Chapter 2

I watched my classmates slowly descend into an excited chaotic mess and found it completely absurd. To think that an entire class of high school students would actually completely trust a random paragraph of words generated by CloudAI without a doubt.

While everyone was still caught up in their frenzy, reaching their peak, Janice jumped up and went to the front of the class. She wanted to impress Kevin, so she made a loud, crazy suggestion.

"Everyone! Since Kevin has already secured all our spots in Starvard University with CloudAI, that means the national college application system is completely useless to us!

"Let's all prove our trust in Kevin and celebrate our entire class about to enter Starvard together by doing something crazy—let's all change our college applications in the system to Newgen Culinary Community College instead!"

Upon hearing this, the entire class fell silent for a second.

After all, this was the official college application system that was standardized across the entire country. If they changed it and re-submitted it, they wouldn't be able to edit it again anymore after that.

Kevin immediately typed out another question to ask CloudAI when he noticed the silence. Seconds later, he raised his phone in the air and shouted, "Listen! CloudAI said you could fill out any college or university you wanted in the system, and it wouldn't affect its internal manipulation at all!

"In fact, the lower the ranking of the college that you apply for, the more it'll be able to cover up and the easier it will be for them to manipulate things behind the scenes for us!"

After getting CloudAI's "confirmation", coupled with Janice's instigation, the entire class' rationality completely flew out of the window.

"Alright! We'll do just as you say, Jan!"

"That's right! We're already getting into Starvard anyway. We're their future students. What's wrong with filling out a fake college application to trick the official system anyway?"

"That's so cool! We'll all show up at the Starvard University gates on the first day of class with our community college applications, and it'll absolutely blow everybody's mind! We can make this our ultimate senior prank!"

Everyone then pulled out their phones, logged into the college application system on the spot, and deleted their original applications to top-tier colleges around the country without any hesitation, changing them to the lowest-tier community college available.

I watched them all laugh wildly as they tapped on the "confirm submission" button, standing in the corner like I was watching a circus show.

They personally destroyed the fruits of their years of hard work, and yet, they still thought that they were the unsung heroes for breaking the rules and beating the system like this.

There were a total of 43 people in class, and all 42 of the rest of them had changed their applications.

All eyes instantly focused on me, the only odd one out.

I slung my backpack over my shoulders, ready to leave this suffocating asylum.

"Stop right there, Daryl Greer!"

Janice then ran up to me and got in my way, blocking the classroom door. Several other female students quickly surrounded me as well, cornering me against the wall.

"Where do you think you're going, Daryl? We've all already changed our applications. Did you think that you were the only one deserving special treatment?"

Janice's eyes were fierce and sharp, exactly the same as when she pushed me down the stairs to my death in my previous life.

"We only move as a group! If you don't change your college application to a low-tier college today, you are never, ever leaving this classroom! Don't even think about it!"

Kevin also marched over in his limited-edition Jordans, looking down at me and speaking in a condescending tone, "I know you're obsessed with your image, Daryl. You're just worried that I won't help you secure a spot with CloudAI, aren't you? Is that why you refuse to change your official application in the system?

"If you'll change your application now in front of the entire class, I will do you a massive favor and also ask CloudAI to apply to Starvard University for you as well. We're all classmates, aren't we? If we soar to great heights, I'm bringing you along with me."

The other classmates immediately echoed his words.

"That's right! Don't push your luck, Daryl! He's already compromising by offering to help you!"

"Kevin has been nothing but generous! What are you being so stubborn about?"

"If you don't change your application, that means you don't trust Kevin! That means you're a traitor to the entire class!"

Aaron Yates leaned close and pretended to give me some advice. "Just go ahead and change it, Daryl. Tell us your account password and change your application. Janice is just doing this for the sake of class unity.

"How else do you think you're going to get into Starvard if you insist on doing things your way? We wouldn't be able to hang out as a class again when that time came!"