SOLVED. YA Science Fiction. Three teenagers win a tech competition and take on a company. 3 main protagonists 2 male and 1 female. Female protagonist goes by Painted Fox online. Read around 2015-2017. Spoilers ahead. [s]

[Lex]

I read the book around 2015-2017. I think the author is male and there is a review on the front of the book that is something like "Don't wait to read (book name) until it becomes a cult classic." I think the review was by James Patterson. It is about a three teenagers who are teamed up in a tech competition that only the worlds smartest teenagers were invited to which is being hosted at a university (I think). At the start the contestants are shown a projection of either a butterfly or moth, later the three teenagers realise that there is code in the projection. Two of the three main characters are male, I can't remember their names, one also most can't go to the competition and his family aren't citizens of the country they live in yet. The other male Is from somewhere in Africa, I believe and he is from a very small village. The female lives in China and has an alternate online identity which she keeps from her family. Online she is known as painted fox who exposes corrupt government officials. In the competition they build a robot that looks like some kind of bug. During the competition they discover that the company who sponsoring the competition is going to create a second dark web. At the end they break into the one of the buildings and disable the super computer that is going to release the second dark web. While in the building they disable the cameras with laser pointers on caps.

[Lex]

I remember there being a second book (not sure if it's a duology or a series), I only remember there being two books. In the second book I think they are still going up against the same company but as like a side plot sort of. I don't know. They travel to the village where one of the MC's come from. I remember him showing the other two MCs a windmill he built to give his whole village electricity. They have to build a GPS sort of thing for a government that they don't want to. A general is overseeing the project. I think all three have to wear disguises because they are wanted, Painted fox's dad ends up being there as he is a lawyer and he recognises his daughter, even though she is in disguise. They find out that the general is wanted in another country for mass murder or some other horrible crime. The border into the country is really close to the village so the three MC's end up building the GPS, so that when they go to test it they drive over the border without the general knowing. The general ends up getting arrested at the end of the book.

[Rainbowheart]

Genius: The Game

[Lex]

That's the book! Thank you.

[Rainbowheart]

No prob, glad to help out!