Nick set his ss down on the coffee table and said, "You look exhausted. Maybe you should skip school today and just rest at home."


    Mirabe rubbed the tip of her nose and shook her head, "No, I''ve joined a research group; I can''t fall behind."


    Nick didn''t push further. He just slipped some medicine into her coat pocket, "Remember to take this."


    Mirabe nodded softly.


    Zach was in a rush; after a few words of caution, he hurried out the door as well.


    After breakfast, Mirabe went upstairs to change into a thicker coat before heading to school.


    Following two mandatory afternoon sses, Mirabe made her way to the department''s dedicated researchb.


    Linden, Kason, and Jessie, though graduate students, had more free time than Mirabe. By the time she arrived, they had already been working in theb most of the day.


    "Hey, you don''t look so great today. Are you sick?" Jessie initially wanted to discuss algorithms with Mirabe but changed the topic upon seeing her pale face.


    Mirabe smiled and nodded, "Just a slight cold, but I''m feeling much better now."


    "Don''t push yourself if you''re not well. Healthes first," Linden said, adjusting his sses with concern.


    "I''m really fine," Mirabe said as she pulled out a chair, sat down, and booted up herputer.


    Mirabe opened the progress saved from the previous day and continued with the next step of the calctions. Her strong mathematical and logical thinking allowed her to progress without much difficulty.


    Linden and Kason, on the other hand, were running into significant problems.


    They struggled to find an effective solution for integrating autologous cell therapy with gic engineering technology, prompting Jessie to stop her own calctions and start looking up more information.


    After recording some data, Mirabe looked up to see the three of them with furrowed brows, her fingers pausing slightly.


    Zane wasn''t there, and the new assistant mentor, Ben, hadn''te to school today, leaving just the four of them in theb.


    Mirabe listened to their discussion for a while without interrupting, continuing with her programming.


    If Jessie and Linden had been paying attention, they would have noticed that Mirabe''s calction speed had significantly increased from before.


    A few minutester, Mirabe sent the initial gic data from the first phase of her work to Linden and Kason''sputers.


    Then she looked up and said, "Guys, I just sent the first phase of the data to yourputers. Can you check if my calctions are feasible?"


    She didn''t send it to Jessie, as her part of the algorithm wasn''t closely rted to Mirabe''s programming.


    Hearing Mirabe''s words, Linden and Kason were momentarily stunned.


    "You finished it already?" Linden asked in astonishment, remembering that the progress had only been a thirdpleted the day before.


    Kason nced over hisputer screen and quickly grabbed his mouse.


    Mirabe hummed in affirmation, her voice nasal and not as clear due to her cold, "I reviewed the algorithmst night, but I''m not sure if my approach is correct. You have more experience in this area, so if you have any better suggestions, I''ll recalcte."


    Upon hearing this, Linden felt a wave of inexplicable guilt.


    The junior had worked overtime and even made herself sick over an algorithm, while he, as a senior, had made no progress at all...


    Linden silently lowered his head and began to examine the data on theputer.