All Her Secrets by Chestnut
All Her Secrets Chapter 719 by Chestnut

Chapter 719 This Is Impossible!

The commotion outside was chaotic, and the situation inside the laboratory wasn’t any better. Ever since Ciaran got caught due to the leak incident, the team was represented by the most experienced member, Eamon.

The team members hesitated to tackle this challenging problem. This wasn’t like their usual experiments in the laboratory where they could afford to make mistakes and start over. In the competition, there was no room for error.

Half an hour had passed, and the Johnville Team had already started working in an orderly manner. However, the Styre Team hadn’t even begun. It seemed like they were giving up.

The rest of the team was getting anxious, and someone suggested asking Catherine for help. While Catherine usually worked alone in experiments and never collaborated with other senior members, Marshall had always believed in her abilities.

Eamon agreed with his teammate’s suggestion and approached Catherine, who was sitting idle. “Catherine, why are you still sitting here blankly? The competition has been going on for half an hour, and we haven’t even figured out the first step!” he exclaimed.

Catherine glanced at the organized Johnville Team as Jason looked over. Seeing the chaotic scene of the Styre Team, he arrogantly raised his middle finger, trying to provoke Catherine. Unfazed by such childish behavior, Catherine ignored him.

“It’s about time. Let’s begin!” Catherine said as she stood up and walked to the experiment table. She quickly wrote and sketched on a piece of paper and handed it to Eamon a few minutes later.

Eamon’s eyes lit up instantly as the jumble of thoughts in his mind cleared at that moment. It was as if Marshall was standing next to him, guiding him through the experiment step by step. He quickly passed Catherine’s plan to his teammates and called for immediate action. “From now on, everyone needs to follow Catherine’s instructions. Is that okay?” he asked.

Catherine’s plan was simple yet precise, making everyone understand how to tackle the problem, which made them willing to follow Catherine’s lead. In unison, they exclaimed, “No problem!”

Catherine began giving instructions and assigning tasks. Watching from the stands, Marshall felt relieved as Catherine and her teammates finally sprang into action. However, he only felt half the relief because he knew time was running out.

Due to the delay, they only had about two hours left. Even if Marshall did the experiment himself, it would take at least two and a half hours. Moreover, they were just a group of students, and they couldn’t possibly complete the task in such a short time.

Marshall could sense the problem, and so could everyone else. The smug look on the face of the Johnville Team’s mentor was evident, as he knew from the start that the victory in this round of competition would ultimately be his. To support his own team, he had put all his assets into the bet. He firmly believed that his team would win by a large margin.

As time passed, the initially trailing Styre Team was now conducting the experiment in an orderly manner under the leadership of Catherine.

Catherine took charge of the core part herself, splitting the remaining segments and assigning them to Eamon for distribution. Initially clueless, Eamon, upon receiving Catherine’s execution plan, instantly cleared his mind and felt confident that he could complete the tasks assigned by her.

At the same time, Eamon’s expression was filled with worry. In his view, Catherine alone couldn’t possibly complete the task. He dared not disturb her and could only do his best to quickly complete the tasks she assigned before replaceing a way to help her.

Time passed quickly, and everyone’s hearts were racing. Only half an hour left, and the Johnville Team had already started wrapping up their work. Their mentor even boasted that they could finish the competition if given another ten minutes. But just as he finished speaking, a bell suddenly rang.

Everyone was shocked. The bell signified that a team had announced the completion of the task ahead of schedule. No one had expected the Johnville Team to finish so quickly. Their mentor had just finished boasting, and they had already finished the experiment, which was quite impressive.

As everyone looked up at the projection screen to see the result, they were dumbfounded. It wasn’t the expected Johnville Team, but the Styre Team that had finished early. They had started half an hour later than the Johnville Team but had managed to finish the experiment ahead of them, which was unbelievable. “How could they have finished so early?” everyone present wondered.

Not only were the spectators outside the laboratories surprised, but even Eamon and his teammates were in a state of confusion. No one had expected such speed. They had simply handed the materials to Catherine, and then, just two minutes later, they heard Catherine press the completion button. It was too fast for them even to react. It was simply impossible!

Ten minutes later, the Johnville Team finally pressed the button.

The mentor of the Johnville Team couldn’t help but snort disdainfully. Can’t believe they would do something so stupid just to get ahead. Even if they press the button first, it’ll be useless. If the experiment isn’t completed or done well, it’s still a loss, isn’t it?” His words were a thinly veiled jab at Marshall’s team, insinuating that they had intentionally pressed the completion button despite not finishing their experiment.

After the competition ended, all the participants left the laboratories, which were immediately sealed off and guarded by specialized personnel. The competition result would be publicly announced in the afternoon after final deliberation by a professional judging panel.

Even though the result of the competition had not been announced, more people were inclined to believe the mentor of the Johnville Team. In their eyes, it was inconceivable for Styre University to have completed the experiment in such a short time, and they might not even have completed the experiment at all.

Marshall watched as his students left the laboratory and immediately rushed backstage to greet them. After exchanging greetings with a few students, he approached Catherine, uncertainly asking, “Do you think we’ll win?” It wasn’t that he didn’t believe in his students, but in his opinion, it was a task that was fundamentally impossible to complete. He stared at Catherine intently, afraid to miss any of her expressions.

Catherine’s eyes remained calm and unruffled, devoid of any hint of emotion. Her voice was as cold and aloof as ever. “Professor Hartley, prepare yourself mentally!”

Her words were like an alarm, causing a sudden jolt in Marshall’s heart. “Does this mean I need to brace myself for the upcoming defeat?” he wondered.

Losing the competition would surely lead to criticism and even the loss of his position.

Marshall could only shake his head with a helpless smile, silently repeating to himself, “Well, I chose her, so I’ll have to bear the consequences.”