He had been waiting for this day for over a decade. If it hadn''t been for Juniper''s reluctance, he would have announced her existence to the world the moment he found her.


    Juniper: [Yeah, you can handle it. The news online is getting annoying.]


    Jimmie: [Okay. You focus on your studies, and leave the rest to your big brother.]


    Since they were going to announce it, he knew he had to pick the right time and ce to give his sister the grand debut she deserved.


    After their chat, Juniper opened Twitter and, after a few simple steps, registered a burner ount. Then, she systematically replied to everyment that called Shanley an "old man," tearing their arguments apart. Still not satisfied, she then quietly hacked and disabled all their ounts.


    There. Much better.


    Juniper was eager to check on her precious little nts at theb, so she decided to ask for time off. She stood at the dean''s office door, lips parted, ready to speak.


    “Go ahead.” The dean didn''t even look up, just waved her off, granting her leave. "Thank you, sir.” Juniper silently pocketed her hastily written leave request and strolled out with her backpack.


    As she passed the athletic fields, she ran into her literature teacher.


    “Juniper, asking for leave again today?" the teacher asked, smiling at her. "Ah, yes,” Juniper nodded, a bit embarrassed. "I''ll get my homework done."


    "No rush," the teacher chuckled, waving his hand dismissively. "Have fun!"


    She was the school''s star student now, and everyone doted on her.


    Juniper was ttered and promised again that she would do the work. After all, she wasn''t the one who had to do it anyway.


    In the suburbs of Era City, variousboratories were scattered about. The


    Schwartz Group''sb was thergest, located to the north.


    Juniper was slightly taken aback when she walked in. Shanley had really spared no expense. Twenty billion dors worth of equipment all dedicated to serving her


    two-million-dor humble nts... That was so much money. It pained her to think about it. If she didn''t manage to save a few more of them, she''d never be able to justify such a massive investment.


    "Ms. Payne," Dr. Landon greeted her cheerfully as soon as she entered. "The sun is so strong outside. Whye all the way out here


    did youe have just called,


    yourself?


    and would have brought the report toyou."


    Ever since Ms. Payne''s impromptu lesson on brain surgery, his team had learned a great deal. Under her guidance, they had sessfully performed several simr operations. The entire department held her in the highest regard.


    "How are the nts?" Juniper asked, blinking as she put down her backpack and donned a mask and gloves. She led the way, and Dr. Landon followed dutifully, giving her a report as they walked.


    The summary was simple: the nts were in very poor condition, and their chances of survival were extremely low. In just a week, more than half had died, and the rest were barely hanging on.


    “I see,” Juniper said, unsurprised. She knelt in front of nt number 11, examining it closely. The stem was shriveled, and the leaves were withered.


    "Throw all of these out..." Juniper began, and Dr. Landon immediately took out a pen to take notes.


    "Ms. Payne, are you sure you didn''t discard the wrong ones?" Dr. Landon asked cautiously, clutching his pen. "The ones you threw out looked better than the ones you''re keeping."


    "I know." Juniper casually picked up one of the ten remaining nts, her delicate eyebrows arching slightly "These were in this condition when they were first delivered," she exined calmly. "The fact that they''ve held on this long without withering proves they have strong life force."