Never Fight an Unprepared Battle
"You've matured a lot lately, not only academically but also mentally. Qi, you're the youngest master mathematician I've ever met. All you need is a title." Professor Muller patted Shen Qi on the shoulder and asked, "So you've decided to collaborate with Mary again? I think she'll be more helpful to you than I am. As long as she can accept your new approach, she'll be your invaluable assistant."
"Our team has four people in total. Allen, don't underestimate Jonas," Shen Qi said. He needed an assistant—someone young, energetic, able to withstand pressure, and capable of handling massive computational and derivation tasks to verify whether other core expressions truly existed. The three most suitable candidates were Mary, Jonas, Ou Ye. The first two were work-related, and the last was a family member.
Muller smiled. "Of course, I know Jonas better than you do."
Shen Qi took out his phone. "Then I'll contact Jonas, and you contact Mary. Let's start the new project on RH today."
After a while, Jonas arrived, and Shen Qi explained the new topic, new settings, and new expressions to him.
"My God!" Jonas, who had always been indifferent to worldly desires, was shocked. A new world had opened up before him, and he was hesitant to accept it.
A little while later, Mary arrived.
"Good heavens!" Mary was stunned. A new world had opened up before her, so suddenly, without any warning.
Shen Qi tapped the blackboard. "Hey, Mary, Jonas, one of you is a PhD in mathematics, and the other is a PhD student. Besides 'God,' can't you say anything else?"
"Qi, your new concept, the so-called 'twin matching method,' completely negates the Hardy system!" Jonas's academic beliefs are being overturned.
"The Hadamard system seems to have become a paradox in the face of your 'twin matching method'." Mary has the highest academic qualifications; apart from Muller, she is the only one with a doctorate. Shen Qi and Jonas have not yet obtained their PhDs.
Professor Muller said, "Jonas, Mary, forget those old systems. Hardy and Haddamard couldn't prove the Riemann Hypothesis a hundred years ago, and they can't now either. I think we should accept Shen Qi's new setting; the 'Shen system' of the Riemann Hypothesis is hereby declared valid."
"Oh, that's too much of a claim. Actually, my 'twin matching method' can't be considered a system; it's just a new processing method." Shen Qi didn't dare to boast, and he was rather pragmatic. "The 'Shen system' from the Riemann Hypothesis isn't a suitable name. I think it can only be called 'Shen matching method' at most."
"I need some time to get used to the 'Shen matching method'," Jonas said.
"Currently, the 'Shen matching method' seems more innovative than the 'Maynard matching method'," Mary said.
Jonas consistently supported Shen Qi, inviting him for drinks and introducing Shen Qi to the Tiger Club, but Jonas held reservations when it came to Shen Qi's academic beliefs.
Mary and Shen Qi had argued and even nearly flipped the table, but now she's on Shen Qi's side.
Human nature is sometimes hard to understand. After three consecutive days of brainwashing, Shen Qi finally got Jonas and Mary to fully accept the "Shen matching method".
Muller's team had never been so united and harmonious before; everyone worked together diligently to conquer the Riemann Hypothesis.
Muller was primarily responsible for resource allocation and morale support, while frontline combat missions were carried out under Shen Qi's leadership.
Three cobblers are equal to one Zhuge Liang; a team of one mathematics PhD and two doctoral students is quite formidable.
Moreover, behind one mathematics PhD and two doctoral students is the entire Mathematics Department at Princeton University.
At the same time, Shen Qi visited various places to solicit opinions from the masses.
"Elon, do you think our team's new research project on RH is feasible?" Shen Qi sought Professor Lyndon Strauss Elon Lindenström's opinion.
Princeton professor and number theory master Elon Lyndon Strauss, a Fields Medal winner, fully supported Shen Qi and offered some valuable advice.
"Grader, what do you think?" Shen Qi sought out Professor Grader - Faltings for further advice.
Faltings, who had previously proven the Model Mordell Conjecture and paved the way for Andrew Wiles to prove Fermat's Last Theorem, was very interested in Shen matching method.
A master is a master. Faltings, also a Fields Medal winner, understood Shen Qi's new setting in just five minutes.
"Qi, if you agree, I would be more than happy to derive the second expression for you," Faltings volunteered.
This... this has gotten out of hand... Shen Qi originally came to ask Faltings for advice, but unexpectedly Faltings offered to help with the work.
"My name doesn't need to appear on your paper or academic monograph. This is purely out of my interest. Please believe me, Qi, I have the ability to help you with the prime number problem." Faltings said this to allay Shen Qi's concerns.
"No, no, Grader, that's not what I meant!" Shen Qi quickly explained.
Faltings already won the Fields Medal; he doesn't need to prove himself with another Millennium Prize Problem.
Moreover, Faltings was indifferent to fame and fortune. He cleared obstacles for Wiles, and in the end, Wiles proved Fermat's Last Theorem. Faltings did not say anything, but simply sent Wiles his congratulations.
"Then I'll try to derive the second expression for you. You can hire me as a technical consultant for your team. As for the remuneration, I'll settle it with Allen," Faltings said with a smile.
"It would be an honor for us to have your name on our team's published results." Shen Qi thought to himself that since things had gotten so big, he might as well make them even bigger. Bringing up a Fields Medal winner wouldn't be too embarrassing, and Faltings was the editor-in-chief of the Annals of Mathematics, with plenty of resources at his disposal.
In the next few days, things really got serious: both Faltings and Lyndon Strauss, winners of the Fields Medal, became technical advisors to Shen Qi Team.
This project had to be done, whether we wanted to or not. Director Feierman mobilized all the department's resources to support Shen Qi, and listed the "Proof of the Riemann Hypothesis by Shen matching method" as an important project in the department this year, with an importance rating of AAA.
In short, Shen Qi, you need money, you need manpower, the organization orders you to become famous, and you must become famous.
The organization's influence is immense. Originally, the Breakthrough Prize committee only gave Shen Qi 15 minutes for his presentation, but now it has been upgraded to the highest level of 45 minutes.
Shen Qi needs to produce results quickly. He'll be showing off at an international conference soon, and he needs to come up with some fresh and impactful results to convince the public.
The only regret is that IMU has not yet sent an invitation to Shen Qi.
The International Congress of Mathematicians, organized by the IMU, is held every four years, lasting 8-10 days, and the Fields Medal winners are announced on the last day.
This year is the International Congress of Mathematicians, which is also the year of the Fields Medal.
Shen Qi doesn't expect to win the Fields Medal this year; he just wants to be a speaker at the International Congress of Mathematicians, even if it's just a short 15-minute presentation, to build up his qualifications for the next Fields Medal.
Perhaps they are too young; no 22-year-old has ever given a presentation at the International Congress of Mathematicians.
Even child prodigies like Feierman and Terence Tao didn't give their first presentations at the International Congress of Mathematicians until they were twenty-four or twenty-five years old.
The organization told Shen Qi not to be anxious or panicked, as they were working with IMU to try and secure a speaking opportunity for him at the International Congress of Mathematicians.
"Qi, you must perform well at the Breakthrough Prize presentation at NASA next month. It's a crucial factor in your participation in this year's International Congress of Mathematicians." Director Feierman, on behalf of the organization, expressed his condolences and encouragement to Shen Qi.
The Breakthrough Prize committee is based in the United States, so it wouldn't be difficult for Princeton to win them over.
IMU is not impossible to work with, but it's a bit more difficult.
After extensively consulting with number theory experts at Princeton, Shen Qi had essentially completed the basic framework in his mind. He firmly believed that "Shen matching method" was the most effective way to solve the Riemann Hypothesis.
Today, after arranging work for Mary and Jonas, Shen Qi drove to Columbia University. His one-month deadline was up, and he wanted to see his girlfriend and also visit Gong Changwei, a number theory expert at Columbia University.
Although he has become a celebrity in the Mathematics Department of Princeton University, Shen Qi still maintains a clear head.
Princeton's view is just one opinion. If experts from other universities also agree with Shen Qi's new assumptions about the Riemann Hypothesis, then Shen Qi believes that proving the Riemann Hypothesis is only a matter of time.
With such a commotion, aren't you afraid of leaking secrets?
Don't worry, the experts Shen Qi visited are all well-known figures in the industry, and their names are a guarantee of their credibility.
Most importantly, the core technology is in Shen Qi's own hands, and even Professor Muller Mary, Jonas, and Mueller don't know much about it.
At this stage, there's no need for everyone to know about the core technology.
Besides Ou Ye.
Shen Qi arrived at Columbia University and texted Ou Ye: "Are you in class?"
Ou Ye: "There are 30 minutes left in class."
"Okay, I'll wait for you." Shen Qi arrived at the Columbia University Mathematics Department building and used the time while waiting for Ou Ye to visit his senior, Gong Changwei.