conspiracy
The judging process finally came to an end. Inside the vast exhibition hall, the tense atmosphere hadn't dissipated; instead, it had deepened into a more palpable anxiety awaiting the verdict. The contestants huddled together in small groups, whispering amongst themselves, their eyes occasionally glancing towards the stage, where the judges were conducting their final deliberations and tallying of scores.
Time Sequence and Cloud Gap stood silently in front of their booth, tidying up their equipment. The terrifying disruption they had just experienced still lingered in their hearts, casting a shadow over what should have been a moment of relaxation.
“I’ve saved the code snippet,” Shi Xu said in a low voice, his eyes cold. “Although I can’t directly trace it back to the IP, the coding style and triggering logic have his usual characteristics.”
Yunxi gritted his teeth: "After the competition, we'll settle this score!"
Just then, a young man in a conference staff uniform, with an unfamiliar face, strode up to their booth with a formulaic smile on his face.
"Is it Time Sequence and Cloud Gap?" he confirmed.
"We are." Shi Xu stepped forward, slightly shielding Yun Xi behind him, and looked at the newcomers warily.
"The review panel needs to conduct on-site sampling and verification of some core data in your project. Please cooperate." The staff member presented a form stamped with an official seal, speaking in a businesslike tone, "Please show us your data source and original logs."
On-site verification? At this crucial moment when all reviews are complete and results are about to be announced? This is highly unusual!
Shi Xu's heart tightened suddenly. He noticed that people at several nearby booths were casting surprised glances at him. Conducting a "review" at such a sensitive moment carried an unspoken signal of skepticism.
Yunxi also realized the seriousness of the problem, her face turned slightly pale, but her eyes remained stubborn.
“Okay.” Shi Xu forced himself to remain calm. “All our data has complete and traceable records. Please follow me.”
He led the staff to the encrypted terminal where the raw data and logs were stored. Just as he was about to enter the password to unlock it, he caught a glimpse of Shi Zhiyuan standing quietly in the shadow of a load-bearing column not far away, calmly watching them as if observing the progress of an experiment.
Shi Xu's fingers paused for a moment on the keyboard. He instantly understood Shi Zhiyuan's entire plan—first, to try to embarrass them in public with technical interference; if that failed, they would use the rules at the last minute to question the most basic and fatal aspect: the "authenticity of their data." Once any "doubt" was raised during the review, even if it was ultimately found to be correct, their scores would inevitably be greatly reduced, and they might even be disqualified!
What a vicious scheme! This goes beyond academic competition; it's meant to permanently brand them with the shame of "fabrication."
The staff waited on the side, their expressions still formulaic, but there seemed to be a hint of scrutiny in their eyes.
The brain raced with thought. Refusing to cooperate was tantamount to admitting guilt. Cooperating with the verification would mean falling into a carefully laid trap; the longer it dragged on, the worse it would be for them, as rumors could be deadly.
At this critical moment, Yunxi suddenly stepped forward, a slightly apologetic smile on his face.
"I'm so sorry, teacher." Her voice was clear and crisp, with just the right amount of embarrassment. "Our raw data is very large, and it involves some unpublished sensor calibration parameters. It might not be convenient to view it directly, and it could easily lead to misunderstandings."
The staff member frowned: "This is standard procedure..."
“I understand, I understand!” Yunxi nodded hurriedly, her tone earnest. “How about this? All our data, from collection and preprocessing to final analysis, has timestamps and hash checksums at every step, forming a complete and tamper-proof data chain. We can immediately submit this complete data chain, along with the algorithm and key used to generate the checksums, to a third-party authoritative institution designated by the review panel for offline verification! This will ensure the impartiality of the review and protect our core intellectual property rights.”
She paused, then added with utmost sincerity in her eyes: "After all, as you know, innovation is key in national competitions. We really need to hold onto some of our trump cards until the very last moment."
These words were reasonable and well-reasoned. They not only expressed a cooperative attitude but also cleverly transformed the passive situation of "on-site verification" into a relatively proactive choice of "submitting to a third party for verification." More importantly, she emphasized "the integrity and immutability of the data chain" and "intellectual property protection," directly elevating the nature of the issue from "potential forgery" to the level of "protecting core innovation."
The staff were clearly taken aback by Yunxi's proposal and paused for a moment. According to regulations, they had the right to conduct an on-site verification, but the suggestion to submit the data to a third party for verification was not entirely unfeasible, especially when it involved so-called "undisclosed core parameters."
Shi Xu immediately understood Yunxi's intention and replied in a calm and confident tone: "We can sign a commitment letter to guarantee that the submitted data chain is completely consistent with the demonstration data and to bear all consequences caused by inaccurate data. At the same time, we hope that the review panel will give priority to the innovativeness of our project and not let some unnecessary procedures affect the final judgment."
His words demonstrated both his confidence and put his opponent in a difficult position—if you insist on getting bogged down in data details at this critical juncture and ignoring the value of the project itself, wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse?
The two worked together seamlessly, one using gentleness to overcome strength, and the other arguing with reason, instantly reversing the passive and defensive situation.
The staff member hesitated. He looked at the two calm and composed young people in front of him, and then subconsciously glanced at Shi Zhiyuan in the shadows in the distance. Finally, Shi Xu nodded: "Alright. Prepare the materials as soon as possible, and I will convey your requirements to the judging panel."
After saying that, he turned and left.
The crisis has been temporarily averted.
Shi Xu and Yun Xi exchanged a glance, both seeing in each other's eyes the relief of surviving a disaster mixed with a deeper sense of gravity. They knew this was merely a delaying tactic. Third-party verification would take time, and the final result still rested with the judging panel. Although they had skillfully defused Shi Zhiyuan's attack, its potential impact, like a pebble thrown into a lake, had already spread outwards.
From a distance, Shi Zhiyuan saw the staff leave empty-handed and talk with Yun Ya and the others for a while before leaving. On his perpetually unchanging face, his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
He slowly emerged from the shadows, not noticing the time or the gaps in the clouds, but heading straight for the podium, seemingly to "communicate" with someone.
The final awards ceremony was about to begin, and the throne was within reach, but the shadows beneath it grew ever heavier, swirling with resentment and scheming. Shi Xu knew that they were still one final, and most difficult, step away from true victory.
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