How Death Became My Rebirth

After Leonardo and Jasper were chased out by security, the former, though a bit upset, managed to accept it.

Recognizing the depth of hurt they caused Cassandra, being treated that way seemed understandable to him.

Nevertheless, he hoped it would be the last time and also wished that Cassandra could see their remorse and sincere efforts.

“Leo, Cassandra really went too far. | mean, we’re her own brothers, and she’s letting. people treat us like this?” Jasper fumed, itching to give Cassandra a piece of his mind.

“Hey, watch your words, man. Have you ever thought about what you’re saying? Even if you don’t like her, what right do you have to talk like that? Think about the implications of your words. It’s unbelievable, especially with your higher education!” Leonardo scolded Jasper discontentedly.

It was tough for him to tolerate those words, but he couldn't directly go against Jasper in front of so many people. Leonardo had already spared Jasper’s dignity by not. retaliating earlier, but the latter was still going on about it.

Jasper got a bit worked up, feeling irritated. “I’m just saying what’s on my mind, you know. | didn’t mean anything else. She just got on my nerves!”All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

“All right, cut it out. Just head back already!” Leonardo impatiently waved him away.

“Leo, aren't you heading back?” Jasper asked, feeling a bit puzzled. He couldn't figure out why everyone was leaving home one after another. ‘Maybe Cassandra cast some kind of spell on them,’ he mused.

“No.” Leonardo curtly replied, walking toward his car without giving Jasper any more. attention.

Later, Jasper arrived home to discover his computer still on, notifications flashing ont

the screen.

‘Could it be a response to the paper | submitted? Is it accepted?‘ he pondered immediately. He had submitted an academic paper to the Science Journal a while ago and hadn’t received a response yet. These Automation Tools Might Surprise You

13:00 Wed, 21 Feb 6WG

Glancing at the email, it appeared to be from the official website.

9x67%

For a moment, he set aside the discomfort he was feeling and eagerly opened the email.

[Dear Jasper, considering that the experimental data presented in your paper cannot yield reasonable results, the paper does not meet the criteria for inclusion in Science. We sincerely apologize for this outcome.]

The email hit Jasper like a ton of bricks.

After nearly half a year of experimenting, refining his submitting it, he faced rejection.

paper,

and confidently

The straightforward rejection felt like a punch to the gut, especially for someone like him.

In his frustration, he reached out to senior peers who had experience publishing in similar journals, seeking insights and advice. Unfortunately, he received no response.

At Springmount Townhouse, Cassandra was engaged in a conversation with the chairman of Science.

“Dr. Quirke, Jasper’s paper is outstanding. Why reject it?” The person on the other end couldn’t fathom why Faye would dismiss such an excellent piece.

In the Science Academic Special Issue, only the chairman knew Faye’s true identity; others remained oblivious. Faye held the ultimate authority over each publication.

If this information were known, the Science reviewers would likely be astounded. Yet, here was Faye, rejecting papers with unwavering decisiveness.

“The data’s messed up, lots of viewpoints are unsupported, and explanations are all over the place.” For Faye, those reasons alone were enough.

While this paper had the potential to be accepted by Science, it suffered from numerous errors and lacked a hundred percent accuracy.

It was unfortunate that Jasper had offended Faye.

Rather than resorting to physical confrontation, this kind of rejection seemed to inflict a deeper wound. These Automation Tools Might Surprise You

These few papers had been lingering on Cassandra’s side for a while now. If it weren’t for Jasper’s reckless behavior today, she probably wouldn’t have even remembered those papers.

Trying to publish a paper full of mistakes? How shameless, she thought.

“All right. From now on, this guy’s papers... The chairman had a strange feeling that Jasper somehow rubbed Faye the wrong way, leading to these outright rejections.

Some other papers had weak arguments and evidence without strong data support, but Faye let them slide. Yet, Jasper’s paper, despite being more professional, got the boot.

There was only one explanation: Jasper had somehow ticked off Faye!

“I'll leave it to you to decide. This statement practically closed off Jasper’s opportunities.

From then on, Science Academic Special Issue had, in essence, blacklisted Jasper.

Jasper spent the entire night contemplating but couldn’t fathom what went wrong. With dark eye bags, he headed to the hospital the next day.

He headed straight to the hospital director, hoping to get some insight on the puzzling situation.

“Dr. Yates, | called the Science department director this morning. | heard that Dr. Quirke rejected your paper. So, there’s no point in pressing further,” the hospital director said, sounding somewhat defeated. A paper turned down by Faye was pretty much a lost cause.

“W-What's happening? Just six months ago, one of my papers got the nod, and it was Dr. Quirke who greenlit it! Why the change now?” Jasper couldn’t wrap his head around. why this was going on.

Before, when Faye reviewed his paper, there was heaps of praise. This time, Jasper was even more sure that his work was top— notch.

He had expected Faye’s approval, but out of the blue, it was rejected.

“How could | accept this? No, I’ve got to figure something out!’ he determined.

The director of the National Security Bureau, Daniel, sent Cassandra a message, requesting her presence at the bureau. These Automation Tools Might Surprise You

Wed, 21 Feb

Cassandra was a bit perplexed, thinking, “What's this about? We've always communicated online before!

Curious, Cassandra asked for more details, but Daniel didn’t provide any explanation, only instructing her to come in person. Thus, Cassandra didn’t push for more information; she just made her way to the bureau.

Daniel had arranged for someone to be waiting downstairs in advance, so when. Cassandra arrived at the National Security Bureau, apart from the regular checks, there were no additional obstacles.

Soon, she arrived at Daniel's office. Waiting for her were Kenneth and Kayden, both decked out in military gear, along with a few other unfamiliar soldiers. “What's going on here?” Cassandra wondered.

“Emery, these folks are here to give you a Commendation Medal from the state.” Daniel grinned. “Don’t worry, your information is strictly confidential. You can rest assured that they won't be disclosed without your say—so.”

Daniel could read Cassandra well enough to pick up on her concerns.

He reassured Cassandra once more, “Emery, trust me, we’re keeping your info entirely. confidential. Safeguarding personnel in the information security department is our duty.”

“What's this Commendation Medal all about?” Cassandra inquired with a slight nod.

“Your performance during the rescue operation was top-notch. Commander Zelinski reported it straight up the chain, so this time, you're getting the highest commendation.”

Ha