Chapter 49: The Humble Monk Sweeping the Floor!

Little Ma looked up with a peculiar expression, pondered for a moment, then glanced at the screen. “I just don’t want you to waste time clinging to false hope, that’s all. With this half-baked approach, all right, his so-called algorithm to crack this thing—even if you gave him a thousand times the computing power of Taihu Light, he’d still need a year. He’s not exactly trying to fool you, Mr. Yu. He’s just overly optimistic, like a child who’s seen a firecracker explode and is awestruck, then assumes that a single explosion from Tsar Bomba is just a hundred thousand firecrackers and therefore very impressive. In reality, it’s the difference between a spark and the sun and moon.”

Yu Chengmin was stunned. “You’re not about to tell me you understand all this, are you?”

Little Ma shook his head slightly. “I don’t. Just a sudden flash of inspiration—I say whatever comes to mind.”

“You…” Yu Chengmin felt a surge of frustration.

Sinan’s face was twisted with anger; he spoke coldly. “Pretending to understand, rambling nonsense—what are you even talking about? Are you trying to provoke me? You don’t know a thing. A second-tier accounting graduate thinks he can debate me on this? Don’t be surprised, I really did look into your résumé. It was easy for me.”

“As long as you’re happy, I’d like to see how your ‘Emperor eats dumplings every meal’ logic is going to solve this problem.” Little Ma had a look of ‘good luck to you’ and went back to tidying the bookshelf.

Yu Chengmin disliked stirring up conflict and was open to different opinions. He paused, then asked, “Ma Weimin, how do you know his algorithmic approach?”

“I just do. But I don’t know the specifics myself, so I can’t tell you.” Suddenly, Little Ma’s demeanor became erratic.

Yu Chengmin felt his composure slipping.

Sinan, meanwhile, was at the end of his patience. If it weren’t for the fact that this was a public setting, and with Yu Chengmin present, and that he needed to contact Zhou Dongyun soon, he would have dealt with Little Ma right then. Otherwise, if Zhou Dongyun left Haizhou early, he’d lose his chance to show off in front of Yu Chengmin.

So Sinan took a deep breath and restrained himself, planning to deal with that fool later.

He dialed Zhou Dongyun. Sinan really was familiar with her; they started with banter, then he said, “Professor Zhou, would you be interested in taking a look at the situation with my computer?”

Zhou Dongyun replied over the phone, “Not interested. I’m busy.”

“Uh…” Sinan felt a bit embarrassed, especially since he’d put the call on speakerphone. He felt he’d lost face.

Fortunately, Yu Chengmin didn’t mind. That was just as well; otherwise, given her status as an academician and a domestic, even global authority, agreeing so easily would have seemed rather unserious.

Yu Chengmin gave Sinan a thumbs-up, quickly scribbled instructions on a piece of paper: “Be direct with this kind of person. Get to the point, go straight to the core.”

Sinan nodded, hurriedly cut the small talk, and described the peculiar characteristics of the virus, outlining his own approach to cracking it.

Strangely, Zhou Dongyun was silent for about ten seconds, then murmured through the phone, “It does seem interesting. I’ve finally found it.”

Hearing this, Yu Chengmin gave Sinan another thumbs-up.

Sinan asked proudly, “Professor Zhou, you seem to know this algorithm?”

From the speaker came Zhou Dongyun’s slightly hoarse voice. “I wouldn’t say I know it, but I do recognize it. During my doctoral studies at MIT, I once saw a ‘tomb post’ in the most obscure corner of the campus forum. It mentioned a similar algorithm, pointing out a direction for future AI thinking. But the viewpoint was put forward far too early—more than ten years ago, by a ten-year-old child studying at MIT. His age and the sheer audacity of his ideas meant no one paid any attention, treating it as a joke. So that post was buried forever. When I ‘dug up the tomb’ and found it, I took notice. At first, I thought its obscurity was deserved. But as I matured and developed my own academic framework, I realized how extraordinary that idea was. When I tried to find it again, it was gone—vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.”

At this point, Yu Chengmin and Sinan looked at each other, utterly confused.

Sinan couldn’t help but ask, “Professor Zhou, could you evaluate the ideas and methods I used for cracking?”

“They’re… all right. For you to have reached those points is rare,” Zhou Dongyun replied.

Sinan asked again, “Professor Zhou, do you think my brute-force approach, with a hundred times Taihu Light’s computing power, could solve it in twenty-four hours?”

Zhou Dongyun didn’t mince words. “Are you joking? With your approach, that amount of power—add two more zeros and it’d still barely make a dent. That’s clearly the ‘Emperor eats dumplings every meal’ logic.”

Damn!

Sinan’s expression was grim. Yu Chengmin was speechless as well—wasn’t this exactly what that “hidden master” just said?

Only then did Yu Chengmin realize someone was missing from the office. As she looked around, Little Ma had already slipped away. Judging by the time, he must have gone to eat ahead of the lunch rush.

Sinan felt incredulous; he couldn’t accept it. “But Professor Zhou, how can this be? It’s just…”

Zhou Dongyun said, “You’re stuck in a rut, aren’t you? You do have talent, but it has its limits. Technology isn’t everything. A thousand years ago, when black powder was invented in the Song Dynasty, it was powerful, yes, but if you fixate on its power, you’ll never grasp Tsar Bomba’s explosive yield. It’s more fantastical than fantasy. That’s why people say magic’s ultimate form is science—it makes sense.”

“…,” Yu Chengmin was speechless again. Damn, wasn’t this basically what Little Ma said? Was he really our company’s hidden master?

Sinan’s face alternated between red and pale; he wished he could disappear.

He hesitated for a moment, still convinced that the neurotic guy just got lucky. Even if he guessed right, it didn’t mean he could solve it—the solution would still have to come from Sinan. So he asked, “Professor Zhou, do you have any solutions?”

“Not yet, but I’m interested in this thing. Give me the address; I’ll come study it—not to solve your problem, but to refine some of my own ideas. This thing disappeared for many years and now resurfaces—I’m intrigued,” Zhou Dongyun said. “Before I arrive, don’t do anything. Don’t let anyone touch that computer.”

“Thank you, Professor Zhou,” Sinan said. “Should we implement some protection for the local network here?”

“No need—it’s pointless. It’s like having a kid guard the gate with a broom against a strategic bomber’s nuclear strike. If they wanted trouble, they’d have started already. The fact they haven’t means they don’t want to. Years ago, the New York power grid was attacked and shut down instantly, causing a massive blackout. The cause is still unknown, but I’m sure the attack method and algorithmic thinking aren’t far from what you’re facing now. Odd, why did it target an unimportant computer this time? Don’t overthink it—wait for me.”

With that, Zhou Dongyun hung up.

Sinan, looking triumphant, said, “No worries, Mr. Yu. Professor Zhou will solve it. She was just joking because she’s close to me.”

Yu Chengmin said nothing, gazing out through the glass wall. “Let’s hope so.”

Following her gaze, that annoying Little Ma had returned.

After entering, Little Ma continued his work, paying no attention to anyone.