Chapter 19: Confrontation
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
After hearing the master’s instructions, White Eagle flew over the library for reconnaissance. The spider on the rooftop of the library discovered it first. Zhu Tianyi glanced at it and said nothing, then turned and led his subordinates to investigate.
Accompanying him this time were Kane and Kroger from the Investigation Division. Kane asked curiously, “Captain, what exactly is stored on the top floor of the library that makes everyone so nervous?”Ā
Zhu Tianyi coldly replied, “Some things are not meant for you to know, so don’t ask too much.”
Kane wiped a bead of cold sweat from his forehead and immediately changed the subject, “Um, I’ll go inside and see if there are any clues.”
Kroger said, “I’ll go too.”
The two quickly slipped away. Although they were colleagues from the Investigation Division, they were somewhat afraid of their captain.
Most Sentinel officers had rugged features and a sturdy physique, but the head of the Investigation Division, known as “Black Spider”, was completely different. His skin was very pale, his appearance was somewhat feminine, and he walked silently like a ghost. When his deep gray eyes quietly observed others, it made people feel uncomfortable, as if they were being watched by a spider in the dark.
After Kane and Kroger left, Zhu Tianyi came to the edge of the rooftop and decisively jumped down. His hands suddenly grew hard and sharp nails, firmly gripping the wall as he climbed swiftly like a spider to the window of the 15th floor data room.
There were no traces left on the wall. Zhu Tianyi furrowed his brows and pushed the window hardāit was indeed open.
He leaped into the room, hearing Kane and Kroger’s conversation outside the door, “This door has a password lock and iris recognition system. Did the other party forcibly crack the password?”Ā
While they were analyzing, the door suddenly opened from the inside. Zhu Tianyi stood expressionless in front of them and said, “He entered through the window.”
Kroger and Kane exchanged glances, and Kane immediately took out a device he carried with him to investigate the room. When this device was used, any fingerprints left behind would turn into clear blue ones. After a moment, he came to Zhu Tianyi and reported, “Captain, no fingerprints were found around the stolen terminal.”
Zhu Tianyi’s keen gaze swept the ground. It had snowed heavily last night, so if someone stepped on the snow, it would easily leave footprints. He crouched down to examine the ground, but found no tracesāapparently, the person who stole the data was very cautious and wore gloves and shoe covers when entering the room, leaving no evidence behind.
No other clues were found in the data room. Kane whispered to Kroger, “Being able to climb in through the window on the 15th floor indicates the perpetrator is a Sentinel of Class A or above with climbing abilities, which narrows down the scope of investigation.”Ā
Kroger agreed, “Yes, the person who stole the data probably hasn’t left the Sentinel Academy.”
Zhu Tianyi remained silent. He turned and took the elevator to the security room on the 1st floor. The security guard had long noticed that the library was sealed off and was waiting nervously at the door. Upon seeing the Investigation Division, he immediately approached with trepidation and greeted, “Captain, Officer.”
Zhu Tianyi said, “Show us the surveillance footage.”
The security guard hesitated for a moment and said, “The surveillance system in the library is broken.”
Zhu Tianyi frowned at him, “When did it break?”
The security guard scratched his head in confusion, “I’m not sure. It was fine yesterday, but today, I don’t know why it’s broken.”
Zhu Tianyi asked, “Have you noticed any suspicious individuals?”
The security guard immediately shook his head, “I’ve been on duty here all day and haven’t noticed anything unusual.”
Zhu Tianyi turned to Kroger and said, “Check his mental landscape to see if he’s been guided.”
Kroger released a dozen colorful butterflies into the security guard’s mental landscape, carefully inspecting it before concluding, “No signs of damage found.”
Zhu Tianyi looked thoughtfully at the security guardāhis response was somewhat peculiar, like rehearsed lines delivered without hesitation, with a certain certainty in his gaze, as if he had been mentally influenced to modify his subconscious short-term memory. However, if a guide attacked a Sentinel, it would definitely cause some damage to their mental landscape. Yet Kroger hadn’t found any damage in the security guard’s mental landscape. Where could the problem lie?
After pondering for a moment, Zhu Tianyi looked at Kroger and said, “Check all the personnel in the library to see if there are any witnesses.”
“Yes, Captain.”
After assigning the tasks, Zhu Tianyi walked out alone, gazing into the distance.
Several students were jogging in the campus, and all the footprints around the library had been destroyed.
Quietly climbing in through the window on the 15th floor, stealing top-secret data, destroying the library’s surveillance, leaving no footprints or fingerprintsāthis person was extremely meticulous in their thinking and highly skilled in their methods, leaving behind no clues.
It seemed they were dealing with a formidable opponent this time.
After a while, Kroger and Kane came to Zhu Tianyi’s side. Zhu Tianyi asked, “What have you discovered?”
Kroger replied, “This morning, a total of 157 students and staff were in the library, and none of them noticed anything unusual. Only one student said his student ID was lost. He went to the ground to look for it and only entered the library after finding it. By the way, there were no traces of damage to that student’s mental landscape.”
Zhu Tianyi pondered, “His student ID was lost? How coincidental?”
Just then, he saw the white eagle circling in the sky suddenly descend, shrinking its body and landing steadily on a man’s shoulder. Zhu Tianyi looked up and met a pair of deep eyesāLu Zexuan had arrived.
Accompanying him were several leaders from the Sentinel Academy, including the female dean, Ms. Kelly, an A+ Sentinel, who was the spirit body of an agile black panther.
Zhu Tianyi greeted them, “Dean, General Lu, has the opening ceremony ended?”
“Just ended,” Dean Kelly said sternly, looking at him, “Captain Zhu, your actions are so grand, it might scare our students. Could you put away your Black Spider?”
The Black Spider, perched on the rooftop of the library, was as large as a battle mecha. With its capabilities, it could easily demolish the high-rise building, which indeed could instill fear in the young Sentinels. Zhu Tianyi withdrew his own spirit body, and the Black Spider shrank to the size of a fist, clinging to his shoulder.
Zhu Tianyi looked at Lu Zexuan and asked, “General Lu, when I came to the Sentinel Academy just now, I saw your eagle patrolling in the sky. Did it not notice anything unusual?”
Lu Zexuan replied, “No.”
Zhu Tianyi frowned, “Strange. Someone climbed in through the window on the 15th floor into the data room, and it didn’t notice?”
Lu Zexuan said lightly, “Captain Zhu, are you suspecting the vision of my eagle?”
The sharp eyes of the white eagle stared directly at the spider across from it, and the Black Spider also stared back without reservation. The confrontation between two S-class spirit bodies instantly made the atmosphere tense.
After a moment, Zhu Tianyi withdrew his gaze and said coldly, “I’m going to the neighboring Guide Academy to take a look. General Lu, care to join me?”
The surrounding people showed expressions of surprise. What could be the matter with the Guide Academy? Lu Zexuan, however, was not surprised at all and followed Zhu Tianyi.
Zhu Tianyi knew, of course, that Lu Zexuan wouldn’t lie. Lu Zexuan also realized the key issueāsomeone capable of climbing to the 15th floor seemed like a Sentinel with climbing abilities. But if they could evade the sight of the S-class spirit body White Eagle, sneak in through a window, steal data, then it was highly unlikely to be a Sentinel; it was more likely to be an advanced Guide!
On the way to the Guide Academy, Zhu Tianyi said in a low voice, “If it’s a mental suggestion, General Lu should have noticed.”
Lu Zexuan confidently replied, “It’s not a mental suggestion. He didn’t attack my eagle. But my eagle didn’t detect his presence at all.”
“Could it be…” Zhu Tianyi speculated, “the legendary invisibility?”
Lu Zexuan frowned but did not refute. At the moment, this was the only explanation that could account for all the doubts.
It was said that some Guide spirit bodies possessed powerful invisibility abilities, which could automatically eliminate their own presence, making their masters undetectable. Since the person had stolen data from the library in broad daylight without any witnesses, and even eluded the gaze of the S-class spirit body White Eagle, it was evidently a strong and mysterious invisibility ability affecting the judgment of the surrounding people. However, advanced Sentinels had the most acute vision, so if the person were a low-level Guide, they would still reveal their hand.
Lu Zexuan said, “Unless he’s an S-class Guide.”
Zhu Tianyi’s expression became serious. “Or perhaps even higher than S-class.”
Higher than S-class? An S+ level, stronger than S-class? Only the president of the Guide Association was S+, rumored to be the man with the strongest mental energy in the entire federation. There were no other Guides known to have ratings higher than S-class.
Lu Zexuan suddenly thought of a series of recent events, from the first person falling at Base B73, to the Sentinels killing each other on the spaceship, to today’s theft of data from the library… Could there be any connection between these events?
If killing Leonard and the mining company boss was for revenge for last month’s mining accident, then what was the purpose of stealing data today?
Lu Zexuan vaguely felt that there was a mastermind behind the scenes planning something, but he couldn’t understand it at the moment.
In the blink of an eye, the group arrived at the neighboring Guide Academy. Young Guides would be fearful of the approach of powerful Sentinels, which might frighten the students. Zhu Tianyi and Lu Zexuan both consciously restrained their sharpness, and their spirit bodies shrank in size, obediently perching on their shoulders.
Inside the auditorium, the opening ceremony had just ended, and the students were leaving in an orderly manner. Lu Zexuan immediately spotted Yu Ran among the crowd.
Eighteen-year-old Yu Ran stood out among his 13-year-old classmates. He wore a white school uniform, a smile on his face, chatting with his roommates. Sensing Lu Zexuan’s gaze, Yu Ran raised his head, met the deep eyes of the Sentinel, and immediately looked embarrassed, lowering his head.
As for Zhu Tianyi next to Lu Zexuan, he didn’t even give Yu Ran a glance, as if he were a complete stranger.
Yu Ran calmly walked past Zhu Tianyi.
Zhu Tianyi stepped forward quickly and extended his hand to the dean of the Guide Academy, saying, “Dean Xie, hello. We, the Investigation Division, are investigating a case and hope you can cooperate.”
Dean Xie looked puzzled, “Investigating a case? What happened?”
Zhu Tianyi said, “It’s not convenient to disclose at the moment. Please gather all the teachers and students to their classrooms immediately.”
Since it had alarmed the head of the Investigation Division, it seemed serious. Xie Shiyi arranged for someone to pick up the microphone and announced, “All teachers and students, please return to your classrooms immediately.”
The announcement was repeated three times, and the students obediently queued up and went to their classrooms. Class 107, where Yu Ran was, was on the 10th floor of the teaching building. Forty students sat upright in their seats, the homeroom teacher stepped onto the platform, and gently said, “Hello, everyone. Later, I will distribute study materials and schedules. Classes will officially begin tomorrow…”
None of the students noticed anything unusual, except for Yu Ran, patiently waiting for Zhu Tianyi to arrive. As it wasn’t feasible for the Investigation Division to interrogate each individual, Zhu Tianyi’s primary suspectāYu Ranāwas the focus.
Sure enough, after a while, there was a knock on the door. The homeroom teacher opened it and then turned back to say, “Yu Ran, someone is looking for you.”
Yu Ran pretended to be puzzled as he walked out the door, then saw Zhu Tianyi, Kroger, and Kane from the Investigation Division, along with General Lu who came to “assist in the investigation.”
Spider, butterfly, cheetah, and white eagle, under the encirclement of a group of spirit bodies, the small white fox on Yu Ran’s shoulder curled up into a ball, burying its head in its master’s neck. Yu Ran’s voice sounded nervous, “Hello, what can I do for you?” He glanced at Kroger with fear and took a step back.
Kroger looked embarrassed, as he had once interrogated Yu Ran and almost broke down this C-level Guide.
Zhu Tianyi stared thoughtfully at Yu Ran, wondering if this small, pitiful, innocent Guide student, possessing such powerful mental energy as to deceive all surveillance and evidence under the nose of the White Eagle, could be the one.
Zhu Tianyi wasn’t sure. He only suspected that the recent series of events might be related to this little Guide, but he had no evidence.
Lu Zexuan introduced in a low voice, “Yu Ran, this is Captain Zhu Tianyi of the Investigation Division. He has some questions for you.”
Meeting Lu Zexuan’s eyes seemed to reassure Yu Ran somewhat. He nodded and looked at Zhu Tianyi politely, saying, “Captain, hello.”
Zhu Tianyi asked, “Have you left the scene of the award ceremony today?”
Yu Ran thought carefully and said, “Before the ceremony began, I went to the bathroom with my roommates. After it started, I didn’t leave.”
Zhu Tianyi looked into Yu Ran’s eyes and said softly, “Then you should remember Professor Morvi’s speech at the opening ceremony, right? Guides have strong memories. Can you repeat it word for word?”
Yu Ran was speechless. If Yu Ran had been there the whole time, he would remember Professor Morvi’s speech. If he had left secretly, he wouldn’t know what Professor Morvi had said during the speech.
Zhu Tianyi, what a clever move, using this method to probe.
I do noooot like this spider guy one bit! I think somehow he is connected to the dark guide thing and Yu Ran, while suspected of being a part of it, is actually working against the spider dude!
His little fox will remember the speechšš»š
Oh yeah; I didn’t think of that! Durr
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Oh, ZT’s good!
I wonder what info YR took and whether Prof Morvi is more personally involved. Maybe YR isn’t doing this just for himself.
Hopefully they will have considered this question and YR will have been given the speech beforehand, to memorise.
Thank you both for the chapter.