"Holy shit, that is so low! I can't believe we have actual thieves on the island!"
"Wait, is our data safe? Do you think they broke into our labs too?"
II п
The accusations and disgusted whispers hit the two women like physical slaps across the face.
Only then did Bianca and Isabella finally snap out of their terror-induced daze.
A wave of sheer humiliation flushed their faces red, and they desperately scrambled for an excuse. "N-No! We didn't sneak into their lab!"
"We weren't trying to steal any data!"
But their denials were laughably hollow.
Isabella, whose mind always spun the fastest, quickly interjected, "We... we just didn't have anywhere else to go! Our dorms were taken away, and it's freezing out here on the beach. The ocean wind was so brutal... we couldn't take the cold, so we thought we could sneak back to our own lab to sleep for the night. But on our way there... we just saw so many bugs."
Jude scoffed coldly. "Back to your lab? Your assigned lab is in Zone A. The Apex Research Hub is in a completely different direction. If you were heading to your lab, how exactly did you end up here?"
Isabella choked on her words.
Laughter rippled through the crowd.
"Do you I think everyone here is stupid?"
"Yeah, if your lab is in Zone A, what the hell were you doing trespassing at The Hope Initiative's hub?"
Rather than clearing their names, the pathetic lie only fueled the crowd's relentless mockery.
Both women looked entirely sick to their stomachs, but cornered as they were, they had no choice but to bite the bullet and deny everything. "We aren't lying! It was just too dark, and we took a wrong turn..."
Jude let out another harsh laugh. "Getting lost on a straight path from the beach to the central district. Quite the navigational skills you possess."
Isabella opened her mouth to argue.
But Jude cut her off, clearly out of patience. "Furthermore, who gave you permission to return to any lab? The island mandates that all competitors remam in their assigned sleeping quarters after 10:00 PM. Entering a lab after hours is strictly forbidden. You are in severe violation of competition rules."
Isabella forced out a sob. "But we don't have a dorm anymore! The wind was so strong, we just wanted to "
"I don't care what your excuse is. The rules are the rules," Jude interrupted coldly. "If the mandate says no entry, it means no entry."
Bianca completely lost it, screaming at the top of her lungs. "Why?! We were sleeping in our lab before this, and nobody said a word about violating rules! You've clearly been bought off by that bitch Serena, and now you're just targeting me!"
Jude's face turned violently dark. "Excellent. A full confession."
"Since you've made a habit of breaking regulations since the moment you set foot
on this island, we'll settle all your infractions right now."
Jude pulled out a small notepad. "Repeatedly violating island curfews, repeatedly inciting public
disturbances, and repeatedly.
disrupting the sleep of your fellow
competitors."
FindNovel.net
"I will accurately record this. The Dreamscape Initiative's Team Merit Credits are completely zeroed out!"
Bianca was livid. "Zeroed out?! What gives you the right to touch my points?! We are The Dreamscape Initiative!"
Jude, still scribbling in his notepad, casually lifted his gaze. "Do you have a problem "with my ruling?"
Bianca opened her mouth to hurl a string of curses.
Isabella instantly grabbed her, hissing under her breath, "Stop! Shut up! If you keep pushing him, we won't just lose our points-we'll be expelled from the island entirely!"
Bianca's eyes were practically bleeding with rage, but she forced the volcanic anger back down her throat.
Right now, they had already successfully copied Serena's data.
They were guaranteed to dominate this final round.
She absolutely could not risk getting thrown off the island at a critical moment like
this.