My IQ has been increasing year by year.

Professor Wang was waiting for them at the hotel entrance.

As the six people walked over, the old man handed the mineral water bottle in his hand to Chen Zhuo, who was walking at the front.

"The exam is over. Shall we go eat first or go back to the hotel?" Professor Wang asked.

Chen Zhuo took the water bottle but didn't open it.

He glanced at the five people behind him.

Zhou Kai's eyelids drooped.

Even Guilian's steps were somewhat dragging.

Wang, who was not good at talking, didn't even have the strength to speak, and could only wave his hand.

"I'm not eating yet."

Chen Zhuo looked at Professor Wang and shook his head.

"They can all fall asleep at the dinner table now. They go back to the hotel to sleep and eat again in the evening."

Professor Wang nodded, without pressuring him.

We arrived at the hotel.

Chen Zhuo pushed open his bedroom door.

I threw my backpack on the desk.

He didn't take a shower or change his clothes.

I walked to the window and pulled the heavy blackout curtains shut.

The room was instantly plunged into darkness.

He took off his shoes and lay straight on the bed.

Close your eyes.

Exhaustion surged up like a tide, instantly overwhelming everything.

When I woke up, the room was pitch black.

No light came in.

Chen Zhuo opened his eyes, stared at the ceiling for a while, and let his consciousness slowly return.

He rolled out of bed and turned on the bedside lamp.

I glanced at the time.

7:30 p.m.

My strength has returned, but my stomach is starting to rumble in protest.

Great, I'm hungry.

He grabbed his change of clothes and went into the bathroom.

Turn on the shower to wash away the sweat and odor from the training center.

Ten minutes later, I dried my hair and changed into a clean short-sleeved shirt.

He pushed open the door and went out.

In the corridor, the other people also opened their doors and came out one after another.

Everyone's hair was a bit messy, but the feeling of exhaustion on their faces had disappeared.

Instead, they appeared to be in a state that looked like they were starving.

Professor Wang was waiting for them in the lobby on the first floor.

"Let's go get something good to eat."

The old man led them out of the hotel.

The summer heat in Beijing dissipated somewhat in the evening.

The streetlights came on, and there were more pedestrians and vehicles on the street. The neon lights flickered, creating a lively atmosphere.

After walking two streets, we stopped in front of a roast duck restaurant.

The storefront is small, with an antique-style red lacquered wooden door and two red lanterns hanging on it.

There was no glittering signboard, and the bluestone slabs at the threshold were worn down by footsteps.

Push open the door.

It has a rich aroma of oil and scallion sauce.

The lobby was full of people, and the sounds of clinking glasses and talking mixed together, making it somewhat noisy.

The welcoming waiter glanced at Professor Wang and led them upstairs to the second floor.

The private rooms on the second floor were very quiet.

A round, solid wood table covered with a white tablecloth.

In the center of the table is a heavy glass turntable.

The seven people pulled out chairs and sat down one by one.

Professor Wang didn't take a menu; he simply nodded to the waiter.

"Make it as ordered beforehand, and bring extra plum juice, iced."

The waiter nodded, left, and closed the door to the private room.

Most of the noise from outside was blocked out.

A moment later, the waiter pushed the cart in.

The roast duck is freshly roasted.

The duck carpenter wore a tall white hat and a mask, and held a long, thin knife in his hand.

The knife cuts through the roasted, dark red duck skin, producing a crisp sound.

The heat rose up.

A plate of sliced ​​duck meat, with the duck skin on, is served.

Next to it were shredded scallions, cucumber strips, lotus leaf buns, and dark brown sweet bean sauce.

"eat."

Professor Wang picked up his chopsticks and uttered a single word.

The group was starving.

Zhou Kai picked up a lotus leaf cake and spread it in his palm.

I picked up a piece of duck meat, dipped it in sauce, and added shredded scallions.

Roll it up and stuff it into your mouth.

He swallowed it in two gulps.

It hadn't been long since I ate it.

Most of the roast ducks on the table were gone.

A fine layer of sweat appeared on the foreheads of several boys.

The eating speed began to slow down.

Professor Wang put down his chopsticks.

He picked up a piece of paper from the side and wiped his hands.

Then he picked up the cup that came with him, unscrewed the lid, and took a sip of water.

The chewing sounds in the private room gradually stopped.

Six pairs of eyes turned to the old man in the main seat.

"The organizing committee's results won't be out anytime soon. Whether it's theory or experiment, grading takes time and the results won't be posted publicly for a while." Professor Wang placed his teacup on the table, the lid not fully tightened.

"but."

Professor Wang leaned back in his chair.

"When the competition ended in the afternoon, the referee team had just finished their internal review meeting, so I called an old friend to ask about the situation of your table."

The air in the private room seemed to freeze for a moment.

Only Lin Yi was still using his chopsticks to pick at the last few scallion shreds left on the plate.

Chen Zhuo's chopsticks, holding a piece of duck skin, stopped in mid-air.

He didn't put it in his mouth.

Instead, he slowly put the duck skin back into his bone dish.

"Your system."

Professor Wang looked at them.

"Use water to lock the cold end, use human body temperature as the hot end input, and connect to the Joule thief circuit."

"It caused some controversy within the referee team."

He Gui's breathing stopped for a moment.

"Several referees felt that using human body temperature as part of the system went beyond the scope of traditional components and was suspected of being opportunistic."

Professor Wang spoke in a very calm tone, as if he were repeating something that had nothing to do with him.

Zhou Kai pursed his lips into a straight line.

Two weeks of intensive training, four hours of intense practice.

If you are judged to have violated the rules for this reason, it means that all your operation points will be reduced to zero.

This would be an unacceptable and devastating blow to any of the participating students.

Professor Wang paused for two seconds.

He picked up his teacup and took another sip of water.

"But in the end, the head of the question-setting team made the decision."

The old man put down his teacup.

"The question requires the use of weak environmental energy, and human body temperature is a type of environmental heat source. The rules do not explicitly prohibit the tester from having physical contact with the system."

"This system is completely autonomous in terms of the logic of thermodynamic equilibrium and electromagnetic induction, and the closed loop is extremely clean."

Professor Wang's gaze swept across the round table.

"No violation found, team performance points are full."

The private room was so quiet that you could hear the air conditioner running.

Wang Huashao closed his eyes, lowered his head, and vigorously rubbed his face with both hands.

Zhou Kai's tense back slammed violently against the back of the chair.

He tilted his head back, looked at the chandelier on the ceiling, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he let out a long breath.

He Gui slowly lowered his head.

My shoulders relaxed, and I felt as if all my bones had been removed, so I slumped back in the chair.

Miao Shi'an took off his glasses.

He took out a tissue and gently pressed it against the corner of his eye.

Then he put his glasses back on and gave a faint smile.

Lin Yi swallowed the scallion shreds in his mouth.

"That's good, we don't need to go back and continue stripping the threads."

She muttered something to herself, picked up the glass next to her, and took a sip of the plum juice.

Chen Zhuo's shoulders relaxed silently when he heard the words "full".

He neither cheered nor made any exaggerated gestures.

He simply turned his head and looked at Wang Huashao, who had his face buried in his hands, and He Gui, who was leaning back in his chair in a daze.

Chen Zhuo reached out and gently patted He Gui's back twice.

then.

He picked up the plum juice pot on the table and stood up.

First, fill the empty cup in front of Wang, who talks little.

Then, bypassing Zhou Kai, he filled He Gui's cup as well.

Ice cubes clinked together in the glass, making a crisp, tinkling sound.

Chen Zhuo picked up his cup.

He took the cup and tapped it lightly on the table in front of Wang Huashao.

It made a crisp sound.

"Alright."

Chen Zhuo looked at the table of people whose emotions were fluctuating wildly.

His voice was steady, carrying a reassuring strength.

"You got the points, don't all look so miserable."

Chen Zhuo raised the cup in his hand, a bright smile curving his lips.

"Raise your glasses, everyone, and toast ourselves."

Zhou Kai was the first to react and picked up his water glass.

Miao Shi'an adjusted his glasses and raised his teacup.

He Gui sniffed and picked up the glass with both hands.

Wang Huashao wiped his face vigorously, grabbed his cup, and stood up.

Lin Yi lazily held up his cup.

The six cups tapped lightly on the table.

"Cheers!"