Part 5
The Vault of Heaven: As for Nathan Sanders and Wendy Ward, they are roommates, but their relationship is not good.
When the first two lines appeared, netizens thought it made sense, but when the third line showed up, quite a few people were stunned.
“?”
“Huh?”
“I knew it! What student who’s received compulsory education would buy a soul-calming talisman for the sake of sisterhood? That’s way too weird! Isn’t it just because she has a guilty conscience? Boss, great minds think alike!”
“There’s no concrete evidence to prove it, right? Just the talisman alone isn’t enough. Lots of people buy those things casually, and that little pouch is actually pretty cute. Many Chinese people are superstitious, but it’s just casual belief.”
Julian Grant quickly replied.
Julian Grant: What do you think?
The Vault typed quickly.
The Vault: The stationery, magazines, ornaments, cups, and other items on their desks have no overlap or similarities at all. But each of them has items from the same series as other roommates.
The Vault: [Image] Wendy Ward’s slippers are the same style and material as those of the other roommates, likely from the same shop. Nathan Sanders’s water cup, like the others’, is a custom-printed cup with hand-drawn designs in a similar style.
The Vault: Based on the fact that the two deliberately avoid having matching items despite sharing a dorm, I infer their relationship is very tense. Wendy Ward likes taking photos, but there are no group photos with Nathan Sanders in her album, which indirectly supports this.
Julian Grant: Makes sense.
The Vault: [Image · Talisman] No other religious items were found among Wendy Ward’s personal belongings, nor was there any related information on her phone. The yellow talisman is a popular item from Taobao, with a unique design. Wendy Ward probably has a casual belief in metaphysics and bought it on a whim.
Julian Grant: Agreed.
The Vault: Given the bad blood between them, Wendy Ward buying such a sensitive talisman and keeping it in her wardrobe is abnormal behavior—perhaps subconsciously seeking psychological comfort. Bold guess: Wendy Ward is somewhat connected to Nathan Sanders’s suicide, and she feels guilty. Maybe she’s directly involved, or maybe she just knows the inside story.
Julian Grant: That does make sense.
Compared to the heated discussion between the two, the pace of comments in the livestream gradually slowed. The bold statements just made were still fresh in everyone’s mind, but were instantly replaced by the figurative “slap in the face” sounds echoing in their ears. Only a handful of people were posting laughing emojis, silently mocking those who had spoken so confidently earlier.
But soon, netizens pulled themselves out of the awkwardness.
The best way to cover up your own mistakes is to praise your opponent, so the comment section started to half-heartedly compliment The Vault’s keen insight. Then, as if nothing had happened, they continued to speculate about the situation.
They were all seasoned netizens—how could they not have some mental fortitude?
On screen, the two were still conversing.
Julian Grant: Anything else?
The Vault: I’ll tell you after I finish grading homework.
Julian Grant: ? What homework?
The Vault: Daily practice, Five-Three, Approaching Meng Jianping.
Julian Grant: ……
When The Vault said grading homework, she really meant grading homework.
Most people have a habit of doodling or scribbling, especially when bored. Since Wendy Ward already had a strong desire to commit suicide and no one to confide in, she would likely leave some clues in unintentional places. Homework or drafts are often very telling of a student’s mental state.
Especially draft paper.
When people are bored, they can do anything.
High school seniors have lots of workbooks—various subjects, versions, and brands. The Vault picked through the sea of books on the desk, searching for science-related textbooks, and started checking them page by page.
She flipped through quickly, turning a page every few seconds, as if skimming. But she still looked at every page carefully.
In the game, time speeds up when there’s no plot happening. By sunset, The Vault had finally finished going through the workbooks in her hands.
Her expression was so calm that netizens couldn’t tell what she’d found after spending most of the day. But she didn’t stop, and started searching through other books.
She found a composition notebook with comments on the desk—ten essays assigned over winter break.
This was a completely silent video. The Vault was fully absorbed in reading, making only a few small movements, so the scene looked almost like it was on repeat, with no change at all. The only break was when she went out to eat.
The director even zoomed in on the homework problems on screen, letting viewers “enjoy” the fun of studying together.
Netizens had never experienced such a boring crime livestream before, and were both amazed and speechless. Even more incredible, quite a few bored people actually stuck it out.
If you could spot a clue in the perfunctory diary entries written just to finish homework, then when The Vault started flipping through the draft paper, the netizens who had struggled on the edge of boredom countless times could no longer stay calm.
“When she put down the book, I let out a huge sigh of relief—I thought I’d made it. Then she pulled out the draft paper she’d just cleared from the corner. [smile] What kind of ascetic practice is this?”
“Awesome! She’s hardcore! I give up, okay?”
“I just wanted to relax and watch a livestream—why are you doing this to me? [exhausted] Wasn’t this supposed to be a funny game? Girl, aren’t you going to romance the NPCs?”
“Do you really have to search for evidence this thoroughly? Even the drafts?”
“People can lie when questioned, but physical evidence like this is much more reliable.”
“She reads so fast—if her rating wasn’t so high, honestly, I’d think she was just showing off.”
“Why do I feel like it’s useless? She’s collecting clues too slowly. There probably wasn’t anything useful in the textbooks or homework, so she switched to the drafts, right? Maybe there’s nothing in the drafts either!”
Netizens were wailing in unison, while The Vault kept flipping through the draft notebook at her own rapid pace.
Her patience was almost terrifying.
High schoolers use draft notebooks pretty casually, with no real order, and The Vault was flipping through much faster than before.
Halfway through, she spotted a pencil sketch of a cartoon character in a stack of bound white draft paper.
The lines were rough, but the expression was lively—the character was puffing its cheeks while eating. Clearly something Wendy Ward drew out of boredom, but she seemed to like it a bit.
The Vault’s fingers paused. She felt a strange sense of familiarity from the drawing, stared at the character’s face for a while, then tore out the page and set it aside, continuing to flip through the rest.
Soon, she found another half-body sketch of a yawning boy.
The Vault sped up, and at the end of the notebook, she found a third drawing—several boys playing Jenga, but only one of their faces had features.
The last two drawings had distinctive poses, and The Vault immediately remembered.
She took photos of each and sent them to Julian Grant.
The Vault: [Image · Drawing]
Julian Grant: What’s this? What does it mean? Wendy Ward likes comics?
The Vault: Do you know what XY is?
Julian Grant: Chromosomes?
Julian Grant: Don’t tell me Wendy Ward is actually a guy?!
The Vault was stunned.
The Vault: ??
The Vault: Wow, you really have an imagination.
Julian Grant: …No. There was a case before—a man who got breast implants and disguised himself as a woman for years to commit sex crimes. Left a deep impression on me.
The Vault read Julian Grant’s reply three times, her mind going blank.
…She’d just learned something that would make her life experience richer, but was otherwise useless.
She’d definitely remember this now.
The Vault shook off the weird thoughts and switched to the photo album on her phone.
Earlier today, when she was searching the phone in the classroom, she’d checked the album. There were over five hundred photos—some selfies, some screenshots, and some candid shots taken in the classroom.
At the time, The Vault had focused on a few classmates who’d been caught in candid shots, guessing they were probably friends of Wendy Ward. After all, Wendy Ward was unlikely to secretly photograph people she disliked and keep their photos in her album.
But she hadn’t noticed anything off then—just thought it was the usual daily life of a high schooler.
The Vault: [Image]
The Vault: Look at the boy in the background.
She sent him three photos in a row.
In each photo, the main subject was another girl, but the camera always “accidentally” caught part of a boy in the frame.
That boy was Hugo Spencer.
Hugo Spencer yawning.
Hugo Spencer eating.
Hugo Spencer playing Jenga on the floor with other boys.
Exactly the same actions as the boy in the comic-style drawings.
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