1024 A Test
Bryan’s words clearly annoyed Pascal.
A look of contempt emerged on Pascal’s face. “That’s hilarious. So what if Country D is number one in the world with mechanical engineering? That’s only because Country A doesn’t care about competing with you.”
Bryan was angry that he laughed. “Why don’t you just admit it? You don’t dare to compete with Zi Yi. If you can’t win, you can’t win. Did you have to talk big? Anyone can talk big, right?”
Pascal retorted, “If we want to prove ourselves, the best way is to compete.”
The moment he finished his sentence, he took out his robot.
Bryan took out his robot as well.
Both their robots were designed for combat. The moment they started fighting, they used their most powerful moves and went for the kill.
As the robots fought behind a fence, Elder Dou and Zi Yi stood at the back of the crowd. He asked, “Zi Yi, what do you think about their robots?”
“If they made the robots by themselves, they are worthy of grooming.”
“What about their character?”
“I can’t tell yet.”
Country A was in an awkward position. Worms and clones had infiltrated the government and almost everyone in the world knew about it.
Zi Yi had sent an international invitation, but everyone assumed Country A would send no one. After all, no one could be sure of their intentions. Also, there was a risk that the clones were not completely eradicated.
However, they sent people anyway.
Three people from Country A were sent. Two of them were men along with one woman. The other guy was called Barlow and the only girl was called Dani. Other than Pascal, Barlow and Dani also stood outside the fence watching.
Despite their presence, people gossiped about them openly.
“Who knows where Pascal got the robot from, right? Weren’t the dean and vice-deans of A.Uni from Country A all clones? I suspect a lot of their students were clones as well.”
“Me too. This time, they sent three students. Perhaps clones are among them as well. Maybe the leaders of Country A are still talking to the worms and plotting to get into Zi Yi’s class so that they can spy on us.”
…
Barlow clenched his fists tightly as he stood there. Just as he was about to throw a temper, Dani placed her hand on him to stop him.
Dani reminded him softly. “Barlow, calm down. Have you forgotten the rules in the invitation sent by the university? Do you want to get kicked out before we even start?”
Barlow inhaled deeply. He also knew it was not the right time to be rash. He could only forcibly compose himself and pretend not to hear the gossip.
As elite students, Bryan and Pascal’s robots were equally good. However, after fighting for some time, Bryan’s robot unexpectedly experienced a short circuit and stopped working.
Bryan incredulously looked at his robot lying on the ground. “I can’t believe it. How could this happen to my robot? Someone must have touched my robot.”
Pascal had won. He scoffed while standing there. “You lost, just face it. How could you try to come up with excuses? This is hilarious.”
“Impossible!” Bryan’s face turned red. “This has never happened to my robot before.”
“Of course this has never happened before until it encountered my robot.” Pascal looked smug. “Let me tell you. My robot is capable of destroying electrical circuits.”
“You cheated!”
“Cheated? Should it not just be considered as weapon deployment? Aren’t you a top student from Country D? Don’t you even know about this basic knowledge?”
“You…”
Just as Bryan was about to throw a fit, Elder Dou asked Zi Yi, “When the robots compete, is it against the rules to damage the electrical circuit?”
“Nope.”
Zi Yi looked at the two young men on the stage and said, “Pascal is very smart.”
Elder Dou nodded in agreement. “That’s right. Pascal is more cunning than Bryan. If people like him focus on research, I’m sure he’ll become a true talent.”
“Yes.”
Even though Bryan was very angry about Pascal’s actions, he did not lose his temper. He simply took his robot and walked off.
After he left, lots of people also left.
Before long, the swarms of students around the stage dissipated, leaving only the students from Country A.
Barlow smiled as he said to Pascal, “Pascal, good job.”
Pascal raised his chin proudly.
Dani said, “Let’s go. We have to be prepared. Who knows? Zi Yi might come today.”
As they spoke, they walked to the entrance.
Barlow answered as he walked, “I wonder what Zi Yi means by this. She invited us over, but she didn’t come to see us after such a long time had passed.”
“I heard she has been spending all her time at the aviation research base, so she’s probably not free to see us.”
“I really wish I could join her aviation research base.”
“However, I don’t like those people from Country D.”
The three of them chatted as they walked.
Zi Yi and Elder Dou watched as they walked off. They moved their eyes from the departing figures and glanced at each other.
Elder Dou said, “If you accept all of them, I’m sure there will be a lot of friction between them.”
Zi Yi came up with an idea to test them. She leaned toward Elder Dou and whispered something into his ear.
The moment he heard Zi Yi’s suggestion, Elder Dou nodded and smiled. “Great idea.”
The two of them laughed.
Over 200 potential candidates were sent from universities all over the world. When they got to Metropolis University, they were sent to various faculties.
Since they were top students from all over the world, they were not interested in all the classes. Most people spent their time here watching competitions or reading at the library.
...
Today was no different. After they were done watching competitions, people started making their way to the library. However, they received a text message for them to gather at the main entrance of the Futuristic School of Technology.
Everyone wanted to get accepted by the Futuristic School of Technology and ever since they got here, they often went over for a look. Even though its gates were still tightly shut, it did nothing to water down their enthusiasm.
When everyone gathered outside the gates, they could not find any school leaders there. Also, Zi Yi was not there either. Everyone gossiped softly as they waited.
“Why did Metropolis University suddenly send us text messages? Don’t tell me Zi Yi is here today?”
“If Zi Yi was on the campus, someone would have posted it on the school forum. However, there are no posts about her.”
“Does the school want to give us a message from Zi Yi?”
As everyone speculated, someone suddenly noticed an old man walking over.
The old man was roughly in his 70s and walked slowly. He was wearing a mask, so his face could not be seen. Also, he gave off a scholarly aura. Only someone with a lifetime working in education could have such an aura.
Everyone glanced at each other.
“Who’s the old man?”
“What’s he doing here?”
...
“Is he here to test us?”
Just as they were feeling puzzled about the matter, the old man had already walked over.
He looked at the students standing there and asked, “Are you students from Metropolis University?”
They felt confident to get selected by Zi Yi, so everyone nodded.
The old man felt delighted. “Perfect. I happen to need some help. Which one of you wants to help me?”