Chapter 90: Chapter 83: Suspect

Li Xin and Zhuang You left Luo Jin’s office, and Zhuang You immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Li Xin was an acquaintance, which made him feel much more at ease. Luo Jin, the Grand Wind Discipline Officer, felt too serious, pressing him so hard that he couldn’t breathe. “Junior Brother, this matter is very serious. That thing is extremely dangerous. We need to find it back.”

“Senior Brother, let’s go to your lab and check it out. How do you know it’s been stolen and not just misplaced or lost?”

“How could that thing get lost? We tested it on the back mountain, and the explosive power is terrifying. That’s why we are extra careful. If it exploded in the lab, we’d all be sent flying.” Zhuang You pointed above his head.

“Who knows about this Energy Core?” Li Xin asked.

“Oh, well, everyone in our project team knows about it. We are all very careful usually,” Zhuang You said. “The mentor went to Dragon Capital. If he comes back to find out the core has been stolen, we’re all done for.”

Li Xin knew it was highly likely that someone had stolen it, most likely an insider. On the way, he listened to Zhuang You talk about how impressive this Hex Core was, requiring extraordinarily expensive materials and boasting an extremely high failure rate. It was a hard-won semi-finished product, intended as a big surprise when the mentor returned, but now it might turn into a huge trouble.

If what Zhuang You said about its tremendous power was true, it was indeed quite dangerous, especially in densely populated areas, where the damage could be catastrophic.

Upon arriving at the Hex Academy lab where Zhuang You and his team worked, they found the place a bit chaotic. A dozen students were arguing. When they saw Zhuang Zhou arrive, they all rushed over. Among them were two whom Li Xin recognized as members of the Black Rose. Normally, they hardly ever spoke, giving the impression of silent researchers focused solely on their work; now, they completely resembled ducks being beaten in a chaotic marketplace, squawking loudly.

Once they calmed down, they noticed Li Xin, surprised to find that instead of calling the Grand Wind Discipline Officer, such a person had come.

“Everyone, everyone, Li Xin is an official member of our Black Rose. He’s this year’s special recruit and has experience with the Night Patrol. He’s asked a lot of professional questions along the way. The Grand Wind Discipline Officer has also entrusted him to fully help us recover the Hex Core, so everyone needs to cooperate with him,” Zhuang You said.

It’s evident that he still had quite a bit of authority here. People involved in Hex-Tech research don’t have much else; whoever is more skilled has more say. In the lab, besides the mentor, Zhuang You held the most influence.

“Senior Brothers, Senior Brother Zhuang You has already told me the basic situation. Are all the people who know about the Hex-Tech Core here?” Li Xin asked.

“Everyone is here. This research is of great importance and is very confidential. Except for the mentor, who went to Dragon Capital, everyone involved is here,” Zhuang You said, with everyone’s expressions showing some anxiety.

This research achievement concerns their future. If successful, it would cement their place in history, perhaps even earn them a title. If it caused harm, they would also suffer the consequences.

They spent their days doing research, but they weren’t fools. Even Zhuang You had some unpleasant associations.

“Senior Brothers, I want to talk to each of you individually to understand the situation.” Li Xin said.

Though a bit perplexed, everyone was very cooperative. The new-style Hex-Tech Core was the culmination of many years of wisdom at the Celestial Capital Canon Law School. Although not yet a finished product, it was more than halfway complete, with the remaining work focused on resolving stability issues. The current semi-finished product held extremely important reference value. Regardless of its danger, the cost and time required to remake it were unknown, as some rare materials needed time to gather.

Li Xin called them in one by one, primarily to understand who they had interacted with and whether they had inadvertently revealed anything.

The lives of these people followed relatively simple curves, mostly revolving around the Canon Law School or their homes, with occasional Black Rose activities, predominating a two-point line lifestyle. Those who could join this project team were the elite of the Canon Law School. Their level was commendable across Dao Yuan, and as research-centered individuals, their relationships were relatively simple. It took roughly two hours to complete.

Including Zhuang You, there were a total of 12 people, only one of whom had a girlfriend, and that was Zhuang You. However, he swore he hadn’t mentioned anything to her, and she wasn’t interested anyway. The others’ lives were very simple, deeply immersed in research, making recollection relatively straightforward.

The researchers’ thought processes were very clear, and Li Xin could judge whether someone was lying by their expressions and heartbeat. So far, everything seemed normal. Li Xin told them to go back, and he intended to stay behind to investigate the lab. After everyone left, Li Xin’s eyes turned pale.

All the objects in the field of vision changed. The scene had been pretty much ruined by these unprofessional guys. He was treating a dead horse as if it were alive, to see if any traces were left — perhaps traces of an outsider.

After a thorough sweep, there really wasn’t much of a clue. He wasn’t a god, and it was frustrating; Old Luo had really found him a task.

Unable to help it, Li Xin could only try the dice to see if it would spark any ideas.

Judgment: The theft of the Hex Core is related to these 12 people.

That’s what Li Xin wanted to determine. Thinking about how his Red Moon Medal was becoming dimmer, he felt a bit reluctant. The Holy Land didn’t welcome him, adding to his distress.

The dice spun in the dim lab. Fortunately, from the rotation frequency, it seemed to provide an accurate judgment, at least better than spinning aimlessly.

The dice stopped at five.

…

This made Li Xin somewhat distressed. A five, according to his current understanding, indicates there is a connection, but it’s not a direct one, implying that while these 12 people were involved, it’s highly likely they inadvertently leaked information.

Wait, there’s also the mentor. Could Master Mark have mentioned it outside, leading the thief to come here?

With limited clues, there are many suspicions, but for now, Li Xin can only eliminate them one by one.

Li Xin did not linger; he decided to go home first. Under such circumstances, it wasn’t suitable to stay at the Canon Law School. He intended to avoid using the Red Moon Medal if possible, planning to tough it out.

Fortunately, this time, it didn’t act up immediately. When he returned home, he quickly went to his room. Lin Fei didn’t ask much; she was already used to it, as such situations occurred for Li Xin every so often, likely related to his awakening.

Lying on the bed for a short while, intense pain struck. But he was prepared — just enduring it. The pain, akin to needles piercing, accompanied by dizziness and a roaring noise, seemed as if something was tearing and pounding his brain, making him wish he could open it up to see.

He didn’t know if others’ Divine Relics were like this or if it was just him. A normal person would collapse; who could withstand this?

Sweat uncontrollably poured out, and Li Xin gritted his teeth, refraining from making noise. His condition would frighten anyone who saw it. The pain was relentless. The second phase kicked in: his body alternately felt like it was plunged into an ice cellar, freezing cold, and then into a furnace, intensely hot.

In a daze from the pain, Li Xin vaguely felt a warm hand touching him, seemingly wiping his sweat. It didn’t alleviate the pain, but psychologically, it offered a sliver of comfort…

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