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At last, The Vault ordered a bowl of beef noodles and sat across from him, eating quietly.

Julian Grant watched her for a while, then stood up and said, “I’m leaving first. If you don’t have anything to eat, you can go to Trident and mooch a meal.”

The Vault put down her chopsticks and suddenly said, “I’d like to apply for the next game while I’m at it.”

Julian Grant stopped in his tracks. “Which one? You can apply directly on the official website, as long as your permissions allow it.”

The Vault fished a folded flyer out of her pocket and handed it over.

As soon as Julian Grant saw the flyer, his eyelid started twitching. He asked suspiciously, “Are you… even eligible?”

“What kind of eligibility?” The Vault was even more surprised than he was. “So I’m actually someone with eligibility?”

Chapter 22: Login

The flyer was for a new instance that Trident had rushed to release recently at the request of the authorities.

The advertising was intense, and Trident had even offered a million-yuan reward, planning to start the challenge test all at once on August 6th—which was tomorrow.

Compared to the total reward income from successfully unlocking the entire [Crime Scene Analysis] instance, a million wasn’t actually much, but it represented Trident’s emphasis on this instance. Plus, with countless media outlets paying attention, it was a rare opportunity.

Already, over a hundred players had signed up to participate.

“I mean, you don’t have permission.” Julian Grant glanced at a corner of the folded flyer without opening it, pressed it back onto the table, and pushed it back to her. “This is an instance for veteran players, and you’ve only just cleared the newbie stage.”

The Vault grabbed a napkin to wipe her mouth and said matter-of-factly, “That’s why I came to have a meal with you, isn’t it?”

Julian Grant nearly choked on his own blood, slamming the table hard: “Damn it, I’m the one paying! I paid! Is this your idea of sincerity in asking me to eat with you?!”

People eating nearby turned to look. Seeing the two of them together, a complicated expression flashed across their faces.

So grown up, and just treating a girl to a bowl of noodles—does it really make you blush and get all worked up?

It’s just a few bucks; some people would beg for a meal with a beautiful woman.

Poverty really is terrifying.

Julian Grant sensed something was off and coughed awkwardly to clear his throat.

The Vault fanned the flames with a sigh: “Sigh…”

Goosebumps rose layer by layer on Julian Grant’s skin.

The Vault slowly pulled out her payment card from her pocket, but Julian Grant couldn’t take it anymore and quickly stopped her hand, saying, “Enough, that’s enough!”

Since it was lunchtime, the restaurant was crowded—not a good place to talk. Julian Grant glanced around and, braving the awkwardness, said, “Come outside with me first.”

The Vault grabbed the flyer from the table and followed him all the way to the parking lot.

Inside the car, the lighting was dim and the air felt cool.

Julian Grant turned on the overhead light and said, “I believe your ability surpasses most players. In terms of skill alone, you do qualify to participate in this instance. Using experience as an excuse isn’t a good reason. But you should also know about the connection between this case and Harry Forrest.”

“Of course.”

The Vault lowered her head, unfolded the flyer, and began folding it diagonally. Her voice flowed gently like a stream: “After Harry Forrest was released from prison, in less than three months, all five witnesses who testified against him back then died.”

“These five people had different financial situations and backgrounds. Aside from testifying against him for murder, they had no obvious connection. During the ten years Harry Forrest was in prison, some of them never even met. They kept a safe social distance.”

“Because so much time had passed and the relationships were so tangled, when the first three died one after another, the police didn’t realize their connection to Harry Forrest. But the media was the first to report on Harry Forrest’s past, pointing out the link between the victims, which put the police on the defensive and under heavy criticism.”

Julian Grant: “Yes.”

The Vault continued, “But later, Harry Forrest was under strict police surveillance and had no chance to commit more crimes, yet there was still a fourth and fifth victim. The police later confirmed during the investigation that the perpetrator of the fourth case wasn’t Harry Forrest, but a copycat inspired by the news.”

Julian Grant added, “The media and the public suspected the police were just making excuses for their incompetence, even doubting the credibility of the results. So, the authorities teamed up with Trident to create this analysis instance, inviting top players to solve the case and stabilize public sentiment.”

The Vault sneered, “After all, human cleverness is almost written into their genes—they only believe what they discover themselves.”

The Vault raised the paper crane she had folded and placed it in the groove in the center. The blue-and-white paper looked very cute.

The Vault looked at him and said, “That’s why I’m very interested in this.”

Julian Grant watched every subtle expression on her face, trying to tell if she was telling the truth. He asked, “Do you believe your student is innocent?”

The Vault smiled and said, “I only believe in evidence and facts. Any feelings beyond that are meaningless.”

Julian Grant: “What kind of person is Harry Forrest?”

“When I met him, he was already in prison. After he got out, he was under police surveillance. Do you think I could know him better than you all do?” The Vault lowered her gaze, her tone a bit ethereal. “Besides, I also want to know what his world is like.”

Julian Grant really couldn’t read anything from her face. After thinking for a moment, he said, “I can help you get approved, but you have to answer one question for me first.”

The Vault agreed readily: “Go ahead.”

Julian Grant: “Before Harry Forrest successfully escaped, he called you. Thirty-two seconds. What did he say?”

The Vault’s lips curled into a faint smile, then she said, “Actually, I already told the police, but they didn’t believe me.”

Julian Grant asked again, “What did he say?”

The Vault opened her mouth slightly: “He told me, ‘Teacher, I don’t think this world will ever get better. At least, my world won’t get better.’ I didn’t know how to answer him.”

Julian Grant asked skeptically, “Thirty-two seconds?”

“Mm.” The Vault said, “Plus a bit of silence for embellishment.”

Julian Grant didn’t really believe it.

That sentence, at most, would take ten seconds to say. In the midst of fleeing from pursuit, Harry Forrest took the most critical moment to call her, just to say that?

“We really didn’t have that much to talk about, or rather, for smart people, sometimes silence says a lot.” The Vault said, “At that time, the police hadn’t issued a warrant for him yet, the manhunt hadn’t officially started, and the media hadn’t reported anything. Thirty-two seconds isn’t enough to tell me who he killed, what he did, where he was, what danger he was facing, and ask me for help, nor for me to give him any clear instructions. Thirty-two seconds isn’t enough for anything. No matter how smart, a person isn’t God.”

Julian Grant thought to himself, you’re more impressive than God. He didn’t believe in God, but he always had a bias toward believing this person.

The Vault added, “Maybe he just wanted to find someone to say something to.”

Julian Grant thought, unbelievable.

The Vault asked patiently, “Anything else you want to ask?”

Julian Grant glanced at her, opened the small compartment in front, pulled out an invitation card, and handed it over: “Tomorrow morning at eight thirty, same room as before.”

The Vault: “Thank you.”

·

August 6th, eight thirty in the morning.

The weather was gray, with a huge cloud covering the sky, but there was still no sign of rain.

At Trident headquarters, quite a few players had gathered for the competition, and in front of the giant screen dominating the main hall wall, rows of reporters were assembled.

When The Vault appeared, a few cameras turned toward her, but since she wasn’t a well-known player at Trident, they soon turned away.

The game would officially start at 9:00. After The Vault entered early for the ability test, Julian Grant also arrived.

He walked into the office, knocked on a young man’s desk with his knuckles, and instructed, “Assign me an identity close to The Vault. Preferably one she can’t shake off.”

The young man looked up from his computer, thought carefully, stood up, and gave him a solemn salute: “Don’t worry, boss! Mission guaranteed!”

Seeing this, Julian Grant had a vague sense of foreboding, but there was no time to think about it. He turned and entered the simulation pod to prepare for login.

If he was late again, he really felt like The Vault would destroy him on the spot.

·

9:00 sharp.

The Vault logged into her assigned instance right on time. The familiar font appeared before her eyes.

Welcome, player, to the fully immersive live simulation game [Crime Scene Analysis] (Million-Yuan Reward Event). Your assigned identity is [Victim]. All case-related memories have been sealed. Please follow the character prompts, strive to escape a fatal ending, or assist the [Culprit] and the [Investigator] in reconstructing the scenario.