Chapter 4Reborn with a Vengeance

The official on the other end was cold and dismissive. "Mr. Vance, this championship is sponsored by the National Science Institute and overseen by two of its most distinguished fellows."

"It involves universities from across the country. We would never compromise our integrity for a single student. Besides…" His voice took on a mocking edge. "Your university isn't exactly an Ivy League powerhouse with the pull to bribe a panel of national experts."

"Instead of making baseless accusations, maybe you should focus on improving your own skills."

He hung up. They wouldn't take any more of my calls.

"Leo! It's getting worse online," Matt said, his face ashen as he handed me his phone. The screen was filled with hate.

【So shameless. A blatant, last-minute copy. Get out of the competition!】

【Someone on Greg's team must have been bribed. How else could this leech copy the newest design so fast?】

Greg himself had posted a reply, oozing false magnanimity. "It seems great minds think alike. Perhaps Leo and I just had a similar flash of inspiration. It's no problem. Leo, you can have the design. I'll compete with something else."

Beneath his comment, his fans praised his generosity.

【A true class act! So gracious, even to a thief!】

【LMAO, even if he's given the stolen design, can he even operate it?】

【This is disgusting. Someone should report this parasite before he gets any more ambitious.】

I stared at the words, feeling the blood freeze in my veins.

Why? Why was this happening? Was I doomed to repeat the past? To just give up?

No.

I refuse.

There has to be something I'm missing.

In the grip of that extreme, helpless rage, my mind suddenly became preternaturally clear. Memories of Greg flashed through my mind like a chaotic film reel. Before I met him, people called me a genius. But ever since he appeared, my light had been dimmed by his brighter star. He was always one step ahead, as if he could pluck my very thoughts from the air.

A spark ignited in the darkness of my mind.

"Matt," I asked, my voice eerily calm. "Do you believe it's possible for two people to have the exact same brainwaves?"

He looked at me, bewildered. "What? No way. Not even identical twins are that in-sync."

"Okay," I pressed on. "A robot you know inside and out. If you had all the parts, what's the absolute fastest you could assemble a new one from scratch?"

Matt considered it seriously. "Leo, I'm not on your level, but I'm no slouch either. With all the components ready, assembly and full diagnostics… minimum, half a day. These are precision instruments, not LEGOs. You can't just snap them together."

His words were like a key turning in a lock. My eyes widened, and a slow, strange smile spread across my face. It grew into a laugh, wild and unrestrained.

"You're right," I said, the sound echoing in the silent lab. "To build a machine like this from the ground up takes at least half a day. So how could two of them appear within a minute of each other?"

"It's not scientifically possible!"

I stared at the two robots before me, my eyes gleaming with a terrifying, feverish light. I dragged the spider bot over to the industrial gravity press in the corner of the lab. My hand hovered over the activation button.

"I've found it," I whispered, a manic grin stretching across my face. "Your fatal flaw."