Chapter 172
Chapter 172:
One of the school’s top students, poised to begin graduate studies, whispered, “Look at these results. One should realize that none of our school’s standard equipment could produce this level of data in such a short timeframe. Where did Rylie do these experiments p>
A classmate nodded. “The university’s gear is as good as it gets around here. If she used a private lab, those are heavily secured — nobody just walks in off the street p>
When Stacey heard this, her eyes flashed with a new sense of purpose. She sprang to her feet. “Rylie, you claim these results came from our school’s equipment, but as far as I know, you’d need industry-grade machinery to reach those numbers in two months. Are you certain all this data is authentic p>
A soft laugh escaped Rylie as she pulled out her USB drive and made her way to the media team manning the projection equipment.
Her abrupt detour left the tech group glancing at one another in confusion, but she leaned down, gesturing to their laptop. “Would you mind if I take over for a moment p>
Struck by her calm confidence, the students could only manage a wordless nod. “Go ahead,” one finally stammered.
Seizing the controls, Rylie deftly accessed the lab’s security archive, then quickly merged her experiment footage onto her USB drive. The entire process took less than three minutes.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the auditorium began to turn hostile.
Many in the crowd believed Rylie was retreating out of guilt, and accusations started flying from all directions.
A handful of Stetson’s students — still bitter from being bested by Rylie back in Timothy’s research group — sprang to their feet. “Revoke Rylie’s award! Academic fraud has no place here! Justice for Professor Ahmed! He deserves the top honor p>
Their rallying cries swelled as others joined, and Stacey’s smile grew sharper. She leaned closer to Stetson and whispered with confidence, “You don’t have to worry. No one is going to p>
“To take what belongs to you.” Putting on a mask of grave concern, Stetson heaved a dramatic sigh. “Stacey, in research, honesty comes before all else. If there’s been any dishonesty, it must be addressed with the utmost seriousness p>
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Stetson paused deliberately, sweeping his gaze across the venue to ensure all eyes were on him before continuing. “That said, I believe the younger generation deserves a chance to explain themselves p>
Though his words seemed impartial, each carried a subtle edge, insinuating the possibility of Rylie’s dishonesty while positioning himself as the gracious elder willing to offer her a chance.
Stacey immediately picked up on the message. Her eyes reddened. “Professor Ahmed, you’re far too kind! But academic misconduct is a serious offense that cannot be overlooked p>
She turned to Rylie, her voice quivering, nearly breaking into tears. “Rylie, if you come clean now, there’s still a chance people might forgive you p>
“Are you done?” Rylie’s soft voice cut through the room, commanding attention. Stacey, incensed by her composure, raised her voice. “What is that attitude supposed to mean? Are you trying to justify fabricating your data p>
Without a hint of urgency, Rylie plugged the USB drive into the laptop and pulled up a video. “Since everyone seems so interested in my research process p>