Searching for someone in northern Myanmar, and you call that earning tuition fees?

Jiangnan University, girls' dormitory.

Lin Xiaoyue stared intently at the high-definition profile picture on her phone screen, her heart pounding.

It can't be wrong.

Absolutely right!

Although the young man in the photo looks exhausted and has a cold demeanor, he is completely different from the handsome boy in the school who wore a worn-out canvas shirt and swept the streets with his head down.

But that silhouette, that jawline, that stubborn gaze she would recognize even if it turned to ashes…

it's him!

Lin Xiaoyue suddenly jumped out of bed and frantically pulled out the photo she had secretly taken from her phone's album—Su Ming was sweeping fallen leaves under a tree-lined path, the sunlight shining on him, as quiet as a painting.

She placed the two photos side by side.

One is a deep-sea demon amidst storms and war.

One photo shows a bright and peaceful day for the top student next door.

They have completely different temperaments, but their bone structure and facial features are exactly the same.

"I...I found it..." Lin Xiaoyue murmured to herself, her fingers trembling with excitement.

She took a deep breath, and without further hesitation, posted the comparison image directly on the campus forum of Jiangnan University.

[Title: [Shocking Discovery!] The "Tugboat Hero" Searched Online Might Be Right Here at Our School! Pictures and Proof Included!]

The forum server nearly crashed the moment the post was published.

Hundreds of replies flooded in every second!

"Holy crap?! OP, don't scare me! Is this Su Ming? That freakish top scorer with a perfect score in the science section?!"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! I've met Su Ming before. He's just a quiet, handsome guy. How could he possibly be the ruthless man who single-handedly capsized a destroyer?"

"Wait a minute... Haven't you guys noticed? Su Ming hasn't been to class for the past few days! The counselor said he took personal leave!"

"Hiss—I just realized! That 'Operation Sharp Sword' figure that the whole school was searching for at the beginning of the semester, doesn't it look just like Su Ming? We all thought it was a coincidence!"

"Holy crap! My friend's roommate was in the same formation as him during military training on the second day of school. He said his blankets were folded into perfect squares, and he got the highest physical fitness score in the whole school! I thought he was a sports student in high school!"

One clue after another was connected.

A name that is usually so low-key that it exists only in the "legend of academic excellence" and the "work-study" stories has been thrust into the spotlight for the first time.

Soon, someone used technical means to find Su Ming's ID photo in the freshman enrollment database of Jiangnan University.

That delicate, slightly shy face completely overlaps with that aloof profile in the satellite image!

The proof is like a mountain!

"boom--!"

Starting on the campus forum, the news quickly spread across the entire internet.

#The identity of the tugboat man has been confirmed: Su Ming, a freshman at Jiangnan University#

#Top Science Student and Lone Hero#

#Finance major, but physics genius#

The related terms quickly rose to the top of the list!

If the previous "broken ship dragging a mountain of gold" was an epic spectacle, then the revelation of the "hero's identity" at this moment pushes this epic spectacle to its climax!

An 18-year-old freshman!

A finance student who should be in an ivory tower calculating functions and researching models!

He, alone in a boat, accomplished a task that even national-level salvage teams could not complete in international waters blockaded by the fleets of major powers, and may even have sunk an enemy warship in the process!

This huge contrast is crazier than any movie script!

"I'm completely numb. I'm still agonizing over whether I'll fail advanced calculus, and people are already bringing glory to the country?"

"Sorry, top student, I was blind to say you were a loser sweeping the streets!"

"Jiangnan University's Finance Department? Come out and take your beating! What kind of garbage have you been teaching?!"

The official website and admissions hotline of Jiangnan University were completely paralyzed within half an hour.

Meanwhile, at Jiangnan University, the epicenter of the storm, there was an uproar.

School of Physics.

Several elderly professors with white hair were gathered around a huge electronic screen, repeatedly playing simulated animations of Su Ming's "violent hoisting" and "detonation of marsh gas".

"Incredible! Using the potential energy difference between the crests and troughs of a storm for lifting—this is a textbook application of the lever principle! But who would dare to do this in a Category 10 typhoon?!"

"And that seabed methane detonation! His precision in exploring seabed geology and calculating the explosive yield is more accurate than the most sophisticated instruments in our lab! Is this kid's brain filled with a supercomputer?"

Just then, a young lecturer rushed in, panting, and shouted, "Professors! Something terrible has happened! That 'tugboat hero'... is Su Ming!"

The entire conference room fell silent.

A leading academician suddenly stood up, pointing at the screen, his hands trembling: "Which Su Ming? The one who got a perfect score in the science subjects, the one I wrote three personal letters to try and get him admitted to the physics department, but he went and studied finance instead?!"

"Yes...it's him..."

"Nonsense! Utter nonsense!" The old academician was so angry he was blowing his beard and glaring. "Such a genius in physics! A national treasure! And you actually let him learn how to calculate stocks?! This is a crime against the nation's talent! Immediately! Get me to the president's office!"

……

Meanwhile, at a naval base in the distant southern part of the Dragon Kingdom.

Inside a highly confidential meeting room.

The silver-haired old man—one of the highest-ranking military officials codenamed "Chess Player"—was looking at the tablet handed to him by his subordinate.

On the tablet were news articles that had gone viral online and a photo of Su Ming's student ID.

He remained silent for a long time, expressionless, and finally just let out a long sigh.

He turned around and said to the guard beside him, "Go and invite Comrade Su Ming over."

He paused, then added, "No, I'll go myself."

When the "chess player" pushed open the door to the medical pod, Su Ming was leaning against the headboard, looking out at the sea.

"Comrade Su Ming," the old man's voice was steady, with a hint of complexity, "it seems your wish to keep a low profile has been completely dashed."

He handed the tablet to Su Ming.

Su Ming looked at his own face and those exaggerated headlines, and for the first time, his brows furrowed.

He had considered many possibilities, but he never imagined that it would happen in this way, overnight, and that the whole world would know about it.

"We... need to talk." The old man pulled up a chair and sat down solemnly.