Chapter 794

chapter794

"... You know, talking about this competition, I can't tell if it's the students nowadays or the whole educational system that's changed. Fifty percent of the submissions are just fluff, forty percent are total nonsense, and only about ten percent are somewhat presentable."

Fernando took a sip of his coffee, shaking his head. "It's like every generation gets worse. I remember the students from the first few years who won the grand prize-each of them was practically destined for a feature in Science or Nature. But now... sigh..."

He trailed off, leaving the room filled with his unspoken disappointment.

"But to be fair, there were a few projects this year that really stood out," Patten chimed in. "Like the one from your group at Kingswell University. It was called 'Gene Testing and Biomedical Science.' The group leader's name was... Sybil, I think?"

"I remember it clearly," Patten continued with enthusiasm. "That project won the grand prize. The approach, the experimental angles, and the final output were all beyond expectations. The judges even said it could easily get published in any top-tier journal!"

"Afterwards, some of the judges dug around to find out more about Sybil. Heard she just started her first year of grad school and has already published several papers. They call her the 'genius girl' of your life sciences department. Quite impressive for someone so young..."

As Fernando continued to talk, Roseanne found herself zoning out. From the moment Patten mentioned Sybil's group's project, she was stunned.

Because D

That project was supposed to be hers!

How did it end up as Sybil's?!

Her mind felt like it had been hit with a sledgehammer, but after the initial shock, Roseanne quickly regained her composure and realized just how serious this situation was.

Carlson had just gotten back from outside campus, his back aching and his forehead throbbing. He knew it was a sign of overwork and mental exhaustion.

This winter break, thanks to a casual remark from Edna, everyone was forced to stay on campus, including him. But despite sticking around, the lab was still under renovation, and they couldn't conduct any research.

For the first couple of days, he holed up in his dorm, hoping for news that the renovations were done and everything had passed inspection. But reality had a way of dashing optimistic hopes, and life wasn't about to offer him a silver lining.

After a few days of idleness, Carlson felt like he was going to waste away. Just then, a senior introduced him to a part-time job-a research assistant position at a cosmetics company's bio lab, with a pay of $200 a day, paid weekly.

When asked if he was interested, hesitating for even a second seemed disrespectful to such a daily rate.

Carlson immediately agreed, even though he was warned multiple times about the intense workload and lack of breaks. He didn't mind at all.

Making money was never meant to be easy-that's what he thought.

But once he actually started working in the lab, he realized why his senior had warned him. The high pay was definitely earned through hard work.

It was exhausting, truly exhausting. But it was also fulfilling, truly fulfilling.

So, Carlson began his daily routine of shuttling between the lab and his dorm, sticking it out day after day.

Edna had looked for him in the meantime.

He didn't go.

Sybil had also called a few times, trying to subtly suggest he should keep churning out papers.

Carlson snorted, responding coolly, "Without a lab, where am I supposed to produce papers for you? Steal them? Or maybe rob someone? At least give me a suggestion."

Sybil, frustrated, called him sarcastic.

Carlson calmly hung up, feeling indifferent.

Back in the present, as Carlson

entered his dorm building, he fished out his room key while dragging his feet. After pulling two all-nighters, all he wanted was to collapse into bed.

But as he swung the door open, he found Arkle sitting on the edge of his bed,

tears streaming down his face.

Hearing the door, Arkle jumped up like a startled rabbit.

"Hey, you're back..." he said, turning away to hastily wipe his tears.

Carlson's expression darkened. "What happened?!"

"Nothing, nothing..."

"Nothing? Then why are you crying like that?"

Arkle stammered, "I wasn't crying... I just watched a movie, and it was... it was

really moving, couldn't help it..."

Carlson remained expressionless. "Do I look that easy to fool?"

Arkle hesitated.

"Arkle, we both worked hard to get from our small town to Lumina City, fought tooth and nail to get here. It wasn't easy. That's why we should support each other, right? Sotell me the truth."

Arkle's lips trembled as he spoke, "Really, it's nothing." Carlson frowned. "Does it have to do with the competition?"

Arkle sniffed, unable to hold back his frustration any longer. "It's Sybil. She kicked me out of the project group. I was completely in the dark until the awards were announced, and I saw my name wasn't there."

"I don't know why she's targeting me. I was involved in the entire project, from

data collection to all the little tasks. I gave it my all. I just don't understand why she did this."