Super God-Level Top Student

"I think our top priority now is to ensure the safety of Chris Rodi."

"You think this was Langley's doing?"

"Sorry, no comment, please step aside."

"Do you think he is a hero?"

"Whether he is a hero is not for me to judge, nor do I have the right to decide. It should be up to the public to decide! Thank you, I need to go to the office now."

...

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington D.C.

"Bang! What on earth are you doing?!"

"This has nothing to do with us, we didn't do it!" Ruel Smith said with a defeated look on his face.

"Stupid! Absurdly stupid! I can't believe Langley has fallen to this level. Is who did this really the point? The point is why it happened! Can you even control Langley?!"

Ruel Smith had no response.

In fact, he should have known that the reason for the rage was not because he was too shameless, too domineering, too unprincipled, but because he was too foolish.

Whether people die or how many die, nobody cares.

The world is so vast, every second someone exits the stage.

It's good to be unknown before departing and light as a feather afterward.

But now, the one who should have left quietly has sparked an astonishing media storm, and this is intolerable.

"You know what? The most foolish thing I've done is having you replace Romand Willi. But there's no helping it now, the mistake has been made. Ruel, let's settle this matter quickly, shall we?"

The voice on the other side became calmer, even with a hint of warmth.

"I understand, I'll make sure this blows over as soon as possible."

"No, no, no, if you say that, you don't quite understand my meaning. Ruel, think about your family, your children, and then consider Andrei's sacrifice. Given the circumstances, let's allow everyone to retain some dignity."

The already defeated face turned a shade paler.

Ruel Smith definitely understood what the other person meant, but he had thought there was still a chance.

Clearly, the other party was planning to completely distance themselves from this affair.

So, all of this was his idea...

His absurd decision to go to Sweden to influence the outcome of a major award...

His madness in doing a bunch of messed-up things.

In the end, he had to silently take all the responsibility.

Andrei could go with a clear conscience because that old guy was already 76, and he had been diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma.

Even if he didn't go, at most he had one or two years left to live.

But his situation was different; he was only 48, not even fifty, and his good life was just beginning.

"Go back to Langley. Here's a piece of advice: your office, it's a good place. Don't look at me with those eyes; it wasn't my decision, and I did my best. I know it's hard, but often, we have to make some compromises and sacrifices."

While speaking, the man casually picked up a bottle of whiskey and two glasses from the desk, poured a small half cup, and handed it over.

Then he picked up his own glass and drank it all in one gulp.

Ruel Smith nodded heavily, his expressionless face revealing none of his thoughts.

Still, he picked up the wine glass and drained it.

Watching Ruel Smith with an unchanged expression as he finished his drink, they sat in silence for a few minutes before the man finally said, "Alright, I'll arrange for someone to take you back."

Ruel Smith nodded, stood up, but a sudden wave of dizziness made him sit back down. He tried to say something, but opening his mouth, he found he could no longer make a sound.

A feeling of weakness came over him, his body began to feel limp, and his vision started to blur...

Yet he could still sense the office door being opened and someone else coming in, a breeze across his face making him drowsy.

Before he completely lost consciousness, a familiar voice that he could not place due to his fading cognitive ability whispered into his ear.

"I'll handle it."

"Hmm, not just him, how do you plan to deal with the upcoming situation?"

"It can no longer be suppressed, but we can shift the public's attention. The Nobel's evaluation method is the same as the National Science Award, so we can only guide the focus in that direction."

"That's exactly what the Huaxia people want, right?"

"Yes, so they shouldn't cause any trouble in the near future."

"Don't let any more mess happen."

"Don't worry."

"Also..." The man glanced at Ruel Smith, who was sprawled out on the chair, and said, "Be decent."

"I understand."

...

On the third day after Chris Rodi woke up in the hospital, he saw the news on the internet about Ruel Smith following Andrei in death.

He likely couldn't bear the pressure, choosing to end his mistake with a gunshot in his office.

On the same day, he finally saw other people, started to receive condolences from colleagues, and answer some questions from the NYPD.

Chris Rodi's mind was full of Romand Willi's question, "Have you seen the mansions in the Bay Area?"

Therefore, while answering questions, he carefully concealed most of the truth.

"I don't know, I was forced into that car in the parking lot, it was very dark, I couldn't see anything, they interrogated me in the car but I didn't tell them anything, then I was pushed out of the car, and then I heard a gunshot, so I don't know anything..."

Fortunately, the people who came to inquire were very kind.

Even the young policeman asked for his autograph before leaving, everything felt like a dream, and all the recent events he experienced seemed indeed like a dream.

Unfortunately, his email inbox on his phone did not receive those extremely valuable follow-up messages, but this was understandable, as the news of him being shot had already spread across the world through the internet, and the person who provided him with the information must also know about him being in the hospital.

What he didn't quite understand was that after the newly appointed head of Langley took full responsibility, the internet discussions about the incident seemed to shift. Previously, everyone was talking about all kinds of cover-ups, but now it seemed more people were focusing on academic fairness.

Especially when several professors of great reputation from well-known American universities stepped forward to publicly question the incident and hoped for an explanation from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, this trend became even more pronounced.

More magically, the Turing Award and the United States National Science Award even officially announced that award evaluation reforms would be happening in the near future, with hints that to ensure fairness, a more equitable artificial intelligence system would be introduced into the judging process.

Hah, what a mystical world this is!