Jay swallowed hard and lifted his head, pointing to Yvette. “Marcus,” he asked in a shaky voice, “how many methods can be used to verify Experiment No. 1?”
Marcus, his face serious, held up three fingers. “Three. After five years of repeated experiments, we’ve determined there are only three.”
Jay wiped his brow, shaking his head. “No, Marcus, there are five.”
Marcus froze, staring at Jay’s excited expression. He seemed to guess what had happened, a thought that disoriented him. “In just half an hour, Siren came up with two more methods?” he asked.
Jay met Marcus’s gaze, blinked, and swallowed. “Yes,” he replied. “At first, it was just one, but another method was discovered during the experiment.”
Marcus turned to Yvette, who sat calmly sipping water. He finally understood James’s comment, “Some people are just born gifted.” He and Jay were considered geniuses, but today, he grasped the true meaning of unmatched genius. Completing the experiment in half an hour was incredible; discovering new methods during the experiment and succeeding was terrifying. He understood why the director had gone to such lengths to recruit Yvette—even flying to Seacrity. He’d considered the effort excessive, but now realized his shortsightedness. Any remaining doubt about Yvette being Siren vanished completely.
James overheard. He knew news of five solutions to Experiment No. 1 would create a stir in the physics community.
Yvette took another sip of water, her throat slightly hoarse. Pressing her lips together, she said flatly, “Let’s go.”
James said, “No rush. There’s still half an hour. You can rest.”
Yvette stood. “No need. I’d rather get it over with. Jeremiah’s waiting for dinner.”
Seeing them leave, Jay hurried to stop them. “Mr. Owens, Siren, what are you two doing now?”
James paused, then waved his hand. “Nothing major. I wanted Yvette to review a few problems with the students. Those outside the core lab aren't convinced of her abilities, so they made a bet: they pose the questions, and Yvette answers.”
Jay, remembering Yvette’s calm demeanor during the experiment, felt sympathy for the students. He foresaw their brutal defeat. Who could they possibly challenge? This master? Clearly, they've grown too comfortable and are seeking excitement. Missing this would be a blow to his gossip-loving soul. “Mr. Owens, I’m free. Mind if I come along?”
Marcus said nothing, but his interest was clear. Yvette shrugged. “Sure, if you want to watch.”
Jay eagerly followed, Marcus close behind.
In the outer lab, a test paper with twenty questions had been prepared. Ryan’s question was simple, but others were intentionally difficult. Spencer, who’d made the bet, included a genuinely challenging question; unlike the others, he wasn’t merely trying to make things difficult.
The group of four returned to the outer lab. As the door opened, those working paused. Seeing Jay and Marcus—and realizing who they were—everyone was stunned. They were puzzled by the core lab members' presence. Core members were elusive and rarely seen; every new member hoped for their mentorship, but they’d only taken on a few students.
What followed amazed everyone. Jay fetched a soft chair for Yvette. Even more shocking, the stoic Marcus poured orange juice and placed it on her desk. The outer lab members were numb.
Yvette sat, propping her chin on her hand. Her cold, bright eyes scanned the room, radiating an intimidating aura. Jay and Marcus stood behind her, their serious expressions sending a chill down everyone’s spine. Ryan, familiar with this demeanor (at Sky Nimbus, it had caused Daniel to faint), took a seat.
James addressed the dazed crowd. “Are the questions ready?”
A girl with glasses stepped forward. “Mr. Owens, yes. Each of us wrote one, totaling twenty. These are challenging problems from our studies.”
Yvette smirked. “The test paper.”
Spencer stepped forward, slightly pausing at Yvette’s relaxed demeanor. “Ms. Zeller, we’ve all agreed there’s no time limit. Take as long as you need.” He handed her the paper.
Jay glanced at it, Marcus peeking over. The more Jay looked, the angrier he became. This isn't a test; it's designed to be difficult. Answering requires mastery in physics, chemistry, biology, and more. Only two questions are reasonable. I knew these students resisted Yvette, but I didn't expect this lack of decency. He passed the paper to Marcus. “Are these physics questions? Only two or three are related. What are the rest?”
Marcus agreed. The questions were outside the scope.
James glanced at the paper, disappointed. It was designed to trip Yvette up, not test her ability. The students hadn't heeded his advice. He handed it to Yvette. “Take a look. You can choose not to answer; this test is meaningless.”
Yvette gave the paper a quick look, her expression unchanged. A faint smile touched her lips.