Noah smiled. Just one word. That's all he needed.
"Superconductivity."
Volkov froze mid-step.
The room went silent. Even the security n tensed.
Volkov slowly turned back. "What did you say?"
"Room temperature superconductivity. That's your energy problem." Noah kept his voice casual, as if discussing the weather. "Your quantum circuit pathways are losing too much energy through conventional conduction thods."
The color drained from Volkov's face. "How could you possibly—"
"I've been working on sothing similar." Noah shrugged. "Different application, sa problem."
The suits were whispering furiously now, but Volkov was no longer paying attention to them. It was as if only Noah existed in front of him—a puzzle piece that had suddenly appeared in a gap Volkov had been trying to fill for years.
The Russian's eyes had that look Noah had seen countless tis—the hunger for knowledge, for solutions, for advantage. The look that made brilliant n careless.
The n in suits, realizing they'd lost Volkov's attention, beca more insistent. One leaned in, hissing in Volkov's ear with increasing urgency.
Volkov's face contorted—annoyance battling with caution.
[Ding! Ultimate Choice System has been activated!]
[Choice 1: Get rid of the n in suits]
[Reward: Interdiate Russian Fluency]
[Choice 2: Stay passive]
[Reward: The R Country will grow stronger.]
'Choice 1,' He thought.
[Ding! You have been rewarded with Interdiate Russian Fluency.]
Noah smiled, seeing the perfect opening.
"Mr. Volkov. It seems like there are a few flies that are bugging you. Do you need help swatting them away?"
The suits stiffened. The taller one—crew cut, scar along the jawline, locked eyes with Noah.
"Kid. Watch your mouth, because you won't be able to afford the consequences."
Noah tilted his head, raising his pinky finger to his ear and twisting it as if cleaning it.
"Those flies are really annoying, huh? They keep buzzing in my ears."
The room temperature seed to drop. Lucas, still lingering near the door, swallowed audibly.
"Noah..." His voice was barely a whisper, a warning Noah had no intention of heeding.
Scar-jaw advanced toward Noah, each step deliberate, a predator stalking prey. To everyone else in the room, they saw a large human approaching a foolish student who'd overstepped.
Everyone's face grimaced at the scene. Only Noah seed to have no reaction.
The man raised his hand, palm flat, angling for a strike that would teach this insolent child a lesson.
BAM!
The sound echoed in the suddenly silent room. One mont the Russian's hand was descending toward Noah's face, the next he was sprawled on the floor, a perfect red handprint blooming on his cheek, eyes rolled back.
No one had even seen Noah move.
The second suit froze, hand halfway to his concealed weapon. Volkov stared, mouth slightly open. Professor Jensen backed toward the wall. Lucas looked like he might faint.
"Take your friend and get out." Noah's voice remained conversational, almost friendly. "Or do you want to join him in dreamland?"
For three heartbeats, the second Russian seed to consider his options. His hand twitched toward his jacket again.
Noah raised an eyebrow. "Really? I wouldn't do that if I were you."
The man's training finally overca his pride. He bent down, hoisted his unconscious colleague over his shoulder with ease, and backed toward the door.
"This isn't over," he said in Russian, forgetting his perfect English in the mont.
"It never is," Noah replied in equally flawless Russian.
Silence fell over the demonstration room. The quantum computer humd softly, the only sound for several long seconds.
"Well," Volkov finally said, "that was unexpected."
Professor Jensen stepped forward. "Mr. Thompson, that was completely unacceptable behavior! I don't know what—"
"It's fine, Professor," Volkov interrupted, waving his hand. "Those n were... not official representatives."
"But—"Jensen protested.
"It's really fine, Professor. I hope you don't punish this amazing student."
Volkov turned to Noah. "You move very fast for a computer science student."
Noah shrugged. "I learnt so back when I was young."
Volkov wasn't buying it, but he had bigger questions. "More importantly, how do you know about the superconductivity issue? That information is highly classified."
"I didn't. Not specifically." Noah maintained eye contact. "But the energy consumption problems in quantum systems at scale have only a few possible solutions. Room-temperature superconductivity is the holy grail—the only way to make quantum computing comrcially viable beyond specialized applications."
"And you've solved this problem?" Volkov's skepticism was evident.
"Not entirely. But I've made progress." Noah pulled out his phone, opened a file, and handed it to Volkov. "This is a theoretical model for a graphene-based superconducting circuit that might help."
Volkov studied the screen, his expression shifting from doubt to surprise to intense focus. "This is... remarkable."
Lucas and Jasmine had edged closer.
"Did you just knock out a Russian agent?" Jasmine whispered.
Noah shrugged. "I don't know if he was. But even then, he tried to attack . So...it was self-defence."
Volkov looked up from the phone. "Mr. Thompson," He was no longer addressing him like a student who would learn from him.
He was treating him as an equal. No, he was treating him like a teacher.
Volkov looked up from the phone. "Mr. Thompson," he said, reverence replacing his previous professorial tone. He wasn't addressing Noah like a student anymore—he was treating him like an equal. No, more than that. Like a teacher.
"I would like to discuss this further with you. When do you have the ti?"
Lucas and Jasmine's jaws dropped simultaneously. They couldn't believe their new friend had created sothing so groundbreaking that it had Volkov—the Volkov—practically begging for his ti.
Professor Jensen couldn't hide his shock either. His eyes wide, mouth slightly open. He knew Noah was brilliant, maybe the brightest in his class, but this? This was beyond unexpected. This was field-changing work.
"I'm available this afternoon," Noah replied casually, as if discussing lunch plans rather than potentially revolutionizing quantum computing.
"Excellent!" Volkov's eyes glead with excitent. "My private lab. I'll send a car."
"I can drive myself," Noah countered smoothly.
Volkov nodded, scribbling an address on a card.
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