Chapter 23.2
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Parri, sitting beside them, had been observing the behavior of everyone.
What surprised him the most was Qi Yan.
After all, Qi Yan was just a nineteen-year-old ordinary student. In simple terms, he hadn’t seen much of the world. Yet, he was immediately labeled with charges of stealing secrets and betraying the Alliance the moment he sat down in the office.
However, from start to finish, Qi Yan never showed the slightest sign of panic. He even pointed out the logical flaws in Soro’s argument.
This wasn’t a normal reaction for a nineteen-year-old boy from a remote planet.
Instead, it was more like someone who had undergone relevant psychological training, able to remain completely calm in the face of unexpected situations.
Furthermore, after reading Qi Yan’s detailed and comprehensive personal file, their years of cultivated intuition led them to jointly conclude that there were discrepancies within the dossier.
So he filed a report to his superiors, requesting a thorough investigation into this individual. If this file was only his surface identity, then he must surely have a hidden true identity.
Moreover, Qi Yan lived alone in Leto, and according to the investigation, there was no sign that the Qi family had provided him with any financial support. So where did he get the money for his daily expenses and the custom-made clothes at studios like Umber Night?
The rebels were always generous when it came to purchasing Alliance classified information.
That was why he and Soro hurried to Turan, hoping to use Qi Yan as a breakthrough. Perhaps they could uncover a lot.
As long as they uncovered something, their ranks would rise by at least two levels.
Just then, Soro’s personal terminal chimed with a communication alert.
“Deputy Director?” he said, somewhat surprised.
He was only a first-grade police inspector, and the deputy director of Division Five was not his direct superior.
“Where are you right now?”
Soro glanced at Qi Yan sitting opposite him and replied, “Reporting to the Deputy Director, I am currently at Turan Academy handling a case of level B data leakage. The suspect has been apprehended.”
“Qi Yan?”
Soro paused. “It’s him.”
Ten seconds after the call ended, Soro and Parri’s personal terminals simultaneously received an image.
There wasn’t much on it.
Name: Qi Yan
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: [Access Denied]
Personal File: [Access Denied]
Clearance Level: Top Secret Level SSS
Soro’s expression froze. He turned sharply to Parri, seeing the same shock reflected in his colleague’s face.
Due to the high confidentiality of Qi Yan’s information, classified at the 3S level, even the deputy director of Division Five had no authority to access it. The image sent to Soro was just a temporary snapshot, and it would self-destruct within thirty seconds of being opened.
What did 3S signify?
It meant that this person was extremely important.
It meant that this person was under high protection from the Alliance.
It meant that every member of the Alliance Security Bureau had the obligation to ensure his personal safety, even at the cost of everything if necessary.
They got the wrong person.
They were completely wrong!
Parri stood up first. “I apologize.”
Soro also quickly stood up to express his apologies.
Qi Yan could roughly guess that they had just received another copy of his file. “I don’t mind.”
Parri: “Someone stole the light storage device containing your information and falsely accused you of colluding with the rebels. We will definitely get to the bottom of this.”
Inside the laboratory, Ye Pei and Mondrian anxiously waited.
Laurent sat at his desk, browsing through Turan’s forum.
With the appearance of Division Five, most people had already believed that Qi Yan was a traitor who leaked information and colluded with the rebels, tarnishing Turan’s reputation.
They were just waiting for Division Five to take Qi Yan away. Soon, Qi Yan would disappear completely from Turan, and his name would no longer be associated with “genius,” only with “traitor.”
An anonymous communication number sent a message: “You did well.”
Laurent’s expression concealed excitement, his breath even trembling as he replied: “Making him infamous and expelled from Turan is about to become a reality.”
Laurent thought, getting 1.5 million star coins seemed too easy.
When the buyer contacted him again after a long absence of half a year, wanting him to sell the research data he possessed, he refused, not out of fear—
More than half a year ago, after he sold his research data for the first time because he was short of money, he was still worried for a while. But later he found out that everything went unnoticed and no one knew what he had done.
This time, he simply felt the offer was too low and didn’t want to comply.
But later, he changed his mind.
This was just the opportunity he had been waiting for.
Using someone else’s hand to get rid of Qi Yan, how convenient would that be?
He just needed to avoid surveillance like the first time, use a black box to take the light storage device out, and send it to the buyer. After the buyer helped him erase all traces, he would anonymously provide clues to the Alliance Security Bureau to expose the buyer’s information—
No matter how Qi Yan tried to argue, that light storage device was solid evidence. Coupled with the tiny “loophole” he left behind, he wasn’t afraid that the agents of Division Five couldn’t track down Qi Yan.
According to the buyer’s claim, if one day the buyer’s identity was exposed and caught, there would be a second “buyer” to contact him.
He would be safe.
Sure enough, Division Five was highly efficient. In just one day, they caught the buyer and found Qi Yan.
Laurent thought, perhaps he had taken Qi Yan too seriously before.
Look, destroying a person only required a flick of his finger.
It was as simple as scattering a handful of sand.
Having already seen the outcome of the situation, Laurent didn’t intend to wait in the lab any longer. Carrying his portable recorder, he walked out of the lab, passed the corner of the corridor, and immediately saw two people standing ahead.
Agents from Division Five.
Laurent quickly adjusted his expression. “May I ask—”
Soro: “We’d like to have a chat with you.”
“About Qi Yan?” Laurent was cooperative. “What aspect are you interested in?”
Parri paused before responding, “Just talk about what you know.”
“I’m not very close to Qi Yan. I only know that his family is very wealthy because he always dresses well. At first, I was prejudiced against him. I thought he was very extravagant in his daily life and that his grades must not be very good since he paid to enter Turan. But then he made PVC93 and R9-03 Accelerator, and the professors thought highly of him. I also admired him.”
Disappointment crossed Laurent’s face again. “I never expected him to be involved in collaborating with the rebels.”
Soro: “How do you know he’s collaborating with the rebels?”
“I saw someone saying so in the school forum.”
“Do you know what happens if someone betrays the Alliance, colludes with the rebels?”
Laurent carefully concealed all his malice, pretending ignorance. “I’m not quite sure. Imprisonment, or death penalty?”
As he finished speaking, Laurent felt a chill on his wrists. He lowered his head to see electronic handcuffs locking his hands.
The portable recorder fell to the ground with a “clatter.”
Laurent pursed his lips. “What are you doing? Aren’t you supposed to go after Qi Yan?”
Parri patiently replied, “Over half a year ago, you sold a level-B classified information for three million star coins. Yesterday, you sold another level-B classified information.”
Laurent clenched his fists. “I didn’t. I didn’t do such a thing.”
Each word he uttered was forceful. “How could I do such a thing? Did Qi Yan say something to mislead you? You may not know, but I’m one of the top students in the second year of Turan Academy. I’ll be joining Professor Fu’s research project in the future. I’ll have a bright future, I’ll become a researcher—”
Soro scoffed. “If you really become a researcher, it would indeed be a huge loss for the Alliance. Stop trying to evade. Everything that needed to be investigated has been investigated. Soon you’ll find out what happens when you betray the Alliance and collaborate with the rebels.”
“Everything that needed to be… investigated?”
Laurent stood still, muttering, “What about Qi Yan? Where is Qi Yan?” Then he suddenly raised his voice, “You need to go catch Qi Yan! Yes, he’s in cahoots with me! He betrayed the Alliance, he’s a traitor!”
Parri watched Laurent’s eyes filled with madness. “He would never do anything harmful to the Alliance.”
Shoulders heaving and gasping for breath, Laurent continued to question relentlessly, “Why? How can you be so sure?”
Parri stopped looking at him, only responding, “You’re not entitled to know.”
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