Chapter 319 - 246: A Long-Awaited System Prompt

Chapter 319: Chapter 246: A Long-Awaited System Prompt

The taxi came to a steady stop at the entrance of the residential complex. Chen Lin paid the fare, and as he stepped out, a cold wind rushed to meet him.

He pulled his coat tighter and hurried into the apartment building, taking the stairs two or three steps at a time.

He inserted the key into the lock. With a CLICK, the door swung open.

It was his familiar rented apartment. The furniture Sun Yu had bought for him was still new. The place was a bit of a mess, as he hadn’t had time to tidy up before his business trip, but it still felt inexplicably comforting and secure.

Chen Lin tossed his suitcase aside and collapsed onto the sofa, letting out a sigh of pure bliss.

"Ahhh—finally home."

These past few days in the Imperial Capital, despite staying in top-tier hotels and eating exquisite meals, the feeling of being constantly watched and having to maintain a "persona" was mentally and physically exhausting.

’My own little den is still the best,’ he thought.

After lying there for about five minutes, Chen Lin remembered he had something important to do.

He peeled himself off the sofa, opened his laptop, and logged into the academic email account he had provided to JAMS.

Just as he expected, an unread email was sitting in his inbox.

From: Clay Mathematics Institute

Subject: Formal Invitation to the Frontiers of Mathematics and AI Symposium

"There it is."

Chen Lin clicked open the email and began to read it line by line.

The email was very formal, with the official logo of the Cray Mathematics Institute at the top and an electronic signature from Martin Bridson at the bottom.

The content was more or less the same as what had been discussed over the phone—

It was an invitation for him to attend the "Frontiers of Mathematics and AI Symposium" as a special guest in Seattle in early February of next year.

The conference would last for three days and be attended by top mathematicians and AI experts from around the world, including, but not limited to, several Fields Medal laureates like Terence Tao.

Chen Lin was invited to give a 45-minute keynote speech on a topic of his own choosing, preferably an extension of the research from his JAMS paper.

So far, everything seemed normal.

After all, the Cray Research Institute was a top-tier institution in the field; it wasn’t surprising that they could organize an academic conference with such a lineup.

But as Chen Lin continued reading, his brow gradually furrowed.

"...In gratitude for your time and attendance, we will provide you with the following courtesies:

1. Round-trip first-class airfare (Huaxia to Seattle, airline of your choice);

2. A five-night stay in the presidential suite at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle during the conference;

3. A dedicated chauffeured vehicle and a personal assistant for the duration of your stay;

4. A special attendance stipend: 50,000 Dollars (after tax)."

When Chen Lin read this, his eyes narrowed slightly.

’A fifty-thousand-Dollar "attendance stipend"?’

That’s about three hundred fifty thousand RMB.

’Just for me to attend a conference and give a talk?’

Although Chen Lin hadn’t attended many international academic conferences, he had been in the academic circle for nearly half a year.

He had published in top journals, met Fields Medal laureates, and even attended the International Congress of Mathematicians.

As far as he knew, for most academic conferences, it was already quite generous if they reimbursed a special guest’s airfare and hotel.

A slightly more generous one might offer a "travel allowance" of a few thousand Dollars.

But fifty thousand?

This figure was completely beyond the normal scope of "academic exchange."

What’s more, although Chen Lin had been making a big splash in the field recently, at the end of the day, he had only published a few papers and solved a couple of engineering problems.

The only award he’d won was the highest domestic science and technology award; he hadn’t received any of the major international science awards. On what grounds did he deserve this kind of treatment?

Unless...

The face of that fake "Amy Howard" appeared in Chen Lin’s mind.

And Fu Yangqing’s warning: "Someone is targeting you."

"Heh."

Chen Lin sneered, a playful arc forming at the corner of his mouth.

’A fishing expedition, huh?’

His fingers hovered over the keyboard as he thought for a few seconds.

Then, instead of clicking "Reply," he marked the email as "Pending" and dragged it into a folder named "Suspicious Contacts."

’You want me to go to the Beautiful Country?’

Chen Lin closed his laptop, lay down on his bed, and stared at the ceiling, muttering to himself.

"In your dreams."

He, Chen Lin, might be young, but he wasn’t stupid.

Getting paid was a good thing, but you had to be alive to spend it.

He understood this principle better than anyone.

...

...

「Meanwhile, on the other side of the world.」

Somewhere on the East Coast of the Beautiful Country.

A private manor hidden deep in a forested mountain was brightly lit.

From the outside, the manor looked perfectly ordinary, like the country villa of some retired tycoon.

But if anyone could get inside, they would discover that its security level was comparable to the military bases of some small countries.

At this moment, in a study on the second floor of the main manor house, Elena Caroline was sitting upright behind a massive mahogany desk.

The computer screen in front of her displayed a video call window.

In the window was an old man with graying hair and a stern expression.

It was none other than the director of the Cray Mathematics Institute—Martin Bridson.

"The invitation has been sent,"

Bridson’s voice came through the speakers, tinged with an imperceptible weariness and helplessness.

"Including those... ’special terms’ you specified. I wrote them in as instructed."

The corners of Elena’s mouth turned up slightly in a satisfied smile.

"Thank you for your hard work, Professor Bridson."

Her voice was soft and magnetic, alluringly seductive:

"Rest assured, everything you’ve done is merely to promote academic exchange. No one will question that."

Bridson was silent for a few seconds, his brow tightly furrowed.

He was a pure academic who had dealt with mathematics his entire life. He hated this kind of convoluted business more than anything.

But now, he had no choice but to yield.

Because Elena and the people behind her were figures he could not afford to offend.

Those people... could reduce everything he had worked so hard to build in the academic world to nothing overnight.

"I must state for the record," Bridson finally couldn’t help but say, his tone stiff,

"I am merely acting in accordance with the committee’s resolution. Chen Lin’s paper truly deserves the opportunity for a special report. That is the consensus in the academic community."

"As for the rest..." He paused. "I know nothing about it."

"Of course, of course."

Elena chuckled, a sound that sent a chill down Bridson’s spine.

"We simply hope this young genius has an opportunity to see the Western World."

"To broaden his horizons, to connect with a wider academic circle."

"It will only benefit his future development, with no drawbacks."

"It’s just academic exchange, after all..."

A meaningful glint flashed in Elena’s eyes.

"What could be more normal?"

Hearing this, the feeling of unease in Bridson’s heart grew stronger.

But he said nothing, only nodding silently.

He knew he had no way out.

From the moment he accepted this "mission," he had boarded a ship he couldn’t leave.

"Then, Professor Bridson."

Elena’s voice sounded again, her tone becoming all business.

"If Chen Lin accepts the invitation, notify me immediately."

"And if he doesn’t come?"

Bridson couldn’t help but ask.

Elena’s smile didn’t falter in the slightest; if anything, she seemed even more composed.

"If he doesn’t come..."

She gently twirled a pen in her hand, her voice casual.

"We’ve naturally prepared for the possibility of his non-attendance."

"After all..."

Her gaze fell upon a file on her desk. The name "Chen Lin" was written on it, accompanied by several blurry photographs.

"A genius this brilliant will always attract countless eyes."

"He can refuse one invitation, but he can’t hide in Huaxia forever."

"We have plenty of time."

"And plenty of patience."

After the video call ended, silence returned to the study.

Elena leaned back in her chair, her fingers tapping lightly on the armrest, her gaze profound.

"Chen Lin..."

she murmured to herself, the curve of her lips holding a hint of amusement.

...

...

「December 27th, Saturday.」

The winter sunlight of Jinmen lazily spilled through the gap in the curtains and into Chen Lin’s rented apartment.

For once, Chen Lin slept in.

After getting back last night, he didn’t do anything. He just washed up and went straight to bed.

He slept until he woke up naturally. Opening his eyes, he checked his phone—

10:00 AM.

"So comfortable."

Chen Lin stretched languidly, feeling every bone in his body crackle.

During his days in the Imperial Capital, although he appeared to be living a glamorous life, his nerves were constantly on edge, and his sleep quality was poor.

Now that he was back on his own turf, he could finally relax completely.

Just then, a faint light flashed before his eyes.

A long-unseen, translucent system panel quietly materialized in the center of his vision.

[System Upgrade Progress: 95%]

[Estimated Time to Completion: Approx. 3 days]

Chen Lin froze for a moment, then his spirits lifted.

"Holy crap, it’s finally doing something?"

Ever since the last system prompt—"Advanced to Second Year. System upgrade commencing"—this thing had been completely silent.

It didn’t issue any tasks or give any prompts, just like a frozen computer.

Chen Lin had thought it had glitched out or gone on strike completely.

He never expected it to pop up on its own today.

’Three days...’

Chen Lin rubbed his chin, mentally calculating the date.

’Today is the 27th, so three days from now will be the 30th...’

’So it’ll be around the end of the year?’

He had a vague premonition that this system upgrade might bring something different.

’What new functions will the "Second Year" system have?’

’New titles?’

’Or new types of missions?’

’Or maybe...’

The more Chen Lin thought about it, the more excited he became, but he quickly shook his head, forcing himself to suppress his anticipation.

’No point thinking about it; I’ll have to wait three days anyway.’

’I’ll find out when the time comes.’

Still, the news inexplicably improved his mood for the day.