She Outshines Them All (Athena and Matthew)

Chapter 321

In the dim light, Athena watched the organizer, the Messenger.

Their average build was hidden beneath a flowing black robe that concealed their hands and feet, making it impossible to determine their gender. What struck her was the tall, authoritative presence they commanded, exuding the calmness of a general ready to face any challenge.

From the top of the stairs, the Messenger scanned the gathered participants and spoke in a voice that had been altered to be indistinct. "Welcome, everyone, to tonight's gathering. As tradition dictates, please hand over your phones before we dive into our game. After that, pick a seat and help yourselves to your favorite desserts and drinks." Athena shared a silent glance with Matthew before she handed her phone to a masked attendant.

The attendant placed their phones into clear plastic bags, sealing them with tape, and reminded them, "Remember the number on the seal. Just say it when you want your phone back."

Athena noted that the seal bore a lengthy 14-digit number. The attendant gave them only a brief look at it before swiftly taking the bags away.

It confirmed her thoughts: this gathering was solely for those sharp-minded.

She and Matthew exchanged another look before making their way to the round table.

As they walked, the "Baharia Lady" brushed past her, whispering, "Make sure you come in first and fulfill my request. I'll reward you handsomely." Athena was here under the name Daniel.

Both she and Matthew had pinned on the brooch Zoe had given them. It was clear that the "Persian Lady," or Zoe, recognized them as her allies immediately. Athena merely nodded in response.

When she reached the table, she noticed that each seat was spaced 3 feet apart, and each had a number on the back. The only exception was the seat labeled "O," which had a 1.5-meter gap on either side and was the closest to the stairs. It was obvious that this spot was saved for the Messenger.

That wasn't hard to guess.

The Messenger waited until everyone was seated before descending the stairs and taking the "O" seat. Their voice now carried a playful tone as they said, "You're all geniuses, and there are three reasons to be here: to play games with smart people, to win rewards, and for mutual benefit. Since your time is valuable, I won't waste it any longer. Let's get started."

An attendant placed a box on the table.

The Messenger continued, "Inside this box are pure gold cards, each weighing 0.2 pounds.

"Each card comes with a question. You'll draw in order, and if you answer correctly, you keep the card. If you get it wrong, others can jump in, and the first correct answerer gets the card. Your performance will count towards your overall score." Athena nodded slightly, impressed by how well the Messenger understood people.

Not every genius was wealthy, and this kind of reward would certainly entice many in the room Sure enough, as soon as the Messenger finished speaking, some participants couldn't contain their excitement.

The Messenger said, "We'll start with the participant in seat number 1 on my left."

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The attendant placed the box in front of the first participant.

They drew the first card and handed it over.

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After reading it, the attendant announced, "This question needs to be answered in the dark, so I'll turn off the lights temporarily. Don't worry, they'll be back on shortly."

With that, the candles at the center of the table flickered out instantly.

Everyone was engulfed in darkness.

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Athena suspected that the chandelier above was rigged with an automatic lighting system-no one had to light or extinguish candles manually.

The attendant announced, "Here's your question: How many people walked through the villa's entrance earlier, and how many are seated at this round table? Exclude the Messenger, who's in seat 'O. Seat 1, you have one minute to answer."

The person in seat 1 took a moment to think, about 20 or 30 seconds, then finally answered, "There were 68 people who entered the villa, and 42 of them are seated here."

The attendant asked, "You still have time. Do you want to change your answer?".

Seat 1 responded confidently, "No, I'll stick with it."

The attendant said, "I'm sorry, but that's incorrect. Anyone else can answer now."

The moment those words were spoken, several buzzers lit up, only milliseconds apart.

fastest one came from seat

Athena answered, "There were 66 people who walked through the villa's door, and 41 seated

correct. This gold card is

chandelier above flickered

placing the gold card from seat 1 into a

to the next person, "Seat 2, it's your turn

a card and read the question aloud: "Do you believe in ghosts? What's your reasoning for either believing or not believing? It's an open-ended question, and others can share their opinions too. The most persuasive answer will be determined by a vote." Seat 2 didn't hesitate and shook their head. "I don't believe in ghosts. Ever since humanity's been around, there have been countless stories about ghosts, but there's no solid evidence proving they exist. Now, if I

ghosts, but not the creepy supernatural kind from myths. I think

"Ghosts could be real, but maybe they're just leftover information from someone's life, only showing up under

confidently, "I've seen a ghost myself, but you can't catch them on

discussion turned into a full-blown debate, with these brilliant minds arguing back and forth

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Matthew stayed quiet, just listening to the

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time to vote, the majority agreed that seat 2 had the most reasonable

voted for

not believing? This is also an open-ended question, and others are free to give their opinions. The most convincing answer will be chosen by vote." Seat 3 answered with

even more

into the conversation, and the

referenced everything from astronomy and physics discoveries to historical records and archaeology, even diving into philosophical and theological arguments to back their views.

when it came time to vote, she cast hers for

participants voted the same, and

up a good amount of time, the following

dollars in cash. How would you turn that into 20 million, and

in these accounts and explain how to fix them." "You've earned 20 million through gambling. How would you launder that money?" "You're playing

for the average person, but while it might take someone ordinary an hour to crack them, these people could solve them in just a few minutes. That's

it was

purpose. He was giving her the chance to take the lead because he knew how much she wanted to shine in this competition. Matthew's card read, "Analyze the professions of the participants in seats

the room as everyone

found the

anyone else. Trying to figure out their professions would be

fingers were intertwined on the table, but as soon as he caught Matthew's gaze, he instinctively

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I can tell this isn't your first time here. Yet you didn't

one's figure or looks. So it seems like you

no dye in sight. You're not wearing any jewelry, but you do have a fake mustache. That suggests you usually don't have one, which could be either a job requirement or a

that are low in fat and calories, showing you're health-conscious

also answered questions about human anatomy and surgical procedures, meaning you're probably an

area.

way you used your knife and fork to cut the bread was very

all I have to say. I believe

turned to him, a bit

up in a hooded puffer jacket. "You've got

glasses are heavily prescribed, indicating your eyes are overworked

table, your fingers tap lightly as if you're typing on a

you came in, you headed straight for seat

entrance test, you chose a math problem, and in the

an energy

your jacket,

say you're

42 looked taken aback for a moment, then broke into an enthusiastic grin. "Wow, you're observant! You must know your

Matthew turned to the man in seat 27, who had a noticeable

shifted to

wore

34 did an outstanding job.

it was Athena's

the Messenger announced, "Please watch