Chapter 711
As the final round drew to a close, the big screen remained stubbornly black.
Unlike before, this time, the results lingered in silence.
Now the judges would analyze each solution in detail using advanced, multi-layered methods, examining how each algorithm responded under constant pressure and balanced competing objectives with apparent intelligence.
After two elimination rounds, just fifteen contestants remained. Each had earned their spot. Some stood stiff with nerves, others relaxed with confidence, and a few practically shook with anticipation as they waited for the results.
Anneliese felt a sense of fulfillment and total harmony within herself. She had pushed herself to her limits. In that moment, the result suddenly seemed almost insignificant.
Her shoulders relaxed as a subtle smile formed on her lips. She saw Wendy and Ellie in the crowd and playfully winked at them. Ellie quickly stood up and responded with a big thumbs-up and a wave.
Today, the young girl wore a bright red cape that was hard to miss.
Anneliese’s smile grew even warmer. When she looked away, her eyes briefly met Gianna’s across the aisle, where she was seated two seats away.
Gianna appeared utterly exhausted, with smudged makeup and a piercing, almost confrontational stare.
To an outsider, it might seem as if Anneliese had taken her mother away. However, Anneliese found this reaction odd and chose to look elsewhere.
Earlier, outside the venue, Ms. Chalmont tells Gianna to stop calling her “Mom p>
I stay close enough to hear her words, though the rest fades into background noise. One thing remains clear: Gianna isn’t Ms. Chalmont’s daughter but her sister’s. Then, a prickly question began to stir inside her.
Then why is Gianna still the Malone heiress? Did Mr. Malone have something going on with Ms. Chalmont’s sister, and is this the result? If so, that really changes how I see him.
She sighed. This kind of mess isn’t exactly rare in wealthy families, but Ms. Chalmont deserves better.
Soon, her thoughts were interrupted by the host’s voice.
The host declared that the big screen would soon reveal a visual breakdown of each contestant’s final solution, one after another.
As those words echoed, Gianna’s world lurched sideways.
Her fists tightened. This isn’t what I’ve been told. Only the top three are meant to be showcased. Why are they exposing everyone?
No one understood better than Gianna just how badly her final round had gone. To display it now felt like a public unmasking.
Panic surged as she desperately searched for any escape.
There was none.
The big screen lit up.
Her solution appeared first.
Initially, her module appeared intact-organized and somewhat optimistic. However, when
veget
unpredictable disruptions occurred, the framework fell apart. Connections became strained, pathways crossed and overlapped, and the entire network descended into disarray. The accumulation o conflicts eventually led to the system’s collapse.
On the screen, her routing looked like a ball of yarn torn apart by a rampaging cat. The failure was visible to everyone, and Gianna pressed her nails into her palm, her face going ghostly pale.
She even sensed the audience’s gaze change admiration dissolving into regret, then doubt, and finally hint of smug
smug satisfaction. She
couldn’t look at Adrian or Pepper. Disappointment was hard enough, but contempt would be too much to bear.
The judges’ commentary was faintly audible to her. She only managed two stiff nods; that was all.
The sequence of showcases made one clear truth painfully obvious: the later a solution emerged, the more impressive it was.
Gianna quietly wished Anneliese’s module would appear sooner, but luck wasn’t on her side. Even when the second-place module flashed onto the screen, Anneliese’s name still didn’t appear.
There was only one explanation.
Anneliese had taken first.
When her solution finally appeared, a ripple of genuine awe swept through the hall.
Her routing visualization wasn’t just
effective; it exuded elegance. The
system operated seamlessly
start to finish. Even in hig
conditions, with sudden cancellations and unexpected surges in orders, the drone swarms stayed resilient. It was almost as if the system could predict issues before they happened Some of the fleet had already switched to backup routes-slightly longer but more reliable and secure.