Chapter 1248
Phelps stealthily glanced down at his phone, watching the endless stream of trending hashtags and comments pop up. His face contorted with such ferocity that he was barely keeping it together.
He had expended so much effort, pulled so many strings in the shadows.
And in the end, it had merely served as another stepping stone for the Elyndor team to ascend to glory.
Why?
Why was it that Severia was the host country, yet Elyndor was the one stealing all the thunder tonight p>
Phelps ground his teeth together, a dark, churning venom swirling in his eyes, threatening to spill over.
But unfortunately for him, they were still on a global live broadcast.
He couldn’t afford to throw a tantrum here.
He clenched his fists, his breathing growing noticeably heavier.
Suddenly, Desmond Prescott’s commanding voice crackled through his earpiece. “Fix your face immediately. You are on a global live broadcast p>
“That Elyndor student certainly has some tricks up her sleeve p>
“Focus on preparing for your upcoming matches. Leave the Elyndor team to me p>
Phelps instantly smoothed over his expression, not daring to let another ounce of displeasure show on his face.
Deep down, an ecstatic thrill began to bubble up.
If his father was stepping in.
Serena and her little team were absolutely finished!
They could kiss their precious spotlight goodbye!
He just had to stand back and enjoy the show!
The opening ceremony’s itinerary pushed forward.
Per tradition, just before the conclusion of the event, the captain of each delegation was required to take the stage and deliver a brief, one-minute academic declaration in their native language.
This segment was designed to showcase the intellectual spirit and academic ethos of each nation’s elite institutions, and it was always one of the most highly anticipated highlights on the global broadcast.
The podium was equipped with simultaneous translation devices.
And the massive screens overhead would display bilingual subtitles in real-time.
Soon, it was Elyndor’s turn.
“Next, let us welcome the captain of the Elyndor delegation, Miss Serena, to the stage to deliver her academic declaration p>
As the host’s voice faded, a blinding spotlight snapped onto Serena.
With one hand tucked casually into her pocket, Serena strode toward the podium on long, elegant legs, her posture effortlessly relaxed.
The gaze of everyone on the Elyndor team instinctively followed her.
Even the lenses of the international media snapped squarely onto her figure.
But the very second Serena stepped up to the microphone under the spotlight.
Zzzzt-
Every simultaneous translation earpiece in the venue suddenly erupted with ear- piercing static.
Immediately after, the entire system went dead, completely failing on a massive scale.
At the same exact moment, the giant overhead screens in the ain arena violently flickered.
The bilingual subtitles that should have appeared were instantaneously replaced by strings of garbled, chaotic code!
A wave of confusion rippled through the audience.
“What’s going on p>
“Did the translation tech crash p>
“Why is the screen filled with glitchy text p>
“What is happening tonight? Why does something mysteriously break down every single time it involves the Elyndor team? And now, right at the climax of their speech, another malfunction p>
Backstage, a few technicians immediately put on a theatrical display of panic.
Staff members sprinted back and
forth, frantically shouting over their
headsets as if they were genumely dealing with a catastrophic technical failure.
Over in the VIP section, a member of The Organizing Committee furrowed his brow, feigning a look of anxious surprise as he addressed the crowd nearby:
“We apologize; it appears our system is experiencing an unexpected glitch p>
“Our tech team is working on an emergency fix. Please remain calm p>
“It shouldn’t delay us for long p>
That was what they claimed.
Yet the technicians were dragging their feet, making zero genuine effort to rush the repairs.
In fact, many of them couldn’t hide the mocking gleam in their eyes, eager to watch a spectacular trainwreck unfold.