The man who’d been asked was Fletcher, the very colleague to whom Chloe Sinclair had once given a magazine.

Seeing the intern’s astonished expression, an enigmatic smile crept onto his face.

He didn’t explain. Instead, he patted the intern’s shoulder and said earnestly, "You’ll get used to it."

Then, pointing to the new device in the center of the lab, he asked, "Do you know where this new device came from?"

The intern, looking utterly bewildered, honestly shook his head.

"The reason our experiments have progressed by leaps and bounds lately is all thanks to this device. And it was Chloe Sinclair who proposed modifying the flow-fusion reactor, pushing past all opposition."

The intern’s eyes flew wide. He scanned the lab and finally spotted Chloe Sinclair in a corner, staring intently at her data.

Fletcher found it a little amusing, but then he recalled that the senior researchers had been just as astonished as their new colleagues.

He shook his head with a wry smile, his tone turning serious. "If you run into any problems, go ask Chloe Sinclair. Don’t underestimate her because she’s young. She likely knows a lot more than you."

Chloe Sinclair was like an undiscovered star in the boundless universe.

Now that she had been discovered, she was beginning to shine with her own unique brilliance.

Upon hearing this, the intern immediately straightened his back and nodded with great solemnity.

There was not a hint of insincerity in his gesture.

Chloe Sinclair spent a long stretch of time in the lab.

Time flew, and soon it was November.

Emberfall grew increasingly cold, and a light rain had been falling for almost two weeks.

After finishing her run downstairs with Shawn Styles, Chloe Sinclair returned to her room and had a cup of coffee.

"Master, Meridia is holding a press conference."

Eight suddenly announced.

The moment it finished speaking, a video of Meridia’s press conference appeared on Chloe Sinclair’s computer.

A smile played on Chloe Sinclair’s lips as she took an unhurried sip of her coffee.

Wiping her lips, she asked, "Does Professor Quincy know yet?"

Eight shook its head. "Those guys in Meridia didn’t notify our country. They must have hidden it on purpose. Professor Quincy doesn’t know yet."

Eight’s large blue eyes flickered as it spoke with righteous indignation, "Those old bastards are so shameless! If we hadn’t successfully modified the flow-fusion reactor, we’d be the ones getting slapped in the face!"

At that point, the humiliation wouldn’t be limited to a single research institute.

Even though Eight was only a robot, having been with Chloe Sinclair for so long, it shared her animosity toward their rivals and had a clearer sense of right and wrong than anyone.

Looking at Eight’s indignant display, Chloe Sinclair felt torn between laughter and exasperation.

"Send this video to the professor. He’ll know what to do."

Eight acknowledged the command and quickly returned to report the task was complete.

Three hours later, the video from Meridia had spread throughout the country.

Some people couldn’t grasp the implications of the press conference.

However, many internet users were expressing their outrage online.

[Damn, Meridia has gone too far! They didn’t invite a single scientist from our country. It’s obvious they’re targeting us!]

[The Mark Device has been upgraded again? So does that mean our country’s entire controlled fusion project has just gone down the drain?]

[Those old bastards are so shameless!]

Chloe Sinclair read the comments online, entirely unsurprised.

Just then, her phone rang.

Chloe Sinclair answered without hesitation, getting straight to the point: "Professor, announce it."

Joel Quincy was silent on the other end of the line for a long moment.

"Professor, based on current technology, even if Meridia’s device is successfully developed, it’ll be useless if the subsequent development can’t keep pace."

After a pause, the smile vanished from Chloe Sinclair’s face, and her voice grew taut. "You know why they’re doing this, don’t you?"