"Exactly," Vanessa added, her eyes gleaming with unshed tears. "We've got this in the bag. The nation is going to use our research as the gold standard. Once that happens, we can finally leave the Backwoods behind forever and make real names for ourselves."
The group exchanged warm, emotional smiles.
Overwhelmed with gratitude.
They all turned to look at Serena. "This is all thanks to the Captain. She basically handed us the victory on a silver platter!"
Serena leaned casually against the lab counter, playfully spinning a bright red flash drive between her fingers. A faint smirk tugged at her lips. "You guys put in the hard work, too."
Outside the window.
Bianca was grinding her teeth, her jealousy spiraling into sheer madness.
Who did she think she was?!
So what if they finished the data a little early?
Did they really have to stroke their own egos so hard?
Shattering world records? Becoming the national standard?
Bullshit!
Shameless!
She clenched her fists, forcing her rage down as a vicious glint flashed in her eyes. They could enjoy their fleeting moment of glory.
Because all that data, all those reports they were about to belong to Bianca. They would belong to The Dreamscape Initiative!
Beside her, Isabella was equally thrilled by the confirmation that Serena had indeed finalized all the reports.
Neither of them noticed that the dialogue echoing from inside the lab was absurdly theatrical, delivered with the stilted stiffness of actors reading straight from a script.
"Oh wow, it's almost ten o'clock! It's almost lights-out!" Lydia dramatically announced. "We'd better hurry back to the dorms. We can just hand this flash drive in tomorrow."
"Yeah." Serena carelessly tossed the flash drive onto the nearest desk. "Let's head back."
Caleb glanced at the drive. "Captain, you're just going to leave the data out in the open like that? Shouldn't we take it with us?"
"It's fine right there," Serena drawled lazily, already turning toward the exit.
Lydia trotted eagerly after her. "Exactly! The island's security is top-tier. Who would dare try to steal it? Besides... everyone here is an upstanding competitor with integrity. Who would ever do something so despicable, vile, pathetic, and utterly shameless?"
She placed heavy, sarcastic emphasis on every single insult, her tone dripping with passive-aggressive venom.
Vanessa stretched her arms. "Let's go, let's go! Tomorrow we get the whole day off to chill on the beach!"
The group flicked off the lights and filed out of the lab.
Every
one of them was
holding their breath, their faces.
turning red from trying not to buret
into laughter
Right as the heavy lab doors clicked shut.
Serena casually lifted her gaze, casting a brief, chilling glance toward the shadows
just outside the open window.
The crimson curve of her lips deepened into a dangerous smirk.
The sound of footsteps gradually faded away.
Until there was nothing but silence.
Bianca unclenched her fists. "Idiots!"
What an absolute pack of fools.
They didn't even bother checking the windows before leaving.
Well, it certainly made things easier for them.
This was the price of arrogance.
Once ten o'clock hit.
The entire island went dark, swallowed by a dead silence.
The two women immediately scrambled through the open window, slipping like rats into the Apex Research Hub.
They didn't dare turn on the overhead lights.
Relying solely on the pale moonlight, they spotted the glowing red flash drive resting on the desk.
Bianca sprinted over and snatched it up.
"Hurry, get the laptop!" she hissed, gesturing frantically to Isabella.
Isabella quickly shoved the laptop into her hands.
To ensure the patrolling security
officers wouldn't spot the glow thet
huddled
tightly together, using the jackets to shield the screen.
After plugging the drive in.
They ran a rapid scan of the files.
the entirety of the neural-neet
Once they confirmed it contained
raw data and the finalized submission reports, they
immediately initiated the transfer.