Club Showdown

A week after the party ended, Gwen, Wanda, and Li officially joined the school's innovation club.

Sunlight slanted through the glass windows of the school innovation club's activity room, casting diamond-shaped patches of light across the floor that swayed gently in the breeze. Gwen, Wanda, and Li stood around the bulletin board, where a brand-new task notice glimmered faintly in the morning light. The bold words "The Future Is Here" stood out in particular, as if calling to minds brimming with creativity.

"We have to make the most explosive display ever!" Gwen spun around sharply, her ponytail cutting a neat arc through the air. Her sneaker stomped heavily against the floor with a thud. She pulled a crumpled roll of blueprints from her canvas bag, its edges frayed and curled from being unfolded so many times. "I want to make a self-repairing Mechanical Flower, with nano-materials as petals. As long as it gets damaged, it can heal itself!" She spread the blueprint across the table, revealing a lifelike Mechanical Flower. Every petal was covered in dense circuit diagrams and material specifications, while the miniature sensor design at the flower's center was especially intricate.

Li pushed up the glasses that had slipped to the tip of his nose. His eyes lit up behind the lenses, and his fingers tapped lightly against the blueprint in a rhythmic tap-tap. "The idea is amazing! But the energy supply is a huge problem. Ordinary batteries won't last long enough." As he spoke, he pulled a palm-sized solar panel model from the inner compartment of his backpack as if performing a magic trick. Several traces of glue remained around its edges, evidence of repeated modifications. "What if we combine it with miniature solar panels? It can store energy during the day and use backup power at night. But we have to account for extreme weather. On cloudy or smoggy days, the backup energy system has to be reliable."

Wanda leaned against the window as Qiu's breeze stirred her red hair. She absently turned the nano-reactor brooch in her hand, its metal surface refracting scattered glimmers of light. "What if we make the flower interact with its surroundings?" she suddenly said, her voice soft but carrying unquestionable resolve. "It could bloom when it senses someone approaching, then close again after they leave." As soon as she finished speaking, a trace of scarlet light flickered across her fingertips. The desk lamp beside her suddenly flashed violently, its bulb letting out a piercing buzzing sound. Gwen jumped in fright, while Li stared wide-eyed in astonishment.

However, when the three of them presented their idea at the club meeting, doubts surged in like a tide. A boy in the front row crossed his arms over his chest and curled his lip. "Nano-materials? The cost is absurdly high! The school's tiny budget wouldn't even make a dent. It's completely unrealistic." A girl with twin ponytails in the back row also shook her head. "Self-repair technology? With our level of knowledge, that's pure fantasy. If we fail to make it, the club will be humiliated."

Gwen's face instantly flushed red. Like an enraged little lioness, she shot to her feet, her chair scraping across the floor with a harsh sound. "How will we know it can't be done if we don't try? We can find sponsors and apply for research grants. There are always more solutions than difficulties!" Her voice echoed through the activity room, her eyes full of stubborn determination. Li calmly opened his laptop and projected his carefully prepared budget plan onto the wall, analyzing it point by point. "If we simplify the petal structure and secure sponsorship from my uncle, the cost will be completely manageable." Wanda did not argue loudly, but she pressed her lips together and swept her firm gaze over everyone present. She nodded slightly, silently expressing her support.

After Pepper learned of the club's dispute, she deliberately took time out of her busy schedule to visit the school. Wearing slim high heels, she walked elegantly into the activity room. Her professional suit made her look capable without losing any softness. She sat down gently, crossed her legs, and let her warm yet authoritative gaze pass over everyone in the room. "When I was young, my team often clashed because we had different ideas. But you all need to understand that teamwork isn't about tearing each other down. It's about combining different ideas and bringing out their greatest value." Her voice was like a warm current, gradually soothing the tense atmosphere.

As she said this, her gaze settled on Gwen, Wanda, and Li, her eyes filled with encouragement. "Your creativity and passion are the team's most valuable assets." Then she took a document from her elegant handbag, its edges carrying a faint fragrance of perfume. "This is a list of equipment and material sponsorships that Stark Industries is willing to provide. We are willing to support creative projects. But opportunities like this are rare, so everyone must work together even more closely."

With such a powerful backer behind them, the trio began their "crazy" preparations. In the laboratory, Gwen spent every day stubbornly battling mechanical parts. Once, to adjust the flexibility of a Mechanical Flower's joints, she wore a magnifying lens and held a precision screwdriver for five straight hours. When she finally stood up, her vision went dark and she nearly fell over. In the end, she was so exhausted that she fell asleep face-down on the table. Her face was smeared with machine oil, her messy hair sprawled over the blueprints, and a drop of drool hung from the corner of her mouth. She looked utterly ridiculous.

Wanda quietly used her powers to assist with testing. Whenever the Mechanical Flower's data showed abnormalities, she shut her eyes tightly and furrowed her brows into a deep crease, fine beads of sweat quickly appearing on her forehead. As scarlet light glowed at her fingertips, it was as though she entered another world, focusing completely on sensing fluctuations in the data and helping the team quickly locate the problem. Once, after overusing her powers, her face went pale as paper. She swayed against the wall and nearly fainted. But after a brief rest, she forced herself back to work, her stubbornness heartbreaking to watch.

Li transformed into a "diplomatic expert," constantly on the phone every day. To secure sponsors, he carefully prepared proposals and paid visit after visit.

Ben originally wanted Uncle Stark to sponsor him, but his uncle said that this time, he had to prepare these things himself—in other words, become self-reliant for once.

Once, he waited outside a technology company for a full three hours just to catch the person in charge during a ten-minute break. When applying for a venue, he revised the application report again and again and communicated with the school administration countless times. Whenever he got busy, he often forgot to eat. Once, he squeezed chili sauce onto bread thinking it was ketchup. After one bite, the heat made him grimace, but he could not bear to waste it, so he swallowed it down and continued his research.

On the day of the exhibition, the school auditorium was decorated with a strong futuristic feel. A crowd had already gathered in front of Gwen, Wanda, and Li's booth. When Gwen pressed the activation button, the Mechanical Flower slowly bloomed. Its nano-petals refracted dazzling colors beneath the lights, like a rainbow from a dream. When curious students reached toward it, the flower swayed gently as if it were alive. The miniature sensor at its center even emitted a pleasant chime, as though warmly greeting them.

"This is incredible! How did you do it?" "The petals can even change color—so cool!" Exclamations and praise rose one after another. A teacher asked about the technical principles with great interest, and Li immediately became the presenter, launching into an enthusiastic explanation. Wanda smiled as she used her powers to demonstrate how the flower sensed different environments, while Gwen excitedly pulled visitors over to share the story behind its creation. Even students from other schools were drawn over, surrounding the booth three layers deep and constantly asking how the three of them had come up with such an amazing idea.

As the sun set, its fading rays streamed through the auditorium windows and fell upon the three of them, coating them in golden light. The exhibition ended perfectly, and Gwen, Wanda, and Li walked side by side along a campus path, their shadows stretching long behind them.