Saint Petersburg International Airport.
In the departure lounge, Krugman and Professor Albert stood with their suitcases, both looking thoroughly exhausted.
A week had passed since the International Congress of Mathematicians came to a close.
After the closing ceremony, neither of them had left Saint Petersburg immediately.
After all, this was Eastern Europe's renowned "city of mathematics," home to world-class mathematical research institutions such as the Steklov Mathematical Institute.
While visiting these institutions and giving lectures to seek out like-minded scholars with sufficient ability, they had also made a few final attempts to persuade Perelman to come out of seclusion and help them realize their grand vision.
Unfortunately, ever since the final sixty-minute presentation at the IMU Congress, Perelman had entered a strange state.
Where he had previously answered their questions patiently, now he could not even be bothered to open the door for them.
Their vacation time had run out, and with work awaiting them both, they could not stay here indefinitely.
Thus, after meeting with nothing but rejection in Saint Petersburg, they discussed the matter and finally decided to return to the United States before considering their next move.
If necessary, they could lower their requirements for collaborators a little, at least enough to get the project on track. Once they had some results, it would not be too late to recruit new collaborators.
"...It's a shame Professor Lu left so early. I felt he actually had some interest in our plan." Watching the people coming and going through the departure lounge, Professor Krugman suddenly sighed. "If only that accident hadn't happened. If we'd tried a little harder and flattered him a bit, he might have agreed."
"Yes... I thought so too." Albert sighed as well. He raised his wrist to check the time, then got up from his