Zhao Yi completed four algorithm packages sent by Zhang Zhen in one breath, feeling that his fingers were more tired than his brain. While taking a coffee break, he also found time to look at the algorithm package Professor Liu sent him for editing.

These algorithms have been stored in his computer without him touching them even once. He had thought about going over them patiently but never found the time.

Moreover, they are difficult to understand.

Professor Liu’s research in artificial neural networks has reached a world-class level. The algorithms he uses for his research are all related to cutting-edge research and inevitably involve some advanced mathematical methods.

As the leader of the research, his main task is to develop the framework, so he certainly doesn’t have time to write each algorithm in detail. The algorithm packages are written by the doctoral students Professor Liu supervises.

These algorithm packages can all be debugged and run, but because of the complex data involved and the large computational load of the program, the output data is not perfect, among other issues, and therefore, they need ongoing modification. But making these modifications is also extremely difficult.

The main reason Professor Liu asked others for help is that the doctoral student who wrote the algorithm package has graduated and no longer conducts research with Professor Liu.

This is very normal.

Doctoral students work on projects with their professors. Whether the project is complete or not doesn’t matter to them. They are essentially like company employees, if they perform well they may choose to stay, if not, they can leave if they have the opportunity.

The ’National Academy of Sciences’ is not a place that just anyone can remain in.

Zhao Yi took a serious look, one of the algorithm packages is about data analysis and differentiation, that is, determining what the main content of an image is based on some specific data information.

It sounds simple but is very difficult in practice.

For example, the simplest task is distinguishing between cats and dogs.

The shapes of cats and dogs are similar, and their bodily structures are the same. It’s impossible to differentiate them based on a single piece of data.

When using data to analyze cats and dogs, one can distinguish them based on ’similarity’. That is, ’how similar is the subject to a cat’ and ’how similar is the subject to a dog’. Then, by comparing the two data, one can determine whether the subject is a cat or a dog depending on which it is most similar to.

The premise of the above judgment is that the computer already has specific data about the features of cats and dogs.

This is the simplest method.

The algorithm package sent by Professor Liu is much more complex in terms of data analysis content.

Zhao Yi spent quite a while on it and then decided to look up a ’mathematics reference book’. His advanced mathematical knowledge is scant, and mathematics is the theoretical foundation of computing. Advanced algorithms require advanced mathematics, and the two are closely related.

...

The next day, he went to school feeling rather relaxed.

As long as it’s school time, he doesn’t think about computers or algorithm problems, but instead focuses on his studies.

Zhao Yi thoroughly enjoys his high school life. His relaxed mood also relates to his exam results. He scored 660 points in the mid-term exam, which means that with a little more effort, he is quite likely to get into Shuimu University.

This gives him confidence.

Previously, Zhao Yi felt anxious about his studies, mainly because his grades were much lower than those of his peers. The admission score for Shuimu University is quite high, something regular students wouldn’t dare to dream about. Fortunately, his score has improved significantly, so the pressure on studying has also decreased substantially.

Of course.

Complacency is not acceptable.

Zhao Yi is still very diligent. His two weakest subjects are Chinese and integrated science; to be precise, Chinese, Chemistry, Biology, and Physics.

When it comes to integrated science, strictly speaking, it is not that different from Mathematics, as they both have definite answers. Questions that one doesn’t know the answers to will end up pulling down the overall score. In comparison, Chinese, with its more volatile topics, is more challenging. Some questions could end up losing marks regardless. Meanwhile, questions with fixed answers require a lot of accumulation and memorization, and a systematic approach won’t help improve memory.

It’s rather helpless.

For instance, the recitation of ancient poems and verses always ends up being the point deduction.

Zhao Yi still spends most of his time on the three subjects of integrated science, which have definite answers and do not require a lot of memorization. The improvement efficiency is obviously higher.

In their free time.

The students also discuss grades, college entrance examinations, and so forth.

While the students in high school senior year feel the stress of their grades, they can’t help but start thinking about the future.

Zhao Linlin was gritting her teeth with anger, "Yesterday my aunt and I were talking about the College Entrance Examination. She kept saying that I should become a teacher. It just made me so mad! I absolutely will not take the teaching qualification exams!"

"So, what do you want to test for?" asked Zhao Yi.

"I haven’t decided yet. Maybe I’ll go for medical school?" Zhao Linlin said with interest, "In the future, I might be a primary care doctor and perform surgeries in the operating room." She said with a mischievous smile, "When you get sick in the future, I’ll operate on you..."

Zhao Yi shuddered, his mind started imagining, if he ended up having appendicitis or something, and Zhao Linlin was the one performing the surgery, one cut down...

Sliced too far to the left!

Sliced too far down!

Zhao Yi took a deep breath and quickly shook his head, "If you do decide to go to medical school, I would suggest you study gynecology."

"Why?" Zhao Linlin was puzzled.

With all seriousness, Zhao Yi replied, "That way, I would never run into you even if I were to seek medical attention."

"Just - die!"

Zhao Linlin, puckering her lips in dissatisfaction, then turned to Lin Xiaoqing, "What about you, Xiaoqing?"

"I’ll probably go for defense, military, or some police-related school!"

Lin Xiaoqing seemed much clearer about her goals.

Seeing this, Zhao Yi couldn’t help but look at her deeply. Not many high school students could decide to apply for ’early admission’.

"Why?"

Zhao Linlin was puzzled, "Isn’t it hard to study at such schools?"

"I’ve wanted to achieve something ever since I was a kid." Lin Xiaoqing began by speaking very nobly, causing Zhao Yi, Zhao Linlin, and even Sun Liang, who just walked over, to feel a sense of awe, "When I grow up, I will definitely be my father’s superior, his boss!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Collectively, they were left in disbelief.

Lin Xiaoqing curved her lips into a smile, "If I apply for colleges that offer ’early admission’, I might become an official leader in the future. I just need a few promotions. Likely my father won’t promote anymore in his life, but I have a chance."

The three others nodded collectively.

That makes sense!

But that dream sounds particularly strange.

"What about you? Zhao Yi." Zhao Linlin asked.

Everyone turned to look at him.

"Shuimu!" Zhao Yi finally asserted confidently, "My goal is Shuimu University."

Because Zhao Yi ranked within the top ten in the mid-term exams, everyone felt that he stood a good chance of being admitted to Shuimu. Shuimu and Capital University are the dream universities for most high school students, so it’s quite normal for Zhao Yi to aim for Shuimu.

Lin Xiaoqing asked with interest, "What major are you planning to study? Computer Science?"

"Definitely not Computer Science!"

Zhao Yi sounded very certain, but when asked about his specific major, he realized he had not given it much thought, "It should be something related to science, right? Like Mathematics, Physics, and so on..."

His tone was unsure.

Zhao Yi had been to university before, and he clearly knew that the most important thing about choosing a major was having an interest in it; otherwise, there was no difference from high school or middle school - they all involved ’studying under the pressure of graduation and job hunting’.

It would be hard to say if he’d excel under those circumstances.

To be honest, he couldn’t associate himself with Mathematics, Physics, or other scientific subjects.

But Biology was rather interesting.

A short while ago, while reading Biology and Chemistry books, he found that he was really interested in Biology. He could concentrate even without using Study Coins; the content of Biology was really fascinating, like cells, the structure of the human body, and the beautiful gene structure, xy chromosomes...

And so on.

Last up was Sun Liang. Seeming a bit bewildered, he said, "I guess it’s going to be the same as Zhao Yi, probably a science major. I’m not sure, my only hobby is playing video games, so maybe I’ll study Computer Science?"

"Then what university do you plan to apply for?"

"Isn’t it a bit early to talk about this?" Sun Liang shook his head. "The College Entrance Examination is still over half a year away."

"That makes sense."

Zhao Yi voiced support for Sun Liang, "You should ask Gao Yuan about her university aspirations, see where she plans to study and which city. If you two were to separate, imagine coming home someday to find she’s someone else’s girlfriend. That would be a sad thing." Despite saying it was sad, he wore a smirk of schadenfreude.

"That makes sense!"

Sun Liang nodded, utterly convinced.

Lin Xiaoqing’s lively, bright eyes flickered towards Zhao Yi. She pouted her lips sulkily, sneered at him, before turning her head away.

Her face was a picture of unhappiness.

Zhao Yi was somewhat confused. Even his ten extra years of memory couldn’t help him understand the workings of a woman’s heart.

What’s gotten into her?

What’s she upset about?

...

That evening, past nine o’clock.

The students gradually began to leave the school.

Zhao Yi exited the school gate along with the alow of people. Seeing a passing police vehicle, he pedaled hard on his bike, picking up quite a speed.

Sun Liang shouted from behind, "Zhao Yi, slow down! What’s the rush!"

"Your- sister!"

Zhao Yi grumbled angrily, the next moment he heard someone calling out, "Zhao Yi, wait up."

It was Lin Xudong.

Zhao Yi turned around reluctantly, feeling aggrieved.

Without surprise, Lin Xudong started talking about the case, "Huang Hongguo did indeed have an accomplice, it was his ex-wife’s younger brother who helped him move the body using a suitcase. We found the body in a grave in the country."

"I’ve submitted your name, you’ll receive a reward in a few days."

Zhao Yi nodded.

As long as he was not asked to act like a mobile lie detector, he didn’t care about the reward.

"Though, that’s not what I called you for," Lin Xudong continued, "I need a favor. Recently, our police department’s system has been under constant hacker attack. Our internal system is fine, but there are problems with our general network and website."

"We’ve called in experts for maintenance and security upgrades in the past few days. But how secure it actually is, we don’t know. The higher-ups want us to find some trusted insiders to try attacking it, then patch up any vulnerabilities they find."

"I thought of you for this, aren’t you a hacker? The project has a budget, and if you perform well, there will be a bonus..."

What Lin Xudong meant was for Zhao Yi to act as a hacker, and try to attack the police’s website and network, which would help verify its security.

They had found several computer experts for this.

Zhao Yi was one of them.

The difference was that Zhao Yi was Lin Xudong’s recommendation. There was competition within the police department, and having Zhao Yi on their team was a bonus for Lin Xudong.

Zhao Yi kept nodding as he listened, his face expressionless, but inside he felt somewhat anxious. His ’hacker’ title had come from cracking the iOS operating system, which he did with the help of memories from a decade ago. However, the impression he gave people was that he was a top-level hacker.

Should he admit now that he’s not a hacker?

Isn’t that a matter of keeping face?

The right thing to do at this time was to grit his teeth and present himself as a ’top-level hacker’!