One week passed quickly. After having enough fun and discussing their business plans, Nick decided to return to his hometown first and better prepare himself. On the other hand, Kalix became busier preparing for the semester exams and the upcoming software engineering competition. The semester exams were scheduled for the next week, and a month later, the software engineering competition would take place. This meant they would participate in the competition just a day after returning to school. So, their time was quite tight. Those who originally came from outside the capital couldn't even go home for a vacation but spent their time on training. "Mom, I can't come home this holiday," Kalix said over the phone with Grace. Shortly after, a gentle voice from the other side was heard in Kalix's ear, calming him down. "It's okay. I know you're very busy. Instead of spending time on the journey, it's better to use that time to rest." "Mm. I'm sorry, I can't accompany you on the holid

Kalix wore a navy blue suit that suited him well, although it wasn’t his first time in formal wear, he still felt a bit unsure when seeing his reflection in the mirror. It felt different as he was still in his late teens.“What’s wrong? Don’t you like it?” Snyder appeared from behind, now in a black suit with the top two buttons undone. His overall appearance looked extravagant and somewhat careless, fitting the image he presented to many.Ignoring Snyder, Kalix nonchalantly replied, “No.”“Well, that’s good. Let’s go.” After saying that, Snyder turned and walked out first.It was around half-past five when they left Snyder’s house. Mr. Hegard’s birthday event took place in their family villa, a bit far from the city center, where Snyder’s house was located. Since the event started at 5 pm, they were likely to be late.Kalix didn’t care, after all, he wasn’t invited and only came along because of Snyder and the system. As predicted by Kalix, they arrived late, causing them to be scrut

Kalix arrived at the location around 9 p.m. After thanking Snyder, he headed to their team room where Carl and Kyle were already present. The two appeared anxious in front of the computer, their expressions grim."How's the situation?" Kalix asked them both.Kyle turned towards him and shook her head, but she looked much better than Carl, who seemed nearly frustrated."The data couldn't be justified? Is it really damaged?" Kalix walked to the other side of Carl, staring at the computer screen with a furrowed brow."It's over, everything is over!" Carl exclaimed, hitting the table's edge. His eyes were reddened, seemingly on the verge of tears."Let me check it."After those words, Carl stood up and made room for Kalix.A few hours ago, Carl received a notification on his phone that someone tried to access their computer, which contained data for the upcoming 10-week competition. He had been suspicious from the start, so he decided to investigate.And his suspicions were correc

The two of them talked for quite a while and reached an agreement that Eugene would be one of the beta testers for the competition application. Initially, Kalix had considered asking for Snyder’s help, but he hadn’t anticipated Eugene appearing at a time like this and offering assistance.Certainly, Kalix felt a great sense of relief. One problem had been solved, so the application would be completed in less than two days.After seven full days of working under pressure, they could finally breathe easy. That evening, Carl decided to go back home, sleep through the night and day.Before leaving, he said, “Who will you invite to test your application?”“Eugene,” Kalix replied briefly and calmly.However, this caught Carl off guard. “Are you sure it’s Eugene?”Kalix nodded and mumbled in response, looking at Carl with an unclear expression.“Is there a problem?” he asked.“No, it’s just that I’m not sure if this will be a problem or not if others find out,” Carl explained vaguely.Despit

Rocky turned off his phone after ending the call, exited the bathroom, and washed his hands before returning to his desk. Only Lorenz was there, so he asked, "Where is he?"Shrugging, Lorenz nonchalantly replied, "Gone."Upon hearing that, Rocky immediately checked his watch and felt a bit puzzled. "I didn't spend much time in the bathroom, but he's already gone.""Is 15 minutes too short?" Lorenz asked lazily, showing his displeasure. From the beginning, he didn't want to come to this place, he preferred nightclubs, bars, or places that allowed him to drink alcohol. Besides, quiet places like this weren't his style, but he was out of money. So, he could only follow Rocky, who could afford his food and drinks.After Kalix slipped from his hands and 'that person' stopped giving him money, he had no income other than monthly funds from his parents. However, his poor grades this year and several reported incidents around the campus led his parents to stop giving him money, except for sc