The Vault said, “Are you starting to feel sentimental about the changing seasons now?”

“When people are bored, they always let their thoughts wander.” Xavier Daniels tilted his head back, gazing at the ceiling with a sigh. “Before you came, I reflected on my past life, and then I pondered a question.”

The Vault followed up, “Did you originally have a chance to be a good person?”

“That’s true.” Xavier Daniels lowered his gaze and said softly, “Once people start reminiscing, they can’t stop regretting.”

The Vault mused, “Does that mean humans are always making mistakes?”

Xavier Daniels retorted, “Isn’t that the case?”

“Oh—” The Vault nodded. “Didn’t you always think geniuses were superior? Why are you now longing for an ordinary life? Do you still care about society’s judgment of good and bad?”

Xavier Daniels said self-mockingly, “Because after coming in here, I realized that life in prison is just too dull, and a more relaxed, conformist life isn’t actually so bad. So… when there are enough people, you want to go along with the crowd. That’s human nature.”

The Vault paused, then asked, “So, in the process of your regret, have you reflected on who put you in this boring situation?”

Julian Grant thought to himself, what a sly old fox. When The Vault wants to jab at someone, even her tone at the end of a sentence shows her arrogance.

Xavier Daniels asked, “Are you mocking me?”

The Vault replied indifferently, “No, my sarcasm shouldn’t affect you at all. After all, you know deep down you can’t compare to me.”

Xavier Daniels, taking another blow, questioned, “If I’m not mistaken, you’re here to discuss cooperation with me?”

“Yes.” The Vault gestured at her phone. “Time is short, half an hour. I’m trying to help you, so I hope you’ll cooperate.”

Xavier Daniels was silent for a while, then simply said, “I don’t know.”

Julian Grant sat up straight, unsure whether to warn the other side to behave or to advise The Vault to rein it in.

The Vault looked incredulous. “You didn’t ask me here just to listen to your musings on life, did you?”

“I really don’t know,” Xavier Daniels said. “I’ve never met him.”

Seeing he wasn’t joking, The Vault grew serious and asked, “Then how did you communicate?”

Xavier Daniels curled his lips in a mocking smile. “Social media.”

The Vault raised an eyebrow.

Xavier Daniels said, “I don’t know where he got the account, but he added me first. We chatted about all sorts of things, and then got familiar. I was young then, didn’t know much, and under his slow guidance, I told him a lot.”

The Vault asked, “After Shane Donovan died?”

Xavier Daniels didn’t shy away, nodding. “Yes, he was very skilled at conversation. At first, he used all sorts of professional terms to comfort me, telling me that people like me were normal, and not uncommon. He explained the influence of genes on personality, and how I should integrate with ordinary people.”

At that time, Xavier Daniels was being rejected by his mother and craved a sense of belonging. The stranger on the other end of the internet gave him a chance to confide, and the other’s tolerant and equal attitude soothed his restlessness. It was almost inevitable that Xavier Daniels would get close to him.

Xavier Daniels sighed lightly. “He was extremely knowledgeable, like a kindly elder. Any doubt I had, he could answer. He was also very patient, listening to me talk about all sorts of trivial things at school, analyzing the pros and cons, teaching me how to deal with annoying social situations. He was present in my life far more than anyone else. For example, my parents.”

That person appeared at just the right time, showing up when Xavier Daniels needed him most, becoming his guiding light. He replaced his unqualified parents and helped him through his most confused and anxious period. So, Xavier Daniels trusted him completely. He almost shaped Xavier Daniels’s worldview as a youth.

He was both a teacher and a father figure, even though Xavier Daniels had no idea who he was.

Xavier Daniels said, “If you were me, you wouldn’t have been able to refuse him either.”

This time, The Vault didn’t argue, though in truth, she wouldn’t have.

Her experiences with the The Shelby Family had taught her a lesson. She would refuse help from people who didn’t matter in her life, and wouldn’t tell outsiders about her own affairs. She didn’t crave socializing, didn’t hope to fit in, and didn’t like wasting time seeking others’ approval.

She was a special person by nature, and didn’t see that as a flaw to be changed. If you can’t face yourself honestly, how can you find your place?

Most of her understanding of the outside world came from learning, since no one in the world is more reliable than oneself.

The Vault asked, “Based on your analysis, who do you think he is?”

“Who knows?” Xavier Daniels said. “He has very professional psychological knowledge, knows a lot of people, and his insights are often sharp, especially in social psychology. He often has meetings and experiments.”

Julian Grant listened, finding none of it matched their expectations, and frowned. “Wasn’t he a lawyer? He should be around you, familiar with your life. The way he added your account was strange to begin with—it couldn’t have been a coincidence.”

“Lawyer?” Xavier Daniels chuckled. “That’s a logical guess, but I don’t think so. At least, not any lawyer I know. The lawyers my dad works with all specialize in economic cases and don’t know about my situation. If anything, someone inside the police is more suspicious.”

Julian Grant said, “Wasn’t there a witness in Shane Donovan’s case? Thomas Daniels hired a lawyer to bribe his testimony.”

Xavier Daniels: “He’s an idiot, just someone Thomas Daniels hired to put on a show.”

Julian Grant and The Vault both fell silent.

Xavier Daniels said, “I don’t know how he approached others, but he chose the method that suited me best. With his expertise, I imagine he has many ways to brainwash people without them noticing.”

The Vault put her legs down and sat upright, asking, “When was the last time you contacted him?”

Xavier Daniels: “I can’t remember. Gradually, he stopped replying, and we lost touch. It’s easy for relationships to fade.”

The Vault nodded, pondering. “So you graduated, or perhaps he moved on to the next stage of observation? To see how you’d develop without his interference.”

Xavier Daniels sneered, “Looks like he was satisfied.”

The Vault shook her head. “No, I think you disappointed him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have arranged for Ruby Donovan to be by your side. A qualified test subject should have learned to act independently by now, but you, as you just said, actually long for an ordinary life.”

Xavier Daniels said with interest, “Is that a compliment from you?”

“Sort of. You’ve beaten most people in the country.” The Vault crossed her arms. “For targets like Ruby Donovan with strong desires, he can directly use incentives, no need to be so careful. But for someone like you, with no clear motivation, he can only influence you subtly. He spent so many years and so much effort, yet you didn’t become the extreme antisocial person he expected, and you even became slightly aware of his existence. His influence on you isn’t even as great as your mother’s. If I were him, I’d feel defeated.”

Julian Grant’s mouth twitched. He thought The Vault’s compliments were truly rare and… unique.

She had sacrificed too much.

Xavier Daniels actually found it gratifying. He said, “But how do you know who the last person is? Maybe, like Ruby Donovan, he’s just someone else’s hound. Maybe everyone who appears around you has, unknowingly, helped him complete his experiment.”

He leaned closer, his nose just a finger’s width from the glass, and asked, “How will you discern the truth in this Rashomon?”

The Vault looked straight at him, her tone inexplicably convincing and resolute. “I don’t care how many melons grow on this vine, or how much rice it tangles. As long as I catch it, I’ll pull it up by the roots.”

Time was almost up. Someone outside reminded them.

Xavier Daniels smiled noncommittally, stood up, and mocked, “Never forget to inform your ancestors at the family shrine. I hope you can stay this confident in the future.”

The conversation ended; the two turned hostile in an instant.

The Vault stood up as well and said, “Don’t worry, when I burn paper money for my father, I can burn some for you too. But that depends on where your grave ends up, since my dad’s cemetery plot is quite expensive.”

With his back to her, Xavier Daniels waved and walked out the door.

As soon as his figure disappeared, The Vault’s expression darkened.

Julian Grant opened the door to leave, but when he looked back, he saw The Vault still standing there. He went over, pulled her, and called, “The Vault?”

The Vault lowered her head. “I got laughed at.”

Julian Grant couldn’t help but laugh. “Didn’t you insult him back?”

The Vault was dissatisfied. “I didn’t have enough confidence.”

“Because you guessed the wrong person?” Julian Grant comforted her. “We’re just speculating and haven’t started investigating yet, so it doesn’t really count as a mistake.”