Reborn in 2005, starting with repairing mobile phones

Chapter 136 The Competition Begins

12 month 1 day.

Winter comes late in Shenzhen, and the December sun is still warm, shining on the glass curtain wall of Shenzhen University Gymnasium and reflecting a dazzling white light.

A red banner was hung at the entrance of the stadium—"Shenzhen University Innovation Cup Programming Contest, Round 1".

Lin Dong stood at the entrance and looked up at the banner.

In his past life, he spent so many years in Huaqiangbei, what competition hadn't he heard of? Programming contests, hackathons, and so on.

Startup pitches are all things that young people do.

He had never participated, nor was he qualified to participate.

Standing here now feels a bit strange.

"Fourth brother, what are you spacing out for?" Li Hu patted him on the shoulder from behind.

Lin Dong looked away: "It's nothing."

"Come on, come on, come on in." Li Hu pushed him inside. "Today is a big day. It's the first time the Four Heavenly Kings have gone on an expedition. We can't let them down."

Chen Long followed behind, adjusting his glasses: "Don't shout so loudly, you're the one who'll embarrass yourself."

"What's wrong with me shouting? We are the Four Heavenly Kings."

Xu Zang walked at the very back, holding a book in his hand, reading as he walked, as if he had come to the library rather than to compete.

Four people walked into the stadium.

The venue was much larger than I had imagined.

The main hall of Shenzhen University Gymnasium was temporarily converted into a competition area, with the more than 2,000 square meters of space divided into four zones—A, B, C, and D. Each zone was separated by a two-meter-high barrier, which was gray and marked with zone labels.

Each area has twenty cubicles, and there are partitions between the cubicles so that they cannot see each other.

Looking down from the podium, all you can see are the tops of rows of gray cubicles and the occasional glimpse of computer screens reflecting light.

School leaders were sitting on the podium.

In the center was Principal Wang, flanked by Dean Li and Vice Dean Zhang of the School of Computer Science. In front of them were monitors showing the progress of each question in each booth—but not the specific content, only "number X" and "completed/in progress."

The audience seating is on the second floor, in a circular grandstand that can seat over a thousand people.

A large screen hangs in the center, displaying real-time rankings of each team.

The audience seats were already more than half full.

Zhou Lin, Zhao Yu, and Chen Lu sat in the front seats. Zhou Lin clenched her fists nervously, Zhao Yu was taking pictures with her phone, and Chen Lu sat quietly, her eyes searching in the direction of Section A.

"Over there! They're over there!" Zhou Lin pointed to the entrance of Area A.

The four people were walking in. Li Hu was in the lead, looking around. Chen Long followed behind, pushing up his glasses. Xu Zang was still the same as before, holding a book in his hand. Lin Dong was at the back, with his hands in his pockets.

"Go for it!" Zhou Lin shouted, but they couldn't hear her because they were too far away.

Chen Lu didn't shout, but just looked at that figure and the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

Waiting area, Section A.

Chen Hao and Zhao Yu were chatting with their respective groups.

Chen Hao, a junior, placed tenth in last year's team competition and remains a favorite in Zone A.

He was wearing a dark blue coat, his hair was neatly combed, and he was leaning against the wall, twirling a pen in his hand.

Zhao Yu stood next to him, tall and thin, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and flipping through a notebook.

"This year's questions should be more difficult than last year's." Zhao Yu closed his notebook. "I heard from Professor Zhang that last year's final question was too easy, and this year they're going to make it more difficult."

"Sure, I'll add it." Chen Hao put the pen back in his pocket. "It's not like I haven't added it before."

Several people nearby laughed.

"Last year, only two people in the entire school solved that dynamic programming problem that Hao Ge worked on."

"This year will definitely still be Hao Ge and Yu Ge's era."

Chen Hao waved his hand, a smile on his face, but his eyes held an air of self-assurance.

Zhao Yu didn't laugh.

He put away his notebook, glanced at Chen Hao, and said, "By the way, Brother Zhang Yang called me yesterday and told me something."

Chen Hao was taken aback: "What is it?"

Zhao Yu lowered his voice: "He said there's a team of freshmen in Area A that he's really annoyed with. He said we ran into them to put some pressure on them."

"A freshman?" Chen Hao frowned. "Who is that?"

"I think their names are something like—the Four Heavenly Kings." Zhao Yu glanced at the message on his phone. "That's it, Lin Dong, Li Hu, Chen Long, and Xu Zang. Zhang Yang told us to keep an eye out."

Chen Hao scoffed, "Isn't Zhang Yang being a bit too sensitive? He's just a freshman, why put pressure on him?"

"Do you remember what happened at the grilled fish restaurant last time?" Zhao Yu glanced at him. "Zhang Yang said it was them. Those four freshmen embarrassed Zhang Yang in front of Senior Zhou Lin. After that, Senior Zhou Lin never spoke to Zhang Yang again."

Chen Hao was stunned for a moment.

He had heard Zhang Yang mention this before, but he hadn't asked about it in detail.

Now that Zhao Yu mentioned it, he remembered that Zhang Yang had come back that day looking very unwell and had drunk half a case of beer by himself.

"So Zhang Yang wants us to put some pressure on them in the competition?" Chen Hao asked.

Zhao Yu nodded: "Let them know that the Innovation Cup is not a place for freshmen."

Chen Hao put the pen in his pocket and gave a slight smirk: "Okay, I'll do as you say."

Just then, four people walked in through the entrance.

Zhao Yu recognized him immediately; Zhang Yang had given him a photo.

These are the four people.

The one in front was looking around curiously. The one behind him, wearing glasses, had a calm expression.

The third one held a book in his hand, not even looking up. The last one had his hands in his pockets, his face expressionless.

Zhao Yu glanced at Chen Hao. Chen Hao saw it too and nodded.

"Let's go." Chen Hao led a few people over.

"Oh, the Four Heavenly Kings?" Chen Hao stood in front of them, looking them up and down, his tone deliberately exaggerated. "Area A?"

Li Hu was looking around when he heard the sound and turned around.

Upon seeing Chen Hao, he paused for a moment—who is this guy? Does he know them?

Chen Long adjusted his glasses but didn't say anything. Xu Zang didn't even look up and continued reading.

Lin Dong stood at the very back and glanced at Chen Hao.

He noticed that the other person was calling them the "Four Heavenly Kings"—something that hadn't been publicly announced. How did this person know?

"Yes," Li Hu replied, "What's wrong?"

Chen Hao smiled, a hint of condescension in his expression: "Nothing much. I just heard that a freshman team got into Group A, so I came to see what was going on."

He paused, stepped aside, and revealed Zhao Yu behind him.

"Zhao Yu was eighth last year. Me, tenth last year." He pointed to himself, then to Zhao Yu, his tone slowing down, "Zhang Yang's friend."

He specifically mentioned Zhang Yang's name, staring at the faces of the four people opposite him, waiting to see their reactions.

Li Hu blinked: "Who is Zhang Yang?"

Chen Hao's smile froze for a moment.

The people around were also stunned. Zhao Yu frowned and said, "Last year's champion, who in the Computer Science department doesn't know him? Are these freshmen genuinely unaware or just pretending?"

Chen Hao took a deep breath and decided to stop beating around the bush.

"Last year's champion." His voice turned cold. "He told us about the time at the grilled fish restaurant when you embarrassed Brother Zhang Yang."

Li Hu was stunned for a moment, then realized that the grilled fish restaurant was run by Zhang Yang, the guy who was pursuing Zhou Lin.

"Oh, that person?" Li Hu nodded. "What's wrong?"

Chen Hao was taken aback by the "What's wrong?" What's wrong?

He embarrassed the previous champion, offended the entire junior computer science department, and then asked what happened?

He took a step forward and lowered his voice: "Freshmen, don't take yourselves too seriously. The Innovation Cup isn't a place for you. If you know what's good for you, go back to sleep early."

That's a rather harsh thing to say.

Li Hu's expression changed, and he was about to speak...

A hand rested on his shoulder.

Lin Dong walked up from behind and stood next to Li Hu. He looked at Chen Hao with no expression on his face.

"Let's talk after the competition."

Chen Hao stared at him for two seconds, trying to find a hint of nervousness or guilt on the young face.

He scoffed and left with his men.

"Okay, let's talk after the competition."

After walking back to his side, Zhao Yu said in a low voice, "The one who spoke last was Lin Dong. The person Brother Zhang Yang specifically mentioned."

Chen Hao waved his hand: "Zhang Yang was drunk that day, he might have misremembered. What skills can a freshman have? Just wait and see."

Zhao Yu didn't speak, but he glanced back again. The guy named Lin Dong was already leaning against the wall, still with that expressionless look.

He always felt that something was off about this person.

On the other side of the waiting area, Li Hu was still muttering, "Who is this guy? He comes up here looking for trouble. He even said he's Zhang Yang's friend, who is he?"

Chen Long pushed up his glasses: "It's that guy from the grilled fish restaurant last time. Zhou Lin's classmate."

Li Hu paused for a moment, then realized, "Oh, the one who's pursuing Zhou Lin?"

"Um."

Li Hu's expression changed, from confusion to displeasure: "Is that person here to cause trouble?"

Chen Long didn't speak, but he nodded.

"Damn it," Li Hu cursed, "Can't catch her yourself, so you send your underlings to cause trouble? What's wrong with you?"

Xu Zang finally looked up, glanced at Chen Hao, then lowered his head again to continue reading. He turned a page very quietly, as if he hadn't heard anything.

Lin Dong leaned against the wall without saying a word.

He was thinking about what had just happened.

Chen Hao called out the team name "Four Heavenly Kings"—a name they'd only used within their own dorm, never publicized. How would Chen Hao know? Unless someone specifically told him.

Zhang Yang.

The defending champions are in Group D. They've sent underlings to Group A to keep an eye on them. What's the purpose of this? Is it to gather intelligence beforehand? Or is it simply a way to get revenge?

It doesn't matter what it is.

The loudspeaker came on.

"Teams from Area A, please enter in order. First batch: Shenzhen University Affiliated High School Team, Southern University of Science and Technology Team 1, Code Guerrilla Team — Second batch: —"

I read a long list, but I didn't get to mention them.

Li Hu asked anxiously, "Which batch are we in?"

Chen Long glanced at the competition certificate in his hand: "Third batch."

"We still have to wait."

"Just wait and see."

Another ten minutes or so passed, and the broadcast started again.

The third batch includes: the Four Heavenly Kings Team, the BugKiller Team, the Chen Hao Team, the Zhao Yu Team, and the HelloWorld Team.

'

Li Hu immediately stood up straight: "It's our turn."

The four people walked towards the entrance. Volunteers were guiding them at the entrance; each person was assigned a cubicle, and they entered in order—1

Number 1 goes first, then number 2, number 3, and number 4 in that order.

Chen Long walked at the front; he was in position number 1.

He stopped at the entrance, glanced back at Li Hu, and said, "Don't worry."

Li Hu grinned: "Write well, relax."

Chen Long's lips twitched slightly, then he turned and went inside.

Then came Xu Zang. He closed the book, put it in his bag, and walked towards entrance number 2. He didn't speak or turn around.

Then it was Li Hu's turn. He rubbed his hands together, gave Lin Dong an "OK" sign, and walked into position 3.

Finally, it was Lin Dong's turn. He stood at the entrance of position number 4 for a moment.

The fourth position is the most important—he has to answer his own part and also check the answers of the three people before him. Only he can take this position.

He took a deep breath and went inside.

The cubicle was small, with a table, a chair, and a computer. The computer screen displayed the words "Innovation Cup Round 1 - Team Relay Race - Position 4," with a countdown timer next to it—60:00, it hadn't started yet.

Lin Dong sat down and leaned back in his chair.

The game only begins once everyone is in position.

On the podium.

Principal Wang looked at the monitor screen. On the screen, all twenty cubicles in the third batch of Zone A were now lit up with the "ready" status.

Professor Li leaned closer: "Principal Wang, there are a few interesting points about this batch from Area A. Chen Hao's team and Zhao Yu's team were both in the top ten last year. And there's another team—"

He paused and glanced at the list.

"The Four Heavenly Kings Team. The only team in Group A composed entirely of freshmen."

Principal Wang's lips twitched slightly: "I know."

Professor Li was taken aback: "You knew?"

Principal Wang didn't explain, he just said, "Just watch."

The countdown has ended, and the competition has begun.

On the monitoring screen, the status of all the cubicles changed from "ready" to "in progress".

In cubicle number 1.

Chen Long sat in front of the computer, and the first set of questions appeared on the screen.

He quickly scanned it.

There were twenty multiple-choice questions and five short-answer questions. The difficulty increased gradually, with the earlier questions covering basic concepts and the later ones moving to more advanced topics. The last short-answer question was clearly a differentiator, testing a relatively obscure data structure optimization technique.

Chen Long read it once and had a clear understanding of the situation.

The question wasn't difficult. Indeed, it wasn't difficult for him.

But he can't write too fast. He can't be too flashy.

He didn't want to disrupt the comfortable atmosphere in the dormitory.

Lin Dong was waiting behind him. What would Lin Dong think if he wrote too well? Would he think he was too amazing and become polite? Would he start looking at him with that "Wow, you're so amazing" look from then on?

He didn't want that.

He took a deep breath and began to answer the questions.

In multiple-choice questions, each question has a standard answer. He chooses the correct one, not the optimal one. For some questions where there are clearly more ingenious solutions, he chooses the most conventional one.

For short answer questions, he writes the correct solution, but not the optimal solution. He writes out all the necessary steps, but doesn't add a single word of unnecessary optimization.

After he finished writing, he checked it over.

Hmm, this speed is slow enough. The solution isn't optimal either, so it shouldn't attract attention. Advancing is enough; there's no need to show off. The other three probably won't be too fast either.

He pressed the "Done" button.

The countdown on the screen stopped at 18:42.

Chen Long stood up and walked out of the cubicle.

He didn't know how others were progressing—the cubicles were separated by partitions that blocked out everything.

He followed the signs to the exit and was led by volunteers to the isolation area. The isolation area was on the other side of the stadium, completely separated from the waiting area. Candidates who had finished their exams waited here and were not allowed to communicate with people outside.

Chen Long sat down and waited.

What he didn't know was that someone on the stage had already noticed.

"Has someone in Area A completed the first leg?" Professor Li stared at the monitor screen, momentarily stunned.

18 minutes. The normal pace is 25 to 30 minutes. It's much faster, but not ridiculously fast. What really caught his attention was that this team was the "Four Heavenly Kings Team".

"Is it the freshman team?" Vice Dean Zhang also came over.

"Yes." Professor Li looked at the screen. "Position 1 is complete, taking 18 minutes and 42 seconds."

"It's pretty fast," Vice Dean Zhang said. "But what about the accuracy rate of the freshmen? They won't be too nervous and just write whatever comes to mind. But Chen Hao's team should be done soon too."