2026-02-02 03:38:12
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Chapter 108 A New Partner
The walk home was a funeral procession for his own hopes. The towering, gleaming city around him felt like a mockery. Every advertisement for luxury, every sleek car that passed, seemed to scream of Khalid’s newfound fortune and his own catastrophic loss. The shame was a physical taste, coppery and sour in the back of his throat. He had paraded his success, only to fail spectacularly on the most public stage imaginable. He let himself into the silent apartment. His mother and Sami were out, probably at the market buying the new, bland, diabetic-friendly food. The stillness was a relief and a torture. He slumped onto the worn sofa, the same spot where he’d slept so peacefully in his mother’s lap a lifetime ago. He closed his eyes, trying to will the image of Khalid’s victorious face from his mind, the feel of the stupid scissors in his hand.His phone, which had been dark and heavy in his pocket, vibrated. Not a call. A specific, pulsing notification from the Student Achievements & Pa
Chapter 107 Winner Takes It All
The final circle was a silent battleground under the unforgiving spotlight. The air was thick enough to choke on. With only three of them left and the timer bleeding down 1:45—every breath felt like a declaration.Khalid, his face sheened with a greasy sweat, broke the tense silence. He looked directly at Zaid, his eyes wide with a desperate, persuasive energy. “Zaid, listen to me. Listen. Look at him!” He jabbed a finger at Imran. “He’s been in control from the start! He eliminated everyone! He wanted it to be just us three! He picked us for his team because he thought he could read us, because he studied us! Don’t you see? He orchestrated this whole thing to be the last one standing. He has the red card. He has to!”Imran didn’t flinch. He simply watched Zaid, his expression one of profound disappointment, as if a prized algorithm had developed a bug. “Zaid. Come on, think logically. Why would I, as the red card holder, draw this much attention to myself? My strategy would be to bl
Chapter 106 A Guessing Game
Zaid’s lungs were still on fire, his suit a damp, wrinkled disaster, as Imran hustled him through the silent, carpeted corridors of the Al-Andalus Center. They bypassed the main auditorium and entered a smaller, circular chamber through a side door. The room was dimly lit, with a single, stark spotlight illuminating the center. The other finalists stood in a tense, loose circle, their eyes flicking towards the latecomers with a mix of irritation and assessment. Radwan stood in the shadow just outside the light, a silent sentinel.“You have arrived,” Radwan stated, his voice echoing slightly in the hushed room. “The final briefing is concluded. You understand the stakes. The final challenge will now commence. It is a test not of strength, speed, or creativity, but of perception, influence, and social deduction.”A chill, unrelated to his sweat-soaked clothes, went down Zaid’s spine. Social deduction. The kind of cold, analytical game Imran lived for.“The rules are simple,” Radwan cont
Chapter 105 Running Under The Sun
The morning air in the hospital waiting room was a blend of the smell of the clean floor and anxiety. Zaid sat stiffly between his mother and Sami, the plush chairs offering no comfort. The rhythmic ticking of a wall clock marked the agonizingly slow passage of time. 9:45. 10:05. His mother’s name was finally called. She gave them a tight, brave smile and followed the nurse through the heavy doors.The next forty-five minutes were an eternity. Zaid’s phone felt like a live coal in his pocket. At 10:50, he saw a message flash the system.[Final Round Briefing: Mandatory attendance by 11:45 for pre-game instructions. Start time: 12:00 sharp.] He silenced it, his stomach twisting.Sami nudged him. “You okay? You’re sweating.”“Fine. It's just… stuffy here.”Finally, at 11:10, his mother emerged, her face pale but composed. “The doctor will see us all now,” she said quietly.They were ushered into a small, neat office. The doctor, a man with kind eyes and a weary demeanor, gestured for t
Chapter 104 One Choice
The thrill of the rooftop victory was a cold, distant memory by the time the car pulled away from the Al-Andalus Center. The adrenaline had drained, leaving behind a deep, pulsing exhaustion and the gnawing awareness of the final, looming hurdle. One million dinars. The host told them to go home and rest, he told them to be back here at exactly 12 PM for the final round. The 1 million Dinars hung in the air between Zaid and Imran, a silent, gravitational force.They shared a hired car, the city lights streaking past the windows. For Zaid, the silence was a respite, a chance to process the absurdity of the day—from storytelling merchants to rooftop football led by a fourteen-year-old strategist. For Imran, the silence was apparently an empty vessel begging to be filled.The boy launched into a monologue, his earlier focused intensity dissolving into a stream of unfiltered analysis and personal trivia. “Did you see the way the Crimson team’s left defender favored his right foot? Classic
Chapter 103 The Second Round
The relief of advancing was short-lived, burned away by the immediate, competitive buzz that filled the holding lounge. The individuals who advanced now eyed each other not as fellow invitees, but as obstacles to the next stage. The camaraderie forged in the shared scavenger hunt vanished, replaced by a sharp, assessing tension.Radwan returned to the front of the room, his presence instantly silencing the murmurs. “Congratulations on navigating the first filter,” he began, his tone devoid of celebration. “Round two will test a different, equally critical dimension: coordinated competition and team strategy. You will no longer be in pairs.”A new graphic appeared on the screen behind him: two opposing shields.“The remaining 22 of you will be divided into two teams of eleven. You will compete in a direct contest. All members of the winning team will advance to the next round. The losing team… will be eliminated. En masse.”A collective, sharp intake of breath filled the room. Half of
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