Super God-Level Top Student

Lothar Dugan quietly looked at the secretary following behind Daniel Milnor with a worried face and said, "Alright, go out now, and close the door. And whatever you do, don't call 911; I really don't want to receive a bizarre bill from the hospital three months later."

After shrugging, the secretary closed the door.

Alright, she didn't like this Professor Milnor.

Not just because of his rude behavior, but also because of his sloppy appearance.

It was hard to imagine that a great mathematician could be so unkempt.

By contrast, Professor Dugan was much better, except that his desk was a bit messy and he never allowed anyone else to touch the things on his desk; at least he always kept himself clean and tidy.

...

"Lothar, you'd better have a reasonable explanation for me, or I swear, not calling 911 will definitely be the second dumbest decision you've made this year. The dumbest, of course, being that you hung a paper not fit for pre-publicity on the official website for a whole half month," Milnor said angrily.

Damn it, tell me, when did your brain start to malfunction? It's sad that your stupidity has even begun to rival that of the old man living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C.!

"Bang!" In response to Daniel Milnor came a thick stack of documents.

While waiting for the irascible old guy to come, Lothar Dugan had asked his secretary to print and bind Qiao Ze's paper.

"Now, even if we're to duel, please take some time to look at this paper first. Then tell me, then tell me if the paper is worthwhile, if it deserves pre-publication hype. Although you're indeed a bastard, I've never doubted your sense for mathematics. After all, it does take some skill for so many to tolerate your insufferable faults," Dugan said.

Having finished, Lothar Dugan picked up the paper and handed it over.

Actually, he wanted to simply shove it across the desk.

But unfortunately, he couldn't find a clear path on the cluttered desk to push it directly.

What he most couldn't tolerate was someone messing with the positions of documents on his desk, because that would cause him to spend too much time searching when he needed a certain document.

Daniel Milnor glared at Lothar before taking the printed paper, subconsciously wiping his slightly moist hand on his clothes first.

Afterward, the title of the paper made him pause, then he frowned. Quickly skimming the abstract, Daniel Milnor looked up at the scrawny old man across from him and said, "Lothar, are you joking with me?"

Lothar Dugan stared back at him and pointed to another bound paper on the desk, "What makes you think I would joke about something like this?"

Daniel Milnor pondered for a moment, then without speaking further, he simply moved over a stool and sat down in front of Lothar Dugan, beginning to read the paper with a serious expression.

One minute...

Ten minutes...

Seeing Daniel Milnor quiet down, Lothar Dugan also opened the paper.

Just from the expression on the face across from him, he could tell that at least the beginning of Qiao Ze's paper didn't have any major issues.

Once both were immersed in the paper, neither paid any more attention to the passage of time.

...

"Bang Bang Bang..."

Lothar Dugan raised his head and glared at the guy across from him.

What kind of bad habit was this?

To get someone's attention, it was enough to call out, what was the meaning of pounding on the table?

"Lothar, so the young man from Huaxia submitted two papers at once? After reading his paper, you published the first one, then hyped it up, provoked controversy, and then pushed out this paper with the greatest speed? I don't understand; you've been to Huaxia, right? So, is this Qiao your illegitimate child?" Milnor asked sarcastically.

Lothar Dugan looked at the man opposite him speechlessly.

Mathematicians indeed need imagination, but not to be used like this.

"Are you sure you've finished reading the paper?" he asked.

"How could I? You know full well that reviewing this paper would take at least a week's time, and that's if I spent most of it reading and verifying this paper! That's the respect due to research!" Milnor exclaimed.

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"Very well, one week. Remember to give me your response in a week," Roth Dugan said expressionlessly.

"No, you still haven't told me, have you finished reviewing the paper? Do you really think it's correct?" an agitated Daniel Milnor asked.

The old man chuckled and said, "Daniel, you are an independent reviewer. If you must refer to my opinion, then indeed, I have already looked over the paper. I think it's very perfect. That Huaxia young man you think very little of, he has, as if by magic, unified non-Abelian gauge fields with Riemann space. What this implies, I think you understand better than I do.

It is truly a wonderful result. Can you believe it? If he is right, the proofs of many related problems could be simplified. Riemannian Geometry would be able to reveal many complex solutions' characteristics. It could even extend to solving a series of nonlinear differential equations. Moreover, I'll say it again, please remember, the author of this paper, Qiao, is only eighteen years old!"

In the end, Daniel Milnor gave Roth Dugan a hard look, said nothing more, and turned to leave with the paper in hand.

Okay, Roth Dugan had deceived the guy.

Because he hadn't even read Qiao Ze's paper completely.

Now he could quietly think about the first question raised in the paper.

However, less than three minutes had passed when his office door was pushed open again.
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Roth Dugan looked up skeptically, watching Daniel return.

But the rude professor didn't greet him, instead swiftly scanning the office before quickly heading straight for the large black umbrella hanging not far from the door, seizing it, and leaving just as directly.

He moved so swiftly, Roth Dugan hadn't reacted before the fellow had already slammed the office door shut behind him.

Hmm...

Had the man just stolen his umbrella? It was his favorite one, no less.

"That damned, rude robber!" Roth Dugan muttered.

He didn't seem too annoyed, for obviously the fellow was worried about getting the paper wet.

So Roth Dugan pressed a button, and his secretary quickly opened the door.

"Mr. Dugan, you called me?"

"Yes, Peter. Daniel just took my umbrella, and you didn't fulfill your responsibility, so you owe me an umbrella. A black one, please go buy it now."

"Er..."

"Okay, just kidding. You don't have to compensate me, but you still have to take this money and go buy my umbrella right away. Feel better now?"

"Yes, Professor Dugan," the secretary honestly nodded and stepped forward to take the $50 the old man handed him.

Running errands in the rain was indeed tiresome, but at least he wasn't out of pocket now, was he?

...

Unlike the weather in Princeton town, Xilin's weather was clear, the sky dotted with sparse stars, indicating that tomorrow would be another fine day.

It was a pity that the National Day holiday had already ended.

Qiao Ze and Su Mucheng were walking on campus as they usually did.

The girl brazenly hooked her arm through Qiao Ze's, asserting her territory while blabbering non-stop, reporting the dynamics of those in the research group to Qiao Ze.

"Today Liu was so happy after retrieving the approved documents from the school, he kept humming tunes," she said.

"Hmm," Qiao Ze nodded, thinking Liu Chenfeng wouldn't be happy for much longer. There was no helping it, regarding the proof of the mass gap, he really couldn't bring Liu Chenfeng along with him.

It was the same reason he hadn't forcibly taken Zhang Zhou and Gu Zhengliang with him for the current project.

Without enough foundation, there was no help for the project, and bringing them along would be pointless.

However, Qiao Ze had already figured out a plan.

After he finished the new project, he could help Liu Chenfeng apply for a related topic so that Liu Chenfeng could conveniently work out the project with Zhang Zhou and Gu Zhengliang.

Believing this arrangement should satisfy everyone, right?

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