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

murderer

The days of taking it easy passed quickly. Before he knew it, school was over for the day.Before leaving, Jiang Chen made a point of chatting with Chen Xi about the upcoming competition. The more he learned, the more confused he became.The so-called "Provincial Youth Knowledge Competition" wasn't a written exam like he had imagined. It was a televised event, similar to shows like Poetry Conference or Character Conference, broadcast live during primetime.That meant Jiang Chen was going to be on TV over the weekend.The thought was actually a little exciting.As for answering questions, he wasn't worried about embarrassing himself. Since they were competing as a three-person team, Bai Bing and Chen Xi would take the lead. He planned to just coast along in the background.Speaking of Bai Bing, though...Jiang Chen glanced back as he rode his bike.Not far behind him, sure enough, a small figure on a shared bicycle trailed along.Uh...What was she trying to do? Back at school, he had asked her what was up with that Rubik's Cube, but she hadn't said a word.And now this—Jiang Chen really doubted she just happened to be going the same way.He gently squeezed his brakes, slowed down, and pulled up alongside her."Do you take this route home too?""Oh, yes! This is my route too.""Want to come over to my place?""Ah? N-no... maybe another time.""Alright then. I turn up ahead. See you tomorrow.""Oh... okay. See you tomorrow."Jiang Chen turned his handlebars and veered into the small side street on the left.Watching his figure disappear down the road, Bai Bing felt a wave of disappointment."It didn't work... What should I do next?"She pulled a small notebook from her pocket and flipped to the last page.She paused thoughtfully, then hesitantly crossed out a line and murmured to herself."According to the process, first I need to get to know him better... but tailing him is too easy to spot... I need to build a connection through daily conversation...""But how do I start a conversation? Hmm... I'll need to read up on that..."After a moment's thought, Bai Bing turned her bike around and headed back the way she came.The sun had already set. Street lamps flickered to life in the twilight, slicing the road into alternating patches of light and shadow. Beyond the pools of light lay an indistinct darkness.Only then did Bai Bing realize—she had never taken this route before.Without hesitating, she pulled out her phone to pull up a navigation app."HONK—"A sudden, jarring car horn interrupted her.A white private car slowly pulled up beside her. A middle-aged man with a simple, honest-looking face rolled down the window, a plain smile on his lips."Hey there, miss. Need a ride? Cheap. We can work out a fair price.""No thanks, Uncle. I'll ride my bike." Bai Bing waved her hands repeatedly and instinctively put her foot on the pedal."Come on now. It's dark out. A young girl riding alone—that's not safe."The man opened his car door and walked toward her, still smiling."I really don't need one!" Bai Bing stomped down on the pedal and shot off in the opposite direction.Some deep, primal instinct told her this man was dangerous.But it was already too late.A bicycle just getting up to speed could never outrun a grown man sprinting.Before she had gone far, a rough, large hand clamped down hard on her bike's rear seat!"Why won't you listen, girl?"He was still smiling. But his other hand suddenly grabbed her by the hair.Then he yanked.Bai Bing was torn clean off the bicycle. Her knees and elbows slammed into the asphalt, scraping open b****y streaks."Ahh—help... mmph—!"The sharp pain made her cry out, but then a towel, heavy with some pungent chemical, was pressed over her mouth and nose. Her cries dissolved into muffled whimpers."Shhh... shhh... don't scream... just breathe... feeling dizzy is normal..." The man's voice was soft, almost gentle. But the pressure on the towel only increased.As she struggled, Bai Bing's muffled sounds grew weaker. Her body went limp...."Hm? Did I hear something strange?"Not far away, Jiang Chen instinctively glanced back. He thought he had heard something.But when he listened carefully, there was nothing."Must have imagined it."He scratched his head and continued riding home.When he got there, he opened the door. The inside was pitch black."Looks like the old man already left for his business trip."Jiang Chen threw together a quick meal in the kitchen, then dove back into the study and turned on his computer.That morning, while reading the history book, he had noticed something strange.The recorded history of human civilization in this world spanned five million years. An unimaginable number of events should have taken place. Yet the high school history textbook only contained a tiny fraction—and every single one of those events was related to "geniuses."Every. Single. One.So what about all the history that unfolded without the involvement of geniuses? Weren't there events that shaped the fate of humanity?Famines, wars, tsunamis, plagues... such disasters happened at least a few times every century. Millions perished.But none of that appeared in the high school history books.It was as if, in humanity's long history, only the eras touched by geniuses were worth recording.Conversely, while historical texts lavished pages on the achievements of geniuses, no source could describe their daily lives.Their hobbies. Their personalities. Their habits. Nothing.Geniuses were treated like mannequins dressed in accomplishments. Their character profiles were thinner than paper-cutout anime characters.But that made no sense! They were geniuses! They should have been the most closely watched people in the world.Their achievements could fill the entire span of human history, yet their personal lives left not a single word online.It didn't add up."Since I can't find anything online, I guess I'll have to ask the all-knowing netizens..."Jiang Chen opened a forum and posted a thread.[Hey guys, anyone know what 'geniuses' like to eat? I want to eat some to boost my brain.]Not long after, notification sounds chimed."Huh? Geniuses eat? Aren't they supposed to absorb the energy of heaven and earth?"*"Nonsense. I know about geniuses. My buddy's friend's classmate's mom's older brother's great-uncle is the 18th-generation descendant of a genius. He said geniuses get daily nutrient injections to save time and save the world."*"You know nothing about geniuses. Nobody knows geniuses better than me. Geniuses don't actually exist. God just sends down angels every so often. Amen.""Huh? I thought it was aliens?"...What was wrong with these netizens?Jiang Chen shook his head helplessly and kept scrolling.Then, one particular reply caught his attention."Hahaha, lol. You think you're qualified to learn about geniuses' personal tastes? If you're so curious, why don't you go ask T-brain?"Under that reply, many others chimed in agreement."Exactly! Why don't you go ask the all-knowing T-brain?""Hahaha, like he'd have access to T-brain. Otherwise why would he be asking dumb questions online?"T-brain?What was T-brain?Jiang Chen thought for a moment, then searched for the keyword "T-brain" online. A collection of information appeared before him.The emergence of T-brain dated back ten thousand years.At that time, humanity had been in the information age for nearly ten millennia, yet no major breakthroughs had occurred.Then came the most brilliant era since the dawn of human civilization.That year—a year when geniuses appeared only once in a millennium—there were twenty-eight of them.Their fields spanned physics, chemistry, history, biology, literature, economics—nearly every domain of human knowledge.Working together, they created the world's first—and only—artificial intelligence. They named it: T-brain.T-brain possessed immense intelligence and colossal computing power. It was also granted the authority to integrate all information existing on the internet.There was nothing it didn't know. Nothing it couldn't deduce.But after its creation, the geniuses, fearing misuse, built a password barrier. As a result, T-brain's access was completely closed to the public. Theoretically, only geniuses themselves had both the qualifications and the ability to access it."Whoa. A super AI? Interesting. I wonder just how intelligent it really is."Jiang Chen browsed around some more, but most of what he found online about T-brain's capabilities came from wild speculation. No one had ever posted any firsthand experience.Not surprising, though. Over 1,300 years had passed since the last genius had appeared, so no one alive had the right to access T-brain.Finding nothing useful online, Jiang Chen dropped the matter for the time being. He played on his computer for a while, then went to bed....Jiang Chen was woken up by the sound of his phone ringing."~Your grandson is calling~ Your grandson is calling~..."At first, he thought it was an alarm he'd forgotten to turn off from the day before, but then he remembered—this ringtone was for phone calls."Who is it, calling at this hour? Let people sleep..."He fumbled for the phone while still half in bed and answered."Hello.""Hello. Is this Jiang Chen from Linchuan High School?""This is he. Who's this?""This is the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Unit. We've confirmed that your classmate Bai Bing has been caught up in a serial murder case. She is currently in grave danger. As a friend of Bai Bing's, you may possess vital information. We need you to come to the station to assist with our investigation.A police car will arrive at your building shortly."What?This is a dream, right?I haven't woken up yet?At that moment, that was the only thought in Jiang Chen's mind.