Steven gently lifted Ellie, giving her a secure hold before offering Anneliese aid- back grin. "You crushed thatst round. Round three''sing up. Ellie, be patient and let Ms. Anneliese catch her breath."


    Anneliese smiled back, bright and easy. "Ellie''s adorable. Being with her is how I unwind."


    Ellie averted her gaze from Steven and let out a dramatic huff.


    Steven chuckled, surrendering with a shake of his head. "Okay, I take it back. Looks like Ellie''s already got this covered."


    Ellie raised her chin with a tiny, smug smile.


    Wendy and Anneliese couldn''t help but smile with her.


    Wendy and Steven shared a nce, a quiet rush of relief passing between them without a word. As Ellie''s grandmother and father, they felt the change immediately.


    Ellie carried a brightness they hadn''t seen in so long. If she could speak as easily as other children, she would have blended in without standing out at all-just another kid enjoying an ordinary, carefree afternoon.


    And all of it traced back to Anneliese.


    A gentle warmth settled over their corner of the venue. The four of them stood together, wrapped in a quiet harmony and effortless closeness that spoke for itself.


    Then the third round began.


    This round, the challenge soared. Orders flooded in, drones swarmed, and delivery zones stretched wider than ever. To top it off, fierce dynamic interference swept through the system.


    With every tick of the clock, the system hurled new surprises: sudden orders, wild weather shifts, and no-fly zones popping up out of nowhere.


    The modules required continuous real-time adjustments, prompting contestants to update their settings quickly. The pressure was intense: no time to breathe and no margin for error, all while ounting for total operating costs, drone performance, and multiple secondary factors simultaneously.


    This round demanded more than simple coding; it assessed modeling skills, rapid decision-making, and practical engineering all at once.


    As the match started, Anneliese retreated into her own zone. Her fingers skillfully navigated the keys while her eyes tracked the swirling data and shifting modules. The host''s voice and the crowd''s noise faded into a distant hum.


    She managed the first two surprise events smoothly.


    Meanwhile, thepetitors on either side of her struggled to keep up. One stip from the male contestant to her right set off domino effect-drones crashed mid-air, and sweat streamed down his face as he fought to regain control.


    Even with all her preparation, Gianna faltered as well. The disruptions came out of


    nowhere, impossible to predict. She had no choice but to improvise.


    Fortunately, Granna had studied


    intensely over the past two days. The people assisting her with cheating had drilled this module into her and simted various possible scenarios. All she had to do was follow their framework, and adapt at the right moment After weathering the second surprise, she finally exhaled and nced around almost on instinct.


    The male contestant next to her frowned deeply, his hands trembling on the keyboard. The sight loosened a knot in her chest. Her gaze sharpened and slid toward Anneliese.


    One nce, and Gianna almost choked on her own anger.


    Anneliese remained utterly focused and calm, with a subtle smile suggesting a quiet, absorbed happiness.


    She wasn''t struggling.


    She was gliding through it all.


    Gianna red at her before forcing herself to look away and refocus.


    Then, the challenge surged to a new level.


    The system caused multiple major disruptions. A strong east wind blew through. Soon after, orders were suddenly canceled in various regions. Gianna had little time


    to handle one crisis before another emerged.


    She had no time to prepare for what


    wasing next. Frustrated, she rushed to adjust her module but issued the wrongmands. The massive framework also slowed her down, making every modification painfully slow.


    On the screen, her drones disintegrated as a team. They skirted the eastern winds, then diverted onto a longer route that inted costs and dyed deliveries.


    Gianna turned pale. As she attempted to fix the situation, the chaos worsened. She watched helplessly while her drones dispersed like headless flies, with cold sweat prickling her brow.


    Anneliese never took her eyes off her own disy. She met every new disruption with calm precision, never missing a beat.


    Before the allotted time expired, shepleted every order within the assigned region and time window.