My IQ has been increasing year by year.

Chapter 73 Landing in the Capital

The plane's engines roared loudly.

The immense force of the thrusting motion pressed the passengers firmly against their seatbacks.

With a slight jolt, the city buildings outside the window shrank rapidly, becoming regular geometric shapes, before finally being completely obscured by thick clouds.

The pressure changes inside the cabin made my ears feel a little stuffy.

He Gui sat by the window.

He gripped the armrests of the seat tightly.

This was his first time on an airplane.

A hand reached out from the side and offered a piece of chewing gum.

He Gui turned his head away.

Miao Shi'an sat next to him, wearing his gold-rimmed glasses, and had already opened a thick, all-English physics journal.

"Chewing it will make you feel better."

Miao Shi'an spoke gently, his gaze never leaving the pages of his book.

He Gui quickly took the chewing gum, unwrapped the foil, and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Thanks."

He muttered something under his breath, and his tense shoulders slowly relaxed.

front row.

Wang is a man of few words and doesn't care about air pressure at all.

He leaned almost halfway into Zhou Kai's seat next to him, holding a ballpoint pen with the cap still on, gesturing with it on the back of the small table.

"Hey Kai, did you see that flap on the wing just now?"

Wang spoke little and in a low voice, but spoke very quickly.

"The moment it retracts, the airflow disturbance is definitely not something that can be explained by the simple Bernoulli principle. There are definitely extremely complex vortices at the edge. I feel that if the angle of attack is lowered a little bit more, the lift-to-drag ratio can be improved even more —"

Zhou Kai was wearing a pair of noise-canceling earplugs.

He held the notebook of wrong questions, its edges worn and frayed, and stared at a circuit diagram on it.

Hearing Wang's incessant chatter, Zhou Kai helplessly took off one of his earplugs.

"Wang is a man of few words."

Zhou Kai sighed.

"Can you just shut up for a minute? The plane is flying perfectly fine; we don't need you redesigning the wings."

"I'm just connecting theory with practice."

Wang Huashao pursed his lips and leaned back in his chair, still feeling unsatisfied.

Lin Yi had a black blindfold over his head and was covered with an aviation blanket.

He was curled up in a large T-shirt, sleeping without any regard for his image.

Occasionally, when the plane encountered turbulence, she would only frown slightly, change her position, and continue sleeping.

Chen Zhuo sat next to Lin Yi, in a seat near the aisle.

There was a glass of warm water on the small table in front of him.

He took off his glasses and gently wiped them in his hand.

As the team leader, Chen Zhuo had already neatly stored all the practical data from the past fourteen days, as well as the error tolerance of each person under extreme conditions, deep in his memory, just like a computer archive.

Every failure, every puff of smoke in these past two weeks, culminating in that final red light.

It has long since become the most reliable instinct.

He put his glasses back on.

His gaze swept across the cabin.

Wang, who spoke little, was still pointing at the clouds and gesturing to He Gui.

Although He Gui was nervous, he listened very attentively, nodding occasionally.

Miao Shi'an turned to a page of an all-English journal.

Zhou Kai drew a circle on the wrong problem notebook with a red pen in his hand.

Chen Zhuo withdrew his gaze.

He took out a stack of boarding pass stubs and six ID cards from his pocket.

I checked the names and hotel booking information on the form very carefully.

Then, neatly tuck them into the innermost zippered compartment of your backpack.

Professor Wang was sitting diagonally behind.

Today, for the first time ever, I wore a slightly more polished dark blue suit jacket.

Although the design is extremely outdated, at least it no longer has that old rosin and engine oil smell.

He leaned back in his chair, placed his hands on his stomach, and closed his eyes to rest.

The two-hour flight went extremely smoothly.

The plane landed at Beijing Capital International Airport.

The huge tires rubbed against the ground, making a dull thud.

A crisp sound of seatbelt buckles being unbuckled echoed through the cabin.

Lin Yi was awakened by the noise.

She ripped off her blindfold, rubbed her dry eyes, and stood up with the flow of people in front of her.

The group walked into the terminal building via the boarding bridge.

The dry, bright air of Beijing rushed in through the huge glass curtain wall.

Baggage carousel.

Six people stood next to a black conveyor belt.

Wang Huashao was looking at the airport's huge steel dome with great excitement, discussing the stress distribution of such a large-span building with He Gui.

Miao Shi'an had one hand in his pocket, his expression gentle.

Zhou Kai stood ramrod straight, carrying a backpack.

All six people collected their luggage.

Dragging the suitcase, the wheels rolled across the smooth marble floor with a series of dull thuds.

Following the staff members from the organizing committee who were holding up signs to greet them, they boarded a bus.

The bus drove off the airport expressway.

The scenery outside the window rushed past.

Wide roads, towering overpasses, and a dense flow of traffic.

This vast city, both ancient and modern, unfolded before the group of teenagers.

The carriage was very quiet.

Everyone was looking out the window.

About an hour and a half later.

The bus slowly drove into the city.

It stopped in front of a four-star hotel.

Above the hotel entrance, a striking red banner reads: "Warmly welcome the provincial teams participating in the National Junior High School Applied Physics Knowledge Competition Finals."

The car door opened.

A wave of dry heat hit me.

"Get your luggage."

Professor Wang was the first to get off the car.

Chen Zhuo stood by the car door.

They helped He Gui lift the somewhat bulky canvas suitcase down.

Six people were carrying boxes.

Following Professor Wang, we walked towards the hotel's revolving glass doors.

The powerful air conditioning instantly shut out the outdoor heat.

Along with the cold air came a cacophony of lively human voices.

The entire hotel lobby.

It resembles a bustling, large summer camp.

The spacious lobby was packed with people, standing on the sofas, in the rest area, and even next to the pillars.

Accents from all over the country intertwine and collide here.

Look around.

They were all teenagers aged fourteen or fifteen.

They were wearing ordinary summer clothes.

A short-sleeved sports shirt, jeans, and brightly colored sneakers.

They exude the vibrant energy unique to their age.

On a set of genuine leather sofas on the left side of the lobby.

Four boys were huddled together.

They each held a GBA handheld console, connected by a data cable.

The clicking of the keyboard keys and the sounds of complaints were clearly audible.

"Don't steal my health potion!"

"Move, move, kite him!"

The rest area on the right.

Several girls gathered together, flipping through the comic books in their hands.

Someone had earphones in their ears and was gently swaying their head to the rhythm.

There were also two boys, clearly from different provinces, standing next to a huge areca palm.

One person was holding a vacuum-packed bag of beef jerky, and the other was holding a bag of fried dough twists.

The two exchanged snacks, patted each other on the shoulder, and chatted enthusiastically.

A group of teenagers with exceptionally high IQs, but who are still full of vitality.

Wang, who spoke little, pushed his suitcase in.

My eyes lit up when I saw this scene.

He looked around, his gaze sweeping among the crowds of people carrying local specialty snacks.

Chen Zhuo didn't pay attention to those game consoles.

He is the captain, and he has the duties of a captain.

"Zhou Kai, you guys stay in the rest area and watch over the luggage."

Chen Zhuo explained in a calm tone.

"He Gui, come with me to the check-in desk to get your room key."

He Gui nodded and followed behind Chen Zhuo.

Chen Zhuo walked towards the registration and reception area at the far end of the lobby.

There were two queues at the reception desk.

One team was the registration area for team leaders and coaches from each province, and the other was the team where contestants checked their prices and information.

Chen Zhuo walked to the end of the contestants' line.

They lined up quietly.

He Gui stood beside him, sizing up Zhou Chou.

He was ahead of Chen Zhuo in line.

He was a slightly chubby boy wearing an oversized basketball jersey.

The boy was carrying a red plastic cover made of prying powder, which was filled with things.

The line moved forward.

As the slightly chubby boy walked forward, the bottom of the plastic cover in his hand suddenly snagged on the metal post of the adjacent safety barrier.

A sharp, clear sound rang out.

The plastic cover had a large tear. Several golden oranges rolled out through the tear.

It spun around on the smooth marble floor.

One of them, Gangwu, rolled to the side of Chen Zhuo's shoe.

The slightly chubby boy paused for a moment.

They hurriedly and frantically squatted down to pick up the oranges that had rolled all over the place.

Chen Zhuo bent down and picked up the orange that had rolled to his feet.

He straightened up and handed over the orange in his hand.

"Your oranges."

Chen Zhuo looked at the boy.

The slightly chubby boy grabbed an orange from the ground, pulled it into his arms, and stood up.

Seeing the oranges that Chen Zhuo handed over.

He laughed heartily, revealing a set of white teeth.

"Hey, thanks a lot, buddy!"

The boy spoke with a thick Northeastern accent.

"This lousy cover is not sturdy at all."

He took the orange and casually wiped it on his clothes.

Looking at Chen Zhuo.

Which province are you from?

"From Jiangsu Province." (Don't apply this to real life.)

Chen Zhuo responded.

"And you?"

"From Liaoning Province!"

The boy patted his chest proudly.

"This is my first time staying at this hotel. The air conditioning in the lobby is like an icebox; it's freezing."

As he spoke, he enthusiastically pulled out a few more oranges from the torn plastic cover.

They were stuffed directly into Chen Zhuo and He Gui's hands.

"Here, try these oranges I brought, they're super sweet! They didn't spoil at all during the trip, share them with your team."

Chen Zhuo was stunned for half a second.

Looking at the few bright yellow oranges in my hand.

He did not refuse.

"Thanks."

Chen Zhuo generously accepted the Buddha's oranges.

"I wish you all the best in the competition."

"Thank you for your kind words! You guys are too!"

The boy from Liaoning waved goodbye and turned around to continue queuing to check the prices and interest.

Chen Zhuo was holding an orange.

After verifying the information, I received a list of room cards and six magnetic cards.

He turned around and led He Gui back to the rest area.

In the rest area.

Wang was chatting animatedly with a guy from another province next to him, asking where in Beijing could find the best fried noodles with soybean paste.

Miao Shi'an sat on his suitcase, waiting quietly.

Zhou Kai was looking at the clock hanging on the lobby.

Lin Yi remained leaning against the box, lost in thought.

Chen Zhuo walked over.

Bai handed the room key to Zhou Kai.

"One person per room, all rooms are on the fourth floor."

However, he placed the oranges he was holding on his suitcase.

"It was given to me by the Liaoning team when I was queuing up."

When Wang, who was usually quiet, heard that there was food, he immediately stopped offering food and came over.

"Oh, oranges! I'm so thirsty."

He picked one up without hesitation and peeled it open.

I broke off a large piece and stuffed it directly into my mouth.

One second.

Wang, who rarely spoke, widened his eyes in surprise.

His face instantly contorted into a pained expression.

His facial features were almost squeezed together.

"Hiss~"

He covered his cheek and gasped for breath.

He wailed incoherently.

"Holy crap... this is supposed to be super sweet? It's so sour it's making my teeth ache!"

Zhou Kai picked up a petal with a mixture of doubt and curiosity, and put it in his mouth.

After chewing two bites, his brows immediately furrowed deeply, and he silently put the remaining half of the orange back on the box.

Lin Yiwu curiously leaned closer.

She casually broke off a small piece and put it in her mouth.

I just chewed a Buddha.

She immediately stuffed all the remaining oranges back into Wang Huashao's hands.

"Would this be considered a biological weapons attack?"

She shook her hand dismissively.

Chen Zhuo looked at their reactions with a very faint smile on his face.

the other side.

At the sign-in desk.

Professor Wang was holding a pen, signing his name on a thick roster of coaches.

I just put down the Buddha's pen.

Then someone came over from the side.

"Old Wang, it's been years since I last saw you, and your hair has turned quite a bit whiter."

Professor Wang turned his head.

An old man wearing an old jacket and with a slightly overweight build was standing next to him.

The nameplate on his chest read: Team Leader of Jingcheng Team.

"Old Li."

Professor Wang gave a casual greeting.

"You're worrying unnecessarily."

Old Li laughed and handed him a cigarette.

Professor Wang waved his hand, refusing to take it.

Old Li didn't mind; he simply tucked his cigarette behind his ear.

He followed Professor Wang's gaze and glanced towards the rest area.

I saw six ugly students standing next to the suitcases.

I saw Wang's face contorted with sarcasm, I saw Zhou Kai's furrowed brows, and I saw Chen Zhuo methodically checking the room number on the room card.

Old Li looked away and smiled.

"Are those the seedlings you trained this year?"

His tone carried a hint of banter between old acquaintances.

"You look pretty energetic. Didn't you get worn out by your grueling training regimen?"

Professor Wang picked up the cup in his hand.

He slowly took a sip of water.

"I'll just have to make do with it."

Professor Wang put down the Buddha's cup, speaking casually.

"Without your skills, they're all roughnecks. Bring them here to broaden their horizons."

Old Li pointed at him.

"You old geezer, you never tell the truth."

The two old men were chuckling to each other in front of the registration desk.