My IQ has been increasing year by year.

At noon, the classroom was empty.

Most students have gone home for lunch and a nap.

Chen Zhuo and Zhang Qiang, however, stayed behind.

Two desks were pushed together, covered with various parts, tools, and the two cartons of milk as payment.

"Listen, I'm too weak right now, you do the physical work."

Chen Zhuo sat in a chair, holding a piece of draft paper in his hand, which was covered with drawings.

It was no longer those numbers that Zhang Qiang couldn't understand, but the simplest geometric shapes and numerical proportions.

"Dismantle that atomic fission motor first," Chen Zhuo ordered.

"Oh? That's thirty yuan..."

"Tear it down." Chen Zhuo said without room for argument.

"That motor has a seriously exaggerated rating and draws too much current. It not only wastes electricity but also causes severe overheating, which can lead to demagnetization of the magnets. Replace it with your original Jaguar motor."

Although Zhang Qiang felt sorry for Chen Zhuo, he obediently did as he was told under Chen Zhuo's inexplicable pressure.

"Then, remove the most expensive aluminum alloy handlebars from the front of your car."

"Why is that? It's for collision prevention!"

"It's too heavy." Chen Zhuo pointed to the lever diagram on the draft paper.

"The front of the car is too heavy, and the moment of inertia is too great when cornering, which will inevitably cause it to fly off course. Replace it with plastic, but put two layers of pads underneath to increase its strength."

"And gears."

Chen Zhuo rummaged through the pile of parts and found a package of black gears and a package of green gears.

"Throw away the current pink and yellow gears. Replace them with black and green."

"That's a 4:1 low-speed gear! It won't go fast!" Zhang Qiang exclaimed anxiously.

"What we need is not speed, but stability."

Chen Zhuo took a pencil and did a simple arithmetic problem on a piece of paper.

30000 revolutions ÷ 3.5 = 8571

25000 revolutions ÷ 4 = 6250

"You see, although the wheel is rotating slower, the torque has increased. Torque is power."

Chen Zhuo explained that they tried to use language that elementary school students could understand.

"What you need on the curves is strength, not just blind speed. As long as you don't fly off the curve, you can win even if you're slower on the straights."

The next hour was the most painful yet most fulfilling hour of Zhang Qiang's life.

He became an emotionless assembler.

Chen Zhuo commanded him like a tyrant:

"The guide wheel angle is wrong! Use a file to grind it! Grind it to a 5-degree angle! Don't know what 5 degrees is? See this protractor?"

"The tires are too wide! Too much friction! Sand them down to reduce the contact area by half!"

"The center of gravity is still too high! Go, take the pencil lead out of your pencil case and stick it to the left side of the chassis! Why the left side? Because that track is all left turns!"

Zhang Qiang was sweating profusely as he worked, and his hands were blistered from the file, but he didn't utter a sound.

Because he discovered that, under Chen Zhuo's command, this behemoth, which originally looked rather bulky, was undergoing a change in its aura.

Those fancy stickers are gone, those expensive metal parts are gone.

The car body became low and compact, like a wild beast waiting to pounce.

Especially the guide wheel angle that Chen Zhuo repeatedly asked to adjust, although it looks inconspicuous, it is incredibly smooth when you flick it with your hand.

"alright."

Chen Zhuo finished the last sip of milk and crushed the empty carton.

"Give it a try."

……

School in the afternoon.

It's still that same pool table.

Zhao Lei was about to pack up and go home when he saw Zhang Qiang running over, panting.

"Oh, still not giving up?" Zhao Lei laughed. "What new motor did you buy this time?"

"I didn't buy it."

Zhang Qiang placed the modified behemoth on the table.

Zhao Lei glanced at it, paused for a moment, and then laughed even harder.

"What? You've given up? Why do you look like a bald chicken? You've even lost your dragon head?"

Indeed, the current car looks extremely rudimentary, even a bit ugly.

"Enough talk, let's have another round!" Zhang Qiang shouted. "If I lose this time, I'll give you my Game Boy console!"

The audience erupted in uproar

Gameboy, that's an astronomical bet.

"Sure, why would I refuse money offered to me?" Zhao Lei immediately pulled out his "Rapid Axe".

Chen Zhuo stood on the periphery of the crowd, his hands in his pockets, his eyes calm.

He knew the outcome without even looking.

This is a victory for mathematics.

"start!"

Both cars sped off at the same time.

In the initial stage, just as Zhang Qiang had worried, the behemoth, equipped with low-speed gears and a regular motor, was noticeably slower and was left behind by Zhao Lei.

"Haha, I told you it wouldn't work!" Zhao Lei laughed.

However, when they reached that fatal right-angle bend...

Zhao Lei's car skidded noticeably as it entered the corner because it was going too fast. Although it didn't fly off the road, it hit the guardrail and its speed dropped sharply.

Then, the Big Mac arrived.

At that moment, a miracle occurred.

The ugly car, the moment it entered the curve, seemed to be pressed firmly to the ground by an invisible hand.

A 5-degree guide wheel tilt angle generates perfect downforce.

The lead weight on the left side counteracts the centrifugal force.

The 4:1 gear ratio provides powerful grip torque.

"brush--"

A very pleasant friction sound.

The behemoth hugged the inside of the curve, drawing a perfect arc without any slippage or bouncing, and even showing signs of acceleration.

Overtake on the curve!

The moment it exited the corner, thanks to its powerful torque, the Juggernaut shot out like a bullet and instantly overtook the "Rapid Axe" which was still adjusting its posture.

Holy crap!

"It flew by! No flying car!"

"It's so stable! This car is like a magnet!"

The crowd erupted in cheers.

In the next few consecutive corners, the behemoth demonstrated dominant stability.

It's not fast, but it doesn't make mistakes; every turn is as precise as walking a tightrope.

In the end, the giant crossed the finish line with a full two meters ahead.

Zhang Qiang stood there, stunned, staring at the ugly car parked at the finish line, as if he couldn't believe it was his own car.

He didn't realize what was happening until his classmates rushed up and patted him on the shoulder, shouting "Brother Qiang is awesome!"

Won.

We really won.

And he won very easily, even somewhat...elegantly?

Zhao Lei's face turned ashen. He grabbed his car and, without a word, squeezed through the crowd and left.

Surrounded by a crowd, Zhang Qiang lifted the car above his head like a hero.

But he put it down quickly.

He pushed through the crowd, ran to the outer edge, and found Chen Zhuo, who was preparing to go home with his schoolbag.

"Amazing! Chen Zhuo! Truly amazing!"

Zhang Qiang was so excited that he was incoherent, and his chubby face turned as red as an apple.

"How do you know that changing to slower gears will actually lead to a win? How do you know that using lead weights will prevent it from flipping over?"

Chen Zhuo looked at him, but there was no smugness in his eyes, like someone who had successfully shown off.

He just felt very tired.

He's already exceeded his exercise limit today, and all he wants to do now is go home and sleep.

"Because it's a machine."

Chen Zhuo pointed to the car.

"Machines don't lie. If you respect their rules, they will reward you. It's that simple."

After saying that, Chen Zhuo turned and walked towards the school gate.

The setting sun cast a long shadow of him.

Zhang Qiang, holding the car, stared blankly at the thin, small figure from behind.

For some reason, he felt that Chen Zhuo was different today than before.

The Chen Zhuo of the past was just a quiet oddball, but the Chen Zhuo of today has an aura that he can't understand, but which makes him instinctively want to get closer.

"Hey! Chen Zhuo! Wait for me!"

Zhang Qiang caught up with him, pulling out a handful of colorful snack coupons and several brand-new banknotes from his schoolbag.

"From now on, I'll take care of all your milk, breakfast, and snacks!"

Zhang Qiang patted his chest and said, "As long as you teach me how to modify a car! No, as long as you help me tune it!"

Chen Zhuo stopped and glanced at the banknotes.

He doesn't need money.

But he needed a stable ally and resources in this childhood world that was particularly cruel because of his physical weakness.

Zhang Qiang isn't smart, but he's loyal and rich.

This is a perfect complement.

"make a deal."

Chen Zhuo took a milk coupon and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Bring a new file tomorrow morning, today's is too dull."

"Okay!"