Chapter Fifty-Six: Duan Rui’s Sense of Defeat
At this moment, Fang Nian was feeling quite flustered, even blaming the girl for not playing by the rules.
Duan Rui’s challenge hadn’t dampened the audience’s enthusiasm for solving the problem; in fact, many had already thrown themselves into a frenzied calculation, fearing that Fang Nian would announce the answer before they had a chance to work it out themselves.
But only Fang Nian knew the pain inside his heart. He truly couldn’t solve this problem—there was nothing he could do about it. That was a fatal flaw.
With that realization, Fang Nian had no choice but to admit defeat. This was beyond his grasp; after all, he wasn’t a deity.
But just then, a voice from the audience drifted up to Fang Nian’s ears with a sigh.
“This heptagon puzzle is really tough. I wonder who designed it.”
“Heptagon puzzle? That name sounds familiar.”
Fang Nian’s mind started racing—not to calculate, but to search his memory for anything related to the heptagon puzzle.
“Dudeney, the heptagon puzzle. That’s it!”
A surge of excitement washed over him. He remembered now: wasn’t this very combination lock the famous heptagon puzzle invented by Henry Ernest Dudeney, one of the founding fathers of modern recreational mathematics in Fang Nian’s old world?
That man had invented countless interesting problems. Back in high school, Fang Nian had read many of his books, hoping to impress the girls around him by explaining such puzzles. The famous heptagon puzzle had left a deep impression on him.
With that, Fang Nian closed his eyes and recalled the steps. His hands soon danced across the computer keyboard at lightning speed.
The audience had been struggling with the problem for quite a while, and now their only hope was Fang Nian. But when they saw him up on stage, eyes closed as he solved the puzzle, many nearly spat out blood in disbelief.
“Damn, is this guy even human? In front of such a beautiful girl, he dares to act like this? Doesn’t he feel any guilt?”
“Exactly! He answers before she’s even finished. And now, he’s solving the problem with his eyes closed? Is he even a man? How could he embarrass Rui Rui like that?”
“Hey, he doesn’t look like he’s solving a problem at all. More like he’s possessed by some spirit—is he using supernatural means? Is he some kind of shaman?”
“No way! Didn’t you see his skills earlier? None of those problems were easy, and he solved every one instantly. I think Duan Rui’s in real trouble this time—she’s met her match.”
...
At this moment, Duan Rui herself was close to losing her composure. She had been so confident in her judgment, but now, none of it seemed to matter.
If he really answered this third question, then she would lose—and she had no desire to join the ranks of this petty man.
But she had no other options now. All she could hope was that he was just putting on an act.
Yet, when Fang Nian struck the final key and sent his answer to the three-dimensional projection, Duan Rui knew... it was over.
Fang Nian’s answer appeared on the projection, immediately drawing all eyes to it. Unlike before, this solution was long and complex, and clearly displayed as follows:
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + ... +
182 – 7
So the sum of the seven numbers at the vertices is 77.
1 × 7
10 + 2
9 + 2
8 + 2
Adding 11, there are seven numbers in total, summing to 77.
Therefore, the seven vertex numbers are: 8 to 14
26 – 4 + 3 + 12
26 – 4 + 3 + 11
26 – 4 + 3 + 2 + 11
26 – 4 + 3 + 2 + 10
26 – 3 + 2 + 1 + 10
26 – 2 + 1 + 9
26 – 1 + 0 + 9
Thus, the final answer is:
(11) + 7 + (8) + 6 + (12) + 5 + (9) + 4 + (13) + 3 + (10) + 2 + (14) + 1 + (11)
Or:
(10) + 7 + (9) + 5 + (12) + 6 + (8) + 4 + (14) + 1 + (11) + 2 + (13) + 3 + (10)
The numbers in parentheses are those at the vertices.
A stir rippled through the audience. The cascade of numbers made Fang Nian appear extremely professional; for those unaccustomed to such mathematical reasoning, it was like reading a cryptic tome.
“Unbelievable! If anyone dares call this guy useless again, I’ll fight them myself. This is insane.”
“Incredible! Not only did he solve it, but he even found two solutions. That’s just too much.”
“Exactly! That ‘or’ between the two solutions is infuriating. Probably even the problem’s creator didn’t expect there’d be two ways to unlock it. Isn’t that a slap in the face?”
“Haha, the once-proud genius has finally fallen. She used to be so arrogant—now this is satisfying to watch. I’ve decided, I’ll support the Xia family from now on, just for this guy’s spirit. It’s exhilarating!”
...
The heated atmosphere in the room was in stark contrast to Duan Rui’s icy despair. Faced with such a flawless answer, she truly had no way to refute it. Hit by defeat after defeat, she felt an indescribable sense of failure—something she had never experienced in her twenty-odd years of life.
With this in mind, Duan Rui looked up at Fang Nian, feeling a sudden urge to cry.
The elder of the Duan family, seeing this, hurried up to the stage.
“All right, now the two sides will switch places, and Fang—”
“No need.”
Before he could finish, a deep but spirited voice interrupted. Moments later, the crowd saw an elderly man with snow-white hair, walking with the vigor of youth, ascend the podium.
In an instant, the audience erupted in a wave of excitement.
“Oh my god, it’s Duan Lenghan! Who would have thought a hunting forum would even attract him?”
“Isn’t it obvious? He’s here to stand up for his granddaughter. The Xia family is in trouble now—look at how they bullied the girl. They’re not getting away with this.”
“Yeah, and it turns out this Fang guy really is a troublemaker. The Xia family could never have imagined he’d anger the overlord of District 16, the Duan family.”
...
Fang Nian didn’t know Duan Lenghan, but after hearing the crowd’s gossip, he felt a chill in his heart. It seemed he really was in trouble this time.
However, the storm Fang Nian anticipated didn’t come. Instead, he was greeted by Duan Lenghan himself.
“You must be Fang Nian, yes? Hello, I’m Duan Lenghan—Duan Rui is my granddaughter.”
Fang Nian stood up awkwardly, shook his hand, and said somewhat sheepishly, “Grandpa Duan... hello.”
There was no trace of anger in Duan Lenghan’s eyes as he looked at Fang Nian. Instead, he seemed gratified.
“A fine young man,” he said. “Such knowledge at your age—no wonder Old Liu wants to marry his precious granddaughter to you. You have a bright future ahead.”
Clearly, Duan Lenghan had already investigated his background. Hearing this, Fang Nian felt a little embarrassed.
“You flatter me, Grandpa Duan.”
Seeing her grandfather arrive, Duan Rui’s sense of defiance surged back.
“Grandpa, I haven’t lost yet! I haven’t answered his question.”
Duan Lenghan waved a hand.
“Ah, Rui’er, if your skills are lacking, you must have the courage to admit it. Only by recognizing your shortcomings can you improve. I think you know there’s no need to continue.”
No one understood her grandfather better than Duan Rui. Since he’d said this, it meant she truly had lost. She lost her temper and stood quietly to the side.
Fang Nian smiled slightly and suddenly asked, “Sister Duan, does our wager still stand?”
Duan Lenghan had heard about their bet on the way over. With his status, of course he wouldn’t let his granddaughter go back on her word. He laughed heartily.
“Of course it stands. As soon as the banquet is over, you can take her away.”
Then Duan Lenghan added in a booming voice, “Help me teach this girl a good lesson.”
With such official endorsement, Fang Nian could only nod and smile awkwardly at Duan Lenghan.
“All right,” said the old man, “the lecture has gone on long enough. I’m sure everyone is hungry. Let’s not waste any more time—let’s all move to the banquet hall. Don’t forget, there’s a feast waiting for us.”
With that, Duan Lenghan led Duan Rui toward the banquet hall.
Watching the pair leave, Fang Nian finally breathed a sigh of relief. No matter what, he had secured the first member of his team.
After all, in today’s District 16, Duan Rui’s skills were among the very best. Having such a code-breaking expert on his side would be a tremendous asset in the future.