Chapter 265 - 263: Refusing to Cooperate with the Lane Group

"T-take the exam in the hallway?"

Director Woods heard Ethan Sterling and couldn’t help but worry. "It gets so noisy out here between classes with everyone coming and going. Won’t that affect you?"

But Ethan Sterling was very confident in his abilities. "Don’t worry, sir. My concentration is very strong. I won’t be disturbed."

It was one of his talents, which was also why he was more focused than others when he played video games.

"Director Woods, if he’s daring enough to do it, then let’s proceed," Cecilia Sterling chimed in at the right moment. "With everyone watching, it’ll be more convincing."

Director Woods had no choice but to nod. He looked at Mr. Sanders and instructed, "Alright, Mr. Sanders, I’ll leave the arrangements to you."

"No problem."

Cecilia Sterling then said to her brother, "Go with the teacher, then. Do your best on the exam. I’ll come pick you up after school."

Ethan grinned, gave a relaxed nod, and then politely said goodbye to Director Woods before leaving the office with Mr. Sanders.

Soon, a desk and chair appeared in the third-floor hallway of the academic building, right next to the entrance of the senior Class 1 classroom.

A new face, completely unfamiliar to all the students of No. 2 High, was sitting there taking an exam as if no one else was around.

Ethan Sterling had left his backpack with Mr. Sanders, taking only a pen, paper, and other exam essentials. There were no tools on or around him that could be used for cheating.

It was the morning reading session, and the clear, orderly sound of students reading aloud from the classroom filled the hallway and drifted toward the distant athletic field, but it didn’t affect Ethan Sterling in the slightest.

A short while later, a girl wearing an armband passed by, unable to hide the surprised look on her face. She stared at him for a few seconds before entering the classroom, confused.

"Why is there someone doing a test paper by the door?"

Renee Reid returned to her seat and immediately grabbed her deskmate to ask.

"He’s a transfer student, taking the placement exam. Mr. Sanders told us not to disturb him."

"A placement exam?" Renee Reid was slightly stunned and subconsciously asked, "Is he trying to get into our class?"

Her deskmate shrugged and pouted. "I don’t know, but Mr. Sanders brought him. I guess if his score is high enough, he’ll join our class. If not, he’ll go to another one."

Renee Reid nodded in understanding, but she couldn’t help muttering, "Then why not take it in an office? Taking an exam in the hallway is so distracting!"

The sounds of the morning reading session were all around.

The moment the bell rang for the end of the first period, many curious students flooded out of the classroom, crowding around Ethan Sterling to look at the questions he had answered.

Most of them were bolder boys, with only a few girls wanting to see what the transfer student taking his exam in the hallway looked like.

But everyone had a tacit understanding not to make any noise; they just watched quietly. Despite being surrounded by so many people, Ethan Sterling’s train of thought remained perfectly clear. His pen flew across the scratch paper, furiously solving problems and leaving many of the onlookers wide-eyed.

They were all students from the honors class. They had done this test paper before, so they knew the correct answers and solutions.

From what they could see of his paper so far, the transfer student hadn’t lost a single point.

A few of the boys even exchanged an affirming look. ’This guy’s the real deal!’

Then, the group felt a tap on their shoulders, and they all turned around to look.

They saw their class president, Renee Reid, frowning and gesturing with her eyes for them to disperse quickly and not disturb someone during such an important exam.

The group grinned sheepishly before quickly scattering.

Renee Reid glanced subconsciously at the boy in front of her. His slightly long bangs covered his eyebrows, and his eyes remained fixed on the test paper. From beginning to end, he hadn’t looked up at anyone.

’Such intense focus.’

*

「Meanwhile, at the Lane Group.」

The Chairman’s Office.

"What?"

Walter Lane’s deep, powerful voice pierced through the door, causing the secretary outside to look up in surprise at the closed office entrance.

"What do you mean they refuse to work with our company?"

Inside the spacious office, two key members of the group’s artificial intelligence department stood in the center—one in charge of technology, the other of operations.

The head of operations wore a miserable expression as he faced Chairman Walter Lane. "It’s exactly what it sounds like, Chairman. They’re unwilling to sell the program to our group."

Hearing this, Walter Lane’s eyes went as wide as saucers. "The reason? There has to be a reason for something like this, right?"

It turned out the Lane Group had been monitoring recent developments and trends in the AI industry. They had learned that nearly every leading corporation in the field had purchased the rights to a new technology program from a certain team, allowing them to upgrade their own internal products on a massive scale for a minimal cost.

Naturally, the Lane Group couldn’t afford to fall behind. Walter Lane had immediately ordered the AI department to contact the team and purchase the rights without delay.

But now, almost half a month later, the result was that the team was refusing to work with them?

"I asked you a question!" Walter Lane slammed his hand on the desk, making both men flinch and shrink back.

The head of operations then shook his head. "No reason. The moment they heard we were from the Lane Group, they wouldn’t even give us a chance to meet."

"Chairman, could it be that the group has had some unpleasant history with this team in the past?" the head of technology asked tentatively.

The Lane Group’s prominence made it a natural target. It had extensive involvement in the tech industry, not limited to just AI, so it certainly had many rivals and even enemies in the business.

But Walter Lane shook his head, dismissing the possibility. Having been in business for decades, he understood merchants all too well.

’For a merchant, profit always comes first. This project has already been sold to dozens of corporations, which proves it isn’t an exclusive buyout. Naturally, the more they sell, the better. There’s no reason not to sell to the Lane Group! It’s not like we can’t afford it!’

"Do you have any internal information on this team?" Walter Lane suddenly asked, looking up.

Both men quickly nodded. One of them handed over the prepared file and added, "The team is currently composed of university students. Six of them are graduating this year, and they’re all from Lorcain Institute of Technology."

’Lorcain Institute of Technology?’

Walter Lane’s expression faltered for a moment; that was Shawn’s university.

’Could it be because of Shawn?’

He immediately dismissed the idea. ’That’s ridiculous. Shawn is only a sophomore. How could he be on bad terms with so many seniors? Besides, even if young people have conflicts, it’s not going to affect a deal worth millions a year. No one turns their back on money.’

He opened the file and began to flip through it. Timothy Rowe, Gavin Garrett, Maverick, Paige Ellison...

These young people were complete strangers to him. He had no memory of them whatsoever, which made the whole situation even more bizarre.

’Why would they single out the Lane Group?’