My IQ has been increasing year by year.

Chapter 185

Zhang Qiang swallowed the last bite of watermelon and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"The book says it's invisible and intangible. It runs through such a thin wire, with thousands of currents squeezing through it. Doesn't it get squeezed? How does it know which path is easy and which is difficult?"

Chen Zhuo looked at Zhang Qiang.

Zhang Qiang's eyes revealed a primal curiosity, like the curiosity humans had when they first saw lightning.

Chen Zhuo paused for a moment while biting the straw.

Suddenly, I remembered a few years ago, on the balcony of my house that had been converted into a study, I think I did something magical in order to figure out voltage and current.

Chen Zhuo loosened the straw.

He did not discuss the directional movement of electrons, nor the drift of free charges under the influence of an electric field.

He simply turned around slowly, his gaze sweeping over Zhang Qiang's messy computer desk.

On the table was a pile of an unfinished four-wheel drive car chassis, screws, screwdrivers, and several batteries of different models.

Chen Zhuo reached out and pulled out a rectangular battery from a pile of miscellaneous items.

This is a 9-volt stacked battery, the kind usually used in multimeters or remote control car handles. It has two round metal snaps on the top.

Chen Zhuo held the battery and tossed it around in his hand a couple of times.

"Want to know if it's cramped inside?"

Chen Zhuo looked at Zhang Qiang, his tone serious, as if he were asking him if the watermelon was sweet.

Zhang Qiang nodded immediately.

Chen Zhuo handed over the nine-volt battery, with the metal contacts facing upwards.

"Stick your tongue out," Chen Zhuo said.

Zhang Qiang was stunned for a moment, but the absolute authority established by the red and blue coloring method made him completely unprepared for this.

He obediently opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue.

"Place the tip of your tongue on these two metal plates, and make contact with them at the same time."

Chen Zhuo pointed to the two contacts on the top of the battery.

Zhang Qiang leaned forward without any suspicion, his wet tongue pressing precisely on the metal buckle of the positive and negative terminals.

For a split second, time seemed to stand still.

Followed by.

Holy crap!

Zhang Qiang sprang up from the small plastic stool like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

The movement was so large that the small stool overturned on the ground with a loud crash.

Zhang Qiang covered his mouth with both hands, jumped up and down twice, and tears instantly streamed down his face.

"Mah! Maa!"

Zhang Qiang slurred his words, barely able to speak coherently, spitting out saliva incessantly, pointing at Chen Zhuo with a face full of accusation and shock.

"Damn it! It's biting my tongue! Spicy! Sour!"

Chen Zhuo sat in a swivel chair.

Seeing Zhang Qiang's ridiculously miserable state, his originally calm face began to twitch uncontrollably at the corners of his eyes.

Two seconds later, Chen Zhuo completely lost his composure.

He couldn't help but laugh out loud, and the laughter gradually grew louder, carrying obvious schadenfreude and the pleasure of a successful prank.

Chen Zhuo casually tore off two tissues, crumpled them into a ball, and threw them at Zhang Qiang's face like a hidden weapon.

"Wipe your drool, it's dripping on your clothes."

Chen Zhuo said with a smile.

Zhang Qiang hurriedly caught the tissue and wiped his mouth haphazardly, his tongue still swirling around in his mouth, trying to relieve the intense electric shock.

"You tricked me!"

Zhang Qiang threw the tissue into the trash can, finally managing to straighten his tongue, his face full of grievance.

I didn't cheat you.

Chen Zhuo pointed to the nine-volt battery on the table.

"Didn't you ask me what electricity was? Now you know?"

Zhang Qiang nodded vigorously, glancing at the square battery with lingering fear.

"You felt it?"

Chen Zhuo leaned back in his chair and raised an eyebrow.

"Doesn't it feel like tens of thousands of ants are running all over your tongue? Isn't it crowded?"

"It's so damn crowded!"

Zhang Qiang gasped.

"This thing is deadly!"

Chen Zhuo looked at him, the smile still lingering on his lips.

"This is just a nine-volt dry cell battery."

Chen Zhuo stretched out his hand and pointed to the wall socket in the corner of the room where the fan plug was plugged in.

"There are 220 volts inside."

Chen Zhuo spoke slowly and deliberately.

"If you're still curious about just how crammed they are inside the wires, how about I find you a thin wire and you try poking it into that socket yourself?"

Zhang Qiang followed Chen Zhuo's finger and his eyes widened instantly.

He took two steps back, shaking his head vigorously, looking at the white plastic socket as if it were a venomous snake coiled up, ready to bite.

"No, no, no, I won't try anymore. I understand now, I completely understand now."

Zhang Qiang put his hands behind his back, as if afraid that Chen Zhuozhen would go and stuff a wire into his hands.

Through this firsthand experience, Zhang Qiang developed a profound and direct sense of awe for electricity, something invisible and intangible.

Chen Zhuo stopped smiling and picked up the half-finished carton of milk from the table again.

"Now that you know it can bite, I'll tell you how it moves around inside."

Chen Zhuo pointed to the crooked blue line that Zhang Qiang had drawn on the workbook.

"Electric wires are like water pipes, electric current is like water in the pipes, and switches are like faucets."

Zhang Qiang stood to the side, listening even more attentively than he would during class.

"A battery is like a water pump; the positive terminal is the outlet, and the negative terminal is the inlet."

Chen Zhuo continued.

"Water comes out of the outlet, flows along the pipe, and at the fork in the pipe, more water flows in the wider section and less in the narrower section. If a large rock blocks the middle of one of the pipes..."

'

"The water won't be able to flow through then," Zhang Qiang replied.

"Yes, that's a dead end."

Chen Zhuo nodded.

"If the water comes out of the outlet and flows directly back to the inlet without passing through any waterwheel or obstruction, but instead flows through a large, unobstructed pipe..."

'

"That would flow too fast, the pump would burn out, and the pipes would burst!"

The image of a burst water pipe immediately flashed into Zhang Qiang's mind.

"That's called a short circuit."

Chen Zhuo withdrew his hand.

"Understood."

Zhang Qiang dragged out the sound and slapped his thigh.

"The red one is freshly boiled water, and the blue one is cooled water, right? When hot water meets cold water, a cycle is completed. If hot water directly touches cold water, it will explode!"

Chen Zhuo glanced at him but didn't say anything.

This analogy is quite crude, but within the scope of junior high school physics, it forms a complete logical loop, enough for Zhang Qiang to handle the exam.

"Alright, I'll figure it out myself."

Zhang Qiang ignored whether Chen Zhuo praised him or not, righted the overturned stool, picked up the remaining slice of watermelon, and sat down again.

He turned to the next page of exercises and excitedly uncapped the two markers.

"Today I'm going to color through this workbook! No one can stop me!"

Chen Zhuo ignored his grand pronouncements, turned his head, and looked back at the computer screen.

The penguin icon in the bottom right corner of the screen is still flashing.

He opened the chat window.

The chat in the group has veered off course, shifting from discussions about educational philosophies to complaints about the boring holiday life.

[Chasing the Wind]: Where's Shi'an? I haven't seen him online for the past few days. Could he have gone abroad for summer vacation?

【归去来兮】: He didn't go abroad; he called me the day before yesterday.

[Chasing the Wind]: Oh? What did he say?

【归去来兮】: He said that his family has arranged all sorts of activities for him, both domestic and international, and his time is almost scheduled down to the minute every day. He said that he misses the days when he was with us under Lao Wang.

【ZK】: Sounds even worse off than me.

【Chasing the Wind】: Sigh, everyone has something to do. Old Zhou is tutoring elementary school students, Brother Zhuo is leading middle school students in coloring games, He Gui is watching cicadas in the lab, and Miao Shi'an is traveling around the country and abroad. As for me, I'm at home every day being disliked by my mom. I don't have to do anything, but I can't do anything either.

[Chasing the Wind]: Brother Zhuo, when are you going back to school?

Chen Zhuo placed his hands on the keyboard.

【C】：The start of the school year.

【归去来兮】：Let me know when you come to Shuimu, and I'll treat you to the roast duck in our cafeteria. It's incredibly delicious.

【C】: Okay.

[Chasing the Wind]: Damn it, why didn't you invite me? You're so biased! Back when we were training in Nanjing, we ate roast duck together!

【归去来兮】: Weren't you getting poked by a mop at home? And it seems you've eaten quite a bit here on SMTH too.

[Chasing the Wind]: ...You've gone astray, you used to be an honest person!

【.】: I've disembarked.

As soon as Lin Yi uttered those three words, the little white rabbit avatar instantly turned gray and went dark.

It was as if she appeared only to retort to Zhou Kai, and then disappeared immediately after completing her mission.

[Chasing the Wind]: Big sister is still so cool, appearing and disappearing without a trace. Okay, I'm logging off too. My mom just yelled at me outside, telling me to take out the trash. If I don't go, the mop handle will probably fall on me again. Goodbye, Zhuo Ge. See you in Beijing, Zhou Kai and He Gui.

【ZK】: See you when school starts. I'm going to check if that guy has finished two-fifths of the questions.

【Return Home】: See you in the capital.

The group chat gradually quieted down, and the flashing avatars turned gray one by one.

Chen Zhuo didn't close the window immediately. He looked at those familiar IDs and the carefree complaints in the chat history.

The room was cool, with the air conditioner humming softly. Outside the window, the occasional long, lazy chirping of cicadas drifted in, along with the loudspeaker of a vendor selling popsicles from his bicycle downstairs.

Behind him, there was the sound of Zhang Qiang vigorously scribbling on paper with a marker.

"Knock knock knock".

There was a sudden knock on the door.

Before Zhang Qiang could speak, the door was pushed open a crack, and Zhang Qiang's mother, wearing a floral apron, poked half of her body in.

She was carrying a small tray with two bowls of steaming mung bean soup on it, and a few pieces of crystal-clear rock sugar could be seen in the soup.

"Xiao Zhuo, are you tired from studying on the computer? Auntie made some mung bean soup and chilled it in the refrigerator. Come and have some to cool off."

Zhang Qiang's mother walked in with a smile and placed the tray on the empty floor next to the computer desk.

She glanced at Zhang Qiang, who was sitting on a small stool, engrossed in his work, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

"Qiangzi, why are you studying so hard today? Did the sun rise in the west? Usually, if I let you look at a book, you act like you're going to the execution ground."

Zhang Qiang didn't even look up; he drew a straight line on the paper with a red pen.

"Mom, stop bothering me! I'm really into this game! This question is way too easy!"

Zhang Qiang's mother leaned over to take a look, somewhat incredulous. Looking at the page full of red and blue lines, although she couldn't understand them, her smile widened as she saw her son's earnest, almost fanatical expression.

"Little Zhuo, you always have a way."

Zhang Qiang's mother turned her head and looked at Chen Zhuo, her tone full of gratitude.

"Qiangzi is such a playful kid, no matter how Lao Zhao tries to discipline him, it's no use. But after you came, he's like a completely different person. I don't know how to thank you enough."

Chen Zhuo stood up and picked up a bowl of mung bean soup.

"Auntie, you're too kind. Zhang Qiang isn't stupid; he just hasn't found the right method for him yet."

Chen Zhuo spoke gently, with the appropriate politeness befitting a junior.

"His logical thinking is actually quite good."

"Oh, stop praising him. If he's not stupid, then who is?"

Zhang Qiang's mother couldn't stop smiling.

"Alright, you guys drink your soup. Xiao Zhuo, you can play on the computer after you finish your soup. Don't worry about him. We'll have lunch at Auntie's house. Auntie will make your favorite braised pork ribs."

"Okay, thank you, Auntie."

Zhang Qiang's mother gave him a few more instructions, then left satisfied, closing the door behind her.

Chen Zhuo took a sip of mung bean soup. The mung beans were cooked until they were very soft and mushy. The sweetness of the rock sugar perfectly neutralized the bitterness of the mung beans. With one sip, half of the summer heat dissipated.

He sat back down in the swivel chair and glanced at the computer screen.

He moved the mouse and clicked on the red X.

The chat window disappeared.

The screen changed back to the wallpaper from the game "Legend" featuring a character wielding a dragon-slaying sword.

He stood up, stretched, and his bones made a few soft cracking sounds.

"Where did you apply it?"

He carried the mung bean soup and walked behind Zhang Qiang.

"Almost done! The last, most challenging question!"

Without turning his head, Zhang Qiang drew a long line with a red marker in his hand, stopping in front of the last switch. He then quickly switched to a blue marker, starting from the negative terminal, to complete the final encirclement.

"Done!"

Zhang Qiang threw his pen on the table, let out a long breath, picked up another bowl of mung bean soup, tilted his head back, and gulped it down in one go.

"Brother Zhuo, isn't that amazing?"

Zhang Qiang wiped the mung bean paste off his lips and turned to look at Chen Zhuo.

"I used to think that physics was something that was simply inhuman to study, but now I think it's not so bad."

Chen Zhuo leaned against the door frame, watching Zhang Qiang's smug look as if he had accomplished a great feat and was about to claim credit.

"Are you done?" Chen Zhuo asked.

"Finished! The whole book is done!"

Zhang Qiang patted his chest forcefully.

"Let's go then."

Chen Zhuo put down the empty bowl in his hand.

"Where to?"

Zhang Qiang was stunned for a moment.

"Didn't you say you had saved up some pocket money?"

Chen Zhuo looked at him, his eyes clear and bright, gentle yet with a touch of nonchalance.

"In that arcade in the city center, with 'The King of Fighters '97,' I'll use Mai Shiranui to give you a double Iori combo."

Zhang Qiang's eyes lit up instantly, like two searchlights, and the fatigue from doing the problems just now vanished.

"Holy crap! Are you serious, bro? You'll regret this! I've been practicing combos in my dreams every day lately!"

Zhang Qiang pushed aside the small stool, deftly pulled open the bottom drawer of the desk, and pulled out a crumpled roll of loose change from under a pile of messy old books. It was all one-yuan and five-yuan notes, which he stuffed into his pocket.

"Come on, come on! Today I'm going to beat you until you call me daddy!"

Zhang forced himself to walk towards the door.

"Don't let your mom hear."

Chen Zhuo smiled, turned around and followed.

Zhang Qiang quickly made a shushing gesture, and like a thieving monkey, he quietly opened the door. After confirming that his mother was cooking in the kitchen and couldn't hear him, the two of them slipped out of the house one after the other.

The sun outside was bright and dazzling, and the cicadas chirped loudly in the camphor trees on both sides of the road, one wave after another, without ever getting tired.

Zhang Qiang ran to the freezer at the convenience store, bought two popsicles, and handed one to Chen Zhuo.

The two tore open the wrapper, bit into their popsicles, and walked towards the city center under the blazing sun.

The arcade was in the basement. As you went down the stairs, the light dimmed, and when the curtain was lifted, the sounds from inside blasted into your ears.

The electronic sounds of game consoles, the clattering of buttons, the screeching of joysticks spinning wildly, and all sorts of loud shouts and chants of traditional Chinese opera.

Zhang Qiang walked to the bar counter with practiced ease and slapped the crumpled roll of change onto the counter.

"Boss, exchange twenty coins!"

With a handful of greasy arcade tokens in hand, Zhang Qiang, like a general about to go into battle, led Chen Zhuo through rows of machines until they found an empty King of Fighters '97 machine.

Insert a coin and choose a person.

The screen flickered with light and shadow.

Chen Zhuo placed one hand on the joystick, his index and middle fingers resting on the buttons, in a very casual posture. He selected Mai Shiranui, and randomly chose two unfamiliar characters for the remaining two slots.

Zhang Qiang, on the other hand, was on high alert, gripping the joystick with both hands and selecting his best heroes: Iori Yagami, Kyo Kusanagi, and Benimaru.

"Ready? Go!"

The countdown on the screen begins.

Zhang Qiang's Iori Yagami lunged forward, the joystick in his hand cracking and the buttons slamming down as if he were smashing a table.

Chen Zhuo simply flicked the joystick.

Mai Shiranui dodged the attack with a nimble backflip, and then launched a Flower Butterfly Fan, precisely interrupting Zhang Qiang's starting move.

"Damn it!" Zhang Qiang cursed and charged forward again.

Chen Zhuo still only used one hand to operate the device. His movements were very small, but every time he pressed a button, he hit the most precise judgment point.

Defense, dodge, heavy punch, fatal blow.

There were no superfluous movements, no fancy combos, only the purest calculations and reactions. It was as if he had broken down every frame of the game into discrete data points and then found the shortest path to respond in his mind.

Less than thirty seconds.

A large "K.0" appeared on the screen.

Zhang Qiang's Yagami Iori fell to the ground.

"Again!"

Zhang Qiang was unconvinced and slammed the coin-operated button hard.

In the second game, Kyo Kusanagi took to the court.

The result was predictable; twenty seconds later, Kyo Kusanagi was also taken down.

"I refuse to believe it!"

Zhang Qiang's Red Pill enters the arena.

Ten minutes later, Zhang Qiang's twenty game coins had been reduced by more than half.

He slumped in his chair, watching the character fall again on the screen, utterly despondent.

"I'm not playing anymore, it's boring."

Zhang Qiang shoved the remaining coins into Chen Zhuo's hand.

"Why don't you play something else? I'm going to take a break. How do you manage to be so good at studying and even King of Fighters?"

Chen Zhuo put the coins into his pocket and stood up from his chair.

"Let's go back."

"Back already?"

Zhang Qiang checked the time.

"Didn't Auntie say she made braised pork ribs?"

Chen Zhuo walked out.

"Yes, yes, spare ribs!"

Zhang Qiang immediately perked up and followed Chen Zhuo out of the arcade.

The two walked side by side on the road.

The music store by the roadside was playing Jay Chou's "Seven Mile Fragrance" at a loud volume, mixed with the chirping of cicadas in summer, and it carried far away.

"Brother Zhuo, when are you coming back this time?"

Zhang Qiang kicked a pebble by the roadside and casually asked.

"Let's have winter break."

"That's still a long way off."

7

Zhang Qiang sighed.

"With you gone, Lao Zhao will definitely be watching me memorize formulas every day again. The confidence I've just built up will probably be destroyed by his scolding in a few days."

"You don't need to memorize formulas. When you don't know how to do something, just draw it with colored pens," Chen Zhuo said.

"OK."

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