Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• In a Peking University dorm, roommates Wang Hao, Liu Qiang, and Chen Nan discuss a mathematics lecture, then wonder why Li Dong hasn't returned.
• Li Dong arrives, frustrated, revealing he was kicked out of the computer lab at closing time.
• He explains that he attended Academician Gao Wen's lecture on low-level algorithms and high-performance computing, then wrote a C++ program in the lab to verify nontrivial zeros of the Riemann Zeta function.
• Using cache-optimized memory blocking and Riemann's dimensionality-reduction algorithm, his program computed all nontrivial zeros up to beyond ten billion in just three hours on an ordinary lab computer—a remarkable feat.
• He was forced to stop before implementing multithreaded optimization, so he decides to buy a high-performance personal computer (he has over 300,000 yuan saved).
• The next morning, in a freshman general education class, an elderly professor stresses the difference between high school and university, encouraging students to enter research early and noting cash rewards for publishing in top journals.
• Li Dong mentally tallies potential papers: a physics paper on spontaneous symmetry breaking, a biology paper involving gene-knockout experiments on Alpine Hawkweed, and his Riemann zeta algorithm results—all potential money-makers. He wistfully notes he still lacks a computer.

2. Character Developments

• Li Dong: Demonstrates exceptional, cross-disciplinary talent; he effortlessly blends advanced mathematics with computer architecture, and already understands quantum field theory well enough to skip lectures. He shows ambition, pragmatism (viewing publications as financial rewards), and single-minded focus when optimizing algorithms.
• Roommates (Wang Hao, Liu Qiang, Chen Nan): Presented as typical sharp but somewhat conventional top students; they are confused by Li Dong’s choices, highlighting the gap between his abilities and their expectations. No major individual development, but they provide social contrast.

3. Significant Themes

• Knowledge creation vs. absorption: The transition from high school learning to university-level research and original contribution.
• High-performance computing and algorithmic genius: The power of combining mathematical insight with hardware-aware coding.
• Incentives in academia: Financial rewards for top-tier publications act as motivation.
• Prodigy isolation: Li Dong’s peers cannot fully grasp his interests or abilities.

4. Character Interactions

• Roommates tease Li Dong about a possible date, then react with disbelief when he reveals his actual activity (writing a computational proof).
• Li Dong briefly explains his choices: he skipped the physics lecture because computers are more important, and he had already studied quantum field theory.
• The professor’s lecture directly inspires Li Dong’s internal list of potential profitable publications, connecting academic guidance to his personal motivations.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Qin Fei, a Beijing Institute of Technology student, is on the subway after visiting a temple to bless his graduation project.
• He spots Li Dong, a senior he met on a high-speed rail trip, and strikes up a conversation.
• Li Dong reveals he is a Peking University student and is heading to Zhongguancun to buy a computer for his computational project.
• Qin Fei accompanies him. Li Dong explains he’s been verifying the nontrivial zeros of the Riemann zeta function using an algorithm he developed (the “Multi-Point Evaluation Grid Algorithm”).
• Li Dong casually mentions that with just over three hours of computation on ordinary school lab computers, he completed a full verification at the ten-billion scale — a feat Qin Fei finds impossible and shocking.
• Qin Fei explains academic publishing venues for such work (e.g., Mathematics of Computation, Acta Arithmetica, or even Annals of Mathematics).
• At the electronics market, Li Dong buys an expensive Dell Precision 7780 workstation for 35,800 yuan without hesitation.
• After parting, Qin Fei realizes his own senior thesis — based on the existing OS Algorithm — will be rendered worthless once Li Dong’s breakthrough is published. He shouts in despair: “My fucking graduation project!!!”

2. Character Developments

• Li Dong: Shows confidence and nonchalance about his extraordinary computational results. He lacks awareness of how impressive his achievement is, remains humble, and is open to advice (he accepts Qin Fei’s suggestion to buy a mobile workstation). He also lies cheekily about his old laptop (“accidentally dropped it”), hinting at his pragmatic, playful nature.
• Qin Fei: Initially friendly and helpful, he becomes progressively awed, humbled, and finally devastated. His academic pride is shattered when he realizes his own research will become obsolete, revealing his vulnerability and the pressure he feels as a graduate student.

3. Significant Themes

• Academic competition and insecurity: The painful realization that one’s hard work can be instantly invalidated by a superior breakthrough.
• Prodigious talent vs. conventional effort: Li Dong’s casual genius makes years of conventional research seem pointless.
• The gap between theoretical brilliance and practical awareness: Li Dong doesn’t grasp the significance of his own work, while Qin Fei immediately understands the massive implications.
• Technology vs. mathematics: The discussion of where to publish highlights the interdisciplinary nature of Li Dong’s algorithm — it’s a mathematical breakthrough implemented via computation.

4. Character Interactions

• Qin Fei and Li Dong share a friendly but subtly strained relationship. Qin Fei previously asked Li Dong for algorithm secrets via WeChat and was ignored; Li Dong deftly changes the subject.
• Li Dong is straightforward about his work, but Qin Fei is careful not to pry into confidential details.
• Qin Fei acts as a guide and advisor at Zhongguancun, offering practical purchasing advice and authoritative knowledge about academic journals.
• Their conversation reveals mutual respect, but also a sharp asymmetry in intellectual power that leaves Qin Fei mentally devastated by the end.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Dong brings a high-end mobile workstation to the dorm, correcting Wang Hao's assumption that it's a gaming laptop.
• Li Dong advises Wang Hao to study algebraic geometry using Hartshorne's book alongside Atiyah and Macdonald's Commutative Algebra.
• Lin Wei, president of Huaxuan Technology, calls Academician Gao Wen, expressing urgency in developing a solution for high-speed immersion lithography due to international trade restrictions.

Character Developments

• Li Dong demonstrates his expertise in mathematics and computer hardware, showing he's not just a physics student.
• Wang Hao is challenged by Li Dong's advice to dive into advanced algebraic geometry, indicating his dedication to mathematics.
• Lin Wei reveals his desperation and the dire situation of the Chinese semiconductor industry due to international sanctions.

Significant Themes

• The importance of foundational research and catching up in cutting-edge fields like semiconductors and computing.
• The struggle of the Chinese semiconductor industry due to international trade restrictions.
• The mentorship and guidance of Li Dong towards Wang Hao's mathematical pursuits.

Character Interactions

• Li Dong and Wang Hao discuss mathematics and computer hardware, with Li Dong providing guidance to Wang Hao.
• Lin Wei and Academician Gao Wen discuss the urgent need for a solution in immersion lithography, highlighting the dire situation in the Chinese semiconductor industry.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Dong continues to work on his algorithm for finding Nontrivial Zeros of the Riemann Zeta Function.
• He returns to the dorm and optimizes his program, incorporating the Chebyshev interpolation and Iterative Splitting Identity from the Riemann Manuscript.
• His roommates return and find him deeply focused on his work.
• Li Dong runs his optimized program overnight, with the zero count surging past ten billion.
• The next morning, the zero count is approaching one hundred billion.

Character Developments

• Li Dong demonstrates his dedication and focus on his work, entering a state of Flow State while programming.
• He shows consideration for his roommates by offering to pay for any extra electricity costs his program may incur.

Significant Themes

• The intersection of mathematics and computer science.
• The importance of focus and dedication in academic pursuits.
• The responsibility of considering others when using shared resources.

Character Interactions

• Li Dong's roommates—Liu Qiang, Chen Nan, and Wang Hao—show understanding and support for Li Dong's work.
• Li Dong considers his roommates' feelings and offers to pay for any additional electricity costs.
• The interactions between Li Dong and his roommates highlight their camaraderie and mutual respect.

Chapter Summary: The Rosetta Stone

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Dong and his dormmates arrive early to Professor Liu Ruochuan's Mathematical Analysis class but still fail to secure front-row seats due to overzealous students.
• Professor Liu delivers an inspiring lecture on prime numbers, the Riemann Hypothesis, and the Langlands Program—which he calls the "Rosetta Stone of mathematics" for connecting algebra, geometry, and analysis.
• The lecture deeply resonates with Li Dong, connecting to his ongoing calculations on nontrivial zeros and reminding him of Old Yang's paper on GL₂ automorphic representations.
• Li Dong receives a call from Teacher Sun Xiang: his Alpine Hawkweed project has progressed successfully—T1 generation seeds have been produced after gene knockout. He must now travel to Zhejiang University to conduct emasculation and artificial pollination experiments to verify Mendel's 3:1 trait segregation ratio.
• Li Dong obtains a two-day leave from his counselor at Yuanpei College.
• He returns to the dorm, changes clothes, and asks Wang Hao to protect his computer, which is still running calculations on nontrivial zeros.

2. Character Developments

• Li Dong: Demonstrates strategic thinking (arriving early, learning from past mistakes), deep intellectual ambition, and serious dedication to his independent research projects. He prioritizes his biology experiment despite school just starting.
• The Counselor: Shows openness and support for independent student research, representing the flexible academic culture at Peking University.
• Wang Hao: Displayed as diligent and absorbed in his study of Algebraic Geometry, though readily agrees to help Li Dong.

3. Significant Themes

• The pursuit of grand mathematics: Professor Liu urges students to aim for century-old conjectures rather than merely chasing GPAs or mediocre publications.
• Interdisciplinary unity: The Langlands Program symbolizes the power of connecting seemingly unrelated mathematical fields—analogous to the Rosetta Stone deciphering ancient languages.
• Academic ambition and independent research: The chapter emphasizes the importance of self-driven research and applying theoretical knowledge to real experiments.
• The scientific method: Li Dong's biology project highlights the need to validate molecular-level work with observable phenotypic evidence (Mendelian segregation ratios).

4. Character Interactions

• Professor Liu with students: Delivers an electrifying, inspirational lecture that captivates the classroom and sets high expectations for Peking University students.
• Dormmates (Wang Hao, Liu Qiang, Chen Nan): They rush off to ask Professor Liu questions, but Li Dong waits strategically, only to receive his call from Sun Xiang.
• Sun Xiang (phone): Informs Li Dong of the project's progress and the need for his physical presence to conduct critical experiments.
• Li Dong with counselor: Brief, positive exchange where the counselor signs off on the leave request, affirming Li Dong's research efforts.
• Li Dong with Wang Hao: Li Dong entrusts his precious computational work to his roommate, showing trust despite their competitive banter.

Summary: Chapter — Does It Have to Be This Absurd?

Key Plot Points

1. Li Dong arrives in Hangzhou, met at the high-speed rail station by his former teacher Sun Xiang, who has since left Jiangcheng No. 6 High School to become a research assistant under Professor Zhang Minfang at Zhejiang University's College of Life Sciences.
2. The HpPAR gene project: In the Plant Genetics and Molecular Breeding Laboratory, Li Dong and Sun Xiang prepare to validate two critical results on T1 generation Alpine Hawkweed (Hieracium prealtum) plants: (a) confirming the knockout mutants have completely lost parthenogenesis ability and require fertilization to set seeds; (b) compiling trait segregation data to verify the expected Mendelian 3:1 ratio.
3. Gene naming: Li Dong proposes the name HpPAR (Hieracium prealtum Parthenogenesis gene), maintaining consistency with the previously cloned PpPAR gene from Pilosella officinarum while reflecting the taxonomic species difference. Sun Xiang approves enthusiastically.
4. Parallel scene at Peking University: Li Dong's roommates (Wang Hao, Liu Qiang, Chen Nan) return from Professor Liu Ruochuan's Mathematical Analysis lecture. They notice Li Dong's computer has been running a program verifying nontrivial zeros of the Riemann Zeta Function for two days.
5. The absurd discovery: Encouraged by Wang Hao's remark (verifying 10 trillion zeros required a supercomputer cluster running for months), the roommates wake the screen and find Li Dong's personal mobile workstation has already verified over 168 billion zeros in just two days—a result so impossible it shatters Wang Hao's worldview.

Character Developments

• Li Dong: Demonstrates scholarly rigor and academic propriety by carefully following nomenclature conventions and crediting his own research contributions through the naming process. His dual talents (biology and computational mathematics) are showcased. He has graduated beyond his old school environment and is now moving between elite institutions (Peking University, Zhejiang University).
• Sun Xiang: His demeanor has changed since leaving teaching; he appears revitalized in the research environment and proud of his former student's achievements.
• Wang Hao: Portrayed as the confident "know-it-all" who insists on explaining the computational limits of conventional hardware—until reality contradicts his expectations, leaving him visibly shaken.
• Liu Qiang & Chen Nan: Served as comic-relief commentators, counting digits and being awed by Li Dong's results.

Significant Themes

• Scientific rigor and validation: The chapter emphasizes that groundbreaking claims require careful experimental proof (pollination tests, segregation data), not just theoretical insight.
• The shock of impossible achievement: Li Dong's computational result violates conventional expectations about hardware limits and algorithmic constraints, setting up his character as one who routinely defies the "absurd."
• Academic lineage and legacy: The gene naming reflects how scientific discovery builds on prior work while forging new identity; Li Dong and Sun Xiang's reunion also highlights the mentor-student bond.
• Two-front brilliance: Li Dong is simultaneously engaged in elite-level biology and mathematics—suggesting his Life Analysis ability grants him extraordinary achievement across disciplines.

Character Interactions

• Li Dong & Sun Xiang: Their warm reunion shows mutual respect. Sun Xiang credits Li Dong with the gene's identification and grants him naming rights; Li Dong demonstrates humility and technical competence.
• Wang Hao, Liu Qiang, Chen Nan: Their dormitory banter is lively and colloquial (nicknames like "Rat"). They discuss mathematical gossip (whether the Riemann Hypothesis will be proven), and their assumption—prompted by Wang Hao—that Li Dong's program must be unimpressive becomes the setup for the chapter's climactic shock.
• The scene functions as a narrative juxtaposition: biology validation and sheer computational absurdity are both presented as Li Dong's everyday scale of achievement, establishing him as an exceptional figure in multiple fields.

Chapter Summary: Don't Cry Later

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Dong returns to the dorm after a trip to Zhejiang University. He confirms that the T1 mutant strain of Alpine Hawkweed has flowered and set seeds—the phenotypic data will soon resolve a century-old problem first posed by Mendel.
• Wang Hao notices Li Dong’s mobile workstation is still running a full verification of nontrivial zeros of the Riemann Zeta Function. It has already verified more than 900 billion zeros and is approaching the trillion mark.
• However, the workstation is overheating from physical overload. Li Dong safely interrupts the program and exports the extreme-value statistical data to a local CSV file for his paper.
• Later, Li Dong and Wang Hao attend Advanced Algebra class. Liu Qiang and Chen Nan have saved front-row seats.
• Professor Liu teaches direct-sum decomposition of linear spaces. Li Dong privately thinks the teaching is too drawn-out and that an idempotent-transformation approach would be more elegant.
• At the end of class, Professor Liu gives a seemingly simple extension problem. The freshmen feel confident, but the narrator hints they will soon regret it—“Don’t cry later.”

2. Character Developments

• Li Dong: Revealed to be a rare interdisciplinary talent—strong in mathematics, programming, and biology. He treats his achievements casually (e.g., “full marks” in math) and is more focused on research than on competition.
• Wang Hao: Once privately confident that he was the best mathematician in Dorm 404 due to his math-olympiad gold medal. Seeing Li Dong’s trillion-level verification seriously shakes that pride. He begins to doubt his own superiority and tries to “play blind” instead of confronting the evidence directly.
• Liu Qiang & Chen Nan: Supportive and proactive dormmates; they reserve seats and joke around, grounding the story with normal campus-life moments.
• Professor Liu: A capable teacher, but the chapter hints that his “extension problems” are traps meant to humble overconfident freshmen.

3. Significant Themes

• Hidden genius vs. surface humility: Li Dong’s extraordinary abilities are understated even as they dwarf those of his peers.
• Intellectual pride and humiliation: Wang Hao’s internal crisis shows how elite students measure themselves against each other; overconfidence is fragile.
• Mathematical elegance: Li Dong’s thinking reflects the idea that a deep, abstract framework can simplify what traditional teaching makes overly complicated.
• Computational mathematics and verification: The chapter emphasizes the importance of rigorous verification of famous unsolved problems, like the Riemann Hypothesis.
• “Don’t cry later”: A warning against premature confidence—both in class and in life.

4. Character Interactions

• Wang Hao → Li Dong: Carefully probes Li Dong about his math history and the verification program. His questions are casual on the surface but emotionally loaded underneath.
• Liu Qiang & Chen Nan → Li Dong & Wang Hao: Cheerful, practical friends who secure good seats and maintain a normal dorm atmosphere.
• Li Dong → Professor Liu: Silently critiques Professor Liu’s teaching method but still follows along. He embodies the “student who already knows more than the lesson.”
• Professor Liu → Class: Gives a challenge problem with an aura of authority, setting up future dramatic tension.

Chapter Summary: "You're Pretty Impressive"

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• During a Yuanpei College mathematics lecture, Professor Liu Ruochuan presents a difficult problem (originally a graduate entrance exam question) as a challenge to his first-year students.
• He offers full participation marks for the rest of the course to any student who can solve it on the blackboard.
• After an initial silence, Li Dong volunteers and approaches the podium.
• Li Dong solves the problem efficiently using a strategic approach: first handling the basis of the intersection (V1∩V2), then using the Subspace Basis Extension Theorem, proving linear independence through a clever contradiction, and finally completing the proof with dimension calculations.
• The bell rings right as he finishes. Professor Liu reviews the proof and praises him.
• Li Dong states the problem "isn't difficult," and when prompted further, adds that his particular solution is not unique—surprising classmates who assumed uniqueness.
• Professor Liu, impressed, makes a mental note to add the "uniqueness" question to his other classes.
• Li Dong rushes off to return to his room and organize data for a research paper, skipping the cafeteria lunch.
• His roommates (Liu Qiang, Chen Nan, and Wang Hao) are left stunned, reflecting on the fact that Li Dong's true passion is physics despite his apparent mathematical brilliance.

2. Character Developments

• Li Dong: Emerges as a standout genius—mathematically exceptional, humble in a matter-of-fact way, and highly focused on his academic goals (notably his physics ambitions and research paper). He avoids unnecessary socializing to prioritize work.
• Professor Liu Ruochuan: Shown as a strategic and somewhat mischievous educator who tests his students with advanced problems. He recognizes raw talent and actively considers "poaching" Li Dong into his School of Mathematics.
• Wang Hao: Established as the top math student in Room 404, he is visibly deflated and acknowledges Li Dong's superiority by looking at the ceiling in resignation.
• Liu Qiang & Chen Nan: Serve as the reactionary audience, expressing shock and awe, helping underscore the magnitude of Li Dong's achievement.

3. Significant Themes

• Talent vs. Effort: Li Dong's ease with the problem contrasts with the struggling geniuses around him, highlighting natural aptitude versus learned capability.
• Humility (or Nonchalance): Li Dong's claim that the problem is easy and his solution non-unique is not arrogant—it’s simply his genuine perspective, challenging the room's competitive atmosphere.
• Academic Ambition: The professor's recruiting intent and Li Dong's outside research project demonstrated that education extends beyond classroom performance.

4. Character Interactions

• Professor Liu and Li Dong: A student-teacher dynamic that quickly escalates into mutual respect. Professor Liu challenges, observes, scrutinizes, then praises. Their brief dialogue reveals a potential future mentorship, though Li Dong remains politely non-committal.
• Li Dong and Roommates: A brief, practical exchange—Li Dong tells them not to bring him food, prioritizing work. His leaving deepens their bewilderment about his casual attitude toward his own success.
• Class reaction: The "top students" are collectively dumbfounded, representing the standard against which Li Dong is measured.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points

• Li Dong prepares to write an academic paper based on the Riemann Manuscript’s Dimensionality-Reduction Algorithm, which computes nontrivial zeros of the Riemann Zeta Function.
• He decides to target the journal Mathematics of Computation (Math. Comp.) after rejecting pure math's top four journals—they require solving major open problems like proving the Riemann Hypothesis outright, while his work is algorithmic.
• He works late into the night in the Yuanpei Study Room, drafting the paper and integrating the 19th-century manuscript ideas with modern computer science terminology, citing Gourdon’s 2004 record-setting work.
• After noticing his algorithm could beat historical limits (10^14 or 10^15 zeros) if deployed on supercomputers, he wonders whether such a breakthrough might raise his authorization level (from the mysterious Gauss message).
• The study room closes at 10 PM; a student assistant reminds him to leave. Li Dong decides not to pull an all-nighter and heads back to his dorm.

Character Developments

• Li Dong: Demonstrates intense focus, discipline, and strategic thinking about academic publishing. He is aware of the algorithm’s immense potential but still cautious about its limitations. His brief temptation to push for supercomputing shows ambition, but he also knows when to rest.
• Anonymous senior (plaid shirt): Represents the skeptical, competitive academic culture—initially impressed, then dismissive after seeing the target journal. His reaction underscores the near-impossible difficulty of publishing in top journals for a first-year student.

Significant Themes

• The gap between computational breakthroughs and pure mathematical proof—Li Dong’s algorithm is powerful but does not constitute a logical proof of the Riemann Hypothesis.
• Academic hierarchy and publishing pressure—even as a top student, surviving reviewer rejection at elite journals is the norm.
• The tension between individual effort and large-scale resources—Li Dong wonders if his work could reach world-record levels with supercomputing clusters.
• Time perception under deep focus—the chapter illustrates “flow” as hours pass unnoticed during intense intellectual work.

Character Interactions

• The plaid-shirt senior notices Li Dong’s screen, internally judges him naive, and later derisively mentions the encounter to his roommate (who jokingly compares it to someone “proving the Riemann Hypothesis”).
• The red-armband senior assistant politely but firmly reminds Li Dong that the study room is closing, and they exchange brief pleasantries before Li Dong packs up.
  Overall, this chapter advances the plot by placing Li Dong in the academic publishing arena while highlighting the gap between his secret computational breakthrough and the skeptical external world.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points & Events

• Li Dong finalizes his mathematical paper, carefully polishing the language and formatting to meet Math.Comp. journal standards.
• He packages his core C++ code, hosts it on GitHub, and includes the open-source link in the paper's data availability statement.
• He submits the manuscript through the AMS EditorialManager system; status shows “Submitted to Journal.”
• Days later, at the AMS headquarters, editorial assistant Eric performs a routine technical and duplicate check. Despite his bias against undergraduate submissions, the iThenticate report comes back with an astonishing 1% similarity score — so low that Eric is shocked (coffee goes down the wrong pipe).

2. Character Developments

• Li Dong: Shows meticulous work ethic and professionalism in preparing a top-tier submission. Though he privately acknowledges the coursework is genuinely hard, he performs effortlessly compared to his peers — a result of his boosted intellect and insights from the Azure Dragon Study Group.
• Roommates (Wang Hao, Chen Nan, Liu Qiang): Struggle to keep up with the fast-paced, advanced lectures. Despite feeling overwhelmed, they persist in studying after dinner — revealing their resilience and elite-student mentality.
• Eric (AMS Editorial Assistant): Initially dismissive of undergraduate authors, expecting plagiarism or shallow work. The 1% duplicate rate shatters his prejudice, setting up a likely shift in his attitude toward the submission.

3. Significant Themes

• The Rigors of Academic Publishing: The detailed process — formatting, code sharing, data availability, and duplicate checks — highlights the high standards of top journals.
• Impostor Syndrome vs. Hidden Superiority: Li Dong’s quiet competence contrasts with his roommates’ visible struggle; he even claims the material is “hard,” yet clearly operates on a different level.
• Originality and Merit: The 1% similarity score underscores the paper’s genuine novelty, while Eric’s bias critiques how academic gatekeepers often judge authors by status rather than content.
• Elite Academic Pressure: The chapter captures the intense difficulty of studying at Peking University’s Yuanpei Program, where even top high-school achievers feel overwhelmed.

4. Character Interactions

• Li Dong ↔ Roommates: After class, the roommates vent about how hard topology and other courses are. Li Dong agrees it’s “pretty hard,” but his tone is so casual that the others exchange incredulous looks — they can’t tell if he’s serious or just being modest.
• Eric ↔ Manuscript (internal): Eric’s interaction is mostly with the submission system. He mentally prepares to reject the paper, then reacts in disbelief to the 1% similarity score — a moment of dramatic irony that closes the chapter.

Summary of “Su Qiwang’s Shock”

Key plot points and events

• Su Qiwang, a distinguished professor and editor-in-chief of Mathematics of Computation at Brown University, returns exhausted from teaching an advanced course on discontinuous Galerkin finite element methods.
• He privately criticizes his foreign doctoral students for struggling with concepts he considers basic, while expressing pride in Huaxia’s rising mathematical strength and his desire to support young Chinese scholars.
• As part of his editorial duties, Su reviews newly screened submissions for Mathematics of Computation, a prestigious journal with an extremely high rejection rate. He quickly rejects several papers for lacking genuine originality.
• He then notices a manuscript titled “A New Dimensionality-Reduction Algorithm for Multipoint Evaluation of the Riemann Zeta Function on the Critical Line,” authored by Li Dong, an undergraduate at Yenching University.
• Initially skeptical because most papers on computing Riemann zeta zeros offer little meaningful innovation, Su opens the paper out of curiosity and national pride.
• The manuscript astonishes him. It replaces traditional Taylor expansions with Chebyshev interpolation, introduces a “Nonlinear FFT Grid Expansion,” and uses an iterative splitting identity to simplify the central summation.
• Su realizes the method bypasses the established Odlyzko–Schönhage framework and represents a fundamental reduction in the computational complexity of finding nontrivial zeros of the Riemann zeta function.
• The paper claims that Li Dong used a single mobile workstation to verify 988,102,445,112 nontrivial zeros in fewer than four days—an achievement far beyond previous large-scale computational records.
• Ignoring a scheduled departmental seminar, Su carefully examines the paper for over an hour, then downloads and inspects Li’s open-source C++ implementation.
• After finding the code clean, efficient, and apparently free of logical flaws, Su requests immediate access to Brown’s highest-level supercomputer cluster to independently test the algorithm.
• He concludes that, if the claimed scalability is genuine, the paper could be a landmark publication and cause a major upheaval in computational mathematics.

Character developments

• Su Qiwang is portrayed as an exceptionally knowledgeable but somewhat arrogant scholar. His frustration with weaker students emphasizes his high standards and confidence.
• His patriotism is central to his characterization: despite working abroad, he actively supports Huaxia’s academic development and believes it will eventually surpass Western mathematical institutions.
• His initial editorial detachment gives way to intense intellectual excitement. The paper revives a sense of wonder he has not felt in years.
• Su’s judgment develops from skepticism to cautious conviction. Rather than accepting the extraordinary claims immediately, he verifies the mathematics, inspects the source code, and seeks computational confirmation.
• His willingness to interrupt official duties and prioritize testing the algorithm shows how seriously he views its potential significance.

Significant themes

• Scientific revolution and innovation: The manuscript is presented as a possible breakthrough that overturns established computational methods rather than merely improving existing code.
• The rise of Huaxia in global academia: Su’s pride in Li Dong reflects the broader theme of China’s growing mathematical and technological strength.
• Theory versus practical verification: The paper’s elegant proofs are impressive, but Su insists that extraordinary computational claims must be validated in practice.
• Merit over credentials: Li’s status as an undergraduate contrasts sharply with the sophistication of his work, suggesting that groundbreaking talent can emerge outside traditional academic hierarchies.
• Academic gatekeeping and originality: The journal’s strict standards highlight the difference between superficial optimization and genuine theoretical innovation.
• Intellectual awe: Su’s shock illustrates the emotional impact of encountering work capable of transforming an entire field.

Character interactions

• Su and his foreign students: Though they do not appear directly, Su’s thoughts reveal his impatience with their difficulties and his belief that Huaxia students may be more advanced.
• Su and young Huaxia scholars: His broader relationship with students from home is supportive and mentor-like; he sees himself as helping cultivate the next generation.
• Su and the teaching assistant: The assistant reminds him about the departmental seminar, but Su dismisses the interruption with a wave. His authority is strong enough that the assistant immediately withdraws and makes alternate arrangements.
• Su and Li Dong: They never meet directly, but Su’s reaction develops from curiosity and skepticism into admiration and urgent professional interest. Li’s paper becomes the catalyst for Su’s emotional and intellectual transformation.
• Su and the academic community: Through his editorial role and request for supercomputer access, Su positions himself as the first major expert preparing to test and potentially validate Li’s revolutionary work.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter begins with Li Dong and his friends arguing over lunch options at Peking University.
• A senior girl greets Li Dong, causing his friends to tease him about a potential relationship.
• After lunch, Li Dong helps Wang Hao understand Algebraic Geometry using physics analogies.

Character Developments

• Li Dong: Shows his passion for physics and his ability to explain complex mathematical concepts using physical analogies.
• Wang Hao: Struggles with understanding Algebraic Geometry, eventually seeking help from Li Dong. He's willing to face his academic struggles and seek help when needed.

Significant Themes

• The importance of foundational understanding in learning complex subjects.
• The value of interdisciplinary thinking in problem-solving.
• The camaraderie and teasing among college friends.

Character Interactions

• Li Dong and his friends (Chen Nan, Liu Qiang, Wang Hao): They interact through friendly banter and teasing, showing their close bond.
• Li Dong and the senior girl: Their brief interaction sparks Li Dong's friends' curiosity and teasing.
• Li Dong and Wang Hao: Wang Hao seeks Li Dong's help to understand Algebraic Geometry, highlighting Li Dong's expertise and Wang Hao's willingness to learn from others.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Dong's paper on the dimensionality reduction of the Riemann algorithm passes the preliminary review and goes directly to external review, bypassing technical screening and plagiarism checks.
• Li Dong discovers that the editor who handled his paper is Su Qiwang, a renowned figure in computational mathematics.
• Li Dong plans to use Peking University's supercomputing platform to further his research and upgrade his permissions within the Azure Dragon Study Group.
• Li Dong notices Marie Skłodowska Curie's presence in the study group and learns about Dmitri Mendeleev's progress on his aircraft project.

Character Developments

• Li Dong demonstrates confidence in his work and strategic thinking about his academic pursuits.
• Wang Hao, Li Dong's roommate, feels overwhelmed and disheartened by Li Dong's academic achievements.
• Marie Skłodowska Curie is introduced as a passionate and adventurous scientist, dedicated to her work and pushing the boundaries of knowledge.

Significant Themes

• The pursuit of knowledge and academic excellence.
• The challenges and rewards of scientific research.
• The importance of perseverance and dedication in achieving one's goals.

Character Interactions

• Li Dong shares his academic success with Wang Hao, who feels disheartened in comparison.
• Marie Skłodowska Curie and Dmitri Mendeleev engage in a friendly debate about adventure and exploration in science.
• Li Dong plans to "fleece" more knowledge from the Azure Dragon Study Group members, particularly regarding Dmitri Mendeleev's aircraft project.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Marxism class, the students of Dorm 404 split up:
  • Wang Hao goes to the library to recover from Li Dong’s academic “attacks” by studying higher-dimensional algebra.
  • Liu Qiang and Chen Nan leave to audit classes in another department, demonstrating their extreme dedication to studying.
  • Li Dong is left alone and heads to Nongyuan Cafeteria.
• At the cafeteria, Li Dong unexpectedly meets Qi Yu, the chemistry senior he encountered earlier. They introduce themselves and eat together in comfortable silence.
• Li Dong notices Qi Yu studying advanced quantum chemistry and spectral analysis. Although he possesses enhanced chemical intuition, the material is still far beyond his current understanding.
• After dinner, Li Dong checks the American Mathematical Society submission system, but his paper’s status remains unchanged.
• He then opens the “Azure Dragon Study Group” and discovers that Dmitri Mendeleev and Marie Curie are engaged in an intense scientific dispute.
• Mendeleev defends the indivisibility and immutability of atoms, arguing that his Periodic Law depends on the permanence of atomic weight and chemical elements.
• Curie counters with experimental evidence from radioactivity, radium extraction, and radioactive decay, insisting that atoms have internal structures and that one element can transform into another.
• Their disagreement escalates from a personal argument into a conflict between deductive theoretical reasoning and experimental induction.
• Unable to resolve the dispute, both scientists suddenly call on Li Dong to judge between them, leaving him terrified and anxious.
• Li Dong initially tries to avoid responsibility, but realizes that if he can explain atomic structure and resolve this historical scientific crisis, he may gain enormous rewards from both legendary scientists.

Character Developments

• Li Dong: Continues to be portrayed as academically gifted but still inexperienced and insecure when facing genuine scientific giants. He is initially overwhelmed by the dispute, yet his ambition and logical thinking quickly emerge: he recognizes the potentially immense benefits of solving the problem.
• Wang Hao: His confidence has been badly damaged by Li Dong’s recent academic performance, pushing him to study intensively in isolation.
• Liu Qiang and Chen Nan: Their near-obsessive academic dedication is emphasized through their habit of attending classes outside their department.
• Qi Yu: Introduced as a disciplined chemistry student with advanced knowledge. Her extremely plain meal and sophisticated quantum chemistry textbook establish her as serious, restrained, and academically accomplished.
• Mendeleev: Shown as proud, theoretically committed, and emotionally defensive of the Periodic Law that defines his legacy.
• Marie Curie: Presented as calm but uncompromising, placing experimental evidence above established doctrine and defending radioactive decay as proof of atomic transformation.

Significant Themes

• Theory versus experiment: The central conflict is whether established theoretical systems should prevail or yield when confronted with new experimental evidence.
• Scientific paradigm shifts: The chapter highlights how revolutionary discoveries can overturn foundational beliefs, particularly the ideas of indivisible atoms and immutable elements.
• Academic obsession and competition: Dorm 404’s students are characterized by relentless study, creating a humorous contrast with Li Dong’s more balanced concerns.
• Knowledge as power: Li Dong recognizes that scientific insight can produce extraordinary rewards and influence, even though he does not yet feel qualified to intervene.
• Humility versus ambition: Li Dong’s fear reflects his awareness of his limitations, but his desire to solve the dispute reveals growing ambition and confidence.

Character Interactions

• Li Dong’s academic success indirectly pressures Wang Hao, who responds by burying himself in study.
• His friendship with Liu Qiang and Chen Nan is shown through humorous observations about their inability to pursue romance because of their academic intensity.
• Li Dong and Qi Yu share a quiet, comfortable meal, with their brief introduction suggesting a potential future connection based on chemistry and academic interests.
• Mendeleev and Curie clash over atomic theory, with each defending a fundamentally different scientific method.
• Both scientists ultimately unite in placing pressure on Li Dong, forcing him to confront a problem far beyond his ordinary student identity.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• At Pengcheng Laboratory, director Gao Wen finishes a meeting about the next phase of the “Pengcheng Brain” AI project and reads the latest issue of Mathematics of Computation.
• He notices an Editor’s Choice paper titled “A New Dimension-Reduction Algorithm for Multipoint Evaluation of the Riemann Zeta Function on the Critical Line.”
• Initially skeptical, Gao assumes the paper is merely another minor optimization in a field whose algorithms have been largely exhausted.
• After reading the abstract and derivation, he realizes the paper introduces a fundamentally new algorithmic architecture based on Nonlinear FFT Grid Expansion and a dimension-reduction strategy.
• Verification data from Brown University shows that the method evaluates (6 \times 10^{13}) nontrivial zeros of the Riemann zeta function in only three days—an enormous improvement over existing methods.
• Gao recognizes that the algorithm could have far-reaching applications in cryptography, high-dimensional matrix computation, and other foundational technologies. He views it as a “nuclear-level” breakthrough.
• Expecting the work to come from a prestigious foreign institution, Gao is shocked to discover that the sole author is Dong Li (Li Dong) of Yenching University, despite Gao’s own connection to Peking University and his unfamiliarity with the researcher.
• In Kyoto, Peking University mathematics dean Liu Ruochuan is similarly frustrated after a meeting criticizing the school’s lack of major advances in computational mathematics and underlying algorithms.
• Liu reads the same paper, initially dismissing it as another conventional optimization. As he studies the method, however, he becomes increasingly astonished and excited by its ability to break through the limitations of existing algorithms.
• He begins imagining collaboration with the presumed foreign research team, only to discover that the author is also Li Dong of Yenching University, leaving him stunned and confused.

Character Developments

• Gao Wen: Shifts from skepticism to intense admiration. His expertise allows him to immediately recognize the algorithm’s broader technological importance, and the author’s identity challenges his assumptions about where major breakthroughs originate.
• Liu Ruochuan: Moves from frustration and dismissiveness to excitement and humility. The paper forces him to reconsider his belief that computational mathematics is stagnating and makes him aware that an unexpected young or obscure scholar may have surpassed established institutions.
• Li Dong: Does not appear directly, but his reputation grows dramatically. His work is revealed to be powerful enough to astonish leading figures in both AI and pure mathematics.

Significant Themes

• Disruption of established academic expectations: Both professors assume a breakthrough of this scale must come from a famous foreign university, only to find it came from an unexpected domestic source.
• The value of foundational research: The chapter emphasizes how a theoretical advance in computation can transform AI, cryptography, numerical analysis, and other technologies.
• Limits of institutional complacency: Established scholars and universities are shown to be trapped in familiar frameworks and unaware of groundbreaking work emerging outside their immediate circles.
• Recognition versus obscurity: Li Dong’s achievement is internationally published and technically revolutionary, yet senior academics at major Chinese institutions barely know his name.
• National and academic competition: The breakthrough becomes significant not only mathematically but also strategically, potentially strengthening Huaxia’s position in advanced technology.

Character Interactions

• Gao has no direct interaction with Li Dong, but his reaction establishes the magnitude of Li’s achievement.
• Liu interacts briefly with passing professors, ignoring their greetings because he is absorbed in the paper, illustrating his growing excitement.
• Both Gao and Liu independently follow the same emotional progression—dismissal, surprise, fascination, and disbelief—creating a parallel structure.
• Their separate discoveries of Li Dong’s identity suggest that his sudden emergence will soon attract attention from powerful academic and technological institutions.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Dong has been studying chemistry intensively to impress Marie Curie and Dmitri Mendeleev in a chat group, but Mendeleev challenges him with complex questions, leading Li Dong to realize he needs to master the material himself.
• Li Dong visits Zhejiang University to complete the final stage of a biological research project.
• Li Dong receives a call from his homeroom teacher, Professor Zhou Qifeng, asking him to meet in a seminar room. He finds Dean Liu of the School of Mathematical Sciences also present.

Character Developments

• Li Dong: Becomes more determined to master chemistry after being challenged by Mendeleev. He also shows responsibility and dedication to his research project at Zhejiang University.
• Wang Hao, Liu Qiang, and Chen Nan: Show signs of academic pressure and recognition from their professors, indicating their intellectual growth.

Significant Themes

• Intellectual growth and the pursuit of knowledge.
• Academic recognition and responsibility.
• The challenges and rewards of academic competition.

Character Interactions

• Li Dong interacts with Mendeleev in the chat group, leading to his realization about the depth of knowledge required.
• Li Dong's roommates discuss their academic work, which prompts Li Dong to check on his own published paper.
• Li Dong meets with Professor Zhou Qifeng and Dean Liu, suggesting a significant academic matter is at hand.

Chapter Summary: “Why Are You Looking for the School of Mathematics?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dean Liu Ruochuan summons undergraduate Li Dong to confirm whether he authored the groundbreaking paper “A Novel Dimensionality-Reduction Algorithm for Multipoint Evaluation of the Riemann Zeta Function on the Critical Line.”
• Li Dong confirms that he is the author, though he is surprised to learn that the paper has already received extraordinary recognition:
  • It was expedited through the journal’s highest-priority editorial channel.
  • It was selected as an Editor’s Choice paper.
  • It was featured on the American Mathematical Society’s homepage.
• Liu reveals that renowned computational mathematician Professor Su Qiwang personally reviewed the paper and arranged for Brown University’s supercomputing center to verify the algorithm.
• Using Li Dong’s FFT-grid nonlinear expansion method, Brown’s team verifies six trillion nontrivial zeros of the Riemann zeta function in only three days, demonstrating the algorithm’s immense computational power.
• Professor Zhou Qifeng, who had come mainly to relay a message, is shocked because Li Dong had previously claimed that theoretical physics was his primary interest.
• Instead of focusing on the academic prestige of his achievement, Li Dong immediately asks about Peking University’s financial rewards for undergraduate publications.
• Liu promises to personally seek the university’s highest possible bonus for Li Dong.
• Li then reveals his true objective: gaining access to Peking University’s Weiming-1 supercomputer cluster and high-performance computing resources so he can further optimize and expand his algorithm.
• Liu eagerly offers the School of Mathematics’ computing quota, seeing the request as an opportunity to recruit Li into the mathematics department.
• Before the arrangement can be finalized, Academician Gao Wen bursts in and argues that Li should seek support from the School of Information Science, whose expertise in hardware scheduling, GPU clusters, NUMA architecture, and parallel computing would better suit the algorithm.

Character Developments

• Li Dong is established as an unusually versatile and ambitious young researcher. Although he previously presented himself as devoted to theoretical physics, he has now produced a major breakthrough in computational mathematics.
• His personality is shown to be highly pragmatic. He values recognition, but he is especially concerned with concrete benefits—first the research bonus, then access to supercomputing resources.
• Li’s real priority is not departmental affiliation or fame, but increasing his computational permissions and pushing his algorithm to its limits.
• Dean Liu Ruochuan shifts from cautious curiosity to intense enthusiasm. He sees Li as an exceptional talent and becomes determined to secure both funding and departmental loyalty.
• Professor Zhou Qifeng becomes bewildered and somewhat indignant, realizing that Li’s supposed commitment to physics may not be exclusive—or perhaps may simply reflect his opportunistic pursuit of whatever field offers the next challenge.
• Academician Gao Wen appears as a forceful rival to Liu. He recognizes the algorithm’s connection to large-scale parallel computing and aggressively offers superior technical and computational support.

Significant Themes

• Interdisciplinary genius: Li’s work bridges mathematics, physics, numerical analysis, and computer science, challenging rigid academic boundaries.
• Practical ambition versus academic idealism: The senior scholars are focused on the historical importance of Li’s achievement, while Li is more concerned with bonuses and access to computing power.
• Competition for exceptional talent: The mathematics and information science departments immediately compete to claim Li and provide him with resources.
• The importance of computational infrastructure: The chapter emphasizes that groundbreaking algorithms require not only theoretical insight but also powerful hardware, optimization, and large-scale verification.
• Recognition and validation: The involvement of Professor Su Qiwang and Brown University’s successful verification establishes the global credibility of Li’s work.

Character Interactions

• Liu conducts the initial confirmation meeting with Li, praising the paper and attempting to recruit him through promises of institutional support.
• Li’s straightforward questions about money surprise both Liu and Zhou, highlighting the contrast between Li’s practical mindset and the professors’ academic expectations.
• Zhou’s confusion stems from Li’s apparent shift from theoretical physics to computational mathematics, reinforcing Li’s unpredictable and multifaceted nature.
• Liu and Gao compete directly for Li’s allegiance:
  • Liu emphasizes mathematical resources and access to university supercomputing quotas.
  • Gao argues that information science and hardware expertise are more appropriate for maximizing Li’s algorithm.
• The chapter ends with Li caught between two powerful academic factions, each eager to support—and effectively claim—his next stage of research.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Dong's paper on the Riemann Zeta Function is published in Mathematics of Computation (Math.Comp.), causing a stir in the academic community.
• Academician Gao Wen from the School of Information Science and Dean Liu Ruochuan from the School of Mathematics argue over Li Dong's affiliation, with Gao emphasizing the importance of computer science in the implementation, and Liu stressing the mathematical foundation.
• Gao offers Li Dong access to the university's supercomputer, Weiming-1, for further research.
• Gao and Liu reach an agreement to share Li Dong between their schools for his sophomore major assignments, with the School of Mathematics taking him for pure mathematics and the School of Information Science for computer science.

Character Developments

• Li Dong: Gains recognition and resources for his work, but remains humble and focused on his studies.
• Gao Wen: Shows appreciation for Li Dong's talent in computer architecture and advocates for his involvement in computer science.
• Liu Ruochuan: Recognizes the importance of computer science in Li Dong's work and agrees to share him between schools.
• Zhou Qifeng: Feels overlooked and disappointed that the School of Physics is not considered for Li Dong's affiliation.

Significant Themes

• The interplay between pure mathematics and computer science in modern research.
• Academic competition and collaboration within and between universities.
• The recognition and nurturing of exceptional talent.

Character Interactions

• Gao Wen and Liu Ruochuan: Engage in a heated debate about Li Dong's affiliation, ultimately reaching a compromise.
• Li Dong and his roommates: Li Dong shares the news of his paper's publication and access to supercomputer resources, inspiring his roommates.
• Li Dong and the Azure Dragon Study Group: Li Dong checks the group chat but remains focused on his studies, unaware of the international attention his paper has garnered.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• The latest issue of Mathematics of Computation features Li Dong’s paper, “An Efficient Parallel Algorithm for Batch Rapid Evaluation of the Riemann Zeta Function on the Critical Line.”
• The paper presents a radically new algorithm for computing nontrivial zeros of the Riemann zeta function. Its supplementary materials include a supercomputer verification report.
• Brown University’s Applied Mathematics department uses its top supercomputing resources for three days and verifies 60 trillion nontrivial zeros, all of which lie on the critical line.
• Editor-in-chief Professor Su Qiwang praises the work as “a complete overhaul of fundamental algorithms,” emphasizing its potential impact beyond number theory—in high-dimensional linear algebra, numerical PDEs, and cryptography.
• Researchers initially suspect the claims are exaggerated, but tests by institutions worldwide confirm the algorithm’s efficiency and scalability:
  • Fudan verifies over 120 billion zeros on one node in an hour.
  • MIT’s 1,024-node cluster verifies more than 2 trillion zeros in 2.5 hours.
  • The Max Planck Society confirms that the observed performance matches the paper’s predictions.
• The academic community realizes that exascale computers could eventually verify roughly (10^{16}) zeros, a previously unimaginable achievement.
• Chinese mathematicians celebrate Li Dong’s breakthrough and predict that he has effectively secured the Salem Prize, an award often viewed as a precursor to the Fields Medal.
• Some amateur researchers mock the achievement with absurd claims involving the I Ching, yin-yang theory, quantum entanglement, and alleged proofs of the Riemann Hypothesis.
• At Peking University, Professor Zhang is teaching freshmen Chen Nan and Liu Qiang about singular homology when Professor Wang calls to tell him that the groundbreaking author is a freshman from Yuanpei College named Li Dong.
• Zhang and the two students are stunned. Chen Nan and Liu Qiang realize that Li Dong’s casual statement about having a paper published actually referred to publication in a prestigious international journal.
• The chapter ends with Li Dong silently staring at an unidentified man, creating a suspenseful transition.

2. Character Developments

• Li Dong is revealed to be an extraordinarily talented freshman whose work has revolutionized computational mathematics and earned worldwide recognition. His achievement contrasts sharply with his apparently understated attitude toward publication.
• Professor Su Qiwang establishes himself as a highly authoritative scholar by publicly endorsing Li Dong’s algorithm and emphasizing its broad scientific importance.
• Professor Zhang shifts from pride in Chen Nan and Liu Qiang to disbelief when he learns that another freshman from his university has produced a historic breakthrough. His reaction highlights Li Dong’s extraordinary level.
• Chen Nan and Liu Qiang move from eager, promising students to comically humbled observers after discovering that their acquaintance Li Dong is already being celebrated internationally.
• Li Dong’s unknown counterpart is introduced at the end through a tense, silent confrontation, suggesting an impending personal or plot-related conflict.

3. Significant Themes

• Academic genius and disruption: Li Dong’s work overturns decades of established algorithms, illustrating how a radically new idea can transform an entire field.
• The power of verification: The algorithm’s credibility comes not only from publication but from large-scale independent testing by leading institutions.
• Prestige and recognition: The chapter explores how top journals, elite universities, major prizes, and expert endorsements shape academic reputation.
• Generational contrast: Li Dong’s status as a freshman emphasizes the gap between conventional academic expectations and extraordinary talent.
• Serious scholarship versus pseudoscience: The legitimate, rigorously verified algorithm is contrasted with ridiculous amateur claims, reinforcing the value of evidence and mathematical rigor.
• Humility and hidden ability: Li Dong’s casual attitude toward his publication contrasts with the enormous consequences of his achievement.

4. Character Interactions

• Su Qiwang and the academic community: His editorial endorsement validates Li Dong’s work and prompts global researchers to test it.
• International laboratories: Their independent benchmarking effectively creates a worldwide relay of confirmation, strengthening the paper’s credibility.
• Professor Zhang, Chen Nan, and Liu Qiang: Zhang’s lesson on singular homology is interrupted by the news of Li Dong’s achievement. His changing opinion of the two students, along with their shocked reaction, provides comic relief.
• Chen Nan and Liu Qiang recalling Li Dong: They reinterpret his earlier comment about publication and realize how drastically he had understated his success.
• Li Dong and the unidentified man: Their wordless stare at the conclusion introduces tension and leaves the chapter on a cliffhanger.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Wei, R&D Director of Huaxuan Technology, flies to Peking University after learning about a potential breakthrough in real-time computing for fluid-thermal coupling.
• He meets Li Dong, the student who authored a paper on calculating Riemann Zeta Function, which Gao Wen believes could solve the real-time computing bottleneck.
• Lin Wei, Gao Wen, and Liu Ruochuan discuss the mathematical logic behind Li Dong's paper and its potential application to the lithography machine's fluid-thermal coupling problem.
• Lin Wei invites Li Dong to join Huaxuan Technology's project as a consultant, offering an annual special consultant fee of five million yuan.

Character Developments

• Lin Wei: Shows determination in pursuing the breakthrough, exhibits excitement and hope upon learning about Li Dong's algorithm.
• Li Dong: Initially surprised and reluctant, later shows interest in the financial offer.
• Gao Wen: Enthusiastically supports Li Dong's work and facilitates the meeting between Lin Wei and Li Dong.
• Liu Ruochuan: Explains the mathematical connection between Li Dong's work and the fluid-thermal coupling problem, admires Li Dong's work.

Significant Themes

• The power of mathematics and mathematical thinking in solving real-world problems.
• The importance of collaboration and knowledge sharing between academia and industry.
• The potential value and rewards of innovative research.

Character Interactions

• Lin Wei and Li Dong: Their relationship is complex, with Lin Wei initially bewildered and later excited to meet Li Dong again, while Li Dong is surprised and reluctant but eventually shows interest in the financial offer.
• Gao Wen and Liu Ruochuan: They collaborate and support Li Dong's work, facilitating the meeting with Lin Wei and explaining the mathematical connection between Li Dong's work and the real-world problem.