Chapter 503 Who Exactly Is Your Mentor?

One short sentence was enough to inspire everyone and light a fire in their hearts.

Dane wrote in his notepad, “Where are Mystro and Liam right now?”

“They’re still in the lab, running tests and doing the calculations. They’re looking for a better way to get more accurate results.”

“This time, they really saved us. Professor Kerrigan and Ms. Tilda even found a way to build a 4nm chip lithography machine. Now there’s real hope!”

Dane wrote, “Having a method alone isn’t enough. We need the other machines to match up perfectly. I’ll go find Mystro and Liam!”

Dane and the others hurried back to the lab without a moment’s pause. They jumped straight into the details, talking through every part and working out better ideas.

They stayed awake for two nights in a row, pushing forward without stopping. At last, they reached a conclusion! But the plan still needed to be written down and polished.

Tilda said, “Everyone, give me one day. I’ll sort everything out. You’re all exhausted these past few days. Get some rest first.”

She didn’t hesitate and took the whole task on herself.

Mystro and Liam felt bad watching her. “Tilda, you haven’t slept in days either. Isn’t this too much? Let us help you!”

Dane gave her a look, as if saying, “Don’t carry this alone.”

“Yeah, Queen, that’s a mountain of data. There’s no way you can finish it all in just one day alone.”

“You’ve been pushing yourself nonstop. We’ve made it this far, there’s no need to rush. Take your time.”

Other scientists joined in, trying to talk her out of it. After working together these past days – especially since Tilda, Mystro, and Liam joined – it was like a broken clock finally got the gear it needed.

Everything began to run smoothly again. That last step, which once felt impossible, suddenly sped ahead. No one thought it was impossible anymore. Everyone felt a spark of hope. Maybe this was their chance to make history.

At the same time, everyone was amazed by how smart and talented Dane and his three juniors were. Every subject has its own huge challenge. Even with some background knowledge, most people could never master the key points in such a short time, let alone come up with better solutions. That was unbelievable. Calling them “once-in-a-century geniuses” or “chosen ones” would not be an overstatement. For a task this tough, you needed talent that went far beyond what normal people could even imagine. And in this team, they had four of them! There was only one way to describe it: scary good!

“No problem. Right now, I feel like I just got a shot of adrenaline. I’m hyped! Just thinking about this plan working, and what it means for our country and for all the dreamers who worked hard for so many years – how could I possibly sit still? This is our battle cry, the moment we break free from the monopoly and finally have our own 4nm chip lithography machine! Most of these notes are in my own shorthand. Nobody else could understand them, so just let me handle it! I’m not trying to act tough.”

Since Tilda explained it like that, everyone could only rely on her. The meeting wrapped up. Tilda went straight to her room, locked the door, and kept working late into the night. Dane and the others stood outside her door for a long time.

“Come on, Dane, Liam, let’s get some sleep. Standing here won’t do any good. Let Tilda handle it. She’ll finish it well. After that, we’ll still have to write the report.”

Mystro spoke up, and his words made Dane and Liam finally agree to rest. What he said made sense. They were just about to turn away when a voice called out.

“Professor Kerrigan.”

Riley walked up to the three of them.

Mystro asked, “Is there something you need, Professor Danton?”

Riley looked hesitant and asked, “Actually, it’s more of a personal question. Now that things have settled and we’ve done all we can, I finally get to ask. Who exactly is your mentor? How did he manage to teach four people with such amazing skill?”

The question had been growing in his mind ever since he’d watched Mystro join the team and show such shocking progress in only a few days. And it wasn’t just Riley who wondered. The others wanted to know too. But only Riley was bold enough to ask it out loud.

Sure, Dane and his juniors were already far beyond what anyone would call normal genius. Out of billions of people in the world, there are always a few rare genius people who break every rule of common sense. But the real shocker wasn’t them. It was the mentor who had noticed their talents and helped them grow. There are many smart people in the world, but finding them and teaching them well takes someone truly special. So just how powerful is their mentor?

Dane and the others looked at each other.

Finally, Liam spoke, “Honestly, Professor Danton, we can’t really answer that. We don’t know much about our mentor. All we can say is that he’s the most important person to us. Without him, we wouldn’t be the…