"What is this..." the judges huddled together, their faces grim as they whispered amongst themselves.


    "Maybe there was a mix-up."


    "Where are the original questions?"


    "This is a global live broadcast. How can we check the originals now?"


    Besides, the new questions seemed perfectly legitimate. Changing them on the fly would undoubtedly arouse suspicion. Their reputation was more important than getting their preferred candidates in.


    After a quick deliberation, the judges decided to proceed. After all, of the six finalists, three were from their own country. Surely the other three couldn''t outperform their handpicked choices.


    “Contestant, please begin,” one of the judges announced.


    The contestant stared at the screen, utterly baffled. These weren''t the questions he had memorized. He had never seen them before! The sudden change rattled him. He stammered through his response to the first question and got it wrong.


    Juniper couldn''t suppress a delightedugh.


    Shanley turned to look at her, a smile touching his own lips. She was such a little devil.


    Fifteen minutester, the contestant had answered only nine questions correctly, performing worse than the man from Rustica Country. With that score, there was no way he would make the top three.


    Realizing something was wrong with the question bank, the staff tried to restore the original files, but the system seemed to be locked down, making it impossible to tamper with.


    Next up was the third contestant, a thirty-year-old from Tenovia Country, a nation neighboring Orient Country in Yondend. He seemed earnest and capable. He drew the third set of questions, and while his answers weren''t perfectly smooth, he did remarkably well, answering eighteen out of twenty correctly. For now, he was in second ce.


    Only two contestants remained: one from Moralia Country, and Harold.


    Harold was the fifth to go. He drew the first set-the one intentionally made the most difficult to filter out the Yondend candidates. The judges felt a sliver of relief. With such tough questions, he was bound to fail. Even if they couldn''t get all three of their candidates in, two would still be a victory.


    But as Harold began to answer, their hopes dwindled. He responded to each question with precision and thoroughness. After the first five correct answers, the judges began to look uneasy. By the tenth, they were panicking. When he finished the final two questions, his answers matching the official key word-for-word, they slumped in their chairs, utterly defeated.


    How could Orient Country produce such a talent? Unless... had Harold somehow altered the questions himself and seen the answers?


    "One moment," themittee chairman said, standing up after Harold had answered all twenty questions. He pped politely before revealing his true intentions. "Dr. Houston, your theoretical knowledge is truly impressive," he said with


    a smile that didn''t reach his eyes. "We have a few more questions for you, if you don''t mind."


    The entire audience turned to look at Harold. Most of the spectators were from Moralia Country, and though the few Yondend attendees murmured in protest at the unfair treatment, their voices were quickly drowned out.


    "Please, go ahead,” Harold replied, his confidence unshaken.


    The judge posed a question. Harold answered. The judge posed another. Harold answered again. Every response was perfect.


    After ten additional questions, the judge ran out of material and was left standing there awkwardly.


    "Anything else?" Harold asked calmly.


    The judges exchanged nces, none of them speaking.


    "Thank you," Harold said with a slight nod, and walked off the stage.


    The audience''s perception of him hadpletely changed. Some were already on their phones, looking him up.


    "Your brother is quite something," Shanley murmured, leaning close to Juniper. "Well, he is ''my'' brother," she said, lifting her chin proudly.


    "Indeed," Shanley''s smile widened as he stroked her hair. "And Juniper is brilliant too."


    "Are you trying to humor a child?" she scoffed, knowing he was just cating her. She gave his side a yful pinch. It was surprisingly firm; her own fingers hurt more than he probably felt.


    She turned her attention back to the stage.


    The final contestant took his turn. As


    expected, he drew the third set


    Juniper had created for him. Though


    slightly


    sier than the first, he still


    had his work cut out for him,


    answering seventeen questions


    correctly. He ced fourth.


    The final ranking was clear: Harold and the first contestant were tied for first with perfect scores, and the contestant from Tenovia was second. Two of the top three were from Yondend Continent.


    The judges'' faces were thunderous, but with the event being broadcast live and the results undeniable, they had no choice but to announce Harold as a new member of the Global Medical Alliance Association. It was the first time anyone from Orient Country had earned a spot.


    "Let''s go," Juniper said, a satisfied smile on her face as she stood up. "Back to the hotel."


    With the leader of Sigma Network nearby, she couldn''t risk running into him here. Thepetition was over. Now, she could finally focus on taking out the old fox.