Rebirth: Controlled Nuclear Fusion

Part 95：Plagiarism

"I am the one who solved this millennium's mathematical conundrum!"
As Jiang Fan's words echoed through the room, the audience burst into laughter.
"Ha ha... This is priceless! A kid who hasn't even grown his first whisker dares to claim he solved the millennium's most difficult math problem!"
"This kid's desperate for fame! He's even trying to shamelessly steal Professor Holt's work!"
"What an embarrassment, a Dragon Kingdom citizen with no shame!"
"Throw him out! People like him don't deserve to sit here!"

Seeing that no one believed Jiang Fan, Old Wu stood up and shouted to the crowd,
"I can prove that this millennium's math problem was solved by Jiang Fan!"

Upon hearing Jiang Fan's name, Professor Holt, who was on stage, suddenly realized—this young man was the one who had submitted the solution!
Professor Holt was fully aware that the answer to this millennium problem wasn't his, but the submission of someone named Jiang Fan.
When reviewing papers for SCI journals, he had stumbled upon this submission.
At first, he thought it was just another worthless manuscript, as he received countless submissions about the seven millennium problems every day.
But out of curiosity, he read it—and was instantly stunned.
The more he delved into it, the more amazed he became.
The content was so vast and profound, no one person could possibly have the knowledge to produce such an answer!
After consulting with top mathematicians from the Beautiful Country, they spent eight hours discussing the paper before confirming that the solution was indeed correct.
This discovery was an unprecedented breakthrough in mathematics.
If published, it would certainly cause a global stir.

However, when they realized the paper came from the Dragon Kingdom, hesitation set in.
They had received prior instructions to suppress the academic advancements of the Dragon Kingdom.
Publishing the paper would be seen as a potential threat to their position in the field of mathematics.
One person proposed keeping the paper secret and publishing it under the Beautiful Country's name.
And so, they nominated Professor Holt as the one to present the findings.

Professor Holt, once a star in the field twenty years ago, had not made any significant mathematical contributions since.
He longed for the glory of his past, but at 76, his mind was no longer as sharp as before.
Despite this, his vanity led him to agree to the plan.
He believed that with his fame, no one would doubt the authorship.
This would ensure his name would live on for centuries.

But fate had other plans. During the World Mathematics Summit, he unexpectedly encountered the paper's real author, Jiang Fan!
The realization made him feel uneasy, as if his secret was about to be exposed.
However, when he heard the murmurs from the audience, he began to feel a little more at ease.

One scholar in the crowd turned to Old Wu and said,
"Why should we believe you? You're clearly in cahoots with him!"
"These Dragon Kingdom people are shameless—young and old alike! This is what happens when a bad apple spoils the whole tree!"
"I strongly recommend expelling the Dragon Kingdom from the World Mathematics Organization..."

Old Wu was publicly humiliated, his face reddening with anger.
Jiang Fan, seeing that no one believed him, turned to Professor Holt and said,
"Professor Holt, should we continue discussing the complexities of N and NP?"

Professor Holt knew that if they continued, he would surely be exposed.
He feigned calmness and responded,
"I understand that young people want to make a name for themselves, but slandering me like this will have legal consequences..."
Professor Holt was visibly annoyed, but his fame still held weight, and he believed he could easily convince the audience.
Jiang Fan, taken aback by Holt's denial, realized the professor would never admit the truth.
"Professor Holt, don't forget—I have the submission records."

Professor Holt, however, remained defiant.
"Very well, then—bring out the evidence for all to see!"

Old Wu quickly grabbed Jiang Fan's laptop and walked up to the stage.
Jiang Fan took the laptop and turned it on.
Old Wu grabbed the microphone and addressed the audience,
"This millennium's mathematical problem was submitted to the SCI journal SIAM Review just a week ago! It should have been discovered by Professor Holt, a respected senior in the field. But instead, he tried to steal this groundbreaking achievement for himself..."

Upon hearing this, Professor Holt burst into laughter,
"I've spent twenty years of my life solving this millennium's problem, and now you want to steal my work? How despicable!"

The entire room was left in confusion, unsure of who was telling the truth.
Looking at Jiang Fan and Old Wu from the Dragon Kingdom, one could see they wouldn't have been so persistent if they hadn't truly contributed to the discovery.
After all, this was the World Mathematics Summit, and they had just secured positions as board members.
As for Professor Holt, he was a well-known figure in the field, and it seemed unlikely he would steal a young person's work.

Just then, Austin, the president of the World Mathematics Organization, stepped forward.
He had never imagined that such an incident would occur at the summit.
"First, I apologize to everyone. I never expected that plagiarism would arise at this conference!"
"As the president of the World Mathematics Organization, I will ensure a full investigation into this matter. The integrity of our field is at stake!"
"Whoever is guilty of plagiarism will be severely punished, and we will restore fairness to the academic world!"

Austin's words were firm, earning applause from many in the crowd.
Especially from the top mathematicians—if this issue wasn't handled properly, who would dare to publish future breakthroughs?
Without new discoveries being shared, the entire field of mathematics would stagnate.

Meanwhile, representatives from high-tech companies watched the drama unfold, whispering among themselves,
"This is going to be interesting, ha ha..."
"Looks like the Dragon Kingdom is trying to cement its position by blatantly stealing someone else's work!"
"Blatant plagiarism? I don't think so—they're not stupid. It'd be too easy to expose."
"Who cares? This is an academic issue, and as tech companies, we just need their data and theories..."

At that moment, Professor Holt turned to Jiang Fan and said,
"Well, young man, where is your evidence?"

Old Wu, sensing something was off, approached Jiang Fan and asked,
"What's wrong, Jiang Fan?"

Jiang Fan's brow furrowed as he replied,
"My email data has been wiped clean!"