Bearing It Alone
"Excuse my bluntness, Mary, the content before page 12 is utterly worthless," Shen Qi said after reading Mary's paper.
"Utterly worthless, ha, utterly worthless..." Mary gave a bitter laugh, her chest heaving violently.
He wants to use a weapon to hurt someone again!
Shen Qi quickly said, "But the discussion in the later pages is excellent! Your solution for the Riemann zeta function at positive odd points is very ingenious. Your handling of algebraic integers is your specialty; you did it better than me."
"So, can we work together?" Mary's mood improved slightly; this paper was her only solace at the moment.
"Can I see your paper now?" Mary asked.
"Of course." Shen Qi handed his paper to Mary, and the two exchanged papers, checking each other's papers for flaws and shortcomings, and looking for highlights that could be used by themselves.
For the first time, Shen Qi and Mary sat together calmly; the Riemann zeta function ζ(2n+1) research group had never experienced such a harmonious situation.
As the old Chinese saying goes, "Take a step back and you'll see a vast expanse of sky and sea."
Of course, principles must be upheld.
This friendly academic exchange lasted for more than two hours. Based on the fundamental principles of seeking common ground while reserving differences and mutual benefit, both sides discussed and determined the operational mode of core arguments such as "the optimal choice of three processing methods for odd functions of φ(z)" and "the solution of the integral path of the residue theorem", and reached a certain consensus.
Regardless, Shen Qi and Mary are a team, and unity is always better than infighting.
At the academic meeting of Muller's team a few days later, Muller highly praised Mary and Shen Qi's team spirit and acknowledged the significant progress made in the Riemann zeta function ζ(2n+1).
Shen Qi's status in the four-person research team has risen significantly. Although he is the youngest, he is already on par with his senior colleagues Jonas and Mary.
Shen Qi was no longer Mary's assistant, because 60% of the content of the paper "The Problem of Riemann zeta function ζ(2n+1)" was completed by Shen Qi, and the remaining 40% came from Mary's contributions.
None of the four members of the team were American, but the rules of American academia apply here: whoever puts in more effort and achieves more significant results receives more and holds a higher position. America is a realistic country, and the American Dream is not a pipe dream that can be easily realized.
Mary dared not make Shen Qi work like a beast of burden. If it weren't for the remarkable effect of Shen Qi's Merlin Transform, the paper on the Riemann zeta function ζ(2n+1) problem would not have been completed so quickly.
Mary had been researching this paper for six months with virtually no results.
Shen Qi joined her team less than two months ago, and the project was a great success.
Shen Qi and Mary became co-first authors of the paper "The Riemann zeta function ζ(2n+1) problem", with Muller as the second author.
Although Professor Muller has never won any major awards, all the students he has taught have held him in high esteem.
As long as the student isn't too dull, incompetent, or disappointing, and as long as the student has made even the slightest contribution to the project, Muller will make the student the first author of the research paper.
Shen Qi thought the old man was Norman Bethune from Germany.
Some professors aren't so easy to deal with; if they don't give a student the first author slot, the student can forget about publishing a paper. This type of professor exists in China, the US, and Europe.
"There are only two months left in the year, and our team's performance has surpassed that of the same period last year. Shen Qi, you deserve a lot of credit." Muller called Shen Qi his office and was giving him some extra help.
Last year, Muller's team completed only one paper.
As of November this year, Muller's team has completed two papers.
The Proof of Diophantine Equation Wash Conjecture has been submitted to the Journal of the American Mathematical Society and is currently in the peer review stage.
The problem of the Riemann zeta function ζ(2n+1) has just been completed and submitted to another of the Top Four Journals, the Annals of Mathematics, which is currently undergoing preliminary review.
Shen Qi contributed 100% and 60% to these two papers respectively, making him a key figure in the team and a favorite of Professor Muller.
Mary Muller Muller's team this April; last year, Muller only had Jonas as his sole player.
Jonas has not published a single paper in the two and a half years he has been pursuing his doctorate; the paper he published last year was written by Professor Muller himself.
In China, at top universities equivalent to Princeton, if a research team only publishes one paper a year, they can forget about securing much funding for projects the following year.
Muller has ample research funding, with more this year than last year.
Princeton is very wealthy. Although Princeton University small, it consistently ranks among the top universities in the United States in terms of wealth.
Princeton University's huge annual income comes from alumni donations, government funding, and education funds.
Of the more than $2 billion in revenue Princeton University earns each year, more than half is invested in research projects, while the other half is returned to the Princeton Education Endowment to generate rolling profits through securities, real estate, or other investments.
Cutting-edge scientific research is extremely expensive, and only by continuously and persistently spending money year after year can one stand at the top of the world.
Professors at Princeton don't have as many rigid performance targets assigned by higher authorities, nor are there any issues with promotions or housing allocations. The expenses of Mathematical Research team are not high, and Muller has more research funding than he can spend.
The publication fees for the two papers this year totaled just over $5,000. After accounting for the salaries paid to Shen Qi, Mary, and Jonas, Muller still had a surplus of funds.
Muller said very seriously to Shen Qi, "The Riemann zeta function ζ(2n+1) problem can be completed by you and Mary together, but I hope you will complete the Riemann Hypothesis on your own."
"If you encounter difficulties, you can talk to me privately. A complete proof of the Riemann Hypothesis requires the challenger to think of a solution independently. Even I might interfere with your thinking."
"Therefore, try not to discuss the Riemann Hypothesis with me before the core logic has taken shape, unless you are truly out of options."
"But don't be impatient, my child. RH is a long-term challenge, perhaps lasting five or even ten years, or even a lifetime. The good news is that we have completed the important groundwork for ζ(2n+1). Do you have the courage to face RH alone, Shen Qi?" Professor Muller said earnestly.
Shen Qi objectively replied, "I can only say that this is a tentative attack. I can't guarantee a successful strike, and it's even possible that it will take several years before we even grasp RH's true weakness. Yes, we already have the sharpest weapon, but we need to further study where the enemy's Achilles' heel is. I accept Professor Muller's suggestion and will challenge RH alone."
Without hesitation, Shen Qi launched a full-scale attack on the Riemann Hypothesis that very night.
However, a night passed, and Shen Qi was drowsy. He sighed, "I can't figure this out; I have absolutely no clue."