The early morning.
A subway station exit in Shanghai.
A man in a suit took out his mobile phone and was about to order a ride to the office. However, after opening the app, he was surprised to find that there were no cars nearby.
“That’s strange, why are there no cars available?”
Are there a lot of people taking taxis today?
The man standing next to him spoke with a smile.
“Have you not heard? A conference is going to be held these few days. The main roads in the second ring are basically closed.”
“The roads are closed? Why didn’t I know about this?”
“There was a text message notification, did you not pay attention? Haven’t you noticed there are no cars on the highway?”
The man in the suit raised his head and was shocked.
“Oh f*ck true, not a single car?!”
“Of course. Just wait for the bus honestly.”
A person who looked a little older stood beside them and heard their conversation. He curiously inserted himself into the conversation.
“What conference? Why haven’t I heard of it?”
“The Century of Physics conference… Everyone on Weibo is discussing this matter. Do you not go on the internet?”
“The Century of Physics conference? Oh, I don’t study physics, so I don’t know… Besides, surely it’s not as lively as the Nobel Prize ceremony.”
“It’s more lively than ten Nobel Prize award ceremonies! Do you know what this conference means? More than 100,000 physicists from all over the world came to Shanghai for it! In addition to discussing the world’s most cutting-edge physics propositions, 100 physics problems will be announced! Apparently, anyone who can solve any one of these hundred problems would receive a bonus of at least one million yuan.”
The people standing next to him were shocked.
“The f*ck! So much money?!”
“It is?” The man with glasses chuckled and said, “Maybe! But I think that for people who can solve these problems, one million is not a lot.”
Not to mention that the annual salary of the Institute of Physics at the Jinling Institute for Advanced Study for senior researchers was probably higher than this number.
This was like the Nobel Prize.
Compared to the medal itself, everything else was just a bonus.
Especially for a scholar.
If they had fame and reputation, why would they worry about things like money?
Knowledge was the only thing in the world that would not inflate over time.
“But it’s just an academic conference… Is it that serious?”
The man with glasses spoke.
“You know nothing! This is a moment for the Chinese physics community to stand on the top of the world. Not to mention that even the president came from Beijing. Is blocking the traffic too much?”
The president is coming?!
The people nearby were shocked.
Most people did not fully understand what this academic conference meant to the world and to China, but if the president was coming to Shanghai, then it must be very important…
…
Lu Zhou had been in Shanghai for nearly half a month.
During this time, he was busy with the world-class physics summit called “Century of Physics”.
Now, it was finally the day the conference began.
Lu Zhou looked at the crowds outside of the International Convention and Exhibition Center. He felt relieved.
Lu Zhou saw more and more people gathering. He then looked at the person in charge of the conference organization and spoke.
“Open the venue.”
The person in charge of the conference organization spoke.
“But… It’s still half an hour before it starts.”
Lu Zhou looked out of the window and said with a smile, “Who knows how many people will be here in half an hour. If we start the security check now, we will be able to relax later. Remember, this is academia, drop the formalities. Let’s welcome the scholars that came from afar.”
“Yes, Mr. Chairman.”
The person nodded, turned around, and walked away.
The gate of the convention and exhibition center was opened. The queue lines formed a maze in front of the convention and exhibition center.
Although major international conferences had been held here before, this was the first time for the Shanghai International Convention and Exhibition Center to host this kind of physics summit.
Shanghai had never had this many physicists in its city before.
Not even when Lu Zhou held his report here.
Fortunately, the staff here were competent. They appeared to be under control. Everything was proceeding in an orderly manner.
Eight o’clock in the morning.
It was time for the venue to be opened officially.
The flow of people at the entrance of the International Convention and Exhibition Center had reached a peak.
The world’s top physicists, as well as experts working in the world’s top physics universities and research institutions, were all gathered here.
It was no exaggeration to say that if someone picked up a rock and threw it, it would likely hit a Nobel Prize candidate on the head.
The first floor of the main stadium.
Lu Zhou looked at the physicists with different skin colors as he spoke emotionally.
“I didn’t expect so many people to research physics.”
Luo Wenxuan spoke with a smile.
“In fact, it’s not that much. If we evenly distribute land to everyone, each physicist can have more than a thousand square kilometers of land.”
“Is that including Antarctica?”
“Haha, there are also scientific research stations in Antarctica.”
“Then you might as well count the land on the Moon and Mars.”
“True… Wait, Mars?” Luo Wenxuan looked at Lu Zhou with surprise. He said, “What’s the situation with Mars? Could it be—”
“Shh.”
Lu Zhou put his index finger in front of his lips.
Luo Wenxuan immediately understood, and he nodded.
“I see, I get it.”
“Good, don’t say anything.” Lu Zhou saw that Luo Wenxuan seemed to have something to say. He asked, “What’s wrong?”
Luo Wenxuan smiled embarrassedly. He reached out his hand and scratched the back of his head.
“No, nothing, I just want to say that you’re awesome…”
Lu Zhou: “…”
Although the International Convention and Exhibition Center gates were opened, the opening highlight of the “Century of Physics” conference wouldn’t begin until later.
Luo Wenxuan and Lu Zhou wandered casually in the poster exhibition area.
There were a lot of people here, so it was very crowded.
The entire lobby on the first floor was filled with posters. Each poster booth was less than five square meters.
Although the space was limited, no one complained.
As the world’s top physics summit, for newcomers who had not yet achieved success, this was the best opportunity to show their work to the world and communicate face-to-face with their peers.
Whether it was a master’s student or a professor who was already well-known in the field of physics, identity did not matter here.
They were all scholars.
Because of the huge flow of people, in addition to the problem of congestion, there were also safety risks.
However, Lu Zhou was not worried about safety.
Some scholars entering the venue were well-known figures in the physics world. Even a piece of paper or a paper clip wouldn’t pass through the two security checkpoints.
Coupled with the fact that Wang Peng and his colleagues were scattered around, there was no need to worry about safety. Lu Zhou could calmly enjoy this academic feast.
The posters displayed in the lobby on the first floor were very interesting.
Even though the academic viewpoints on many of the posters were still a bit naive, they contained some interesting insights, which was rare in serious academic conferences.
For Lu Zhou, these interesting ideas were sometimes even more useful than normal academic ideas. If he saw an interesting poster, Lu Zhou didn’t mind stopping and exchanging a few words with the young people next to the booth. Perhaps the next top physicist could be standing there.
After all, everyone had to start from somewhere.
After walking around in the lobby on the first floor, Luo Wenxuan glanced at his watch and spoke.
“The meeting will begin soon.”
“Don’t worry, still fifteen minutes.”
Luo Wenxuan raised his eyebrows slightly with surprise.
“Aren’t you going to prepare in advance?”
“There is nothing to prepare, it’s not an academic report.” Lu Zhou smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I got this.”
