he final results were announced.


    Nancy suddenly went pale as she saw Ariel’s name and algorithm data on the screen. She stared at the data in disbelief.


    Ariel had achieved the highest score?


    The final results werepletely unexpected. Cold sweat broke out on Nancy in an instant.


    She couldn’t understand how Ariel could havee out on top. However, she could make sense of that data, and it was nearly wless.


    Even most of the contestants were stunned. They nced around to see the person behind the name.


    “How good are they?” Matt couldn’t make sense of the numbers, but Ariel was solidly in first, with Samson right behind her. The two of them were almost neck and neck.


    Jayson nced at the two names, then said calmly, “There’s a huge gap between them and everyone else.”


    Matt felt even more shaken. Was this really the same Ariel he knew?


    Thispetition drew the best young talents from across the country, all under 30, and Ariel had just left them all in the dust.


    Even Frederick, sitting beside Matt, was stunned for a long moment before he finally muttered, “No way. She scored higher than Nancy overall? I saw her meet the judges before it started. Could something be going on there?”


    He couldn’t think of any other exnation.


    Jayson shot him a nce but didn’t say a word.


    Nearby, Janice, who had been cheering, heard Frederick’s words clearly. She shot him a re with a dark expression. “Idiot. Are you really going to throw dirt at the judges instead of admitting she’s better?”


    Frederick’s face darkened. “Janice, what do you even know? Mind your business.”


    Janice crossed her arms and smirked. “I may not understand the technical stuff, but I sure understand simps.”


    “Janice!” Frederick’s face went red with anger.


    She didn’t bother replying and just turned to walk away.


    Matt watched all this and instinctively looked at Jayson. He didn’t react to Janice’s jab at Frederick. Frederick’s feelings for Nancy didn’t faze him in the least.


    Just then, Nancy left the stage and walked over. Her face was noticeably pale.


    Even she felt it was absurd and impossible to ept. Yesterday’s result could be chalked up to her group carrying her, but today…


    Her limbs felt numb, as if the ground beneath her could vanish at any second, sending her plummeting into an endless abyss.


    “Are you okay?” Frederick stepped up and looked at her with concern in his eyes. He lifted a hand as if to pat her shoulder.


    Nancy noticed and subtly avoided him with a frown.


    Frederick froze mid–motion.


    Nancy didn’t answer him. Her face stayedposed, but cold sweat formed at her temples.


    She suddenly realized something–Ariel was on a whole different level than she had imagined.


    “Go get some rest. Tomorrow’s what really matters.” Jayson stood and looked at Nancy. His gaze was neutral, leaving her with an inexplicable emptiness.


    Mentioning tomorrow sent a chill racing down her spine.


    Doubt crept in.


    What if something went wrong again? If she slipped up tomorrow, she could be out for good. The chance to join the sixth- generation fighter jet research team–her only shot at redemption–could vanish.


    After all, besides Ariel, there were other toughpetitors like Samson and Elsie.


    Nancy didn’t mind losing to the others, but she simply couldn’t ept or acknowledge being beaten by Ariel.


    Nancy took a deep breath and forced herself to suppress the chaos in her mind. “…Yeah, I get it. Don’t worry. Tomorrow’s the real battle, and nothing’s final yet. Today’s results aren’t worth stressing over.”


    X


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