Chapter Fifty-Nine: Proof

Future little junior, please show some mercy—let us live!
With a few closing lessons left, Mu Xuewu wasted no time, continuing his rapid-fire explanations. Every so often, he cast a beaming glance in Wu Tong’s direction, causing all the students sitting near her to sit up straight, determined to show Old Mu their seriousness, praying he wouldn’t call on them at random.

That smile of Old Mu’s was enough to send chills down anyone’s spine.

But in truth, Professor Mu Xuewu was pondering something else entirely. In recent years, the School of Mathematics had seen a steady stream of talent, and now, with another genius entering this golden autumn, he needed to discuss with his colleagues how to recruit a prodigy as their pillar.

To restore the School of Physics to its former glory—back to the era of the legendary Lu.

Frankly, he still felt a tinge of nostalgia for Lu Xiao’s brilliant days at Peking University. With just his own strength, Lu dominated both the Physics and Mathematics departments—his radiance unmatched, dazzling the world.

Granted, the achievements of their generation were quickly surpassed by that young man in just a few years, which left all his former professors feeling rather defeated.

Yet, the accomplishment of having taught such a genius was something worth weighing against an entire lifetime.

That rascal, though, had truly exasperated him—why couldn’t he just stick to high-energy physics? First, it was computer science and artificial intelligence, then he switched to military propulsion, and rumor had it he’d dabbled in aerospace, too...

Now, the boy’s security clearance was even higher than his own. He had no idea which corner of the world he was hiding in, or what project he was toying with now.

When the class ended, Wu Tong nodded at Professor Mu in greeting, then quietly slipped out before the crowd could gather around her. She had no intention of becoming a spectacle.

Following the direction of the Mathematics Department, Wu Tong discreetly entered the training team’s classroom through the back door. On stage, Li Yisheng, who was lecturing, caught a glimpse of her. Wasn’t this child attending lectures in the Physics Department lately? What brought her back to this classroom today—did she get caught while auditing other courses?

Wu Tong had come to him for the course schedule, and he was aware of her audit sessions. In fact, he supported it. With her abilities, confining her to high school material would be a true waste.

But why had this child, in the midst of her mathematical pursuits, been lured away by the Physics Department? Those physicists only turned to physics because they couldn’t master mathematics. Mathematics is the sovereign of all disciplines!

A prodigy of this caliber must not be stolen away by those shameless physicists!

To this day, they still grieved over the loss of a future luminary in mathematics, who had been wrested away by the Physics Department, and even benefited the Computer Science Department—yet never shone in mathematics. The thought alone was heart-wrenching!

With that bitter lesson, all the math professors now watched over their own talents with vigilance. In recent years, the Math Department’s succession of talent had left the Physics Department green with envy.

Li Yisheng was currently teaching some foundational number theory—material essential for the math olympiad.

“…When Riemann studied the zeta function…the profound connection between analytic properties of complex functions and the distribution of prime numbers, thus leading number theory into the realm of analysis…”

Complex analysis? Euler’s constant, Diophantine approximation?

In Wu Tong’s mind, a storm of mathematical formulas surged—she seemed to be both within the classroom and viewing it from a detached, transcendent vantage. Innumerable primes stretched infinitely in her mind; interwoven numbers and symbols painted the language of cosmic truth, with line upon line of expressions unfolding as if celestial music had descended.

Wu Tong’s hand danced across the draft paper, swift and elegant.

…The sequence 2^(2^n)…

Desiring to pluck a flower, the branch eludes; planting a willow unmeant, shade flourishes.

As she toiled alone on the twin prime conjecture, not yet reaching the shore, inspiration struck her unexpectedly—she glimpsed the key to proving Zhou’s conjecture.

In 1992, the Chinese mathematician and linguist Zhou Haizhong published “The Distribution Law of Mersenne Primes,” proposing a conjecture with a precise expression. Anyone devoted to Mersenne primes had attempted to tackle Zhou’s conjecture.

Yet, nearly twenty years had passed, and Zhou’s conjecture remained unproven—still a conjecture, not a theorem.

But in this ordinary classroom, beneath the gentle breeze, inspiration’s strings were plucked within Wu Tong; in a moment of serendipity, she saw the path to its resolution.

Wu Tong forgot lunch, lost track of time, and forgot she was even in class—she forgot everything. The most precious language in the world, in her hands, transformed into line after line of equations, leading toward the proof of Zhou’s conjecture.

By the end of the lesson, Li Yisheng noticed Wu Tong’s state. At first, he thought she was simply working through a problem. But as the class ended and she remained absorbed in her writing, oblivious even to the bell, he sensed something unusual.

After class, Li Yisheng didn’t leave immediately. He stayed behind to help a few students with their questions, while Wu Tong remained immersed in her calculations.

Some curious students tried to glance back, eager to witness the legendary Wu Tong in action—she had only appeared at the opening ceremony and during exams, and rarely in class. Rumor had it she was auditing university courses. None among the training team wasn’t curious about the top-scoring CMO champion! Li Yisheng waved them away, signaling that it was time for lunch and not to disturb Wu Tong.

He tread softly to her side, wondering what kind of problem could so thoroughly absorb her—was she, for once, actually stumped?

But when he saw the draft paper casually placed at the edge of her desk and caught the opening lines, his brows shot up in surprise.

Primes… Zhou’s conjecture?

Was Wu Tong attempting a proof of Zhou’s conjecture?

Ah, the boldness of the young—fearless as always!

While not as formidable as the NF equations, the Riemann Hypothesis among the Millennium Prize Problems, or Goldbach’s Conjecture, Zhou’s conjecture remained one of the world’s unsolved mysteries—a peak that had drawn generations of mathematicians, none of whom had yet claimed its summit.

Li Yisheng did not disapprove of Wu Tong’s pursuit. Every mathematician harbors the ambition to scale the Mount Everest of conjectures.

Wu Tong had been delving deep into number theory lately; it was only natural she would encounter this conjecture. The fact that she was attempting it also proved, indirectly, that her knowledge of number theory was at least on par with a doctoral student in mathematics.

Without a certain level of expertise, one could hardly even comprehend the problem, let alone attempt a proof.

He had expected Wu Tong to make great strides at Peking University, nurtured by its resources, but her progress still exceeded his expectations.

At her rate of learning, it was little wonder she had signed up for grade-skipping. A child like her should never be bound by ordinary rules.