Chapter 38 - The Final Demonstration Begins
Competition day arrived with unexpected rain.
The outdoor testing course glistened beneath dark clouds.
Organizers debated postponing demonstrations before ultimately deciding the weather created realistic engineering conditions.
Teams adjusted quickly.
Some projects struggled immediately.
Others benefited from the additional challenge.
Booth 27 was scheduled fourth.
Alex watched the first three demonstrations carefully.
One autonomous vehicle lost traction.
A rescue robot short-circuited after water entered an exposed connector.
Another mobility device completed the course but required repeated manual corrections.
Emma whispered,
"The conditions just became much harder."
Alex nodded.
"So did the opportunity."
When their turn arrived, volunteers guided Version 15 onto the starting platform.
Spectators gathered behind safety barriers.
Judges prepared scoring tablets.
Cameras recorded every movement.
Professor Chen addressed the audience.
"Demonstration number four."
Alex activated the system.
The wheelchair moved forward.
Smooth pavement.
Sharp incline.
Wet concrete.
Everything remained stable.
Approaching the gravel section, Emma instinctively held her breath.
This obstacle had caused multiple failures during early testing.
Version 15 slowed automatically.
The predictive stabilizer adjusted before the wheels slipped.
The chair crossed the loose surface cleanly.
Several judges exchanged impressed glances.
The audience applauded softly.
Only one obstacle remained.
A narrow ramp followed immediately by an uneven landing.
Alex guided the chair upward.
Halfway across, a loud metallic sound echoed beneath the platform.
The entire audience looked toward the course.
Version 15 continued moving.
But something underneath the demonstration track had clearly shifted.
Event officials immediately signaled for a temporary stop.
Professor Chen raised her hand.
"Pause the evaluation."
Technicians hurried toward the platform.
Alex powered down the prototype without argument.
He wasn't worried about losing points.
He wanted to know why the sound had occurred.
As engineers inspected the track, one technician suddenly called another over.
He pointed beneath the landing platform.
There, wedged between two support beams, was a small object that definitely did not belong to the official course.
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No one could identify it from where the audience stood.
But whatever it was, the discovery immediately transformed a routine technical inspection into something far more serious.
