The room went silent. Max looked at the paper. It was the same logic he had practiced in his independent sessions, but the stakes were higher. He remembered a tricky division trick he’d mastered two nights ago. He didn't rush. He navigated the fractions, dodged the decimal traps, and finished just as the bell chimed.

As the week progressed, the tension in Class 5-B rose. The teacher, Madame Petrovna, finally tapped her desk with a ruler. "Clear your desks. It is time for the (Control Work)."

For Max, these weren't just tests; they were the "Gatekeepers of GZ"—the .