Chapter 499

Chapter 499:

Behind her, the hologram shifted to a beautifully rendered three-dimensional model of a new thruster.

“This is Icarus,” Belle announced. “Our design utilizes the latest in ion-fluid dynamics, achieving a staggering twenty percent increase in efficiency over any existing model.”

The presentation was flawless. The slides were works of art, dense with complex charts and data points that, on the surface, appeared utterly irrefutable. In the front row, the panel of judges nodded frequently. Dr. Merrick, a key figure from DARPA, was seen scribbling in his notebook with a faint smile on his face.

Belle concluded her demonstration. Her eyes swept across the audience and landed on the waiting area where Isolde and her team stood. She offered a small, triumphant, deeply provocative smirk.

о𝘳𝗀а𝗻i𝘇𝖾 𝘺о𝘶𝗿 𝗹і𝖻r𝘢𝗿𝘆 𝗈𝗇 ga𝗅𝘯o𝗏e𝘭𝘀.с𝘰𝘮

The host returned to the stage. “Thank you, Ms. Dubois, for that impressive presentation. And now, let’s welcome our next presenters — Team Aether.”

Isolde walked onto the stage flanked by Harper and Arland. In stark contrast to Belle’s polished corporate armor, she wore a simple, elegant black turtleneck and dark jeans — a minimalist statement that drew all attention away from the person and toward the idea about to be presented.

She wasted no time on pleasantries. She walked to the central console and, with a single tap, cleared InnoTech’s logo from the screen.

“InnoTech focuses on thrust,” she said, her voice calm but carrying an authority that silenced the murmuring crowd. “We focus on drag.”

A new holographic model materialized in the air — a construct of light and data, a flight vehicle of bizarrely elegant design, its lines both fluid and alien.

“This,” Isolde said, “is the Phantom-X.” She gestured toward the model. “It is a biomimetic aerodynamic design, inspired by the specific morphology of a peregrine falcon during its terminal velocity dive.”

A ripple of confusion and intrigue moved through the audience.

Isolde pressed a command on her console. “Begin simulation.”

The holographic space transformed into a virtual wind tunnel. On one side stood a standard advanced fighter model equipped with InnoTech’s Icarus thruster. On the other stood the Phantom-X. Data streams flooded the screen.

“As we increase the simulated velocity,” Isolde narrated, “watch the stress telemetry.”

At Mach 3, then Mach 4, red lines of vibration and structural stress began spreading across the wings and fuselage of the InnoTech model. It was fighting the air.

The Phantom-X remained pristine, its data signature as smooth as calm water. It was not fighting the air. It was becoming one with it.

A collective gasp swept through the hangar. This aerodynamic layout completely subverted decades of textbook engineering.

In the front row, Dr. Merrick removed his glasses, leaning so far forward he was nearly out of his seat, staring at the data with absolute transfixion.

“This… this is impossible,” he whispered to the general beside him.

From the audience, Belle’s sharp voice cut through the stunned silence.

“It’s faked data! The laws of physics don’t support that structure at high speeds!”

Isolde heard her. Her expression did not change. She calmly typed a new command into her console.

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