Chapter 30

"What does 'brain overclocking' mean?"

Chen Yang had only heard of CPU overclocking and had never heard of brain overclocking before. The human brain isn't a computer; how could it be overclocked?

"Your human brain structure is very complex, consisting of over tens of billions of cells. Even I am surprised by its operation. However, although humans use 100% of their brain, the potential development of the brain is less than 10%..."

"Is there a reason for this?"

Chen Yang, hearing the right hand's words, recalled some knowledge he had learned before. "The human brain, though only 2% of the body's weight, consumes over 25% of the body's oxygen and more than one-sixth of its energy. If the brain were to fully function, where would the body get the energy? You want the horse to run fast but don't feed it grass; that's impossible."

"Since you understand so much, I won't beat around the bush. I want to conduct an experiment on you. If it succeeds, it will definitely be a huge benefit for you."

Since both parties had reached an agreement, the right hand no longer kept Chen Yang in the dark.

"Can I refuse?" Chen Yang smiled bitterly.

"What do you think?"

"Then, what kind of experiment is it?"

As soon as Chen Yang finished speaking, he felt a ringing in his ears, and his vision became blurry. He couldn't help but take deep breaths.

"What's happening?"

His vision seemed to become clearer and brighter, like a nearsighted person suddenly putting on glasses, making everything in front of him clear and transparent.

More incredibly, Chen Yang suddenly felt his thinking speed up significantly, as if a game that originally had a 15 FPS refresh rate suddenly increased to 60 FPS, making everything feel smooth and eliminating the previous lag.

"Commander Lu, what's happening?"

Chen Yang was incredibly surprised.

"I've increased your brain's oxygen consumption and heat production by a factor of two. How do you feel now?"

"Is that it..."

Chen Yang clenched his fists and took a deep breath, saying, "It feels unprecedentedly comfortable. Things I couldn't understand before are now clear."

Indeed, a multiplication problem, 26.78 * 39.21, immediately yielded the answer 1050.0438 in Chen Yang's mind, as fast as a computer.

"Alright, I'll keep you in this state for now. I need to observe changes in your liver glycogen, blood pressure, and other conditions."

The right hand fell silent, presumably to carefully observe the changes in Chen Yang's body.

This feeling was too amazing!

Chen Yang took a deep breath, walked out of the bathroom, and headed toward the living room.

"Xiao Yang, hurry up, I've already set up the chessboard."

"Okay, I'm coming."

Chen Yang's face was rosy as he sat down and said casually, "Uncle, you go first this time."

"Hmm, okay."

Xia Zhenghe moved his cannon first.

Chen Yang didn't move immediately but instead focused on the entire chessboard. In an instant, he visualized the positions of all 32 pieces and recalled his previous chess experiences, as if he could see Xia Zhenghe's intentions and his next moves.

Playing chess first requires learning to read the board, which means estimating the opponent's intentions and the next few moves. It sounds simple, but most people can only see three moves ahead. Being able to see five or six moves ahead is considered a master.

But now, Chen Yang felt his mind was incredibly clear and sharp. He could quickly analyze Xia Zhenghe's five or six tactical moves based on their previous games, as if he had the entire chessboard under control.

Chen Yang moved calmly, placing a screen horse.

Xia Zhenghe quickly followed, seemingly trying to play fast to prevent Chen Yang from thinking.

Chen Yang remained calm. In his vision, all the pieces seemed to come to life. Every time Xia Zhenghe made a move, the subsequent changes and impacts rapidly unfolded in Chen Yang's mind, as if he had already made the move.

"Black horse 2 advances 3."

"Red chariot 1 moves to 2."

"Black chariot 9 moves to 8."

"Red soldier 7 advances 1."

Xia Zhenghe was a bit surprised, furrowing his brows. He suddenly felt that Chen Yang's aura was different, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly what had changed.

"Black pawn 7 advances 1."

...

As time passed, sweat began to trickle down Xia Zhenghe's forehead. He no longer had the leisurely demeanor he had before, as all his attention was focused on the chessboard.

In contrast, Chen Yang looked as relaxed as Xia Zhenghe had been earlier, as if he were just watching the game rather than playing it.

"Bang!"

"Checkmate!"

Chen Yang placed a piece, and Xia Zhenghe was stunned, staring at the board in disbelief. His pieces were in a sorry state, most of them captured by Chen Yang. His most heavily defended general was now defenseless, and further resistance would only lead to defeat.

"How... how is this possible?"

Xia Zhenghe muttered to himself. He had played thousands of games with his nephew Chen Yang over the years, and except for when Chen Yang deliberately let him win as a child, this was the first time he had truly lost to Chen Yang. No wonder he couldn't accept it.

"Ha ha, Uncle, even the best horse can stumble, and even the best person can make a mistake. Winning and losing is normal; you don't need to worry too much about it."

Chen Yang leisurely took a sip of his tea.

"Let's play another game."

Xia Zhenghe wouldn't accept defeat. He was a master, and he couldn't lose.

However, reality was cruel. In the next few games over the next ten minutes, Xia Zhenghe was almost completely dominated by Chen Yang, losing his pieces and ending up in a miserable state. He had to admit that he was no longer Chen Yang's match.

"Why did you become so strong after going to the bathroom?"

Xia Zhenghe tidied up the chessboard and asked, puzzled.

"Uncle..."

Chen Yang touched his chin and said modestly, "Actually, I've been studying chess recently and have made some progress. I let you win a few games earlier to gauge your current skill level. Later..."

All talk of studying chess was nonsense. Chen Yang's brain was like it had taken a stimulant, active and clear. Playing chess in this state was a piece of cake.

"Alright, alright, the food is almost ready. You two should come and help."

A middle-aged woman walked out of the kitchen. She looked well-preserved, with hardly any wrinkles on her face. This slightly dissatisfied woman was Chen Yang's aunt, Li Ying'ai.

"Aunt."

Chen Yang stood up and greeted Li Ying'ai.

"Hmm."

Li Ying'ai nodded casually and scolded Xia Zhenghe, "You only know how to play chess and don't know to come help in the kitchen."

"Okay, okay, I'll come right away. I'll come right away, alright?"

Xia Zhenghe quickly pleaded and gave Chen Yang a look. Chen Yang understood and followed Xia Zhenghe into the kitchen to help.

In reality, the so-called help was just bringing the dishes to the table and fetching some bowls and chopsticks. All the extra work had already been done by Li Ying'ai.

"Xiao Rou, what are you doing? Come and eat with your classmates quickly."

"Okay, I'm coming right away."

Xia Yue Rou, along with two classmates, walked out of the room, chatting and laughing. But as soon as she saw Chen Yang, her face darkened.

"Xiao Rou, today is your birthday. Your two classmates came specially to celebrate with you. You should thank them."

At the dining table, various delicious dishes and a birthday cake were laid out, making Chen Yang's mouth water. He forced himself to look away.

"Mom, we're the best friends. I don't need to specially thank them."

Xia Yue Rou pulled the two girls to sit opposite Chen Yang.

"You, child..."

Clearly, Li Ying'ai was also at a loss with Xia Yue Rou.

The lights were turned off, the candles were lit, and the birthday wishes were made, all the necessary birthday rituals were completed amidst the singing. Finally, the task of cutting the birthday cake was given to Xia Yue Rou.

Looking at the slice of cake Xia Yue Rou cut for him, Chen Yang was speechless. Why was his slice so much smaller than everyone else's?