Chapter 256: Guiding Through the Maze

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

“Hey, how did we end up in the computer science department!” The three of them unknowingly found themselves in the place where they used to attend classes.

“Talk about taking a stroll down memory lane, and we end up in the most familiar place! Well, let’s go check out some other places!” Li Yang couldn’t help but feel a bit amazed that even after graduating for several years, the muscle memory was still there.

“Since we’re already here, why not go inside and reminisce about our old class days?”

“Sounds good, let’s go!”

The three of them entered the building, and maybe because it was just past noon, there were hardly any people in the classrooms. They wandered around based on their own memories.

“Hey, isn’t that Octopus Bro? Where’s he in such a hurry to?

They saw Zhang Yu, with his head down in deep thought, but his feet were moving swiftly. In no time, he had reached the group of people.

“Octopus Bro, why are you in such a hurry? You’re not paying attention to your surroundings!” Li Yang and Zhang Yu almost collided with each other.

“Oh, it’s you guys. Remember that project the department gave us earlier? We’re at the final stage now, but there’s a problem. I’m going to check what’s going on!”

“Octopus Bro, mind if we tag along and see what’s happening? We’ll just be spectators and won’t meddle,” Li Yang, looking for some excitement, suggested he and his friends join Zhang Yu to witness the situation.

After some thought, Zhang Yu didn’t think it was a highly classified matter, so he agreed to Li Yang’s request.

“All right, you guys can come with me, but just observe, don’t say anything, and definitely no taking pictures. Is that clear?”

“No problem!” Both Zhou Chao and Li Yang assured, and Zhang Yu nodded.

“Let’s go!” With that, Zhang Yu led the group toward the laboratory.

As they entered the lab, they saw several people sitting in front of high-end computers, all busy at work. The large screen on the wall was divided into four sections, each displaying countless lines of code.

Zhou Chao watched for a while and had a rough idea. This seemed to be a combination-type firewall, suitable for many schools and businesses. He wondered how effective it was.

At that moment, the people working noticed their arrival. A person who appeared to be the team leader stood up and approached them.

“Octopus Bro, you need to see what’s going on! This system isn’t developing in the direction we anticipated, and now it’s not coming together at all!”

“Xiao Qin, don’t panic. Have you checked the code? Is there any problem?”

“Octopus Bro, I’ve thoroughly checked it from start to finish. According to our initial expectations, this should have come together perfectly. However, now it’s completely ineffective. It shouldn’t be a programming issue on our part; it’s a new problem we haven’t identified.”

“Well, don’t worry, let me double-check!” Zhang Yu said as he pulled a chair and sat down. In no time, Octopus Bro started his examination.

After about 5 minutes, Zhang Yu had gone through it all again, but he couldn’t find a suitable solution. He carefully studied the code but couldn’t find any errors. At this point, Zhang Yu was at a loss.

“Hey, can you make sense of this, Second Bro?” Li Yang lightly tapped Zhou Chao and whispered.

“Seriously, Big Bro, you graduated only a few years ago, and you’ve already forgotten everything you learned? Don’t let Octopus Bro hear you, or he might give you a good beating!”

“No way. Octopus Guy might give me a few words at most. But 1 find their project fascinating. The real question is whether they can pull it off.”

“The way they’re going about it, it’s challenging to complete. Think of it like a rootless wanderer trying to find their way or a building with unstable foundations. Even if it comes together momentarily, it’ll struggle to withstand a flood of challenges. So, I’d say their project is hanging by a thread!”

“Are you saying that if they let you handle it, you could get it done?” Li Yang looked at Zhou Chao in surprise, not expecting him to pinpoint the problem with Octopus Bro’s project so quickly.

“Of course! Just look at who 1 am, the Computer Dominated” Zhou Chao said with a smug expression, irritating Li Yang.

But it didn’t take long for Li Yang to have an idea. He turned to the entire group that had been discussing and called out, “Octopus Bro, Zhou Chao says he has figured out the problem with your project. He says your project is child’s play, very simple. He also said…uh…uh…uh!”

Zhou Chao was momentarily distracted, and without realizing it, Li Yang spilled out the bean. As Li Yang finished speaking, Zhou Chao hurriedly covered his mouth and gestured for him to be quiet. However, it was too late. The entire group now had their attention focused on Zhou Chao’s group. Some of the members even appeared a bit irritated because Li Yang had just described their project as overly simple.

“Hmm?” Upon hearing Li Yang’s words, Zhang Yu stood up and walked toward them. Zhou Chao pulled Li Yang’s hand away.

“Zhou Chao, can you really solve it?”

Before Zhou Chao could respond, Li Yang chimed in, “He can definitely do it.

He only took a quick look and already identified the problem with your project!”

“It’s impossible. You guys have been here for less than 10 minutes. How could you possibly understand the results of our hard work for the past half month?” One of the men who had previously interacted with Zhang Yu wore an expression of complete disbelief as he looked at Zhou Chao’s group.

After a considerable period of silence, Zhou Chao, looking at Zhang Yu’s hopeful expression, nodded.

“Your project is really good, especially the idea is excellent. It’s just that you haven’t thought about some issues, which is why you can’t complete the final step – integration.”

“What exactly caused it?”

“Lack of coordination leads to the inability to merge with each other, resulting in your inability to combine. Although each individual part looks good when taken separately, it’s different when you try to put them together.”

A thought suddenly flashed through Zhang Yu’s mind. He quickly returned to his chair, and Octopus Bro’s fingers danced on the keyboard.

The room was filled with the sound of the keyboard and their collective breath, and after about 10 minutes, Zhang Yu entered the final line of code. The code on the large screen seemed to meld together as if guided by a mysterious force. Everyone held their breath, and soon the verification was complete.

“Yeah! We did it!” When everyone saw the final result, they happily embraced each other. Li Yang and Zhou Chao couldn’t help feeling a bit envious.

“Zhou Chao, thank you! If it weren’t for your suggestion, we might not have known when we would have completed this project!” Zhang Yu looked at Zhou Chao and his companion with a smile.

“Octopus bro, don’t mention it. It was just a small issue! But there are still many areas in your project that need improvement. If you can address all the loopholes, 1 believe this project will bring unexpected rewards.” Zhou Chao briefly shared his thoughts, leaving it to them whether they would take his advice to heart.

“Well, 1 understand. It’s already past 1:30 PM. Aren’t you guys going to the alumni association event?”

Suddenly, Zhou Chao and Li Yang became aware that a significant amount of time had elapsed, and there was now less than half an hour remaining before the afternoon alumni association event. They still had enough time to make it there.

“Octopus Bro, we’ll take our leave then!” Zhou Chao said and then pulled Li Yang as they headed towards the exit. But they hadn’t taken many steps before they heard a chorus of voices from behind them.

“Thank you, senior, for guiding us through the maze!”