"Are you out of your mind?" exclaimed a post that quickly went viral in the Northbridge High School online forum.
In no time, the forum was swarming with spectators.
Anthea found herself under fire, accused of plastic surgery and plagiarism by trolls, enduring a rough patch. Meanwhile, Rebecca seemed to thrive amidst the chaos, subtly leveraging the situation to her advantage. Her follower count, which had plummeted to just under five million, miraculously bounced back to six million in a matter of hours.
ThorHammerStriker chimed in: "Team Griffin, let's stand by Anthea! We've got to have faith in Ann! She'll prove herself with her talents!"
Pupper added: "Exactly, believe in Ann!"
Caught up in her schoolwork, Anthea was oblivious to the online storm.
Ding!
She had just completed a task when a friend request popped up.
ID: Varn.
Her friend list wasn’t full, so Anthea accepted.
Elsewhere, in a lab.
"Yes! Phoenix actually accepted!" A middle-aged man in a radiation suit nearly jumped for joy.
Just then, someone entered the room.
"Doctor, what's got you so excited?"
Dr. Varn couldn't contain his exhilaration. "Phoenix accepted my friend request!"
"Really?"
Dr. Varn nodded. "Andrea, should I drop him a message now? Maybe chat about artificial intelligence?"
Dr. Varn was a tech fanatic, having made significant contributions to human research. He had long awaited a discussion with Phoenix·YC, who seemed even more adept than many abroad, on professional topics. Phoenix’s enigmatic nature had kept him at bay, until today.
When titans meet, excitement is inevitable.
Andrea suggested, "Perhaps start with a task for him, then ease into other topics."
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