Chapter 588 The Computer Virus
Watching Catherine walk away, Jada slumped to the ground.
Just now, Jada indeed wanted to use public opinion to make Catherine yield, to beg her forgiveness, to assist the Grelin Group and the Facers.
But she never expected Catherine to see through it all, let alone act so decisively. Jada had a feeling she might have really messed things up this time.
If the Facers’ company suffered because of her, she might never have a chance to show her face within the family again.
As Catherine exited the classroom, she followed Amelia to the lab. She had promised Marshall that she would visit the lab whenever she had time after class.
The moment people in the lab caught sight of Catherine, all of them discreetly stared at her.
In all the time the lab had been established, they had never let a freshman in.
They heard Catherine wasn’t just skilled. She also had a significant background.
If she was just an ordinary person, she couldn’t possibly know about the Arbotte Laboratory, let alone have a chance to enter it.
Moreover, Marshall held Catherine in high regard.
After this special admission to the lab, she even got assigned an assistant. Such treatment could make anyone jealous.
Seeing Catherine standing there, Brodie Leach approached her and said with a hint of sarcasm, “Catherine, what project are you planning to work on today in the lab? Want me to show you around and give you a rundown of the lab equipment?”
Brodie had been studying and excelling in his academics at Styre University for five years. Not only was he the top science student in Loxton, but was also offered a speed-track program of his doctorate due to his outstanding performance.
During his Ph.D., he chose Marshall as his advisor and was now conducting experiments under Marshall’s guidance.
Despite his excellence, he had been making steady progress in Marshall’s lab, and the experiments he was currently working on were just regular projects within the lab.
He hadn’t thought much of it until Catherine arrived and shattered everything. She not only overturned everyone’s stereotypical view of Marshall but also got access to the lab’s most crucial project.
Brodie was unconvinced, and he wanted to see just how skilled Catherine really was.
Catherine glanced at him and bluntly retorted, “Speak your mind and stop beating around the bush. Instead of wasting time with these cheap tricks, why not check your calculations?”
Her cold and dominant words left Brodie feeling humiliated.
“Catherine, you are just a newcomer. How dare you be so arrogant? I just wanted to cautiously remind you. What’s with this attitude of yours?”
Catherine scoffed coldly and assessed Brodie with disdain. “My attitude depends on the person.”
After saying this, she raised her head and glanced at the screen on Brodie’s computer, focusing on a tiny piece of data. “I told you to check it, yet you wouldn’t listen. All these calculations are off. Doing more won’t change a thing!”
Following Catherine’s remark, everyone looked at Brodie’s computer.
Brodie felt that Catherine was deliberately humiliating him. He retorted angrily, “Quit spouting nonsense and diverting the topic. I demand an apology from you. Got it?”
Brodie’s friend nudged him discreetly.
Irritated, Brodie turned and angrily shouted at his friend, “Don’t stop me! She is too audacious. If I don’t teach her a lesson, she won’t know her place!
His friend looked embarrassed and replied in a hushed tone, “Brodie, your datá might actually be wrong.”
“Impossible!” Brodie blurted out without thinking.
To his surprise, someone nearby added, “I also think it might be wrong.”
With consecutive voices pointing out his error, Brodie had to face the issue.
After sitting down, he reran all the programs and double-checked all the data. Unexpectedly, it turned out that he was indeed wrong. And the exact error was in the location Catherine had pointed out earlier.
Noticing Brodie’s expression, Catherine knew he had finally calculated the correct data.
Seeing Brodie stunned in front of the computer, Catherine turned back to continue with her work.
Brodie stared blankly at the computer screen. He could hardly believe what he was seeing. He wondered how this was possible.
Not only Brodie, but everyone in the lab who witnessed this scene was shocked.
Brodie had been working on this project for half a month, and he was unable to find an answer.
However, Catherine pinpointed the issue with just a glance.
No wonder the professor went to great lengths to bring Catherine into the lab team. Catherine truly had the capability and talent.
After this incident, everyone’s attitude toward Catherine became even more respectful.
Having noticed the change in the atmosphere, Amelia whispered to Catherine, “Super Catherine, you’re incredible! Your aura is just too strong!”
“Cut it out.” Hearing that, Catherine interrupted her. Amelia was quite the chatterbox, and if she continued, this topic might never end.
Seeing Catherine engrossed in her computational work, Amelia didn’t dare disturb her. She obediently sat beside Catherine and focused on her own studies in the lab.
As time ticked by, everyone in the lab was engrossed in their tasks, and the entire place fell into absolute silence.
After a while, someone suddenly exclaimed, “What’s happening? My computer’s frozen!”
This was followed by others echoing the same issue. They shouted, “Mine too!”
Apart from Catherine, even Amelia, who had been sneakily playing Minesweeper, encountered a frozen screen.
The best computer expert in the lab immediately stepped forward to help. A few minutes later, he cried out in alarm, “This is bad. There’s a virus in the computers! We need to inform the professor. I suspect someone’s trying to steal our lab’s secrets!”
Foreign hackers often attempted to steal the lab’s secrets, so their computers were encrypted in layers, stronger than the computers of Ocraolia’s Congress.
But this time, the hackers seemed more interested in causing trouble by destroying the data within the computers than stealing it.
If the data within the computers were destroyed, it would be an unprecedented disaster for the lab.
Panic spread among everyone. They had no idea what to do.
Marshall rushed in with several computer virus experts.
As time ticked by, the computers remained inoperable. They couldn’t restore them.
Watching the computer experts sweating profusely, Marshall was distressed, and his face turned pale. He shouted anxiously, “Can’t you fix it yet?
After shaking their heads, the experts replied, “The virus implanted is too powerful. We’re still attempting to repair it. Professor Hartley, please give us more time!”
With each passing moment, the data inside the computers became more endangered.
Everyone present, except Catherine, was on edge.
