darknovel Chapter 33 That Divine Question
Chapter 33 That Divine Question
"Su Hao, let's speak frankly."
Zhang Wei's voice was hoarse with a hint of weariness.
"For people like us, the past IMO exam questions are actually very difficult."
Honestly, it's extremely, extremely, extremely difficult!
After hearing Zhang Wei's almost confessional confession, none of the proud people present dared to refute him. Instead, they nodded solemnly in agreement.
"Don't even mention it, I've been preparing for this for three years now."
But when doing practice problems, it still feels like walking blindfolded through a minefield, constantly hitting walls.
Wang Shuo took off his glasses and said with lingering fear as he wiped them.
"Me too. I can at least figure out the basics of number theory and combinatorics by guessing, but when it comes to geometry problems..."
That was absolutely baffling!
Even Xu Lan, the usually arrogant academic star, showed a look of despair at this moment.
"The moment I saw those geometry problems, I felt like I was going to stop breathing."
My mind went blank; I had no idea where to start and couldn't even grasp a single clue.
It often takes hours of agonizing over drafts before you can even vaguely grasp a glimmer of an idea.
geometry.
This is the most heinous demon in the entire world of mathematics, no, in the International Mathematical Olympiad.
"Don't be discouraged, everyone. It's not that we're so bad; this is exactly how a normal human being should react!"
Zhang Wei loudly comforted him.
"Don't even mention us, even PhDs in mathematics from world-renowned universities..."
If they haven't received specific training in solving these incredibly difficult Olympiad problems, most of them would be completely stumped if given the questions on the spot!
At this point, Zhang Wei stared at Su Hao, his breathing noticeably becoming heavier.
"But, but since you came to this winter camp, I haven't seen you get even one question wrong."
Su Hao, I just never dared to ask...
Is math really that easy for you?
Actually, at first, Zhang Wei was just curious out of a sense of superiority.
After all, the child's age is far too young to be here.
However, when he witnessed Su Hao effortlessly solve the problem that had troubled him for two whole days and nights as if it were nothing, Zhang Wei's worldview completely collapsed!
He then realized with horror that the boy in front of him holding the little yellow duck pencil was not on the same level as them, a group of geniuses struggling in the mud!
All eyes instantly focused on Su Hao's face like searchlights.
"I, I..."
Su Hao was momentarily at a loss and began to stammer.
"Don't feel pressured, just tell the truth."
Lin Shuwan crossed her arms, giving off an expression that said, "I knew you were a monster all along."
Xu Lan and Pan Xun also looked intently at Su Hao, nodding vigorously to indicate that he didn't need to have any worldly concerns.
Su Hao scratched his head, and finally spoke cautiously, his tone extremely serious, even carrying a hint of genuine confusion:
"I...I really don't understand, what exactly makes the geometry problems in the Olympiad so difficult?"
blah blah blah!
Wang Shuo's glasses fell directly onto the table!
Pan Xun gasped, nearly choking on his own saliva!
Everyone's jaws nearly dropped to the ground the moment they heard those words.
What kind of international joke is this?!
Listen to this!
Can you believe this guy is even speaking human language?!
Of course they knew this kid was amazing, but who in this room wasn't a peerless genius who had fought his way up from their respective provinces?
No one expected that this seemingly harmless boy could become so arrogant as to disregard the world!
But that's precisely where it's most frustrating.
Because Su Hao's clear, unambiguous eyes made it perfectly clear to them that this was definitely not just empty boasting.
This was simply Su Hao's most genuine, almost cruel, and simple feeling about those Olympiad math problems that tormented them to the point of near death.
This kind of casual, devastating attack is even more humiliating than slapping them a hundred times!
"Pfft... Wahahahaha! In all my years, this is the first time I've ever heard such an infuriating thing said with my own ears!"
Wang Shuo, who is usually the most reserved and quiet, completely broke down and started laughing wildly while slamming his fist on the table.
"I was prepared for him to make a big show of it, but these words were still incredibly hurtful!"
This guy is a real big shot!
"Can you solve this problem just by glancing at it?"
"Wow! That last part was absolutely amazing, I should have recorded it on my phone."
Send this to those arrogant idiots outside so they can hear it clearly!
"Well, it seems that the lousy skills I used to be so proud of weren't even worth showing off in their eyes..."
After the initial shock, a burst of self-deprecating laughter erupted in the study room, with everyone making fun of each other.
That's a strange sense of ease that geniuses experience when they face a true "god" and give up on pointless struggles and envy.
Su Hao looked at the suddenly relaxed and lively atmosphere around him. Although he didn't quite understand why they were laughing, he found it quite interesting and chuckled along with them.
"Su Hao, you're not kidding, are you?"
Is everything you just said true?
After the laughter subsided slightly, Zhang Wei rubbed his sore cheeks and asked Su Hao for confirmation again.
"Mm." Su Hao nodded calmly.
Just as Zhang Wei was racking his brains for a response, Lin Shuwan interjected:
"Talk is cheap, why don't we let him try that question?"
"That's the insane problem that drove contestants from all over the world crazy during last year's IMO!"
"Ah! Yes!"
Zhang Wei suddenly snapped out of his daze, slapped his thigh, and opened the black notebook he always carried with him.
He grabbed a pen and ruler and began drawing rapidly on the blank page.
"This is the final question on the entrance exam for the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) last year!"
Last year, an Indian team member secretly brought it with him to prepare for the exam.
I guess that guy himself couldn't solve it no matter what, so he frantically passed it around among top players from various countries seeking help.
Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
That was the only ladder for ordinary people to climb the social ladder in the world's most populous country, amidst utter despair.
As long as you graduate from there, you'll be snatched up immediately by top tech giants in Silicon Valley, waving your checkbooks.
The whole family can benefit from this and immigrate to the United States.
Therefore, the abnormal difficulty of its entrance exam is absolutely at the level of true hell!
Zhang Wei frantically drew diagrams on the paper while explaining through gritted teeth:
"But the most ironic and hilarious thing is that, until the last day of the IMO competition, not a single one of the hundreds of top math geniuses in the world could solve this problem!"
Finally, it was the leader of the American team, a senior mathematics professor from Caltech, who stepped in and, after several sleepless nights, managed to provide a barely passable proof.
Perhaps because he had studied and pondered this problem countless times during countless sleepless nights, Zhang Wei's drawing technique was so skillful that it was heartbreaking.
Soon, the complex geometric shapes appeared on the paper.
"Come on!" Zhang Wei stopped writing and pushed the notebook in front of Su Hao. "You...would you like to give it a try?"