Mr. Jurado let out a sigh of relief when they didn''t draw Imperial College.


    "Alright team, just give it your all. We''ve got this!"


    "Yes!"


    Ivan and the others nodded, brimming with confidence. As long as they didn''t face Imperial College, they felt pretty good about their chances.


    But in a buzzer quiz like this, having solid knowledge wasn''t enough; you needed lightning-fast reflexes too.


    If you were too slow on the buzzer, knowing the answer was pointless.


    Maddox had the quickest reflexes on the team, so he was in charge of buzzing in, while Ivan, Brianna, and the others would handle answering the questions.


    Brianna tilted her chin at Flora. "Hey, if you''re not sure about an answer, don''t just blurt it out, okay? We don''t want any slip-ups."


    "Flora, if you''re notpletely certain, better keep quiet. Once you speak up, it counts as our team''s answer," Ivan added, carefully choosing his words to avoid hurting Flora''s feelings. During thest written test, everyone saw Flora''s scores were... well, pretty average.


    So average that even Mr. Jurado didn''t announce them.


    "Got it," Flora repliedzily, adjusting her ck mask at the bridge of her nose.


    With just a few minutes left before thepetition started, everyone was trying to rx.


    Suddenly, Flora''s phone buzzed in her pocket. It was a message from Henrik.


    "Flora, look up, three o''clock, section B, first row."


    Flora nced up and spotted Raul and Henrik in the audience, with Cecelia beside them. Cecelia waved her arms excitedly, as if to say, "Look at me! Look at me!"


    Ms. Flora, I''m here to cheer you on!


    Flora smiled, feeling a mix of happiness and disappointment. Her dad and brother were there, but where was Connor?


    Why hadn''t hee?


    Even though Flora wasn''t particrly invested in thepetition and didn''t need her family to cheer her on, seeing Raul and Henrik there without Connor left her feeling a bit miffed. "Oh, right, phones off, folks. Hand them over," Mr. Jurado suddenly remembered, smacking his forehead.


    Flora and the others obediently turned off their phones and handed them over.


    Ten minutester, thepetition officially began!


    Four judges entered the room!


    Brianna''s gaze lingered on the man leading the group, d in a sharp ck suit, her eyes filled with admiration.


    Flora also nced at him, her eyes flickering slightly.


    All the team leaders, guided by the staff, started drawing numbers. Mr. Jurado drew ater number, giving Flora and her team some extra time to rest.


    Thepetitors were the best from variousputer science departments, each with rock-solid skills.


    Once on stage, it was like a sh of titans.


    Scores were neck and neck, answers flew in rapid-fire, and the stage was a chaotic frenzy, almost breaking into arguments.


    One team, despite being very skilled, was too slow on the buzzer and missed many questions, ending up with the lowest score.


    They broke down in tears as soon as they left the stage.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Maddox watched, silently clenching his fist. He was going to focus solely on the buzzer, determined to make his years of single-guy speed pay off!


    The host''s voice echoed through the room: "Next up are the teams from the College of Foreign Studies, the University of Technology, the Imperial Aeronautical University, and the University of Maple Grove! Please get ready!"


    "Go on," Mr. Jurado said casually, waving his hand from his seat.


    Ivan, the team captain, took the lead, followed by Brianna, with Flora bringing up the rear as they entered the stage.