When I Woke Up, Everyone’s IQ Dropped by 1000

Innovation Class

Linchuan High School was massive, with at least ten classroom buildings alone. Li Mingde led Jiang Chen through the connecting corridors, and soon they reached the top floor of the sixth building.Stepping onto that floor, Jiang Chen's first impression could be summed up in one word: quiet. Eerily quiet.It was seven in the morning. Most classes were in their morning reading session, and the noisy drone of students reading aloud formed the background hum of the entire school. But on this floor, not a single classroom made a sound.Soon, Li Mingde stopped with Jiang Chen outside one particular classroom.There was no class number on the door—just a black sign with three characters: Innovation Class.Even standing at the door, no sound came from inside.Is there really anyone in there? Or do Innovation Class students have some special study method that doesn't require making noise? Silent reading? Telepathic learning? Brainwave scanning? Divine consciousness? Okay, probably not that ridiculous...Just as Jiang Chen's imagination was running wild, Li Mingde pushed open the door. Jiang Chen peered inside curiously—and couldn't help raising an eyebrow.Inside the classroom, about twenty students were neatly slumped over their desks—sleeping.Looking at the sea of sleeping faces, Li Mingde let out a helpless sigh, walked up to the podium, and rapped hard on the blackboard."Wake up! Go home if you want to sleep."At the sound, the students slowly lifted their heads, bleary-eyed.From a corner, a kid with dyed blond hair—looking like your typical troublemaker—rubbed his eyes and complained, "Old Li, isn't this the morning nap period?""This is morning reading, dammit!" Li Mingde's temple veins bulged."I usually can't be bothered with you lot, but we have a new student today. Don't lead him astray!"He turned to Jiang Chen: "Jiang Chen, take the empty seat behind Blondie. And try not to talk to him too much."The students, intrigued by the rare sight of a newcomer, perked up. Low murmurs rippled through the room."Interesting. How long has it been since we got a new student?""Want to test his mettle?""No need. He just got here—his thinking is still at the regular high school level. Testing him now won't tell us anything."Amid the chatter, Jiang Chen made his way to his seat and set down his bag. Before he could even unpack, Blondie swiveled around."Hey, buddy. I'm Chen Xi.""Jiang Chen.""Whoa. Name sounds like a main character. So tell me—whose connections got you in? What's your background?" Chen Xi squinted, leaning in."What? I got in on my own merit.""Of course I know you passed the test. But whoever recommended you can't be ordinary," Chen Xi said confidently."Oh? What makes you say that?" Jiang Chen was intrigued.Truth be told, Jiang Chen didn't know who had recommended him either. His dad probably did, but he'd never thought to ask."Usually, when we get a new student, there's an in-class assessment. We the students set the questions. The goal is to take the newcomer down a peg." Chen Xi tossed his head, flipping his bangs. "After all, everyone here was top of their old school. They always show up overconfident. So we need to make them realize the gap between this class and their old one."But this time, there's no test. That means Old Li is going easy on you. Unless... he thinks you're so good that we'd be the ones getting our confidence crushed.""Well... that's not entirely impossible," Jiang Chen said, scratching his head.Even though he now knew that the general population's intelligence was far below that of his original world, this was still the Innovation Class. These were the sharpest minds in the entire city.These kids should be about as smart as me... right?Probably...I hope..."Forget it. Our class is on a whole different level from wherever you came from. Let me give you a rundown—don't say I didn't warn you." Chen Xi looked around."See that guy in the first row, third from the left—the one with the black-rimmed glasses? He can do mental arithmetic for addition and subtraction up to 1,000, and multiplication and division within 50. And I mean actual calculation, not just memorized answers. Give him scratch paper, and he can do five-digit addition and subtraction, and multiplication and division within 100, with over eighty percent accuracy."Second row, sixth one—that girl. She's memorized over a hundred classic poems. More importantly, she can recall the translations for nearly half of them. You've heard of the National Poetry Conference? She was runner-up last year."Far left by the window—Bai Bing. She's a general knowledge powerhouse. No matter the subject, she's got a solid foundation. She's representing Linchuan this Sunday in the Provincial Youth Knowledge Competition. Along with me, and last year's champion, Cheng Peng... Hey, Cheng Peng isn't here today."Listening to Chen Xi rattle off these introductions with obvious pride, Jiang Chen silently retracted his earlier thought.Most of these kids are also... low-intelligence.Just slightly smarter low-intelligence."By the way, you mentioned general knowledge, classical literature, and math. Does everyone in the Innovation Class study something different?" Jiang Chen was curious."Of course. You passed the Innovation Class interview, so you've clearly already mastered all the high school material. Why else would you come here—to prepare for the college entrance exam?" Chen Xi looked baffled."In the Innovation Class, to help each person make the most of their talents, everyone chooses their own focus. Even Old Li doesn't interfere. At the back of the classroom, there are materials for every subject. Pick what you like and learn it. If you need a book, just ask Old Li to buy it—the old guy has plenty of money."After studying for a while, if you feel ready for a competition, just go compete. Get a good result, and you'll get recommended to whatever university you want.""And what if you don't place?" Jiang Chen asked."You're in the Innovation Class. How could you not place?" Chen Xi looked at Jiang Chen as if he'd asked something absurd.Whoa. So this is the world of top students. I'm not used to being one of them.Jiang Chen felt a small wave of emotion.Chen Xi then went on to list more "privileges" the Innovation Class enjoyed—no flag-raising ceremonies, no morning runs, no cleaning duties—before yawning and face-planting back onto his desk."Stayed up late gaming last night. Need more sleep. Since it's your first day, grab a book from the back shelf if anything interests you. If you get bored, you can game. The next classroom over is our dedicated computer room—good hardware."Watching Chen Xi immediately fall back asleep, Jiang Chen smiled wryly, then began curiously looking around.The Innovation Class classroom was different from what he was used to at Zhiyuan High. It was about the size of two regular classrooms, holding fewer than twenty students. Each desk was about two meters apart, making the room feel even more spacious.His eyes naturally fell on a quote posted on the wall.He remembered a famous saying from his original world: *"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration." — Thomas Edison (AD 1847–1931)*Though that had long been debunked, it still hung in classrooms everywhere, fooling elementary school kids.Now, the quote on the wall read:"A genius is a genius—it has nothing to do with effort or inspiration." — Edison (AD 1807429–1807492)That, Jiang Chen realized, was the true motto of this world. If in his old world, there was a saying that "two heads are better than one," here, a thousand ordinary heads racked for ideas would only serve as entertainment for a single genius.What exactly is a so-called "genius" in this world?If "genius" is just someone at my level... could an infinite number of me have advanced human civilization from hunter-gatherers to its current state?Probably... not...Never mind. Overthinking it. At least this new world isn't a bad thing—for me, anyway.He shook his head lightly and continued scanning the room. His gaze naturally came to rest on the girl by the window—the one named Bai Bing.No particular reason. She was just beautiful enough that it was hard to look away.She wore the standard blue-and-white school uniform. Her skin was fair, her features delicate, her long black hair tied in the simple low ponytail common among high school girls. She was propping her cheek on one hand, reading a book, the morning sunlight wrapping her in a warm, golden glow. As for her exact appearance... well.Every boy, sometime during their school years, finds themselves attracted to someone fresh as morning dew. And clearly, Bai Bing was exactly that kind of girl.At least on the surface.This Innovation Class is great. Definitely worth attending.Jiang Chen had little interest in dating. His mother had been absent since he was young, and growing up alone with his father had made him more mature than most kids his age.Besides, a girl this beautiful—the kind clearly raised with money—would probably never cross paths with him in any meaningful way.Still, getting to look at a pretty girl every day would certainly lift his spirits.Suddenly, his eyes fixed on a book on the back shelf.*Five Million Years Up and Down. *Jiang Chen hesitated, then got up, walked to the shelf, and pulled out every history-related book he could find.