《Deep Space Wandering Fleet》 Chapter 1 - 1 Day 30 Countdown Chapter 1: Chapter 1 Day 30 Countdown Editor: Henyee Trantions July, Xia Country, Donghua City. The zing 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 copse underfoot; the oxygen he breathed in was the original product of photosynthesis from the nts. ¡°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 disyed the words ¡°Completed¡± inrge 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. ording to the experts, they said, ¡°Let them leave without any regrets, reducing the chances of psychological issues midway.¡± All right, to put it inly, Zhang Yuan had no serious illnesses, no suicidal tendencies, and no thoughts of ¡°owing a billion and wanting to run away with his sister-inw.¡± Leaving meant leaving Earth, leaving the Sr System, boarding the ¡°Earth Era¡± spaceship to Gliese 581g, 20.3 light years away, to embark on interster 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 interster journey remained an unprecedented expedition, and no one could guarantee its sess rate. Therefore, with humanitarian consideration, almost all volunteers were granted a long vacation afterpleting their space skills training, to experience theirst days on Earth¡­ For these reasons, Zhang Yuan was enjoying thisst month¡¯s holiday. ¡°3000 years, by then, how will Earth Civilization have developed?¡± ¡°It must be incredibly powerful by then¡­¡± ¡°Who knows,ter 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 bing 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 Sr 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, heined, ¡°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 aplish what we can. Things that feel annoying and troublesome now may be beautiful memoriester.¡± 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 Sr System. It¡¯s a one-way ticket, no turning back.¡± Saying this, Zhang Yuan caught his breath, ¡°All right,pleted 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 be 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,¡± exining 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 isting, 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 rtionship?¡± ¡°How embarrassing, how embarrassing!¡± The joyfulughter even drew frequent nces 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 be 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 whileughing. He extended his fingers one by one, unting 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 rtionship 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.@@novelbin@@ ¡°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 shed 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 be 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 schrly story, but it is truly an interster 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 be 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 - 2 Property Donation Chapter 2: Chapter 2 Property Donation Editor: Henyee Trantions The autonomous electric vehicle was speeding down the road, and Zhang Yuanping calmed his mind. By the 23rd century, it was an era that ced 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 rtives 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 withpanions 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 arge 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.@@novelbin@@ ¡°Forget it, forget it.¡± He wasn¡¯t some seasoned yer 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 morefortable. 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 be 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 avable and no different from having his own car. The in-car screen was ying a space history documentary. ¡°¡­we havee 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 firstnded on the Moon, many scientists optimistically believed humans could colonize the Moon by the year 2000; by 2020, humans would upy the Sr System and be a true interster 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 singrity, and no Eternal Life Technology. Virtual Imaging Technology remained expensive; AR sses attempting to rece mobile phones were popr 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 afortable 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,ter referred to by people as¡­ the ¡°Gray Era!¡± The male voice in the documentary, with a maic voice, said: ¡°Fortunately, everything has gotten through, we¡¯ve explored the unknown and found a new direction¡­¡± ¡°Controlled Nuclear Fusion!¡± ¡°¡­the sessful ignition of the Artificial Sun, apanied by the booming development of Space Industry, Space Botany, and Nanomaterials Science, brought human civilization into the golden stage once more!¡± ¡°In thetter half of the 23rd century, we will enter an unprecedented¡ªInterster 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 pesticidese 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 productse 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 theck 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 nts, and these nts could be grown on arge 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 hourter, 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 stillfortable.¡± He first took a cold shower, then turned on theputer, 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 - 3 Intelligence Enhancement Potion? Chapter 3: Chapter 3 Intelligence Enhancement Potion? Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°` 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 interster 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 mary 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 thuspleted. 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 yearster. 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 Yuanforted 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 Lannds 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 aliennguage, but anybination of these words couldn¡¯t be understood, especially with ellipses oddly ced before the number. What on earth was that? In neat small characters, a line on the nk 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. ording 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 bes 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,pared 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 manualbor. Decades ago, arge number of delivery personnel were reced by robots and became unemployed, which at the time causedrge-scale protests (though, of course, abroad). ¡°Mine?¡± To save costs, the delivery robot only had simple AI withoutplex logic capabilities likenguage 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, awyer¡¯s letter? Did I break thew?¡± ¡°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 arge 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 outermostyer 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 tabletputer and a cold iron box, with the dry ice inside the package still emitting a ghostly cold mist. He opened the tabletputer. ¡°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 n 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 simr. ¡°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 be 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 thest moment, send aputer to scold him? His father babbled on for half a day, and finally got to the point, ¡°Ahem, thisputer 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 beenpletely 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.¡±@@novelbin@@ 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 - 4 The Feeling of Genius Chapter 4: Chapter 4 The Feeling of Genius Editor: Henyee Trantions 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 be 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 ss bottle filled with liquid inside, along with a disposable syringe. Enhancing intelligence, impossible, could such advanced ck 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 asmon 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 ss 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 theponents 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 sess 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 ss 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 copsed 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 Yuanboriously got up, looked around suspiciously, and then repackaged the syringe and ss bottle, putting them in the fridge. If necessary, maybe he should find a ce to analyze theponents of the remaining liquid. ¡°Have I gotten smarter or dumber?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s try!¡± he thought enthusiastically. The simplest test, of course, was calction. 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 be smarter, have I be dumber?! ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be this unlucky¡­ Ah, if I really am this unlucky, I¡¯ll just have to ept 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 umted 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 ssic book! In this era, programming had be apulsory 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 ssic, its elementary applications concerning simtion, numerical methods, symbolicputation, 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.@@novelbin@@ This powerful sense of conquest and satisfaction stimted 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 be smarter! He excitedly rolled around on the bed¡­ Chapter 5: The Trait Called "Workaholic Chapter 5: Chapter 5: The Trait Called ¡°Workaholic Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°` 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 finallying 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 aputer, which caused my calction skills to degrade significantly. If you don¡¯t use your brain, even geniuses can¡¯t instantly pop out answers¡­¡± ¡°Calcting slowly now is just because of ack 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 excitedst 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 notte, otherwise Auntie will nag me for ages¡­¡± The 30-day vacation was tight, with every day nned 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 nts were caught in the inferno. Zhang Yuan hurried to the subway station, where there was always afortable air conditioner. This era did notck energy, and the power generation of eachrge fusion nuclear power nt wasparable 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 stics and other traditional petroleum-derived products that remained expensive, high-energy-consuming industrial products like steel and cement had be unusually cheap. In particr, 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 itspressive strength and improve the overall working properties of concrete. The widespread avability of cheap, new materials had led to increasingly taller surface buildings in the city, with kilometer-high skyscrapers beingmonce. 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 vige. Moreover¡­ the same construction cost could now build at least five! Some transportation tracks were even ced thousands of meters high, with skyscrapers as the rail pirs. These became very popr in almost allrge 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 mostfortable angles to attack the government, if the transit was too crowded, the government would definitely catch k. 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.@@novelbin@@ Zhang Yuan stood at the back of the line, hearing someone constantlyin 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 popr 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 aplishment, giving him a sensation like eating chocte 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 be 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 ce 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 calction 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 calctions. ¡°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 calcte it directly. Some algorithms are a bit more troublesome, like continued fraction expansion, bisection, Newton¡¯s iteration, etc. Fifteen secondster, 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. asionally, a few people, whether they were reading a novel or watching a video at a peak moment, would burst intoughter like fools¡­ ¡°Subway time should be used for self-improvement, not entertainment!¡± A ¡°well-informed¡± guy who had returned from studying abroad frowned,menting 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 yed on their phones and kept their heads down. You can¡¯t expect the government to legite, banning ying phones in public, can you? This man¡¯s name was Ye Fan, and in his perception, foreign subways had everyone reading newspapers instead of ying on phones, and the social climate was a hundred times better than in Xia Country (though it was just that there was no inte). 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 exin 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: Who is this person? Chapter 6: Chapter 6: Who is this person? Editor: Henyee Trantions 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 nced 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 onlinepetition, many people usedputers to cheat, making the whole result not very genuine. However, these cheaters would eventually be exposed during the selection. ¡°Quick calction, 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 topete 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 calcting 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 calcte a logarithmic function? What is the base change form 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 calcte the logarithm and had no idea. Right then, the other party started the next question again. ¡°sin(24¡ã) (retain 3 significant digits)¡±@@novelbin@@ What was this? How to calcte trigonometric functions again? Double angle form? Not right. sin(24¡ã), no way to calcte 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-calcting logarithms or trigonometric functions requires Taylor series expansion¡­ Well, it¡¯s normal not topete with these long-term trained people!¡± He couldn¡¯t help but pout, thinking with discontent: What¡¯s the big deal about quick calction? This skill ispletely useless¡ªno matter how fast a person calctes, can they match aputer? 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 calctor app, thinking, with aputer¡¯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 particrly private. ncing at it wouldn¡¯t take away a piece of his flesh. Afterpleting a whole set of questions, the screen disyed the final score: ¡°Congrattions! 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 ce. 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 inpetitions, and his calction ability was just about enough. He casually opened the leaderboard. ¡°First ce, Eternal Eternity, time 0.01 seconds.¡± ¡°Second ce, Writing Novels Will Eat Dirt, time 0.07 seconds.¡± ¡°Third ce, Can You Support Originals, time 0.11 seconds.¡± ¡°Third ce, When Can I Take Leave, time 0.12 seconds.¡± Zhang Yuan smiled; humans couldn¡¯t possiblyplete 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. Humanputational speed couldn¡¯tpare 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 calctions, even at the speed of hisputer, he couldn¡¯t keep up with the other¡¯s mental arithmetic speed! Who the hell was this person? Calction champion? Ye Fan tried hard to recall how long it took thest Super Brain champion toplete 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 wasposed of three factors: memory, reasoning ability, andnguage 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. Bing 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 geniusesid 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 - 7 The Child Next Door Chapter 7: Chapter 7 The Child Next Door Editor: Henyee Trantions 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 rtives, 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.@@novelbin@@ Donghua City was well-nned, 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 nned. 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 noting back?¡± ¡°Yeah, noting 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, asionally 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 andcking knowledge, I¡¯d want to sign up too!¡± The TV was ring loudly, ying 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. ¡°s, I¡¯m getting old. I wish I were as young as you.¡± Half an hourter, 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 rtives¡¯ worries, Zhang Yuan proactively talked about his future ns. ¡°¡­ Besides some routine maintenance work on the spaceship, there¡¯s plenty of personal time. So, I n to learn as much as possible before hibernation, hopefullypleting 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 frompanies. 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 rtives. Ye Qingqing naturally wasn¡¯t pleased with being constantlypared 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 simpleparison: the average ie of staff in major Space Cities and Moon Bases was around 600,000. In contrast, Xia Country¡¯s average ie was roughly 60,000. A tenfold difference in average ie between the two! Xia Country had already be one of the wealthiest countries on Earth. Without studying, it¡¯s embarrassing to venture into space and one would ¡°likely¡± be a low-ie 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 hibernationter. 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 contemte 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 be witnesses of Earth¡¯s history, personally experiencing the next three thousand years of Earth¡¯s future. It sounded morous 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 promation, ¡°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 rmend? 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 particrly 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 particr hobbies¡­¡± This was quite normal. Most high school juniors didn¡¯t know what they wanted to do in the future and didn¡¯t have aplete life n. 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 nning their lives. Chapter 8 - 8 The Higher the Education Level, the Better Chapter 8: Chapter 8 The Higher the Education Level, the Better Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°` Taking a responsible stance, Zhang Yuan organized his thoughts and began, ¡°The current pir industries are Space Botany, Space Industry, and Nanomaterials Science.¡± ¡°Space Botany, which means cultivating superior Mutant nts, these nts 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 nts, 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. Thetest 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 sry 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 eptance 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.@@novelbin@@ 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¡¯tplicated; 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 ck stic surface was wiped very clean, feeling rtively 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 be 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 w¡­¡± 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 - 9 Reading Is Still Useful Chapter 9: Chapter 9 Reading Is Still Useful Editor: Henyee Trantions After a long while, the radio finally went back to normal and yed 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¡­¡±@@novelbin@@ 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 topensate. These old electronic products were very delicate; just a few touches might break one of the internal lines. Moreover, the variousponents 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 electronicponents were installed in ancient instruments, what difference would it make from sticking a band-aid on it? Since it could still y 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 ncing viciously at his daughter. Ye Qingqing wasn¡¯t intimidated; she returned her father¡¯s re, her heart blooming withughter. 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, maic rods, and so on, which were not tooplicated. It was precisely these uplicated things that had withstood the test of time and survived to the present. The moreplex and delicate the things, the more prone they were to damage; few remained from 21st-century Huawei and Apple smartphones, with those retainedmanding 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 maic 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 yback just now, so the antenna, variable capacitor, and demodtion circuit basically didn¡¯te into y. 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 yed from the beginning without any noise. Zhang Yuan changed another tape and pressed the y 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 ring 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 inputer 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 contemting suspicious points. Poor contact? No, poor contact wouldn¡¯t cause the mad ring 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 te. ¡°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 re 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 pped 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 y button instead. With a click¡ª The radio behaved like a docilemb, warming up obediently with no more noise. ¡°Sweet honey, your smile is so sweet¡­¡± The gentle song echoed in the air. Chapter 10 - 10 Smart Medicine? Chapter 10: Chapter 10 Smart Medicine? Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°` ¡°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 yed perfectly, and he couldn¡¯t hide the smile on his face. ¡°You can fix radios?¡± The value increased, as the wed 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 rted 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 exin, 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 ss 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.@@novelbin@@ 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¡¯tck money, and money didn¡¯t serve much purpose for him. However, since it was the heartfelt gesture of family, he still epted 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,cking 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 y 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 bes 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 be a freakish science giant?¡± Zhang Yuan was a little curious about theponents of that strange potion, able to change a person¡¯s thinking level and interests. ¡°On Earth¡­ is there really such ck technology?¡± ¡°Smart medicine?¡± With a casual search on his phone, Zhang Yuan was startled, there really was such a thing! ??? Some neurostimnt Western drugs, including Ritalin, Modafinil, and others, were dubbed ¡°smart medicine.¡± Many high school students, college students, and corporate managers took stimnt-like drugs to enhance temporary memory, making their thinking more agile. But this type of drug belonged to stimnts, 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 stimnts, 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: Its Time to Learn Chapter 11: Chapter 11: It¡¯s Time to Learn Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°` Lying low for now, Zhang Yuan was unwilling to casually find an institution to test theposition of the remaining liquid. Who knows, maybe it might unintentionally expose some secret.@@novelbin@@ 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 exin 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 nt 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 twopletely 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 sry 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 nned to take these clothes for use on the spaceship. As he walked out of the store, he nced at thetest clothing advertisement from a well-known fashion manufacturer, ¡°Nano-stic 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 instion 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 entuated 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 infort and enjoyment, this is an unchanging truth. In times of prosperity, if one doesn¡¯t n for the future, then they could only suffer when hard timese. Next, Zhang Yuan walked into a life insurancepany, 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 yearster, 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 insurancees with amission, 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 intion.¡± ¡°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 rtives 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 - 12 Please cooperate with the inspection Chapter 12: Chapter 12 Please cooperate with the inspection Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°A New Community Discovery Algorithm¡± ¡°Improvements in Machine Learning ssification 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 neuralworks 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 vited ethics to emerge. Only a new civilization could break this shackle¡­¡± ... Unfortunately, apart from these somewhat hical 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 hecked 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 rtives?¡± ¡°What?¡± he said, puzzled. ¡°Have you visited all your rtives? 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 bnce¡­ only had 20 days left. ¡°I¡¯m asking you a question! Have you visited all your rtives?¡± Li Zhendong loudly questioned. Zhang Yuan came to his senses and stiffly said, ¡°Ah, almost. Most of them are distant rtives, not much interaction¡­¡± Actually, he had not gone out for several days. Apart from being closer to his little aunt¡¯s family, the other rtives 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 y, 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 disyed 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 calcting 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.@@novelbin@@ 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 themunity, 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. ¡°Checkpleted, thanks for your cooperation. Have a pleasant trip.¡± ¡°Really unlucky! Perhaps my terribleplexion triggered some mechanism? How could I possibly be a drug addict?¡± Zhang Yuan shook his head and was not particrly 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 yed, 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 bedy 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 localmunity¡¯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 toe to our house to y 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. 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 toprehend this kind of thinking. In fact, there was no need to demand the whole world to understand oneself, having a group of like-mindedpanions was enough. Chapter 13 - 13 Ill Tell Your Mom! Chapter 13: Chapter 13 I¡¯ll Tell Your Mom! Editor: Henyee Trantions 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 ident, and the safety of the high track became legendary. An hourter, 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 bitte¡­¡± ¡°Tsk tsk, that¡¯s a great ce 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 contemting 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¡ªsomedies 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 ce, they reserve a spot for you, filled with the beautiful times you spent together.¡± ¡°One year, ten years, a hundred yearster, at the moment of their passing, theirst words are your name¡­ while you are in another corner of time and space.¡±@@novelbin@@ ¡°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 w¡­ extremely reserved and loved to brag. Zhang Yuan suddenly grinned, ¡°yer!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell your mom about this!¡± The atmosphere plunged into a deathly silence. Zhang Yuan repeated verbatim, ¡°¡­One year, ten years, a hundred yearster, at the moment of their passing, theirst 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 nt 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 feltplex 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, oneyer oveps another; the moreplex the system, the greater the risk. The Earth Era has safety monitoring systems, energy systems, ecological systems, material cycle systems,munication systems, and several small industrial nts; theplexity of control engineering is beyond your imagination!¡± ¡°Software and hardwareplement 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 byrge-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 theing 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 secondrge Colonization Ship won¡¯t be as costly as the first. Perhaps, once the governments have spare funds,unching a second one might be possible.¡± ¡°However, without new technology, significantly boosting travel speed is tough. Don¡¯t count onter 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 - 14 As Long As You Can Learn Chapter 14: Chapter 14 As Long As You Can Learn Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°` 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 extremelyrge figure, and over time, ordinary people naturally became unwilling to ept 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 arge amount of nuclear fuel. Its fusion energy would be used tounch long-distancesers¡­¡± ... 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. Onlyrge 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 continuouslyunched for 20 years. Theserunching devices numbered in the tens of thousands and needed constant recement, 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 hade to mind, and abruptly stopped eating. He stood up from the dining table, walked into his study, and became absorbed in contemting some question alone. Although Zhang Yuan was very curious about this gossip, seeing this, he could only let it be. After dinner, Zhang Yuan privatelyined, ¡°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 anymon sense!¡± ¡°Was your sister educated in a simr 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 intoughter, reminiscing about his dad¡¯s entric behavior. At that time, he was ying with a Rubik¡¯s Cube on the sofa, and his dad suddenly had a whim and sternly began exining 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 groupposed of all operations is called the Rubik¡¯s Cube group. Obviously, the Rubik¡¯s Cube group is a non-Abelian group¡­ If you can dpose 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 nkly, 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 Bes a Sheep¡± was ying. ¡°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 apanying 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, apanying 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 apanying 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 ustomed to Li Zhendong¡¯s neurotic remarks, ¡°Zhang Yuan, why don¡¯t you stay with us tonight? We have an empty room anyway.¡± ¡°Alright.¡±@@novelbin@@ Zhang Yuan nodded, sighing inwardly. Li Zhendong¡¯s situation was quite simr 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 simr. 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 - 15 Let Go of Your Claws! Chapter 15: Chapter 15 Let Go of Your ws! Editor: Henyee Trantions Li Zhendong nced 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 be 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 bing 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 veryrge 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 andughed, ¡°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, ¡°ording 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.@@novelbin@@ Zhang Yuan continued, ¡°Assume Aij is the number of times the j-th light in the i-th row is adjusted. Obviously, ording 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 calcted 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, inputing it¡¯s called XOR operation¡­ If you use a regr 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 - 16 No Aliens Attacked Earth Chapter 16: Chapter 16 No Aliens Attacked Earth Editor: Henyee Trantions Sure, here is your tranted 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 nced 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 definitelyugh 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 sr masses, its radius was 0.38 sr 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 n 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 destends. 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,monly 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 ckout. 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 rm 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 rmed. 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 Sr 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 Sr System, like a ster cannon ready to fire at any moment! When Eta Carinae exploded, powerful gamma-ray bursts would sweep across the entire Sr System. ¡°Unfortunately, this bright star cannot be seen from the Northern Hemisphere.¡± Of course, this disaster could be veryrge, 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¡­@@novelbin@@ Human knowledge of such celestial bodies was minimal, making it difficult to urately 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 spected that a neb or otherrge 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. Inparison 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 forting 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, simr to the US and USSR Cold War effects!¡± ¡°Truth be told, having a good neighbor might bring hope, fortunate¡­ exceptional!¡± ¡°¡± Chapter 17 - 17 Farewell to Once, Farewell to the Past Chapter 17: Chapter 17 Farewell to Once, Farewell to the Past Editor: Henyee Trantions 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 bemunicated 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 electromaic 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 quiteughable 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 bemunicated with amicably. If truemunication seeded, 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 electromaic waves toward KIC 8462852, hoping that the ¡°alien god¡± could help them escape suffering. Secretly transmitting electromaic 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 wille to Earth to distribute food.¡± ¡°Yeah, that would be really sweet¡­ When the timees, don¡¯t say it was unexpectedly good.¡± Fortunately, the transmission speed of electromaic waves was only the speed of light, taking over 1,200 years to reach KIC 8462852. Moreover, electromaic 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 bing 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 toote, not efficient, better to rest first. The time squeezed out would only be slept back, so it¡¯s better to have a regr 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, exined, ¡°Buying e-books myself is really too expensive; the university there allows free book reading. Plus, there are many documents avable 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. ording to Zhang Yuan¡¯s current reading speed, with books and literature, he burned through hundreds to thousands of dors daily. ¡°So, my n is to read two books a day, plus five papers, for 20 consecutive days. Tens of thousands of dors 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, ying 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 thetest electronic products, he copied all sorts of materials left by his father onto 10 mechanical hard drives. Over 3,000 years of interster travel, there¡¯s nothing reliable, especially electronic products. Who knows, maybe one day, this tablet would be unusable. Only by diversifying risks could these materials be preserved long-term. Even though these things would be worthless three thousand yearster, Zhang Yuan still hoped to keep them. After checking several times, ¡°This should be it.¡± The Deep Space nning 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 thetest 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 hadughed 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 ce 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 distantnds, dry his tears, and not overthink things. Dragging his suitcase to the entrance of themunity, there was a familiar park there; because the weather was too hot, there weren¡¯t many people inside. He remembered ying there often as a child.@@novelbin@@ One day, he suddenly tumbled to the ground. Then, he had a sh 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 timeter, I still will, so I felt sad.¡± A little child, suddenlyprehending the concept of ¡°death,¡± couldn¡¯t wrap his head around it immediately, felt very ufortable, and could only keep crying. It seemed so absurd, yet so real. Death, such an unmourous 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 justughed heartily and umonly made no furtherments. As smart as his dad was, even he couldn¡¯t answer such an ultimate question. Chapter 18 - 18 Xisha Aviation City Chapter 18: Chapter 18 Xisha Aviation City Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°` Zhang Yuan hurried to the train station. The phone disyed a message, ¡°[Dahua Transport] Dear passenger Zhang Yuan, your ticket was sessfully paid at 10:03. Train G888, second ss 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-ck sea-crossing bridgey 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, airnes, were instead bing obsolete. Fuel was not much of an issue since hydrogen could rece traditional fossil fuels, but the payload and operational costs of nes couldn¡¯tpete with maglev trains. Moreover, with the speed of maglev trains approaching that of airnes, cheaper tickets, andfort without the ear problems caused by pressure, airnes gradually lost theirpetitiveness, edging toward obsolescence. An hourter, a few vague shadows finally appeared on the blue horizon, fusion power nts. The nuclear fusion power nts 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 urred. 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 ying at?¡± The nuclear fusion power nt had an unappealing characteristic: therger 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 nt 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 nt. ¡°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 ss windows and take photos. The legendary ¡°Babylon Tower,¡± a miracle in history; there were a total of seventeen of these structures on this. 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 nting, maximizing Earth¡¯s rotational force to provide greater payload capacity for the elevator. After nearly a hundred years of development, Xisha had be an international metropolis. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it copse?¡± ¡°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 tounching a nuclear war and would receive equivalent retaliation. Xisha City¡¯s security is strict, with military troops stationed nearby, and no airnes 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¡­¡±@@novelbin@@ 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 avable. Besides spending money, connections might also be needed. Social connections won¡¯t getpletely 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 pir 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, sshing water all over. Xisha City enjoyed summer-like weather year-round, yet June temperatures were under twenty-eight degrees, definitely morefortable than Donghua City. The city was mostly artificial inds, with bridges connecting ind to ind, and numerous waterways underneath where asional tropical fish could be spotted. There was once a leader who, on a whim, wanted to fill these waterways fornd 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 nning Bureau staff scanned his ID, smiled slightly, and said, ¡°Mr. Zhang Yuan, your vacation has 19 days remaining. You are too early. Yourunch batch has not been reached yet.¡± ¡°No¡­ I just want to ask, is there any ce to stay?¡± The staffughed and said, ¡°Unfortunately, if you were 3 days earlier, we could arrange amodation 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,ing too early and being rejected. This was normal as the staff merely followed regtions. ¡°Alright, thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee!¡± 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: Abolition of Special Aviation Tax Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Abolition of Special Aviation Tax Editor: Henyee Trantions 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 Cancetion 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 toe, 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 elerate 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 ept 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 offrge 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.@@novelbin@@ But¡­ Where would the subsequent fundinge 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 tounch 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 ept 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¡¯sbor couldn¡¯t be cheaply sold, this electricity needed to profit. ording 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. ¡°Particrly for girls, don¡¯t let a saviorplex 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 sone 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 be 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 - 20 New Civilization School Chapter 20: Chapter 20 New Civilization School Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°` Facing the spirited and renowned old professor in front of him, Zhang Yuan felt a bit nervous. Not to mention all the other misceneous 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 oue of the extension of Galois Group Theory to higher dimensions, which waster surprisingly found to have a mysterious connection with Quantum Field Theory. The Lannds program and Motive Theory research were currently the two major mathematical mainstreams. The Lannds 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 trulypletes these two frameworks, the mathematicalmunity will witness a genuine unification. All mathematical problems will be solvable using these two grand theories.¡± It sounded impressive, but Humanity might never aplish this step. The progress of the Lannds program was still so-so; after a few centuries of research, Humanity developed the geometric Lannds, p-adic Lannds, 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,pared to the top two, it was a bitcking. 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 interster travel. ¡°What are your ns?¡± Professor Wang picked up the teacup and took a slow sip. ¡°I have 19 days left for vacation. I n to spend some time reading at the library. When I get on the spaceship, I hope to find a mentor andplete 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 n 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 rtively 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 arge 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, knowledge reserve and technical level were the most important. So, experts and schrs on the spaceship naturally controlled more resources, having more authority. These well-known experts and schrs had limited slots for students. Being their student, of course, had more benefitspared 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 someonepletely 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, onceunched, 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 startpletely 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 be 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 ss 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. Recing 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 otherplex 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 ces 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 universallyzy, 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 byprehensive factors such as history and culture. Therefore, the ¡°Earth Era¡± was a great attempt by the New Civilization School.@@novelbin@@ It sought to use physical distance segmentation to discard all the dregs of human history, attempting to establish a stronger, unified, cohesive civilization with amon ideology for all! It¡¯s like an old father, seeing no hope for the future, cing all his hopes on an infant. This stronger new civilization, once sessful, would have a certain probability to influence the original Earth civilization in return. This was the n formted by Mr. Qi Yuanshan back then. A great¡­ Millennial n! ¡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 be 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 - 21 Senior Sister, Im Sorry! Chapter 21: Chapter 21 Senior Sister, I¡¯m Sorry! Editor: Henyee Trantions@@novelbin@@ ¡°` 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 w 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 firstplete 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 ¡°Modr Forms and Number Theory.¡± Xu Yunjing certainly didn¡¯t know any grand ¡°Millennium ns.¡± 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 andforted, ¡°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 be 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 ckers.¡± Wait a minute, has Old Wang gone senile? ncing 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 nock 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 ie 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 red, 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 ssroom 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, withmunal 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 nces, 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 sses, 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. Thest 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 nced at it, the first few simple questions were correct. ¡­ ¡°` Chapter 22 - 22 This guy is just an undergraduate! Chapter 22: Chapter 22 This guy is just an undergraduate! Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°` After reviewing the first few problems, Professor Wang Zhong nced at Zhang Yuan and slowly said, ¡°Your handwriting is quite good, very neat. Not like some people who useputers 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, toocking 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 rx, 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! Thest problem¡­ Hmm, this¡­ A fineyer 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?¡±@@novelbin@@ 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, dposing 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 exined 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.¡± ording to Xu Yunjing¡¯s very reluctant understanding, the proof of thest 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 simr 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 ming 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 butugh, 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 ites 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 ownck 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 - 23 This Robot Wants to Harm Me! Chapter 23: Chapter 23 This Robot Wants to Harm Me! Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°` 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 exined, ¡°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 bezy, find it hard to return to diligence,¡± Wang Zhong advised. ¡°You must pay attention to this!¡± Zhang Yuan nodded.@@novelbin@@ Wang Zhong asked again, ¡°Did you publish any good papers during your undergraduate years?¡± ¡°No.¡± Wang Zhong frowned, instinctively attributing theck of good papers to Zhang Yuan¡¯s unfit major. Moreover, with just an undergraduate degree, it¡¯s normal not to have particrly 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 rmendation letter. A rmendation letter can sometimes just be an extra touch of sess, 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 yed 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 red warnings that the tide wasing 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 popr, 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 Xianguage was quite rare. Nowadays, intelligent trantion systems are widespread, and all sorts ofnguages can be flexibly tranted with just a smartphone, so few people are willing to spend the effort to learn othernguages. In Xia Country¡¯s college entrance exams, English teaching had also be an elective subject rather than apulsory 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 itselfcked 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 sh 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 arepetitors¡­¡± 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 nts¡­¡± The blonde beauty agreed, ¡°So you¡¯re also a benevolent person. Synthetic meat can indeed rece natural meat, and we can reduce ughter 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 ced 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 Xianguage, ¡°Jerk!¡± ¡°` Chapter 24: 3,000 Beauties in the Imperial Harem? Chapter 24: Chapter 24: 3,000 Beauties in the Imperial Harem? Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°` 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 secretlymented, ¡°Ah, soon I won¡¯t be able to eat this anymore, what a pity¡­¡± Recing 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,cking the sticity 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 avable were mostly Second Level or third-level jobs, with a basic sry 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 sry would rise to one thousand three hundred¡­ That¡¯s how harsh thepetition was. ¡°If I followed a good mentor and produced excellent experimental results, I could also get a raise.¡± ¡°If I couldplete some high-quality patents, bringing some revenue to the Deep Space Foundation on Earth, the sry 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 aplete economic system to stimte 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 ording 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, sries could not be very high, topping at three or four thousand, so the wealth gap would not be veryrge¡­ 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 n 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 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 sry. People always needed to set some goals for themselves, and Zhang Yuan didn¡¯t want to be a marginal figure that the spaceship could do without.@@novelbin@@ However, work level could not be obtained through donations; it could only be achieved by one¡¯s own abilities after obtaining aplishments, calcted fairly and justly through aplete ¡°impact factor algorithm.¡± The highest-level positions were ¡°Captain,¡± with only a few candidates who were irreceable. Zhang Yuan knew deeply how difficult it was for the spaceship to travel twenty light years to a. 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 ns but also manage material allocation, nurture the next generation of sessors, and bear tremendous psychological pressure. Thosements 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, andmunity organizationmittee 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 n 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 particrly 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 in-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, ced 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 acrossmented. Regarding this behavior, Zhang Yuan had no intention ofmenting. 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 - 25 Chapter 25: Chapter 25 Editor: Henyee Trantions Zhang Yuan opened his seafood noodles, nning 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. ... @@novelbin@@ 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 sry 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 roboticspetition during university. In programming, he waspetent. 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 mostponents were indeed handmade.¡± ¡°What about the robot program?¡± ¡°Uh, most of it was done by me¡­¡± Ye Kaifu said, his expression bing slightly unnatural. Because¡­ During university, he identally became a sycophant. Inpetitions, 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 Yuanughed: ¡°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 ced 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 ws, 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 ws?¡± 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, itcks 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 dy, 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 me others. He hung his head, ¡°Sigh, you¡¯re right, which is why it only got second ce. Best to abandon it.¡± ¡°Goodbye, dear. See you in the next life¡­¡± He lifted the mechanical arm and ced 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 bacsh, and different angles have different friction. The designplexity 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 shed 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 - 26 Whats wrong with it? Chapter 26: Chapter 26 What¡¯s wrong with it? Editor: Henyee Trantions@@novelbin@@ ¡°` 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, simr 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 recing 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 arge oxygen tank and numerous life-support systems andmunication 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 rece 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 recing 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? Robotscked 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 asprehensively 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 smallpany 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 bnce capability, control algorithms, etc. Such aplex 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 rtively key issue, then write a paper or patent. It would be even better if it could generate ie 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 andplex the ideas seemed. His father¡¯s idea primarily focused on theplex kinematics of a ¡°27-degree-of-freedom¡± robotic hand, which involved group theory, topology, and some knowledge of hypeplex numbers, making it quite challenging toprehend. 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 therge nks 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, bing 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 rted program already made him far more impressive than regr undergraduates! Ye Kaifu looked at Zhang Yuan with a bit of apetitive spirit, wanting to know what level this new roommate was at. Young people always had a sense ofpetition, especially these astronauts from all corners of the world, who were likely rtively outstanding. Soon, the rted program was sent to Zhang Yuan¡¯sputer. 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 theck ofments 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 particrly 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 toe 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 - 27 Big... Boss? Chapter 27: Chapter 27 Big¡­ Boss? Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°` 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, butcking details from other parts feels crude¡­¡± ¡°I have a few ideas for handling these seemingly useless data.¡± ¡°The first is to calcte the variance after dividing the data into blocks. The variance of redundant data won¡¯t be significant¡­ Calcting this way can determine redundancy; better than discarding randomly¡­¡± ¡°The second method is utility function; we can calcte 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, bingpletely 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 be 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 designplexity exponentially increases, and he simply couldn¡¯t handle it. ¡°So, what do you think should be done?¡± Zhang Yuan said, ¡°Rotational calctions can usually be handled with quaternions. A good book on this is ¡®Quaternion Physics,¡¯ understandable with some basicplex 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?¡± ¡°Inrge part, my undergraduate university wasn¡¯t great; geniusesparable to me were too few, so I grewzy. 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 exin 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 Yuanforted 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 thetest 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 thetest electromaic 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 surelye. 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 nce around, relieved that the blonde reporter he¡¯d bullied wasn¡¯t there, before nonchntly 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 themotion. It wasn¡¯t a big deal; in this era, such behavior was normal. Facing this public disy of affection, Zhang Yuan nced 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 ckers are hoping to win a prize to leverage.¡± ¡°Anyway, with a national award, be it applying for schrships 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 unting grades, or the wealthy unting cash; it¡¯s seeing couples unt cash, top students unt love, and the wealthy unt grades¡­¡± I really want to have a cute girl who truly likes me! ¡°`@@novelbin@@ Chapter 28: Living is for Learning! Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Living is for Learning! Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°` 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 gically 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 apulsory 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 nned tomit 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 tomit suicide. Later, he became a sessful 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 thete 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 be 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 particrly cumbersome, as the human arm alone has 27 degrees of freedom, making the expression method unbelievablyplicated. ¡°Maybe seeing something so cumbersome, Dad simply waszy 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 moreplex 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, andpetition. 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, butpared 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, asionallyughing 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-talkpletely shattered Ye Kaifu¡¯s mental defense, ¡°¡­Hmm, let¡¯s finish reading these papers too, since they can be read for free with the campuswork¡­¡± ¡°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.@@novelbin@@ ¡°No, big brother, I really can¡¯t hold on. Once he finishes reading two hundred pages, another day will have passed. I want to y 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 apany 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: No Need to Give Fools Face Chapter 29: Chapter 29: No Need to Give Fools Face Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°` It seemed like Zhang Yuan heard Ye Kaifu¡¯s thoughts and suddenly lifted his head, ncing 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 youing?¡± 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. ... ording to Zhang Yuan¡¯s n, 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 youughing about, so happy?¡± Ye Kaifu drifted off into his own world and didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Hey! Are youing 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 ss 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 corrted 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 thatpared to others¡¯ ideas, his own seemed like garbage¡­ So, wanting to produce a valuable thesis was really difficult. It requireding 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, topletely finish it before getting on the spaceship!@@novelbin@@ Turning around the corner, they entered the cafeteria, quickly ate two buns, and hurried to the ssroom. ss time was about to start, and the ssroom 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 ssroom 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 somewhatcking, and this senior student¡¯s level was definitely among the best. Seeing arge number of male ssmates moving their seats, Ye Kaifu felt smug again. Haha, your post-event behavior is too tant! What¡¯s the point ofing 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!¡± ¡°` The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!