Rebirth: Controlled Nuclear Fusion

Part 50：The Question of Death

As the camera began filming Jiang Fan once more, Qiao Yifei could not contain her astonishment.
"Wait... could it be?"
Her friends, noticing her surprise, grew curious.
"Yifei, do you know him?"
"Well... I suppose so," she replied, slightly hesitant.
A month ago, her uncle, Qiao Shan, had asked her to entice Jiang Fan into attending Huqing University. Later, terrified by the situation, Jiang Fan fled in panic. It took multiple calls from her uncle to track him down, only for Jiang Fan to reject Huqing University's recommendation.
Had it not been for Jiang Fan sharing some cutting-edge nanotechnology with her—something Qiao Shan had been researching—she would have been severely scolded by her uncle.
In truth, Qiao Yifei felt quite grateful to Jiang Fan. His insight into nanotechnology not only earned her credits but also the Huqing University Research Innovation Award.
As Qiao Yifei recalled the time when Jiang Fan had gotten a nosebleed because of her, she couldn't help but giggle.
That mischievous younger brother of hers, Jiang Fan, was actually quite adorable.
"Hey! Yifei, are you flirting again? You've got drool dripping down your chin!"
Realizing her mouth was a bit wet, Qiao Yifei quickly wiped it away, a touch embarrassed.
"Ah, this poor freshman is about to fall victim to this old pervert's advances!"
"You're the pervert! It's clear you're asking for a beating!"
"..." While Qiao Yifei was playfully grappling with Xiaoyu, the surrounding students once again erupted into astonished murmurs.
"What the hell! This is unbelievable!"
"Is this even human?"
"This guy has to be a genius, no wait, maybe the father of a genius!"
Hearing these comments, Qiao Yifei and her friends immediately turned toward the big screen.
To their shock, they saw that Jiang Fan had already completed the second problem!
The girls were utterly speechless, their faces turning pale with astonishment.
"Wait, did he really finish the second problem already? How long has it been?"
"Yeah, I think it's barely been two minutes!"
The camera zoomed in on the timer, showing 01:03.
"One minute and three seconds... for two problems?"
"Isn't that a bit too much?"
"The guy who came up with the first problem is still struggling with step eight. He's already solved two!"
"I seriously suspect he's a disciple of Professor Yi Rong in mathematics!"
"..." Quickly, Jiang Fan moved on to the third problem, following his senior.
"Junior, you have one hour for the third problem. If you don't finish in time, you'll be eliminated," the senior explained.
Jiang Fan nodded in acknowledgment.
Across from him, another freshman was clearly struggling with the third problem, furrowing his brows in frustration.
The senior standing behind him offered a prompt.
"You have 18 minutes left!"
"Got it," the frustrated student replied, his voice tinged with annoyance.
He hadn't anticipated that the third problem would be so much harder than the first two—it was nearly on par with the toughest questions in the Olympiad!
By the time he reached step six, he had no idea how to proceed.
Sighing helplessly, he realized he had underestimated the difficulty of the challenge.
The camera, perched on the shoulder of the photographer, never left Jiang Fan.
The third problem had earned the notorious title of "The Death Question" in the competition. Many gifted students had breezed through the first two questions, only to falter and fail at the third.
Over the years, only two people had managed to conquer it. One was a freshman from ten years ago who solved five problems, eventually catching the eye of the esteemed Professor Long Lao, who took him under his wing. He later went abroad for further study and never returned.
Since then, Professor Long had not accepted another student—until now, when Jiang Fan caught his attention.
Of course, Jiang Fan had no idea about this. Professor Long had not mentioned anything to him.
The second student to conquer the third problem was a graduate from five years ago, who now contributed to a key national project.
Given Jiang Fan's impressive speed on the first two questions, everyone was keen to see if he would be the third student to defeat the Death Question.
When Jiang Fan received the third problem, he didn't rush into it like the previous two.
Instead, he took a moment to think. The third question was indeed more difficult, but to Jiang Fan, it was just a minor challenge—a mere matter of time to solve. After all, the system had awarded him the "Blue Star Mathematical Super-Overview," which covered every aspect of mathematics on his home planet.
On the stands, all eyes were fixed on the big screen, eager to see if Jiang Fan could conquer the Death Question.
As Jiang Fan hesitated, the audience began to murmur amongst themselves.
"Looks like this third problem might be a bit too tough for this freshman."
"Yeah, the third question is the Death Question. I too failed at this stage."
"Even now, if I were given this third question, I'd have no confidence in solving it."
"This tradition at Longke University has been around for nearly 30 years. Only two people have made it through. They're legends!"
They didn't hold much hope for Jiang Fan either.
Qiao Yifei, however, watched him intently, sensing that he was different from the others.
Her friends, whispering beside her, chuckled.
"Look at Yifei's eyes... I think she's definitely got some connection with this freshman."
"Hehe, we think so too!"
"Maybe Yifei's already got him under her thumb!"
Qiao Yifei, hearing their teasing, leaned in curiously.
"What are you guys talking about?"
The girls giggled and shook their heads, refusing to answer.
Qiao Yifei, suspecting they were talking about her, stretched out both arms and, with a mischievous grin, said to Xiaoyu,
"Xiaoyu, tell me what you were discussing just now, or else... well, you know!"
Startled by Qiao Yifei's boldness, Xiaoyu quickly recoiled, while Qiao Yifei reached out playfully, aiming for her friend's chest.
"Ah! Pervert!" Xiaoyu screamed in shock.
... Meanwhile, Jiang Fan had figured out his approach and began writing.
The photographer zoomed in, capturing the speed and precision of his work.
"This freshman is finally putting pen to board!"
Some students in the stands called out.
All eyes were now fixed on the big screen.
Jiang Fan wrote with remarkable speed, showing no hesitation or corrections. Each letter and number was flawless.
Within moments, he had filled an entire blackboard. As he finished the last number, he took a deep breath and turned to the senior in charge.
"Senior, I'm done!"
"Done already?"
The senior glanced at the board, then at the timer: 05:21.
The entire stands fell silent as everyone processed what they had just seen.

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