The salty sea breeze hit Adrian, making him shiver uncontrollably.
The scenes from moments ago played on an endless loop in his mind.
He realized with a sinking dread that he had never truly known Serena at all.
...
Thanks to Serena's god-tier twenty-minute lecture the night before, the entire atmosphere of the island shifted overnight.
The next day, all the competitors looked entirely refreshed. As if injected with liquid adrenaline, they were practically vibrating with focus as they hammered away in their labs.
Once the core algorithms for the neural potential experiments clicked into place, their research speed exploded.
The progress was smooth and entirely unhindered.
By lunchtime, the oppressive, depressing energy that had plagued the cafeteria was gone. Meals were no longer just a chore for survival.
Everyone was buzzing, the room chaotic and lively.
When Serena walked into the canteen with The Hope Initiative, the noise instantly shifted.
"The Code Goddess is here!" someone yelled.
*Whoosh!*
Practically the entire canteen stood up in absolute unison.
Their eyes gleamed with wild excitement as they stared at the entrance, overflowing with sheer enthusiasm.
"Hello, Code Goddess!"
"Code Goddess, sit over here! I already wiped the table down for you!"
Several renowned geniuses from prestigious universities sprinted over, holding chilled juices and loaded trays, offering them up to Serena like eager servants. Once Serena took her seat, these arrogant prodigies—who normally looked down on everyone—turned into perfect attendants. They poured her drinks, wiped the table, and handed her napkins, serving her better than they would their own grandparents.
"Code Goddess, you've worked so hard! Eat up!"
"You have no idea! After listening to your logic last night, it was like a fog lifted from my brain. Everything just made sense!"
"It was incredible, especially that reverse derivation formula. Absolute genius!"
"Our team's progress just shot up thirty percent!"
"Code Goddess, you really are a deity!"
Serena sat at the center of the crowd,
ret
detar expression as cool and
detached as always. She offered a slight mod, quietly acknowledging the frantic gratitude:
Lydia Brooks and the rest of the team were pushed to the periphery by the mob.
Watching the spectacle, they couldn't help but laugh.
"Wow, our captain is basically a national treasure now," Vanessa Vance chuckled.
Caleb Sommers pushed his glasses
up his nose. They know how to be
se twenty minutes
of
teaching weren't wasted."
Looking at Serena surrounded by the eager crowd, the team's eyes grew warm again.
They knew their captain was truly phenomenal.
Not just because of her unmatched intellect, but because of her willingness to share that brilliance with others.
Her vision and selflessness were unparalleled.
It felt as if she had personally reached into the mud and pulled every single one of them out.
Underneath her cold exterior, their captain had a heart of gold.
In the far corner of the canteen,
Bianca Doyle glared at the crowde
orbiting Serena. Her face was dark with fury, her grip on her silverware so tight was practically bending.
Waves of intense jealousy and pure hatred crashed through her.
Why did that country girl get all the glory?
Why was everyone treating her like royalty?
Code Goddess? What a load of bullshit!
Grinding her teeth, Bianca violently slammed her fork onto the table.
But when she turned her head, she caught her own female teammate staring at
Serena's table with wide, envious eyes.
The look was a potent mix of jealousy, longing, and agonizing regret.
Bianca's temper exploded in an instant.
"What the hell are you looking at?! What is there to look at?!"
She raised her hand and delivered a vicious slap straight across her teammate's
face.