My winter break homework was exposed, and I, a vocational school student, am now being snapped up by

Under the watchful eyes of these esteemed figures, this selection competition's main question setter was identified.

At the same time, Xiao Li, the leader of the National Mathematical Olympiad team, stood up.

He looked at everyone, and instead of answering the previous question, he asked in return:

"Teachers, what is the purpose of this special selection competition?"

"Of course, it's to find substitutes for the national team!"

One of the teachers from the organizing committee answered.

As is widely known, the National Mathematical Olympiad Team suddenly held its selection competition at this time.

It was entirely due to an unprecedented emergency.

Two students from the National Mathematical Olympiad team were recruited by overseas institutions and went abroad to study before graduating from high school.

He also became a key player in the opposing country's math Olympiad team.

This is the first time the national math Olympiad team has encountered such a situation since its establishment.

Therefore, in order to rebuild the national Olympic team in a short period of time, this special selection tournament was held.

Xiao Li nodded and said, "That's right, our goal is to find replacements."

But let's not forget that there's not much time left until the Mathematical Olympiad in July.

In the past, we would have at least six months to prepare for intensive training.

But time is of the essence now. The students selected in this competition only have half the preparation time they used to have.

Therefore, the purpose of this selection competition is...

Xiao Li paused for a moment and looked at everyone.

"We are selecting the best of the best!"

The International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) is not something that just anyone can do.

Only those whose IQ ranks in the top 10% of humanity need to learn advanced mathematics.

Olympiad math is like poetry in Chinese literature! Most people don't need to learn it at all!

However, many people nowadays study math olympiad in order to get extra points on the college entrance exam, regardless of whether it is suitable for them.

I bet at least 80% of the people who participated in this selection competition are like that!

These people taking the exam is a complete waste of our time and energy; it's utterly worthless!

I made the test difficult so that those people would give up and not waste our time!

"But……"

A staff member who had participated in the math Olympiad years ago hesitated while holding the exam paper:

"Teacher Xiao, we all understand the principles, but why do I feel that this test paper is even more difficult than the actual competition?"

If I had taken this exam back then, I probably wouldn't have even gotten a bronze medal.

"No, I understand."

An elderly professor expressed his support for the exam paper set by Xiao Li.

"Teacher Xiao has already given the reason."

There are now less than 3 months left until the International Mathematical Olympiad.

We no longer have time to provide much training for new members.

Therefore, this time, Teacher Xiao's exam papers are not for promising new recruits.

Instead, they were the kind of soldiers who, once off the conscription vehicle, could pick up a gun and chase the enemy until they screamed in terror.

Wearing a military uniform allows you to create amazing plays on the battlefield.

Tactical coordination? They're born with it.

How to break out of a desperate situation is something that new recruits don't need anyone to teach them!

If they can't even solve the exams we set ourselves, they'll only embarrass themselves on the international stage!

"So that's it!"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

However, in private...

Many people, however, felt sympathy for the students who participated in the selection competition.

I'm afraid that after this selection competition, many people will develop a psychological aversion to math olympiads.

Because of this exam, I'm afraid many people will fail miserably.

……

Meanwhile, in examination halls across the country.

Just as the teachers in Beijing had feared.

When the exam papers for this selection competition were handed out to the students.

Many people were so frightened that they cried.

The format of the selection competition was exactly the same as that of the International Mathematical Olympiad.

There are only six questions in total, each worth 7 points, for a total of 42 points.

However, these six questions, starting from the very first one, immediately set the bar for difficulty.

At least 90% of the candidates from all over the country who participated in the selection competition could not even understand the first question.

Even Lin Chen in the examination room was startled.

Although he had little time to prepare for the math olympiad, he still had some advantages.

I panicked a bit when I got the test paper.

Of the six questions, he only had a solution for five of them.

I might need to think about the other one more time.

If a mere qualifying round is this difficult, then the actual competition must be incredibly difficult.

For a moment, Lin Chen couldn't help but look serious and began to answer the questions earnestly.

But as he was answering the questions, Lin Chen suddenly heard what sounded like a female ghost crying in the classroom.

I go!

what's the situation?

Haunted in broad daylight?

Lin Chen looked up and realized that it was a girl next to him who was taking an exam and was silently shedding tears.

Sis, it's just an exam, why are you crying?

Lin Chen had just mentally complained when a candidate in front of him suddenly stood up and ran out.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?"

Just as the proctor was about to stop him, the student shouted, "I'm not taking the exam! I'm forfeiting! To hell with math olympiad! I'm never touching it again!"

Is this... a breakdown?

Although Lin Chen also felt that today's exam was quite difficult, he did not expect that the difficulty would be so great that it would directly cause people to collapse.

But he didn't expect it.

Those who dared to participate in this selection competition today.

Even if he wasn't a top student in school, he was still an excellent student.

Everyone here is usually the pride of the school.

They were incredibly popular in front of their classmates, enjoying special treatment from teachers or receiving admiring glances from others.

However, when faced with this exam paper today...

The glory and prestige of these top students and chosen ones vanished in an instant, like a soap bubble.

They suddenly realized that what they had been proud of in the past was actually not worth mentioning at all.

Faced with a test paper where you can't answer a single question.

For the first time, they experienced what it was like to be a poor student.

Then many people broke down because of this.

Similar incidents are constantly occurring in examination halls across the country.

In some places, this even attracted the attention of reporters.

At the entrance of Tsinghua and Peking Universities in Beijing.

Today, Tsinghua and Peking Universities are also one of the examination venues for the Beijing area of ​​the International Mathematical Olympiad.

A reporter was waiting at the gate to do a live online broadcast, originally planning to first introduce the math olympiad competition.

We'll interview the candidates who participated in this selection competition after it's over.

Unexpectedly, not long after the selection competition began, some students ran out.

He was a boy wearing thick glasses and a high school uniform, so he obviously couldn't be a student from Tsinghua or Peking University.

Moreover, the reporter felt that he looked somewhat familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.

The reporter immediately stepped forward and asked, "Hello, are you a candidate participating in this math Olympiad selection competition?"

Upon hearing the reporter's question, the boy suddenly burst into tears.

The reporter was completely baffled.

Hey bro, I was just asking if you're a test taker, why are you crying?

This is a live online broadcast!

Don't make the audience think I'm bullying you!

"Excuse me, are you going through something upsetting or troublesome? You can tell me, and I'll see if I can help you."

"You can't help me! You can't help me! I was such an idiot! I was such an idiot!"