"Master!"

That dull THUD slammed into Sophia Shaw’s chest, leaving a bloody, mangled ruin in its wake.

Sophia Shaw lunged forward. Peering through the railing, all she could see was Old Master Sloan’s dark form, lying motionless on the ground!

The world swam before her eyes, and Sophia Shaw nearly collapsed.

She started to rush toward Old Master Sloan.

"Ten... nine... eight..."

The mechanical countdown pierced her eardrums, yanking her unmoored consciousness back to reality.

Pain flooded Sophia Shaw’s eyes, but she forced her outstretched leg to halt in its tracks.

’Master was right. Even if it rained knives, I can’t move a single step from my post!’

Her entire body throbbed with a numbing ache, making each step an effort, but Sophia Shaw forced herself back to the command console.

Below the console, several emergency responders rushed to carry Old Master Sloan away on a stretcher.

Samuel Goldman ran up, his face etched with worry. "Chief."

A coppery sweetness rose from the sharp pain in her chest, surging into the back of her throat.

Sophia Shaw gripped the railing with all her might, desperately forcing the blood back down her throat. Only then did she speak in the calmest voice she could manage, "Send someone to find Seraphina. And watch over... Master."

"Okay."

She was back on camera.

Sophia Shaw’s face was ashen, but her gaze was more resolute than ever before.

She stood ramrod straight, her gentle features as placid as always.

It was as if the preceding moments had never happened at all.

She reached for the intercom on the console and issued an order, "System status check."

As the order was given, a series of responses came from the ground control center:

"Propellant loading initiated."

"Telemetry signal nominal."

"All stage system self-checks passed."

"..."

Once the diagnostics were complete, Sophia Shaw issued her second command: "Initiate automatic launch sequence."

Yvonne Sherman had been watching Sophia Shaw’s state intently.

She had a keen eye and noticed the cuff of the sleeve on the hand holding the intercom was shaking slightly.

It might have looked like a breeze was rustling the fabric, but Yvonne Sherman’s sharp gaze recognized it for what it was: a tremor.

A moment ago, Sophia Shaw had been off-camera for quite a while, and it seemed there had been some screaming from off-screen as well.

Yvonne Sherman raised an eyebrow and sneered. ’What an inauspicious start. No matter how she pretends, she’s already lost.’

She picked up her phone and dialed a number. "Buy up every headline from all the major media outlets. We’re celebrating my daughter’s successful rocket launch in advance!"

Both rockets launched simultaneously. The various commands grew increasingly complex, and the public understood less and less.

Just then, a sudden loud BANG erupted from Sophia Shaw’s side, followed by a burst of flames.

Something engulfed in a trail of fire began to fall.

The rocket promptly broke apart!

"Ah! Did it just explode?"

Everyone cried out in alarm, their faces filled with speculation as they turned to the other screen for confirmation.

On Joanna Sherman’s half of the screen, the rocket streaked into the sky, climbing higher and faster.

The audience grew more and more certain: Lead Aerospace’s rocket had exploded!

Just then, news celebrating Joanna Sherman’s success flooded every major news platform.

The news seemed to confirm what everyone was thinking.

"She won! She won! Joanna Sherman beat Sophia Shaw!"

"Facts speak louder than words."

"Those telecom companies that trusted Lead Aerospace have lost their shirts. Their bosses will probably be jumping off a roof."

"They’ve got no one to blame but themselves! Who told them to be stupid enough to trust a charlatan?"

The outcome was beyond dispute!

Just as everyone was getting ready to call it a night and go back to bed, a clear voice suddenly crackled from Sophia Shaw’s station:

"Booster one separation successful. Satellite one has entered its designated orbit."

"Booster two separation successful. Satellite two has entered its designated orbit."

"..."

"Booster five separation successful. Satellite five has entered its designated orbit."

The crowd: "..."

The camera cut back to Sophia Shaw.

The massive screen behind her displayed the feed transmitted back from the far reaches of space.

Five satellites, twinkling with multicolored lights, moved in perfect, uniform formation against the black velvet of space.

Each satellite bore the brilliant flag of Cathan and broadcasted the Cathan national anthem!

Sophia Shaw looked straight into the camera and announced, her voice ringing with unprecedented passion, "This launch utilized staged payload deployment technology to carry five satellites. All five have successfully entered their designated orbits!"

"I am Sophia Shaw, Chief Engineer of Lead Aerospace, and the disciple of Shawn Shepherd!"

The moment her words faded, there was a BANG!

The other screen suddenly erupted in a blaze of light.

The rocket, which had been streaking through the sky, exploded without any warning.

This time, it didn’t just break apart.

Instead, it shattered into a rain of fire, showering down from the heavens.

Like a sky full of fireworks.

The most expensive fireworks...

A brief silence.

A silence so profound that everyone could hear their own heartbeat.

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

The sound of heavy breathing.

HIIISSS. HIIISSS. HIIISSS.

Minds, a total blank...

"It blew up! It blew up!"

"Zenith’s rocket blew up!"

Two lines of glaring red text shot across the live stream chat!

Only then did the crowd slowly begin to process what had happened and grasp one single fact:

Joanna Sherman... had lost!

The live chat exploded once more.

"Joanna Sherman lost!"

"Joanna Sherman lost!"

"So Joanna Sherman was all talk after all!"

"Ha, Joanna Sherman! So much for her!"

The screen was flooded with "Joanna Sherman lost!" and an endless stream of "So much for her!"

It was like an endless series of slaps, stinging the faces of everyone who had blindly supported Joanna Sherman.

With a CLATTER, the phone in Yvonne Sherman’s hand fell to the floor.

Chad Jennings, who had been boasting to people off-site, suddenly froze, as if petrified by time itself. Only his eyes, bulging to their absolute limit, remained mobile—shocked and utterly vacant...

"She won! Faye won!"

At the Shaw Family residence, everyone leaped to their feet, applauding with tears welling in their eyes.

Leah Evans wiped away tears of joy, her fingers flying as she typed into the live chat:

"Sophia Shaw won!"

"Lead Aerospace won!"

"Shawn Shepherd’s disciple is the best in the world!"

"Shawn Shepherd, the greatest master in the world!"

With every line Leah Evans typed, the employees of Lead Aerospace tearfully followed suit:

"Sophia Shaw won!"

"Lead Aerospace won!"

"Shawn Shepherd’s disciple is the best in the world!"

"Shawn Shepherd, the greatest master in the world!"

In the Lead Aerospace viewing gallery, the telecom CEOs were overcome with a mix of relief and elation as they, too, picked up their phones:

"Sophia Shaw won!"

"Lead Aerospace won!"

"Shawn Shepherd’s disciple is the best in the world!"

"Shawn Shepherd, the greatest master in the world!"

Countless others were moved by this display and joined the chorus in the chat:

"Sophia Shaw won!"

"Lead Aerospace won!"

"Shawn Shepherd’s disciple is the best in the world!"

"Shawn Shepherd, the greatest master in the world!"

...

Sophia Shaw walked down from the platform, step by step. As she reached the final stair, she could no longer support herself and stumbled, pitching forward.

"Chief!"

The engineers all rushed over, catching her as one.

Tears of pure admiration welled in their eyes.

’The Chief is incredible. She created a miracle, something truly one-of-a-kind!’

’If it hadn’t been for her, they never would have dreamed that a single rocket could split into five!’

’They never would have believed that a five-satellite deployment could be achieved in their lifetime!’

’...And they never would have had the chance to participate in such a monumental innovation, to become witnesses to and creators of a miracle!’

Sophia Shaw couldn’t utter a single word.

The effort of suppressing her overwhelming worry for Seraphina Vaughn and her master had consumed every last bit of her strength. She was so weak now that her legs felt like jelly.