Chen Yushan visited Lu Zhou during the New Year and discussed her plan to seize business opportunities from the Yangtze River Delta’s expected growth. The chapter ended as she began outlining a smart city project.

• Fang Mei enthusiastically welcomed Chen Yushan, and Lu Zhou brought her into his room to escape the family’s attention.
• Lu Zhou discovered that Xiao Ai had ignored Chen Yushan’s messages because he had instructed it to turn down visits.
• Chen Yushan explained that she had fled home to avoid blind dates and had stopped by Jiangcheng for business and a discussion with Lu Zhou.
• Chen Yushan showed Lu Zhou information suggesting East Asia Power planned a fusion plant near Shanghai that would serve the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration.
• Chen Yushan proposed that their high-tech company pursue a smart city project and began explaining her plan.

Lu Zhou saw Chen Yushan off, then studied Starry Sky Technology’s Smart City proposal and its vision of future technologies. After Hua Nation companies won major NASA contracts for the Deep Space Gate project, Lu Zhou flew to Shangjing for a crucial meeting about spaceflight and physics.

• Xiao Tong eavesdropped on Lu Zhou and Chen Yushan, got hit by the opening door, and later kicked Lu Zhou in retaliation for tapping her forehead.
• Fang Mei urged Chen Yushan to stay with the family, but Lu Zhou stepped in and escorted her out after their work discussion ended.
• Lu Zhou read Chen Yushan’s Smart City proposal and considered technologies including holographic interaction, wireless charging, and maglev cars.
• On the fifteenth day of the lunar new year, Hua Nation aerospace companies led by Starry Sky Technology and the Two Airlines Group secured NASA orders worth seven billion US dollars for the Deep Space Gate project.
• After a call from Shangjing the following day, Lu Zhou flew from Jiangcheng to attend a crucial meeting about Hua Nation’s space program and the global physics community.

Lu Zhou flies to Shangjing for an international Lunar Hadron Collider symposium. On the plane, a teenage boy in a baseball cap notices him writing and claims to recognize a formula (the Riemann zeta function) but does not recognize Lu Zhou. Lu Zhou dismisses him, unimpressed. After landing, he is picked up by Chen Baohua—Chen Yushan’s father—who is clearly uncomfortable. Their conversation is polite but strained; Chen Baohua mentions his daughter visited Lu Zhou’s home on Lunar New Year and implies unresolved tension. Lu Zhou proceeds to his hotel, where he encounters Academician Wang Shicheng, former chairman of the Hua Nation Mathematical Society. Wang is outwardly friendly but internally bitter: he was once forced to award Lu Zhou the Chern Mathematics Award and later pressured to vote for Lu Zhou’s academicianship. They exchange pleasantries, and Wang invites Lu Zhou to Yanshan University’s math department. Lu Zhou accepts for the following day.

Key points

• Lu Zhou’s fame is not universal (the boy doesn’t recognize him).
• Strained relationship with Chen Yushan’s family persists.
• Lu Zhou maintains diplomatic relations with academic rivals under political pressure.
• Wang Shicheng represents the old mathematical establishment yielding to Lu Zhou’s rising influence.
  Themes: academic politics, generational shifts in mathematics, the burden of reputation, and uneasy formalities masking personal conflicts.

Lu Zhou visited Tsinghua University before the International Lunar Hadron Collider Symposium and joined Qiu Chengtong and Yang Zhenning’s debate over building a super collider. Yang ultimately entrusted the decision to Lu Zhou, who dismissed the twenty-billion-dollar cost as manageable.

• Lu Zhou arrived in Shangjing, rested at his hotel, and spent the evening studying Vera’s paper and conference documents.
• Lu Zhou visited Tsinghua University and encountered Qiu Chengtong and Yang Zhenning arguing about the proposed collider.
• Qiu Chengtong argued that the collider would attract researchers and advance the country’s place in physics, while Yang Zhenning warned against the expense and grand ambitions.
• Yang Zhenning acknowledged Lu Zhou’s achievements and said he would leave the decision to him before walking away.
• Qiu Chengtong asked whether Lu Zhou could shoulder the collider’s cost, and Lu Zhou replied that twenty billion dollars would only be his third and a half.

Summary: “Mathematics Center in a Courtyard”

Key Plot Points

• Lu Zhou, a famous mathematician and academician, is passing by Tsinghua University when he unexpectedly runs into Elder Qiu, an older scholar.
• They exchange pleasantries; Elder Qiu notes how much Lu Zhou has matured over the years.
• Lu Zhou explains he is on his way to Yanshan University, having been invited by Academician Wang Shicheng.
• Elder Qiu warns him not to trust Wang Shicheng, calling him a "sly old fox."
• Lu Zhou continues to Yanshan University’s east gate, where a young professor, Yang Yong’an, is waiting to escort him to the Mathematics Center.
• Wang Shicheng is absent, busy with the International Mathematical Olympiad national training team.
• Inside the center’s courtyard, Lu Zhou notices an unkempt young man staring at a blackboard covered in equations.
• Professor Yang dismisses the man as “not right in the head” and unproductive in terms of academic output.
• Lu Zhou, curious, looks at the blackboard, recognizes the Hyperelliptic Curve Analysis Method, and engages the young man in conversation.
• The young man does not recognize Lu Zhou, but admits he is working on the Hodge Conjecture.

Character Developments

• Lu Zhou: Shown as humble and open-minded, unworried about being recognized, and more interested in the mathematics itself than in status or academic feuds.
• Elder Qiu: Warm but protective; nostalgic about Lu Zhou’s past; openly distrustful of Wang Shicheng.
• Yang Yong’an: Practical and career-focused; values conventional academic metrics; mildly contemptuous of eccentric researchers.
• The Young Mathematician: Intensely absorbed in his research, socially awkward, disheveled, and single-minded; represents the stereotype of the pure mathematician absorbed in deep problems.

Significant Themes

• The tension between institutional academic standards and genuine, unconventional mathematical inquiry.
• Academic reputation, generational relationships, and rivalry among scholars.
• The isolating, obsessive nature of tackling grand problems like the Hodge Conjecture and the Riemann Hypothesis.
• The idea of the Mathematics Center as a pure, contemplative environment.

Character Interactions

• Elder Qiu and Lu Zhou: A friendly, slightly teasing exchange; Qiu warns Lu Zhou about Wang Shicheng’s supposedly deceptive nature.
• Yang Yong’an and Lu Zhou: Polite and professional; Yang serves as a guide and provides a conventional scholar’s perspective on the eccentric young man.
• Lu Zhou and the Young Man: A brief but meaningful intellectual encounter; Lu Zhou effortlessly recognizes the unfamiliar mathematical method, showing his depth of knowledge, while the young man remains oblivious to his fame, allowing the conversation to stay centered on mathematics itself.
  The chapter ends with Lu Zhou asking whether the young man is working on the Hodge Conjecture, hinting at a possible future intellectual connection.

Lu Zhou recognized Chen Yang’s work on the Hodge Conjecture and developed a novel approach to a weaker form in front of the Mathematics Center. He left the crowd astonished and introduced himself to Chen Yang as Lu Zhou of the Jinling School of Mathematics.

• Yang Yong'an thought Chen Yang had become an eccentric after years of researching the Hodge Conjecture without producing results.
• Lu Zhou recognized the problem on Chen Yang’s blackboard, borrowed chalk, and asked Yang Yong'an to bring another blackboard.
• Lu Zhou wrote out a novel approach showing that the Hodge Conjecture held for H^2, drawing a crowd of researchers and students.
• Wang Shicheng recognized the result as an old one established by Lefschetz but said Lu Zhou had reached it by an entirely different method.
• Chen Yang introduced himself to Lu Zhou and asked who he was, and Lu Zhou gave his name and affiliation.

Summary: "Boss! I'm Your Fan!"

1. Key Plot Points & Events

• Chen Yang, the presenter of a math lecture, realizes that the stranger who has been examining his blackboard work is Lu Zhou himself—the author of the Hyperelliptic Curve Analysis Method paper Chen Yang has spent the past month and a half studying and improving upon.
• Lu Zhou is impressed by Chen Yang's work: Chen Yang has adapted and improved the Hyperelliptic Curve Analysis Method to explore the Hodge Conjecture (the relationship between algebraic topology and defining polynomial equations of nonsingular complex algebraic varieties).
• Lu Zhou reveals he essentially solved/improved Chen Yang's problem in an hour, though he deflects the praise by crediting his deeper familiarity with the method.
• Lu Zhou offers guidance: the best way to refine a mathematical tool is to apply it to a difficult problem, and success is built on countless rounds of trial and error.
• Lu Zhou extends a formal recruitment invitation, offering Chen Yang a position at Jinling, promising collaborators who can engage with his esoteric research.
• Meanwhile, Ji Mo, a boy Lu Zhou met on a plane, enthusiastically reveals he is Lu Zhou's fan—though his failure to recognize Lu Zhou undermines his claim, much to Lu Zhou's amusement/annoyance.

2. Character Developments

• Lu Zhou: Demonstrates maturity as an established academic—gracious with praise, generous with wisdom, and actively strategic in recruiting talent to Jinling. His advice reveals a philosophy of research grounded in persistence rather than pure innate genius.
• Chen Yang: Transitions from a researcher isolated in an "impossible" research niche to someone validated by the very originator of his key methodology. Receives both intellectual encouragement and a concrete career opportunity.
• Ji Mo: Reappears from an earlier airplane encounter, showing himself as a devoted (if somewhat embarrassing) fan who has read about Lu Zhou's accomplishments, including the Group-Structure Method and the Princeton Goldbach lecture.
• Wang Shicheng: Shows grudging admiration; he reflects that Lu Zhou casually articulated a principle that took Wang Shicheng ten years to grasp, forcing him to concede that Lu Zhou's success is not merely luck.

3. Significant Themes

• Mentorship & Talent Recruitment: Lu Zhou actively cultivates promising researchers, using both technical feedback and career offers to bring talent to Jinling.
• The Nature of Mathematical Achievement: Brilliant results are framed as products of tireless trial and error rather than sudden inspiration—"read more, think more, try more."
• Relative Genius: The contrast between Chen Yang's month-and-a-half struggle and Lu Zhou's hour-long solution illustrates the immense skill gap, yet Lu Zhou's response reassures not by dismissing the gap but by redirecting focus to hard work and persistence.
• Recognition & Legacy: Ji Mo's fandom and Wang Shicheng's grudging respect reinforce Lu Zhou's status as a mathematical celebrity.

4. Character Interactions

• Lu Zhou ↔ Chen Yang: Core exchange—Lu Zhou dissects Chen Yang's work, offers both praise and constructive direction, then makes a job offer at Jinling.
• Lu Zhou ↔ Ji Mo: Awkward comic exchange; Ji Mo proclaims "Boss, I'm your fan!" while Lu Zhou silently scoffs that a true fan would have recognized him. Ji Mo lists Lu Zhou's accomplishments (Feng Keqin's book, Group-Structure Method, Princeton lecture).
• Ji Mo ↔ Chubby friend: Comedic relief; the friend frantically tries to pull Ji Mo away as he embarrassingly gushes over Lu Zhou, who has already turned away.
• Yang Yong'an ↔ Chen Yang (implied): Yang inwardly notes it's "obvious" Chen Yang can't compare to Lu Zhou.
• Wang Shicheng ↔ Lu Zhou: Academic courtesy (applause, "Brilliant") masking Wang Shicheng's deeper internal reflection and reluctant admiration.

Lu Zhou recruited Chen Yang from the Yanshan University International Mathematics Research Center to join his institute in Jinling. As Lu Zhou prepared to leave Chen Yang to travel there on his own, IMO trainee Ji Mo asked to become his student, and Lu Zhou told him to win an IMO gold medal first.

• Lu Zhou offered Chen Yang a position in Jinling, and Chen Yang declined Wang Shicheng's offer of a full professorship and accepted.
• Wang Shicheng gave up trying to persuade Chen Yang to stay, and Lu Zhou left the research center with Chen Yang and his belongings.
• Lu Zhou explained the Jinling institute's research environment and starting salary, while Chen Yang revealed he had spent five years largely offline and did not know much about Lu Zhou.
• Ji Mo caught up with Lu Zhou, apologized for failing to recognize him, and asked to become his student.
• Ji Mo told Lu Zhou that he had been the only student to solve the winter camp exam's final problem, which Lu Zhou had written.
• Lu Zhou acknowledged Ji Mo's mathematical talent but said they could discuss mentorship after Ji Mo won an IMO gold medal.

Ji Mo decided to pursue an International Mathematical Olympiad gold medal so Academician Lu would take him as a student, while Lu Zhou recruited Chen Yang and recognized a promising new direction in his research toward the Riemann Hypothesis. The chapter ended with Lu Zhou preparing to post his findings as a preprint because Vera’s paper had not yet appeared.

• Ji Mo told Meng Fei that Academician Lu had promised to take him as a student if he won an International Mathematical Olympiad gold medal, and he decided to aim for it despite the risks of choosing Jinling University.
• Meng Fei agreed to stick by Ji Mo, though he admitted he feared his own father’s reaction if he also won a gold medal.
• Lu Zhou asked Zhao Huan to arrange Chen Yang’s travel to Jinling and had the Jinling Institute for Advanced Study prepare Chen Yang’s onboarding.
• Lu Zhou reviewed Chen Yang’s calculations and saw that they suggested a novel way to connect topology with complex manifolds and advance his work on the Riemann Hypothesis.
• Lu Zhou searched for Vera’s unpublished paper, found nothing, and decided to post his own findings as a preprint.

Chapter Summary: "Physics and Aerospace Extravaganza!"

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Three days later, a rare clear day arrives in Shangjing, coinciding with the opening of the International Lunar Hadron Collider Symposium at the Shangjing Great Hall.
• The conference is a major international event, signaling Hua Nation’s growing leadership in physics.
• Two ceremonial attendants joke about the word “International” making conferences sound more prestigious; the older attendant emphasizes the importance of openness and cooperation.
• A young PhD student complains about involving Americans in a project Hua Nation could do alone. His advisor explains that global cooperation is the norm and that the conference helps expand influence and academic ties — the tables have turned: foreign researchers now produce papers for Hua Nation.
• Lu Zhou arrives and warmly greets two old colleagues: Professor Kleiber (German plasma physicist and superconducting magnet expert) and Professor Kliqing.
• Professor Kleiber delivers a letter from Krugman (via a friend of a friend from Princeton). Wang Peng, Lu Zhou’s security guard, intercepts and inspects it before allowing Lu Zhou to see it.
• Lu Zhou is annoyed that Krugman still hasn’t given up trying to contact him.

2. Character Developments

• Lu Zhou: Shows diplomatic and professional maturity, but remains privately exasperated by Krugman’s persistence.
• Wang Peng: Extremely cautious and professional; treats even a delivered letter as a potential security threat.
• Professor Kleiber: Friendly and collegial, still on good terms with Lu Zhou despite past competition. Acts as an informal messenger.
• Old advisor and young PhD student: Represent generational contrast — the senior scholar appreciates the new opportunities while subtly envying the younger generation’s easier access to international academia.

3. Significant Themes

• International cooperation vs. national self-interest: The chapter argues that openness and alliance-building serve Hua Nation’s strategic advantage better than isolation.
• Rising scientific status of Hua Nation: Hosting a major international physics conference symbolizes a shift in global academic power.
• Generational change in academia: Old scholars struggled to go abroad; new researchers are now handed world-class opportunities.
• Security and paranoia: Even personal letters are treated with suspicion, reflecting the sensitive political/scientific environment.

4. Character Interactions

• Attendants debate the naming and purpose of international conferences.
• Advisor lectures student about globalization and academic strategy.
• Lu Zhou exchanges friendly embraces and small talk with Kleiber and Kliqing.
• Kleiber hands over Krugman’s letter; Wang Peng intercepts it for inspection, causing mild awkwardness.
• Lu Zhou reacts internally with annoyance at Krugman’s continued attempts to reach him.

Summary of Chapter: “Witness Our Shared Prosperity!”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Zhou receives a persistent letter from an elderly economics scholar, who apologizes for troubling him, invites him to an international macroeconomics conference in Shanghai, and asks for a face-to-face meeting.
• Lu Zhou dismisses the letter as annoying, comparing the sender to an insurance telemarketer.
• In the Great Hall, Lu Zhou is being prepared for a major formal event. He reluctantly endures makeup application, complaining about the process.
• Director Li from the Science and Industry Bureau visits him, reminding him that he represents the image of Hua Nation’s academic community.
• The scene shifts to a packed symposium hall with space industry figures and scholars, including NASA’s Director.
• Lu Zhou delivers the opening address for the Lunar Hadron Collider project, calling for global unity and cooperation, ending with the line: “I hope that bright moon will bear witness to our shared prosperity.”
• The speech is met with thunderous applause.

2. Character Developments

• Lu Zhou: Pragmatic, blunt, and slightly vain in a humorous way. He dislikes ceremony and makeup, preferring substance over appearances, but he can rise to formal occasions when needed. His opening speech shows his ability to speak compellingly about large-scale international scientific cooperation.
• Director Li: Supportive but image-conscious, representing the establishment’s concern for national prestige and proper presentation.
• The letter writer: An older scholar, likely from economics, who admires interdisciplinary pioneers like Nash and is eager to connect with Lu Zhou despite knowing he will likely be rejected.

3. Significant Themes

• Interdisciplinary collaboration: The letter highlights the difficulty of combining economics, mathematics, and other fields.
• International unity in science: The symposium is framed as a shared global project, especially for the Lunar Hadron Collider.
• Image vs. substance: Lu Zhou’s irritation with makeup contrasts with Director Li’s insistence on presentation.
• Shared prosperity and a common future: The closing lines emphasize collective progress rather than national competition.

4. Character Interactions

• Lu Zhou and the makeup artist: He complains, she calmly teases him, and she finds him amusing when he insists he is already handsome.
• Lu Zhou and Director Li: Lighthearted banter about makeup turns serious as Director Li stresses Lu Zhou’s role as the face of the nation’s academia.
• Lu Zhou and the audience: He moves from casual opening (“I’m very glad to see everyone here”) to a formal, unifying message, earning a standing ovation.

Summary of "He Would Definitely Come!"

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter opens with two Nobel Prize-winning economists, Professor Krugman and Professor Angus Deaton, having tea at Princeton's Institute for Advanced Study cafeteria while watching TV coverage of the International Lunar Hadron Collider Symposium.
• The Lunar Hadron Collider project has caused global uproar, with Hua Nation's ambitious engineering once again shocking the world and drawing excitement from physicists and other fields alike (even economists are writing papers about it).
• The TV broadcast shows Lu Zhou on stage announcing the symposium's opening ceremony at the 10,000-Person Auditorium.
• Krugman reveals his plan to recruit Lu Zhou for an Economics project and attend the Shanghai Economics Forum, leading to a bet between the two professors.

2. Character Developments

• Professor Krugman: Determined, strategic, and persuasive. He refuses to give up on recruiting Lu Zhou, using a "courtship" analogy—build friendship first, then show benefits, then let the target make the favorable choice. He interprets Lu Zhou's public speaking as evidence that Lu Zhou is not indifferent to worldly affairs.
• Professor Angus Deaton: Skeptical and pragmatic. He believes Lu Zhou won't engage with Economics, citing Lu Zhou's Grothendieck-school pure mathematics background, Hardy's philosophy of mathematical purity, and his pattern of only choosing projects that personally interest him. He references a prior frustrating experience with Deligne, who embodies the dismissive pure mathematician stereotype.
• Lu Zhou (indirectly): Portrayed as an interdisciplinary scholar (Nobel in Chemistry, contributions to Computational Materials Science, Strong Electromagnetic Interaction theory), selective about his projects, and capable of commanding global attention—yet not purely an ivory-tower ascetic, as Krugman argues.

3. Significant Themes

• The divide between pure and applied disciplines: Angus frames Lu Zhou as inheriting Hardy's purist philosophy, while Krugman insists Lu Zhou's breadth proves he is open-minded beyond pure mathematics.
• The Lunar Hadron Collider's cross-disciplinary impact: The project's influence spreads beyond physics into economics, international relations, and global trade discourse.
• Academic persuasion and networking: The chapter explores how one can strategically build relationships and incentives to bring a reluctant expert into one's field.
• Perception vs. reality: Angus believes Lu Zhou doesn't care about world affairs; Krugman believes he does—highlighting how people interpret the same person differently based on their own goals.

4. Character Interactions

• Krugman and Angus engage in a friendly but pointed debate about Lu Zhou's likely behavior.
• Angus recounts his difficult experience asking Deligne for a favor, imitating Deligne's impatient grimace to illustrate the pure-mathematician prejudice against Economics—Krugman nearly laughs and covers it with a cough.
• Krugman explains his seduction-like strategy for winning over Lu Zhou, which Angus finds dubious.
• The conversation culminates in a bet: Krugman wagers that Lu Zhou will definitely come to the Shanghai Economics Forum and that he can persuade him to join the project. The stake is ten gold-coin chocolates from the Stockholm Blue Hall Banquet, which Krugman reluctantly agrees to after noting Angus is trying to empty his pockets.

Summary of Chapter: "A Big Shot in Everyone Else's Eyes"

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Zhou has an exhausting day: a speech at a 10,000-Person Auditorium, endless reporter interviews, a rushed work schedule from the Lunar Orbit Construction Committee, and then a last-minute invitation to a state banquet.
• Director Li persuades Lu Zhou to attend the evening banquet at the Golden Hall (a state-level venue) by appealing to the project's $20 billion budget.
• At the banquet, Lu Zhou, hungry from his rushed day, bypasses socializing and heads straight to the food table, particularly enjoying freshly carved roast duck.
• Two Russian officials—Minister Novak (Russia's Department of Energy) and Academician Vasily (chief engineer of Rosatom)—approach him. Novak explains he was in Hua Nation for a Controlled Fusion summit and wanted to meet Lu Zhou.
• Vasily expresses deep admiration for Lu Zhou's paper on Plasma Turbulence, describing it as "opening the door to a whole new world."
• After a brief conversation, the Russians leave, with Novak inviting Lu Zhou to visit Russia.

2. Character Developments

• Lu Zhou is shown as a high-profile academic figure (chief designer) who is overwhelmed by his own popularity. Despite his fame, he remains down-to-earth, preferring food and rest over networking and praise.
• Academician Vasily defies the stereotype of arrogant Russian academics; he is enthusiastic, talkative, and reverent toward Lu Zhou's work.

3. Significant Themes

• The burden of prestige: success brings endless obligations (interviews, banquets, diplomacy) that leave little personal time.
• The contrast between professional duty and personal desire: Lu Zhou attends the banquet not for networking but out of obligation to secure funding for his project.
• International recognition of scientific achievement: Lu Zhou's work in fusion energy earns him respect from foreign officials and engineers.

4. Character Interactions

• Director Li: Persuades Lu Zhou to attend the banquet, using the $20 billion budget as leverage.
• Minister Novak: Approaches Lu Zhou with warmth and respect, introduces Vasily, and extends a diplomatic invitation to Russia.
• Academician Vasily: Enthusiastically praises Lu Zhou's research, expressing genuine admiration and wanting to discuss it further (though interrupted by Novak).
• (Brief earlier interactions: reporters and the committee secretary, seen as nuisances adding to Lu Zhou's fatigue.)
  (Author's note: The chapter ends with a request for monthly votes, acknowledging the author's lack of saved drafts.)

Hua Nation’s Lunar Hadron Collider project drew worldwide participation and sparked celebration at home, while the United States’ funding contribution angered conservatives. A threatening letter from the hacker group Eagles of Prey prompted Vice President Mike to alert the president and consider adjusting the American delegation’s stance.

• Renren Daily reported that the Lunar Hadron Collider would begin construction within a month, with Hua Nation contributing half its US$20 billion budget and more than 200 institutions participating.
• Hua Nation’s media and online commenters celebrated the project, while North American conservatives protested the White House’s US$5 billion contribution.
• Vice President Mike watched the protests and discussed the difficulty of restoring American supremacy in space with his secretary.
• Mike read an anonymous threat from Eagles of Prey, who vowed to disrupt the symposium unless the United States stopped cooperating with Hua Nation.
• Mike dismissed the letter to the FBI, then called the president’s office and considered urging Director Carson to take a firmer stance at the symposium.

Summary: Chapter "Full of Holes"

Key Plot Points & Events

• International conference on the Lunar Hadron Collider is underway; funding is settled: Hua Nation ($10B), US ($5B), EU ($2B), Russia ($1B), Japan ($800M) — totaling $20B.
• The US delegation abruptly changes its cooperative stance on day two, aggressively pushing for control of the Budget Committee (financial authority over all project spending). Russia supports US demands, counterbalancing Hua Nation's influence.
• Lu Zhou leaves political negotiations to diplomats and focuses on academic matters.
• Professor Dras (backed by the European Space Agency) presents a proposal claiming to reduce project costs by 13% and reduce construction risk, with revised designs.
• Lu Zhou, finding the proposal suspicious, sends the report to his AI assistant Xiao Ai, who generates a 3D engineering model with key parameters in seconds.
• Using the model, Lu Zhou identifies numerous critical flaws, publicly projects the marked-up blueprint, and dismantles Dras's proposal, declaring it "full of holes."

Character Developments

• Lu Zhou: Demonstrates impatience with political posturing and academic grandstanding; ruthlessly efficient in exposing faulty engineering through his advanced AI tools. Reinforces his reputation as an intimidating figure in international academia.
• Professor Dras: Exposed as an opportunist leveraging old connections (European Space Agency) to push an unfinished, flawed design plan for personal advancement.
• Madame Klemmer (CERN chair): Serves as an informed observer, explaining the political maneuvering behind Dras's presentation; visibly astonished by Lu Zhou's quick technical verification.

Significant Themes

• Science vs. politics: National interests (especially US financial control) infiltrate and complicate international scientific collaboration.
• Academic opportunism: Scholars use institutional connections to push flawed work for visibility and influence.
• Power of advanced computation: AI-assisted modeling (Xiao Ai) can rapidly expose flaws in engineering proposals that would normally require lengthy review.
• Reputation and intimidation: Lu Zhou's expertise and decisiveness create an atmosphere of accountability in academic settings.

Character Interactions

• Lu Zhou & Madame Klemmer: Frustrated exchange about Dras's presentation; Klemmer explains the ESA's role in protecting his speaking slot.
• Lu Zhou & Xiao Ai (AI): Brief phone interaction; Xiao Ai demonstrates advanced capability by producing a complete 3D model and flagging structural issues autonomously.
• Lu Zhou & Professor Dras: Direct public confrontation; Lu Zhou interrupts the talk, proves the report's invalidity, and dismissively moves on ("Next.").
• US delegation (Director Carson): Acrimonious stance against Hua Nation in Budget Committee negotiations, shifting from cooperative to aggressive.

Summary of Chapter: "Eagles of Prey"

1. Key Plot Points & Events

• A dark-web hacker group called "Eagles of Prey" holds a war meeting led by an anonymous figure, BOSS, to launch coordinated cyberattacks against Hua Nation.
• Their goal: force the White House to withdraw from the International Lunar Hadron Collider Project and disrupt the International Lunar Hadron Collider Symposium in Shangjing. They act in the name of "American hackers."
• The group begins striking Hua Nation targets: Renren Daily’s website is defaced with insults; CCTV’s official website is hijacked and redirected to a fake page with a middle finger and censored sensitive content; mass emails threaten further attacks unless the symposium is terminated.
• Hua Nation’s internet monitoring department holds an emergency meeting, refusing to yield to "kidnappers" and mobilizing experts to counter the attack.
• The hackers escalate. Lone Wolf suggests targeting Lu Zhou (Nobel and Fields Medal winner, chief designer of the collider and Lunar Orbital Construction Committee, based at Jinling University). BOSS approves: "In war, no one is innocent."
• Jinling University’s server is hacked; the official homepage is replaced with an insulting, Photoshopped image of Lu Zhou, and the academic affairs system goes down.
• University staff (Dean Qin, Teacher Wang, and others) attempt to fix the server. They suspect students hacking for grades, but Teacher Wang dismisses this—the skills are too advanced. Dean Qin warns everyone not to let Lu Zhou see the defaced image, knowing he is sensitive about his image.
• The chapter ends as they discover the attack is not isolated—Renren Daily and CCTV have also fallen, revealing a large-scale cyber offensive.

2. Character Developments

• BOSS (unidentified): Shows calculated leadership, strategic restraint ("Do not underestimate the enemy"), and ruthless pragmatism. He encourages independent action and views chaos as victory.
• Lone Wolf: Eager, aggressive, and proactive—proposes targeting Lu Zhou personally, revealing a willingness to attack individuals, not just institutions.
• Hunter: Skilled and observant, notes Hua Nation’s defensive response but considers it slow.
• Dean Qin: Loyal to Lu Zhou, protective of his reputation, and takes responsibility for "cleaning up his mess" despite the trouble. Pragmatic and concerned.
• Teacher Wang: Technically competent, frustrated, and realistic about the attack’s sophistication. Shows dry humor ("the server has a grudge against Professor Lu").
• Lu Zhou: Not physically present but central to the plot—his reputation and work make him a symbolic target. Indirectly characterized as image-conscious and important.

3. Significant Themes

• Cyber warfare & asymmetric defense: Offense is portrayed as easier than defense; surprise attacks create chaos. The chapter highlights the vulnerability of critical infrastructure and public-facing websites.
• Terrorism vs. state response: Hua Nation refuses to negotiate with "kidnappers," treating cyberattacks as acts of terror requiring a firm security response.
• The weaponization of information: Hackers use defacement, fake pages, and distributed threats to spread panic and undermine trust.
• National pride and retaliation: The hackers frame their actions as defending "America's dignity," while Hua Nation’s resilience is implied—the attack is an affront they will not tolerate.
• Individual vulnerability in conflict: BOSS’s "no one is innocent" justifies targeting a civilian scholar, blurring lines in digital warfare.

4. Character Interactions

• In the hacker group: BOSS issues orders; members report targets and obey. Lone Wolf seeks approval to attack Lu Zhou; BOSS grants it. Kid shows enthusiasm; Hunter provides tactical analysis. The group operates with mutual respect colored by intimidation.
• At Jinling University: Dean Qin and Teacher Wang collaborate on the server crisis, with Dean Qin focused on Lu Zhou’s reputation and Teacher Wang on technical fixes. Another professor brings news of the wider attack, shifting their understanding from a local incident to a national crisis.
• Indirect interaction with Lu Zhou: The defaced image of him becomes a point of concern—Dean Qin explicitly instructs others to hide it from Lu Zhou, showing their care for his feelings and the symbolic weight of the attack.
  Concise Overview: A shadowy hacker cell launches a cyberwar against Hua Nation to sabotage an international scientific project. After hitting major media, they target Lu Zhou’s university, prompting a local response that reveals the scale of the assault. The chapter sets up a conflict between ruthless digital terrorists and a resilient but unprepared defense, with Lu Zhou as a prominent target.

Lu Zhou dominated the seminar by rapidly exposing flaws in most of the proposed engineering improvements, then told Professor Kliqing that a team of engineers had helped him. Dean Qin later informed him that Jin University's websites had been hacked and the hacker had posted Lu Zhou's photo.

• Lu Zhou used Xiao Ai and the quantum computer to analyze the seminar reports, rejecting most proposals and finishing more than half the scheduled material before lunch.
• Professor Kliqing asked how Lu Zhou had produced detailed diagrams so quickly, and Lu Zhou agreed with his guess that a powerful engineering team had done the work.
• Dean Qin called Lu Zhou and asked whether he had offended someone.
• Dean Qin told Lu Zhou that Jin University's official and academic affairs websites had been hacked, some files had been lost, and the hacker had posted Lu Zhou's photo.

Summary of the Chapter

Key plot points and events

• Lu Zhou meets Director Li at the Shangjing National Grand Hotel to discuss the ongoing cyberattacks.
• The United States denies involvement, claiming "hostile forces" are behind a cyberterrorist attack aimed at undermining Hua–US relations.
• The attack has escalated: state media websites (Renren Daily, CCTV) were paralyzed; new media servers are now under attack; the attackers are elusive and strike indiscriminately.
• The hackers' demands include disbanding the International Lunar Hadron Collider Symposium and firing Lu Zhou.
• Director Li reveals that a cyberwarfare unit has been transferred to combat the threat, but a long, defensive struggle is expected.
• Lu Zhou vows personally to catch the attackers, despite Director Li’s skepticism about his programming skills.
• After the meeting, Lu Zhou sees the hackers—dubbed "Eagles of Prey"—trending on Weibo.
• He calls Dean Qin to stop the university from reinstalling affected servers, claiming the Jinling Institute for Advanced Study has IT security experts who can help.
• He then calls Senior Brother Luo, who guesses Lu Zhou needs another favor; Lu Zhou asks for his assistance.

Character developments

• Lu Zhou: Shows patriotic resolve and a personal grudge against the hackers (they Photoshopped an ugly picture of him). He is playful (joking about being fired) but serious about taking action, and he believes in using his resources to counterattack rather than passively defending.
• Director Li: Stressed and cautious; represents the official, risk-averse stance. He urges Lu Zhou to focus on the symposium and warns him not to act rashly.
• Dean Qin: Skeptical of Lu Zhou's claim that the institute has relevant experts, but agrees to allow the visit out of courtesy.

Significant themes

• Cyberwarfare and national security: The difficulty of defending against an anonymous, indiscriminate attacker; the passive-defensive trap.
• Patriotism vs. pragmatism: Lu Zhou’s desire for revenge and justice contrasts with Director Li’s cautious, strategic approach.
• Reputation and public perception: The hackers’ use of social media (Weibo trending) to amplify their impact; the symbolic harm of attacking official websites and personal dignity.

Character interactions

• Lu Zhou ↔ Director Li: A tense conversation where Li explains the gravity of the situation and tries to keep Lu Zhou in line; Lu Zhou ultimately dismisses the caution and insists on acting.
• Lu Zhou ↔ Dean Qin: Lu Zhou persuades Dean Qin not to erase the infected servers, offering to send experts—Dean Qin agrees but with low expectations.
• Lu Zhou ↔ Senior Brother Luo: Their phone call reveals a prior relationship of favors; Luo is wary but willing to help. Lu Zhou is about to ask for assistance in tracking the hackers.

Chapter Summary: "Xiao Ai, I'll Leave It to You"

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• The Server Crisis: Jinling University's server room is under severe hacker attack. Dean Qin had requested an "IT expert" from Lu Zhou but is shocked to see Luo Wenxuan, a Physics professor, arrive instead. Professor Wang from the Software Institute declares the server beyond repair and wants to reinstall the system.
• The USB Drive Solution: Luo Wenxuan reveals he was only tasked by Lu Zhou to plug a USB drive into the server. Despite his amateurish handling, he successfully inserts the drive and powers on the server. Nothing appears to happen immediately.
• The Reveal: Over the phone, Lu Zhou explains that the USB drive contains a program written by Xiao Ai (his AI). Once installed, the program will open a backdoor connection to a quantum computer, placing the entire server under Xiao Ai's control. Lu Zhou instructs that the server must remain powered on and connected to the internet.
• Final Directive: Lu Zhou, looking over the city lights, gives Xiao Ai the "go-ahead" to handle the situation, confident in its unmatched computing power.

2. Character Developments

• Luo Wenxuan: Portrayed as a well-meaning but clueless errand-runner. He is puzzled by the task and initially believes nothing meaningful was accomplished, highlighting his humility and lack of tech expertise.
• Lu Zhou: Demonstrates calm, strategic confidence, trusting Xiao Ai completely. He treats the complex crisis as a minor problem that requires patience, not effort. His relaxed demeanor underscores his unique position as a visionary with access to quantum-era AI.
• Dean Qin & Professor Wang: Represent conventional technical expertise, which is shown to be limited. They are skeptical, dismissive, and frustrated—serving as foils to Xiao Ai's unseen but omnipotent ability.

3. Significant Themes

• The Overwhelming Power of AI/Quantum Computing: Xiao Ai's capabilities surpass human specialists and even conventional supercomputers. The "0s and 1s" world is no match for qubits that exist in multiple states simultaneously.
• Appearances vs. Reality: The scene is almost comedic—a Physics professor in place of an IT expert, a simple USB drive instead of intricate repairs. Success comes from what seems like a trivial, invisible action, not visible "fancy moves."
• Delegated Authority and Trust: Lu Zhou hands off the mission to Xiao Ai, emphasizing a growing reliance on intelligent systems to handle crises beyond human reach.

4. Character Interactions

• Dean Qin ↔ Luo Wenxuan: Dean Qin’s initial hope collapses into disappointment. His questioning ("Academician Lu sent you here?") conveys disbelief and resignation.
• Professor Wang ↔ Everyone: Wang is impatient and openly hostile toward the "wasted effort," repeatedly urging to abandon the server and underscoring his own expertise.
• Luo Wenxuan ↔ Lu Zhou (phone): Luo Wenxuan is confused ("...Is that it?"), while Lu Zhou is amused and reassuring, hinting that visible results will come soon. Their exchange injects lightheartedness into a technical crisis.
• Lu Zhou ↔ Xiao Ai: A brief, affectionate interaction. Lu Zhou's casual command ("I'll leave it to you") is met with the AI's enthusiastic, bubbly response, showing a unique bond between creator and creation.

Chapter Summary: Dr. Z Returns to the Fray

Key Plot Points & Events

• Lone Wolf's operation: A hacker ("Lone Wolf") operating from New York continues attacking Hua Nation websites, expanding beyond media to government sites like Convenience Network. He purchases zombie computers on the dark web for a larger planned attack.
• Mysterious warning: He receives a bizarre private message from someone claiming to be sent by a "kind master," offering him a chance to turn himself in. Lone Wolf dismisses it as a joke, but moments later, a strange dialog box appears on his screen with a cryptic emoji message, indicating his system has been compromised.
• Sudden enemy withdrawal: At the Cyber Monitoring Bureau, engineers tracking the attack traffic observe the enemy abruptly disconnecting and withdrawing without warning. Convenience Network's domain hijacking is lifted.
• Dr. Z's email: The Bureau receives an anonymous email signed "Dr. Z" containing a string of code and claiming the killers' IPs have been found. No contact info is left, leaving Director Hong and Director Li stunned.

Character Developments

• Lone Wolf: Overconfident and arrogant, he openly mocks the warning to turn himself in—but his confidence is shaken when his own machine is breached, revealing he is not as untouchable as he believes.
• Director Hong: Exhausted, frustrated, and running on caffeine ("Whac-A-Mole" analogy), he pushes his team relentlessly but has no solution beyond defensive firefighting. His reaction to Dr. Z's email suggests a mix of hope and bewilderment.
• Director Li: Supports the defensive posture but shows impatience; he and Director Hong are both caught off guard by the sudden turn of events.

Significant Themes

• Cyber warfare & asymmetry: The chapter highlights the difficulty of defending against anonymous attackers and the political constraints preventing proactive retaliation (fear of diplomatic fallout during the International Lunar Hadron Collider Symposium).
• The vigilante figure: "Dr. Z" emerges as an unknown third party—neither government nor enemy—who acts unilaterally and effectively, hinting at a "technological ace" theme.
• Overconfidence vs. consequence: Lone Wolf's arrogance is juxtaposed with his sudden vulnerability, reinforcing the theme that no hacker is truly safe.

Character Interactions

• Lone Wolf interacts with an anonymous dark-web contact (the warning), initially mocking them, then is silenced by the breach.
• Director Hong & Director Li converse with technicians and each other about strategy, frustration, and the unexpected email—their exchange ending in mutual confusion at the name "Dr. Z."
• Technicians report the enemy withdrawal and Convenience Network recovery, driving the Bureau's shift from crisis mode to investigation mode.