Mercury Tech Company Building.
The towering glass curtain walls gleamed coldly in the sunlight. Ryan sat in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in his top-floor office, his long fingers sliding swiftly across a holographic screen, reviewing a set of complex data.
"Sir," an assistant wearing black-rimmed glasses hurried over, his face filled with anxiety, "We've detected an anomaly with the AT-3 bracelet. It seems to have left its owner and is in an unauthorized activity range. Someone is attempting to force a system update."
A sharp glint flashed in Ryan's deep eyes as he furrowed his brow. "Where's the location?"
"In the underground black market on the outskirts of Olympus City," the assistant replied, his voice tinged with unease.
Ryan's expression turned serious. "Come with me," he said, striding towards the door, his black coat billowing behind him, emanating a powerful aura.
---
At 5:30 AM, Allie stood in the dormitory bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror. Her silver hair clung damply to her cheeks, and her purple eyes sparkled with nervousness and anticipation. Today was her first day officially joining Coach Jackson's team, and she was determined to make the most of this opportunity.
"Good morning, Allie! Ready?" Fiona's voice came from outside the door. Allie walked out of the bathroom to see Fiona arranging her signature fiery red hair.
"Good morning, Fiona. I'm ready," Allie responded with a smile, feeling both excited and nervous.
The two put on their training suits and walked together towards Coach Jackson's exclusive training ground. On the way, Allie noticed that the surroundings were more advanced and luxurious than she had imagined. The polished metal walls reflected the morning light, and a faint scent of air freshener lingered in the air.
As soon as they entered the training ground, Allie felt the strange glances cast her way. Some people were covering their mouths and giggling at her old roller skates, while others were whispering secretly. Allie had a bad feeling, and sure enough, a tall boy approached. He had a head of dazzling short blond hair, and his blue eyes were full of disdain. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, revealing a contemptuous smile.
"Look who's here," he said mockingly, his voice filled with obvious superiority, "A Martian refugee. How did you sneak in here?"
Allie looked up directly into his eyes, a flash of determination in her purple irises. Her voice was calm but full of strength, "No comment."
"No comment?" The boy sneered, a flash of anger in his eyes. "I bet you're trembling with fear. Do you dare to compete with me?"
"Jason White, what are you trying to do?" Fiona said angrily, sparks of fury flashing in her green eyes. She looked at Allie worriedly, her brow slightly furrowed.
"First day of school and already in Coach Jackson's team, I want to see what she's capable of," Jason snorted, his expression becoming even more arrogant.
Allie maintained a calm expression. "Of course, I accept the challenge." She gave Fiona a reassuring look, a hint of confidence in her smile.
A crowd of spectators quickly gathered on the training ground, their eyes filled with curiosity and anticipation. Coach Jackson also noticed the situation, standing nearby with his arms crossed, a thoughtful expression on his face.
The race began, with Allie and Jason at the starting line. Allie took a deep breath, and as the signal sounded, they both shot forward. Allie felt a strange power surging within her, her movements becoming unusually fluid, each turn perfectly executed.
The spectators watched Allie's performance in amazement; she had almost no technique, relying purely on speed for her sprint. Allie's silver hair danced in the wind, her purple eyes sparkling with focus. In the end, she won the race with a clear advantage.
"This... this is impossible!" Jason panted, his face flushed red, looking at Allie in disbelief. His blue eyes were filled with shock and unwillingness.
Coach Jackson walked over, his tall and burly figure giving off an intimidating presence. His face bore a thoughtful expression, his thick eyebrows slightly furrowed. "Well done, Allie. Your speed is a great advantage, although your technique is completely wrong, but that can be corrected with training," his voice was deep and powerful.
"Allie!" Fiona said excitedly, her green eyes sparkling with joy, "You were absolutely amazing just now!" She hugged Allie enthusiastically, her face beaming with pride.
Allie nodded with a smile, but inside she was pondering the strange feeling she had experienced. She had felt that Jason was weak just by looking at him, and she wasn't sure if it was just the effect of adrenaline or something else.
That night, Allie came alone to the academy's library. The ancient wooden bookshelves formed a curious contrast with the modern holographic projection equipment. She found a secluded corner and began to review everything that had happened that day. She recalled the strange feeling on the training ground, that power that seemed to come from within her, yet not entirely belonging to her.
Allie closed her eyes, trying to evoke that feeling again. Suddenly, she felt a wave of dizziness. Her vision blurred, and the world around her began to distort. When she regained clarity, she found herself in a strange mental state.
In this state, Allie felt her senses become extraordinarily acute. She could hear the sound of the librarian turning pages in the distance, could feel the subtle changes in air currents. More surprisingly, she seemed able to "see" the flow of energy around her, like countless tiny points of light dancing in the air.
Allie tried to control this energy, letting it flow within her body. With her will, she felt her body become lighter, her reactions more agile. Her heart rate increased, her breathing became rapid, and an unprecedented sense of power filled her entire body.
Just then, she heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Allie quickly opened her eyes, finding herself back in her normal state. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.
"Allie? There you are." It was Fiona's voice.
Allie turned her head to see Fiona walking towards her.
"I've been looking for you for a while. So you're here studying," Fiona said, sitting down next to Allie.
"Yeah," Allie smiled, trying to hide her confusion, "I'm reviewing what I learned today."
"You're such a diligent person, Allie. But sometimes you need to relax a bit too."
Just then, a tall girl with blonde hair and blue eyes walked over, her every move exuding an elegant air. Two other girls followed behind her, all fashionably dressed with impeccable makeup.
"Well, Fiona, who are you with?" the blonde girl said with an obvious tone of mockery, her eye corners slightly upturned, her lips curled into a contemptuous smile. "Oh, it's our lovely 'Slum Princess'."
Fiona rolled her eyes, her face showing displeasure. "Catherine, I don't want to talk to you. It's best if you walk away."
Catherine wrinkled her pale blue eyes and straightened her slender neck, appearing even more haughty. She turned to Allie and said, "You think just because you performed well on the training ground, you can pretend everything is normal?"
Allie didn't answer, just quietly looking at her, a hint of calmness in her purple eyes.
Catherine sneered, her smile revealing deep disdain. "But, your behavior is understandable. People from the slums are naturally dirty and lowly." She looked Allie up and down, her eyes full of contempt.
"What does it matter if we're dirty and lowly?" Allie finally spoke, her voice calm and powerful, "When the common people are supporting you upper-class people's lavish lifestyles, do you mind the dirt then?"
"What did you say?" Catherine looked as if she had heard the biggest joke, her eyebrows raised high, a hint of anger on her face. "It's unbelievable, you commoners supporting the upper class? Do you know how much tax my family pays to the government each year? As expected of a lowly person, talking nonsense!"
Allie took a deep breath, her gaze firm and persistent, as if burning with an unquenchable flame. "I admit my background is indeed humble, but you'd better go out and understand who's really sucking whose blood."
"Utterly absurd!" Catherine snorted, her cheeks flushing slightly with anger. She turned to look at Fiona, her eyes full of disbelief. "Fiona, did you hear what she said? She doesn't respect us at all, and she's slandering us."
Fiona shrugged, a glint of mischief in her green eyes. "Catherine, mind your words. It's 'you', not 'us'. I completely support Allie's view. There are many tumors in the Mars upper class, they do nothing but spend money lavishly every day, only knowing how to dress up to seduce men."
"You, what did you say!" Catherine's voice rose an octave in anger, her face turning red, her hands clenched into fists. "Say that again if you dare?"
Fiona looked Catherine up and down, her eyes full of mockery and disdain. "Oh, I'm not talking about you and yours, don't take it personally!" She said, curling her lips into a playful smile.
Catherine seemed to be thoroughly provoked by Fiona's words, her chest heaving violently, her cheeks flushed, her eyes shooting flames of anger. "Fiona, don't think you can do whatever you want just because your family has a few iron mines. Do you believe my family can crush yours in a minute?"
Fiona's face suddenly turned cold, and she deliberately lowered her voice, "Catherine, you'd better think clearly. I know what you've been up to behind everyone's back. Don't push me too far."
"You! What do you know? Stop threatening me here!" Catherine's face turned from red to green to white in quick succession.
Fiona gave Allie a knowing look, and the two exchanged smiles before walking away hand in hand, leaving behind a furious Catherine and her two followers.
After leaving the library, Allie gave Fiona a thumbs up. "Fiona, I didn't expect you to be so impressive. I'm in awe!"
However, Fiona's usual cheerfulness was replaced by a serious expression. She stopped walking, her green eyes flickering with a hint of worry. "Allie, we need to be careful of Catherine in the future. She's not like that big fool Jason White; she's not one to be trifled with. Her family has significant influence in both the political and business circles of Mars. She's not easy to deal with."
Allie nodded, about to speak when her terminal suddenly rang.
Allie looked down to see it was Ryan calling.
Fiona saw it too. "Ryan? Why is he calling so late? Oh~~~~I see, hehe." Fiona gave Allie a suggestive smile.
Allie held her head in her hands. Oh no, had Ryan found out? She couldn't afford to pay back millions...
"Why aren't you answering? Don't be shy, I'll help you press it, haha," Fiona quickly pressed the answer button...
"Don't, ..."
"Allie, I'm downstairs at your dormitory. Come down."