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!"
I glanced around at the bunch of lunatics relentlessly pressuring me into giving in and took a deep breath. I knew that the tragedy of my previous life would repeat itself if I were to resist them now.
But since I was given a second chance at life, I didn't just want to see them ruined. I wanted to protect my own safety as well.
Moreover, they had no idea that the files of the students admitted via direct admission through special recommendation were separate from the regular college application system.
As the champion of the National Physics Competition, I had already been personally selected by the dean of Starvard University himself, Mr. Owen Cooper, for direct guaranteed admission, and he'd also already taken my file with him to Starvard.
Even if I filled in a random community college in my official college application, my file would already be lying safely in the safe in Starvard University's admissions office.
So, I pretended to be intimidated by their threats and gritted my teeth, pretending to be extremely hesitant while reluctantly giving in to them, a hint of resistance flashing in my eyes.
"Fine… I'll change it. But I don't dare to do it myself. You can do it for me instead, Janice."
I then gave her my account and password. She cackled smugly as if she just won a major victory while logging into my account and editing my college application in front of the entire class.
She deleted all of the top-tier colleges' names I'd filled in, viciously filled in only the name of that low-tier community college, and then slammed on the "submit" button.
"Done!" she exclaimed, raising the phone in the air for everyone to see. A thunderous cheer then erupted in the classroom.
Kevin stroked his chin in satisfaction while typing my name and ID number into CloudAI's chat box.
"Alright, Daryl, CloudAI just replied, and your spot at Starvard University has been secured. Remember to thank me properly when the semester starts."
I stared at Kevin's dumb face and nodded with a smile. "Okay. I'll definitely 'thank you' properly on the first day of the semester."
I then slung my backpack over my shoulder once again and walked out of the classroom. I could hear the sounds of their revelry in the classroom behind me as they discussed going to hang out at the arcade all night to celebrate.
I just looked up at the dazzling sunlight, feeling an unprecedented sense of exhilaration.
The more they celebrated and the higher they soared now, the more they would be completely shattered when their dreams finally burst after reality hit them.
…
The rest of the long, sweltering summer vacation passed by in a state of extreme excitement among the entire class. The class group chat was flooded with more than a thousand messages daily.
Kevin was the undisputed "king" of the class, issuing out commands in the group almost every day.
"Has everyone bought their Starvard varsity jerseys today yet? I've already bought mine! We'll all wear them to Starvard University on the first day together!"
Janice replied, "I bought it today! I'll wear whatever you're wearing, Kevin! I can't wait to see the shocked expressions on the Starvard security guards' faces when they see all 43 of us showing up at their gates!"
Aaron replied, "Ah, I'm looking forward to it so much! I'm so excited for it. By the way, did anyone else receive the acceptance letters from that Newgen Culinary Community College like me? It's hilarious to think that they actually sent them!"
Sometime in mid-August, everyone had already received their college acceptance letters through the mail from that community college. A brief panic had ensued in the group chat for a moment.
However, Kevin showed up again with a screenshot of his conversation with CloudAI, showing the AI chat bot spewing all sorts of nonsense again in its reply.
"Dear Kevin, it is a normal system procedure for you to be receiving your college admission letter from the community college. Please do not panic.
"Your Starvard University internal student record has been completed. Kindly report yourself directly to the freshman registration office at Starvard University on September 1st by showing your ID card."
With CloudAI's endorsement, the class let themselves loose again without another worry in the world. Some of them even tore up the admission letter, burned it, and filmed the entire process before posting it online to show off.
As for me, I quietly received my admissions letter from Starvard University, personally signed by Mr. Cooper himself, in early August. I carefully locked it in my drawer, waiting quietly for admission day.
Today was September 1st. It was a perfect day for going out and for getting humiliated in public.
The fall weather was crisp and clear. Crowds thronged outside the gates of Starvard University, filled with new students and their parents as they arrived for the students' enrollment on admission day.
I dragged my suitcase with me to the plaza at the gates and suddenly witnessed a striking sight.
All 42 classmates of mine were wearing cheap, knock-off Starvard University varsity jerseys that they bought online, while blocking the entrance to the freshmen registration area.
Kevin stood at the very front, his face flushed as he argued fiercely with several security personnel and student body volunteers there.
"Do you even know how to check the system properly? I told you that we all have secured our spots in this university through a special exclusive internal admission channel! We should be able to get in just by showing our ID cards!"
He stomped his feet angrily on the ground and slammed his ID onto the table.
The student body volunteer was covered in sweat as he checked through the system again, patiently answering Kevin, "We've already checked the system three times, Kevin. Your names really aren't in the system. And you didn't bring your admission letters with you either, so how am I supposed to verify anything?"
"What the hell do you need the admissions letters for? That's just for the regular people!"
Janice shoved the volunteer aside and pointed a finger at the security guard, yelling in his face. "Your system is faulty! Hurry up and tell your admission administrator to come out and answer us at once!
"How dare you stop all 42 of us geniuses from entering your campus? Can you face the consequences at all?"
The guard just looked at her like he was looking at a jester and scoffed.
"Geniuses? I've been a security guard here for more than ten years, and I've never seen a 'genius' forget to bring their admission letter along with them on admission day. Which high school are all of you from? Stop causing trouble for everyone here!"
Kevin was getting anxious. He hurriedly took out his phone, tapped into CloudAI, and shoved his phone before the guard's face.
"Open your eyes wide and read this! CloudAI already said that they've secured the spots for us, and our files are already registered properly in Starvard University's system! This is done by AI! How dare you deny it!"
The guard read the AI chat window on the screen. He was a little stunned at first, but he quickly burst out into loud laughter just a short while later.
"Oh, my God, that was the best joke ever! Have you guys been spending too much time reading fantasy novels or something?"
He pointed at Kevin's phone screen and poked fun at him, saying, "You're saying that AI helped you register and enroll in Starvard? Then, why don't you ask it to give you your degree and certificate as well? What's the point of coming here to make a huge fuss at our gates?
"Hurry up and move along now. I'm going to call the police on you if you cause more trouble for us again!"
The other freshmen and their parents also approached the group, pointing at them and laughing at their situation.
"You really don't know what weird happenings you'd run into these days. Did they really think that they could get admitted into Starvard just with a screenshot of an AI chatbot?"
"I bet they all flunked their tests and got a little cuckoo in the head from the shock. It's such a pity."
My classmates all turned white and pale when they heard the surrounding people mocking them like that.
Aaron was beginning to panic. He tugged on Kevin's sleeve and said, "What's going on, Kevin? Didn't CloudAI say that everything was set?"
Kevin gritted his teeth, his eyes turning bloodshot as he clutched desperately at straws, still unwilling to give up.
"CloudAI would never lie to me! If it said that it secured spots for us, that means that it secured spots for us!"
Just then, Janice caught sight of me. I was standing at the very edge of the crowd who gathered around, watching them coldly.
She looked like she'd just seen her savior as she rushed up to me, seemingly finally finding a place to vent out all her frustrations. Her eyes were red and bloodshot too.
"Daryl Greer! What are you doing there, watching us make a fool of ourselves? You're one of us too! Come here and talk some sense into these people here!" she yelled, grabbing my suitcase and pulling it with her.
I brushed her hands off easily as a mocking smile played on my lips.
"Talk sense into them? About what? About the fact that you're all just a bunch of idiots who were completely fooled by a stupid AI chatbot?"
I ignored their shocked looks and slowly pulled out a gold-embossed admission letter with the Starvard University emblem from my backpack, walking straight up to the admissions gate.
