All Chapters of IQ Showdown: Everyone Thinks I'm the Idiot: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Just one month after being recognized as the biological son of the Jefferson family, my wealthy parents signed me up for The Clash of Minds, an academic game show. They tried to paint it in a positive light by claiming it was a chance for Anthony Jefferson, the son they had raised in my place, and I to get to know each other better.I knew that in reality, they just wanted me to be the foil to Anthony to make him look good.Sure enough, the moment the director pushed me onto the stage, a wave of undisguised snickering erupted from the audience.Anthony laughed so hard he nearly doubled over. He turned to Charlotte Sullivan, a contestant with a PhD in physics, and remarked, "You're going to have to take it easy during the debate round later, Dr. Sullivan. A certain someone here didn't even graduate from high school, but he's expected to discuss graviton models with us. Isn't that asking a little too much of him?"Charlotte adjusted her glasses, her eyes filled with the arrogance of

I looked right past Anthony, fixing my eyes on the director and the panel of experts seated among the audience."Go ahead and verify my answer."Unsure of what to do, the director turned to the experts for help. One of them was Dawn Clark, an elderly woman with graying hair and reading glasses perched on her nose. She was a leading authority in the world of physics and the one who'd designed this challenge.Clearly, she hadn't expected this situation either. After being briefly caught off guard, she quietly whispered something to her assistant, who immediately began the verification process.Less than five minutes later, the assistant's face turned pale. He stumbled over to Dawn, his lips trembling as he exclaimed, "D-Dr. Clark! The coordinates… are right, with the margin of error being on the order of millimeters!" All at once, every camera turned toward me yet again.The marker Charlotte was holding fell onto the floor with a loud clack while she mumbled, "No… That's impossib

In an instant, the remaining color in Anthony's face drained out as well. His lips trembled, but he couldn't speak at all. He wanted to shout at me, to ask me who the hell I thought I was, but the words got stuck in his throat.The cameras on set shoved in close to our faces, frantically trying to capture every detail of his breakdown. The livestream chat was blowing up, too."Holy crap! He's the director of the National Institute of Physics? He was offered a spot at the top universities in the country at just 14 years old? What the hell? Is this some kind of fairy tale?""X… His codename is X? I remember now! That academic paper published in Nature last year that completely overturned the existing physics model was written by someone with the codename X!""So the guy we've been mocking and calling a brainless pretty boy this whole time is actually the director of the National Institute of Physics? He's X, the legendary figure in the physics world?""I can't believe it. I feel lik

The most crucial piece of information to complete the graviton turbulence model I'd been working on for years was hidden inside that lost ancient city of Louviere.When the helicopter circled above the coordinates, there was nothing below except endless dunes.Voices of doubt began filling the livestream chat."Is that all? I thought this was supposed to be some lost city? There's nothing but sand for miles around!""Is he going to make a fool of himself after all?"Ignoring the cameras, I pulled out my tablet, bringing up the geological radar scan I'd already prepared."According to my calculations, an updraft forms on the windward side, carrying away the sand. A vortex forms on the leeward side, causing the sediment to accumulate."I pointed to an extremely inconspicuous depression on the screen and gave the pilot an order."Head 17 degrees east of north from the coordinates and descend 100 feet. The sand layer beneath that depression has an abnormal density. There's a hollow

Charlotte and the others screamed and dropped flat onto the ground, while I had already darted to the other side of the stone tablet the moment I pressed the button.Amid the dust, the thieves were knocked flat on the ground. Although none of them had been squashed beneath the bronze ornament, the massive shockwave and flying debris had left them dazed and disoriented. Their weapons had also been knocked from their hands.A chunk of bronze had fallen onto the leader's leg. Clutching his leg, he howled in agony.None of them could have ever imagined that this ancient city, which had lain dormant for a thousand years, could be used as a live trap to ensnare them."What's going on?""It's a trap! This godforsaken place must be covered in secret mechanisms!"The men shouted in terror as they struggled to their feet, grabbing at their weapons.Alas, it was too late.More than a dozen figures rushed in through the shrine's many entrances. They wore special operations gear and carried