Chapter 3 · He Sent Me Three Men, I Took Them All

At the dinner party, Liam was acting the part, just like he promised.

He pulled out my chair, kept the drinks away from me, and even whispered in my ear, pretending we were close.

The guests around us gave us curious glances, and I could hear them gossiping already.

Alexander's scheme was working, step by step.

Just then, the evening's host, who also happened to be the head of Liam's research institute, stepped onto the stage to introduce their latest development, a portable ECG monitor.

"This device will completely change how heart patients are monitored at home..." the director said passionately. Liam couldn't hide a hint of pride in the audience.

I studied the specs and diagrams on the screen, my brow slightly furrowing.

There was a fatal flaw in this design.

When the presentation ended, it was time for questions.

A reporter stood up and fired off a tough question, directly challenging the device's accuracy under extreme conditions.

The director's expression soured instantly, and he fumbled for an explanation.

Liam's brows drew together. He clearly hadn't seen that one coming.

The whole room suddenly felt awkward.

I picked up the microphone next to me and stood up.

All eyes were instantly on me.

Liam tugged at my arm, whispering, "Don't say anything stupid."

I ignored him and spoke up, my voice ringing out, clear and confident. "Great question. But honestly, the real problem with this device isn't the data accuracy. It's the core algorithm."

I turned to the director up on stage and to Liam in the audience.

"The predictive arrhythmia model you're using sounds perfect in theory," I went on. "But you missed a key factor: how the vagus nerve reacts when someone's under stress.

"Put simply, if a user is super anxious or scared, the device could misread the vagus nerve's overreaction as fatal tachycardia, setting off a false emergency alarm.

"That wouldn't just cause major panic for the user, it would also put unnecessary strain on medical resources."

As soon as I finished, the whole room went silent.

The director and the other experts on stage froze, exchanging bewildered glances.

Liam's eyes widened. He adjusted his glasses and locked his gaze on me, utterly stunned and unable to believe what he had heard.

He rushed over, snatched the mic, his voice shaky. "H-how do you know about the vagus nerve's effect on the model? That's something we've only ever discussed behind closed doors in our lab."

I gave a small smile. "Just happened to read a few papers on it."

In fact, my mentor was the one who created this algorithm.

Liam's lips parted, but no words came out.

His gaze went from aloof and scrutinizing to shocked, then confused, and finally, there was an intense, almost obsessive curiosity burning in his eyes.

He looked a scientist who had discovered uncharted territory.

Liam didn't care about the dinner or his assignment anymore. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward the exit.

"Come with me, now. I've got a million questions for you," he said, urgency in his voice.

His palm was almost feverish, and his grip was shockingly strong.

As he dragged me along, I glanced back at the guests, their faces frozen in disbelief, a triumphant smile curving my lips.

The second target was almost in the bag.

*****

By the time I finally managed to "escape" from Liam's lab, it was already late at night.

Liam, the cold, brilliant medical genius, had kept me up all night, grilling me about algorithms and models. The way he looked at me was so intense, it felt like he was about to turn me into a specimen for dissection.

Exhausted, I finally made it home, ready to crash, when my phone buzzed with a call from an unknown number.

I picked up, and on the other end, there was blaring music and a deep, raspy voice with a playful tone. "Ms. James? Nathan Sinclair here."

Here came the third target, the most enigmatic guy, with a background shrouded in mystery and moves nobody could predict.

"I'm waiting for you on the rooftop of Nightfall," he said, and before I could say a word, he hung up.

Wow, each one was ruder than the last.

I checked the time. It was 2 a.m.

Was he planning to put me in my place?

I sneered, changed my clothes, and went straight to Nightfall, the bar he had mentioned.

Chapter 3

At the dinner party, Liam was acting the part, just like he promised.

He pulled out my chair, kept the drinks away from me, and even whispered in my ear, pretending we were close.

The guests around us gave us curious glances, and I could hear them gossiping already.

Alexander's scheme was working, step by step.

Just then, the evening's host, who also happened to be the head of Liam's research institute, stepped onto the stage to introduce their latest development, a portable ECG monitor.

"This device will completely change how heart patients are monitored at home..." the director said passionately. Liam couldn't hide a hint of pride in the audience.

I studied the specs and diagrams on the screen, my brow slightly furrowing.

There was a fatal flaw in this design.

When the presentation ended, it was time for questions.

A reporter stood up and fired off a tough question, directly challenging the device's accuracy under extreme conditions.

The director's expression soured instantly, and he fumbled for an explanation.

Liam's brows drew together. He clearly hadn't seen that one coming.

The whole room suddenly felt awkward.

I picked up the microphone next to me and stood up.

All eyes were instantly on me.

Liam tugged at my arm, whispering, "Don't say anything stupid."

I ignored him and spoke up, my voice ringing out, clear and confident. "Great question. But honestly, the real problem with this device isn't the data accuracy. It's the core algorithm."

I turned to the director up on stage and to Liam in the audience.

"The predictive arrhythmia model you're using sounds perfect in theory," I went on. "But you missed a key factor: how the vagus nerve reacts when someone's under stress.

"Put simply, if a user is super anxious or scared, the device could misread the vagus nerve's overreaction as fatal tachycardia, setting off a false emergency alarm.

"That wouldn't just cause major panic for the user, it would also put unnecessary strain on medical resources."

As soon as I finished, the whole room went silent.

The director and the other experts on stage froze, exchanging bewildered glances.

Liam's eyes widened. He adjusted his glasses and locked his gaze on me, utterly stunned and unable to believe what he had heard.

He rushed over, snatched the mic, his voice shaky. "H-how do you know about the vagus nerve's effect on the model? That's something we've only ever discussed behind closed doors in our lab."

I gave a small smile. "Just happened to read a few papers on it."

In fact, my mentor was the one who created this algorithm.

Liam's lips parted, but no words came out.

His gaze went from aloof and scrutinizing to shocked, then confused, and finally, there was an intense, almost obsessive curiosity burning in his eyes.

He looked a scientist who had discovered uncharted territory.

Liam didn't care about the dinner or his assignment anymore. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward the exit.

"Come with me, now. I've got a million questions for you," he said, urgency in his voice.

His palm was almost feverish, and his grip was shockingly strong.

As he dragged me along, I glanced back at the guests, their faces frozen in disbelief, a triumphant smile curving my lips.

The second target was almost in the bag.

*****

By the time I finally managed to "escape" from Liam's lab, it was already late at night.

Exhausted, I finally made it home, ready to crash, when my phone buzzed with a call from an unknown number.

I picked up, and on the other end, there was blaring music and a deep, raspy voice with a playful tone. "Ms. James? Nathan Sinclair here."

Here came the third target, the most enigmatic guy, with a background shrouded in mystery and moves nobody could predict.

"I'm waiting for you on the rooftop of Nightfall," he said, and before I could say a word, he hung up.

Wow, each one was ruder than the last.

I checked the time. It was 2 a.m.

Was he planning to put me in my place?

I sneered, changed my clothes, and went straight to Nightfall, the bar he had mentioned.