a giant dragon. Modern carbon nanotube materials, capable of constructing a 36,000-kilometer space elevator, could certainly handle a small sea-crossing bridge. These bridges could easily withstand a Category 16 typhoon. Traditional transportation tools, airplanes, were instead becoming obsolete. Fuel was not much of an issue since hydrogen could replace traditional fossil fuels, but the payload and operational costs of planes couldn¡¯t compete with maglev trains. Moreover, with the speed of maglev trains approaching that of airplanes, cheaper tickets, and comfort without the ear problems caused by pressure, airplanes gradually lost their competitiveness, edging toward obsolescence. An hour later, a few vague shadows finally appeared on the blue horizon, fusion power plants. The nuclear fusion power plants were three hundred meters tall. Due to the massive heat dissipation, all the white mist around them was steam. This distilled water would be collected and supplied to the cities. Xisha Aviation City was located in Xia Country¡¯s southernmost sea. Hundreds of years ago, it had territorial disputes with neighboring small countries. Incidents of detaining fishing boats and skirmishing often occurred. But as time went on and society progressed, with Xia Country¡¯s rise, these trivial disputes became insignificant. ¡°Controlled nuclear fusion is really a good thing. Three cents per kilowatt-hour, how much cost does that cut for industrial production? What are other countries even playing at?¡± The nuclear fusion power plant had an unappealing characteristic: the larger the nuclear generating set, the more stable its operation and the lower its power generation cost. Plus, due to human technological limitations, there was no way to miniaturize nuclear fusion devices, so each nuclear fusion power plant was like a small mountain. Fusion and space economy made Xia Country the first country to brave the unknown, earning a fortune, so much so that it didn¡¯t mind giving some to its neighboring little brothers. Territorial disputes had long ceased to exist. Those who follow the path receive more help, those who walk alone receive less aid. Interests are the closest bond between countries. The train sped past the nuclear power plant. ¡°Look, look! It¡¯s the space elevator!¡± ¡°Where, where?¡± ¡°Right there¡­ that one as fine as a hair.¡± Squinting eyes could barely make out a slender column towering into the clouds, resembling a kite string. Under the sunlight, it had a dazzling, unreal quality. High. Too high¡­ Many seeing the space elevator for the first time couldn¡¯t help but press against the glass windows and take photos. The legendary ¡°Babylon Tower,¡± a miracle in history; there were a total of seventeen of these structures on this planet. Over the next thirty years, they were expected to increase to over thirty. Xisha Aviation City housed humanity¡¯s first space elevator, ¡°Tengyun.¡± Its geographical location was roughly three hundred kilometers from the Equator, slightly slanting, maximizing Earth¡¯s rotational force to provide greater payload capacity for the elevator. After nearly a hundred years of development, Xisha had become an international metropolis. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it collapse?¡± ¡°Impossible, the principle is different. The space elevator mainly relies on tension, not pressure. Do you understand the tension of a rope?¡± ¡°Would terrorists attack this tower?¡± Some curious onlookers let their imagination run wild. ¡°Well, attacking a space elevator is akin to launching a nuclear war and would receive equivalent retaliation. Xisha City¡¯s security is strict, with military troops stationed nearby, and no airplanes are allowed to pass¡­¡± ¡°Bro, are you already in Xisha City? I just saw your social media update~~~¡± At this moment, Zhang Yuan¡¯s cousin Ye Qingqing called, ¡°Are you going to space? I really want to go on a space tour once, but my parents want me to work-study and earn money. At 30,000 yuan for a trip, when am I ever going to make that much money¡­¡± She was practically dying of envy. ¡°Space tourism, it¡¯s not that marvelous actually, I¡¯m serious,¡± Zhang Yuan said with a smile. ¡°Slowly earn through work-study. Under eighteen, you can¡¯t even get a tourist visa.¡± Getting a visa was one thing, getting a tourist spot was another. The freight of the space elevator was limited each day, so not many tourist spots were available. Besides spending money, connections might also be needed. Social connections won¡¯t get completely eliminated in any era. In the course of this conversation, the train gradually stopped. ¡°Dear passengers, the terminal, Xisha, has arrived; please bring your belongings and prepare to disembark¡­¡± As the train arrived, tourists excitedly observed the distant space elevator; wherever they were, raising their heads, they could always see that robust pillar of the sky. This power derived from technology and industry could entirely arouse the national pride of Xia Country people. Almost all space elevators worldwide involved Xia Country¡¯s technology and investments. Having been exposed to this often, Zhang Yuan didn¡¯t feel much about it, and simply rented a self-driving motorboat. ¡°Whoosh!¡± The motorboat sped through Xisha City, splashing water all over. Xisha City enjoyed summer-like weather year-round, yet June temperatures were under twenty-eight degrees, definitely more comfortable than Donghua City. The city was mostly artificial islands, with bridges connecting island to island, and numerous waterways underneath where occasional tropical fish could be spotted. There was once a leader who, on a whim, wanted to fill these waterways for land transport to enhance traffic efficiency but faced unanimous opposition from the masses because¡­ they found boats more enjoyable, attracting tourism. As facts proved, the people were right for once. The omnipotent aerial tracks solved the traffic issues while water transport indeed bolstered tourism. ¡°Beep¡­ This service fee: 16 Yuan.¡± Zhang Yuan stepped off the motorboat and arrived at his destination. ¡°I am an astronaut for the Earth Era. May I check-in now?¡± Deep Space Planning Bureau staff scanned his ID, smiled slightly, and said, ¡°Mr. Zhang Yuan, your vacation has 19 days remaining. You are too early. Your launch batch has not been reached yet.¡± ¡°No¡­ I just want to ask, is there any place to stay?¡± The staff laughed and said, ¡°Unfortunately, if you were 3 days earlier, we could arrange accommodation for you. But now, it seems there¡¯s no such arrangement.¡± ¡°You might want to ask the adjacent university to see if there are any vacant student dormitories. I¡¯ll issue you an astronaut proof.¡± Zhang Yuan frowned, coming too early and being rejected. This was normal as the staff merely followed regulations. ¡°Alright, thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome!¡± Numerous aviation universities were stationed here, some being international institutions enrolling global students. However, due to the summer vacation, most students were away, leaving the university somewhat deserted. Soon, Zhang Yuan saw the four gilded characters ¡°Xisha University.¡± Because he looked somewhat student-like, he entered the school without issues. After questioning several people in a row, he reached a building¡¯s base, Deep Space Foundation (Xisha University Branch). ¡°Hello, I wish to meet Wang Zhong, Professor.¡± ¡°Do you have an appointment?¡± ¡°¡­No appointment.¡± ¡°Sorry, without an appointment, Professor Wang is very busy.¡± Having no choice, Zhang Yuan had to use his ace card, an astronaut proof, and his father¡¯s ID. Though it was somewhat embarrassing to rely on his father. ¡°I¡¯m Zhang Qiming¡¯s son, may I¡­ make a visit to Professor Wang Zhong?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C ¡°Hahaha, suddenly found out this underdog¡¯s contract is signed, quickly made a radiant cover to calm the nerves.¡± ¡°And who said I can only sign a contract with a hundred thousand words?! (dog head emoji) (dog head emoji)¡± ¡°` Chapter 19 - Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Abolition of Special Aviation Tax Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Abolition of Special Aviation Tax Editor: Henyee Translations 1:00 PM. In front of his desk, the octogenarian Professor Wang Zhong was reading a document with a red header. As he delved deeper into the contents, his mood gradually worsened. ¡°Notice on the Cancellation of the Special Aviation Tax¡± ¡°The special aviation construction tax will be officially canceled starting December 31, 2264. This is hereby announced¡­¡± ¡°What was bound to come, still came.¡± The special aviation tax was a form of support from the United Government for the ¡°Deep Space Project.¡± Every participating country paid this tax annually. Now, this tax was being canceled. Professor Wang Zhong let out a long sigh, and as his thoughts deepened, the wrinkles on his forehead furrowed like valleys and ridges. In this era, with advances in medical technology, especially the advent of 3D bioprinting organs, the average human lifespan had reached 110 years, with healthier individuals living up to 140 years. But at the age of eighty, it was still a bit too old. The decline in his energy made Wang Zhong a bit out of sorts in his research endeavors. However, as an Academician at the Academy of Sciences, no matter how old he got, his intelligence far exceeded that of ordinary people. He was someone who couldn¡¯t stay idle. Even at his age, he found it good to contribute some remaining energy. Teaching some master¡¯s students wasn¡¯t a big issue, and he could also handle some administrative tasks along the way. As a scientific advisor for the Deep Space Foundation, he had endless tasks every day. Regarding this newly issued document, the more he looked at it, the more dejected he became. Time spared no one. If he were twenty or thirty years younger, he would have certainly fought hard during meetings, even if the argument wouldn¡¯t have a significant effect¡­ Wang Zhong made a phone call, trying to make his tone a bit gentler, ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t they know that without Jupiter Base¡¯s support, the Earth Era can¡¯t even accelerate to seven-tenths of the speed of light?¡± ¡°It costs a lot to build such a far-reaching light path!¡± On the other end of the line, a middle-aged man¡¯s voice replied, ¡°Professor Wang, reducing taxes is the trend of the times. It isn¡¯t something a few of us can stop. This decision has been studied for a long time, and it isn¡¯t a spur-of-the-moment decision. Chairman Lin of the Foundation has already¡­¡± Unwilling to accept it, Wang Zhong said, ¡°Do you understand the consequences if the travel speed doesn¡¯t reach seven-tenths of the speed of light? A 3000-year journey, with any variable creating a domino-like chain reaction¡­.¡± ¡°Professor Wang, we¡¯re trying to find a solution. Rest assured, even if we need to sell off large amounts of assets, we will gather this amount of money.¡± Wang Zhong hung up the phone, sighing once more. For politicians, the ¡°Earth Era¡± ship was already built. Of course, this tax collected from the people should be exempted. Truth be told, this additional tax had been collected for over forty years, and the public had already been grumbling about it. But¡­ Where would the subsequent funding come from? It remained a significant issue. Though the Deep Space Foundation was vast and wealthy, possessing numerous industries, without financial backing from the United Government, it couldn¡¯t withstand this tremendous demand for funds. Selling off assets wasn¡¯t a wise choice. Randomly selling in the capital market would only benefit those financial sharks. The market was a silent killer, the more anxious to sell, the lower prices they would offer. Furthermore, the Deep Space Foundation¡¯s goal wasn¡¯t just to launch one colony spacecraft but ten, twenty, even a hundred. These assets were their foundation! Just then, the office door knocked softly. ¡°Come in,¡± said Wang Zhong, pulling his thoughts back. A young girl, his student Xu Yunjing, entered. The girl said softly, ¡°Teacher, there are a few reporters outside who want to interview you. They are foreigners. Do you know them?¡± ¡°Foreigners?¡± ¡°It seems like some humanity association¡­ They want us to donate to impoverished areas.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t accept it, just say I¡¯m not in!¡± When it came to money matters, Wang Zhong¡¯s eyebrow twitched, and he raised his voice, ¡°It¡¯s obvious without thinking that they are here for our money! While our Foundation has many industries, the money didn¡¯t just blow in with the wind. It was created by all the scientists together!¡± ¡°¡­ In the future, don¡¯t bother with those kinds of reporters, especially foreign ones. They just like to dig a hole for you to jump into. If you say one wrong word, they¡¯ll make a big deal out of it and report all sorts of nonsense!¡± Xu Yunjing was left feeling embarrassed. It was apparent that her mentor was in a foul mood. Xia Country was an energy-exporting nation, with domestic electricity only costing 3 cents per unit, a sort of social welfare. However, electricity sold abroad was another story; Xia Country people¡¯s labor couldn¡¯t be cheaply sold, this electricity needed to profit. According to their initial contribution to the controlled nuclear fusion research funding, some countries had to pay 8 cents per unit, others 30 cents per unit. It was up to them whether they wanted to use it or not. The main reason was the high monopoly of the controlled nuclear fusion project. This highly challenging project almost integrated the most cutting-edge science of mankind, not something every country could simply decide to undertake. Xu Yunjing pondered and awkwardly asked, ¡°Teacher, will refusing the interview have a bad impact?¡± ¡°Impact? Impact my ass! Will not using electricity cause hunger? Is 30 cents per unit very expensive? What human rights, it¡¯s clearly trying to use electricity cheaply!¡± Wang Zhong scolded irritably, ¡°¡­ They didn¡¯t contribute much when doing the research, so why do they now want to reap the rewards?¡± ¡°This is a matter of national interest!¡± ¡°If they want cheaper electricity prices, they should send representatives to negotiate with the government instead of sneaky media campaigns to win the sympathy of our country¡¯s people!¡± Wang Zhong knew well the truth of talking too much would lead to mistakes, so he couldn¡¯t be bothered with these journalists. He just took the opportunity to educate his student about having ¡°political sensitivity.¡± In tackling any issue, emotional intelligence was necessary. ¡°Particularly for girls, don¡¯t let a savior complex make you use other people¡¯s resources gloriously!¡± After Xu Yunjing was educated for a while, she no longer considered it. She awkwardly added, ¡°Oh, and¡­ that brother¡¯s son wants to visit you. Do you have time?¡± ¡°Brother? What brother?¡± ¡°You know¡­ Brother Zhang!¡± Xu Yunjing gestured with both hands. Wang Zhong was momentarily stunned, then quickly understood. His expression softened, showing a trace of gentleness. Zhang Qiming, his most brilliant student, was the mastermind behind the Earth Era¡¯s main control system. All his students, whether doctoral or master¡¯s, called Zhang Qiming ¡°Brother.¡± As for¡­ his son? It seemed he hadn¡¯t heard much about him. Oh, not that he hadn¡¯t heard, but he had forgotten long ago. Everyone knew Einstein, but few cared to remember Einstein¡¯s son. Recalling the scene of Zhang Qiming¡¯s passing, where the elderly bid farewell to the younger, Wang Zhong sighed, ¡°Ah, let his son come over then.¡± CREATORS¡¯ THOUGHTS Henyee From 18 Dec 2020, there will be only 40 chapters for Trial Read, with Chapters 20 to 40 locked. After a book is picked, Chapters 20-39 will have the locks automatically removed. Chapters 1-39 will become free to read, with Chapter 40 remaining a Premium chapter. The selected book will have a mark on the corner of the book cover in 30 days to indicate continuation. Coins spent on all books during Trial Read will all be refunded within 30 days. However, Fast Passes will not be refunded. Thank you for your understanding. Chapter 20 - Chapter 20: Chapter 20 New Civilization School Chapter 20: Chapter 20 New Civilization School Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°` Facing the spirited and renowned old professor in front of him, Zhang Yuan felt a bit nervous. Not to mention all the other miscellaneous titles, just the title of ¡°Academician of Mathematics¡± was enough to scare an ordinary person half to death. Academician! The main research direction of Professor Wang was specialized, namely Motivation Theory, one of the most challenging subjects. Motive was an outcome of the extension of Galois Group Theory to higher dimensions, which was later surprisingly found to have a mysterious connection with Quantum Field Theory. The Langlands program and Motive Theory research were currently the two major mathematical mainstreams. The Langlands program attempted to unify Number Theory, Algebraic Geometry, and Groups, while Motive Theory tried to unify discrete and continuous. They were referred to as the obverse and reverse of the same coin. A mathematician once predicted, ¡°When Humanity truly completes these two frameworks, the mathematical community will witness a genuine unification. All mathematical problems will be solvable using these two grand theories.¡± It sounded impressive, but Humanity might never accomplish this step. The progress of the Langlands program was still so-so; after a few centuries of research, Humanity developed the geometric Langlands, p-adic Langlands, etc. But concerning Motive Theory, due to its highly abstract nature, it had turned into some mathematicians¡¯ own jargon, making peer review very difficult, so the development speed was extremely slow. Undoubtedly, Wang Zhong was one of the top mathematicians; the construction of mixed motives was proposed by Professor Wang, causing a massive sensation at the time. In the past, Zhang Yuan often heard his father mention his mentor with an air full of respect, so he visited the elder while on his way, without any other intentions. He even brought a small gift, a local specialty of Donghua City¡ªDonghua Ham. Although now, it seemed rather odd. ¡°Which university did you graduate from?¡± ¡°Z University,¡± Zhang Yuan answered honestly. ¡°Z University¡­¡± Wang Zhong frowned slightly, not entirely satisfied. Although Z University was ranked as the third-best university in Xia Country, compared to the top two, it was a bit lacking. In the eyes of an elder like him, a good student should go to one of the top two schools¡­ ¡°Are you also a space volunteer?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Very good, following in your father¡¯s footsteps.¡± Wang Zhong nodded, quite satisfied with this. If it weren¡¯t for his advanced age, barely having a few years left to live, he would certainly be one of the 500,000 to experience the life of interstellar travel. ¡°What are your plans?¡± Professor Wang picked up the teacup and took a slow sip. ¡°I have 19 days left for vacation. I plan to spend some time reading at the library. When I get on the spaceship, I hope to find a mentor and complete my master¡¯s and doctoral studies¡­¡± ¡°Learning more knowledge is pretty good, so which research direction do you want to pursue?¡± Speaking of which, Zhang Yuan smiled sheepishly, ¡°I quite like Mathematics, but restarting a civilization requires a lot of practical talent, so I still plan to engage in research in engineering fields, like Information Science¡­ um, mainly Mathematics and Space Engineering, I guess.¡± Wang Zhong was a science professor; the sciences looked down on engineering, and engineering looked down on the humanities¡ªthis was a longstanding academic disdain chain. It was determined by the simplicity of writing frivolous papers; science professors had relatively more difficult frivolous papers, needing some innovation, right? Whereas in the humanities, writing frivolous papers was just too easy, such as in Film Studies or Acting Studies, producing frivolous doctorates. When Zhang Yuan¡¯s father switched from Mathematics to Space Mechanics, Wang Zhong threw a tantrum, considering the switch to engineering as ¡°too utilitarian.¡± As expected, Wang Zhong frowned again, remained silent for a while. But since it was their first conversation, and the two were not very familiar, he did not express too many opinions. ¡°Have you found a mentor already?¡± ¡°Not yet. I¡¯ll have to take exams after boarding the spaceship; I hope to score high¡­¡± Zhang Yuan said very humbly. ¡°¡­¡± In Wang Zhong¡¯s view, he naturally misunderstood a bit. The ¡°Earth Era¡± was just a large spaceship; even with ample preparation, the resources and output inside the spaceship remained limited. The majority of the crew¡¯s time would be spent in hibernation. To restart a civilization on an unfamiliar planet, knowledge reserve and technical level were the most important. So, experts and scholars on the spaceship naturally controlled more resources, having more authority. These well-known experts and scholars had limited slots for students. Being their student, of course, had more benefits compared to ordinary technical workers, akin to a kind of ¡°backstage support.¡± Now, it seemed as if Zhang Yuan knew he couldn¡¯t score high, seeking for him to open the back door, attempting to find a good mentor through Wang Zhong. He frowned and asked, ¡°What kind of mentor do you want?¡± Zhang Yuan was taken aback, and he casually said, ¡°Of course, the more outstanding, the better; someone like my father would be perfect!¡± Wang Zhong felt even more displeased in his heart, and then looked at the ¡°Donghua Ham¡± on the table. With his years of teaching experience, someone who wanted to go through the back door based on their father¡¯s connections was undoubtedly an academic loser! If not, I¡¯d swallow this ham whole! He should look in the mirror and see what kind of character he was¡­ Wanting the top-notch mentor, first see if you deserve it! His view of Zhang Yuan turned somewhat unfriendly. ¡­ Wang Zhong was not someone completely ignorant of worldly affairs. The son of his proud disciple, showing a bit of care, wasn¡¯t really a big deal. But when it came to the ¡°Earth Era,¡± it seemed to touch on his sensitive point, making him very anxious. Because the ¡°Earth Era¡± was an independent society, once launched, Earth civilization would no longer be able to interfere with it. Disregarding all the chaotic factors like the Dyson Sphere, Extreme Supernova, this immense project actually had another intrinsic reason. It was the revelry of idealists on Earth! A great social experiment! When the ¡°Father of Nuclear Fusion,¡± Professor Qi Yuanshan, established the ¡°Deep Space Foundation,¡± he also formed a new school of thought called the ¡°New Civilization School.¡± The New Civilization School believed, Civilization¡¯s development, like biological evolution, could only be patched and repaired on the existing foundation, with no way to start completely afresh. Therefore, history, culture, and ideology from the past would profoundly impact future development. This impact could be good, but also bad, and couldn¡¯t be dramatically changed through simple repairs. It¡¯s just like human growth, once a worldview is formed, it¡¯s fixed. Thus, some old historical baggage would become a drag in the development process. The New Civilization School once posed a question: Why hadn¡¯t Earth¡¯s civilization formed a unified nation until now? The answer was simple. First, humans as a species cannot abandon vested power and interests. If multiple countries unified, certain small-country leaders would have to step down, a mass of class interests would be redistributed, and vested interests would be unwilling. A simple example is that the railroad gauges worldwide haven¡¯t been unified yet. Unifying railroad gauges involves political factors as well as various economic problems. Replacing old rails costs money¡ªwho would pay for this part? Since no one is willing to pay, it has to be dragged on. Just a ¡°rail gauge,¡± such a simple issue, who knows how long it¡¯ll take to resolve, let alone other complex interest issues. Second, the historical gaps between nations are difficult to mend; national hatreds, racial conflicts still exist today. After World War III and IV, except for the East Asia region, which was slightly better off, other places still had old and new enmities, and minor friction. The poorer the area, the bigger the conflict. In the foreseeable future, these are unlikely to disappear. Thirdly, many countries aren¡¯t even worth supporting or saving. Some countries have a dictatorial + bureaucratic capitalist system; some nations are addicted to drugs, exporting them globally, even with governments already hijacked by the underworld; some countries are universally lazy, preferring to let fruit wither on the ground than to pick it; and some countries hold universal religious beliefs¡­ The chaos of global ideologies can¡¯t be salvaged by merely one great person or one major power. In short, the ¡°New Civilization School¡± believed that since Earth¡¯s civilization can¡¯t unify now, it won¡¯t in the future either. Even if forcibly unified, more chaotic contradictions would emerge, determined by comprehensive factors such as history and culture. Therefore, the ¡°Earth Era¡± was a great attempt by the New Civilization School. It sought to use physical distance segmentation to discard all the dregs of human history, attempting to establish a stronger, unified, cohesive civilization with a common ideology for all! It¡¯s like an old father, seeing no hope for the future, placing all his hopes on an infant. This stronger new civilization, once successful, would have a certain probability to influence the original Earth civilization in return. This was the plan formulated by Mr. Qi Yuanshan back then. A great¡­ Millennial Plan! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C (Regarding Motive Theory, Grothendieck¡¯s dream, he wanted to establish a ¡°universal¡± cohomology theory, called Motive Theory. Anyway, when you see the words motive or motivic in mathematics, you know it¡¯s very advanced and very abstract.) (There will be some mathematics-based science fiction content in the future, and you don¡¯t need to know much, just know that such things exist.) ¡°` CREATORS¡¯ THOUGHTS Henyee From 18 Dec 2020, there will be only 40 chapters for Trial Read, with Chapters 20 to 40 locked. After a book is picked, Chapters 20-39 will have the locks automatically removed. Chapters 1-39 will become free to read, with Chapter 40 remaining a Premium chapter. The selected book will have a mark on the corner of the book cover in 30 days to indicate continuation. Coins spent on all books during Trial Read will all be refunded within 30 days. However, Fast Passes will not be refunded. Thank you for your understanding. Chapter 21 - Chapter 21: Chapter 21 Senior Sister, Im Sorry! Chapter 21: Chapter 21 Senior Sister, I¡¯m Sorry! Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°` So, Wang Zhong absolutely did not allow this kind of ¡°back door¡± nonsense to pollute the entire human environment of the spaceship from the very beginning. Fifty million people, equivalent to a small city¡¯s size, any minor flaw would quickly amplify. Humans are profit-driven creatures; at that time, everyone would follow suit, constantly trying to pull strings to open back doors, and then what kind of strong civilization could be built? Thinking of this, Wang Zhong said calmly, ¡°How about this, you first complete a set of test papers. If your grades are good, I can help you see if there is a suitable mentor.¡± But the underlying message was, if you don¡¯t measure up, just get lost! ¡°Huh?¡± Zhang Yuan was surprised. ¡°We¡¯ll just test some mathematics. Regardless of the major, mathematics is a must.¡± Zhang Yuan scratched his head, feeling somewhat puzzled. He originally just wanted to visit this mentor and describe some future ideas; how did it suddenly turn into doing test papers? But¡­ whatever, just take it as a test from a senior to a junior. ¡°Little Xu, go fetch a set of test papers for him to do. I¡¯ve sent them to your email.¡± Wang Zhong instructed. ¡°Alright¡­ follow me.¡± Following this ¡°senior sister,¡± Zhang Yuan retrieved three test papers in total, namely ¡°Introduction to Algebraic Geometry,¡± ¡°Lie Algebras,¡± and ¡°Modular Forms and Number Theory.¡± Xu Yunjing certainly didn¡¯t know any grand ¡°Millennium Plans.¡± True idealists only appear after experiencing chaos; she couldn¡¯t figure out why her teacher had thought of so many things in such a short time. She smiled and comforted, ¡°Don¡¯t take it to heart. Professor Wang is just like this. He¡¯s not very patient; as he¡¯s gotten older, his thoughts have become more erratic that most people can¡¯t keep up. He might just want to check your level.¡± Zhang Yuan nodded, taking these exam papers. Xu Yunjing also said, ¡°However, for young people with talent, Professor Wang would love to hand over everything to them. Anyway, he¡¯s a pretty good teacher who doesn¡¯t allow slackers.¡± Wait a minute, has Old Wang gone senile? Glancing at the printed papers, Xu Yunjing turned pale. This was¡­ wasn¡¯t this her exam content? She was a graduate student, after all, and nearly failed. How could the test papers be given to an undergraduate? It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t work hard; it was because Professor Wang¡¯s requirements were too high. Especially ¡°Introduction to Algebraic Geometry,¡± an abnormal subject. What level is ¡°introduction¡±? Well, it¡¯s telling you ¡°1+1=2¡± and then directly asking you to solve ¡Ò{[arctanx]/(1+x^2)^2}dx¡­ Anyway, for the average person, it¡¯s like seeing a heavenly book. ¡°Do what you can first. I¡¯ll go ask about this test paper¡­ it seems a bit strange.¡± Xu Yunjing felt a bit sorry for this junior brother and ran off in a hurry. When she rushed to Wang Zhong¡¯s office, she suddenly found this old man frowning while on the phone, his voice unusually loud. Then Wang Zhong looked up, ¡°Come with me, we¡¯re going to a meeting!¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Seeing his stern face, Xu Yunjing felt a bit panicked and forgot the words that were hanging on the tip of her tongue. ¡­ The two of them had a meeting all afternoon, leaving only Zhang Yuan racking his brains in a small room. Each difficult problem seemed like a steep mountain; the process of climbing was hard, but the scenery was beautiful. He enjoyed it so much that he couldn¡¯t stop, even forgetting to eat dinner. ¡­ At eight in the evening, Wang Zhong and Xu Yunjing finally returned to the office. Professor Wang sighed, ¡°¡­ The Foundation must be prepared for danger in times of peace. Although there is no lack of money right now, who knows in the future. Utilizing the astronauts¡¯ residual heat is also good. Well, it¡¯s okay like this, people have to be squeezed a bit to create greater value¡­¡± ¡°Fifty million people, if each generates an income of one hundred thousand yuan, that¡¯s 50 billion¡­¡± Wang Zhong sat in silence for a while; a retired scientist like him still had to worry about money, what was this even about? ¡°Go open the door.¡± ¡°Oh, alright.¡± Professor Wang was a very orthodox person; when female students were in his office, he habitually kept the door open. In his words, this practice reduced some unnecessary gossip. Although at eighty-something years of age, there really couldn¡¯t be any rumors. ¡°Forget it, forget it, you should head back and rest early too. In the future, it¡¯s better not to attend such activities; besides arguing with people, it doesn¡¯t have much meaning. Spend more time reading literature.¡± Xu Yunjing sighed as well, organizing the meeting notes. Wait a minute. Seems like something was forgotten! Oh no! My poor junior¡­ Senior sister apologizes. Xu Yunjing coughed and brought up that Zhang Yuan was still taking an exam, but she dared not mention anything about ¡°graduate mathematics,¡± or she would have to take the fall. ¡°Professor Wang, um¡­¡± ¡°¡­ How long has it taken him and he¡¯s still not done? It¡¯s just three math papers.¡± Professor Wang Zhong blew his nose and glared, already in a bad mood. Remembering this matter made him even more irritated, ¡°Go call him over.¡± He thought to himself, if Zhang Yuan got onto the spaceship through his father¡¯s connections, he must thoroughly investigate¡­ Even if he was Zhang Qiming¡¯s son, it would not do. If he needed to go, he should go quickly. Xu Yunjing went to the small classroom and asked softly, ¡°Well, well¡­ junior, have you finished the papers?¡± ¡°Just finished.¡± Zhang Yuan felt a bit embarrassed. Based on the two-hour time frame for each paper, he had actually taken longer. Finished? Was it scribbled? Curious, Xu Yunjing peeked at the papers. The writing was neat, and the format was fairly normal, likely not scribbled¡­ Whoa, the first few questions seemed right; not bad¡­ Graduate education isn¡¯t like undergraduate, with communal meals; it begins to cultivate real research abilities. Math papers are all made by professors themselves, without multiple choice questions; they¡¯re all proof questions. You either can do it, or you can¡¯t. Just from a few glances, sweat began to drip down Xu Yunjing¡¯s forehead. ¡°Senior sister¡­ um, senior, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing.¡± What was written here? Why didn¡¯t she quite understand? With a head full of question marks, Xu Yunjing walked into the office, carefully presenting the papers to Wang Zhong. Wang Zhong frowned, put on reading glasses, and with a rigorous attitude, began reviewing the papers. The old professor had a habit, the first few questions on the paper were foundational. If you couldn¡¯t solve them, sorry, this graduate student, bye-bye! If you can¡¯t even do the foundational questions, why are you even studying? Better to drop out early, don¡¯t waste everyone¡¯s time, okay? The middle questions were moderately difficult. If you couldn¡¯t do them, sorry, this fellow¡¯s fundamentals were not great, not likely to have any research ability, so just be an Outer Disciple. Only a master student, if you graduate, you graduate; if not, then leave quickly. As for the ones further back, those were the high-difficulty questions, his Inner Sect Disciples had to solve these, otherwise, he¡¯d be very disappointed and scold them thoroughly. Inner Sect Disciples, well, they¡¯re those with hope to advance to PhD level. The last question was of a monstrous difficulty. Whether Academic God or academic ace, just lie down; the purpose of this question was to make you understand the reverence for knowledge! In the old professor¡¯s eyes, scientific research was far more difficult than doing exams, at least the math questions in papers have solutions. Using tools already created by others and inventing tools yourself are two different concepts, doing research is like finding a needle in a haystack, not only requiring effort but also talent. Wang Zhong glanced at it, the first few simple questions were correct. ¡­ ¡°` Chapter 22 - Chapter 22: Chapter 22 This guy is just an undergraduate! Chapter 22: Chapter 22 This guy is just an undergraduate! Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°` After reviewing the first few problems, Professor Wang Zhong glanced at Zhang Yuan and slowly said, ¡°Your handwriting is quite good, very neat. Not like some people who use computers so much that they can¡¯t even write, like chicken scratch.¡± Xu Yunjing, standing near, blushed. Could he be talking about her? No! It must be about someone else. Wang Zhong didn¡¯t pay attention to Xu Yunjing¡¯s expression. In his understanding, answering the simple initial problems correctly was something expected from a student. Looking further, the moderately difficult problems were also answered correctly. The solutions were well-reasoned, though the approach seemed a bit odd, not quite the conventional method¡­ Overall, they were still correct. Wang Zhong took a deep breath, looked up at Zhang Yuan, and the anger in his heart slowly dissipated. Upon closer inspection, this young man was quite good-looking, rather handsome, and somewhat resembled his father in his youth. The days and nights of struggle together between teacher and student over thirty years ago had long passed, yet seemed so near. Time flies by so quickly! Elderly people always tend to be a bit nostalgic. As he reviewed the test paper to this point, he thought to himself, since these questions were already answered correctly, the young man had some capability, so he wouldn¡¯t investigate any longer if there had been any favoritism. Among 500,000 people, it¡¯s impossible for everyone to be a born saint; there¡¯s bound to be a trace of Earthly habits remaining, which can only be slowly corrected in the future. Social interactions are such that if there were none at all, it would be too cold, too lacking in security; but if it became a society ruled by human emotions, bureaucratism would prevail, which would certainly be a disaster for a civilization. Continuing to look further. Oh, those few harder problems¡­ Also correct! Not bad, very not bad! These problems, even some quite intelligent students might not necessarily get right. The stern expression on Wang Zhong¡¯s face began to soften, a sign that his mood improved. He had misjudged the young man, with this level, he didn¡¯t need any favoritism; an astronaut exam would be a breeze. Seeing Professor Wang¡¯s expression relax, Xu Yunjing also let out a sigh of relief, swallowing back the ¡°wrong test paper¡± she had been hesitant to voice for so long. Since this guy got it right, I suppose I needn¡¯t say anything more? Whatever! The last problem¡­ Hmm, this¡­ A fine layer of sweat appeared on Professor Wang¡¯s brow, and his expression became serious. Xu Yunjing curiously observed from the side, but really couldn¡¯t understand the proof of this problem. Furthermore, during the exam, she was utterly defeated by it, unable to solve it at all. ¡°Did you do it yourself?¡± Wang Zhong couldn¡¯t help but ask. Actually, he knew in his heart, as the questions were of his own making, the answers couldn¡¯t be found online. ¡°Yes,¡± Zhang Yuan replied. ¡°Xu Yunjing, did you understand it?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Xu Yunjing was stunned, suddenly called upon, her mind in disarray. ¡°In the exam, it seems you didn¡¯t answer this problem, did you?¡± With a flushed face, covering her embarrassment for a long time, she finally uttered two words. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Zhang Yuan, tell her your problem-solving approach.¡± Zhang Yuan thought for a moment, and said, ¡°This constructed L-function has the following properties¡­ it involves mapping the category of sheaves to the contravariant functor of H, decomposing through any special cohomology theory¡­¡± Xu Yunjing pretended to listen intently, while also eyeing her newly met junior fellow. Speaking of mathematical thinking, excellent mathematicians master several methods. The first method: if a problem is difficult and cannot be solved directly, one can attempt to consider its equivalent problem. To give a simple example, Fermat¡¯s Last Theorem and the Taniyama-Shimura Conjecture are an example of equivalent problems. Mathematician Wiles proved the famous Fermat¡¯s Last Theorem by demonstrating the Taniyama-Shimura Conjecture. The second method: if the problem is difficult, and an equivalent problem also cannot be found, one can attempt to think about a broader issue. What does that mean? Still taking Fermat¡¯s Last Theorem as an example, the ¡°abc conjecture¡± is a stronger, broader conjecture. If the abc conjecture were true, then Fermat¡¯s Last Theorem would be trivial, provable in just five sentences. Easier said than done. The vast majority of people just solve problems without delving into the deep mathematical essence, and drawing inferences from one example is not something everyone can do. After Zhang Yuan explained for quite a while, Professor Wang nodded in satisfaction and asked, ¡°Do you understand now?¡± Xu Yunjing hesitated for a moment, then quietly replied, ¡°Um¡­ I should have understood.¡± ¡°Did you really understand?¡± Wang Zhong furrowed his brow and slowly said, ¡°Then repeat it back to me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± With a blush, she felt like ten thousand grass-mud horses were galloping through her mind, feeling extremely troubled, she stuck out her tongue, ¡°¡­ Not entirely. I only got the gist.¡± According to Xu Yunjing¡¯s very reluctant understanding, the proof of the last problem used a very cutting-edge L-function, akin to piloting a bomber and suddenly dropping a nuclear bomb! It directly blew the problem to smithereens¡­ Not just this problem was obliterated, but the whole category of similar problems were resolved in one fell swoop. This was a typical high-dimensional crushing method, full of the aesthetic of sheer force. Wang Zhong furrowed his brow, knowing that the graduate student he was currently mentoring couldn¡¯t be considered a genius. Xisha University, after all, was not among the top two universities, so it was inevitable that the quality of students was slightly lower. ¡°If you don¡¯t understand, just leave it at that, no one¡¯s blaming you. Don¡¯t pretend to understand when you don¡¯t in the future.¡± He turned back to Zhang Yuan and said, ¡°Very good problem-solving thinking, but isn¡¯t it overkill? Have you read through those papers? Motivic-L functions, this is cutting-edge mathematics, isn¡¯t it?¡± Zhang Yuan replied shyly, ¡°I¡¯ve only read some introductions. Cutting-edge mathematics is still difficult for me to understand. But since I know the properties of these functions, I just used them effortlessly.¡± Used effortlessly? Xu Yunjing muttered inside: Why can¡¯t I use them effortlessly? Professor Wang couldn¡¯t help but laugh, saying, ¡°Using the most advanced mathematical theories to solve a math problem on a test? Can you use theorems you don¡¯t understand? Do you just trust other people¡¯s research results like that? What if they¡¯re wrong?¡± This was his usual style; he never praised anyone¡­ But in reality, his heart was filled with appreciation. What does research require? Innovation! Not those who stick rigidly to the norm and follow rules step by step! How many people are great at solving problems but turn out to be trash when it comes to actual research? Because they can only circle within existing frameworks. When they hear about cutting-edge mathematics, they have only one response: I can¡¯t do it, I can¡¯t understand it, it¡¯s like a heavenly book! They don¡¯t even dare to pay attention to it, let alone possess the spirit of exploring the unknown, unraveling the mysteries! ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Zhang Yuan felt he was indeed at fault. Wang Zhong¡¯s expression became slightly gentler, cautious not to indiscriminately dampen the young man¡¯s confidence, ¡°In academics, one should be more down-to-earth. Although doing so can¡¯t be considered wrong, it isn¡¯t very solid. However, solving the problem is better than not solving it at all, so for this exam paper, I¡¯ll give you 99 points.¡± Zhang Yuan nodded understandingly, acknowledging his mistake, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I self-studied these courses. I deeply understand my own lack of knowledge, my foundation is not solid, which is why I want to pursue further studies¡­¡± ¡°Self-study¡­¡± Wang Zhong snapped back, a statement caught abruptly in his throat. What was going on? Suddenly, he remembered, this fellow was just an undergraduate! ¡­ ¡°` Chapter 23 - Chapter 23: Chapter 23 This Robot Wants to Harm Me! Chapter 23: Chapter 23 This Robot Wants to Harm Me! Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°` After reviewing the exams for half an hour, all three received high scores. Professor Wang Zhong became more and more satisfied with this young man, and the stern look on his face had long since disappeared. Talented young individuals¡­ Is that considered using connections? That is what they deserve! He asked kindly, ¡°What was your undergraduate major?¡± ¡°Space Mechanical Engineering.¡± ¡°Why choose this major, what a waste!¡± This major covers a bit of everything¡ªbiology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, mechanics¡ªall in the name of better understanding the entire space industry. But everyone¡¯s energy is ultimately limited, and learning everything often means learning nothing well. Few people truly master the subjects during their undergraduate years. ¡°A bright mind should study pure math; what¡¯s the point in studying space machinery? Maintenance of spaceships can be done by others!¡± Wang Zhong shook his head, sighed, and felt his idea was unrealistic. There are only 500,000 people on the spaceship, and everyone must be put to use. Pure theoreticians can only be sustained by Earth Civilization. He explained, ¡°The research conditions on the spaceship are not great, and most people tend toward administrative work, maintaining the existing systems.¡± ¡°¡­Administrative work is indeed important but very time-consuming, suitable for a retired person like me. There are so many trivial matters to manage every day that I can¡¯t even supervise PhD students anymore; I can only manage a few masters¡¯¡­¡± Xu Yunjing rolled her eyes, unsure what to say, making it seem like guiding a master¡¯s student was easy. Perhaps, in the eyes of someone so exceptional, it indeed was simple. ¡°But even if the conditions on the spaceship are poor, research must be taken seriously. Humans, once they become lazy, find it hard to return to diligence,¡± Wang Zhong advised. ¡°You must pay attention to this!¡± Zhang Yuan nodded. Wang Zhong asked again, ¡°Did you publish any good papers during your undergraduate years?¡± ¡°No.¡± Wang Zhong frowned, instinctively attributing the lack of good papers to Zhang Yuan¡¯s unfit major. Moreover, with just an undergraduate degree, it¡¯s normal not to have particularly outstanding papers. ¡°It¡¯s okay, you¡¯re still young. As for a mentor, it still depends on your research direction. You must be cautious and deliberate.¡± ¡­ At nine in the evening, Zhang Yuan left the office, feeling delighted. Professor Wang Zhong promised to write him a recommendation letter. A recommendation letter can sometimes just be an extra touch of success, and sometimes very important. ¡°As long as your ability is sufficient, why worry about not finding a mentor?¡± He wasn¡¯t concerned about this issue. He also held a temporary student card in his pocket. This meant he could temporarily stay at Xisha University for a few days and borrow books from the library for free. This was excellent. At night, Xisha University was brightly lit, and even during the summer holiday, some students stayed to participate in summer camp activities. Competitions like mathematical modeling and robotics contests all had intensive training during the vacation. Couples played joyfully on the beach, with waves rolling in, mixed with screams and cheers. A seaside university is just this joyful. After a while, the tide began to rise, and some patrolling robots blared warnings that the tide was coming and not to swim. If someone drowned again, it wouldn¡¯t be the school¡¯s fault. ¡°So hungry!¡± Zhang Yuan suddenly remembered that he hadn¡¯t had dinner yet and hurried toward the east gate. The food stalls at the East Gate were extremely popular, and the strong aroma of seafood could be smelled from afar. Zhang Yuan swallowed a mouthful of saliva. ¡°One seafood stir-fried noodles and two skewers of grilled octopus.¡± ¡°Your order is confirmed, please wait.¡± ¡°Hey, hey, student, student!¡± Turning around, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl stopped him. A foreigner? Not surprising, since Xisha City was an international metropolis filled with foreigners. Over 35% of Xisha University¡¯s students were recruited globally. ¡°Uh¡­ What¡¯s up?¡± Zhang Yuan asked, frowning. ¡°Did you meet Professor Wang Zhong? Prof. Wang!¡± Her fluent Xia language was quite rare. Nowadays, intelligent translation systems are widespread, and all sorts of languages can be flexibly translated with just a smartphone, so few people are willing to spend the effort to learn other languages. In Xia Country¡¯s college entrance exams, English teaching had also become an elective subject rather than a compulsory one. Zhang Yuan replied, ¡°Yes, why?¡± ¡°Can you take me to see him? I¡¯m Angelica, a reporter from the Lan Country Humanitarian Association, and I want to interview Professor Wang, the science advisor of the Deep Space Foundation¡­¡± ¡°What¡­ Humanitarian Association?¡± Hearing the words that followed, Zhang Yuan shivered all over. He pretended not to have heard and continued walking on his own. ¡°Student, please help, I have some questions for him, really, please.¡± Angelica grabbed him, her eyes sparkling. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to interview him and also apply for an allocation of electricity aid for impoverished countries¡­¡± Zhang Yuan thought about it and was still not inclined to get involved in such inexplicable matters. Just thinking with his pinky, he knew the Foundation itself lacked money, and Professor Wang certainly didn¡¯t want to see her. Plus, these Humanitarian Associations often had political entanglements, which were really annoying. Some Western nations are still stuck in the dream of being traditional powers and always point fingers at Xia Country¡¯s internal affairs and human rights, under the guise of freedom and democracy. Please, the world has long since changed! Zhang Yuan didn¡¯t want to help and, in a flash of inspiration, said, ¡°Sorry, we have different ideals, and I can¡¯t help you. Because I¡¯m a member of the Cat and Dog Protection Association, if you want to apply for rescue funds, we are competitors¡­¡± The blonde beauty widened her eyes. ¡°Cat and¡­ Dog Protection Association?¡± ¡°Animal-Protection, you know?¡± Zhang Yuan pretended to be serious. ¡°We should love animals, love them like we love ourselves. We shouldn¡¯t eat animal meat and should eat more environmentally friendly synthetic meat and plants¡­¡± The blonde beauty agreed, ¡°So you¡¯re also a benevolent person. Synthetic meat can indeed replace natural meat, and we can reduce slaughter in the future, and protect the environment¡­¡± ¡°Guest No. 719, your grilled octopus and seafood stir-fried noodles are packed.¡± Zhang Yuan felt awkward inside and cursed at the damned robot for wanting to betray him! The blonde girl looked at Zhang Yuan and the steaming grilled octopus with disdain, and her expression became strange. Zhang Yuan blushed deeply, adopting a saintly expression, ¡°Actually¡­ my association mainly focuses on the Cat and Dog Protection Association, not eating cat meat and dog meat. I believe we should raise cats and dogs as our own children.¡± ¡°Cats and dogs under one year old should be placed in cradles, fed with milk powder, and receive the greatest care and love from humans!¡± ¡°Ah?!¡± The blonde reporter Angelica couldn¡¯t help but shiver. In that brief moment of being stunned, Zhang Yuan had already run far away. It was only then she realized she had been teased, and she couldn¡¯t help stomping her feet in anger, cursing in pure Xia language, ¡°Jerk!¡± ¡°` Chapter 24 - Chapter 24: Chapter 24: 3,000 Beauties in the Imperial Harem? Chapter 24: Chapter 24: 3,000 Beauties in the Imperial Harem? Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°` After teasing a foreign beauty, Zhang Yuan felt¡­ Not bad! As for the ¡°Love Animal Association,¡± it was pure nonsense, just a convenient excuse to slip away. While munching on grilled octopus skewers, he secretly lamented, ¡°Ah, soon I won¡¯t be able to eat this anymore, what a pity¡­¡± Replacing natural meat with synthetic meat grown from cells in Petri dishes had long been achieved technically. Furthermore, after extensive research, synthetic meat turned out to be cheaper, more environmentally friendly, and healthier than natural meat, winning the hearts of many Third World citizens. However, synthetic meat always tasted soft, somewhat like a meat patty, lacking the elasticity of muscle and the chewiness of soft bones, not quite appealing to the taste. As Zhang Yuan ate, he pondered the conversation he had with Professor Wang Zhong. They talked for a long time, discussing not only academic issues but also some details about the ¡°Earth Era,¡± including the work system, economic system, and so on. For someone like him, an undergraduate with decent grades but no special achievements, the roles available were mostly Second Level or third-level jobs, with a basic salary of one thousand and eleven yuan per month. If he published a few good papers and proved his academic value, he could get better jobs and his salary would rise to one thousand three hundred¡­ That¡¯s how harsh the competition was. ¡°If I followed a good mentor and produced excellent experimental results, I could also get a raise.¡± ¡°If I could complete some high-quality patents, bringing some revenue to the Deep Space Foundation on Earth, the salary could continue to increase¡­¡± ¡°Is this the new economic system they¡¯ve devised? Hmm, it feels strange, but it sounds quite effective.¡± Ideals could motivate for a while but not for a lifetime. The ¡°Earth Era¡± was an independent little society and naturally required a complete economic system to stimulate the working enthusiasm of its internal staff. Here, ¡°money¡± wasn¡¯t the Earth-used federal coins but the currency within the spaceship, known as ¡°New Coin.¡± As long as his work did not go drastically wrong, he received a fixed amount each awake month according to work level, essentially serving as a government-issued bond. New Coin could be used to purchase food, clothes, and various entertainment services inside the spaceship, as well as for trading among each other. Of course, because resource production was quite limited, salaries could not be very high, topping at three or four thousand, so the wealth gap would not be very large¡­ Besides this economic policy, there was another one, which was the conversion policy between federal coins and New Coin. The Deep Space Foundation, which provided subsequent ¡°light path¡± support, might be short of money. To quickly raise these funds, the Foundation called on astronauts to make donations, which could be personal assets or intellectual property. Asset donation was not a mandatory measure; it was up to personal ability. Assets on Earth could be converted to some extent into ¡°New Coin¡± for use inside the spaceship. This conversion plan was still under study and would be announced to everyone when ready. ¡°Hey¡­ although this approach was somewhat odd, everyone should understand, right? Helping the Foundation was helping ourselves.¡± The fifty thousand people boarding the spaceship carried a bit of idealism. Going to an unknown Planet to establish a Human colony required enduring hardships and being prepared to possibly pay with their lives. All difficulties were discussed in advance, and everyone was mentally prepared. Was it likely to expect a better enjoyment than on Earth? If you wanted to enjoy yourself, you might as well stay on Earth. Anyway, Zhang Yuan had already donated all of his family¡¯s assets and felt quite at ease. However, there was one thing he cared about, which was the work level inside the spaceship. The higher the work level, the more privileges one had within the spaceship, and the more important the position and salary. People always needed to set some goals for themselves, and Zhang Yuan didn¡¯t want to become a marginal figure that the spaceship could do without. However, work level could not be obtained through donations; it could only be achieved by one¡¯s own abilities after obtaining accomplishments, calculated fairly and justly through a complete ¡°impact factor algorithm.¡± The highest-level positions were ¡°Captain,¡± with only a few candidates who were irreplaceable. Zhang Yuan knew deeply how difficult it was for the spaceship to travel twenty light years to a Planet. Even though Earth Civilization had prepared as much as possible, the entire journey was still extremely arduous. The Captain not only needed to make overall plans but also manage material allocation, nurture the next generation of successors, and bear tremendous psychological pressure. Those comments saying even a pig could be a Captain were essentially pig-thinking. Besides the Captain, the middle-level cadres inside the spaceship included leaders of various departments, university experts and professors, project reviewers, and community organization committee members, among others. The lowest-level workers were, of course, like those spaceship maintenance workers and production line workers. These workers were carried in saturation numbers, and to put it harshly, it was not that they were not important, but that they were so numerous that even if half of them were lost, it would not significantly impact the spaceship¡¯s operation¡­ Thinking of this, Zhang Yuan basically made a plan for the future. His undergraduate grades were decent, but among the excellent group, they were just average, so it was best to write a few good papers to improve some social status. ¡°In the new society, knowledge reigns supreme, and the social atmosphere is very good.¡± ¡°With good papers, it would be easier to find a mentor, and it would also prove one¡¯s ability to gain higher social status.¡± But what to write about¡­? What papers could be written? After racking his brains and exhausting all thoughts, he temporarily had no particularly good ideas. Writing a superficial paper wouldn¡¯t bring much benefit and would even earn a scolding from Professor Wang Zhong, which he didn¡¯t want. With such thoughts, after spending more than ten minutes, Zhang Yuan finally reached his temporary dormitory floor, panting heavily. The dorm light was on, and there was a roommate inside, also an early-arrived astronaut like him. ¡°Knock, knock, knock,¡± he rapped on the door. ¡°Come in!¡± As soon as he walked through the door, Zhang Yuan got quite a surprise. The floor was littered with a jumble of mechanical creations, red, white, yellow, with various bizarre-shaped robots. Some were still crashing around, like a four-wheel-drive car, ¡°bang,¡± hitting the wall. ¡°Be careful, don¡¯t step on them.¡± In the corner squatted a plain-looking young man, with a bit of greasy stuff smeared on his face. Zhang Yuan quickly dodged. The four-wheel-drive car bumped into the table leg again, dropping a few parts. He cautiously maneuvered around the robots, placed his seafood noodles on the table, and curiously asked, ¡°Dude, are you making robots?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m choosing¡­¡± ¡°These are my favorite creations. Deciding which ones to take to space, it¡¯s a headache!¡± The young man said with a frown. Yet, he was a bit smug, his eyes constantly observing Zhang Yuan¡¯s expression. Zhang Yuan chuckled and nodded understandingly, ¡°A harem of three thousand beauties and you can only bring one on the journey, it¡¯s painful, huh?¡± Everyone¡¯s carrying allowance was twenty kilograms, no more than that. These machines were metal, and just two of them together exceeded twenty kilograms. ¡°Exactly! I¡¯ve been fretting over it for hours!¡± the young man across lamented. Regarding this behavior, Zhang Yuan had no intention of commenting. Everyone had their own hobbies, and it wasn¡¯t really a big deal. Someone who could make robots by themselves was certainly a rather impressive individual. ¡°` Chapter 25 - Chapter 25: Chapter 25 Chapter 25: Chapter 25 Editor: Henyee Translations Zhang Yuan opened his seafood noodles, planning to fill his stomach first. Unexpectedly, the man across from him, upon smelling the food, gulped involuntarily. ¡°Would you like some? I can share half with you.¡± ¡°Ah, thank you! I¡¯ve been busy deciding what treasures to take on the journey, and I forgot to eat.¡± With this shared meal, the two quickly became acquainted. This guy¡¯s name was Ye Kaifu, and he had the same level of education¡ªonly a bachelor¡¯s degree. But most importantly, he was a ¡°Level 8 Mechanic,¡± skilled in various craftsmanship techniques. Zhang Yuan¡¯s curiosity was piqued: ¡°Is it that profession where¡­ you file an iron ball with a file?¡± Level 8 Mechanic, what kind of salary do they have? Needless to say, it was certainly higher than his! ¡°It¡¯s not about filing a ball, but using basic tools like files, cutters, and polishers to grind a cube of iron into a sphere. The maximum error is only a hair¡¯s width. This qualifies as Level 8.¡± ¡°A hair¡¯s breadth of precision? That¡¯s quite difficult, relying solely on manual perception for measurement.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re skilled enough, it¡¯s okay, but for higher precision, advanced tools are necessary.¡± ¡°Amazing!¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing, there are more skilled people out there¡­ Like Level 9 Machinists or Level 10 Mechanics.¡± Zhang Yuan sighed inwardly; everyone on the Earth Era had a skill, and he might have been the most mediocre one¡­ Of course, that was his past self. Such high-level machinists were cultivated to quickly reboot civilization. The spaceship¡¯s load was limited, so not every industrial machine could be carried. Some parts had to be crafted manually. Never underestimate the power of humans. Within a few bites, he swallowed the noodles down and turned his attention to studying those metal creations. He was also a mechanical enthusiast and had participated in a robotics competition during university. In programming, he was competent. But due to poor hands-on skills, he didn¡¯t make much of an impact. Ye Kaifu was beaming with excitement, his eyes glimmering. Talking about his creations seemed to strike a chord: ¡°This was my work in the ESL Robotics Competition, this one in the National Competition, and this one¡­ this one¡­ #¡­%;¡± ¡°Did you make them yourself with a file?¡± ¡°How could that be? The sensors and other parts were purchased, but most components were indeed handmade.¡± ¡°What about the robot program?¡± ¡°Uh, most of it was done by me¡­¡± Ye Kaifu said, his expression becoming slightly unnatural. Because¡­ During university, he accidentally became a sycophant. In competitions, he always brought his ¡°girlfriend¡± and his ¡°girlfriend¡¯s male best friend,¡± functioning as one god carrying two mortals. But no matter how amazing a person was, there was a limit to what one could achieve. So, he never won first prize. The sycophant ultimately had nothing. In a fit of anger, he left this heartbreaking world. Zhang Yuan laughed: ¡°Don¡¯t feel regret. First prize is so hard¡­ I¡¯ve participated too and didn¡¯t win anything!¡± As they chatted, Zhang Yuan casually picked up something resembling a mechanical hand and examined it with curiosity. Its appearance was impressive, with a metal power aesthetic, perfect as a movie prop. He hefted it in his hands; wow, almost twenty kilograms! Designing this mechanical arm would require a tremendous amount of time, and making it actually move would be incredibly challenging. This guy was a true genius! Ye Kaifu looked a bit proud: ¡°¡­This is a Power Armor I made over four months, and it won a second prize in the Milky Way Awards. It was even borrowed for the movie Terminator 100!¡± ¡°Power Armor?¡± ¡°Well, I only made one arm. You make a move, and it mimics you. Want to try it?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Zhang Yuan, intrigued, put on a very tight leather glove that extended to his wrist. The leather glove was connected by a wire to the iron arm. When he turned on the switch, the sound of mechanical movement roared, much like an engine starting. Ye Kaifu made some adjustments: ¡°All set, you can move now.¡± Zhang Yuan attempted to curl his five fingers into a fist. A mechanical sound followed, and the iron arm skillfully curled its five fingers into a fist. He opened his fingers, and the iron arm did the same. He asked curiously, ¡°Is this leather glove a pressure sensor, the famous MIA pressure sensor system?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Facing someone knowledgeable, Ye Kaifu was even more enthusiastic, rattling off various parameters. ¡°Try squeezing it.¡± He picked up a can and placed it in front of the mechanical arm. Zhang Yuan carefully moved his arm, and the iron arm mirrored his movements, cautiously gripping the can with its five fingers. Crash¡ª The can let out a spine-chilling roar as it was crushed into a metal disc. ¡°The maximum grip strength can reach 320 kilograms, while an ordinary person¡¯s grip strength is only about fifty to sixty kilograms.¡± Wiping the sweat from his face, Ye Kaifu asked, ¡°How does it feel?¡± ¡°No need to mention the good points, just the flaws, or I won¡¯t be able to make the decision to scrap it. I can¡¯t possibly take it to the sky.¡± ¡°Really, talk about the flaws?¡± Zhang Yuan scratched his head: ¡°I don¡¯t really know how to put it¡­¡± ¡°Go on, go on, don¡¯t be shy!¡± ¡°Uh, operating it feels a bit like a digger¡­¡± ¡°First, there¡¯s no feedback to the human body. Without looking, I can¡¯t tell if the iron hand is holding something or how much force I¡¯m using. Compared to a human body, it lacks tactile sensation; it¡¯s inconvenient.¡± Ye Kaifu nodded, ¡°Indeed, without human-machine interaction, you can only estimate how to grip things visually.¡± Zhang Yuan continued, ¡°Second, I can¡¯t seem to control the grip strength. I crushed the can instantly¡­ I just wanted to pick it up gently.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Third, it seems there¡¯s a slight delay, and the movements aren¡¯t very smooth. The distance the mechanical hand moves feels different from the distance I move¡­ How to put it, it¡¯s not very precise.¡± Although Ye Kaifu was somewhat unhappy, he had to admit that Zhang Yuan had a point. Moreover, it was he who asked for criticism, so he couldn¡¯t blame others. He hung his head, ¡°Sigh, you¡¯re right, which is why it only got second place. Best to abandon it.¡± ¡°Goodbye, dear. See you in the next life¡­¡± He lifted the mechanical arm and placed it in a box. Zhang Yuan felt a little embarrassed, wondering if he had been too blunt, making the thing seem worthless. He hurriedly said, ¡°Your model is pretty good actually. When it¡¯s moving, the gears have backlash, and different angles have different friction. The design complexity is high, and making it this well is already quite an achievement.¡± ¡°The model¡¯s fine, but what use is there? It doesn¡¯t have much technical content; it just takes time.¡± Ye Kaifu shook his head, sighed, and became lost in the sorrow of losing his harem¡­ Seeing this, Zhang Yuan decided not to say more and put the matter out of his mind. With nothing else to do, he decided to study. Studying always brought a sense of happiness. ¡°What should I learn¡­¡± The knowledge he once studied flashed through his mind. Suddenly, a spark of inspiration struck him, and he recalled that there seemed to be a good idea in his father¡¯s tablet. ¡°The Study of Full Body Action Mapping Robots¡± Chapter 26 - Chapter 26: Chapter 26 Whats wrong with it? Chapter 26: Chapter 26 What¡¯s wrong with it? Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°` Zhang Yuan opened the tablet and began to study it seriously. Having studied mathematics for so long, perhaps he could tackle his father¡¯s article, add his own thoughts, and organize it into a paper. The full-body movement-mirroring robot aimed to achieve the function that when a human made a move, the robot would perform an almost identical action, similar to the mechanical arm Ye Kaifu had just demonstrated. Don¡¯t underestimate this function. It was the basis and premise of the ¡°Power Exoskeleton¡±! The Power Exoskeleton, also known as Power Armor, was currently a major research hotspot. It wasn¡¯t just a weapon of war but could also be used for civilian purposes, such as replacing a space suit. Due to the rapid development of nanomaterials, space suits were evolving towards simplicity and lightness. But one thing remained unavoidable, no matter what, space suits still had to carry a large oxygen tank and numerous life-support systems and communication systems. The universe was dangerous. Whether it was a leak or a temperature loss, any small mistake could be fatal. These life-support systems had to be carried; missing any one of them was not an option. Therefore, scientists proposed using the more cumbersome Power Armor to replace space suits. After all, with Power Armor, carrying more things wasn¡¯t a worry, and it was safer and more reliable. Even if thick armor got hit by fast-moving space debris, it wasn¡¯t a big deal. Apart from replacing space suits, Power Armor could connect with humans through VR devices to perform dangerous and challenging tasks remotely, eliminating risks to human lives. It was easy to talk about, but challenging to execute. Research on the Power Exoskeleton had been ongoing for a decade and was still in the experimental stage. The main reason was still¡­ immature technology. For example, taking a balloon in hand and shaking it rapidly in all directions was simple for humans. But for robots, it was no less than a herculean task! Why? Robots lacked self-awareness; they had no idea how much force they used or how to shake it. These needed to be solved with mathematics. Even the most sensitive sensors couldn¡¯t function as comprehensively as human skin. Gripping the balloon first required adjusting the cooperative pressure of the robotic hand¡ªnot too much, not too little¡ªor it would burst. And shaking it rapidly was even more difficult. Reportedly, a small company invented a patent for rapid pressure measurement ten years ago¡ªthe ¡°MIA Pressure Sensing System.¡± It¡¯s the glove Ye Kaifu used, earning billions in patent fees per year. Of course, apart from cooperative pressure, there were many other challenges, such as joint drive force, body balance capability, control algorithms, etc. Such a complex project, with both hardware and software, running millions of lines of code, wasn¡¯t something Zhang Yuan could handle alone. Therefore, he only wanted to solve one relatively key issue, then write a paper or patent. It would be even better if it could generate income for the Foundation. ¡°Let¡¯s write a paper!¡± He got down to work, and a line of small text appeared on the screen. ¡°A High-Degree-of-Freedom Robot Kinematics Analysis Theory Based on Geometric Group Theory and Topology¡±¡­ The more research he did, the more profound and complex the ideas seemed. His father¡¯s idea primarily focused on the complex kinematics of a ¡°27-degree-of-freedom¡± robotic hand, which involved group theory, topology, and some knowledge of hypercomplex numbers, making it quite challenging to comprehend. Even understanding the inspiration didn¡¯t mean he could smoothly write the whole paper. His father only provided a general direction; Zhang Yuan had to fill in the large blanks himself. Writing a paper was a painful task, like squeezing water from a sponge, with many details to address. Fully presenting inspiration wasn¡¯t easy. Zhang Yuan¡¯s brain operated quickly, entering a highly focused state. He tried to sort out the overall thought process but was quickly hindered by numerous detailed problems. Sometimes, seemingly ¡°obvious¡± problems became obstacles when writing papers, becoming distinctly ¡°non-obvious.¡± Zhang Yuan sighed deeply. ¡°With so many degrees of freedom in kinematics, coupled with strange algorithms, with my current ability, I could only understand, yet there really was no way to independently propose something. I wonder how my father thought it up¡­¡± ¡°Oh, Ye Kaifu, could you let me see your control program?¡± ¡°What program?¡± Ye Kaifu turned his head. ¡°The program for that mechanical hand.¡± ¡°Oh, sure, no problem. This kind of programming, I¡¯m actually not an expert, just self-taught¡­¡± Ye Kaifu said very cautiously. Saying he wasn¡¯t an expert was really a modest statement. Being able to write the related program already made him far more impressive than regular undergraduates! Ye Kaifu looked at Zhang Yuan with a bit of a competitive spirit, wanting to know what level this new roommate was at. Young people always had a sense of competition, especially these astronauts from all corners of the world, who were likely relatively outstanding. Soon, the related program was sent to Zhang Yuan¡¯s computer. Zhang Yuan pinched his nose as he looked at the program. How to put it? Ye Kaifu indeed was an amateur, with poor programming habits¡­ Not mentioning the lack of comments in the code, the variable and function names were actually ¡°a,¡± ¡°b,¡± ¡°c,¡± ¡°d,¡± making it all foggy. The downside to doing this was that, after a while, even the programmer himself couldn¡¯t determine what his code was supposed to do. However, the algorithm content inside was much simpler than the idea his father proposed. He quickly analyzed the general idea. The entire glove was a very sensitive pressure sensor; the movement of human fingers caused pressure changes in the glove. Then, by processing this data with a certain algorithm, the specific direction of finger movements could be determined. ¡°And then transmitting the movement direction to the mechanical hand would make it follow suit.¡± This idea was quite intuitive and didn¡¯t have particularly good mathematical modeling, mainly relying on the intrinsic functions of the ¡°MIA Pressure Sensor.¡± By the standards of real scientific evaluation, it would be just ¡°ordinary.¡± Of course, Ye Kaifu was just an undergraduate, so one couldn¡¯t expect too much; no one expected an undergraduate to perform groundbreaking work. Zhang Yuan carefully thought it over, analyzing many areas for improvement. ¡°Hey, anything wrong?¡± Ye Kaifu asked with concern, seeing the rich expression on Zhang Yuan¡¯s face, as he alternated between deep thought and frowning. Yet he wondered to himself, in such a short time, could you really understand the entire algorithm? It shouldn¡¯t be, after all, it took him ages to come up with it¡­ Anyway, my ex-girlfriend, and her male best friend, certainly couldn¡¯t understand it. ¡°Ah, nothing, just some parts¡­¡± Zhang Yuan turned back and, seeing none of Ye Kaifu¡¯s displeasure, continued, ¡± ¡­a bit of a different opinion, don¡¯t mind, okay?¡± ¡°` Chapter 27 - Chapter 27: Chapter 27 Big... Boss? Chapter 27: Chapter 27 Big¡­ Boss? Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°` Zhang Yuan observed the other person¡¯s expression. If the other was someone who thought ¡°I¡¯m so awesome, invincible in the world,¡± then just agreeing a few times would suffice. After all, there was no deep connection, and there was no need to argue to the death with them. But if the other person genuinely wanted to ask for advice, a few exchanges would be nice. ¡°No need to mind, just say it directly!¡± Ye Kaifu hurriedly said. Zhang Yuan continued, ¡°¡­This whole function should be handling the pressure changes in the glove, right? It¡¯s the SDK interface for that leather glove.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ye Kaifu¡¯s heart skipped a beat; he didn¡¯t expect this kid to really understand it. ¡°Since the data generated by the entire glove is immense, this algorithm selectively discards most of it; about 70% of the data is discarded.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ye Kaifu nodded again. Zhang Yuan went on, ¡°I think these redundant data shouldn¡¯t all be discarded. A hand, along with the arm, has 22 joints. Only taking data from these 22 points might not cause significant errors, but lacking details from other parts feels crude¡­¡± ¡°I have a few ideas for handling these seemingly useless data.¡± ¡°The first is to calculate the variance after dividing the data into blocks. The variance of redundant data won¡¯t be significant¡­ Calculating this way can determine redundancy; better than discarding randomly¡­¡± ¡°The second method is utility function; we can calculate the value of block data after dividing it using a utility function¡­ Assuming max[i][j] represents the optimal solution from data i to j, with max[i][j] = max(max[i][k] + max[k + 1][j] + w(i, j))¡­¡± At first, Ye Kaifu listened with animated enthusiasm, agreeing repeatedly. Later on, he remained silent, becoming completely dazed. Because, in the end, he had no idea what Zhang Yuan was talking about¡­ This brother, with your max[i][j] or whatever, what are you even doing? But a strong aura emanating from him made it hard for Ye Kaifu to speak. Once he opened his mouth, he felt like he¡¯d become illiterate. ¡°¡­Lastly, I want to say, though an arm only has 22 joints, it has at least 27 degrees of freedom because the arm, wrist, and fingers can rotate. Missing these 5 degrees of freedom makes operations like using an excavator. You hadn¡¯t considered this well¡­¡± Ye Kaifu understood this sentence; he also knew this fact and thought about it for a long time but eventually abandoned it due to difficulty. Once an arm can rotate, the modeling and design complexity exponentially increases, and he simply couldn¡¯t handle it. ¡°So, what do you think should be done?¡± Zhang Yuan said, ¡°Rotational calculations can usually be handled with quaternions. A good book on this is ¡®Quaternion Physics,¡¯ understandable with some basic complex analysis.¡± Saying this, he felt his thoughts clearing up. Being a teacher indeed had its benefits. ¡°Quaternion, huh¡­¡± Ye Kaifu knew of the term, already somewhat convinced. His mind wandered, ¡°¡­If my former teammates were him, we might have won first prize?¡± ¡°In large part, my undergraduate university wasn¡¯t great; geniuses comparable to me were too few, so I grew lazy. But now it¡¯s different¡­¡± Soon, he began encouraging himself, ¡°Work hard, fight! Only with diligent study can I, Ye Kaifu, surely surpass him!¡± Eagerly, he said, ¡°Zhang Yuan, let me treat you to a night snack. I didn¡¯t quite understand just now. Could you explain it again?¡± ¡°Still eating now? It¡¯s almost 11 p.m.; it¡¯ll make you fat.¡± Since he only ate half a bowl of mixed noodles, Zhang Yuan indeed felt unsatisfied, tempted slightly. ¡°Of course, night life is just beginning!¡± ¡°Well¡­ okay then.¡± Too low blood sugar could make the brain dumb. Zhang Yuan comforted himself like this. Action is better than thought, and the two sneaked out of the dorm again. I must say, the university seems like the most energetic period in human life; students generally don¡¯t sleep before 12. The East Gate remained bustling. Along the way, Ye Kaifu kept talking about various mechanical models and chip parameters, describing the latest space weapons with an exaggerated and fervent tone. ¡°¡­I really like the Enterprise developed by Eagle Country, and Country Mi¡¯s Giant Rock Turtle is also good. Eh, our Flying Dragon is nice, an authentic Sky Carrier with the latest electromagnetic gun.¡± ¡°Indeed, these space weapons¡­ are quite astonishing results.¡± Barely understanding what he was saying, Zhang Yuan licked his dry lips, ¡°But aren¡¯t the research speeds of these weapons currently slow? The global trend is cooperation, not previous confrontations, so research on such weapons has slowed.¡± Ye Kaifu spat passionately, as if he hadn¡¯t chatted like this for ages, ¡°There are aliens, and isn¡¯t the Dyson Sphere the driving force behind it! Although it¡¯s over a thousand light years away.¡± ¡°Over a thousand light years isn¡¯t much of a drive. If it were at Centauri Alpha Star, that would be a drive!¡± ¡°If the great era of space opens, maybe everyone can buy a private spaceship then?¡± ¡°¡­That day will surely come. I¡¯ve already thought about it; my spaceship will be called Queen Elizabeth! I can pilot my ship for space tourism!¡± As Ye Kaifu fell into fervor, chattering endlessly on his own, Zhang Yuan abruptly interjected, ¡°Brother, if you keep this up, you won¡¯t get a girlfriend!¡± ¡°Why?!¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± Cold sweat dripped from Ye Kaifu¡¯s forehead as he shut his mouth. Zhang Yuan sneaked a glance around, relieved that the blonde reporter he¡¯d bullied wasn¡¯t there, before nonchalantly sitting on a chair. ¡°Because in front of me, you keep talking about this Elizabeth stuff. From that term, I deduced, you don¡¯t have a girlfriend¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that name cute?¡± Zhang Yuan found it somewhat amusing, ¡°Yes, very cute! But girls probably wouldn¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°Together!¡± ¡°Together!¡± ¡°Together!¡± Suddenly, the neighboring table erupted in uproar. The group had drunk a lot, and a couple even kissed amidst the commotion. It wasn¡¯t a big deal; in this era, such behavior was normal. Facing this public display of affection, Zhang Yuan glanced twice and couldn¡¯t be bothered. Ye Kaifu sighed a bit enviously, ¡°Now those still in campus are mostly top students, right? Youth is nice; I truly miss my university days.¡± Zhang Yuan said, ¡°Probably mostly top students, but not all. Many slackers are hoping to win a prize to leverage.¡± ¡°Anyway, with a national award, be it applying for scholarships or job searching, they¡¯re in a stronger position.¡± Prompted by this, Ye Kaifu recalled his ¡®simp¡¯ experience, being used by that so-called ¡®ex-girlfriend.¡¯ Well, ¡®ex-girlfriend¡¯ meant not even holding hands; a mere title got him hooked willingly. How stupid! He said bitterly, ¡°The toughest part in college isn¡¯t seeing couples in love, top students flaunting grades, or the wealthy flaunting cash; it¡¯s seeing couples flaunt cash, top students flaunt love, and the wealthy flaunt grades¡­¡± I really want to have a cute girl who truly likes me! ¡°` Chapter 28 - Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Living is for Learning! Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Living is for Learning! Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°` Ye Kaifu thought of this and let out a long sigh. Forget it, forget it, better to look on the spaceship. The gender ratio on the spaceship was strictly controlled at 1:1, and everyone had been genetically tested with no dominant hereditary diseases, so the girls were certainly not bad-looking! Two hundred and fifty thousand young and beautiful girls¡­ two hundred and fifty thousand, there must be one suitable for me! Zhang Yuan took a bite of his fried noodles, bringing Ye Kaifu back to cold reality, ¡°Falling in love is nothing to envy, reproduction isn¡¯t a compulsory course in life. Look at them drinking constantly, what¡¯s the point?¡± Ye Kaifu retorted defiantly, ¡°Isn¡¯t living all about mating and reproducing?¡± Zhang Yuan said with a hint of disdain, ¡°Of course not!¡± ¡°Living is for¡­ learning!¡± ¡°Pfft?!¡± Ye Kaifu almost spat out a mouthful of noodles. Zhang Yuan said seriously, ¡°Let me tell you a story, there was a person named Wolf who planned to commit suicide at midnight because of a breakup.¡± ¡°And then?¡± ¡°Because he was efficient, he finished writing his will by 10 o¡¯clock, so at 12 he decided to read a mathematics book¡­¡± ¡°He saw Fermat¡¯s Last Theorem and started trying to prove it.¡± ¡°And then, dawn came, and he hadn¡¯t proved it in the entire night.¡± ¡°???¡± Ye Kaifu was a bit puzzled. Zhang Yuan continued, ¡°After a night of mathematical research, Wolf¡¯s mind finally became clear, and he decided not to commit suicide. Later, he became a successful entrepreneur.¡± ¡°¡­When he died of old age, people discovered his revised will, leaving one hundred thousand yuan as a reward for the first person to prove Fermat¡¯s Last Theorem.¡± ¡°In the late 20th century, the mathematician Wiles finally received this prize.¡± ¡°???¡± Ye Kaifu blinked. ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is that love makes people foolish, and mathematics makes people happy. There¡¯s nothing worth talking about in love, you might as well go study hard instead of booking hotel rooms¡­ Knowledge will never let you down or abandon you.¡± ¡°So, living is for learning!¡± With that, Zhang Yuan couldn¡¯t help but take out his phone and start swiping the ¡°Super Brain¡± app, thoroughly enjoying the happiness it brought. Ye Kaifu¡¯s brain almost crashed. He wanted to forcefully argue, but the ancient aura from someone stronger made him nod. Recalling his time as a sycophant, it seemed like he¡¯d really become dumber, unable to distinguish right from wrong. A single word from the goddess could excite him for a week¡ªit¡¯s simply foolish. He said somewhat speechlessly, ¡°What you say makes sense¡­¡± Zhang Yuan continued to swipe math problems while silently praising his newly invented concept. A daily good deed is better than building a Level 7 pagoda. Young man, the sea of bitterness is boundless, turn back and find the shore. ¡­ After enlightening Ye Kaifu, Zhang Yuan returned to his dorm room, absorbed in researching his algorithms, unable to extricate himself. What he had just been telling Ye Kaifu about variance and dynamic programming was basic knowledge in operations research. These things were still too elementary, things he could easily think of that experts had already considered. Moreover, the mathematical model Ye Kaifu designed was not good, the foundation wasn¡¯t solid, and no matter how much optimization, it could only be optimized to that extent. Hoping to write an extraordinary paper this way was almost impossible. As for his dad¡¯s idea, it was much more brilliant. It involved using a nonlinear geometric theory to solve nonlinearity and nonholonomic problems in robotics kinematics. Especially when two matching parts have symmetry, it could be easily expressed and reasoned through geometric Group Theory. The entire process¡­ how to put it, because the core algorithm had already been developed by his dad, it only needed to be understood. But expressing it was particularly cumbersome, as the human arm alone has 27 degrees of freedom, making the expression method unbelievably complicated. ¡°Maybe seeing something so cumbersome, Dad simply was lazy to do it?¡± Zhang Yuan thought to himself, ¡°It¡¯s very possible, after all, he has to design the various systems of the spaceship, which is even more complex and difficult¡­¡± ¡°Or perhaps, it was a special little gift prepared for me.¡± ¡°The gap between people is really big¡­¡± Thus, Zhang Yuan immersed himself in research and exploration, as time passed day by day. One day, two days, three days¡­ A week passed. After being infused with the notion that ¡°living is for learning,¡± Ye Kaifu also embarked on a liver-busting lifestyle. On one hand, he had a mindset of envy, jealousy, and competition. Zhang Yuan¡¯s theoretical knowledge was evidently stronger than his by an unknown margin. On the other hand, there was indeed a sense of wanting to ¡°catch up¡± with the other through ¡°hard work.¡± When Zhang Yuan went to the library, he went to the library; when Zhang Yuan slept, he slept, unwilling to miss a single moment. It¡¯s undeniable that the academic atmosphere, although elusive yet truly existing, could easily spread on a dormitory basis. If an entire dormitory was filled with top students, it was likely the result of mutual cross-contamination. But after a week, Ye Kaifu felt like he was about to explode! He was really about to not be able to hold on. It was driving him crazy, as day in and day out, at least 12 hours were spent studying. Apart from eating, drinking, and relieving himself, it was all about studying, studying, studying! Even in his dreams, he could see those damned theorems¡ªit was really driving him crazy. ¡°Why am I working so hard? I¡¯m on vacation!¡± He had frequently asked himself like this, ¡°I¡¯m soon going to have no fun left, so let¡¯s take a day off.¡± ¡°Hey, you, can you take a break¡­ Ahhhhh!¡± He shouted in his heart. He once thought of himself as a model of hard work and studiousness, but compared to real maniacs who take doing math problems as ¡°leisure,¡± he was like a small witch seeing a big witch. The most crucial thing was, his roommate actually enjoyed it, unable to extricate himself, occasionally laughing joyfully¡­ What is this? As he thought, Ye Kaifu began to breathe heavily, trying to suppress his pounding chest muscles. ¡°Persevere, keep going, fighting!¡± ¡°Only those who can stay calm are truly strong!¡± He cheered himself on, stifling his desire to go out and have fun with the girls. But in the blink of an eye, Zhang Yuan¡¯s self-talk completely shattered Ye Kaifu¡¯s mental defense, ¡°¡­Hmm, let¡¯s finish reading these papers too, since they can be read for free with the campus network¡­¡± ¡°In total it¡¯s 200 pages, not much.¡± Two hundred pages! ¡°Fuck!¡± in his heart. A little person in Ye Kaifu¡¯s head was frantically pulling him to indulge. ¡°No, big brother, I really can¡¯t hold on. Once he finishes reading two hundred pages, another day will have passed. I want to play games, want to flirt, eating a big meal is fine too¡­ Every cell in my body yearns for entertainment.¡± ¡°I need to rest!¡± Another little person shouted in his mind, ¡°No, absolutely not! If someone is smarter, stronger, and even more diligent than you, then you have to accompany him to the end!¡± ¡°Ye Kaifu, you absolutely must not degenerate!¡± ¡°No, I want to degenerate!¡± ¡°¡­Absolutely must not degenerate!¡± ¡°Ahhhhh, Zhang Yuan, degenerate quickly, please, no, I beg you!¡± ¡°` Chapter 29 - Chapter 29: Chapter 29: No Need to Give Fools Face Chapter 29: Chapter 29: No Need to Give Fools Face Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°` It seemed like Zhang Yuan heard Ye Kaifu¡¯s thoughts and suddenly lifted his head, glancing around. ¡°Why do I feel like someone is calling me? Were you calling me?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m just reading,¡± Ye Kaifu quickly replied. Zhang Yuan lowered his head again, looked for a while, and then spoke suspiciously, ¡°¡­Forget it. These papers don¡¯t seem worth reading. I¡¯ve decided to go attend this public lecture to change my perspective. Are you coming?¡± It was currently the time when various Olympic Training Camps were opening, and all kinds of public lectures at the university could be audited for free. According to Zhang Yuan¡¯s plan, he would find something simple to pass the time. Yes, just like that. After reading papers for a long time, he also got tired, so a short break made his efforts more effective. Hearing this, Ye Kaifu couldn¡¯t help but feel a surge of joy in his heart, as if a sweet spring had erupted in a dry desert. ¡°Haha, he¡¯s finally going out¡­ he¡¯s slipping, he¡¯s just pretending after all!¡± ¡°What are you laughing about, so happy?¡± Ye Kaifu drifted off into his own world and didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Hey! Are you coming or not?¡± Ye Kaifu quickly snapped back to reality, pretending to be serious, ¡°No, just got dust in my eyes. Did you finish that¡­ thesis of yours?¡± Zhang Yuan sighed, ¡°Not even close, just finished reading the literature and organized my thoughts. Going out to hear a lecture is good; when I get back, I¡¯ll start writing in one go, which will probably take many days.¡± Damn it, really going to the lecture? Well, attending a lecture is better than staying in the dorm. Ye Kaifu said, ¡°Alright, I also want to check it out¡­ I haven¡¯t attended a class at Xisha University yet, don¡¯t know how good the professors are here, but I do know there are quite a few pretty girls.¡± ¡°A lot of pretty girls?¡± ¡°Of course, since you make me bring you meals every day, you naturally wouldn¡¯t see them!¡± Stepping out of the dormitory door brought a peculiar sense of returning to the living world. Zhang Yuan took a few deep breaths. The air was fresh, carrying a hint of salty sea breeze, and the distant cries of seagulls could be heard. These clever birds knew that where there were people, there was food. Looking again, he realized he only had 12 days of vacation left, a subtle sense of urgency arose in his heart. Time flew by so fast! Writing a thesis was not only a mental task but also a physical one; trying to write down ideas exactly as they appeared in his mind was exhausting. The first task was to organize one¡¯s thoughts and understand what needed to be done. This part was actually quite challenging, but fortunately, his father¡¯s guidance had already reduced much of the difficulty. Secondly, he needed to read a lot of literature to see if there were articles on the same topic. Like the topic Zhang Yuan was working on now¡ª¡±robotics kinematics¡±¡ªthere were simply too many articles. Things like ¡°forward kinematics,¡± ¡°inverse kinematics,¡± and ¡°vector methods,¡± ¡°quaternion methods,¡± etc. However, the passion for writing a thesis often inversely correlated with the number of articles read. Why was that? Sometimes, while reading, he would find that his ideas had already been done by others, losing their value. At other times, he found that compared to others¡¯ ideas, his own seemed like garbage¡­ So, wanting to produce a valuable thesis was really difficult. It required coming up with something others hadn¡¯t thought of that was also practically valuable, which was extremely hard¡­ Luckily, after a week of reading, Zhang Yuan had basically confirmed that his father¡¯s idea hadn¡¯t been written about by others. And its actual application value was likely more advanced than the mainstream algorithms! As for how innovative this thesis was and in which journal it could be published, he wasn¡¯t quite sure, as he had never mixed in this circle. Zhang Yuan only set one goal for himself, to completely finish it before getting on the spaceship! Turning around the corner, they entered the cafeteria, quickly ate two buns, and hurried to the classroom. Class time was about to start, and the classroom was full of people. However, there was a strange phenomenon: the first three rows were empty. Noticing no vacant seats, Zhang Yuan reluctantly sat in the farthest seat on the left in the front row. Ye Kaifu had no choice but to sit next to Zhang Yuan, biting the bullet. Based on past classroom experiences, courses where the first three rows were empty were either very trivial, so trivial that even the top students didn¡¯t bother attending, such as ¡°Literature and Life,¡± ¡°Law, Religion, and Human Order,¡± ¡°World Famous History¡±¡­ Or they were incredibly difficult, to the point that even the Academic Gods couldn¡¯t understand them, so attending was as good as not attending, hence opting not to attend. Or it could be that¡­the teacher was a bit of a freak! Often making things difficult for students. Sitting in the front row posed the risk of answering questions, so everyone simply voted with their feet and sat at the back en masse. Ye Kaifu frowned and said, ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be like this; teachers care about face too¡­ Doing this would make the instructors very unhappy.¡± Xisha University was considered a fairly good university, and this situation was indeed unusual. Zhang Yuan said expressionlessly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it; teachers are already used to teaching a bunch of fools. They don¡¯t need fools to give them face, just as long as they don¡¯t go too far.¡± ¡°Makes sense.¡± At this moment, a sound of light footsteps running came from the corridor, and in came a young, beautiful female teacher. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s my first time substituting, so my teaching experience may not be sufficient¡­ My surname is Wang, and my name is Wang Lili. You can call me Mr. Wang.¡± Her voice was soft and cute. ¡°Hey, move up to the front, it¡¯s not nice to leave it empty¡­¡± Beauty equaled justice, and soon there was excitement among the male species, voluntarily moving from the back to the first three rows, fully giving the beautiful teacher enough face. Judging by her age, she should be a graduate student sister. Helping the teacher substitute wasn¡¯t much, as it consolidated knowledge and brought funding. Naturally, the level of a graduate student wanting to teach undergraduates was somewhat lacking, and this senior student¡¯s level was definitely among the best. Seeing a large number of male classmates moving their seats, Ye Kaifu felt smug again. Haha, your post-event behavior is too blatant! What¡¯s the point of coming over now? The teacher¡¯s favorability was already maxed out by the two of us who sat in the front row from the start. But seeing Zhang Yuan with his out-of-this-world focus and serious expression, Ye Kaifu quickly calmed his inner thoughts, no longer letting his mind wander. A strong person was indeed strong, unaffected by a teacher¡¯s appearance. ¡°And of course, in the life of a strong person, there were only the words ¡®study,¡¯ unaffected by the appearance of beautiful females.¡± ¡°Truly awesome!¡± ¡°` Chapter 30 - Chapter 30: Chapter 30 That, This... Green Function? Chapter 30: Chapter 30 That, This¡­ Green Function? Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°` The beautiful teacher, Wang Lili, paused for a moment and then began, ¡°Um¡­ Today, I¡¯m going to teach you some knowledge about mathematical physics equations. Of course, it won¡¯t be the homogeneous equations you¡¯ve learned in class but rather¡­¡± ¡°Today¡¯s key content: the Green Function method for the two-dimensional Laplace equation¡­¡± As soon as these words were out, the class erupted in groans. Ye Kaifu finally understood why the first three rows were empty. This course must be a bomb! The usual final questions in math exams, such as Fourier Transforms, orthogonal expansions, ordinary differential equations, and so on, had become routine tools here. Could it not be difficult? Without saying much more, the teacher officially began the class. ¡°Dear students, I believe you¡¯ve all learned homogeneous partial differential equations and non-homogeneous partial differential equations. Due to time constraints, we¡¯re not going to review them here¡­¡± Ye Kaifu habitually glanced at Zhang Yuan and found this god-like figure was still lost in thought, unaware of what he was pondering. Wait. He seemed to be asleep! Asleep, really asleep! Haha! Ye Kaifu almost burst out laughing, seeing himself gain an advantage in ¡°effort value.¡± He couldn¡¯t have been happier and nearly exploded in his seat. ¡°Work hard, work hard, he¡¯s sleeping, I can¡¯t slack off!¡± ¡°I have to take this opportunity to learn more.¡± ¡°Now, most textbooks establish the Green Function method using a three-dimensional Laplace equation background. Its core content is the spatial form of Green¡¯s formula and a point-analytic representation of three-dimensional harmonic functions. The Green Function method for two-dimensional problems has similarities with the three-dimensional problems¡­%@@!¡± The content was obviously very difficult, and even high attractiveness couldn¡¯t directly boost the intelligence of male livestock, making the whole classroom atmosphere very awkward, equivalent to a pretty girl talking to herself on the podium. The basic knowledge of the Green Function method is double integrals and triple integrals. Ye Kaifu racked his brains, only to find he had forgotten most of it, occasionally skipping some content. Skipping and skipping, he ended up not knowing what the teacher was talking about. He simply gave up, dared not play with his phone in the first row, and just appreciated the teacher¡¯s beauty. ¡°Oh my gosh¡­ Now I know why my boss couldn¡¯t be bothered to take this class and sent me instead.¡± ¡°It¡¯s really torturous!¡± Seeing pairs of bewildered eyes, heads nodding off, and some punks playing with their phones, Wang Lili stood at the blackboard, continuously ridiculing in her heart. ¡°This is basically a class on a bunch of pigs¡­¡± So, she seemed to forget that she had gone through this herself. Her teacher probably viewed her as a pig too. ¡°Endure, endure!¡± ¡°Can¡¯t hold it, so annoying!¡± Wang Lili didn¡¯t have the broad tolerance of an old professor, with a bunch of students playing with their phones and dozing off while continuing to deliver a sermon. She wasn¡¯t pleased either. She had painstakingly prepared for the class, and they were playing down there? Why should I? Make me preach like a nun, I can¡¯t do that¡­ Hmm, let¡¯s call on a few people to liven up the classroom atmosphere and wake up those who are sleeping! Just like that! This guy in the first row looked pretty serious; he sat in the first row from the beginning, so the probability of being a top student was quite high. He should be able to answer the question, and it¡¯s his turn, so no one¡¯s embarrassed, and it can wake up the sleeping ones. ¡°This student, could you solve this problem?¡± Wang Lili suddenly said with a smile. The atmosphere in the classroom suddenly became serious. ¡°Roll call¡± was indeed a nuclear weapon in the classroom; almost all the sleeping students fell from paradise and quickly returned to the mortal world. Those playing with their phones also put their phones back in their pockets¡­ ¡°What? Me?¡± Ye Kaifu stood up, his face turning red. He pretended to study seriously, only to be called to answer a question. How tragic. Really. ¡°Student, first consider¡­¡± Wang Lili slightly reminded him with a few more words. ¡°Uh, this, the Green function¡­ two-dimensional Green function¡­¡± Ye Kaifu weakly said. Aside from these words, he seemed to know nothing else. He kept scratching his head and rubbing his ears, his brain spinning intensely. Sadly, even if his head exploded, he couldn¡¯t solve this problem. ¡°Sigh, sit down, sit down¡­¡± Wang Lili hadn¡¯t expected the good student in the front row couldn¡¯t answer, so she had to wave her hand in dismay. Perhaps it was that her teaching was too bad, or maybe the content was just too difficult¡­ However, the classroom atmosphere improved quite a bit. After all this, everyone had straightened up in their seats, except for a few stubborn ones who were still asleep, genuinely asleep. Especially the one on the far left of the first row, sleeping too comfortably, right? Sleeping in the first row was too influential! ¡°Does anyone know how to solve this problem? Just follow the method I just mentioned, using a harmonic function¡­¡± Wang Lili reiterated. The classroom atmosphere was very awkward for a moment. ¡°This¡­ the student on the far left?¡± Ye Kaifu quickly tapped the slumbering Zhang Yuan, making him jump up from his seat with an ¡°Ah.¡± What¡¯s going on? Zhang Yuan opened his eyes in confusion. A small laugh echoed through the classroom. ¡°The teacher asked you to solve the problem!¡± Sitting beside him, Ye Kaifu winked and was amused beyond measure. Zhang Yuan blushed and scratched his head in embarrassment. Because of continuous late-night work and excessive fatigue, he accidentally fell asleep. ¡°Student, can you do it?¡± Although a bit displeased, Wang Lili was ready to let the student sit down after waking him up. Everyone was an adult, responsible for their own life choices, and there was no need to overly criticize others. Besides, this was just a course arranged by the school for various competitions, with no exams and no binding agreement¡­ Zhang Yuan glanced at the PPT; his slightly dazed mind started to clear. He quietly said, ¡°It should be solved using the Green function¡­¡± Everyone laughed. The Green function had been discussed for the entire class, and even a pig would remember these four words. Surely this guy only repeated those words after sleeping through the whole class. Zhang Yuan paused for only two seconds, then continued, ¡°Let v be another known harmonic function on the plane D. According to Green¡¯s formula, 0=¡Ò¡Ò(v?u/?n-u?v/?n)d¦Ä. After subtracting the two equations¡­ considering the boundary conditions¡­¡± ¡°£¤@¡­%£¤¡± A few top students perked up their ears and vaguely understood what he was talking about. Thinking back and forth, it seemed right and wasn¡¯t nonsense. If someone could ramble to such a level, they¡¯d be astonishingly impressive¡­ Whispering rose in the classroom. What was happening? A sleeping guy just obliterated them all! ¡°` Chapter 31 - Chapter 31: Chapter 31 Galaxy Award Chapter 31: Chapter 31 Galaxy Award Editor: Henyee Translations When Zhang Yuan finished explaining the entire solution, Wang Lili just opened her mouth and swallowed the heartfelt words she had prepared. She secretly rolled her eyes and replied, ¡°Student¡­ very good answer, please sit down.¡± So it turned out to be the legendary Academic God. People like this were actually the most annoying; they understood without studying and spoiled the classroom atmosphere. Ye Kaifu had already restored his admiration and was no longer surprised, as if he was numb. ¡°The Great God is indeed the Great God, not changing his essence as a strong person because of sleeping¡­¡± The strong had the privilege of sleeping. He was ashamed of his jealousy. Afterwards, everything was peaceful. Zhang Yuan didn¡¯t doze off again, only mentally wandered, as if his pupils were focused on a distant void. The teacher didn¡¯t call names anymore, simply reciting the lecture like scripture until it ended. ¡°Ring ring,¡± the bell rang. Wang Lili assigned a few after-class exercises, indicating that everyone could leave. When it was time to go, everyone became extremely enthusiastic again, which was really frustrating. ¡°Let¡¯s go, time to head back.¡± After taking a short nap, Zhang Yuan was full of energy and wanted to go back to the dorm to continue working on his thesis. Ye Kaifu reluctantly packed his materials and asked Zhang Yuan, ¡°Mathematical equations are too difficult. Is there an overall framework for easier understanding?¡± Zhang Yuan thought for a moment and said, ¡°Framework? You mean a problem-solving approach? This course actually doesn¡¯t have many complicated things.¡± ¡°Solving a homogeneous partial differential equation is the simplest. You just need to use separation of variables and follow a four-step approach to solve it¡­¡± ¡°Then comes the determination problem of an inhomogeneous general equation. The method is to introduce a new function, or use a parameter variation method, viewing the inhomogeneous problem as a homogeneous one to solve. Then, by using the Fourier series expansion, a new condition can be formed to solve it¡­¡± ¡°Later on, dealing with inhomogeneous boundary conditions is about converting them to homogeneous boundary conditions, thus turning it into solving an inhomogeneous general equation problem¡­¡± ¡°Stop!¡± Ye Kaifu was on the verge of tears and couldn¡¯t help but shout. When he realized there were no shortcuts in the entire learning process, he could only silently chant a phrase in his heart: Terrifying! ¡­ After packing up, the two were ready to leave. ¡°Zhang Yuan, don¡¯t go yet!¡± At this moment, Zhang Yuan suddenly heard a female voice calling behind him. He turned around and saw it was Xu Yunjing, the graduate student under Professor Wang Zhong. ¡°Senior sister, are you here attending the lecture too?¡± Xu Yunjing said, ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m planning to switch to the mechanical field when I pursue a doctorate, so I need to learn some related knowledge to make it easier to change fields in the future.¡± Zhang Yuan asked curiously, ¡°Switch to engineering? Aren¡¯t you studying mathematics now? Won¡¯t Professor Wang be upset?¡± ¡°He won¡¯t, he won¡¯t¡­ He should respect my opinion.¡± Xu Yunjing thought, I¡¯m not that genius student. Why go down the pure mathematics path, which is tough and offers no money? Why make life difficult for myself? ¡°Is he your¡­ junior? Your titles are so strange.¡± Wang Lili, the substitute teacher with large twinkling eyes, also looked over. ¡°Yes, let me introduce you.¡± Xu Yunjing said with a smile, ¡°This is Wang Lili, my good friend, currently studying for a master¡¯s with Professor Lin from the Mechanical Engineering College.¡± ¡°Hello, senior sister!¡± ¡°This junior sure is shy, huh? Spacing out and sleeping in class, and I even caught him red-handed.¡± Wang Lili said with a smile. She lowered her voice slightly, ¡°Though he finished that problem in a flash.¡± Zhang Yuan felt a bit embarrassed. ¡°Senior sister, I¡¯m really sorry. I got tired writing the thesis, so I accidentally fell asleep. I didn¡¯t mean it.¡± ¡°Writing a thesis at such a young age. What¡¯s your topic?¡± ¡°Using geometric group theory and topological analysis to study robotic motion¡­¡± Upon hearing the topic, Wang Lili was at a loss for words. ¡°Are the kids this twisted nowadays? Group theory, topology and all that, while I¡¯m still troubled for publishing papers. Getting a third or fourth-tier one would already be nice.¡± Seeing them chatting, and in no time becoming senior sister and junior, Ye Kaifu on the side rolled his eyes. He lost interest in being the third wheel. He grumbled a farewell, ¡°Zhang Yuan, I¡¯m heading to the library, bye!¡± ¡°Bye-bye!¡± Ye Kaifu swaggered off with a smile on his face, while inwardly venting. What¡¯s this ¡°living is for learning¡±? That¡¯s definitely a lie. Such a pretty senior sister got attracted in no time. This skill is a model for our generation. Since Zhang Yuan is hitting on girls, I should as well. Maybe I can encounter someone in the library? The vacation is almost over. I can¡¯t go on miserable like this. ¡­ After chatting for a while, Zhang Yuan asked, ¡°Senior sister, was there something you needed me for?¡± Xu Yunjing smacked her forehead. ¡°Almost forgot, I actually do have something.¡± At this time, there were only the three of them left in the entire classroom. Xu Yunjing searched in her little bag. She pulled out an invitation and handed it to Zhang Yuan. ¡°In a week, there will be a ¡®Galaxy Award¡¯ ceremony in the great hall of Xisha University to commemorate the successful construction of the Earth Era. You have an important award to receive, don¡¯t forget.¡± Award? Zhang Yuan shivered all over. It seemed he had done nothing. The thesis wasn¡¯t even done, and he was just an ordinary spaceship worker. What award would he receive? How come? ¡°How could it be my turn?¡± ¡°It¡¯s your father¡¯s award, dream on!¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Zhang Yuan¡¯s heart jolted. His father¡¯s award, it seemed he had no right to refuse. Xu Yunjing made an exaggerated gesture, ¡°That¡¯s the legendary Galaxy Award first prize, with a ten-million reward! You, as your father¡¯s only direct kin, should receive it on his behalf, not overstepping, right?¡± ¡°The Earth Era is about to set sail, so all these grand projects need to be completed. Moreover, there will be a fundraising ceremony afterwards, inciting those tycoons to donate. That¡¯s the most crucial part.¡± ¡°The foundation is short on money, not billions but trillions! Squeezing some funds from those entrepreneurs would be good.¡± ¡°Alright, alright, I got it.¡± However, it couldn¡¯t be called a grand project; it¡¯s the honor my father deserves! Zhang Yuan thought about it. He had already donated all his possessions, so there was no mental burden. He could go. He then asked, ¡°Do I need to give a speech or something?¡± Xu Yunjing said with a smile, ¡°Just go up to accept the award. Who would care about you, a small figure, seeing your little vanity! You¡¯re not the person involved, just a stand-in, and the reporters won¡¯t make it hard for you.¡± ¡°They might let you say a few words of ¡®thanks,¡¯ thanking the government, the foundation, the judges and so forth. It¡¯s simple. You don¡¯t need to worry about the fundraising event afterwards; we¡¯ll handle it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Zhang Yuan hated troublesome ceremonies the most. If he had to give a long speech and write a special article, he¡¯d rather work on the thesis in that time. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, I¡¯ll remind you again when the time comes.¡± ¡°Got it, got it.¡± After finishing, Zhang Yuan waved goodbye to the two who were teasing him, and walked off alone to think about his thesis. Chapter 32 - Chapter 32: Chapter 32 More Beautiful Memories Chapter 32: Chapter 32 More Beautiful Memories Editor: Henyee Translations A week went by in a hurry just like that. The days were pretty much the same as before, a routine of the library, dormitory, and cafeteria. It was quite fulfilling, or rather, it had never been so fulfilling. Ye Kaifu always followed closely behind, outwardly defiant, but inwardly relishing the torment. This life was just too exciting. He never imagined meeting such a lunatic in the final days of the holiday, let alone becoming someone caught up in their madness. What on Earth was happening! However, this day marked the day of farewell. The Space Elevator had a limited daily capacity. The 500,000 astronauts couldn¡¯t all be sent up at once; they were to ascend in many batches, in sequence. The two of them weren¡¯t in the same launch batch. Ye Kaifu¡¯s holiday had ended, and he was scheduled to go up to space early. ¡°¡­You¡¯ve learned about the economic policies and work grade system on the spaceship, right? Although it¡¯s not fully public yet, I assume you¡¯ll systematically study them once you¡¯re on the spaceship. It¡¯s good to prepare early, like writing papers and preparing for graduate exams, for instance.¡± ¡°Got it, got it, you don¡¯t need to worry about me.¡± Ye Kaifu smirked and said, ¡°I¡¯m a Level 8 Mechanic. I start with an eighth-level work grade, way higher than you. A Second Level small fry can only clean on the spaceship, can¡¯t do anything else.¡± Zhang Yuan retorted irritably, ¡°You¡¯re right; you¡¯re way more impressive than me. See you then.¡± Ye Kaifu suddenly widened his eyes and shouted, ¡°Zhang Yuan, being with you is tiring but fulfilling. If I had met you earlier, I certainly would have been more than now¡­¡± Goosebumps all over! People around gave strange looks. ¡°Scram! Get lost! You¡¯re leaving and still disgusting me!¡± Zhang Yuan yelled. ¡°Hahaha, idiot, look at yourself! I¡¯m a standard straight guy. Who the hell would want to be with you!¡± Ye Kaifu was beyond happy, feeling incredibly refreshed. Did you see those little girls¡¯ faces about to puke? Hahaha! Zhang Yuan checked his phone calendar, remaining holiday balance: 5 days. As that moment approached, a strange sense of urgency grew stronger inside him. This feeling was hard to describe with words, like the last moment of life was approaching¡ªnervousness, fear, uncertainty¡ªall mixed together, forming a complex sense of disconnection. ¡°Bye!¡± Ye Kaifu left with a suitcase, waving backward as he walked away, thinking he looked dashing. He left alone, abandoning his mechanical harem, discarding fantasies of the fleet, leaving everything behind, traveling light. His figure appeared very small amidst the orderly astronaut lineup. Perhaps, everyone seemed tiny in front of the grand Space Elevator, insignificantly small. ¡°Bye.¡± The sun slowly rose from the east. This was probably the last sunrise this batch of astronauts would see on Earth. And it was Zhang Yuan¡¯s fifth to last. Zhang Yuan saw Ye Kaifu wipe his eyes with a sleeve as he passed the security check and entered the Space Elevator. No, he wiped twice, maybe three times¡­ Many astronauts did the same. Once up there, they¡¯d never set foot on Mother Star¡¯s solid ground again. Never again. He couldn¡¯t help but sigh, ¡°Such fools.¡± No, it was a group of fools. ¡­ He turned around and returned to the campus. Now he was alone once more. Living alone in the dormitory inevitably brought a sense of solitude. The thesis was almost done, with some wording and phrasing details needing revision, which could be finished in a night¡­ Zhang Yuan thought of giving himself a day off, for a real rest. Lying in bed, he prepared to take a short nap but found he couldn¡¯t sleep, overwhelmed with thoughts. He opened his long-unvisited social media apps, seeing a bunch of notifications. ¡°Li Zhendong, how¡¯s the girl you arranged to meet?¡± Li Zhendong¡¯s voice was still as arrogant as ever: ¡°We ended it long ago. The girl was a catfish, full of acne, couldn¡¯t go for it. By the way, how¡¯s your mechanic roommate?¡± ¡°Gone up.¡± ¡°So early, huh?¡± ¡°Yeah, different batches.¡± They chatted casually for a bit. As that moment approached, this show-off seemed not to be in a good mood either, speaking more seriously, less lively. ¡°¡­Touring with my family, trying to persuade my parents to have another child.¡± ¡°My mom often hides to cry. Don¡¯t know how to console her. She just wants to cry, women are like this, my mom¡¯s no exception¡­¡± Zhang Yuan sighed, ¡°Sigh, in the last few days, spend more time with them. Don¡¯t come early.¡± After hanging up, Zhang Yuan suddenly remembered the forgotten ¡°memo.¡± He¡¯d been busy with the thesis for half a month, almost forgot about it. More good memories, there should be more, a little more. He walked into a supermarket, bought a 38-federal-coin popsicle, and put it in his mouth, cream flavored. The taste was mediocre, didn¡¯t know why it sold so expensively. Then he checked off an item on the memo: ¡°Eat an ice pop at a price that makes me feel heartache¡­¡± ¡°Done!¡± On the spaceship, he probably wouldn¡¯t even get to eat popsicles, no space for an ice pop factory on board. ¡°No wonder Ye Kaifu kept eating popsicles before leaving¡­ Turns out he was working on his memo.¡± What should he do next? Unknown. Zhang Yuan felt slightly lost, suddenly having free time and seeming a bit aimless. Maybe go back to studying? Anyway, there¡¯s no end to learning. No, today was a rest day. ¡°¡­I want that BQ ice cream,¡± a girl next to him said. The boy beside her dotingly replied, ¡°That¡¯s expensive. I¡¯ll give you two options: eat a BQ ice cream, or drink two milk teas, so I can have one too.¡± ¡°Then two milk teas¡­ see how good I am to you?¡± Watching couples pass by in the supermarket, Zhang Yuan couldn¡¯t figure out why, but he thought of his ex-girlfriend. How many years ago was that? Zhang Yuan thought carefully and suddenly realized he couldn¡¯t even remember her appearance well, took several seconds to recall a name. He merely remembered: she was quite cute, had a little temper, average grades. Due to academic pressure, needed coaxing to study well daily. Back then, they were high school students, had no money, not allowed to use mobile phones, could only go out using very old banknotes. On every date, she¡¯d give Zhang Yuan all her money, saying: taking it out was troublesome. As a result, Zhang Yuan held less than a hundred federal coins in his left hand, with his right arm around something warm and soft. In that nothing-to-show-for era, he felt content as if he owned the entire world. ¡°¡­Although dating lowered my intelligence, that period was quite happy,¡± Zhang Yuan sat on the steps, reminiscing. That girl who found spending money troublesome, she must have grown up too, right? Should he make a call? After thinking it over, he shook his head. Forget it, after so long without contact, there¡¯s no such thing as feelings anymore, just memories remain, like a piece of art, vaguely beautified. Chapter 33 - Chapter 33: Chapter 33 Award Ceremony Chapter 33: Chapter 33 Award Ceremony Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°` First love happens only once; it exists solely within memories. In a lifetime, one will never again experience an age where the scent of the opposite sex quickens their heartbeat. Zhang Yuan reflected, time truly is a terrifying assassin, even blurring the memories of first love, making all the past unpleasantness vanish, making it seem so perfect¡­ If they boarded the spaceship, everything on Earth would surely grow old with time. All the memories would become more beautiful. Just like that day, when he climbed a mountain in the sweltering heat to witness a sunset, the whole process was hot and uncomfortable. But decades later, most of the unpleasantness would be forgotten, leaving only that sun that refused to set¡­ ¡°A distance of 20 light years, that¡¯s already another space-time, isn¡¯t it?¡± Sighing long, Zhang Yuan walked out of the supermarket. ¡­ Next, at one o¡¯clock in the afternoon, the ¡°Galaxy Award¡± ceremony would take place. Zhang Yuan arrived early at the venue, with all kinds of festive decorations making the hall especially grand. The ¡°Galaxy Award¡± was held every two years, jointly established by the Deep Space Foundation and the National Science and Technology Association, rewarding outstanding contributors in the aerospace industry, and has a history of over eighty years. This national award, with generous prizes, awards 10 million yuan to first-prize winners, 5 million for second, and even 2 million for third prize. It is also the highest-paying science-related award in the country, with live broadcast coverage by major media. In short, the organizers had ¡°wealthy and bold¡± written all over their faces. ¡°Obviously they¡¯re going to be broke in the future, still handing out bonuses like this¡­¡± Regarding this, Zhang Yuan couldn¡¯t help but ridicule in his mind. But there was no choice; those who made outstanding contributions should be rewarded. No matter how poor, scientists shouldn¡¯t be deprived. It was still early, and the ceremony hadn¡¯t officially started. Zhang Yuan already saw many old friends, including Professor Wang Zhong, Xu Yunjing, Wang Lili, and some of his father¡¯s former colleagues, all casting friendly glances his way. ¡°Nervous?¡± ¡°Just fine, after all, I¡¯m just a substitute to collect the award¡­¡± Professor Wang smiled and said, ¡°One day, you should rely on your own strength to stand on such a stage.¡± Zhang Yuan nodded, feeling moved, ¡°Professor Wang, I¡¯ve written a paper recently, could you have a look at it?¡± Professor Wang Zhong, hearing that Zhang Yuan had really written a paper, felt quite pleased, ¡°Oh? What¡¯s the title? If it¡¯s nonsense, I will criticize you. Research papers are not undergraduate theses; if they¡¯re not published, they are practically useless¡­¡± Zhang Yuan hurriedly replied, ¡°Definitely no nonsense! The title is ¡®Kinematic Analysis of High-Degree-of-Freedom Robots Based on Geometric Group Theory and Topology.¡¯ I¡¯ll send it to your email.¡± ¡°Geometric Group Theory? Okay, I¡¯ll help you take a look after I get back.¡± Professor Wang glanced over the title, ¡°But I¡¯m not very proficient in robotics knowledge, I can only help see if there¡¯s any logical error in the mathematical reasoning. If it¡¯s good, I¡¯ll forward it to other professors for further review.¡± Zhang Yuan said happily, ¡°Thank you, Professor Wang!¡± Reviewing papers is an exhausting task, requiring effort yet offering no authorship credit. Only professors with good relationships are willing to help this way. Without a professor¡¯s recommendation, the chances of getting published are greatly reduced. Professional reviewers rarely want to look at unknown works. Seeing that it¡¯s a submission by an undergraduate without notable endorsements, they might just pass on it. After all, there are many amateur scientists worldwide who claim to have invented ¡°Perpetual Motion Machines¡± or proved the ¡°Goldbach Conjecture¡± every day. If all nonsensical papers were read, there¡¯d be no time to do anything else. Zhang Yuan, after all, was writing this kind of proper long paper for the first time. Having Professor Wang oversee it, those unqualified details could be amended. Shortly after, Xu Yunjing quietly walked over, tapped Zhang Yuan on the shoulder. Seeing his casual wear, she was quite displeased, ¡°Why are you dressed like this? No, no, you need to change clothes quickly.¡± Zhang Yuan was puzzled, ¡°How should I dress then?¡± ¡°I told you to be a bit formal!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have such clothes; I never wear that kind of¡­¡± ¡°Wang Lili, hurry and lend him your boyfriend¡¯s suit!¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Wang Lili darted out of the venue. After a dozen minutes, she returned, panting, telling Zhang Yuan, ¡°Quickly put it on, put it on!¡± Changing clothes, especially someone else¡¯s, was giving Zhang Yuan a headache. ¡°Senior sister, if you keep tugging at me like this, your boyfriend will get jealous.¡± Wang Lili giggled, ¡°Jealous of my little junior? That would be too petty¡­ You¡¯re about to ascend; would he still be jealous of you?¡± ¡°Quickly now, I¡¯m a volunteer and must handle the entire venue¡¯s work! If I get scolded afterwards, you¡¯ll be responsible!¡± ¡°How should I take responsibility, by marrying you?¡± Wang Lili stared at him, ¡°Such boldness, daring to flirt with senior now? If you¡¯re willing to stay, I might consider it¡­¡± ¡°Absolutely not!¡± With no choice, Zhang Yuan had to go to the restroom to change into the suit. Clothes make the man; Buddha relies on gold decoration, after changing, he felt like a different person. ¡°Unexpectedly, looking quite handsome¡­ If my boyfriend sees this, he might really get jealous.¡± Wang Lili chuckled. A group of volunteer girls also gathered around, chattering and watching the ¡°first-prize winner,¡± making Zhang Yuan blush slightly. Sisters, the winner is not me¡­ ¡°Alright, the meeting is about to start, just sit here and wait. When you hear your name, go up to receive the award. Have you planned what to say? You don¡¯t need to say much, three thank-yous, two to three minutes, the reporters won¡¯t trouble you.¡± Zhang Yuan nodded. A burst of music began, and everyone standing returned to their places. The speeches by various leaders were followed by some cultural performances. The whole process was boring and almost put Zhang Yuan to sleep. But for those interested, it was a good opportunity for socializing. After all, the ¡°Galaxy Award¡± is a major national award, and those attending the ceremony were big shots from various fields, including leaders, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, academic elites, and so on. Some students were just there to join in the fun, or perhaps they were extras sent by the student union. Some students wished to be remembered here. With so many big shots, perhaps in the future, just by being recognized, they could gain an opportunity? Others from within the industry were exchanging insights on industry trends, using all sorts of professional jargon that left listeners in the clouds. ¡­ ¡°` Chapter 34 - Chapter 34: Chapter 34: Big Trouble! Chapter 34: Chapter 34: Big Trouble! Editor: Henyee Translations Zhang Yuan had no interest in communicating with others. He was about to leave Earth, so why bother with anyone? Sleeping seemed more practical. For some reason, he could never fall asleep in his dorm, yet in a classroom or such public places, he found it easier to become drowsy. Half an hour passed in a flash¡­ The award ceremony typically began with the third prize; after all, presenting the first prize right away would leave nothing for the end. The atmosphere in the venue was excellent, the host was very professional and humorous, plus it was the most prestigious award in the country, and the applause was like waves. ¡°Next, the recipient of the Galaxy Award First Prize is¡­¡± the host intentionally left a suspense, glanced at the still-sleeping Zhang Yuan, and was slightly stunned. Zhang Yuan suddenly heard his father¡¯s name and woke up with a jolt. On the screen, a video was playing: it was an introduction to his father¡¯s life. A renowned mathematician and engineer, chief engineer for the spaceship¡¯s main control system and nuclear engine¡­ Looking at the lines of text on the screen, the audience whispered and gasped. Any one of these achievements alone would be enough for an ordinary person to boast about for a lifetime. Amidst everyone¡¯s amazement, a piece of somber music began to play. Due to overwork, Professor Zhang died young, at the age of 60, so his family was to accept the award on his behalf. After the host finished speaking, Zhang Yuan went on stage, bowed slightly, and received the gold medal. A microphone was handed over. The host wanted him to share a few words of gratitude. The venue gradually became quiet. Zhang Yuan had already prepared his remarks and was not nervous. ¡°I am honored to accept the Galaxy Award First Prize on behalf of my father.¡± ¡°First of all, please allow me to thank the judging panel, thank the Science Committee, thank¡­¡± It was a very procedural speech; after all, ¡°thanks¡± usually numbered three, more would sound redundant, and less would not seem formal enough. Originally, being awarded the first prize was a significant event, with a principle of preferring quality over quantity, so several editions might not even see one being awarded; it was often left ¡°vacant.¡± However, now that the person involved had passed away and the family was accepting on their behalf, some of that significance was lost, and journalists were not very interested in interviews. What could they uncover by interviewing a family member? Zhang Yuan mused that if he himself had received the award, that would be the real glory¡­ He thanked his father for allowing him to experience the feeling of accolades. It was stressful, yet motivating. However, what he said next was what Zhang Yuan truly intended to say. ¡°¡­ According to my father¡¯s last wishes, here, I am willing to donate all the prize money, which is ten million in cash, to the Deep Space Foundation to support the development of the aerospace industry!¡± This stirred a hornet¡¯s nest, and a buzz like bees could be heard from the audience. Although Zhang Yuan was only the representative, such an act of donating all the prize money still sparked a lot of discussion. Nobody would believe in supposed last wishes; no matter how genius Zhang Qiming was, he couldn¡¯t have known he¡¯d win an award after dying. Thus, it must be the personal decision of the young man. Ten million! This was definitely not a small sum, enough for an ordinary person to live a very comfortable life for the rest of their days. And yet he just gave it up like that. Clap clap clap! The audience erupted with unprecedented applause. ¡°Thank you, everyone!¡± With a slight bow, Zhang Yuan handed the microphone back to the host, preparing to step down from the stage. He noticed Professor Wang Zhong, as well as several other notable figures nearby, were beaming with surprise. ¡°Mr. Zhang, can we have an interview?¡± A swarm of reporters rushed over, like a pack of dogs drawn to the scent of a bone, excited beyond measure. ¡°Mr. Zhang, I have a question I¡¯d like to ask you¡­¡± ¡°Mr. Zhang, could you come over here, please!¡± ¡°Why did you ??¡­?¡± Zhang Yuan felt dizzy and disoriented. Oh no, it seemed like good intentions resulted in trouble, inadvertently drawing the attention of so many reporters! The host cleared his throat, understanding exactly what this group of reporters wanted to ask. He hurriedly came to the rescue: ¡°Dear journalist friends, due to time constraints, only one question is allowed.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s have this lady, please, what would you like to ask?¡± he pointed to a lady at the front and asked. Zhang Yuan¡¯s heart sank. What a coincidence, it was that blonde reporter Angelica whom he had once bullied. Yes, the one from some Humanities Association whom he had teased before. Would she take this occasion to make fun of him? Angelica looked at Zhang Yuan with a complex expression. She wanted to get back at him but didn¡¯t dare to do so outright in this setting. However, she quickly adjusted her emotions and, after some deliberation, said in fluent Xia, ¡°Hello, everyone, my name is Angelica, from Lan Country.¡± ¡°My aspiration is to travel the world. I have visited many corners of the world, the bustling Xia Country, the beautiful Country Mi, but also some poor small countries¡­¡± ¡°¡­I once visited a small country and met a rich man there. He wore clothes made of burlap, a kind of, um, yellowed plant fiber clothing, which is the best clothing there. He had eight wives; please do not laugh at this, in their country, polygamy is legal.¡± ¡°How rich was he? He owned a cassava processing plant with two machines capable of grinding cassava into powder.¡± ¡°Because of this, he became a well-known rich person far and wide. Almost all the girls in the village were willing to marry him.¡± ¡°You can imagine, such poverty still exists in corners of the world, not just one place or one person, but many, many people¡­¡± The venue became quiet for a moment. Then whispers began again. Zhang Yuan could already imagine what she wanted to ask. Angelica continued, ¡°What I want to ask is, Mr. Zhang Yuan, why did you not donate this money to people who need it more?¡± ¡°There are so many poor people in the world who need our help. The Deep Space Foundation is already wealthy, investing hundreds of trillions each year in spaceflight and aerospace; I apologize for not remembering the exact number. Yet so little is donated to impoverished people; isn¡¯t this somewhat putting the cart before the horse?¡± The question was sharp, even carrying a hint of political sensitivity. Several political figures were already slightly frowning, worried the young man might respond poorly. The entire award ceremony was being broadcast live, and every word and action would be recorded, leading to wide public discussion. Especially with the full donation of the prize money, it was bound to stir conversation. The atmosphere in the venue quieted down, and all eyes were focused on Zhang Yuan, eager to know how this young man would handle it. Chapter 35 - Chapter 35: Chapter 35 Making a Bigger Cake Chapter 35: Chapter 35 Making a Bigger Cake Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°` Zhang Yuan thought for a couple of seconds, then took the microphone from the host. He suddenly felt that there weren¡¯t as many conspiracy theories as one might think. This blonde girl was quite adorable. She was likely genuinely thinking this way when she asked the question. Taking a deep breath, Zhang Yuan said slowly and steadily, ¡°Ma¡¯am, there¡¯s a concept you might have misunderstood.¡± ¡°Every year, the funds allocated for poverty alleviation by the government and various charity organizations amount to several hundred billion. It¡¯s real money, donated by the people of each country. These kind-hearted people have sacrificed their own interests to help others. Indeed, they are very great.¡± ¡°But the 167 trillion produced by the aerospace industry each year is gross domestic product, not real money. It doesn¡¯t belong to the Deep Space Foundation but is collective wealth created by 43 million space workers and 2.2 billion surface workers, involving 273 large and small industries¡­¡± ¡°If there weren¡¯t this 167 trillion in GDP, I think there would be more than two billion additional people living in poverty on Earth. Everyone would have a worse living experience¡­¡± ¡°Therefore, the amount of money donated for poverty alleviation and the total output value are two concepts that shouldn¡¯t be confused.¡± ¡°As for your question, I can answer it like this: the aerospace industry is equivalent to enlarging the pie, while donating to the poor is merely redistributing the pie. I am more inclined towards the concept of ¡®enlarging the pie,¡¯ which is why I donate money to the Deep Space Foundation¡­¡± The audience below listened intently. Zhang Yuan¡¯s speech had a measured pace and clear logic, as if all his notes had already been prepared. Wang Lili and Xu Yunjing were quietly discussing: ¡°I didn¡¯t expect him to be so eloquent. He¡¯s usually quite shy.¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just an act!¡± ¡°Haha, this is Zhang Yuan¡¯s true self!¡± Zhang Yuan continued, ¡°¡­Why did I make this choice?¡± ¡°Ms. Angelica, I wonder if you have ever taken the space elevator or personally witnessed the entirety of the Solar System. If you have truly seen the vastness of space, you would realize that the cake of aerospace is astonishingly large, a hundred times, a thousand times, or even ten thousand times larger than you imagine!¡± ¡°As long as this cake is made well, it can feed hundreds of billions, even trillions of people!¡± ¡°The poverty alleviation you mentioned is just a minor issue.¡± ¡°However¡­¡± ¡°The difficulty of getting a slice of this cake is daunting. Billions are merely a drop in the bucket; trillions are just a drop in the ocean. The space elevator behind us, humanity¡¯s first, consumed trillions in funding and took a full twenty years to build!¡± ¡°¡­No private capital has the determination and ability to spend decades building a 36,000-kilometer space elevator, seemingly without any output, except for non-profit organizations like the Deep Space Foundation¡­¡± ¡°If, a hundred years ago, there had been no investment in this space elevator and no generous donations from those idealists, I think we might still be confined to the small Earth, living in widespread poverty. Even with controlled nuclear fusion, we would still be poor.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I donated the prize money my father received to the Foundation, though it¡¯s just a drop in the ocean; it¡¯s also my heartfelt wish¡­¡± ¡°We need more like-minded people to expand this pie together and let more people enjoy its benefits.¡± ¡°As for the poverty alleviation issue you mentioned, it¡¯s not that it¡¯s unimportant. I highly agree with your idea and greatly admire your benevolence. But we in Xia Country have an old saying: ¡®Teaching a man to fish is better than giving him a fish.¡¯ Simply giving them money and food will only raise a group of lazy people, and there¡¯s no essential improvement.¡± ¡°¡­I believe that only through education can their lives be changed. As for this aspect, the Deep Space Foundation has a charitable department in online education, aiming to spread education through remote networks, but I won¡¯t elaborate here. If you¡¯re interested, you can look into it.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± A burst of even more enthusiastic applause broke out. Zhang Yuan¡¯s response was smooth and sophisticated; it was impeccable from any angle. The blonde journalist just opened her mouth, unable to speak. Although she herself was not convinced, the audience had been convinced, and that was enough. ¡°Professor Wang, Zhang Qiming¡¯s son is quite impressive, very articulate.¡± The Foundation¡¯s vice-chairman, Liu Yi, said happily, ¡°It¡¯s as if we specially arranged for it.¡± ¡°With a scientist¡¯s son donating ten million, those wealthy bosses have to bleed heavily!¡± Wang Zhong chuckled without speaking, but the pride in his heart was hard to conceal. Praising his disciple¡¯s grandchild was far more satisfying than praising himself. The Deep Space Foundation was a behemoth, possessing not only massive political influence and technological power but also having vast shares in the aerospace industry and space elevators. For those capitalists, cooperating with the Foundation was a win-win situation. Of course, to achieve a win-win, they first had to catch the Foundation¡¯s eye ¡­ Anyway, they should donate a bit first. After all the awards were presented, the winners stepped onto the stage for a group photo, followed by various artistic performances and donation activities. Zhang Yuan stepped off the stage and sat quietly in his seat. Professor Wang gently patted him, giving an encouraging look. ¡°Professor Wang, I didn¡¯t say anything wrong, did I?¡± ¡°You spoke quite well!¡± Wang Zhong said with a laugh. Professor Wang Zhong watched as one after another, capitalists took the stage to donate, with deep emotion: ¡°If Mr. Qi Yuanshan could see this scene, he would certainly be gratified.¡± In the world, people pursue benefits, even if these capitalists were only in it for profit, not for ¡®ideals,¡¯ it was still a healthy cycle. It is easy to embellish the present, but offering help in desperation is as difficult as ascending to the heavens; those hard days were a story from a hundred years ago, even before Wang Zhong was born. Qi Yuanshan, known as the ¡°Einstein of Material Science,¡± was a true giant in the field. His three most outstanding achievements were ¡°High Magnetic Saturation Superconducting Material,¡± ¡°Mass Production Method of Carbon Nanotubes,¡± and third, of course, some sociological content of the New Civilization School. Why was controlled nuclear fusion difficult? There were many reasons, such as neutron radiation and the triple product, but a very important point was¡ªmagnetic field confinement was not strong enough. The magnetic field confinement had to be strong enough to hold the violent plasma in place to make the circulator¡¯s nuclear fusion reaction stable and last longer. But having a strong enough magnetic field wasn¡¯t just about increasing the current. In material science, there¡¯s a phenomenon called ¡°magnetic saturation.¡± When the external current and coil density reach a certain size, the magnetic field won¡¯t increase further. No matter what you do, the magnetic field remains the same; deal with it yourself. Reaching the limit of magnetic field confinement still wasn¡¯t strong enough to hold the plasma, which became an almost unsolvable problem. And Professor Qi Yuanshan¡¯s breakthrough ¡°High Magnetic Saturation Superconducting Material¡± straightforwardly and dramatically increased the original magnetic field strength tenfold! Tenfold! As a result, the violent plasma was obediently contained, and many problems were no longer problems. ¡°Controlled Nuclear Fusion Technology¡± finally appeared in the world, albeit late. In that era, without oil and with scarce energy, Professor Qi¡¯s reputation was like the midday sun, being called the ¡°Father of Nuclear Fusion.¡± The second major achievement was the mature production technology of carbon nanotubes, making them very cheap. This material¡¯s tensile strength was over 100 times that of steel, and its density was only 0.03 grams per cubic centimeter, making it an excellent building material. Such a scientific giant¡¯s influence extended into the modern era, admired by many scientists. However, at that time, Professor Qi¡¯s ¡°Proposal for the Construction of a Space Elevator¡± was rejected by the government. The investment was too large, too large for Xia Country, just recovering from an energy crisis, to accept¡­ ¡­ As for what happened later that ultimately caused such a significant change in government stance, Wang Zhong didn¡¯t know. He only knew that the space elevator was built on schedule and was almost complete by the time he was born. Xia Country gambled its national destiny for 20 years and finally bet on a bright future! Historical historians still frequently talk about this past event with great relish up to the present. A country¡¯s development, taking one step puts you ahead in all steps thereafter. So it is with a civilization. Without that brave step, perhaps the Earth would still have no space elevator and no beautiful present. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- (For web readers, please rate this book, a 5-star rating wouldn¡¯t be too much!) ¡°` Chapter 36 - Chapter 36: Chapter 36 is trending! Chapter 36: Chapter 36 is trending! Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°` The venue was getting more and more lively, and all the audience could barely hold back their enthusiasm to discuss. Finally, the chairman of the organizing committee made a speech and delivered the closing remarks, ¡°I announce that the total fundraising amount this time is, $4.211 billion!¡± Thunderous applause filled the room. ¡°Here, I sincerely hope the Earth Era can withstand the scrutiny of 20 light years and successfully reach its destination, building the Second Star System for all humanity!¡± ¡°I announce the 43rd Galaxy Award Ceremony officially closed!¡± Amid the splendid cultural performance, people gradually left the venue. ¡°Whew¡­ It¡¯s finally over.¡± Zhang Yuan let out a long sigh of relief, lamenting how an entire afternoon of his life had been wasted like this. He quickly ran to the restroom, took off the suit he was wearing, and handed it to Wang Lili. ¡°Handsome guy, I didn¡¯t expect you to be quite eloquent!¡± Wang Lili took the clothes and teased with a smile, ¡°I was breaking a sweat for you just now!¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because you were going live, the biggest award in the country, plus the spaceship¡¯s launch ceremony. It attracts a lot of attention. That question was too sharp. If it were me, I would definitely be a bit nervous¡­¡± Wang Lili turned on her phone screen, waving it back and forth in front of him. ¡°If the response isn¡¯t good, you¡¯ll be trending, no, you¡¯re already trending now!¡± Zhang Yuan took Wang Lili¡¯s phone and looked closely. A black bold headline appeared right in the middle of the screen. ¡°Shocking! Son of a Scientist Donates Entire Prize, Ridiculed by Female Reporter!¡± ¡°Even if the Poor Starve, He Wouldn¡¯t Help Them!¡± The popularity was soaring! Zhang Yuan was baffled; these unscrupulous self-media were really risking everything for eyeballs. He sighed deeply, ¡°Forget it, forget it, no matter what the answer is, you¡¯ll get criticized. I had already mentally prepared for it. Donating the bonus was something I had thought of beforehand, who knew it would stir up such a¡­¡± Plus some debate about whether poverty alleviation or supporting aerospace is more important and so on. The world was still dominated by the voices of ordinary people, as if not donating money to them was a sin. Various internet trolls could always find the most comfortable posture to criticize others. They incessantly said strange comments like ¡°pretentious jerk,¡± ¡°prodigal son.¡± ¡°Thanks for the invite, on the Moon, just got off the spaceship, monthly income of a million, too many people in the circle, hard to comment, anonymous.¡± ¡°Mr. Zhang, do you have a girlfriend? He must be a big tycoon!¡± ¡°He probably does, and maybe several. Are you interested?¡± ¡°Hee-hee, aren¡¯t you interested?¡± ¡°Several is okay, just be a tycoon, so handsome!¡± Praising him for being handsome, Zhang Yuan felt inexplicably satisfied. However, he was not a tycoon. ¡°I bet this guy is going to enter the entertainment industry! It¡¯s a great packaging opportunity, creating a very good persona. (Struggle)(Struggle) The next step would be shooting TV shows or participating in variety shows, both art and sports, everyone stay tuned!¡± ¡°Spending ten million to advertise once, gaining fame, a very smart choice, what a pity. The son of a great scientist actually wants to become a celebrity.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with being a celebrity? Being a celebrity is great!¡± ¡°You know nothing!¡± Zhang Yuan felt a bit dizzy, silently admiring the people¡¯s powerful imagination. If they could imagine so well, why not become scientists? ¡°Do you want to be a big star? With some packaging, it¡¯s really possible!¡± Wang Lili said with a laugh. ¡°No, I¡¯m tone-deaf, and I can¡¯t dance.¡± There were also some busybodies wanting to dig into Zhang Yuan¡¯s life. Fortunately, he had never had a habit of posting on social media, so this group couldn¡¯t dig up anything special after a long search, only finding his alma mater and exam scores, etc. ¡°Only got into Z University, didn¡¯t even study abroad, GPA only 4.58¡­¡± ¡°What era are we in, still studying abroad? Are you an idiot? Going to a Natives¡¯ school?¡± ¡°What do you mean only 4.58 GPA? Z University¡¯s full GPA is only 5, okay? That¡¯s equivalent to an average score of 95.8, so anyone who hasn¡¯t been to university should shut up!¡± Anyway, the previous Zhang Yuan, although not the most outstanding, was indeed not bad and didn¡¯t have many black spots. Yet, there was still a group of people tirelessly searching¡ª internet real-name systems couldn¡¯t stop these idle people¡­ Of course, there was also a pile of people who supported him, many of whom were women. Zhang Yuan had a bit of a headache; he had no idea things would turn out like this. It was just a donation. Was it such a big deal? With envy comes jealousy, with jealousy comes hate. As long as you stand straight, you won¡¯t fear your shadow bending. Let them be. Listening to his various complaints, Wang Lili also opened a social app and ruthlessly commented, ¡°This guy, aside from being a bit handsome, doesn¡¯t have many advantages. Witnessed his prodigal behavior firsthand, so frustrating!¡± [Like][Like][Like] In just a few seconds, a bunch of likes poured in. ¡°You¡¯re adding insult to injury too¡­¡± Zhang Yuan shook his head helplessly. ¡°Mr. Zhang, please come over here to sign!¡± someone suddenly called him from behind. ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Zhang Yuan turned around and signed his name on a ¡°donation agreement,¡± pressing his fingerprint. What was said cannot be undone. After doing this, the ten million prize was officially donated. Since he was about to run away anyway, Zhang Yuan didn¡¯t feel distressed, just like donating Game Coin from a video game account. He didn¡¯t even blink. This feeling was strange. National-level science awards, according to policy, did not require taxes, which was equivalent to the Foundation transferring this part of the funds from its left hand to its right hand. However, the corresponding processes still needed to be done. The Deep Space Foundation, with its century-long history, had developed into such a colossal organization, it had long formed a very standardized administrative system, and most of the funds flow was transparent. Wang Lili and Xu Yunjing, the two volunteers, watched the entire scene, occasionally glancing at each other with very resentful expressions. ¡°The number one in front, so many zeros behind, when will I ever earn so much money? Probably never in this lifetime¡­¡± Xu Yunjing sighed. Wang Lili also said wistfully, ¡°Yeah, a perfectly good tall, rich, and handsome guy, recklessly squandering himself into a poor man¡­ Acting like you have a lot of money, but you only have this much money.¡± ¡°¡­Some relatives and friends I know have assets worth hundreds of millions, yet they¡¯ve never donated so much. Ten million, I so want to snatch it all to buy clothes, so many clothes!¡± Xu Yunjing nodded in agreement, ¡°Luckily, he¡¯s not my boyfriend, or I¡¯d be driven mad by him. Just want to beat him up hard¡­¡± Even though he knew they were joking, Zhang Yuan still felt quite embarrassed, unsure of what to say. Wang Lili threw out another strange question, ¡°You astronauts, can you back out temporarily? Like¡­ suddenly not wanting to go and just wanting to stay home.¡± ¡°Of course you can.¡± Zhang Yuan thought for a moment and said, ¡°But if there¡¯s no reasonable reason, backing out temporarily would be treated as desertion, which carries significant risks.¡± ¡°Desertion, you know, is like refusing military service¡­ First, you¡¯ll be fined a sum of money, probably tens of thousands for training costs, and most social benefits will be canceled, and it will appear on your social credit and so on. Lots of penalties, anyway, being a deserter, it¡¯s really hard to get a good job in the future¡­¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C (Thanks to the book friend ¡°Experiment Body Jun Gui¡± for the Alliance Hierarch reward, although the collection of this book is growing slowly, to have an Alliance Hierarch so early is truly a blessing, thank you!) ¡°` Chapter 37 - Chapter 37: Chapter 37: You dont know me? Chapter 37: Chapter 37: You don¡¯t know me? Editor: Henyee Translations For deserters, any country would implement exceptionally severe punishment measures. The volunteers on the Earth Era, although not soldiers, also consumed a lot of public resources for training. Initially, they eagerly signed up, but if they regretted it before leaving, they would certainly be punished. Wang Lili said again, ¡°But with that ten million, plus the inheritance your father left, you can live quite lavishly on Earth. Credit scores and such aren¡¯t a big deal anymore; no mistakes should be passed on to your descendants¡­¡± Zhang Yuan replied casually, ¡°It would affect the descendants too, wouldn¡¯t it? With me as their dad, my son and daughter¡¯s political assessments would basically be impossible to pass, affecting more than just my generation.¡± ¡°And the inheritance was donated long ago, leaving no room for regret. I never consider the things you¡¯re talking about, so it doesn¡¯t bother me.¡± Feeling mentally overshadowed, Wang Lili was very discouraged and pouted, ¡°You weird astronauts, your thinking is indeed different from ours¡­ Acting all high and mighty!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not actually high and mighty, but a kind of dumb behavior!¡± Xu Yunjing, standing beside, laughed, very much agreeing with Wang Lili¡¯s statement. ¡°Right, it¡¯s dumb!¡± ¡°How is it dumb?¡± ¡°Stupidly dumb.¡± Zhang Yuan couldn¡¯t argue back and suddenly wanted to tease these two troublemaking seniors, ¡°I have a few questions to ask you. If our answers are the same, it means our IQs are about the same.¡± Wang Lili smiled slyly, preemptively defending herself, ¡°What kind of questions? If they¡¯re too weird, I might not be able to answer. Even if I¡¯m smart, I can¡¯t answer everything.¡± ¡°Very simple, a three-year-old child knows the answers, but you must answer within a second!¡± ¡°Alright, ask away.¡± Zhang Yuan held up one finger and asked, ¡°Is there a number bigger than 1?¡± ¡°There is.¡± The two girls answered in unison, their eyes filled with skepticism. What kind of dumb question is this? He held up two fingers, ¡°Is there a number bigger than 2?¡± ¡°There is!¡± Zhang Yuan sped up, ¡°Is there a number smaller than 3?¡± Smaller than 3? Wang Lili¡¯s eyes showed more suspicion and she said again, ¡°Of course there is!¡± ¡°Is there anyone dumber than you?¡± ¡°No! Haha, I knew you were going to pull a trick. I was thinking fast¡­¡± After a few seconds of silence, Xu Yunjing, standing by, suddenly laughed so hard she almost ran out of breath. Wang Lili looked at her dubiously, still pondering over what the riddle was all about. ¡°You just said it yourself, there¡¯s no one dumber than you¡­¡± Zhang Yuan looked up at the sky, pretending to be a sage from another world, ¡°There¡¯s indeed a bit of a gap between us, an IQ gap!¡± Wang Lili suddenly realized the trap Zhang Yuan had set. She was both angry and embarrassed, ¡°You dare bully your senior! You¡¯ve turned bad!¡± She stomped her foot, ¡°I¡¯m leaving, I need to return my clothes¡­¡± ¡°Stay put if you have the guts, I¡¯ll call my boyfriend to beat you up!¡± Wang Lili and Xu Yunjing left, bickering as they ran off. ¡­ After bidding farewell to the two adorable and silly seniors, Zhang Yuan walked alone on campus. Girls would often run up to him, wanting to exchange social media information. Girls nowadays were very enthusiastic and open; knowing another ¡°celebrity¡± was good, maybe something might happen in the future? ¡°Mr. Zhang Yuan, can I have your autograph?¡± ¡°Can I take a photo with you?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s have a meal together!¡± Unable to avoid it, Zhang Yuan quickly slipped into a narrow path. ¡°Darn it, do they really think I¡¯m going to be a celebrity? No way, I¡¯d never be a celebrity, not even in death!¡± This kind of thing annoyed Zhang Yuan to no end. He actually didn¡¯t play much with these social media apps and never cared about celebrity gossip; he just wanted to be himself. Spending time browsing social media was better spent studying at home. Yes, go back and study. ¡°Work hard, keep striving, fighting!¡± Finish one paper, then work on the second, third, fourth, fifth! ¡°Zhang Yuan, Zhang Yuan!¡± At this moment, a shout came from behind, ¡°Wait for me! Wait!¡± Zhang Yuan turned around and saw a girl in a white short-sleeve shirt running towards him. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Who are you?¡± The girl brushed her messy bangs, sweating profusely because there was no air conditioning outside the venue, ¡°You don¡¯t recognize me? Really? Think hard, try hard.¡± Zhang Yuan felt awkward. The girl in front of him was very pretty, fair-skinned, like someone he knew, but he didn¡¯t recognize her. Who is she? He racked his brains, these features and looks really seemed familiar, like he¡¯d seen them somewhere, yet he couldn¡¯t recall. ¡°Who? Who?¡± The feeling of being on the tip of his tongue was uncomfortable. Instead, he remembered a professional term called ¡°TOT phenomenon.¡± Yes, a vivid ¡°TOT,¡± meaning a failure in retrieving brain memory. Seeing his puzzled expression, the girl said softly, ¡°Mr. Zhang, you must be quite busy, have you forgotten even your first crush?¡± First crush? How could that be? Did she have cosmetic surgery? Zhang Yuan suddenly seemed to recall something, gesturing with his hands, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re Han Jing¡¯s sister?¡± Han Ziyue blinked, ¡°You finally remembered me, so frustrating!¡± She wore a white short-sleeve shirt, and her dark hair naturally fell on her shoulders. Under the denim shorts, her legs looked fair and even. For a girl with a good figure, it was indeed quite an eye-catching combination. Zhang Yuan remembered the dark, skinny middle school girl from back then, and now she had grown so charming. Indeed, girls change a lot as they grow, becoming more and more beautiful. ¡°Meeting you at this school, what a coincidence!¡± Zhang Yuan laughed twice. ¡°I only saw you at the award ceremony. I got into Xisha University, isn¡¯t that great!¡± ¡°Yeah, great¡­ Staying here for the summer to study? So diligent?¡± Han Ziyue laughed, ¡°Not really! Just holding onto the top students, and if I can win some awards, it¡¯ll be easier to apply for postgraduate studies later.¡± Walking side by side, the two found a restaurant and ordered some small dishes. ¡°Are you treating me to a meal? Let me order, let me order. I like the Dongdong Grass here, don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t have a big appetite, I won¡¯t eat too much¡­¡± Zhang Yuan casually asked, ¡°How¡¯s your sister? Is she doing well? Is she married?¡± Han Ziyue looked up, giving him a very ambiguous look, ¡°Huh? Are you hoping for old flames to reignite? You older folks like doing such boring things, I wouldn¡¯t ever think of reminiscing about past lovers.¡± Zhang Yuan quickly shook his head, ¡°Not really. It¡¯s been so many years, what¡¯s past is past, just a casual question¡­¡± Han Ziyue laughed, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll tell you. My sister has a boyfriend now, they¡¯ve met each other¡¯s parents, but they haven¡¯t registered yet.¡± ¡°If you want, I can help match you two up, anyway, I don¡¯t really like that prospective brother-in-law¡­ He looks kind of sleazy, not as handsome as you.¡± ¡°But you, you¡¯re actually Professor Zhang¡¯s son, we didn¡¯t know that before¡­ Professor Zhang, my idol!¡± Chapter 39 - Chapter 39: Chapter 39: What are you writing! Chapter 39: Chapter 39: What are you writing! Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°` When Wang Lili caught a glimpse of this paper for the first time, she was ecstatic. The world is so small! Could it be someone with the same name? ¡°Zhang Yuan¡± is such a common name, you could find ten thousand of them in the whole Xia Country! ¡°It probably isn¡¯t someone with the same name. A few days ago, I think I heard he was writing some kind of kinematics paper¡­¡± ¡°Haha, Horses¡¯ Fortune, you¡¯ve fallen into my hands!¡± The more Wang Lili thought about it, the more excited she became. When she recalled how her intelligence had been severely insulted that afternoon and how she couldn¡¯t find a way to save face, she held a grudge in her heart. ¡°Little Horses¡¯ Fortune, what good can come from your paper?¡± ¡°I must completely refute it, then criticize it until it¡¯s worthless, making the boss give you a good scolding!¡± Thinking of this, she quickly told her boyfriend, ¡°Sorry, I have something to do.¡± ¡°Huh? What!¡± The poor guy, after much effort, finally got his beloved girl to go out and planned to get into a little mischief. But then this happened. Go to ????????????????????.co ¡°The teacher sent over an assignment. No choice, I have to look at the paper first.¡± Yet he couldn¡¯t complain¡­ ¡°Then I¡¯ll ask you out again tomorrow¡­¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see if I have time tomorrow.¡± And just like that, Wang Lili abandoned her boyfriend and enthusiastically threw herself into the ¡°revolutionary work¡± of reading the paper. ¡­ Two hours later, she sat dazed in front of her computer. ¡°The writing is really longwinded, constantly rambling to increase length?¡± ¡°This point does have some substance.¡± Huh? What¡¯s this? Hmm¡­ Let me think. Maybe I need to look through some other papers. Gradually, her face flushed. Her whole body experienced a strange sensation of dizziness, and the dense text seemed like a heavenly book, so much so that later on, she had no idea what was being said. Read it again! Still no good¡­ Read it again! Wang Lili felt her thoughts were so clogged, she was nearly suffocating. So frustrating! I actually couldn¡¯t understand it! ¡­ After Zhang Yuan and Han Ziyue finished dinner, they also strolled around the pedestrian street near the campus for a while. They didn¡¯t buy anything, as for women, shopping and buying things are actually two separate matters¡­ Then, bypassing the dormitory supervisor¡¯s gaze, they went to her dorm room to ¡°fix her computer.¡± The computer wasn¡¯t really broken; it just ran slowly due to aging parts. Zhang Yuan, of course, couldn¡¯t solve such a world-level problem; he just pretended to take apart the computer, cleaned out some dust, and deleted a bunch of junk software. He also got a wave of attention from the girls, with all sorts of singing and dancing, and the random questions made Zhang Yuan quite uncomfortable. If he had known earlier, he wouldn¡¯t have come. ¡°You look familiar. Have I seen you somewhere?¡± ¡°You were just on a live stream.¡± ¡°Is he your new boyfriend?¡± Han Ziyue replied, ¡°No, no, he¡¯s my sister¡¯s ex-boyfriend. He¡¯s an astronaut, the kind who¡¯s about to go to space.¡± ¡°Haha, that relationship seems quite strange.¡± ¡°¡­Doesn¡¯t every astronaut know how to fix things? If a computer chip really breaks, how should it be fixed? I heard that spaceship is going to fly for three thousand years.¡± Zhang Yuan patiently explained, ¡°The main chips on the spaceship are very traditional military silicon-based chips, low frequency, micron-level. The simpler and cruder something is, the less likely it is to break. Of course, the performance isn¡¯t that great, and they¡¯ll carry a lot of spare replacements to just swap in when one breaks.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s electronic equipment we bring ourselves, if it breaks, then it just stays broken, as it can¡¯t be fixed.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s so tragic; we better hope our phones don¡¯t break!¡± The girls couldn¡¯t imagine a miserable life without phones. Watching them chat, Han Ziyue just laughed on the side, her face slightly flushed. Zhang Yuan knew what the girl was thinking. Girls always have a bit of vanity. Zhang Yuan was now a minor celebrity too, and bringing him back to the dorm to show off certainly greatly satisfied her ¡°vanity.¡± Such things were all normal, as long as they didn¡¯t go too far. Actually, he also had a bit of vanity himself; who doesn¡¯t like being praised? In short, it was certainly a very comfortable day; he didn¡¯t use his brain, didn¡¯t study, and even enjoyed a wave of unprecedented adoration, basking in glory. Returning to his dorm, Zhang Yuan couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of guilt. Such decadence! ¡°If Ye Kaifu were still here, I might get mocked harshly!¡± He thought to himself, ¡°Anyway, I, Zhang Yuan, won¡¯t be a backup plan or a sycophant. In five days, I¡¯ll be aboard the spaceship and leaving, so how could I be afraid of you girls? If you ask me out tomorrow, I won¡¯t go; I¡¯ll just stay in the dorm and study.¡± Yes, that¡¯s the way. After reading for a while and studying for a bit, he then went to bed. He had a great habit of resting before midnight every night and then waking up at 7 AM sharp the next day. ¡°I wonder if Professor Wang has looked at my draft?¡± Groggily, he closed his eyes. He was sleeping soundly when suddenly, his phone rang. Ding-a-ling! Zhang Yuan woke with a start, looked at the time, and angrily asked, ¡°Sister Wang Lili, what are you doing? Do you know it¡¯s 2 AM¡­ you also have a boyfriend, can¡¯t you not disturb me in the middle of the night?¡± Wang Lili stuck out her tongue and asked apologetically, ¡°I have a question, do you have any recommended books for geometry group theory and topology?¡± She couldn¡¯t understand. She really couldn¡¯t understand Zhang Yuan¡¯s paper. She had studied group theory and topology, but combining the two fields of mathematics and utilizing some of the deep knowledge in them, she just couldn¡¯t grasp it. Both are profound areas of mathematics, and even if you study them a lifetime, you may not thoroughly master them. She asked a few good friends, but they couldn¡¯t understand either. She even asked a few doctoral senior students, still remaining in that foggy, in-between state of understanding and not understanding. But everyone said it was a very innovative article, needing to be studied well. She couldn¡¯t even understand it, so how could she edit the paper! She might even get criticized by the boss! At the thought of the boss¡¯s fretting, sighing, looking at her like a fool, she became very anxious. So, she could only take this roundabout way of saving herself. What books Zhang Yuan had read, she would read too. That way, she¡¯d surely understand his paper. ¡°I¡¯m such a genius! Coming up with this scheme.¡± ¡°He mustn¡¯t find out that I¡¯m modifying his paper and can¡¯t even understand it; otherwise, he¡¯ll laugh at me so cruelly, trampling me¡­¡± But in the next second, Wang Lili was disheartened. She heard Zhang Yuan say, ¡°You want to study group theory and topology, huh? These are two different branches of mathematics, and there actually isn¡¯t a particularly comprehensive textbook that explains their connection.¡± ¡°Then quickly introduce them.¡± Wang Lili almost blurted out her true intention. ¡°Oh¡­ A topology on a group, forming a topological group. A group with a topology, or a topological space with a group structure, where the focus is that the group operation must be continuous. An important subclass in topological groups is the so-called Lie Group, and within it is another important subclass called typical groups (Matrix Groups), for instance, those you might encounter in linear algebra, like GL(n), O(n), U(n), etc., all belong to this category¡­¡± ¡°If you want to learn completely, there are five books I can recommend to you, and these documents can also be referenced¡­¡± Five books, how long will it take me to finish them?! I have to hand it over tomorrow! Wang Lili almost fainted. ¡°` Chapter 39 - Chapter 39: Chapter 39: What are you writing! Chapter 39: Chapter 39: What are you writing! Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°` When Wang Lili caught a glimpse of this paper for the first time, she was ecstatic. The world is so small! Could it be someone with the same name? ¡°Zhang Yuan¡± is such a common name, you could find ten thousand of them in the whole Xia Country! ¡°It probably isn¡¯t someone with the same name. A few days ago, I think I heard he was writing some kind of kinematics paper¡­¡± ¡°Haha, Horses¡¯ Fortune, you¡¯ve fallen into my hands!¡± The more Wang Lili thought about it, the more excited she became. When she recalled how her intelligence had been severely insulted that afternoon and how she couldn¡¯t find a way to save face, she held a grudge in her heart. ¡°Little Horses¡¯ Fortune, what good can come from your paper?¡± ¡°I must completely refute it, then criticize it until it¡¯s worthless, making the boss give you a good scolding!¡± Thinking of this, she quickly told her boyfriend, ¡°Sorry, I have something to do.¡± ¡°Huh? What!¡± The poor guy, after much effort, finally got his beloved girl to go out and planned to get into a little mischief. But then this happened. Go to ????????????????????.co ¡°The teacher sent over an assignment. No choice, I have to look at the paper first.¡± Yet he couldn¡¯t complain¡­ ¡°Then I¡¯ll ask you out again tomorrow¡­¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see if I have time tomorrow.¡± And just like that, Wang Lili abandoned her boyfriend and enthusiastically threw herself into the ¡°revolutionary work¡± of reading the paper. ¡­ Two hours later, she sat dazed in front of her computer. ¡°The writing is really longwinded, constantly rambling to increase length?¡± ¡°This point does have some substance.¡± Huh? What¡¯s this? Hmm¡­ Let me think. Maybe I need to look through some other papers. Gradually, her face flushed. Her whole body experienced a strange sensation of dizziness, and the dense text seemed like a heavenly book, so much so that later on, she had no idea what was being said. Read it again! Still no good¡­ Read it again! Wang Lili felt her thoughts were so clogged, she was nearly suffocating. So frustrating! I actually couldn¡¯t understand it! ¡­ After Zhang Yuan and Han Ziyue finished dinner, they also strolled around the pedestrian street near the campus for a while. They didn¡¯t buy anything, as for women, shopping and buying things are actually two separate matters¡­ Then, bypassing the dormitory supervisor¡¯s gaze, they went to her dorm room to ¡°fix her computer.¡± The computer wasn¡¯t really broken; it just ran slowly due to aging parts. Zhang Yuan, of course, couldn¡¯t solve such a world-level problem; he just pretended to take apart the computer, cleaned out some dust, and deleted a bunch of junk software. He also got a wave of attention from the girls, with all sorts of singing and dancing, and the random questions made Zhang Yuan quite uncomfortable. If he had known earlier, he wouldn¡¯t have come. ¡°You look familiar. Have I seen you somewhere?¡± ¡°You were just on a live stream.¡± ¡°Is he your new boyfriend?¡± Han Ziyue replied, ¡°No, no, he¡¯s my sister¡¯s ex-boyfriend. He¡¯s an astronaut, the kind who¡¯s about to go to space.¡± ¡°Haha, that relationship seems quite strange.¡± ¡°¡­Doesn¡¯t every astronaut know how to fix things? If a computer chip really breaks, how should it be fixed? I heard that spaceship is going to fly for three thousand years.¡± Zhang Yuan patiently explained, ¡°The main chips on the spaceship are very traditional military silicon-based chips, low frequency, micron-level. The simpler and cruder something is, the less likely it is to break. Of course, the performance isn¡¯t that great, and they¡¯ll carry a lot of spare replacements to just swap in when one breaks.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s electronic equipment we bring ourselves, if it breaks, then it just stays broken, as it can¡¯t be fixed.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s so tragic; we better hope our phones don¡¯t break!¡± The girls couldn¡¯t imagine a miserable life without phones. Watching them chat, Han Ziyue just laughed on the side, her face slightly flushed. Zhang Yuan knew what the girl was thinking. Girls always have a bit of vanity. Zhang Yuan was now a minor celebrity too, and bringing him back to the dorm to show off certainly greatly satisfied her ¡°vanity.¡± Such things were all normal, as long as they didn¡¯t go too far. Actually, he also had a bit of vanity himself; who doesn¡¯t like being praised? In short, it was certainly a very comfortable day; he didn¡¯t use his brain, didn¡¯t study, and even enjoyed a wave of unprecedented adoration, basking in glory. Returning to his dorm, Zhang Yuan couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of guilt. Such decadence! ¡°If Ye Kaifu were still here, I might get mocked harshly!¡± He thought to himself, ¡°Anyway, I, Zhang Yuan, won¡¯t be a backup plan or a sycophant. In five days, I¡¯ll be aboard the spaceship and leaving, so how could I be afraid of you girls? If you ask me out tomorrow, I won¡¯t go; I¡¯ll just stay in the dorm and study.¡± Yes, that¡¯s the way. After reading for a while and studying for a bit, he then went to bed. He had a great habit of resting before midnight every night and then waking up at 7 AM sharp the next day. ¡°I wonder if Professor Wang has looked at my draft?¡± Groggily, he closed his eyes. He was sleeping soundly when suddenly, his phone rang. Ding-a-ling! Zhang Yuan woke with a start, looked at the time, and angrily asked, ¡°Sister Wang Lili, what are you doing? Do you know it¡¯s 2 AM¡­ you also have a boyfriend, can¡¯t you not disturb me in the middle of the night?¡± Wang Lili stuck out her tongue and asked apologetically, ¡°I have a question, do you have any recommended books for geometry group theory and topology?¡± She couldn¡¯t understand. She really couldn¡¯t understand Zhang Yuan¡¯s paper. She had studied group theory and topology, but combining the two fields of mathematics and utilizing some of the deep knowledge in them, she just couldn¡¯t grasp it. Both are profound areas of mathematics, and even if you study them a lifetime, you may not thoroughly master them. She asked a few good friends, but they couldn¡¯t understand either. She even asked a few doctoral senior students, still remaining in that foggy, in-between state of understanding and not understanding. But everyone said it was a very innovative article, needing to be studied well. She couldn¡¯t even understand it, so how could she edit the paper! She might even get criticized by the boss! At the thought of the boss¡¯s fretting, sighing, looking at her like a fool, she became very anxious. So, she could only take this roundabout way of saving herself. What books Zhang Yuan had read, she would read too. That way, she¡¯d surely understand his paper. ¡°I¡¯m such a genius! Coming up with this scheme.¡± ¡°He mustn¡¯t find out that I¡¯m modifying his paper and can¡¯t even understand it; otherwise, he¡¯ll laugh at me so cruelly, trampling me¡­¡± But in the next second, Wang Lili was disheartened. She heard Zhang Yuan say, ¡°You want to study group theory and topology, huh? These are two different branches of mathematics, and there actually isn¡¯t a particularly comprehensive textbook that explains their connection.¡± ¡°Then quickly introduce them.¡± Wang Lili almost blurted out her true intention. ¡°Oh¡­ A topology on a group, forming a topological group. A group with a topology, or a topological space with a group structure, where the focus is that the group operation must be continuous. An important subclass in topological groups is the so-called Lie Group, and within it is another important subclass called typical groups (Matrix Groups), for instance, those you might encounter in linear algebra, like GL(n), O(n), U(n), etc., all belong to this category¡­¡± ¡°If you want to learn completely, there are five books I can recommend to you, and these documents can also be referenced¡­¡± Five books, how long will it take me to finish them?! I have to hand it over tomorrow! Wang Lili almost fainted. ¡°` Chapter 40 - Chapter 40: Chapter 40: What a Good Paper! Chapter 40: Chapter 40: What a Good Paper! Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°` Just thinking about not being able to complete the task today, Wang Lili cursed to herself, ¡°Horse¡¯s Fortune, I¡¯m done with this!¡± ¡°Senior, why is your breathing so rapid? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Zhang Yuan scratched his head awkwardly. In the middle of the night, rapid breathing, and even making a phone call, could it be she¡¯s looking for some excitement? ¡°What¡­ heavy?¡± Wang Lili finally regained her senses and snapped, ¡°Let¡¯s just leave it at that, I¡¯m hanging up!¡± Zhang Yuan felt a bit puzzled, but he couldn¡¯t be bothered to think about it more. He just closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep. After confirming that she couldn¡¯t save the day in a roundabout way, Wang Lili could only send an email to her teacher, admitting her lack of ability: ¡°I don¡¯t understand, I¡¯m sorry.¡± She also included the opinions of several senior brothers as a backup, indicating that she had already tried her best. ¡°My credibility scores are going to be completely deducted¡­¡± She sighed heavily. ¡­ The next morning, Lin Wenda arrived at his office and brewed a cup of green tea. The first thing he did every day was open his email. Go to ????????????????????.co Various miscellaneous tasks usually lasted until ten o¡¯clock. But today there were particularly few emails, only a handful. ¡°Hmm, Wang Lili didn¡¯t understand the article?¡± Lin Wenda was slightly surprised. Seeing the email was sent at two in the morning, he decided not to blame his student. ¡°It seems she really didn¡¯t understand, interesting¡­¡± Wang Lili was a student who, although not the most talented, had always been reliable in her work. Since there were fewer affairs to handle, Lin Wenda thought to himself: I might as well take a look myself. He opened the email and began reading carefully. At first, his brow was tightly furrowed, but soon enough, something caught his attention, and he continued reading intently. A fine layer of sweat gradually covered his forehead. His expression grew more and more excited, to the point where his hair stood on end. A very valuable article! ¡°The kinematics of humanoid robots are clearly described using a new method!¡± ¡°No, this is just a framework, a grand theory; many details still need to be perfected¡­¡± What did this mean? It meant countless subsequent papers, it meant related industries might further upgrade! A groundbreaking discovery! As an insider, he deeply understood the article¡¯s value. At that moment, Lin Wenda felt a temptation to claim the paper as his own. The rewards from this paper were simply too enormous, especially the fame! He could already foresee a constant stream of awards, to the point his hands would cramp from receiving them. However, he quickly restrained this desire. The paper was sent over by Professor Wang. If he dared to claim it as his own, with Old Wang¡¯s prowess, it would take only a second for him to turn into ashes¡­ the energy of an Academician was not something a regular professor could rival. Besides, it was really unethical to engage in academic misconduct, even though one heard about such shenanigans quite often in the circle. ¡°It¡¯s better to be honest, there¡¯s no need to snatch from others; writing some follow-up expansion papers by myself is already quite impressive.¡± ¡°Yes, there¡¯s a lot of follow-up work to do!¡± As he thought this through, Lin Wenda felt inspiration flowing like the Yangtze River, able to write effortlessly. As for the current projects¡­ compared to writing papers, they were nothing. These were not filler papers; they were quite valuable. ¡°Knock, knock, knock!¡± Someone stood outside, knocked on the door, and then coughed. Lin Wenda looked up, seeing it was Lu Junzhe, the dean of the Mechanical Engineering College. Professor Lu smiled and asked, ¡°Professor Lin, what are you looking at? So engrossed and even giggling. I¡¯ve been standing here for ages¡­¡± Lin Wenda instinctively wanted to hide Zhang Yuan¡¯s paper but thought better of it and took it out. ¡°Professor Lu, have a look at this paper, it¡¯s quite interesting!¡± An interesting paper? Lu Junzhe skeptically walked over and skimmed through a few lines. ¡°A novice writing their first paper, as bad as an undergraduate thesis.¡± ¡°It does look a bit like that.¡± ¡°Undergraduate theses are mass-produced garbage, but there¡¯s nothing you can do.¡± Then, as if something caught his attention, his breathing became rapid. A new method! His eyes gleamed brighter. Its value¡­ Immeasurable! After reading the entire paper, he hurriedly turned and left, urgently in a rush. ¡°Professor Lu, where are you going?¡± Lin Wenda was a bit confused. ¡°Going back to write!¡± Professor Lu hurriedly said, ¡°Inspiration is the most valuable thing; I can¡¯t waste it!¡± ¡°No, what did you come to me for?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Professor Lu remembered his initial purpose and stopped. He slapped his forehead, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s nothing much. The annual departmental evaluation is about to begin. Last year, our college didn¡¯t produce any outstanding work and might slide in rank again, so I came to talk with you all. If there¡¯s any important article, publish it quickly. We must maintain our rank; otherwise, everyone¡¯s funding will reduce by a tier.¡± There¡¯s competition among universities, and rankings among departments too. Xisha University¡¯s ¡°Mechanical Engineering¡± was a top-notch field, but it hadn¡¯t produced particularly outstanding work in recent years, always hovering around fifteenth or sixteenth nationally, much to Professor Lu¡¯s anxiety. As the dean, he was responsible. How were rankings made? Academic reputation, employer reputation, paper citations, and all sorts of index weights. Anyway, papers were certainly the top priority. Lin Wenda collected his smile: ¡°This paper was written by¡­ Zhang Yuan, Zhang Qiming¡¯s son, who¡¯s about to board the spaceship, part of the Deep Space Foundation. And it was completed independently by him, so it can¡¯t be attributed to our college.¡± ¡°Zhang Yuan? I¡¯ve heard of him.¡± Professor Lu blinked, ¡°Like father, like son, such a pity it¡¯s not our college¡¯s achievement¡­ What a shame.¡± Lin Wenda laughed heartily: ¡°Old Lu, don¡¯t be anxious. Isn¡¯t the extension of this paper good work? Based on it, we can at least write ten more highly valuable articles!¡± ¡°The paper has just come out and hasn¡¯t been published yet; no one else has seen it.¡± ¡°We saw it first, that¡¯s our opportunity. Let¡¯s seize it and fleece it for what it¡¯s worth!¡± Professor Lu¡¯s eyes shone as he slapped his thigh: ¡°Right! It¡¯s just a broad framework and can¡¯t be applied concretely yet; there are still a lot of details to discuss.¡± ¡°Just the expansion tasks are too much for the two of us¡­¡± He quickly made a call to notify his assistant, ¡°Little Yuan, quick, gather all the professors, there¡¯s a major task to distribute to everyone.¡± ¡­ ¡°` CREATORS¡¯ THOUGHTS Henyee From 18 Dec 2020, there will be only 40 chapters for Trial Read, with Chapters 20 to 40 locked. After a book is picked, Chapters 20-39 will have the locks automatically removed. Chapters 1-39 will become free to read, with Chapter 40 remaining a Premium chapter. The selected book will have a mark on the corner of the book cover in 30 days to indicate continuation. Coins spent on all books during Trial Read will all be refunded within 30 days. However, Fast Passes will not be refunded. Thank you for your understanding. Chapter 41 - Chapter 41: Chapter 41 Probably a Weakling Chapter 41: Chapter 41 Probably a Weakling After the conference ended, almost everyone was bubbling with excitement and anxious anticipation. Professor Lu quickly proposed several broad directions, and everyone chose their favorite topic to avoid overlapping ideas within the Mechanical Engineering College. If this series of papers was successfully published, it would be enough to make up a special issue, and it would be a great opportunity for the Mechanical Engineering College to break into the top ten nationwide! ¡°With higher rankings, graduates won¡¯t have to worry about finding jobs¡­ and it would also attract various high-end manufacturing enterprises.¡± Thinking about the certain improvement of various indicators, Professor Lu became more and more cheerful, and couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter. Happiness came so fast, it was almost overwhelming. ¡°Right, Zhang Yuan¡¯s paper needs to be published as soon as possible. All our work is based on it. Without its publication, we can only hold onto our papers,¡± Professor Lu Junzhe suddenly remembered this important detail, ¡°It would be best to get it published in ¡®Modern Science¡¯ as soon as possible.¡± ¡®Modern Science¡¯ is almost the most influential journal in the country, a top-tier Q1 journal. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll personally help him edit it!¡± Lin Wenda offered. ¡°No.¡± Professor Lu Junzhe shook his head, ¡°He is not your student, better not to meddle too much. Poor editing could cause trouble. Just give some editorial recommendations; let him handle it himself.¡± ¡°Actually, they¡¯re all insignificant details, not that important. Get it approved quickly, so we can publish our papers¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Regular publications usually undergo a triple review process: initial editor review, peer review, and chief editor¡¯s final review. It can take as little as one to two months or as long as half a year to a year to review, which made Professor Lu Junzhe very anxious. Go to ????????????????????.co Such urgency, truly urgent. Because as long as Zhang Yuan¡¯s paper wasn¡¯t published, they couldn¡¯t cite their research results. Publishing without citation would be considered plagiarism, which would cause serious trouble! ¡°Alas, send him the expedited review email for the editor too, and get it published quickly.¡± As for whether it could be accepted? Such a question had naturally never crossed the minds of Professor Lu Junzhe and Lin Wenda. If that paper couldn¡¯t get through, ¡®Modern Science¡¯ might as well close down. ¡­ Half an hour later, Wang Zhong found an additional email in his inbox. ¡°An exceptionally innovative and valuable paper, it is recommended to submit directly to ¡®Modern Science¡¯¡­¡± ¡°Editorial recommendations are as follows¡­¡± Wang Zhong was delighted to see his grand-student praised, knowing that if the paper wasn¡¯t good, they wouldn¡¯t suggest submitting it to ¡®Modern Science.¡¯ He then forwarded the email to Zhang Yuan. Zhang Yuan received the email promptly and was stunned as he read it. ¡°They actually want me to submit to ¡®Modern Science¡¯!¡± Zhang Yuan pondered deeply for a while, then sighed heavily. He originally intended to submit to just any journal, but Professor Wang had even sent him the submission email. It seemed that the ¡°inspiration¡± his father left him was probably meticulously selected essence, much better than he had imagined. Without delving into these ¡°inspirations,¡± Zhang Yuan wouldn¡¯t have been able to uncover the hidden treasures within. ¡°Thanks, dad.¡± He faintly understood then the well-intentioned efforts of his father. Since the editorial recommendations suggested quick submission, he might as well make some casual changes, like modifying sentence structures; and he could cut out any overly verbose parts¡­ Yes, in his eyes, these were meaningless things. He was diligent, but never wasted his diligence on meaningless tasks. ¡°Let¡¯s leave it at that.¡± After three hours and some minor edits, Zhang Yuan felt shy about bothering the experts to review his paper again and sent it directly to the editor¡¯s email¡­ ¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s go have some fun!¡± At that moment, a female voice came from outside the door. Opening the door, he saw Han Ziyue had invited herself, smiling at him from just outside his dorm room. He wondered how she managed to sneak past the dormitory supervisor and make her way to the male dormitory. Zhang Yuan had just submitted his paper and was in a great mood, ¡°Don¡¯t you have training to do? The summer camp during the vacation is for studying, not for playing. Besides, a girl coming to a boys¡¯ dormitory could be kind of¡­¡± ¡°What could it be?¡± Zhang Yuan¡¯s eyes drifted up towards the ceiling, ¡°Could be¡­unsafe.¡± Han Ziyue boldly stepped into the room, looking around, ¡°Why are you sounding like my dad? What era do you think we¡¯re living in that you can¡¯t loosen up!¡± ¡°What? Loosen up?¡± Han Ziyue then mischievously added, ¡°Today is Saturday, you know. There¡¯s no need to keep studying all day long. As for safety¡­ do you really think you could do something to me? Weren¡¯t you always a proper person?¡± Zhang Yuan blushed, ¡°I definitely wouldn¡¯t.¡± His small room was not at all messy; on the contrary, it was very tidy and didn¡¯t have the usual smell that one finds in boys¡¯ dorms. ¡°Your place is cleaned up nicely, you must be good at household chores¡­¡± Zhang Yuan recalled his slovenly father¡ªwho else would do the chores if not him? He even knew how to cook, clean, and scrub the toilet¡­ He said, ¡°I am someone who is going to be on a spaceship, after all. If I didn¡¯t maintain personal hygiene, wouldn¡¯t I end up gassing out an entire spaceship? If there were a lot of complaints, I could lose my wakefulness rights and be put into forced hibernation.¡± Han Ziyue curiously sat on another stool, one hand propping up her chin, ¡°Haha, poor hygiene and you get forced into hibernation?¡± ¡°Exactly. And it¡¯s not just that. If you commit a crime, you¡¯d also be forced into hibernation. Anyway, you stay in hibernation until a new civilization arises, and then you¡¯re allowed to wake up for the trial, according to the law.¡± Zhang Yuan shrugged and closed some of the books that were open on his desk. ¡°That¡¯s just awful, waking up from hibernation only to go to jail?¡± Zhang Yuan nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ but normally people wouldn¡¯t commit crimes on purpose, right? What brings you here?¡± Han Ziyue invited him, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s nothing much, just thought we could go to the water park together. What do you say?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to go, I need to study!¡± Remembering the earnest pledge he had made the night before, Zhang Yuan dragged a stool and seriously sat in front of the computer, pretending to edit the paper he had already submitted. But the ¡°Learning to Distract Method¡± isn¡¯t almighty, and with a girl looking over his shoulder, Zhang Yuan always felt distracted. ¡°Ah, I remember now, you really are a studious nerd. Back in high school, you always loved doing homework. When you dated my sister, you often did her homework, and you even helped me with mine¡­¡± Han Ziyue found the memories incredibly amusing. ¡°When did I ever like doing homework? I did it because I had to¡­¡± Zhang Yuan remembered those times from about five or six years ago. Back then, Han Ziyue always loved to be the third wheel. Even kissing his girlfriend required her consent, which was incredibly annoying. And just like that, she had grown up so much. Time really does flow like water. Han Ziyue glanced at Zhang Yuan¡¯s computer screen, with a hint of admiration in her voice, ¡°This is your paper? Would you let me read it? Are you thinking of submitting it? Writing papers must be harder than winning competitions, right?¡± ¡°¡­I can¡¯t really say which is harder, I¡¯ve never won any competition prizes myself. Each has its difficulties, I guess.¡± Zhang Yuan inwardly doubted whether Miss Han, with her beauty but no brains, could understand any five consecutive words in it. From her loser vibe, it was clear¡­ she was probably a bottom-tier student. After all, she never liked doing homework and was never a top student from the start. And really, a sophomore girl¡ªno disrespect¡ªthe level is just not there. Chapter 42 - Chapter 42: Chapter 42 Sending Warmth? Chapter 42: Chapter 42 Sending Warmth? Sure enough, Han Ziyue pointed at one of the words and laughed, ¡°This¡­ what does ¡®ideal¡¯ mean here? So weird? Is that word even in academic papers?¡± ¡°Do you need ideals to write papers?¡± ¡°Could it be about the legendary New Civilization School papers?¡± Zhang Yuan covered his face, saying grumpily, ¡°¡­ a non-empty subset I of ring R, if for any two algebraic operations on R, it satisfies: for any a, b ¡Ê I, r ¡Ê R, a-b ¡Ê I, ra ¡Ê I, then I is called a left ideal of ring R. Similarly, there is a definition for right ideals.¡± ¡°A non-empty subset I of ring R, if it is both a left and right ideal, is called a bilateral ideal of R, usually simply referred as R¡¯s ideal.¡± Come on, this is the most basic concept in mathematics. Suddenly revealing her ignorance, Han Ziyue couldn¡¯t help but blush. She stuck out her tongue and said, ¡°You¡¯re no fun at all! Here I am teasing you, and you actually recite mathematical definitions.¡± ¡°No wonder you¡¯re a single guy, after being dumped by my sister, no girls like you anymore! That¡¯s not right, you know?¡± Zhang Yuan said expressionlessly, ¡°I know, but I won¡¯t change.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Han Ziyue was suddenly at a loss for words. ¡°Zhang Yuan, are you there?¡± Just at that moment, another female voice sounded outside the door, it seemed like Wang Lili. Go to ????????????????????.co Speaking of the word ¡°bad luck,¡± there might be nobody unluckier than her. Caught by her supervisor to review a paper overnight, only to find she couldn¡¯t understand anything. Not understanding was not a problem since Zhang Yuan, the person concerned, didn¡¯t know; it was just secretly embarrassing. But¡­ Her damn supervisor actually asked her to invite Zhang Yuan to some conference at the Mechanical Engineering College! There was a high chance of being exposed, and even a certain likelihood of becoming Zhang Yuan¡¯s student! Why am I so unlucky! ¡°Hey, is there another girl inside? Hahaha!¡± Wang Lili¡¯s mood improved when she saw a man and a woman alone together in the room. Got you, is this your new girlfriend? She¡¯s pretty cute, walking around teasing people, young girl, you better not fall for it! Who would have thought, this dull Zhang Yuan, turns out to be a closeted naughty guy. But it makes sense, everyone is at their most playful at this age, once on the spaceship, everyone must behave properly, no messing around anymore. ¡°Ah, sorry, sorry, carry on, carry on¡­¡± While saying ¡°carry on,¡± Wang Lili showed no intention of leaving; instead, she just stood outside laughing joyfully. ¡°Wait a minute! Carry on what¡­¡± Zhang Yuan hurriedly tried to explain, sweating profusely. ¡°This is¡­ my ex-girlfriend¡¯s younger sister.¡± Han Ziyue, ever the instigator, added, ¡°She¡¯s the younger sister of my first-love ex-girlfriend!¡± This relationship is a bit complicated, huh, all broken up and still playing with little aunties? Wang Lili¡¯s face showed a curious expression, her gossiping nature worsening. Young people today¡­ So impressive! Zhang Yuan was extremely embarrassed and quickly changed the subject, ¡°Right, what did you want me for?¡± Now that business was mentioned, Wang Lili no longer beat around the bush, ¡°My boss wants to invite you over for a face-to-face discussion.¡± She paused, pretending to be serious, ¡°I read your paper¡­ It was good.¡± ¡°You have read it, and it¡¯s good?¡± Zhang Yuan recalled the reply letter, indeed forwarded by the Mechanical Engineering College, and suddenly had a thought, ¡°You¡¯re not the one helping me revise it, are you?¡± Wang Lili¡¯s heart skipped a beat, ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it! I just took a casual look.¡± ¡°Based on that paper of yours, not only can many follow-up papers be published, but many projects can also be initiated. We forwarded the paper to several big companies, and they take it very seriously.¡± ¡°There are a lot of big company representatives coming this time¡­¡± A faculty position at the university isn¡¯t just about scientific research; it also involves outsourced projects from the community. High-tech companies, when faced with tough challenges, often contract university professors directly. Zhang Yuan was skeptical, ¡°Many corporate representatives? What¡¯s that got to do with me? Are they sharing money with me?¡± ¡°Forget it, how can they just give you money for nothing. With your paper as the framework, the professors can do a lot already¡­¡± Wang Lili explained, ¡°However, first, their understanding of that paper wouldn¡¯t be as profound as yours, they won¡¯t be as quick as you in executing projects, and for some commercial projects, time is money. Second, don¡¯t forget who dug the well when you drink the water; it wouldn¡¯t look good if these professors take all the big projects for themselves. It would be great if you could participate.¡± ¡°What do you think, will you go?¡± Zhang Yuan nodded, realizing it was a sign of goodwill from the big players, ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯ve got the time, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°I¡¯m coming too!¡± Han Ziyue quickly said. The three of them walked and listened as Wang Lili rambled on. Papers, as such, cannot be patented; everyone can look at them, and anyone can cite them; aside from bringing fame, they can¡¯t provide significant financial benefits to the author. However, if Zhang Yuan¡¯s new algorithm were used to write robot control software, then the entire set of software could be protected as intellectual property rights, and anyone who wanted to use it would have to pay. Zhang Yuan had a lot of free time on the spaceship, making some contributions wasn¡¯t a bad idea. ¡°Your suite of algorithms might indeed be more advanced than the original ones!¡± ¡°High degrees of freedom in robots involve really huge stakes, the big companies can¡¯t help but be anxious.¡± Zhang Yuan kept nodding his head. Han Ziyue¡¯s eyes sparkled, ¡°Wow, Zhang Yuan, you¡¯re amazing! My sister has really poor taste, to have dumped you¡­ Maybe I should step in personally, I don¡¯t have a boyfriend!¡± *Cough cough*¡­ Zhang Yuan awkwardly scratched his head. Actually, he wasn¡¯t interested in money; even if he earned it, he¡¯d just donate it to the Foundation¡­ He immediately made a call to Professor Wang Zhong. Professor Wang always had that energetic tone, ¡°What? A big project, you say? I definitely don¡¯t object! If you plan to get into this field in the future, doing more of these projects now is a good idea. It can help you gain experience¡­¡± ¡°Right, before the spaceship reaches Jupiter, there¡¯s at least a year of wakeful time, enough for you to complete a big project.¡± ¡°What¡­ you want to donate the money you earn to the Foundation?¡± Professor Wang immediately got excited, ¡°Good, good, I¡¯ll send two people to help you right away!¡± After hanging up, Wang Zhong kept marveling; his disciple was genuinely impressive, young yet starting to show his mettle, much like he had been back in the day. ¡­ Chapter 43 - Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Heroes Dont Ask About Origins Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Heroes Don¡¯t Ask About Origins Xisha University, Mechanical Engineering Building. Several business representatives rushed to a meeting room, quietly discussing. ¡°Nowadays, are all university students this impressive? When I was in my twenties, I should have still been handing out flyers on the street¡­¡± Ma Teng joked while leaning on the chair. As the CEO of ¡°Evolver Robot¡± company, a Fortune 500 tech-originated firm, Ma Teng deeply understood the value of the thesis, even though it had not been formally published. But it not being published had turned into a good thing at this moment, becoming their opportunity to overtake their competitors. ¡°President Ma, heroes needn¡¯t ask about each other¡¯s origins, ambition isn¡¯t confined to the elderly. Real geniuses are already reaching their productive phase in their twenties,¡± said a middle-aged man sitting opposite him named Ding Peng, also the chairman of a major corporation. Ma Teng continued, ¡°Honestly, I couldn¡¯t understand what that paper was about. It¡¯s just that my team thinks it¡¯s important. Since I was free, I might as well come and see.¡± ¡°You jest, President Ma¡ªif you don¡¯t understand it, why rush over personally?¡± The discussion hadn¡¯t yet started, but there was already an invisible haze of gunpowder in the meeting room. Everyone was a competitor, fiercely rivalrous in the marketplace. What does cutting-edge robotics rely on? Technology! Especially these kinds of highly autonomous robots, the better the coordination, the more humanoid they are, the more favored they are in the market. But, it¡¯s difficult. Go to ????????????????????.co Current robotic hands always have a bit of an ¡°excavator¡± feel when they move. Plainly speaking, they are stiff. Human movements can be like this, can be like that, full of the spirituality belonging to life, but robotic hands can¡¯t do that¡ªit¡¯s actually about the motion control algorithms. This paper, one could say, had resolved the most critical ¡°control¡± part, and it was likely to be an industry upgrade! Therefore, they were all deeply concerned. Professor Lu Junzhe saw their confrontational demeanor and was inwardly delighted. Go on, just keep boosting each other¡¯s bids, the higher the better, the happier I am! ¡°¡­Professor Lu, this paper, it hasn¡¯t been sent to other companies, has it?¡± ¡°No, just to you five firms, those who have close collaboration with our university, only you were informed.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. If it weren¡¯t for submission elsewhere, I would even consider buying the paper outright, why even bother publishing it?¡± ¡°President Ma, that wouldn¡¯t be right, intellectual property should belong to all humanity!¡± Professor Lu cleared his throat, ¡°Ahem, Chairmen, trying to recruit Zhang Yuan is basically impossible now. He belongs to the Deep Space Foundation and will be following that spaceship leaving¡­¡± Ma Teng smiled and said, ¡°Professor Lu, what you mentioned are not problems. If he¡¯s willing to stay on Earth, we have ways to exempt him from punishment¡­¡± ¡°Even if he gets punished by the government, we will still hire him.¡± At this moment, the door opened, and several young people along with two middle-aged individuals walked in. Wang Lili and Han Ziyue immediately ran to the back row. Facing so many big shots, they really didn¡¯t dare to joke around, they would rather hide if possible. Ma Teng, engrossed in high-spirited discussions, couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit of a headache, as two of the individuals were negotiation representatives from the Deep Space Foundation. Facing a twenty-something-year-old, tricking him with some phrases or getting him to sign some agreement wasn¡¯t simple? But facing these crafty old fellows, trying to make even a little money from them is not easy. ¡°This is Zhang Yuan. This one is President Ma, this one is Master Ding, and this is¡­¡± Professor Lu introduced the sitting bosses one by one. ¡°So young!¡± ¡°Truly a tiger¡¯s son indeed!¡± A round of praise made Zhang Yuan feel rather embarrassed. Professor Lu paused, smiled and said, ¡°We take your paper very seriously. Next, regarding the control of movement, could you talk about it? Of course, if it involves what you are planning to write in your next paper, you can choose not to.¡± In fact, this was also a test of Zhang Yuan¡¯s strength. Although he had written that critical paper, no one really knew how strong he actually was. Just by talking face to face for a while, these old-timers could quickly discern a person¡¯s real caliber. ¡°My paper just roughly outlined a framework, there are still seven directions in total for the subsequent part¡­¡± Seven directions? Professor Lu was slightly startled; they had only discussed five yesterday. ¡°The first direction is like this¡­¡± Zhang Yuan eloquently spoke, first paraphrasing his own paper in plain language, then he began to describe these extensions. There were really too many details, and due to the immense amount of engineering involved, it¡¯s not something Zhang Yuan could complete alone. So, he spoke openly about it. He was under no pressure to write the paper, but these professors were; during the discussion, bringing all these ideas out was beneficial to everyone. He wasn¡¯t planning to write further about it anyway. For more than two hours he discussed the seven directions, occasionally interrupted by questions. Professor Lu¡¯s eyebrows were furrowed and relaxed at times as he posed some questions. There were some particularly tricky questions that Zhang Yuan couldn¡¯t answer right away, but he could easily answer the vast majority of them. ¡°¡­Senior, did you understand?¡± Han Ziyue couldn¡¯t make sense of a single word, aimlessly playing with her phone below when she suddenly asked a master¡¯s student next to her. The senior blushed and remained silent for a while. ¡°Sister, what about you?¡± She then asked Wang Lili. ¡°What? Of course¡­I understood.¡± Wang Lili lied, a bit flushed, continuously shifting the topic. Luckily, Han Ziyue didn¡¯t ask very professional questions, ¡°What are they talking about? Can this project make money?¡± Wang Lili pursed her lips, ¡°There are two Fortune 500 companies here, do you think they can make money? By the way, are you really his girlfriend?¡± Han Ziyue blinked provocatively, ¡°I¡¯ve known him for much longer than you have!¡± Wang Lili laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I already have a boyfriend. I was just gossiping. Is that right?¡± ¡°Of course¡­not! I just feel his earnest demeanor is quite handsome. Although he might look awkward when he messes up, when he¡¯s smart, he¡¯s really attractive!¡± ¡°Handsome? What does that mean?¡± ¡°An ancient Xia language, it means a bit handsome.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Wang Lili felt she was a bit out of touch with the times, ¡°He¡¯s not staying on Earth just because of you, right?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, I just want to have fun with him during his last few days, not necessarily to be his girlfriend¡­ Isn¡¯t it okay to just be friends?¡± Chapter 44 - Chapter 44: Chapter 44 Dust Settles Chapter 44: Chapter 44 Dust Settles At that moment, the meeting room suddenly fell silent. Ma Teng stood up and patted his back, ¡°Sorry, I need to use the restroom.¡± ¡°Excuse me, I do too.¡± Several people hurried out. In the restroom, Ma Teng let out a sigh, ¡°Alas, it¡¯s been too long since I¡¯ve been out of academia, these cutting-edge topics, I listen and listen and then I just can¡¯t understand anymore. But judging by the looks of those old professors, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems¡­ Xisha University has been collaborating with us for a long time, and their credibility has always been good.¡± ¡°Little Guo, what do you think of Zhang Yuan?¡± The assistant known as Little Guo thought for a moment and said earnestly, ¡°President Ma, if you can recruit him, you absolutely must. I reckon, with him, we could shorten the timeframe by at least a third. A project that normally takes 12 months could be finished in 8¡­¡± The door to the restroom opened again, and Chairman Ding walked in. As soon as he entered, he spoke loudly, ¡°President Ma, could I ask you a personal favor?¡± The circle is so small; although the two were rivals, they were also friends in private. Ma Teng burst into laughter as if he knew what was coming, ¡°No way, I won¡¯t accept it! Even if it¡¯s on a personal basis, I absolutely refuse!¡± ¡°Master Ding, are you really planning to compete with me for this person?¡± Ding Peng also started laughing, ¡°Then let¡¯s both lift the palanquin, shall we? Raise the price all the way to the Moon?¡± Go to ????????????????????.co ¡°I¡¯m not that foolish. I think we can do it this way¡­¡± When the group returned, Ma Teng¡¯s first words were, ¡°Mr. Zhang, have you considered staying on Earth and joining our company?¡± He put up two fingers, making a gesture, ¡°I offer you an annual salary of two million. If the government penalizes you for anything, we¡¯ll take care of it!¡± Facing such brazen poaching, the expressions on the representatives of the Deep Space Foundation turned green, but they didn¡¯t know what to say. Zhang Yuan immediately shook his head, ¡°Sorry, President Ma¡­ this has been my dream since childhood.¡± The two representatives breathed a sigh of relief. Ma Teng said meaningfully, ¡°Two million is not a small amount. To set up a high-paying position like this, I¡¯m going to have to do quite a bit of talking at the board meeting¡­ Every penny in the company is budgeted.¡± ¡°You have to know, we¡¯ve only been acquainted for two hours, and because I know you¡¯re highly capable, we offered this price¡­¡± ¡°But academic ability doesn¡¯t necessarily mean work capability. I¡¯ve seen too many people who can talk a good game, but can¡¯t deliver¡­ If you do produce results later, the price is definitely not an issue!¡± Ding Peng laughed loudly, ¡°Boss Ma, you¡¯re too stingy. I offer an annual salary of three million, and I¡¯ll take another million out of my own pocket! As long as you¡¯re willing to stay here.¡± Zhang Yuan hurriedly responded, ¡°I¡¯m flattered by your generous offers. But it¡¯s not about the money, not even two hundred million would suffice. President Ma, Master Ding, I think, being in your positions, you should be able to understand that life isn¡¯t just about money, there are many things far more important than money.¡± ¡°I can complete the project on the spaceship too. There¡¯s a communication device inside, so remote communication isn¡¯t difficult.¡± Ma Teng was taken aback, then nodded, showing he understood, and quietly sat down. The meeting room was silent for a while. After a long pause, he said with an admiring tone, ¡°I really envy you young people, abandoning everything, starting anew on an unfamiliar planet. Sometimes, I also feel that impulse.¡± ¡°New civilization, it¡¯s a grand concept. In our fantasies, it¡¯s like paradise, always filled with infinite possibilities.¡± ¡°¡­ As beneficiaries of Earth Civilization that has developed to this point, I often think that many things are not right, but I don¡¯t know how they should be corrected.¡± ¡°Or maybe, I¡¯m well aware that many things are wrong, yet I oppose correcting them, because they would affect my personal interests. That might just be the case of interests dictating thoughts¡­¡± ¡°I hope that your new civilization becomes even better.¡± ¡°Thank you, President Ma,¡± Zhang Yuan said with a smile. ¡°You see, he won¡¯t stay here!¡± Wang Lili whispered her discussion below. Han Ziyue smiled and said, ¡°I know. If he really stayed, I wouldn¡¯t bother with him¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think he looked really cool rejecting them earlier? Boss Ma was dumbstruck! Even two hundred million couldn¡¯t do it¡­¡± Wang Lili felt a bit helpless, ¡°Fine, I really don¡¯t understand you artsy girls, making life uncomfortable for yourselves. What friendship? I don¡¯t want to be friends with him at all.¡± ¡­ And so, the entire negotiation for the collaboration took three days, a tortuous process of stock allocation and various clauses that exhausted Zhang Yuan. Even the usually gentle Professor Lu and Professor Lin had to get involved, indicating they could take on some of the work. After it was done, at a small restaurant, Zhang Yuan was treating the two girls to dinner. ¡°I finally understand why those big companies are so rich, they¡¯re completely ¡®no rabbit, no eagle¡¯ types. They¡¯ve made their fortunes by saving every penny!¡± Zhang Yuan couldn¡¯t help but complain. The five big enterprises haggled back and forth and, in the end, only invested twenty million. It was truly unexpected. They planned to register a small company, called ¡°Genesis Technology Co., Ltd.¡± As one of the providers of technology, Zhang Yuan owned 10% of the shares. Of course, for this 10% of the company¡¯s shares, the two million annual salary was gone. ¡°They even want to save on a two million salary, I am really impressed.¡± But though he said this, his mood was still pretty good. Although donating felt like acting as a rich dog, that was money left by his father, whereas now, he was earning his own money, which felt distinctly different. Han Ziyue laughed and said, ¡°This round of investment is called ¡®seed round.¡¯ The project has only a concept, there is only an idea but no concrete products or services, also known as ¡®face-recognition investing¡¯¡­ that is, investing money in you based on your reputation.¡± ¡°They are able to invest twenty million, which is already showing a huge respect to you and the university! After all, there¡¯s nothing concrete, can a concept alone make someone invest tens of billions? That¡¯s impossible.¡± Zhang Yuan nodded, it really was that way. Seeing potential is one thing, whether it can produce results is another. Han Ziyue continued, ¡°Didn¡¯t they retain the right of first refusal for follow-on investment in the cooperation agreement? If it really succeeds, these big companies will definitely swarm in with money, and with subsequent Series A, B, and C rounds, it can quickly grow into a big company.¡± ¡°Alright, I know that. Investing a small amount now, it¡¯s just a form of risk control. But they really are cunning.¡± Zhang Yuan said, ¡°Moreover, in a few years, the big company will be none of my concern.¡± How the company develops in the future doesn¡¯t matter to him, he won¡¯t be on Earth to enjoy the sense of achievement. The Foundation¡¯s people also helped him gain quite significant benefits. According to the company¡¯s articles of association, Zhang Yuan¡¯s 10% shareholding would be fixed. Even if the company raised capital for expansion in the future, it would still be 10%, not diluted. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the fixed shares, I might as well take the salary and donate it to the Foundation.¡± This kind of distribution was really tricky; a fixed ten percent stake that didn¡¯t require additional investment to maintain one¡¯s share ratio was quite a windfall for Zhang Yuan. The key was whether the project could actually take off, otherwise it would be just a mirage. Afterwards, several chairmen invited him and the professors for a meal, but Zhang Yuan politely declined. It was better to avoid such socializing, as everyone would understand. ¡°I¡¯d rather have dinner with you guys!¡± ¡°Why?¡± Zhang Yuan hesitantly said, ¡°Because it saves time.¡± ¡°Dining with them, who knows how long it would take, and all the mutual flattery, annoying.¡± The room filled with laughter and joviality for a moment. With this matter settled, Zhang Yuan felt at peace. This was probably the last big thing before his departure. Glancing at the date, there was only one day left, and Zhang Yuan couldn¡¯t help feeling a bit of sorrow. Tomorrow would be his last day on Earth. And that day was finally approaching. Chapter 45 - Chapter 45: Chapter 45: One Mans Doomsday Chapter 45: Chapter 45: One Man¡¯s Doomsday Holiday balance: 1 day. Zhang Yuan finally experienced the feeling of restlessness that Ye Kaifu had before leaving. His heart felt hollow, nothing he did seemed to have a spark, he didn¡¯t want to study, didn¡¯t want to think, and didn¡¯t want to play games. He even tossed and turned in bed, losing a whole night¡¯s sleep. This feeling was as if the end of the world was approaching. If tomorrow were the end of the world, what should he do today to make it meaningful? This topic had always been popular on the internet, if the apocalypse arrived and the world was in chaos, some people would choose to indulge, to fall; some would choose to go home and stay with their parents; others would confess their love, do things they normally wouldn¡¯t do, to make up for any regrets in life¡­ After all, humans are emotional creatures; living long in one place, no matter how many shortcomings it has and despite numerous complaints, the over-familiarity and habit makes it hard to leave. This place was his mother star¡ªEarth. Looking again at the crowds on the street, where everything was in order, it appeared to be just his own personal apocalypse. Zhang Yuan sighed deeply, shook off the wild thoughts in his mind, and hastened his steps forward. He went to Professor Wang Zhong¡¯s office, prepared to donate his shares in ¡°Genesis Technology Co., Ltd,¡± though the company was still in the process of registration. ¡°Zhang Yuan, it¡¯s good that you have this intention,¡± Professor Wang Zhong said amiably after taking a sip of water. ¡°I think, for now, you should hold on to the shares; don¡¯t donate them to the Foundation.¡± Go to ????????????????????.co ¡°Why?¡± Zhang Yuan couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Isn¡¯t the Foundation short of funds?¡± Professor Wang waved his hand and sighed, ¡°Even if they are short of funds, they don¡¯t need your few million.¡± ¡°The Foundation has grown over a hundred years into a true behemoth. Its industries have increased, some obviously came into success because of fortunate misfortunes, such as the Space Elevator and some shares in Space City, and others were through investments.¡± Professor Wang made a gesture, ¡°The longer the reach, the greater the influence on the entire world.¡± ¡°You mean¡­¡± Zhang Yuan was a bit unclear. Professor Wang sighed, ¡°What¡¯s the purpose of the Deep Space Foundation? To support the development of aerospace, not to obtain massive profits; it¡¯s not a capitalist entity that needs to make profits in the long term.¡± ¡°Today, the size of the Foundation has become somewhat bloated. Where there is power, there will be corruption. A large organization, regardless of how well-regulated it is, with more people and over time, will inevitably form chaos and have all kinds of dark sides.¡± ¡°So, hold on to your shares. Many companies managed by the Foundation are not doing well.¡± Zhang Yuan pondered thoughtfully. Professor Wang smiled and said, ¡°Flowers don¡¯t bloom for a hundred days, and people don¡¯t stay good for a thousand days; the Foundation can¡¯t keep growing stronger. Especially when our generation is gone, the next generation may not have that vigor, and it will gradually weaken.¡± ¡°If you are truly concerned, come and offer help in three hundred years¡ªif the Foundation still exists by then.¡± Zhang Yuan expressed surprise, ¡°Professor Wang, three hundred years later, my company might have already collapsed. After all, I¡¯m just a minor shareholder, not involved in management, and I don¡¯t even look after it¡­¡± Professor Wang spoke indifferently, ¡°Who can predict the final outcome? I still suggest you keep the shares and simply donate the dividends to the Foundation. The Foundation doesn¡¯t lack assets, just future security.¡± ¡°I say the same to other asset donors.¡± The two talked for a long time. A person with no forethought will surely have immediate worries. Professor Wang indeed made sense; their generation had risen from ruins and destitution, and the consciousness of hardships differed from those behind them. Days without sufficient energy allowed everyone to feel the bitterness of life and the taste of downfall, deeply influencing even the mindset of the ruling class. ¡°To develop, to endlessly develop!¡± Professor Wang pointed at his head, ¡°That¡¯s the idea imprinted in my mind from our era.¡± ¡°But for many kids who grew up in the new era, that kind of thinking is gone. Life is too affluent, so why bother developing?¡± Going from frugality to luxury is easy, but going back is hard. That¡¯s why Professor Qi Yuanshan believes that humans had only a couple hundred years to step out of the Solar System¡ªit¡¯s just this reasoning. ¡°He predicted a long time ago that, in a few hundred years, humans would likely revert to the old ways of the past era, with all sorts of contradictions emerging¡­ The warmth brought by nuclear fusion is just too wonderful, far better than oil. Plus, with the Solar System being vast enough to accommodate trillions of people, who then would have the will to develop a second civilization?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t a problem of technology, but of spiritual will.¡± ¡­ When Zhang Yuan stepped out of his office, his mind was tirelessly pondering. He could understand these social predictions, yet found them hard to truly grasp, perhaps. Zhang Yuan casually found a corner in the university campus to sit down, gazed at the azure sky, and aimlessly scrolled through his social media feed. ¡°Person in Xisha, just got off the high-speed train, boarding a spaceship tomorrow. Any ladies willing to accompany me on my last day?¡± [Selfie] [Selfie] [Selfie] It was his close friend Li Zhendong showing off in his social media feed, and the responses below were a heap of blessings and likes. Everyone was quite friendly toward the astronaut who was about to leave. Zhang Yuan replied, ¡°I¡¯m right here at Xisha University, come over.¡± Li Zhendong responded, ¡°Scram, you¡¯re not a lady!¡± ¡°I have lots of ladies here!¡± Li Zhendong immediately replied, ¡°Coming, coming, wait up, I¡¯m going to report to the Aviation Planning Bureau first.¡± About half an hour later, Li Zhendong sneaked up at the entrance of the university, looking nothing like a student, and even had his ID checked by the security guard. The moment they met, he asked, ¡°Where are the girls? I knew you were tricking me, you idiot!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the hurry? They¡¯ll be here in a bit.¡± ¡°Ha-ha.¡± Li Zhendong shrugged, clearly unconvinced, ¡°How about we go play games? Last day, how about pulling an all-nighter gaming? LoL8 has just come out, I¡¯ve got two beta accounts¡­¡± Zhang Yuan shook his head, ¡°That¡¯s all you ever think about. We¡¯re not going to an internet cafe. Just wait five minutes!¡± A few minutes later, Han Ziyue indeed appeared, her voice carrying from afar, ¡°Zhang Yuan, come on out and play!¡± Li Zhondong¡¯s eyes nearly popped out, and his mouth hung open wide enough to fit a pear! He glanced back at Zhang Yuan and cursed inwardly: This guy was actually hitting on girls, and such a beautiful girl at that! I¡¯m so dumb! To think I bitterly studied books at home for a whole month! As the girl approached, Li Zhendong stuttered, ¡°Hello, beautiful girl, nice to meet you. My name is Li Zhendong, I am friendly and honest. I¡¯m good at mechanical and information sciences, love surfing the internet and playing online games. I also like playing basketball. I once dreamed of being an athlete. I love watching the seagulls fly freely over the sea, which is why I often go to the beach in summer. White is my favorite color because I think it symbolizes purity¡­¡± It was like he was reciting a textbook. Chapter 46 - Chapter 46: Chapter 46 Wishing You Smooth Sailing Chapter 46: Chapter 46 Wishing You Smooth Sailing ¡°???¡± Han Ziyue stood there dumbfounded, as if staring at an idiot, then looked up at Zhang Yuan. Her eyes were full of confusion, as if to say, why is there an idiot standing here? Zhang Yuan said irritably, ¡°This guy is just like this, he¡¯s actually just pretending to be stupid, what ¡®flirting playbook¡¯¡­ Monkey steals heart? Pretend to be pure? Pretend to be dumb? Puppy love mode?¡± ¡°Pretending to be stupid is one of them. He¡¯s trying to flirt with you!¡± Han Ziyue giggled, her face turning a bit red. Li Zhendong, having his true intentions revealed, jumped up angrily, ¡°What, you say I¡¯m pretending to be stupid? Where did I pretend, I¡¯m telling the truth!¡± ¡°I just like white, I think white is a symbol of purity¡­¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Zhang Yuan felt like he was about to throw up. Amidst the bantering, his mood slowly improved. After all, it wasn¡¯t just him hitting the road, there were so many buddies around, what was there to fear? Since he was bored anyway, Zhang Yuan called Wang Lili and Xu Yunjing, two senior girls, to go to the waterpark together. The last day was here, really couldn¡¯t study any more. ¡°Hey, Wang Lili?¡± Go to ????????????????????.co ¡°I¡¯m with my boyfriend, on the way to a movie¡­¡± Wang Lili said awkwardly. Zhang Yuan didn¡¯t mind, ¡°Stop watching the movie, we¡¯re leaving tomorrow.¡± ¡°Alright then, should my boyfriend come too?¡± ¡°Bring him along too, no problem!¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t make it all couples,¡± Li Zhendong quickly said, ¡°What about me? Am I to be the third wheel? Bring more girls, so I can feel surrounded by beauty.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll call a few girlfriends, whether you can charm them is up to you,¡± Han Ziyue said with a smile. ¡°Thank you so much, beautiful lady,¡± Li Zhendong said with an exaggerated tone. Before long, a group of ten people arrived at Xisha City¡¯s waterpark. Actually, ¡°federal coins¡± are properly called ¡°Xia Coin,¡± which is also Xia Country¡¯s national currency. Since Xia Country had become a major energy exporting country a century ago, electricity prices and the national currency were directly linked, and eventually, ¡°Huaxia Coin¡± became the common currency of the East Asia region. ¡°Federal coins¡± is a term fabricated by the media of some foreign countries, trying to instigate mischievous political intentions to disrupt the peace of East Asian countries. But this intention not only failed to materialize, over time, it actually became ¡°federal coins.¡± So, it still had considerable purchasing power, and the tickets weren¡¯t expensive either, just 40 Yuan each. The girls quickly changed into their swimsuits, revealing large swathes of fair skin, and then started applying sunscreen on each other. Li Zhendong pretended to be indifferent but was actually sneaking peeks, only to be hit by Zhang Yuan. ¡°What are you doing, haven¡¯t seen a woman before? That¡¯s just sleazy.¡± ¡°Your girl¡­ she¡¯s pretty hot, where did you find her? Awesome! Go help her apply sunscreen,¡± he said, giving a thumbs up. Zhang Yuan was very embarrassed, ¡°What do you mean ¡®my girl¡¯? She¡¯s my ex-girlfriend¡¯s sister, I already knew her, just bumped into her here, don¡¯t think too much.¡± ¡°No wonder she looked familiar,¡± Li Zhendong rolled his eyes, thinking: Ex-girlfriend¡¯s sister? If you don¡¯t think too much about that, that would be weird. Next up, the Giant Python Slide, Sky High Twister, Rainbow Slides, and various other water attractions caused screams among the men and women. For safety reasons, many of the attractions required pairing up in twos. He wasn¡¯t a blockhead, how could he not understand what Han Ziyue was thinking? Besides, the days they spent together were quite pleasant. But thinking about it now, perhaps it was best to let it be, no need to cause any more trouble. ¡°Only at times like this do you seem like a normal person. If you¡¯re scared, you can scream louder, just like me, ah¡ª¡± Han Ziyue wiped the water off her body with a towel. Her figure was impressive, curves in all the right places without any excess fat. Zhang Yuan¡¯s eyes gazed at the sky, ¡°I¡¯m not scared, just screaming to fit in with you guys. Otherwise, it seems like I¡¯m not part of the group¡­¡± ¡°Is that so? Are you deliberately trying to blend in? Ah, the sunlight will probably darken me a lot again. The water washed away, and the sunscreen really isn¡¯t very effective.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Zhang Yuan didn¡¯t know what to reply. At night, Zhang Yuan was reluctantly dragged to another dinner. He saw Li Zhendong already immersed in joy, unable to extricate himself. From his blissful expression, it was clear: every cell in his body was yearning for the company of girls. Why? Perhaps because he had been deceived by a pretty photo recently and now wanted to compensate for it as much as possible? Or perhaps because he was about to leave. Whenever he paused, he couldn¡¯t help but think about that one thing, generating an increasingly intense sense of loss. The end of the world was approaching, and his friends seemed to be drifting further and further away. ¡°Can you men do something other than just eat? Especially you, classmate Zhang Yuan!¡± Wang Lili¡¯s voice woke him from his thoughts. Here, you had to barbecue the meat yourself, which was kind of a special restaurant. Zhang Yuan focused solely on eating, ¡°No way, no way, I need to enjoy the care of my seniors a bit more. Once I¡¯m on the spaceship, there won¡¯t be anyone to take care of me.¡± The girls laughed again. ¡°How about we go to a K-bar and sing!¡± After dinner, Zhang Yuan was dragged by the girls into a weird building. He felt like he had never been so decadent in his life, as if in one day, he had experienced a lifetime of joy. Inside the K-bar, couples abounded, and Zhang Yuan couldn¡¯t help feeling astonished by how liberal this international city was. Not only were there high school and university students, but there were also many middle schoolers! They were far more liberated than the people of his generation¡­ A couple was even passionately kissing in a corner, and though it was just a corner, it was still a public place! Could they please be a bit more mindful! ¡°Come on, cheers! I wish you a smooth journey to your destination!¡± ¡°Cheers! Cheers, a 3000-year journey, sounds so cool! We¡¯ll all be long gone.¡± ¡°Cheers!¡± Li Zhendong casually said, ¡°What¡¯s so cool about that, waking up from hibernation sounds pretty cruel¡­¡± He stopped mid-sentence, as if realizing something, and said no more. Wang Lili, who was good at lightening the mood, quickly said, ¡°Let me sing a song first¡­ an old song from the past, rearranged.¡± ¡°The men who pilot spaceships, so mighty and strong!¡± ¡°The rushing spaceship, fast like the wind¡­¡± ¡°The boundless starry sky¡­ accompanies you as you wander¡­¡± ¡°My heart is as vast as the universe!¡± A moment filled with laughter and chatter, men and women all mixed together. After singing, everyone seriously said to Zhang Yuan and Li Zhendong, ¡°We wish you smooth sailing!¡± Zhang Yuan and his friends clinked their glasses and he took a sip of beer, ¡°And I wish you all a bright future!¡± Chapter 47 - Chapter 47: Chapter 47 Ive Had Talks Too Chapter 47: Chapter 47 I¡¯ve Had Talks Too Immediately following, the karaoke kings began to belt out songs, while others started to play the ancient yet thrilling game of Truth or Dare. ¡°Sometimes, a person wants to be alone and even desires to run up to the skies to gaze at the boundless starry expanse. Surely, there must exist something far greater than human civilization.¡± ¡°Quiet is right here!¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t call me ¡®Quiet;¡¯ otherwise, millions of people will miss me every day.¡± It wasn¡¯t until after drinking that a person¡¯s true nature was exposed. Normally demure, senior Xu Yunjing actually ended up kissing her boyfriend to the point of breathlessness during a daring challenge, to Zhang Yuan¡¯s utter shock. The surrounding girls couldn¡¯t stop clapping and cheering for them. Li Zhendong, appearing rather tipsy, sang a song that was quite relevant. ¡°In the vast sea of people, which one am I? Among the surging waves, which one am I? In the army conquering the universe, I am the one silently contributing. Go to ????????????????????.co In the glorious river of careers, I am the one eternally surging. You don¡¯t need to recognize me, you don¡¯t long to know me¡­¡± Indeed, one girl was moved to tears out of nowhere and gave him a sweet kiss¡­ even though they had known each other for less than a day. It seemed that in this closed-off little room, everyone became more lively and open. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go, hurry and come with me to buy some stuff!¡± Han Ziyue¡¯s eyes twinkled as she grabbed Zhang Yuan¡¯s hand, pulling him forcefully towards the outside. ¡°Why can¡¯t you go buy whatever you want by yourself? Why drag me along?¡± Zhang Yuan felt her hand was hot, slick with sweat. He instinctively sensed a feeling of danger. ¡°I want to buy some snacks! The ones here are too expensive, not worth it. Aren¡¯t you a gentleman? I¡¯ve had a bit too much to drink, how can I walk the streets at night alone?¡± Zhang Yuan rolled his eyes secretly. This girl had clearly only drunk two bottles of beer, and with so many people coming and going around them, could there really be a safety incident? But after thinking about it a bit more, it seemed¡­ better to follow her after all. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± Han Ziyue happily linked his arm, as if they were a couple. Zhang Yuan jerked slightly but found himself unable to move away. He gave up, figuring it was the last day anyway; might as well let her have her way. They roamed aimlessly inside the karaoke bar, passing many vending machines without buying anything. Zhang Yuan couldn¡¯t help but get a bit impatient, ¡°What do you want to buy?¡± Han Ziyue suddenly seemed to make up her mind and asked, ¡°Never mind, we don¡¯t have to buy anything¡­ I have a question for you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± She pointed at a sign and asked, ¡°What does the English on that sign mean?¡± Zhang Yuan looked at the sign and then glanced into the room, ¡°STAFF-ONLY, means it¡¯s a place for employees only, probably a storage room.¡± ¡°Means there¡¯s no one there?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Hehe!¡± In an instant, Zhang Yuan was pulled in by her and pushed forcefully, cornered against the wall. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Seeing her gleaming eyes, Zhang Yuan felt an inexplicable panic rising, and the hairs on his body stood on end. Han Ziyue said with a mischievous smile, ¡°You¡¯re about to leave, so I¡¯ll give you a little gift, hurry up and close your eyes.¡± ¡°What¡­ gift?¡± ¡°Hurry and close your eyes! Are you afraid I¡¯m going to eat you or something?¡± Zhang Yuan thought to himself, ¡°I really am afraid you¡¯d eat me up. Looking at that expression of yours, you definitely have ulterior motives.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know, I¡¯ve been in love before, all right?¡± Before he could react, Han Ziyue had already tiptoed up and kissed him on the lips. ¡°Ah!¡± Zhang Yuan was so nervous he almost jumped. ¡°¡­Are you drunk? Let¡¯s head back quickly!¡± Han Ziyue¡¯s face had already turned red with shyness, ¡°Head back what? I¡¯m not heading back! You¡¯re so much older than me, yet you¡¯re acting like a child¡­ My gift isn¡¯t fully given yet.¡± ¡°I¡¯m no longer that middle schooler from before, and I have the right to pursue someone I like, don¡¯t I?¡± Zhang Yuan looked at her hot figure, her short-sleeved top revealing her navel, her miniskirt, and knee socks, couldn¡¯t be bolder. He stuttered, ¡°This¡­ isn¡¯t right¡­ I can¡¯t stay.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? I know you won¡¯t stay, but ¡®it¡¯ just can¡¯t help wanting to go further, can it?¡± ¡°¡­Go further?¡± ¡°Men are always so contradictory, claiming they don¡¯t want it, but their bodies are always so honest¡­¡± ¡°Or rather, their bodies are not honest at all!¡± Zhang Yuan felt his head swell with blood, almost crying out, ¡°This isn¡¯t right, this really isn¡¯t right¡­ This is a public place, someone could come in. If we get caught, the impact would be terrible.¡± After being rejected several times, Han Ziyue started to get a little angry. She messed up her hair and popped open another button on her chest, slyly saying, ¡°If I run out crying, accusing you of assaulting me, then you wouldn¡¯t be able to get on the spaceship, would you?¡± Well¡­ Although he was 80% sure she was joking, for safety¡¯s sake, Zhang Yuan still sighed silently. He said very cautiously, ¡°I get it, I get it, just put your clothes on first. This gift of yours is really too shocking.¡± ¡°Yay! Let¡¯s go then!¡± Han Ziyue gave a victory sign with her fingers, brimming with happiness. ¡­ Amy Hotel. Han Ziyue held onto Zhang Yuan¡¯s hand tightly, not letting him escape amidst the chaos. She said unapologetically, ¡°What, you want me to do the talking to book a room?¡± With a stiff upper lip and no idea what to say, Zhang Yuan asked the receptionist, ¡°Um¡­ do you have any twin rooms?¡± ¡°Yes, 398 yuan per night.¡± ¡°We want a lovers¡¯ double room, not a twin room!¡± ¡°It¡¯s also 398.¡± To such young couples, the staff member was already used to it, wondering to himself why this young man was blushing. But a handsome man and a beautiful woman, they matched well. He disliked those pairings of ugly men with beautiful women, or ugly women with handsome men¡­ ¡°Do you do this with my sister?¡± Along the way, Han Ziyue kept teasing Zhang Yuan¡¯s sensitive nerves, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m cute or is she cuter?¡± Zhang Yuan didn¡¯t know whether to say ¡°yes¡± or ¡°no¡±, whatever he said would be embarrassing; he just wanted to run away. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯ve forgotten.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll just assume it never happened!¡± Swiping the card, the room was quite large; through the window, one could even see the distant lighthouse. The long sea-crossing bridge sometimes had trains passing over it. Han Ziyue smiled and said, ¡°Go take a shower quickly, you can go first, or we can go together. It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t shower together with you, but I¡¯m a little shy¡­¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll go first!¡± Zhang Yuan said quickly. From behind the frosted glass, he could still make out the figure on the other side, and Zhang Yuan cursed inwardly at this damn hotel for such an installation. He showered, while¡­ Saying there was nothing¡­ would be abnormal. But, indeed, this was against his morals and reason was continuously struggling. ¡­