Millennium Problem

Xiao He did not particularly like the summer camp activities either. Under the guidance of the camp staff, their homeroom teacher had them dig for wild vegetables and catch fish. But he could tell that those "wild vegetables" and "fish" were not actually wild; they had probably been planted and raised by the staff. There was quite a lot of it—enough to feed all thirty-something of them.

Especially the fish. They had been fed until they were fatter than the fish sold at the market. How could wild fish possibly grow that plump?

Still, it was understandable. If they really relied solely on wild fish and vegetables, how would the summer camp stay in business?

Lunch was grilled fish, grilled yams, and wild vegetable soup. Xiao He actually rather liked this kind of primitive lifestyle.

"I don't like fish..." Ye Wanqing muttered beside him.

"Why are you so troublesome..." Xiao He frowned. "Here, I'll give you the belly meat, all right? There are fewer bones in this part. Have some grilled potatoes to make do. I heard we're having curry rice tonight, so you can eat more then."

"I don't dislike fish because of the bones. It's because it smells too fishy..." Ye Wanqing complained quietly. "Besides, what good is curry rice? I can't eat spicy food."

This woman had way too many issues... Xiao He nearly rolled his eyes into the back of his head.

After lunch, there were still plenty of things to do that afternoon, such as fetching water, chopping firewood, preparing ingredients for dinner, and making beds.

The camp did not provide sleeping bags. Instead, it taught the students how to "make" a bed. They laid down a layer of pine needles in the tent, then spread a bedsheet over them, creating a warm bed.

"You're so strong." Huang Ling was immediately surprised when she saw Xiao He effortlessly lift a large bucket of water. The other boys in the class needed two people to carry the same bucket.

"Oh, he works out regularly. He often goes to the gym to lift weights," Ye Wanqing quickly explained.

"You really can't tell..." Huang Ling said curiously, looking Xiao He up and down.

"Yeah, he's the type who's all muscle once he takes his clothes off!" Ye Wanqing said with a smile. Then she shoved Xiao He back toward the camp. But once they returned, she kept playing with her phone at the side, and Xiao He had no idea what she was doing.

Half an hour later, a familiar black SUV stopped at the camp entrance. Then Cui Man sent them a text message: "Come out."

When they reached the entrance, the SUV window rolled down, and Cui Man crooked a finger at the two of them. "Get in. I got you leave."

"Sister Man, is there some urgent matter? Weekends are supposed to be our time off, aren't they?" Xiao He asked with a frown.

"You're about to be found out. Isn't that urgent?" Cui Man asked blandly as she lowered her sunglasses.

Xiao He turned and shot Ye Wanqing an annoyed glare. His first thought was that Ye Wanqing had used this as an excuse to avoid staying at the summer camp any longer.

Ye Wanqing said aggrievedly, "Why are you looking at me? It's because you wouldn't cooperate with me! What was I supposed to do? I could only ask Sister Man for help! What if we got found out?"

"Ugh..." Xiao He sighed helplessly. Things had finally started looking up. Huang Ling had noticed that he and Ye Wanqing were pretending to be a couple, yet she had still been willing to keep seeing him. Then Ye Wanqing had gone and ruined it again...

But the fact that they were about to be exposed was undeniable, so Xiao He had nothing to say. Pretending to be a couple was harder than he had imagined. Holding hands and linking arms did not make them a real couple; anyone even slightly perceptive could see through them immediately.

"It doesn't matter if your status as a couple is exposed. What matters is if your identity as a mutant is exposed." After they got in the car, Cui Man took off her sunglasses, crossed her long legs, and sighed. "Until you two become better at acting, it's best to minimize contact with outsiders. As it happens, the higher-ups gave me a research topic these past few days. Let's go study it today."

"Fine." Xiao He slumped limply in his seat and replied without enthusiasm.

"Going back is good. What was so interesting about that summer camp anyway..." Ye Wanqing muttered. "There were bugs everywhere."

"So you really did call Sister Man just because you didn't want to stay there, didn't you?" Xiao He said irritably.

"Why is your thinking so dark?" Ye Wanqing asked unhappily. "I didn't think that much into it at all!"

"All right, stop arguing." Cui Man interrupted them, then frowned and sighed. "You two, honestly... You," Cui Man said, looking at Xiao He, "she's a pretty girl with a great figure. I'm not asking you to fall in love with her, but surely you don't have to dislike her this much, do you?" Then Cui Man turned to Ye Wanqing. "And you. Xiao He is fairly handsome too. He's not sloppy like those other boys, and he doesn't spend all day staring lecherously at your chest. Do you really have to dislike him this much?"

"..." Xiao He and Ye Wanqing were both speechless.

At that, Cui Man rubbed her forehead in frustration. "Sigh, if you two were normal people, then even if you didn't become a real couple, you shouldn't be arguing all day. So what exactly is going wrong here..."

"If relationships were that simple, you wouldn't have gone on more than a dozen blind dates without finding anyone suitable," the driver suddenly said from the front.

Xiao He and Ye Wanqing both turned to look at Cui Man.

"Do you have a death wish!?" Cui Man asked through gritted teeth. "I haven't beaten you up in a while, so your skin's gotten itchy, has it?!"

"How would I dare?" the driver said, winking at Ye Wanqing and Xiao He through the rearview mirror.

Only then did Xiao He pay attention to the driver. He was the one who picked them up and dropped them off every time, so he was probably a dedicated employee of the Special Response Department. He had a square face and a buzz cut, while his thick eyebrows and large eyes were especially memorable. At first glance, he looked a little like Rock Lee from Naruto, though he was more heavily built.

Soon, they arrived at the military base they usually visited. Passing through the soldiers drilling outside, they entered an office.

"Oh? No training today?" Xiao He raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Today's task is to test your ability." Cui Man sat down across from Xiao He at the desk as she spoke.

"How are you testing it?" Xiao He had an uneasy feeling. Last time, Typhoon had been the subject of his test. Who knew what it would be this time? Then Cui Man pushed a sheet of paper toward him. On it were several letters: "NP=P?"

"Try solving this problem." Cui Man looked at him with a confident smile.

"Why? What's wrong with this problem?" Xiao He asked in confusion.

Cui Man turned toward Ye Wanqing, who was seated to their side, while Ye Wanqing held out her hand toward her phone screen.

"This problem is called the 'Lin Tiannan Problem.'" Cui Man smiled faintly. "Now, solve it."

Xiao He stared at Cui Man in bewilderment, completely dumbfounded. But then his mind suddenly lit up. He snatched up a pen and the paper, then began scribbling away.

He wrote so fast that the page was quickly filled.

"Get more scratch paper, quickly." Cui Man urged. Several researchers nearby responded and promptly handed over a pad of paper. After Xiao He took it, he continued writing at breakneck speed, as though possessed.