Song He took a photo of the problem and sent it to You Deyi.
"Grandmaster, this problem was sent to me by a Russian mathematician. She seems to be working on rockets over there. I thought you should take a look at it. Maybe it'll give us an idea of how far their rocket development has progressed."
After a long wait, You Deyi replied with just two words: "Looks familiar!"
Song He's eyes lit up at once. Could I really have guessed right? Is this problem actually related to rockets?
After waiting a long while again, You Deyi replied once more:
"I looked into it just now. If this problem isn't a smokescreen, then we can indeed infer their general research direction. Your report is very valuable!"
Song He felt relieved. Since Grandmaster You had put it that way, it meant that their own rocket development was probably moving somewhat faster. He had no idea exactly how far ahead they were, but in any case, it was good news.
"Wait a moment. We're going to hold an emergency meeting to discuss how to deal with this problem," You Deyi said.
Song He replied with an OK emoji, put down his phone, and continued staring at the problem in thought.
The problem lay quietly on the paper, staring back at Song He. It was like an arrogant hedgehog, rolled into an impenetrable ball, with no way in from any direction. It was utterly unafraid.
Legend had it that when a hedgehog curled into a ball, there would be a tiny opening at the center. If someone gently blew into it, the hedgehog would spring open from the tickling, only to be bitten on the belly by a fox and carried away.
Song He's gaze gradually became foxlike as he searched through