Rebirth Of The Tech Emperor Chapter 7
586 Words
---
Chapter 7 – The Rivalry Begins
The crowd in the lecture hall hadn’t thinned even after the professor stormed out. Students huddled in groups, whispering excitedly, their eyes darting toward Adrian as though he were some myth come alive. Some looked at him with awe, others with suspicion, and a few with envy.
Adrian ignored them all. He packed his notebook slowly, deliberately, the way a man did when he knew every eye in the room was on him. The whispers grew louder.
“That projection—did you see it?”
“It wasn’t even plugged into the system. How the hell…?”
“No way a freshman pulled that off. He must have cheated somehow.”
Adrian smirked faintly. Humans never changed. Show them brilliance, and half would marvel while the other half tore themselves apart trying to deny it.
Just as he slung his bag over his shoulder, a shadow fell across his desk.
“Impressive little stunt.”
Adrian looked up. A tall, broad-shouldered student with slicked-back hair and sharp, hawk-like eyes loomed over him. Marcus Blackwell. He wore confidence like armor, his tailored uniform immaculate, the emblem of the elite student council pinned proudly to his chest.
The crowd hushed instantly. Marcus was a campus legend—top of the engineering faculty, golden boy of the professors, and heir to the Blackwell industrial conglomerate.
Adrian leaned back lazily in his chair. “And you are?”
Marcus’s jaw tightened. “Marcus Blackwell. Remember it. Around here, I’m the one people look to when it comes to innovation. Not some… upstart who thinks he can waltz in and embarrass our lecturers.”
The audience murmured, sensing sparks. Adrian raised a brow, amused. “Funny. I didn’t embarrass him. He embarrassed himself by being decades behind. I just pointed it out.”
Gasps rippled through the hall. Marcus’s face darkened. “Careful with that tongue, Cross. You might impress the sheep with parlor tricks, but I know real genius when I see it. And you’re not it.”
Adrian stood slowly, meeting Marcus eye-to-eye. His calm voice cut through the tension like a blade. “Then prove it.”
Marcus smirked. “Gladly. The annual Tech Expo is next week. You and me. Head-to-head. Let’s see who really deserves to be called a genius.”
The students erupted in excitement. Some cheered for Marcus, others whispered Adrian’s name like a rising storm. Phones came out, messages spread, the entire campus buzzing with news of the upcoming clash.
Adrian tilted his head slightly, eyes gleaming with something Marcus couldn’t quite place. Not fear. Not even anger. But anticipation. Predatory.
“Fine,” Adrian said simply. “But I’ll warn you now—” he leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper sharp enough to cut steel—“what I build doesn’t just win competitions. It changes the world. Be sure you’re ready to be crushed.”
Marcus’s smirk faltered for the briefest second before returning, though his eyes betrayed a flicker of unease.
The system chimed softly in Adrian’s ear:
> [New Mission Generated: Dominate the Campus Tech Expo.]
[Reward: Access to Advanced Blueprint Tier.]
Adrian slung his bag over his shoulder and walked out of the lecture hall, the crowd parting before him. His footsteps echoed like thunder, leaving Marcus standing alone in the storm of whispers.
And in that moment, every student knew—the Tech Expo wouldn’t just be a competition. It would be a battlefield.
-
- Writer
