MMB Chapter 137 The First Battle of the Four Heavenly Kings
Chapter 137 The First Battle of the Four Heavenly Kings
Chapter 137 The First Battle of the Four Heavenly Kings
Professor Li didn't speak, but glanced at the monitor screen again.
He noticed a detail: the number 1 player on the Four Heavenly Kings team answered the questions almost without pausing. He finished writing in one go, then checked his work, and then handed in his paper.
This fluency feels more like "dictation" than "answering a question".
Principal Wang leaned back in his chair, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
In the audience, the rankings are displayed on a large screen in real time.
[Area A, Team of Four Heavenly Kings, Position 1 Completed]
Zhou Lin was the first to see it, grabbing Zhao Yu's arm: "Chen Long finished! Look!"
Zhao Yu stared at the big screen, her heart skipping a beat.
18 minutes. She didn't know if the result was good or bad, but judging from the reactions of those around her, several people next to her were also watching the big screen, and some were whispering among themselves.
"That first-year team from Area A? So fast?"
"18 minutes? Shouldn't it normally take 25 minutes?"
"Maybe the questions were easy—"
"Easy my foot! I did last year's questions. The short answer questions in the first part took me half an hour to answer."
Hearing these comments, Zhou Lin became even more excited: "Are they really that amazing?"
Chen Lu didn't say anything, but the corners of her mouth curved slightly.
quarantine area.
Chen Long sat for about fifteen minutes when a person came out of the entrance.
Xu Zang.
Chen Long was stunned—so fast? He glanced at the clock on the wall; only fifteen minutes had passed since he handed in his paper. Xu Cang's second part was more difficult than his first, so how could he finish faster?
Xu Zang walked over and sat down next to him.
The two looked at each other but said nothing.
The rules did not allow discussion of the competition, but Xu Zang's eyes remained calm.
A few minutes later, Li Hu came out.
When Li Hu walked over, his expression was a little subtle—he saw that Chen Long and Xu Zang were already sitting there, paused for a moment, then scratched his head and sat down.
The three people sat in a row, and none of them spoke.
Li Hu thought to himself: These two are too fast.
He thought he was fast enough, but when he came out, he found out he was the slowest one.
No, he was the third runner, so he should have come out last—but the problem was, Chen Long and Xu Zang had been waiting for him for a long time when he came out.
In other words, the two of them were much faster than him.
Li Hu glanced furtively at Chen Long, then at Xu Zang. Chen Long remained composed, while Xu Zang had his eyes closed, seemingly resting.
Forget it, I don't want to.
As long as I advance, that's fine.
He deliberately wrote a few wrong characters; that should be enough.
Another ten minutes or so passed before Lin Dong came out.
Li Hu looked up at him, and Lin Dong walked over and sat down.
All four of them are here.
Li Hu whispered, "Aren't we moving too fast?"
Chen Long nodded: "It seems so."
Xu Zang didn't speak, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
Lin Dong leaned back in his chair: "Just wait."
On the other side of the quarantine zone, Chen Hao's team members came out one after another.
Chen Hao plays position 4. When he came out, he glanced at the clock on the wall: 55 minutes. Normal pace, neither fast nor slow.
He nodded in satisfaction and walked to the quarantine area to sit down.
Then he saw four people sitting opposite him.
Four freshmen.
The Four Heavenly Kings Team.
They were already sitting over there.
Chen Hao was stunned for a moment.
He glanced at Zhong, then at the four people—when did they come out?
He finished his paper in 55 minutes, which is a normal speed.
The four people opposite him had clearly come out much earlier than him.
He walked over, and the team's number 2 player's expression changed. He came over and whispered, "Brother Hao, they—"
"I saw it." Chen Hao interrupted him, his voice low. "It's probably just random writing. How accurate can it be if it comes out so quickly?"
The person in position 2 thought for a moment and nodded: "That's true. Last year's questions were so difficult, the freshmen definitely couldn't solve them and just wrote random answers."
Chen Hao leaned back and stopped looking in that direction.
But he was a little annoyed. Why should a freshman be faster than him?
Zhang Yang called yesterday specifically to ask them to put pressure on them, but instead of putting pressure on them, they ended up being outshone themselves.
He took a deep breath and told himself: speed is useless, accuracy is the key.
Zhao Yu's team members also came out one after another.
Zhao Yu is the number 4 player. When he came out, he saw the Four Heavenly Kings team and paused for a moment.
The four people opposite him had clearly come out much earlier than him.
Zhao Yu didn't say anything, and walked to the quarantine area to sit down.
But his gaze lingered on the four people for two seconds before he looked away.
Genius? Unlikely. Random writing? Possibly.
Never mind, we'll know when the results come out.
competition is over.
All teams have completed the questionnaire; scores are being tallied.
In the audience, the rankings began to scroll on the big screen.
Professor Li stood up, holding the microphone: "Contestants and audience members, the results of the first round of the Innovation Cup are in. The list of those who have advanced will be posted on the bulletin board later. Now, we will announce the top ten."
The audience fell silent.
"Tenth place, Shenzhen University Affiliated Middle School Team."
"Ninth place, guess which team I'm on?"
"Fifth place, Chen Hao's team."
Chen Hao's expression changed slightly.
fifth?
Lower than last year?
The people next to him whispered, "Hao-ge only got fifth place?" "Were this year's questions too difficult?"
Fourth place, Liu Wei's team.
"Third place, Zhao Yu's team."
Zhao Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
Third, it's alright.
With this year's questions being so difficult, getting third place is already quite an achievement.
Someone nearby complimented, "Brother Yu, third place in Group A, that's really impressive."
"This year's questions were more difficult than last year's, so it's not easy to stay in the top three."
Zhao Yu smiled, but his gaze unconsciously drifted towards the Four Heavenly Kings team.
It seems like this result has nothing to do with them.
"Second place—" Professor Li paused, "Group A, Geek Alliance Team."
A stir broke out in the audience.
Geek Alliance, the dark horse team of sophomores, was favored before the competition and indeed won second place in Group A.
Who is number one?
Professor Li glanced at the transcript in his hand, and his lips twitched slightly.
"First place — a bit of a surprise."
He looked up towards the A-zone quarantine area. "Group A, the Four Heavenly Kings Team. Congratulations."
The entire room fell silent for a second.
Then it exploded.
"What? A freshman?"
"Faster than the senior students?"
"Impossible, right?"
Zhou Lin jumped up from the audience: "First place! They got first place!"
Zhao Yu stood up excitedly, exclaiming, "The Four Heavenly Kings! That's amazing!"
Chen Lu didn't stand up, but her lips were curved into a smile and her eyes were bright.
Area A, the isolation zone.
Chen Hao's face turned from white to green.
First place?
A freshman?
impossible.
He stood up, his voice booming, "Impossible! They must have cheated!"
Zhao Yu was also stunned, and his expression turned pale.
The "unlikely" thought in his mind suddenly became a reality.
And faster than everyone else.
Chen Hao's voice echoed in the quarantine area: "How could they be faster than us? Freshmen, and they're so much faster than us in the first round? They must be cheating! I demand to see their answer sheets!"
On the podium, Principal Wang's face darkened.
He didn't look at Chen Hao, but turned to Professor Li: "Dean Li, has your judging panel reviewed the Four Heavenly Kings team's submissions?"
Professor Li stood up: "I've seen it."
His voice was steady and each word was clear: "Every question has been checked, and they are all correct. Furthermore, the solution to the last question was discussed among the judges..."
'
He paused and glanced at Chen Hao below the stage.
"It's better than the standard answer. And it's a different solution."
The entire room fell silent once again.
A better solution than the standard answer—a different approach?
What does this mean?
This means that the freshman came up with a solution that the question setter hadn't thought of.
Chen Hao opened his mouth, as if to say something, but couldn't utter a word.
What can he say if his answer is better than the standard one? That the judges didn't understand? That Dean Li covered for him?
He stood there, his face alternating between red and white.
Principal Wang looked at him and said in a low voice, but everyone could hear him: "If you're not as skilled, then practice properly. If I hear the word 'cheating' again, you're disqualified."
Chen Hao's face turned ashen, his lips moved, but in the end he said nothing.
He turned and left quickly, as if trying to erase those few minutes from his memory.
Zhao Yu glanced at the Four Heavenly Kings team and followed them.
Li Hu walked out of the quarantine area and happened to brush past Chen Hao.
Li Hu grinned, "Why do you look so pale? Were the questions too difficult?"
Chen Hao paused, but didn't turn around.
"It's okay, try harder next time." Li Hu's voice drifted from behind. "Aim for fourth place!"
Chen Hao's lips turned white, but he didn't stop walking and quickly walked out of the stadium.
Zhao Yu followed behind, looking dejected.
Watching their retreating figures, Lin Dong added unhurriedly, "Go back and tell Zhang Yang not to forget the bet."
.
Chen Hao paused for a moment, but without turning around, he walked even faster.
Li Hu paused for a moment, then burst out laughing: "Fourth brother, your mouth..."
Zhou Lin ran down from the audience and hugged Li Hu tightly: "Li Hu! You guys are amazing!"
Li Hu froze, his face turning red instantly.
His hand hung in mid-air, unsure of where to put it, and finally he could only awkwardly scratch the back of his head: "It's...it's alright."
Zhou Lin released him, her eyes shining: "What do you mean 'okay'! First place!"
Li Hu chuckled, his face turning even redder.
Chen Long watched from the side, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Zhao Yu walked over and stood in front of him: "Congratulations."
Chen Long adjusted his glasses, looking unusually awkward: "Thank you."
"You guys are really amazing," Zhao Yu said softly. "Especially you, the first runner."
Chen Long was taken aback: "How did you know it was me?"
Zhao Yu smiled and said, "We can see it on the big screen."
Chen Long didn't say anything, but his ears turned red.
Chen Lu walked up to Lin Dong.
Sunlight streamed in through the stadium's skylight, falling on her, and her eyes shone brightly.
"Congratulations."
Lin Dong looked at her and said, "She's alright."
Chen Lu smiled, her eyes curving into two crescent moons: "I knew you'd say that."
Li Hu shouted from the other end, "Fourth Brother! Let's go! Dinner's on you today!"
Lin Dong turned his head: "Why should I?"
Li Hu retorted confidently, "Because you were the last to hand in your paper! Because you checked our answers! You deserve the most credit, who else should we treat you if not you?"
Chen Long nodded in agreement: "That makes sense."
Xu Zang nodded as well.
Lin Dong looked at the three people and his lips twitched: "Okay, it's my treat."
The group walked out laughing.
As I walked to the entrance of the stadium, the sun was shining brightly.
On the podium, Principal Wang watched their figures disappear through the door and smiled.
He told Professor Li, "The next round will be even more interesting."
Professor Li nodded: "This team is indeed worth paying attention to. Chen Long in position 1, while his answers are conservative, every step is solid; his fundamentals are extremely strong. Xu Zang in position 2..."
He paused, his expression turning serious. "The solution to each problem was different; his approach was particularly novel. I had to read his approach several times to confirm that the answer was correct."
Principal Wang remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
"Li Hu, number 3," Vice Dean Zhang interjected, "deliberately wrote a few questions wrong."
"Intentionally?" Professor Li was taken aback.
"That's right." Vice Dean Zhang pushed up his glasses. "Those wrong answers were very minor, as if he was deliberately suppressing his abilities. For example, on the second-to-last multiple-choice question, he chose B, but the correct answer is C."
However, if you look closely at the conditions of the question, B is also correct in a certain situation, but that situation is not within the scope of the question. The fact that he could think of that situation shows that his level is far beyond this question.
"Then why deliberately write it wrong?" Professor Li frowned.
Vice Dean Zhang thought for a moment and said, "I don't want to stand out too much."
Professor Li fell silent.
A freshman deliberately gets questions wrong, suppressing his true abilities—what kind of mentality is this?
"What about Lin Dong, who plays position 4?" he asked.
Vice Dean Zhang shook his head: "I don't understand."
Professor Li looked at him.
Vice Dean Zhang frowned: "His answers are all correct, but they are not the optimal solutions."
When he checked the answers of the three people before him, he could have improved them, but he didn't.
He didn't touch Chen Long's conservative answer. He didn't correct the question Li Hu deliberately wrote wrong. As for Xu Zang's solution—he glanced at it and then moved on.
"It seems like he's cooperating with them. If Chen Long wants to be conservative, he lets Chen Long be conservative. If Li Hu wants to hide, he lets Li Hu hide. If Xu Zang wants to show off, he lets Xu Zang show off."
"And what about his own skill level?" Professor Li asked.
Vice Dean Zhang was silent for a few seconds: "I can't tell. He's hiding it better than anyone else."
There was a moment of silence on the podium.
Principal Wang smiled, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.
He didn't explain, he just said, "Looks like I didn't misjudge him."
The Group D matches ended later than the Group A matches.
Zhang Yang came out of the cubicle with a smile on his face.
He glanced back at the countdown timer on the wall, which hadn't yet been reset: 48 minutes and 12 seconds. The fastest in the entire game, without a doubt.
He walked to the quarantine area, where Zhao Yu and Chen Hao were already waiting.
Neither of them looked well; they stood there like two drowned rats soaked in the rain.
Zhang Yang sat down, cracked his knuckles, and glanced at them: "What's the situation with Group A?"
Zhao Yu and Chen Hao exchanged a glance, but neither of them spoke first.
Zhang Yang frowned slightly: "Speak."
Chen Hao spoke first, his voice a little weak: "I'm fifth."
Zhao Yu pursed his lips: "I'm third."
Zhang Yang nodded, his face expressionless: "That's all? What about the things I asked you to do?"
The two looked at each other but didn't say anything.
Zhang Yang frowned: "I'm asking you a question."
Chen Hao forced himself to speak: "Brother Zhang Yang, the Four Heavenly Kings team—won first place."
Zhang Yang was taken aback: "What did you say? Which number?"
"First." Chen Hao's voice was even lower.
Zhang Yang looked at them, his eyes almost overflowing with anger.
"I told you guys to put pressure on them, and you ended up with one in fifth place and one in third, letting the freshmen take first place?" His voice wasn't loud, but every word was like a nail. "Were you there to put pressure on them, or to embarrass them?"
Chen Hao's face flushed red: "Brother Zhang Yang, this year's questions are harder than last year's..."
'
"Your questions are difficult, but other people's aren't?" Zhang Yang interrupted him. "Questions that freshmen can solve, but you can't?"
Chen Hao opened his mouth, but couldn't speak. Zhao Yu stood beside him, head down, saying nothing.
Seeing their expressions, Zhang Yang took a deep breath and forced himself to suppress his anger. He leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers lightly on his knees.
"But then again," his voice calmed down a bit, "to be able to beat the two of you and get first place, it seems those four freshmen are indeed quite something."
Zhao Yu and Chen Hao lowered their heads, not daring to breathe.
Zhang Yang was silent for a few seconds, then a slow smile appeared on his lips.
"That's interesting."
He stood up, brushing off imaginary dust from his pants. "This is what makes it interesting. Matches that are too easy to win aren't very meaningful." He paused, "If they had no skill at all, wouldn't people say I'm arrogant and bullying the weak?"
He turned and walked out, with Zhao Yu and Chen Hao following behind, neither of them daring to say a word.