Chapter 44 Is She an Adult Yet?
Sophia smiled and shook her head, showing she didn't mind.
They soon reached the lab door.
Sophia followed Alaric inside, met with a bunch of curious stares.
She paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Hey, everyone, I'm Sophia. I'll be using the lab for a while, and I'm looking forward to learning from you all."
Her smile was sweet, her voice gentle and pleasant, and her features were so perfect they seemed almost unreal.
Everyone was momentarily stunned.
Someone even cursed in shock.
As soon as the words were out, another person smacked the back of the swearer's head, who then turned to Sophia with an embarrassed smile. "Let me introduce you: Steven Hernandez, Aurora Rivera, and Hannah Nguyen."
Steven and Hannah looked to be around twenty-seven years old, and they were Alaric's former classmates.
They were renowned medical experts in the country and professors at Stellar University.
Steven seemed a bit carefree but was very cheerful.
Aurora, the oldest in the group, was in her thirties, Alaric's senior, and a well-known cardiac surgeon.
Hannah, Alaric's junior, was stunningly beautiful with a gorgeous figure that even a lab coat couldn't hide.
At that moment, all three were staring at Sophia in shock.
Steven asked incredulously, "Alaric, is this the expert you brought in? Are you kidding me? Is she even an adult?"
Sophia looked young, with a petite frame and a yellow dress that made her appear even more youthful, like a high school student.
Steven's first reaction upon seeing Sophia was amazement, quickly followed by the realization that she was the highly talented medical expert Alaric had mentioned.
Alaric nodded and introduced, "This is Sophia Brown. She'll be working with us in the lab. She's young, so please look out for her."
With that, the lab fell silent.
Hannah crossed her arms and scrutinized Sophia.
Her gaze lingered on Sophia's face for a couple of seconds, and she felt a sudden sense of threat.
This girl was too beautiful!
Hannah, confident in her own looks, couldn't help but be impressed.
Sophia was petite, with delicate features, bright eyes, and cherry lips that pouted slightly, making her look like a living painting.
Standing next to Alaric, she seemed perfectly natural.
Hannah's alarm bells were ringing.
Who was this woman, and why was Alaric treating her so differently?
Clearing her throat, Hannah spoke up first, "Alaric, are you serious? You know how important our project is. Is she really up to it?"
Steven nodded, agreeing with Hannah.
Alaric cleared his throat and explained softly, "Sophia is very talented. You'll see. Let's not block the entrance. Come inside."
Inside the lab, Alaric gave Sophia a tour.
The lab wasn't large, but it was well-equipped.
Sophia nodded to herself, feeling satisfied.
Alaric explained, "We've worked on a lot of projects over the years. The antiviral vaccine that was recently deployed? Yeah, that was us."
Sophia followed Alaric, listening quietly as he described their daily work.
Behind them, Steven and the others exchanged glances, thinking Alaric had lost his mind.
They looked at Sophia with mixed feelings.
Hannah sneered when she saw Sophia looking around curiously.
'Sure, she's pretty, but she doesn't seem to know much. What medical talent? Alaric probably just said that to save face!' Hannah thought to herself.
Just then, Sophia stopped in front of a table, staring intently at the formulas on the blackboard.
Hannah frowned and muttered, "Sophia, these are advanced formulas. You probably haven't learned them yet."
No sooner had she spoken than Sophia picked up an eraser and wiped out a line.
Everyone gasped, especially Steven.
He rushed forward, pushing Sophia aside, and stared at the erased section with a pained expression. "Do you know how long it took me to calculate that? Sophia, I don't mind Alaric bringing you here, but you can't just mess with things!"
Steven's eyes were filled with anger and heartbreak, like he'd just lost a billion dollars.
Hannah stepped forward, frowning disapprovingly. "I told you not to touch these. Steven spent over a week on this, and now it's ruined..."
Steven felt even more aggrieved.
He glared at Alaric angrily. "You brought her here, so what are you going to do about it?"
Alaric rubbed his nose, unsure how to handle the situation.
He opened his mouth to apologize, but Sophia suddenly stepped forward, grabbed a piece of chalk, and quickly wrote a line of formulas on the blackboard.
Everyone stared at her, dumbfounded.
Steven was about to scold Alaric for bringing just anyone into the lab when he saw Sophia writing the erased formula again.
No, not just rewriting it.
She made some changes to the original formula.
Some equations looked similar but had very different properties, so even a small change could lead to vastly different results.
Where did Sophia get the confidence to alter his formula?
Steven gritted his teeth, ready to argue.
But he stopped in his tracks.
He stared intently at the formula Sophia had written, his eyes widening in disbelief.
How could this be?
Hannah frowned, disapproving. "Sophia, are you here to cause trouble? Do you think these formulas are easy to write? You can't just randomly scribble and expect it to work!"
Sophia put the chalk back and turned to look at Hannah, her eyes narrowing slightly, a hint of coldness flashing in them.
Hannah's heart skipped a beat, realizing she was scared by Sophia's look.
She shook her head, thinking it must have been her imagination.
Sophia seemed so easygoing; how could she have such a cold, sinister look?