Chapter 4

This was no longer just a challenge on a game show. It felt more like an attempt to humiliate someone.

Anthony laughed so hard he nearly doubled over, as if he could already picture me standing in front of the whiteboard, unable to write a single word, before ultimately being ridiculed by the entire internet.

With everyone's eyes fixed on me, I walked up to the whiteboard. After glancing briefly at the problem, I picked up the marker and started writing without any hesitation.

Charlotte's expression was contemptuous at first, but soon, her jaw dropped. Her eyes filled with shock.

Dawn abruptly shot to her feet as well. She shoved her chair aside and rushed to the edge of the stage. She had to grip the side for support, her entire body trembling from excitement.

Once I completed the answer, I turned around and saw Dawn staring at me intensely.

Charlotte was also staring in stunned disbelief. "He actually solved it..."

Every single person present was completely thunderstruck.

"Are you telling me a high school dropout actually solved one of the toughest physics problems known to man?"

"What the hell? Just who is Noah Jefferson?"

"No! There's no way! He must've gotten the answer beforehand. He orchestrated this entire thing!" Anthony pointed at me furiously, his face twisted in a gruesome way.

"That's enough! No one has ever solved this problem before. There's no way he could have gotten the answer in advance!" Dawn was still shaking, her face red from anger.

She shoved the table in front of her aside and, ignoring the staff trying to stop her, staggered onto the stage.

Alarmed, the director tried to stop her with a few of the production crew. "Dr. Clark! Please calm down, Dr. Clark."

But she couldn't be stopped. She pushed right past everyone and came up to me. Then, with all eyes on us, she bowed and said, "Greetings, director!"

Everyone, both the audience in the studio and the viewers watching the livestream, was dumbfounded.

"Director?"

"Who is she calling a director?"

"Who else could it be? The only director Dr. Clark would show this much respect to is the director of the National Institute of Physics!"

"What? Are you telling me that Noah Jefferson is the director of the National Institute of Physics?"

The smug smile on Anthony's face went stiff. He stared at me blankly, his mind going completely empty. For a moment, he couldn't say a word.

Charlotte, Eugenie, Alicia… All of these proud contestants who considered themselves among the brightest minds in the country looked completely gobsmacked.

I looked at Dawn and, with a helpless sigh, I smiled at her. "I wanted to surprise you, Dr. Clark. I didn't expect you to recognize me."

My voice was soft, but the microphone clipped to Dawn's collar carried it clearly throughout the entire studio.

Her excitement was palpable as she met my eyes. "I can't believe I had the honor of seeing you solve the problem that has stumped the world of physics for years now! It is truly the honor of a lifetime."

I chuckled. "I was originally hoping to keep a low profile. Looks like that's no longer possible."

With that, I turned around. Ignoring the stunned faces of the audience, I walked straight over to the dumbstruck Ryan, took the microphone from his hands, and slowly approached Anthony, who was now pale as a sheet.

Stopping in front of him, I noticed the fear in his quivering eyes and smirked coldly.

"I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Noah Jefferson. At 14, I was offered a guaranteed spot at the top universities in the country. I'm also currently the director of the National Institute of Physics. You might know me by my codename, X," I said to the audience before turning back to Anthony.

Smirking, I continued, "Now, tell me again which institute of physics was it that hired you."