Chapter 1523 Legend of the Great Fantom (Part III)

1523 Legend of the Great Fantom (Part III)

"Jianhong, calm down," Grandpa Lu's astronomer friend tried to calm him down but to no avail.

The old man was incensed.

His other friend wasn't afraid of him and said, "Everyone here can speak multiple languages so Iris Long being a polyglot isn't really something special among us. Granted, she might speak more languages than us, but the number of languages she knows and her level of proficiency in them doesn't matter if she doesn't apply them to her main career. And her running multiple businesses isn't a stand-out among us here either who have been standing at the very top of the business industry for decades. We don't look down on celebrities, but we can't help but wonder if she deserves her spot as a Cross Academy student."

Beside Iris, she could sense Jin Liwei's mood plummeting fast. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it, silently communicating with him to calm down.

However, it was Grandpa Lu who couldn't bear the slight toward his beloved disciple. He stood up, red-faced, and pointed at his friend. "You—"

"Grandpa Lu, please calm down," Iris said in a soft, soothing voice.

"Hmph!" The old man glared at his friends but still listened to Iris and sat down again. He crossed his arms over his chest and continued harrumphing.

Iris sighed at the sight of her husband and the old man. Jin Liwei was like a volcano about to erupt. Grandpa looked like a kid who was sulking after throwing a tantrum. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the two of them. Nevertheless, her heart felt warm because they were only acting this way for her sake.

She gave her husband another comforting squeeze in the hand and a soothing smile at the infuriated old man before facing the others.

The nerdy tech billionaire looked at her with fanatic eyes. Tears continued flowing down his now red face. His expression was so intense that Iris felt complicated looking at him. Good thing that her instincts told her that he held no malicious intent toward him. He was simply ecstatic to be meeting someone directly connected to his idol, Fantom.

Even though she and Fantom were the same person, he didn't know that. If he did, maybe he would have already croaked from overexcitement and ascended to the heavens.

Iris faced Grandpa Lu's friends. Her expression was calm yet serious.

Her aura changed. Gone was the warm, welcoming host of today's launch party. Instead, it felt like they were now facing a formidable queen who had the power to decide their fates.

"Understandably, you think that way—that I don't deserve my spot at Cross Academy given my achievements so far," she said. "I may appear impressive among the normal, average people, but among top geniuses like you, I fall short."

Most of them nodded, agreeing with her. freē.com

Jin Liwei's expression turned uglier. Grandpa Lu was about to lose his temper, but Iris sent the old man another comforting smile while giving her husband another squeeze in the hand—firmer this time.

Her eyes were cold as she looked at each gentleman in the room. "Now that you know I'm Drakon and that Fantom was my master, this should prove that it's not a fluke that Cross Academy recruited me."

The nerdy tech billionaire nodded. "Of course! If the great Fantom taught you even just a fifth of his talents, then you should already be more than qualified!"

Nobody refuted him despite him not being a Cross Academy student himself. Although these alumni had their own pride as certified geniuses, all of them admitted that Fantom was indeed a true legend.

Then someone said, "Wait, Iris. You referred to Fantom as a "she". Is Fantom female?"

The nerdy tech billionaire froze alongside the others. They all turned their heads at her, waiting for her reply.

Iris was amused at their expressions but still replied, "Yes, Fantom was female."

The nerdy tech billionaire gasped. "For real?!!!"

She chuckled before nodding.

"No way!"

"Seriously?"

Grandpa Lu couldn't hold it anymore. "What's wrong with Fantom being a girl?! Why are you old fools acting like you haven't seen the world?! Tell me, I want to know! Fantom was the top hacker in the world and you all assumed that she's a boy! You might be geniuses but you're all still pinheads! Xiulan my girl's master was as amazing as her! Hmph!"

"Now, now, Jianhong, that's not what we meant at all," his astronomer friends said.

"Hmph!"

Iris felt complicated watching Grandpa Lu defending her without any regard for his own image. Even she wasn't entirely sure how much the old man knew about her real identity.

Most of the time, Grandpa Lu acted like he didn't know anything. But there were times like this when his eyes would reveal infinite knowledge and wisdom as if he knew every little secret she and her big brother concealed from everyone else.

Even her big brother, the former Nikolai Vetrov, was no match against Grandpa Lu who was like a bulldozer when educating the younger generation.

The nerdy tech billionaire couldn't help but ask, "C-can you tell us more about Fantom?"

"No," Jin Liwei requested the man's request before Iris could say anything.

"Why?!" The other man didn't want to give up. He looked at Iris with a hopeful expression.

She sighed. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that. Fantom's identity, it's…special. It wouldn't do anyone in this room any good to learn about who she was in real life."

The man still wanted to ask more questions but Jin Liwei's threatening glare frightened him. He could only swallow the words in his throat and pout like a little kid.

Some of Grandpa Lu's friends also wanted to insist on knowing more, but the old man's glare stopped them.

Iris released another sigh before granting them some revelation to satisfy their curiosity.

"It's true that Fantom is dead. The circumstances of her death are too complex and too dangerous even for a powerhouse like our Cross Academy. My master…she just wants to rest in peace. I hope that you can all grant that for her."

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