Their Mistake, Her Rise - Chapter 9: Chapter 9

Upon hearing Zack's words, the students couldn't help but scream with excitement.
Shawn Ludwig stood at the pinnacle of the world. Even Eminence Nexus treated him with cautious respect.
It was also said that Shawn was an exceptionally handsome man, which made the female students lose their composure.
"Mr. Ludwig..." Eunice shyly touched her cheek, her mind drifting away in romantic fantasies.
Perhaps the only one worthy of a man like Shawn was the recently rumored strongest international mercenary—Firefox.
Among the excitement, the only one who remained calm was Zoe. She sat at the back of the classroom, lazily propping up her chin with her elbow, eyes narrowing slightly.
She had finally waited for Shawn. Since he was coming to Highcrest University, she wouldn't let him leave alive.
After school, Herbert, Jacob, and Eunice deliberately left without calling Zoe and took the car ahead of her.
Zoe couldn't be bothered to go with them anyway. She walked down the street, heading home on foot.
Just as she passed by a row of research buildings, a sudden explosion rang out.
The sound came from the laboratory building beside her. With one hand in her pocket, Zoe looked in that direction. She saw thick smoke billowing out from the first-floor window. Inside the lab was a complete mess.
Within minutes, fire trucks, ambulances, and the park's management personnel had all arrived at the scene.
The rescue team's firefighter quickly gave orders. "Everyone, put on your protective suits and gas masks. No matter what, we have to get Ms. Yoder out of there."
But before they could approach, they were stopped by a weak yet authoritative voice from inside the window. "Stop. No one is allowed to come in."
"My chemical lab has gone wrong," the old lady inside continued. "If my mixture fails, the toxic gas inside can seep through both protective suits and gas masks.
"Unless I succeed with this experiment, even if you come in, you won't be able to save me—you'll just die in vain."
The situation had reached a dilemma.
Experiments in the field of chemistry often walked hand-in-hand with death. This chemical mixture could trigger another explosion at any moment.
If it succeeded, it would be a groundbreaking discovery in the chemical world. If it failed, it would mean death.
As the dust from the explosion settled, through the glass window, Zoe saw a transparent, colorless test tube in front of the old lady, along with three successfully mixed chemical agents in blue, red, and yellow.
A large whiteboard was covered with numerous chemical formulas. The experiment had reached its final step.
The old lady frowned deeply, staring at the three chemical agents in front of her, struggling to decide which one to use for the final fusion.
"All of you, leave now. Don't worry about me. My chance of success is only one in three..." the old lady, her hair singed and white, commanded.
"We can't do that," said a firefighter. "Ms. Yoder, Mr. Johnson specifically instructed us to ensure the safety of your experiment. How about this—I'll call Mr. Johnson now and have him request assistance from Eminence Nexus."
"Someone from Eminence Nexus will surely know the correct formula." The firefighter quickly pulled out his phone and was about to dial.
At that moment, a girl's voice rang out. "All three of those chemical formulas are wrong. The new sarin gas experiment— even people from Eminence Nexus don't know the correct procedure. Only I can save you."
The girl was Zoe.
Originally, she had no interest in getting involved in something that had nothing to do with her. But then she saw the lady's aged face, which looked just like the face of an elderly woman Zoe had met during her first time on the battlefield.
Back then, Zoe had faced enemy shelling for the first time. In her inexperience, she had nearly been killed—until that elderly woman risked her life to save her.
"Child, don't be sad for my death," the woman had told Zoe before she passed, "If my death can exchange for a young life, then it's my greatest honor. You're still so young—you should walk away from the battlefield."
Fate worked in mysterious ways. Now, Zoe had encountered someone who looked so much like that woman. She felt it was a chance from above to make up for a past regret.
Zoe smiled faintly. She was determined to save this lady.
Zoe's sudden appearance and her almost arrogant statement left the firefighter momentarily stunned. "Who are you? Where did you come from? What nonsense are you spouting?
"You say not even people from Eminence Nexus know the right mix—then how come you do? Kid, this is no place for you to brag, and definitely not your playground."
"Hurry and leave, don't get in the way of the rescue." The emergency medic standing by stepped forward, ready to drive Zoe away.
As for the manager of the experimental park, he was even more anxious. After all, if the renowned chemist Joyce Yoder had an accident on his turf, his job would probably be gone too.
At this moment, facing the troublesome Zoe, he approached with a face full of anger. "Little girl, do you even know who Ms. Joyce Yoder is?"
"Ms. Yoder is the mother of chemistry in Clusia, the most brilliant chemist we have. Even the top chemists at Eminence Nexus respect her," he went on. "Get lost. Don't interfere with Ms. Yoder's experiment."
He didn't expect that Zoe would completely ignore them. With a sidestep, she bypassed the group and walked toward the lab window.
"What is this stupid kid doing?"
"She's going to disrupt Ms. Yoder's experiment."
"Stop her!"
Before anyone could react, Zoe had already opened the first-floor lab window, leapt inside, shut it behind her, and locked it. Then she stepped forward and took Joyce's place.
"Little girl, chemical experiments are not child's play. This will kill you. Please leave..." Joyce, corroded by the toxic fumes, was so weak she could barely speak.
Zoe ignored her. She even stepped into the lead position in the experiment and instructed Joyce, "Next, I need to remake the compound. Bring me lead nitrate, potassium iodide, and ammonium dichromate."
"Little girl..." Joyce was taken aback. She was both puzzled by Zoe's knowledge and trying to dissuade her.
"What are you waiting for? We're out of time," Zoe said. Even though she was much younger than Joyce, her presence was so commanding that the famous chemist found herself unable to resist.
Even Joyce didn't understand why she was obeying a teenage girl. By the time she snapped out of it, Zoe had already taken the materials from her hands and begun mixing the chemicals.
Outside the window, the manager, medic, and firefighters all shouted in protest. "No!"
"Ms. Yoder, stop her!"
"How can you entrust your life to a kid with no credentials?"
Amid the chorus of cries, Zoe swiftly mixed the lead nitrate, potassium iodide, and ammonium dichromate in a 3:2:1 ratio. Soon, the resulting chemical turned a pure black color.
Black represented a forbidden substance in chemistry. It was a sure sign of failure. Any failed formula would turn black and release toxic gas. Worse, if the black agent were combined with the clear, colorless liquid, it would trigger a massive explosion.
"She's insane. This little brat's an idiot. Does she think this is playtime?"
"This is a disaster."
"I knew it. How could a clueless kid possibly make a compound work? This was an experiment even Ms. Yoder couldn't complete!"
While everyone was panicking, no one noticed that Joyce was staring at the re-mixed agent in Zoe's hand. Her eyes, once filled with despair, now gleamed with ecstatic joy.
"No," Joyce slowly said for all to hear. "Mixing the three elements in varying ratios should result in toxic gas. But with that final step..."
"How did I not think of that?" she marveled. "My experiment succeeded."
"Young lady, this was a problem even the elites at Eminence Nexus couldn't solve. How did you do it?" Joyce turned to Zoe.