Don't call me a singing god, I just want to go back to doing scientific research.

When Ling Luo arrived at Tsinghua University, it was already 1 a.m.

The entire campus was immersed in silence, with only the streetlights casting lonely halos in the night, illuminating the path beneath our feet in a deep and dark light.

Professor Zhao's office was in the mathematics department building. Ling Luo dragged her suitcase into the empty elevator, the humming sound of the metal enclosure amplified in the confined space.

The elevator doors slid open with a "ding," and at the end of the corridor, light shone through a crack in a door, like a lighthouse in the night.

Ling Luo walked over quickly, raised her hand, and gently knocked on the door.

"Enter."

A hoarse and tired voice came from inside the door.

Ling Luo pushed open the door and entered, but the scene before him made him pause slightly.

The spacious office was now packed with people. There were professors with gray hair and students who looked young, each with bloodshot eyes, and thick sheets of draft paper spread out in front of them, covered with dense formulas and symbols.

The air was thick with the smell of caffeine, nicotine, and sweat, creating a sense of tension that made one's nerves tingle.

"Ling Luo, you're here." Professor Zhou looked up from the crowd, his bloodshot eyes revealing obvious weariness. "The situation is special. You're not from the mathematics department, so I shouldn't have dragged you into this. But we're severely understaffed right now. All the experts at the research institute are tied up with the 'Pangu' project, and we simply can't spare anyone."

"It's nothing." Ling Luo placed her suitcase by the door. "What happened?"

  

Teacher Zhou pulled him aside and said in a very low voice, "The National Astronomical Observatories has just discovered an unusual celestial body with a very strange trajectory. We need to urgently calculate its orbital parameters. This matter concerns national security."

Ling Luo's pupils contracted slightly, and she nodded without asking any further questions.

"Professor Zhao is currently on a call with the observatory. Take a look at these raw data first." Teacher Zhou handed him a stack of printing papers, still warm from the printer. "We need to have preliminary results before dawn."

Ling Luo took the documents and quickly scanned them.

The paper contained a set of unfamiliar astronomical observation data, with parameters fluctuating erratically, giving off a strong sense of anomaly.

His mind raced, and if his mental calculations were correct, the orbit of this celestial body would intersect with the orbit of Blue Star in seven days.

"I understand," Ling Luo replied, taking her laptop out of her backpack.

He found an empty seat, turned on the computer, and his ten fingers landed on the keyboard, instantly turning into a blur of motion as lines of code rapidly built mathematical models on the screen.

Time ticked by, and apart from the clatter of keyboards and the occasional hushed conversations, there was no other sound in the office.

Some people brought over case after case of coffee and energy drinks, while others simply splashed cold water on their faces to forcefully dispel their sleepiness.

Ling Luo was completely immersed in her own world, forgetting the existence of time.

His right hand would occasionally tremble slightly uncontrollably. He would pause for a moment, grip his right wrist tightly with his left hand, and wait for the spasm to subside before continuing to work.

"Lingluo, how's your progress?" Teacher Zhou walked over with a cup of strong coffee.

"Traditional methods are too slow, have too many variables, and involve astronomical amounts of computation." Ling Luo didn't even look up, her eyes fixed on the screen. "I'm trying a new algorithm."

Teacher Zhou leaned over and glanced at his screen. The topological diagram on it stunned him: "This is... a topological method? Are you sure it can be used here?"

"Theoretically feasible." Ling Luo's voice was calm and even. "The qualitative constraints of topology can filter out a massive number of 'invalid ranges' in the calculation of dynamical systems, reducing the computational load. But it will take some time to verify."

Looking at his determined profile, Teacher Zhou didn't say anything more and quietly stepped aside.

At the other end of the office, Professor Zhao was on a video call, his voice heavy: "We have contacted all the members of the mathematics research association we could reach, and we are working hard to calculate."

On the other end of the video call, a middle-aged man in uniform said with a serious expression: "Time is running out. Once the calculations confirm a threat, we must immediately activate the emergency plan."

"Understood, we will do it as soon as possible."

As Ling Luo listened to their conversation, her hands moved even faster.

Fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead and slid down his cheeks. His right hand began to tremble uncontrollably.

"Senior, have a cup of coffee." A young graduate student quietly handed over a cup of coffee.

"Thank you." Ling Luo took the paper cup, took a big gulp, and the scalding and bitter liquid forced down the metallic taste in her throat, which also cleared her muddled mind a little.

The sky changed from pitch black to deep blue without anyone noticing.

Just before dawn, in the darkest hour, Lingluo's calculations finally made a breakthrough.

"Teacher Zhou!"

He suddenly let out a low shout, which was like a thunderclap in the otherwise quiet and oppressive office.

Almost instantly, Teacher Zhou and Professor Zhao rushed over at the same time.

"I've found a more efficient algorithm!" Ling Luo pointed to a completed logic chain on the screen. "It can reduce the computation time to one-tenth of the original!"

Professor Zhao pushed up his reading glasses, stared intently at the screen, and a startled light flashed in his cloudy eyes: "This...this is the coupling of topology and dynamical systems theory! How did you come up with this?"

"I made a similar attempt when I was researching a related hypothesis before," Ling Luo explained succinctly.

"Good lad!" Professor Zhao slapped his thigh excitedly. "Quick, share the algorithm so everyone can calculate it together!"

Ling Luo nodded and sent her algorithm model to the shared server.

Professor Zhao grew increasingly fond of Ling Luo, and couldn't help but nudge Professor Zhou with his elbow: "Old Zhou, look at this! Such a promising talent! How come she ended up following you? If she had come to our mathematics department, she'd be at least an academician or a distinguished young scholar by now!"

Teacher Zhou glared at him, clearly displeased: "Hey, you old Zhao, trying to poach my talent right in front of me, huh? Next time you need something, see if I'll come to your aid!"

"So what if I was just saying? If you hadn't cheated and won a bottle of Moutai from me back then, Ling Luo would be a student in my math department!"

"Your short legs make you slow, how can you blame me?"

Two professors, whose combined age is nearly 150, started bickering like children.

"Oh dear, you two! What time is it and you're still arguing!" Another elderly professor, both amused and exasperated, pulled the two apart. "Come and help us!"

Just then, Ling Luo's right hand suddenly convulsed violently. He stopped abruptly, pressed his wrist tightly, and took several deep breaths.

Teacher Zhou immediately noticed his unusual behavior and came over to say in a low voice, "Ling Luo, go and rest for a while."

"No need." Ling Luo shook her head, her voice slightly unsteady. "I can manage."

He took a small white medicine bottle out of his pocket, rubbed his fingertips on the cap for a moment, and finally put it back.

This stuff is addictive if you eat too much of it. I've already stopped for a week; I can't let all my efforts go to waste.

His phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket. He glanced at it and saw it was Gu Yang.