Chapter Summaries

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ye Qian and Ye Jin score 91 and 90 points respectively, tying for first place in the exam.
• Song He, initially overlooked, submits his paper just in time, also scoring 91 points, creating a three-way tie.
• An Yulong announces a tie-breaker exam in a week, with the top scorer receiving 5 Credits. If one of the tied students wins, they'll get 6 Credits in total.
• The next exam will cover Mathematical Modeling of 2000 intersections, with the final project covering 10,000 intersections.
• The top twenty students will advance, and the top three will be selected into an Elite Small Class with extra evening classes.

Character Developments

• Song He: Proves his prowess by scoring the highest, showing his ability to excel in different fields despite his specialty being Topology.
• Ye Qian and Ye Jin: Maintain their competitive edge but face a challenge from Song He.

Significant Themes

• Genius vs. Ordinary: The gap between geniuses and ordinary students is highlighted, with Song He bridging this gap by scoring the highest.
• Adaptability: Song He demonstrates his ability to adapt and excel in new fields, unlike his peers who struggle with the exam's content.

Character Interactions

• Song He and Ye Qian: They briefly interact, with both showing sportsmanship and eagerness to compete in the tie-breaker.
• Song He and Classmates: Students initially dismiss Song He but later express surprise and respect upon learning of his achievement.
• An Yulong and Students: The teacher shows satisfaction with the emergence of a dark horse (Song He) and announces the tie-breaker and future exam scopes, causing a mix of relief and apprehension among students.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chenghuang Company's Short Sleep Pills sell out, causing a stir online.
• Song He's team defeats Irema Laboratory in a scientific competition, gaining recognition.
• Ring Mountain Explosives' lunar test is successful, with additional Points awarded to Song He.
• Frontier Technology University is about to send Song He an admission notice.

Character Developments

• Song He shows maturity and restraint by not engaging in further trash-talk with Irema Laboratory after his team's victory.
• Song He's teachers (Professor Ma, You Deyi, Yu Anbang, and Xiang Xiaotong) display their affection and concern for him by sharing news and encouraging him.
• Wei Liqun, Chenghuang Company's CEO, is dedicated and hardworking, losing weight due to his busy schedule.

Significant Themes

• The importance of hard work and dedication in scientific research and business.
• The value of mentorship and support from teachers and colleagues.
• The impact of success and recognition on one's character and actions.

Character Interactions

• Song He and his teachers maintain a close relationship, with his teachers sharing news and encouraging him, and Song He keeping them informed about his achievements.
• Song He and Wei Liqun share a late-night meal, discussing work and personal matters, demonstrating their camaraderie and mutual respect.
• Song He's team and Irema Laboratory engage in friendly competition, with Song He's team emerging victorious and gaining recognition.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Director Miao leaves worried and regretful due to Song He's tight deadline for the road network design.
• Song He works through the night, completing the design in three hours, then refines it for another three hours.
• He tests the Overall Congestion Rate, initially at 14%-18%, and improves it to 6%-9% through modifications.
• He creates a second design, aiming to expand Chenghuang Company's land allocation.
• Song He calls Mayor Li at 1:30 AM to present his two designs.

Character Developments

• Song He demonstrates his exceptional work ethic and dedication, pushing himself to the limit to complete the task.
• Mayor Li shows concern for Song He's well-being, as he's awakened in the middle of the night.

Significant Themes

• Work ethic and dedication: Song He's relentless work throughout the night showcases his commitment to his task.
• Time pressure: The tight deadline imposed by Song He creates a sense of urgency and tension.
• Creativity and innovation: Song He's second design demonstrates his ability to think outside the box and seek additional benefits for his company.

Character Interactions

• Song He and Director Miao: Miao's worry and regret contrast with Song He's confident approach to the task.
• Song He and Mayor Li: Song He's late-night call to Li highlights his boldness and Li's concern for his well-being.

Key Plot Points and Events

• An Yulong's registration process involves scanning a QR code and entering personal information, with only the top 20 students qualifying for his class and top scorers eligible for an elite small class.
• Song He successfully registers for An Yulong's class, while Xiong Maoxun, despite his pleas, is ignored.
• Song He overhears students discussing a beautiful teacher, Xiang Xiaotong, at another booth and decides to register for her class.
• Xiang Xiaotong harshly rejects students with poor resumes, only allowing Song He to join after he scans her QR code.

Character Developments

• An Yulong: Shows indifference towards students, only caring about their qualifications.
• Xiong Maoxun: Becomes frustrated and jealous after being ignored by An Yulong.
• Song He: Successfully registers for both An Yulong and Xiang Xiaotong's classes, feeling disappointed by Xiang Xiaotong's cold attitude.
• Xiang Xiaotong: Reveals a stern and fierce side, rejecting students harshly and only allowing Song He to join without an interview.

Significant Themes

• Merit-based Selection: Both An Yulong and Xiang Xiaotong prioritize students' academic achievements and only accept those who meet their high standards.
• Jealousy and Resentment: Several characters feel jealous and resentful towards Song He for his successful registrations.

Character Interactions

• An Yulong and Xiong Maoxun: An Yulong ignores Xiong Maoxun's pleas, showing no mercy.
• Song He and Xiang Xiaotong: Xiang Xiaotong allows Song He to join her class without an interview, but her attitude is cold and business-like.
• Song He and Other Students: Other students feel jealous and resentful towards Song He for his successful registrations.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The candidates' exam begins, with each student tasked to manage a city's traffic using a given program.
• The city generated on Song He's screen expands to 666 intersections, exceeding the feared 400 limit.
• An Yulong announces that the top 20 students will pass, and those scoring above 90 will join the Elite Small Class with extra night classes. The first place will earn 1 Credit.
• The candidates start working, modifying roads manually. Song He, however, observes the city macroscopically and uses mental calculation.

Character Developments

• Song He demonstrates his strategic thinking and analytical skills, choosing to observe the entire city before making changes, unlike his peers who focus on individual roads.
• He shows determination and resilience, deciding to push through the challenge despite the difficulty and high stakes.

Significant Themes

• Macroscopic vs. Microscopic Thinking: Song He's approach contrasts with his peers, highlighting the importance of seeing the bigger picture before focusing on details.
• Adaptability: The challenge requires quick adaptation to a new situation (city size) and problem-solving.
• Perseverance: The high difficulty and temptation of earning one Credit test the candidates' resolve and commitment.

Character Interactions

• Song He is implicitly compared to his peers, who are referred to as "noobs" due to their focus on individual roads.
• An Yulong's announcement creates a competitive atmosphere among the candidates, driving them to work harder.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhao Yiyi, Song He's desk mate, reveals she's first in class and shares her academic strategy and struggles.
• She seeks Song He's advice on choosing a major and university, expressing her conflicted feelings about her options.

Character Developments

• Zhao Yiyi: Showcases her academic ambition, determination, and strategic thinking. She's conflicted about her future academic path.
• Song He: Demonstrates his maturity, wisdom, and understanding of various academic fields. He advises Zhao Yiyi to consider her goals, hobbies, and interests when choosing a major.

Significant Themes

• Academic Ambition: Both Zhao Yiyi and Song He exhibit strong academic drive, with Zhao Yiyi aiming to maintain her class ranking and Song He working on complex city road network models.
• Future Planning: The characters grapple with the uncertainty of their future academic and career paths, highlighting the importance of self-reflection and careful decision-making.

Character Interactions

• Song He and Zhao Yiyi: Their interaction revolves around academic pursuits, with Zhao Yiyi seeking Song He's advice and Song He providing guidance based on his experiences and understanding of various fields.
• Zhao Yiyi and Other Classmates: Zhao Yiyi mentions her classmates' academic progress and romantic entanglements, contrasting their priorities with her own focus on academics.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter focuses on the final stretch of a crucial exam, with only one hour left.
• Candidates are struggling with the questions, and the room is filled with tension.
• An Yulong, the teacher, inspects the candidates' progress and finds three students (Ye Qian, Ye Jin, and Song He) performing exceptionally well.
• Song He, despite initial promise, faces challenges in his mathematical model, leading to bizarre and disastrous city road simulations.
• With only ten minutes left, An Yulong announces that students who have finished can submit their papers early.
• Students start submitting their papers, with low scores causing discontent among the candidates.

Character Developments

• Song He: Initially confident, he faces a significant challenge in his mathematical model, leading to a crisis of confidence. However, he persists in trying to fix his model.
• Ye Qian and Ye Jin: The two brothers complete their work early and submit their papers, demonstrating their exceptional skills.

Significant Themes

• Resilience and Persistence: Despite facing challenges, Song He continues to work on his model until the end.
• Excellence and Struggle: The contrast between the top performers (Ye Qian, Ye Jin) and the rest of the class highlights the struggle and dedication required for excellence.

Character Interactions

• An Yulong and the Candidates: The teacher's inspection of the candidates' progress reveals the stark differences in their abilities.
• Ye Qian and Ye Jin: The brothers work together, completing their tasks and submitting their papers early.
• Song He and His Model: Song He's internal struggle with his mathematical model is a significant part of the chapter.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song He achieves a 'Sudden Enlightenment' in Mathematics, upgrading his level from Platinum 71 to 77.
• He successfully completes the Mathematical Modeling of Lvteng City, reducing the overall congestion rate to 11%.
• He returns to Lvteng City, prepared with a recording of a female boss discussing Chenghuang Company's counterfeit issues.
• He observes the city's traffic, gaining insights into real-world traffic dynamics.
• He attends the Sand Table Competition, with Wei Liqun expressing concerns about his lack of preparation.

Character Developments

• Song He demonstrates his ability to grasp complex systems quickly, understanding the city's traffic dynamics after only a few days of study.
• Wei Liqun shows concern for Song He's impulsive decision to participate in the competition, but remains loyal and supportive.

Significant Themes

• The power of data and mathematical modeling in understanding and improving urban infrastructure.
• The challenges of counterfeiting and maintaining product integrity in the pharmaceutical industry.
• The importance of preparation and understanding in competition.

Character Interactions

• Song He and Wei Liqun interact as boss and employee, with Wei Liqun expressing his concerns about Song He's lack of preparation for the competition.
• Song He interacts with the female boss on the plane, recording her conversation about counterfeit drugs.
• Song He observes the city's traffic, gaining insights into the real-world application of his mathematical modeling.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song He wins the promotion exam, but his paper is criticized by Teacher Xiang.
• Song He receives a Yellow Book as a reward, filled with complex experimental data and five unsolved mathematical problems.
• Teacher Xiang tasks Song He with solving these five problems within a week, offering 3 credits upon completion. Song He confidently aims to finish them in one night for 5 credits.

Character Developments

• Song He demonstrates his confidence and ambition in tackling complex mathematical problems.
• Teacher Xiang shows her high expectations and tough love towards Song He's abilities.

Significant Themes

• The theme of ambition and overconfidence is explored through Song He's decision to attempt solving the problems in one night.
• The importance of thorough understanding and detailed work is highlighted through the complex nature of the problems and the vast amount of data provided.

Character Interactions

• Song He interacts with Teacher Xiang through messages, discussing the problems and their potential solutions.
• Song He's confidence is challenged by the complexity of the problems, setting up a potential conflict or learning experience for the next chapter.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song He receives a white ultra-wide printer with historical road data of Lvteng City.
• He prints and studies the maps, understanding the city's rapid development and road changes over 20 years.
• He identifies issues like frequent road repairs in industrial areas and chain reactions causing congestion.
• Song He spends the night analyzing the data, becoming intimately familiar with Lvteng City's roads.
• He uses the City Road Generator to simulate and improve Lvteng City's road network, reducing congestion from 70% to 31%.

Character Developments

• Song He demonstrates his dedication, analytical skills, and mathematical prowess by spending the night studying the road data and improving the city's road network.
• He gains a deeper understanding of real-world data's value and complexity, surpassing the Ye brothers in Mathematics level.

Significant Themes

• The rapid development and growth of cities.
• The complexity and interconnectedness of urban infrastructure (roads).
• The value of real-world data in understanding and improving systems.

Character Interactions

• Song He interacts with the City Road Generator, using it to simulate and improve Lvteng City's roads.
• Though not physically present, the delivery guy's actions (leaving the printer) set the chapter's events in motion.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Mayor Li introduces the Sand Table, a highly intelligent model of Dongcheng District's roads, with traffic lights, vehicle movements based on real traffic data, and AI modules for route detours.
• The competition's first round involves identifying the 10 most likely congested roads within 10 minutes.
• Song He, along with other contestants, observes the Sand Table and submits their answers.

Character Developments

• Song He demonstrates his knowledge of Lvteng City's roads by quickly identifying the 10 most likely congested roads.
• Mayor Li shows familiarity with Song He, hinting at his sensitive identity.
• The three old monsters (Gustav, Jiang Xiaoping, and Sato Masanobu) showcase their expertise by being among the first to submit their answers.

Significant Themes

• The competition's focus on rigorous simulation and real-world data.
• The importance of confidentiality and secrecy, hinting at Song He's sensitive identity.

Character Interactions

• Mayor Li interacts with Song He, acknowledging his quick submission and reassuring him about the scoring process.
• University students in the audience discuss and bet on the contestants, with some noticing Song He's quick submission but dismissing him as an unknown nobody.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song He receives 45 credits from Frontier Technology University, completing 45% of his undergraduate studies, equivalent to almost finishing his sophomore year.
• He learns he's close to becoming a Level Ⅲ Project Leader, needing only 20 more points.
• The experimental team makes significant progress in their research, leading to a first draft of a paper.
• Song He's class, "Liao Xingxue Class B", starts on Monday.

Character Developments

• Song He is excited about his academic progress and the prospect of becoming a teacher and mentoring students.
• He is frustrated with the Points system, feeling that the He Yulong Model should have earned more points.
• The experimental team members, especially Fan Tao, show initiative and dedication in their research.

Significant Themes

• Academic Pursuits: The chapter emphasizes the importance of academic progress and research, with Song He's excitement about his credits and the team's paper as key moments.
• Mentorship: The idea of mentoring students and cultivating scientists is highlighted, reflecting Song He's long-term goals.
• Frustration and Perseverance: Song He's frustration with the Points system and his close but not yet achieved promotion to Level Ⅲ Project Leader demonstrate his perseverance in the face of setbacks.

Character Interactions

• Song He interacts with Fan Tao, expressing his satisfaction with the team's progress and promising bonuses upon successful publication of their paper.
• Song He's class is mentioned, but there's no interaction with other students yet, as the class is set to start on Monday.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song He discovers mutated Brain Cells with significantly increased neuropeptide secretion rates.
• He isolates these cells, naming them "Peptide Cells," and begins studying their behavior.
• Xi Yanfan and Song He make a bet on their assignment scores; if Song He loses, he has to help Xi Yanfan recruit 20 people into the Rubik's Cube Club.

Character Developments

• Song He demonstrates his dedication and perseverance by working tirelessly throughout the night to process data.
• Xi Yanfan shows her competitive spirit and confidence in her work.
• Liao Xingxue, the lab assistant, shows concern for Song He's well-being but ultimately follows Xiang Xiaotong's orders to let Song He learn on his own.

Significant Themes

• The importance of perseverance and dedication in scientific research (Song He's all-nighter).
• The complex and chaotic nature of biological systems (the interaction between neuropeptides and neurotransmitters).
• Competition and rivalry in academic settings (Song He and Xi Yanfan's bet).

Character Interactions

• Song He and Xi Yanfan's friendly rivalry leads to a bet on their assignment scores.
• Liao Xingxue and Xiang Xiaotong discuss Song He's unusual approach to research, with Xiang Xiaotong showing support for his unconventional methods.
• Song He and Xi Yanfan's interactions reveal their competitive nature and mutual respect for each other's abilities.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The lab receives six heavy-duty boxes containing various bacterial samples from the Space Station's outer wall and the Lunar City Wishing Well.
• Song He and his team work tirelessly for five days, analyzing and culturing the bacteria, with the Yu Caiyi team at the Bioengineering Institute working simultaneously.
• Both teams find mutated bacteria with unusual behaviors and secretions, including 'Purple Urine' from one sample.
• After a one-day break, they receive a second batch of space bacterial samples from the contaminated Lunar City Wishing Well.

Character Developments

• Song He demonstrates his dedication and leadership, overseeing the team's work and ensuring no resources are wasted.
• Lu Chengen shows his analytical skills, suggesting testing the bacteria's secretions for changes.

Significant Themes

• Adaptation and Mutation: The bacteria, exposed to harsh space conditions, have adapted and mutated, challenging the team's understanding of bacterial behavior.
• Competition and Collaboration: The two scientific teams are in competition but also collaborate in their shared goal of understanding the space bacteria.

Character Interactions

• Song He and Lu Chengen work closely together, sharing their findings and ideas.
• The entire team works harmoniously, dividing tasks and supporting each other in their mission.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song He successfully constructs a mathematical model of signal transmission in a specific brain region of a mouse.
• He finds discrepancies between his predicted model and the actual measured data, suggesting the influence of Neuropeptide.
• Song He enters hundreds of mathematical models into the computer for error analysis, leading to a subversive discovery about Neuropeptide transmission.
• He stays up all night to draft a thesis and calls for a meeting to distribute it to his team members.

Character Developments

• Song He demonstrates his exceptional mental arithmetic abilities and dedication to his work, pushing himself to the limit to achieve a significant breakthrough.
• The team members show concern and anxiety about the progress of their experiments, revealing their commitment to their work and eagerness to improve.

Significant Themes

• The power of perseverance and dedication in scientific research.
• The potential for groundbreaking discoveries to challenge established academic consensus.
• The importance of teamwork and collaboration in scientific research.

Character Interactions

• Song He interacts with his team members by distributing the thesis and acknowledging their contributions, fostering a sense of team spirit and accomplishment.
• The team members discuss their concerns about the experiment's progress among themselves, highlighting their mutual support and shared goals.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The author receives an interview request from a postgraduate student at the University of Bristol, studying Chinese webnovels for her thesis.
• The interview discusses the literary significance and impact of webnovels, with the author inadvertently using academic jargon.
• The author realizes the impact of long-term writing on their health, including sleep deprivation, physical fatigue, and potential health issues like tendinitis and vision loss.
• The author decides to reduce their workload in December, updating less frequently on weekdays and more on weekends, to prioritize health preservation.
• The author plans to use this break to adjust their routine, exercise, read, and watch movies.

Character Developments

• The author reflects on their professional habits of padding out word counts, even in interviews.
• The author becomes aware of the physical toll of their writing schedule and decides to prioritize self-care.

Significant Themes

• The impact of long-term writing on physical and mental health.
• The intersection of webnovels and academia.
• The importance of self-care and work-life balance.

Character Interactions

• The author interacts with a colleague who has been vomiting blood, which alarms the author about their own health.
• The author engages with readers, seeking their opinion on the updated workload schedule.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song He's team verifies their Neuropeptide paper's results, finding them correct.
• Brain Science teams worldwide race to replicate and verify both Song He's and Jin Shunlu's teams' papers.
• Song He's team receives bonuses for their contributions, boosting morale.
• Media outlets extensively cover the Neuropeptide competition, with some accusing Song He's team of plagiarism.

Character Developments

• Song He demonstrates leadership, calmness under pressure, and strategic thinking.
• The White Coats show dedication, resilience, and increased motivation after receiving bonuses.

Significant Themes

• Competition and collaboration in scientific research.
• The importance of verification and continuous research in science.
• The role of monetary incentives in motivating researchers.

Character Interactions

• Song He interacts with his team, displaying a mix of sternness and camaraderie.
• He communicates with Professor Ma, keeping him updated on their progress.
• Song He engages with online discussions, defending his team's work and engaging with critics.

Key Plot Points and Events

• A paper by the Song He team on Neuropeptides is published, sparking a correctness dispute with the Jin Shunlu team.
• Ten days later, a foreign Brain Science team led by Berislav V Zlokovic attacks the Song He team, accusing them of mathematical model errors and plagiarism.
• Zlokovic publishes a social media post questioning the Song He team's paper and suggesting they may have stolen or fabricated results.

Character Developments

• Song He: Shows concern and determination to verify the Jin Shunlu team's data. His mathematical ability is praised by a postgraduate student named Kong Gaojie (Dwarf Emperor).
• Berislav V Zlokovic: Introduced as an influential and accomplished neuroscientist, known for his work on Alzheimer's and brain protection drugs. He is described as an "Academic Circle Old Monster."

Significant Themes

• Academic Integrity: The dispute raises questions about the integrity of the Song He team's research and the importance of accurate and rigorous scientific methods.
• Plagiarism and Fabrication: The accusations against the Song He team highlight the seriousness of plagiarism and fabrication in academia.
• International Competition: The involvement of a foreign team in the dispute emphasizes the international nature of academic competition.

Character Interactions

• Song He and Fan Tao: Song He reassures Fan Tao and decides to verify the Jin Shunlu team's data.
• Song He and Kong Gaojie (Dwarf Emperor): Kong Gaojie praises Song He's mathematical ability in a post, hinting at a previous interaction between them.
• Song He and Berislav V Zlokovic: Although they haven't interacted directly, Zlokovic's accusations put Song He and his team in a challenging position.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song He's team is working tirelessly on their research, with Song He pushing them to improve their mathematical foundation.
• Song He receives a message from his advisor, Xiang Xiaotong, informing him that his team's paper has collided with Jin Shunlu's team's paper, both submitted to the journal Cell.
• The collision is serious as the research directions and main conclusions are the same, but the mathematical models are different.
• Song He calls for a team meeting to announce the news and assigns tasks to redo experiments to verify the correctness of their paper.

Character Developments

• Song He: Struggles with self-doubt about his team's data but remains confident in his calculations. He takes responsibility for the team's success and pushes them to improve.
• Team Members: Divided into optimists (confident in their main conclusion) and pessimists (anxious about potential errors in their data). They show a lack of confidence in their abilities compared to Jin Shunlu's team.

Significant Themes

• Competition and collaboration in scientific research
• The importance of data integrity and verification in scientific methodology
• The pressure and stress of academic competition

Character Interactions

• Song He interacts with his team members, pushing them to improve their skills and redo experiments to verify their data.
• Song He communicates with his advisor, Xiang Xiaotong, about the paper collision and seeks her advice.
• The team members interact with each other, expressing their differing views on the situation and their levels of confidence.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song He publishes the complete calculation process, expecting a shift in public opinion, but it remains largely unchanged.
• He receives notifications for academic achievements and project points, but is disheartened by the lack of public opinion shift.
• Three days later, news breaks that Berislav V Zlokovic, a prominent neuroscientist, is accused of academic fraud, potentially causing a collapse in several neurological research sub-fields.

Character Developments

• Song He becomes more resilient and determined, understanding the disconnect between academic truth and public opinion.
• Fan Tao demonstrates her enthusiasm and dedication to the team's cause.

Significant Themes

• The disconnect between academic truth and public opinion, with online trolls influencing public perception.
• The potential impact of academic fraud on scientific progress and public trust.
• The resilience and determination of scientists in the face of adversity.

Character Interactions

• Song He and Xiang Xiaotong discuss the public opinion war and the slim hopes of reversing it.
• Song He and his team members react to the news of Zlokovic's alleged academic fraud, expressing shock and excitement.