Mirabe was still mulling over whether she might have made a mistake when


    Linden''s voice snapped her back. It took her a couple of seconds to respond, "Oh, no, they''re definitely going to go with this n."


    Calvin wouldn''t joke about something this serious.


    Maybe she was wrong, and the other party wasn''t trying to pull a fast one.


    Mirabe paused, a thought crossing her mind. She turned to Zane, "Hey, Zane, what are the requirements for applying for a patent?"


    Zane was familiar with Mirabe''s tendency to suddenly call on him. He quickly replied, "Funny you bring it up; I was already nning to start on the patent application once the tech institute gives us the green light."


    Mirabe raised an eyebrow, impressed by Zane''s attention to detail when it mattered.


    "Can we actually patent our project?" Jessie asked, clearly surprised and not really familiar with patents.


    "Yep, we can," Zane replied, giving Jessie a quick rundown on the benefits of a patent. "But honestly, at this stage, we''re not quite there yet. The system''s not fully developed, and it might not pass the review. We''ll take it step by step."


    Seeing Zane was on top of it, Mirabe didn''t push further.


    **


    Meanwhile, Hank, anxious about the project, had rushed back to theb after chatting with Dr. King, leaving his assistant to see the visitors off.


    Just as they were heading to the parking lot, Mirabe and the gang hadn''t even reached their car when a sleek sedan pulled up nearby.


    Hank''s assistant nced up, his face turning serious, and whispered to the group, "That''s Dr. Ray''s car."


    At the mention of Dr. Ray, Dr. King and Calvin quickly averted their eyes and gave Mirabe and the crew a look, silently telling them not to stare.


    This wasn''t Prestige College, and those elusive research titans weren''t for their gawking.


    Three people stepped out of the car, and even at a distance, you could feel the weight of their presence.


    Linden and Kason dropped their heads, not daring to look around.


    Mirabe wasn''t particrly interested in Dr. Ray, but with everyone so on edge, she couldn''t help but sneak a peek.


    After a quick nce, she looked away just as fast, lowering her head even more than her seniors.


    Ah, curiosity can be dangerous.


    Over at the tech institute, Dane noticed Elliot''s gaze fixed in a direction and followed it, spotting some unfamiliar faces, including a few young ones. "Someone you know?" he asked.


    Elliot hesitated for a moment before looking away, smiling slightly, "They''re from our school."


    Dane was a bit surprised, "Your school''s coborating on a project with us?" Elliot wasn''t entirely sure, "Could be."


    Dane nodded, not dwelling on it further, "Let''s head to my office."


    Elliot agreed, took onest nce toward Mirabe, then followed Dane away. Once they had disappeared, Hank''s assistant spoke up, "Alright, folks, I should get going too. I''ve let the security know, so you''re good to leave whenever."


    With that, he gave a slight nod and headed off.