A 49-year-old man in South West China has spent the past decade living rough under a bridge trying to break the lottery code.

Wang Chengzhou used to work construction in Sichuan Province, but moved to Chongqing in 2008 after suffering a work-related injury. Instead of using the $50,000 yuan he had received as compensation from his former employer to start a new life, Wang spent it all on his obsession – cracking the lottery code. He cut off all communication with his family and settled under a bridge where he has been working hard on figuring out the algorithms behind the lottery. After 10 years of hard work, he claims to have finally cracked the secret to getting filthy rich overnight.

Photo: Changzhou Business Daily

Chengzhou’s obsession with cracking the lottery code began in 2004 during a drinking session. He saw the winning numbers and was convinced that there was a mathematical reasoning behind them.

“I saw the winning numbers, and I was shocked,” Wang told Chengdu Business Daily.

The epiphany he experienced that faithful day inspired his research, which he plans to publish as a four-book series detailing the mathematics behind the lottery algorithm. He claims to spend around 2,000 yuan ($312) on lottery tickets every month, and stays awake every night between 2 and 5 in the morning, counting his tickets and doing all sorts of calculations. Cracking the lottery goal has become his main goal, taking precedence over everything else in his life.

Wang doesn’t seem bothered that he has been living under a bridge for 10 years, or the fact that he hasn’t had a stable job since he moved to Chongqing. To him, “work is not important”. In fact, he quit his most recent part-time job at China Post so he could focus more on figuring out the lottery algorithms. He claims it will all have been worth it when he finally becomes a millionaire.

Photo: Changzhou Business Daily

Wang Chengzhou’s family hadn’t heard from him in years, and last they knew he was working on a site in Yunnan. They only heard about whereabouts and living conditions after news of his lottery obsession went viral in the media. His mother, 76-year-old Feng Jiafen, has since reached out to him to come back to Sichuan, but the mean refuses to live his current “home” until he proves he can predict lottery numbers.

“I have mastered the lottery algorithms,” Wang told Chengdu Business Daily reporters. However, he refused to show them proof of this, claiming that it will only be available in his books.

When asked by a reporter why he doesn’t simply use the technique himself when playing the lottery, Chengzhou responded by saying that is it more important for him to publish his book series, and make money that way. He believes that he will make “hundreds of millions” once the books are released.

A post office official confirmed Chengzhou had worked there part-time for the past two years but had recently quit.

“I know he is buying and researching about lotteries, but I never heard he won once,” the man said.

Photo: Changzhou Business Daily

Mathematics professor Zhou Dexue told Chengdu Business Daily that lottery numbers are completely randomly generated, making success unlikely for Chengzhou.

“It’s nearly impossible to calculate lottery numbers in advance,” Zhou said. Ball’s in your court, Wang…

via Global Times