The opening ceremony ended.
As expected, the instant the doors opened, Luo Wenxuan was surrounded by a swarm of reporters.
"Hello, Secretary-General Luo. May I ask where Academician Lu is?"
"I'd like to know where he is too, but I'm afraid he's probably the only one who knows."
"...Hello, Mr. Secretary-General! According to our newspaper's calculations, the IMCRC pledged a total of 320 million yuan in prizes today, with an average prize of 3.2 million yuan! Is that correct?"
"That's a matter of basic arithmetic anyone can work out. As long as you haven't miscalculated, then yes."
"Who will cover this funding? Can the IMCRC afford to pay it?"
"Research funding allocated by various countries will cover 40%, while the remaining 60% will come from donations across society. As for whether we can afford it, I'll assume you're joking."
"Hello, Secretary-General Luo. What happens if these problems, or some of them, ultimately remain unsolved, leaving no one to claim the prizes?"
"That won't happen! The IMCRC will establish a foundation to manage the prize money independently, using a conservative investment strategy to ensure steady asset growth. Even if the IMCRC ceases to exist one day, this prize money will remain until someone claims it!"
"Also, although these are Century Questions for the twenty-first century, if no one solves them this century, answers submitted in the twenty-second or even twenty-third century will still count. If you can't do it, someone else will... All right, please let me through. I need to use the restroom. Please save your other questions for tomorrow's press conference! Thank you."
The endless questions had left Luo Wenxuan's head buzzing. At that moment, aside from a silent For fuck's sake, he didn't want to say another word. By the time he finally escaped those persistent reporters, an