Chapter 12
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Qi Yan didn’t come out of the library until midnight.
When the doors slid open, Lu Fenghan stood up straight from where he was leaning against the wall and stepped forward with his long, lean legs. He stopped in front of Qi Yan and asked, “What are you so happy about?”
Even his footsteps sprang with excitement.
Qi Yan glanced back at the rows of shelves behind the glass wall. “There are many books in there I haven’t read.”
Lu Fenghan, recalling the image of Qi Yan moving between the bookshelves, asked, “Did you read a few just now?”
“Thirteen.”
Lu Fenghan remembered Qi Yan saying that he could remember everything he read, so he asked, “Do you remember them all?”
“Yes, I remember them all.”
About half an hour per book—this isn’t much different from flipping pages, is it?
The twin moons adorned the deep blue sky, their light soft and gentle. All the lights in the school were on, and the marble-white buildings were shrouded in the night. From a distance, only the outlines of the buildings were visible.
Walking from the library towards the school gate, one would pass by the equipment building, where the computer rooms housing large optical computers were located.
At this moment, if one were to look up, they would see the entire building brightly lit up.
Most of the lights remained on until the next morning.
Upon entering the classroom, Qi Yan noticed that nearly everyone wore a weary expression, with faint dark circles under their eyes.
Feeling puzzled, he approached Xia Zhiyang, who was slumped over the desk, and asked, “What’s wrong with you?”
Xia Zhiyang immediately launched into a whine.
“Last night, I spent three hours figuring out how to upgrade the RN3 model! Then, I started mining data with the upgraded model! Everything was fine at first, but after about an hour or so, my entire data model crashed! It crashed! Although I identified the issues with the upgraded model, it was too late, so I had to start over with the basic RN3 model. Just five minutes before class, I finally managed to upload the answers…”
Chen Mingxuan, making the most of the few minutes he had left to play games, couldn’t help but add after hearing Xia Zhiyang’s woes, “Although I successfully upgraded the model, I ended up staying up all night too. Professor Fu deceived us! Whether you upgrade or not, it makes little difference. You still end up pulling an all-nighter!”
Xia Zhiyang was about to ask Qi Yan how he was doing when he noticed Laurent intentionally pausing as he walked by with his notes. “It’s not that Professor Fu is deceiving anyone, it’s just that some people are too incompetent. The higher the processing model optimization, the faster the mining speed. With faster mining speed, there’s no need to stay up all night.”
Xia Zhiyang, for once, didn’t retort to Laurent’s taunt. Although Laurent had a bad personality and a sharp tongue, he was indeed smart. This time, he should be the first person in their class to submit the answer.
Before Xia Zhiyang could respond, Laurent redirected his criticism towards Qi Yan. “And you, transfer student, can you even understand the first page of the first-year textbook?”
Xia Zhiyang was instantly enraged. He stood up and stood next to Qi Yan, his arms folded across his chest. “Laurent, don’t get too cocky. Has no one ever taught you how to speak respectfully?”
Laurent drawled out his words, deliberately making sure that everyone around could hear him. “Isn’t what I said the truth? Someone like him should just stay on their backwater planet for the rest of their lives and spare Turan the embarrassment.”
Xia Zhiyang was annoyed by these people always talking about backwater planets. Were inhabitants of remote planets not considered human? Just as he was contemplating a retort, class time arrived. Simultaneously, the holographic projector turned on, and Professor Fu’s image appeared on the podium.
Taking his seat, Lu Fenghan asked Qi Yan, “Are you upset?”
He glanced coldly at Laurent from the corner of his eye.
Qi Yan shook his head. “No.”
He never let insignificant people make him feel sad.
Professor Fu greeted the class and then casually mentioned that it was raining on the planet he was currently on. He then shifted the topic, “Have you all submitted the results of your data mining?”
The classroom echoed with half-hearted responses, “Yes.”
Professor Fu smiled. “Good job, students. You must realize that learning and research are not easy tasks. They require time and patience from everyone. In fact, the process can be very tortuous and long, making you feel bored, frustrated, and even doubt yourself. Of course, there will also be a sense of accomplishment, as well as expectation, excitement, and perseverance.”
However, Professor Fu’s words didn’t resonate much. Most people’s passion had already been drained by the all-night data mining session the previous night.
Professor Fu had a premonition yesterday, but he didn’t mind changing the topic. “Everyone completed the data mining before class and submitted the final results to me. Excellent. Now, I want to commend the top three students.”
Xia Zhiyang muttered quietly to Chen Mingxuan, “The first one must be Laurent. Sometimes, intelligence and character just don’t go hand in hand!”
Sure enough, the first name Professor Fu mentioned was Laurent’s.
“Student Laurent submitted his answers to me at 11:47 p.m. last night, which is a very impressive speed.”
Laurent sat in his seat, his expression arrogant. Amidst everyone’s sighs, he turned his head and looked straight at Xia Zhiyang and Qi Yan who was sitting next to him, with a look of complete contempt.
Xia Zhiyang met his gaze head-on, glaring back fiercely without hesitation. Then, he glanced worryingly at Qi Yan, who was lost in thought, unaware of Laurent’s subtle gesture, so Xia Zhiyang decided not to mention it.
“Next, Qi Yan submitted his answers at 1:51 a.m. last night.”
As soon as Professor Fu finished speaking, everyone in the classroom, including Laurent, turned to look at Qi Yan.
Laurent seemed incredulous. He quickly raised his hand and asked, “Professor, are you sure it’s Qi Yan?”
Professor Fu: “Of course, the answers came from Qi Yan’s personal terminal. There’s no mistake.”
Laurent immediately furrowed his brow.
Xia Zhiyang and Chen Mingxuan were also somewhat surprised. Xia Zhiyang asked in a low voice, “Not only did you submit the answers, but you were also the second to submit?”
Qi Yan nodded. “Yes, I did submit the answers at 1:51 a.m. last night.”
Xia Zhiyang’s eyes widened, momentarily unsure where to begin his questioning.
Qi Yan: “As I said yesterday, I could manage it.”
It dawned on Xia Zhiyang then. After assigning the homework yesterday, Professor Fu had specifically asked Qi Yan if he could handle it, and Qi Yan had replied confidently, “No problem.”
Xia Zhiyang’s gaze went blank, feeling the need to process everything.
Had he overlooked something?
What about yesterday when Qi Yan said, “If you have any questions, you can ask”—ask what? Ask Qi Yan?
Also, the day before school started, when he was rushing to finish his homework, he had suggested to Qi Yan to apply for a demotion to avoid falling behind. Qi Yan’s response that he wouldn’t fall behind… was that… the truth?
Weren’t they supposed to be mediocre students together?!
Laurent once again voiced his dissent, “Professor Fu, I believe there’s an issue with the answers Qi Yan submitted.”
Professor Fu found this statement peculiar. “Laurent, what do you mean?”
“I believe the answers Qi Yan submitted didn’t originate from him. It’s highly likely they were stolen,” Laurent said, instantly quieting the classroom.
Professor Fu frowned. “Laurent, do mind your words.”
Turan Academy took academic integrity very seriously. Any form of academic dishonesty, from plagiarism to cheating, was a serious offense and could result in expulsion.
Some glanced at Laurent, puzzled by his intense hostility towards this transfer student, even to the point of wanting to expel Qi Yan on the second day of school.
“I have reasons. Qi Yan lived on a remote planet before coming to Turan, and most importantly, he missed a whole year of classes. How could someone like him possibly complete data mining, epecially in such a short time? Besides, after I submitted my answers last night and left the equipment building, I saw Qi Yan lurking around. He might have been trying to sneak into the computer room to steal answers.”
Laurent turned his gaze towards Qi Yan. “If Qi Yan wants to prove he didn’t steal, he can log into the school intranet, access the database of the equipment building’s optical computers to retrieve the specific records of last night’s data mining, and show them to everyone.”
He looked confident. “So, are you up for it?”
Amidst the varied gazes of the crowd, Qi Yan replied, “I didn’t go to the computer room last night.” His voice was calm.
Laurent sneered, “Caught red-handed, and now admitting it? If you didn’t enter the computer room, how did you submit the answers?”
Qi Yan, disliking Laurent’s aggressive tone, retorted, “I didn’t need to go to the computer room. I have an optical computer at home.”
“You have one at home?” Professor Fu was the one who posed the question.
Having taught at Turan for many years, Professor Fu knew that some students, whose parents were involved in scientific research, indeed had access to large optical computers at home. Alternatively, if their families were extremely affluent and they preferred not to share space in the computer room with others, they might also purchase an optical computer for home use.
He glanced at Laurent. “Laurent, Qi Yan said he used the optical computer in his home. Any issues with that?”
However, Laurent quickly seized upon another inconsistency. “But when I left the equipment building last night, it was exactly 12:09 a.m. At that time, I saw Qi Yan still downstairs. The surveillance footage can testify to this. I’m certain I didn’t misidentify him. It was Qi Yan himself. Assuming Qi Yan returned home an hour later, then how did he manage to complete the data mining and submit the final results in less than fifty minutes?”
In that moment, the gaze of many turned towards Qi Yan, now filled with doubt.
Laurent’s upgraded RN3 model was likely the most optimized framework achievable, yet it took him several hours to complete the data mining.
Less than fifty minutes? How was that possible?
The person next to Laurent spoke in a tone audible to all, “The timing of 1:51 a.m. is also quite peculiar. The third to submit should have been me. I submitted my answers at 2:30 a.m. So, it looks like Qi Yan’s answer might be stolen from Laurent. He might have waited for Laurent to leave the equipment building, then quietly entered the computer room, found the data he mined, and submitted the stolen answers to Professor Fu? Quite a well-planned scheme.”
Laurent, however, spoke righteously, “Whether he stole mine or not is irrelevant. What’s important is, does someone like him have the qualification to stay at Turan? Is it so difficult to admit that you are incompetent when you can’t do something?”
He turned back to Professor Fu. “Professor, do you think I’m right?”
However, Professor Fu didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he looked at Qi Yan, curious to see what explanation he would provide.
Qi Yan ignored Laurent and the person beside him. “Upgrading the RN3 model to its optimum still resulted in slow data mining. So, I restructured a model. With the data size of that packet yesterday, mining only took ten minutes.”
Laurent couldn’t contain his scoff. “Ten minutes? Qi Yan, do you even grasp the volume of that data packet? Still refusing to admit even at this point?”
His tone dripped with disdain. “No wonder you haven’t even cracked open a first-year textbook. You can’t even fabricate a decent story.”
Professor Fu studied Qi Yan.
With exquisitely delicate features and a calm demeanor, there seemed to be no disturbance to his emotions in such a situation. Faced with Laurent’s accusations, there was no panic, no anger, and no hint of concern.
He recalled that this student’s admission was personally approved by the principal.
“Qi Yan, could you elaborate on the specifics of the model you restructured?”
Laurent: “Professor, it’s obvious that he’s just making up lies on the spot!”
But Professor Fu smiled knowingly. “Regardless of the issue at hand, we mustn’t rush to hasty conclusions.”
He looked back at Qi Yan. “Qi Yan, would you care to explain?”
Qi Yan nodded. “Yes, I can.”
Professor Fu nodded in return and asked, “Do you need everyone to go to the computer room together?”
Qi Yan thought for a moment. “No need. The small optical computer in the classroom will suffice.”
Compared to large optical computers, small ones sacrificed most basic components to reduce size and weight for portability. Consequently, their performance was less than one-fifth that of the large machines.
Therefore, data mining required starting the large optical computer in the computer room. Otherwise, the small one could easily malfunction.
Laurent glanced at Qi Yan, clearly disdainful of his explanation, thinking to himself, “Why pretend to understand when you don’t? It’s ridiculous to not know when to quit.”
With this in mind, he opened his personal terminal and sent a message to an unmarked communication number.
“Everything you asked for has been taken care of.”
Meanwhile, Qi Yan walked up to the podium.
Although Professor Fu was just a holographic projection, Qi Yan politely didn’t pass through it directly. Instead, he walked around a few steps and stood beside the small optical computer.
Professor Fu also positioned himself beside Qi Yan.
Qi Yan hardly needed to think. His fingers moved swiftly and adeptly across the keyboard, and soon lines of characters appeared on the screen.
Professor Fu watched for less than a minute, his expression gradually becoming more focused. At the same time, he connected the display screen of the small optical computer to the classroom’s teaching demonstration board, allowing everyone to see.
Sitting below, Xia Zhiyang watched as Qi Yan quickly typed out a whole page of characters, and he asked Chen Mingxuan in a daze, “Can you understand that?”
Chen Mingxuan frowned. “Can you?”
Xia Zhiyang: “The hell I could. Why would I even ask you?”
Lu Fenghan, sitting a seat away, watched Qi Yan on the podium.
While others might be unaware, Lu Fenghan knew.
Returning home last night well past midnight, he followed Qi Yan to the study, only to confirm that the seemingly casually placed item in the study was indeed a large optical computer. And judging by the label, it seemed to be the latest model.
After Qi Yan turned on the optical computer, he typed on the keyboard for a few minutes before importing the data packet. Shortly after, he shut down the optical computer.
Lu Fenghan was puzzled at the time and asked, “What’s going on?”
Qi Yan: “I’ve already submitted the answers.”
“Didn’t Xia Zhiyang say you need to stay up all night to finish it? Did you upgrade that model?”
Qi Yan shook his head. “No, I didn’t use the RN3 model. That model framework wasn’t effective. I just rewrote a new one, so the data mining only took ten minutes.”
Because he had already constructed this model last night, Qi Yan merely re-entered the recorded information, which made the process faster than last night. It had only taken six minutes to finish building the model.
The classroom was silent.
Initially, there were whispers and snickers, but gradually, everyone fell silent, watching Qi Yan methodically operate his personal terminal and transmit the data packet.
Importing.
Starting the process.
Ten minutes later, the data mining was complete.
The final results appeared on the screen.
Professor Fu was still recalling the framework Qi Yan had used for modeling just now. “Did you use the PVC logic construction method for your base framework?”
Qi Yan shook his head. “No, while the PVC logic construction method is versatile, it requires high equipment demands. If used, this,” he pointed to the small optical computer in front of him, “would burn out.”
“So, you made modifications?”
“Yes, after the modification, the basic framework is more concise, and the utilization rate during operation will be much smaller,” Qi Yan said after a moment of thought, then added, “It’s completely sufficient for data mining alone.”
The implication was that data mining was already sufficient, and if used elsewhere, corresponding modifications could be made.
Professor Fu looked at Qi Yan with a complex expression in his eyes.
Although Qi Yan made it sound easy, in reality, whether it was abandoning the RN3 model and rewriting a new one or using a modified version of the PVC logic construction method as the foundation to create a new processing model—none of these were easy tasks.
If it were easy, why hadn’t any tool been able to surpass and replace the RN3 model since its inception?
However, right here, on this small optical computer, he saw it with his own eyes.
The person who completed this new model might not even realize the significance of this model.
He asked, “How did you come up with the idea of abandoning the RN3 model and restructuring a new one?”
Qi Yan thought for a moment and answered earnestly, “I was in the library until late last night. By the time I got home, I was too exhausted.”
***
A/N: All the (seemingly) professional content mentioned in this chapter is compiled by the author after consulting references.
T/N: I’m one of Xia Zhiyang’s braincell.
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