The Master’s Mask Unveiled Again
Chapter 919 - 918: No One Can Win Against the AI Robot

Chapter 919: Chapter 918: No One Can Win Against the AI Robot

Zhuge Lin’s apology, though lacking sincerity, was enough to appease Su Luo and La Wenwen, who were reasonable people. They wouldn’t leverage Jing Master and Lu Mian’s influence to make unreasonable demands of the Chess Academy.

"Jing Master, Lu Mian, do you want to return to the Chess Academy or continue playing here?" Su Luo asked.

Jing Pei, lacking decisiveness, turned to Lu Mian for direction.

Zhuge Heng was utterly puzzled and sweating nervously.

What was going on?

Why was everyone so deferential to Lu Mian?

He mulled over the possible reasons again and again, finally reaching an epiphany.

It had to be because Lu Mian was Xiao Family’s Mo Ye’s girlfriend—otherwise, why would Jing Master treat her with such respect?

How could a young girl like Lu Mian command this much influence?

Was it really because she won that chess match?

No way. Jing Master must have known the truth all along!

Having figured this out, Zhuge Heng quickly put on a polite smile. "Miss Lu, everyone is waiting to watch your competition. Shall we head back together?"

Lu Mian’s clear eyes flashed briefly as she nodded, "Sure."

——

At the Chess Academy, students and instructors were diligently at work. With Su Luo as a precedent, no one dared to slack off even a little.

Soon, just before the competition began, they saw the Director returning with an elderly man and Su Luo’s group.

The crowd wasn’t sure what had transpired, but upon closer observation, they noticed something peculiar about their positioning and moods.

The elderly man in a white tank top stood at the center, which seemed natural. The Director and Zhuge Lin were extremely respectful toward him, clearly indicating his significant status.

Yet oddly, the old man appeared remarkably courteous to a young, pretty woman.

It wasn’t the warmth of an elder toward a junior but more like the respect one shows a peer.

As for Su Luo and La Wenwen, standing beside the young woman, they displayed none of the defeat or despair that one might expect from people supposedly expelled. Their manner was relaxed and even cheerful.

In contrast, Zhuge Lin’s mood was dark and brooding, as though she’d suffered some great injustice.

This didn’t make sense, right?

Had their roles been flipped in some way?

Soon enough, someone recognized the elderly man’s identity.

"That’s Jing Master! I understood the Director’s lip movements—Jing Master is here!"

"No wonder the Director personally went to greet him!"

"Ah! Ah! Ah! I saw Jing Master! Ah! Jing Master just passed by me! Oh my god, if only I could have the chance to learn from Jing Master directly!"

"Hey, wake up! It’s not even nighttime!"

"Still, why is Su Luo with Jing Master? And who’s that pretty girl?"

Although they had heard the name Lu Mian, few had actually seen her in person.

As Zhuge Lin retreated from the group accompanying Jing Master, she found her way over to the students to vent her frustrations.

"That young woman is Lu Mian, Su Luo’s friend," she said.

"So that’s Lu Mian? She’s quite attractive..."

"I’m actually looking forward to seeing her compete against the robot. It’ll be eye candy either way!"

That was the group’s spontaneous reaction, some voicing these thoughts aloud.

The remark earned them a disdainful eye roll from Zhuge Lin, who smirked coldly, her tone biting with suggestion: "Oh, she is rather good-looking. Let’s see how much better she can look in a moment!"

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances—Z Country’s language was truly profound and layered, leaving them unsure of how to respond.

Well, who could blame them? Lu Mian and Su Luo had upset the Chess Academy Director’s beloved niece!

"Miss Zhuge, so what exactly did you and the Director go out for earlier?"

"..." Zhuge Lin, unwilling to speak truthfully, spat out irritably, "To invite Jing Master!"

"Then why did Su Luo come back with you?"

"..."

Zhuge Lin stomped her foot bitterly. "She came back to embarrass herself!"

As they spoke, Lu Yutian also caught a glimpse of the Director and the group hurrying away.

Her gaze rested momentarily on the direction where Lu Mian had disappeared. She didn’t catch Lu Mian’s face, only her back.

Yet even from the back, it was enough for her to recognize Lu Mian.

"Linlin, did you just say that woman is Lu Mian? The one who won the chess match?"

Zhuge Lin’s attitude brightened immediately, pouting as she nodded. "That’s her. She looks so full of herself, doesn’t she?"

"So 6V7’s real name is Lu Mian..."

Encountering her again at the Chess Academy, Lu Yutian felt a stir of surprise.

She silently mouthed the name several times, her thoughts carrying an unspoken complexity.

She had briefly crossed paths with Lu Mian three times: once at the national CTF finals, the second at the special medication auction, and the third during the Chess Academy’s puzzle-solving session.

Though they’d never interacted deeply, Lu Yutian hadn’t forgotten about her all this time.

Few people stayed on her radar, and 6V7 was one of them.

Previously, she had tried several channels but couldn’t dig up any information about her. Now knowing her real name, Lu Yutian felt she finally had some footing.

This time, she wouldn’t come up empty-handed, right?

Zhuge Lin didn’t quite grasp what Lu Yutian meant. "Yutian, what are you talking about?"

"Nothing," Lu Yutian responded with a poised smile.

Turning her gaze once more toward the direction where Lu Mian had disappeared, her demeanor shifted, gaining a sense of superiority.

Based on Zhuge Lin’s account, someone had solved that puzzle sixteen years ago. Given Lu Mian’s young age, it wasn’t possible. Today’s human-versus-machine match posed no suspense at all.

"Yutian, you don’t need to bother with people like her. Jing Master, though eccentric, is highly serious and meticulous when it comes to chess. No one can pull off any tricks under his watch!"

Lu Yutian shook her head regretfully. "Then she might end up quite embarrassed. The second-generation AI robot my family developed is exceptionally advanced."

The surrounding students took notice.

"Miss Lu, just how powerful is your robot?"

Lu Yutian thought for a moment. "The robot’s processor and system were developed by top-notch teams and integrate vast amounts of information storage along with the fastest intelligent algorithms..."

Noticing the confusion in their eyes, she added with a gentle laugh, "I won’t bore you with technical jargon. Simply put, many experts believe there isn’t a single human capable of defeating this robot."

A chorus of awe rose from the crowd.

"Wow, that’s amazing!"

"Does this mean I can have the robot as my teacher?"

"Didn’t you hear Miss Lu? The robot’s hardware and software are leagues ahead! Our human brains don’t stand a chance!"

Lu Yutian nodded, tacitly agreeing with the sentiment.

Zhuge Lin’s eyes lit up eagerly. "Yutian, so is the robot’s IQ higher, or is yours?"

She didn’t grasp much about artificial intelligence, preferring this straightforward comparison to measure competence.

"Well..." Lu Yutian shook her head. "I actually don’t know yet. The Brain Research Institute doesn’t have a suitable IQ evaluation method for me at the moment."

She shrugged helplessly after stating this.

Yet the crowd couldn’t help but read something else from her composed tone: four simple words.

Genius-level IQ!

They were in awe—how could someone have a brain like hers?

"Group petition! I want Miss Lu to play against Jing Master! Or compete against the robot—that would work too!"

"Count me in! I’m dying to see it! A battle of titans—it’s bound to be epic!"