Either You Die or I Live

Either You Die or I Live

On the way home.

"Who do you think has the higher IQ, Paige or Sheldon?"

After being set free, Adam fell silent for a while before he finally couldn't help asking.

"What do you think?"

Juno asked in return.

"Paige?"

Adam hesitated. "Although girls generally mature earlier than boys, that shouldn't apply to genius-level intelligence, right? Paige is younger than Sheldon, yet she crushes him at every turn."

"Didn't you notice?"

Juno smiled. "While they were playing chess, Paige kept secretly disrupting Sheldon's emotions. I wasn't surprised at all that Sheldon lost. Chess tests both intelligence and psychological resilience."

"That really was the case."

After thinking it over, Adam nodded. "Paige was always leading Sheldon into talking, while secretly taking his pieces at the same time. That was really cunning."

"That's called wisdom."

Juno laughed. "Sheldon's mental resilience is far inferior to Paige's."

"Indeed."

Adam nodded. "So you think Paige isn't smarter than Sheldon, just mentally tougher?"

"Of course not."

Juno shook her head. "Mental resilience is also a kind of wisdom. In every respect, Paige is better than Sheldon. Maybe there'll be another Madame Curie in the future."

"She might not necessarily grow up successfully."

Adam quipped, "Sheldon's world doesn't allow peers who are smarter than him."

He thought of Dr. Kim from North Universe Country in the future. At such a young age, Dr. Kim had broken all of Sheldon's records, provoking Sheldon to the point where he nearly gave up his scientific career.

Although he later pulled himself together with Leonard and the others' help, Sheldon still couldn't continue researching String Theory. So he settled for the next best thing and wanted to work with Leonard and the others.

A super genius was no joke. Although Sheldon had never paid attention to Leonard and the others' work, once he got involved, whether it was experimental physics, astrophysics, or mechanical design, any random idea of his was enough to make Leonard and the others ashamed of themselves.

To keep Sheldon from continuing to crush their confidence, Leonard and the other two decided to help Sheldon return to his own field of research—String Theory in Theoretical Physics. To do that, they had to remove the thorn named Dr. Kim from Sheldon's heart.

During their discussions, they even considered kidnapping and murder. In the end, however, they decided to use the Honey Trap, which worked on most scientists.

Dr. Kim, who had only just been smuggled over at fifteen, naturally couldn't withstand it and fell completely. From then on, he spent every day with his girlfriend and was no longer any threat to Sheldon.

When the four of them saw the dispirited Dr. Kim in the park, Leonard and the other two felt somewhat guilty, because they had ruined a super genius's life. But Sheldon only sneered, "Serves him right! Who told him to be so weak?"

Leonard and the other two were speechless.

For Sheldon, if he had to choose between beautiful women and science, he would choose science without a moment's hesitation, because at that time Sheldon had no sexual orientation.

According to Leonard and the others' speculation, if Sheldon's species did not go extinct in the future, its most likely method of reproduction would be spore fission. One day, Sheldon would eat too much Thai food, get too stuffed, and then split directly into two Sheldons.

If that Sheldon encountered a fully grown Paige, it would be either kill or be killed.

In the original timeline, the reason that never happened was because Paige's parents would soon start fighting over a divorce. Paige would develop psychological problems and fall into becoming a troubled girl... Huh!

At that thought, Adam's spirits lifted.

What a great opportunity!

The current Paige was too cold and terrifying. She completely ignored Adam, leaving him unable to approach her and therefore unable to obtain Wisdom Points. But once Paige became a troubled girl, even if her exterior remained cold, the warmth in her soul would definitely increase. As long as Adam prescribed the right remedy, he would absolutely be able to get close to her.

He didn't need to become good friends with her. He only needed to cross the threshold recognized by the system, just like Little Sheldon had.

So throughout this semester, Adam kept a close eye on Paige's movements. Whenever he had the chance, he made sure to remind Paige of his presence. Juno watched with repeated disdain, and the look in her eyes when she looked at Adam became dangerous again.

For example, on this day.

Little Sheldon excitedly announced, "The winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics will be announced in Sweden this Wednesday morning. We can hear it live on the radio. Who's coming with me?"

"Boring."

That was Emmett.

"What time?"

That was Juno.

"Will Paige be coming?"

That was Adam.

"Because of the time difference, it'll be five in the morning here."

Little Sheldon explained seriously. "Paige? Are you joking? I don't want to witness such a great scientific event with her."

"Five in the morning?"

Juno thought about it and shook her head. "That's too early. It won't even be fully light yet. I probably won't be able to get up."

"Fine."

Little Sheldon was slightly disappointed as he looked at Adam. "What about you?"

"Sorry."

Adam refused. "Emmett and Juno aren't coming. If you won't invite Paige, then it'll only be you and me. That's too few people. We might as well listen at home by ourselves."

"Okay."

Little Sheldon frowned deeply and said haughtily, "If you aren't coming, someone else will."

"I seriously doubt it."

Adam teased, "Why don't you invite Paige after all? Then we can all come. The more people there are, the better the atmosphere."

"No, thank you."

Sheldon was clearly still deeply bothered by Paige crushing him, and he shook his head without hesitation.

Afterward, Adam and the others heard Little Sheldon's solution. They truly heard it.

Little Sheldon directly broadcast over the school radio station: "...I would like to invite all of you to my garage to witness a moment in scientific history together at five in the morning. Snacks and drinks will be provided. Everyone is welcome..."

"Oh, God."

Emmett slapped his forehead and quipped, "Sheldon doesn't really think people will come just because he said that, does he?"

"That's already a huge improvement."

Juno smiled. "In the past, Sheldon would never have invited anyone."

"It seems Paige really has had a major impact on him."

Adam nodded.

Little Sheldon had never cared about anyone else's opinions before, because in his eyes, everyone else was a foolish Earthling. But Paige's appearance, while making him jealous and angry, had also forced him to face reality.

They were the same kind!

Paige had said, "Children who lack social interaction usually become strange and unable to fit in."

Source: Psychology Magazine, February 1988 issue.

The claim was sound and well-supported, immediately making Little Sheldon worry. That was why he began engaging in more and more social activities afterward, such as running for student council president, serving as the weekly radio station host, and now inviting everyone to witness the birth of scientific history with him.

Before Paige appeared, such a thing would have been utterly unimaginable.