He no longer wanted his life to be subject to others’ commentary, nor did he want people to dig into his past and his family again and again.

He hoped that a true ending would be when the dust settled, and there would be no more drifting.

The police, in order to help Harry Forrest return to a normal life as soon as possible, first made public the results of the investigation into the murder case from eleven years ago. Afterwards, as Zachary Campbell and Leonard Campbell were interrogated, more and more details were released.

Zachary Campbell admitted to inciting Andrew Forrest to commit murder, and Leonard Campbell confessed to his crime of harboring a criminal. The identities of both men were uncovered by the media and placed on public platforms for scrutiny by the masses.

Leonard Campbell held a high social status and wielded great influence. As a leading figure in his field, the mistakes he made sent shockwaves not only through the industry but also throughout society.

Many people had received help from Leonard Campbell. To them, the former Leonard Campbell was a guiding light, selfless and generous. Now, they realized that beneath the glow of that light, there were indeed places the light had never reached. Leonard Campbell was not as bright and great as they had imagined.

Those students, seeing him now reviled by thousands, felt a bitterness they could not express. They could neither join the netizens in condemning him, nor did they have the strength to speak in his defense.

If not for Zachary Campbell, Leonard Campbell would have lived his whole life with integrity and perhaps departed with honor. But now, all his achievements had been erased, marked with the same stain as Zachary Campbell.

Perhaps this was a father’s responsibility to his son, a topic he had yet to unravel in his years of research.

Leonard Campbell accepted it all with remarkable calm.

Netizens, upon learning the truth about Andrew Forrest’s killing, were equally at a loss.

In Trident’s simulation, they had witnessed firsthand the life Andrew Forrest endured. In such an unstable and turbulent environment, her mistakes seemed forgivable. And she had already passed away, her whole life a tragedy.

But murder is still murder; it is a wrong that no motive or reason can justify.

In the end, several of the victims’ families came forward to express forgiveness and asked netizens to stop discussing the matter.

The source of this tragedy could no longer be pursued. Rather than harshly condemning a pitiful person who had already passed, they hoped to face the future with courage.

They showed the greatest kindness to Andrew Forrest, and in a way, it was also to express their guilt toward Harry Forrest. From now on, even if they could not laugh off past grievances, at least they could let go and have nothing more to do with each other. Thus, the feud was resolved.

Because Harry Forrest never appeared in public, netizens understood his intentions and gradually shifted their focus away from him and onto the perpetrator.

During this period, Harry Forrest was actually not following the news; he didn’t care what happened to those people.

Zachary Campbell suffered severe burns and was near death, his entire face covered in festering wounds, unable to care for himself. For him, such a future was worse than death. No matter how the court ruled, his end would not be a good one.

Henry Jameson was deeply addicted to drugs, unable to control himself, with several prior offenses and a terrible reputation. Most likely, he would be sentenced to death. Harry Forrest hated him, but also pitied him, unwilling to waste even a second more on him.

During this time, the only person Harry Forrest met with was the head of the Public Security Bureau.

Henry Harris knew he didn’t want to be disturbed, so he came with only Chief Campbell to offer their regards. The three of them sat in the living room for a while, not talking about much, just some small talk and Harry Forrest’s plans for the future.

The future Harry Forrest had once planned revolved around Andrew Forrest and Logan Carter, but now that both were gone, his future was a blank slate. In the past, his world had been narrow, but now, it had opened up to endless possibilities.

Seeing the confusion on his face, Henry Harris smiled and said, “Don’t rush. Take your time. Rest for a while—you’re still young.”

Harry Forrest was stunned when he heard this.

He was still young?

He had always put all kinds of pressure on himself, had lived a life more turbulent than most his age. Only when he stopped to think did he realize—yes, he was only 27, and after this New Year, he’d just be 28.

Harry Forrest’s expression was hard to read—was it loneliness or something else? He had thought countless times before that his life was already over. But in fact, it was just beginning.

Henry Harris said, “Once the court documents are finalized, you should be able to receive over a million yuan in compensation. We’ll do our best to help you get it. Do you have any requests?”

The muscles in Harry Forrest’s face twitched almost imperceptibly. He pressed his lips together, thought it over, and finally said calmly, “No.”

Harry Forrest didn’t look forward to this money; he couldn’t accept it calmly. Just thinking about where it came from made him feel as if he was squandering the lives of his mother and sister.

Although the case was over, its impact remained. Perhaps Harry Forrest would need much more time to forget it.

Henry Harris nodded, left his business card on the table, and said concisely, “If you need anything, come to me. I’ll help you.”

Harry Forrest looked up, opened his mouth, just about to say something, but Henry Harris interrupted him: “It’s my duty.”

Harry Forrest put the card away and got up to see them out.

·

The Vault and Harry Forrest were not seriously injured and were discharged from the hospital soon after waking up. But Julian Grant, due to the severity of his injuries, was still lying in the hospital.

He applied several times to go home and recover, claiming that his hands were perfectly fine for daily life, but each time Mrs. Grant rejected his request.

Mrs. Grant’s reason was simple: You deserve it—you need a lesson!

She insisted on exercising her rights as a mother, so Julian Grant could only stay in the hospital and focus on getting better. Fortunately, The Vault didn’t give up on him, nor did she forget how Julian Grant had cared for her when she was ill, so she came by every day to bring him meals.

And during The Vault’s rain-or-shine meal deliveries, she often ran into Susan Scott, who came to visit his superior.

This energetic young man was the liveliest presence in their ward. Every day, as soon as The Vault sat by the bed, he would start recounting his boss’s heroic deeds, making up for the grand scenes The Vault missed while she was unconscious.

“At that time, Zachary Campbell came at our Brother Harris with a knife, threatening him to hand you over. But our Brother Harris, cold as ice, didn’t flinch at all. Even though his left hand was badly injured in the car accident, as long as he had a single hair left that could move, he wouldn’t let you be in danger. So he rushed forward and shielded you…”

“…That shameless idiot Zachary Campbell was pinned to the ground by Brother Harris, unable to fight back. So he thought of a sneaky trick—using modern technology! He sneakily, in the most despicable way, pulled a stun gun out of his pants and, while Brother Harris wasn’t looking, stabbed him with it.”

“…Our Brother Harris was in tears… ah, no, he wasn’t in tears! How could a real man cry? Our Brother Harris, with blood streaming down his head, made a vow as he climbed up the thorny, rocky mountain path to seek help from people by the roadside. That’s why his hand is so badly injured!”

Susan Scott’s verbal storytelling might have been a bit lacking, but his body language was extremely animated, and every day he found new inspiration for his performances. His immersive acting was so intense that even the main characters of the story couldn’t interrupt him.

After watching a few times, The Vault realized that only a small part of the details were repeated, and couldn’t help but be amazed.

…She was the one who actually experienced it, yet she couldn’t match the artistic flair of Susan Scott.

Her admiration made the already shameless Susan Scott even prouder, and he started visiting Julian Grant in the hospital even more often, using the excuse of caring for his boss to actually slack off from work.

Julian Grant tolerated him once, twice, but finally couldn’t take it anymore—just seeing him made him want to tie him into a loop and throw him out the window. But Susan Scott was sweet-talking and likable, winning over Mrs. Grant’s heart and earning the empress dowager’s decree: not only was he not kicked out, he was even allowed to come every day and tell stories openly.

Once he got the hang of it, he started bringing his colleagues along, causing Julian Grant’s mental state to suffer deeply.

One time, Harry Forrest came by to say hello to Julian Grant, just as the members of the [Crime Scene Breakdown] project team came to visit. A group of people waved their arms in unison and sang “Wishing You Good Health” to Julian Grant with deep emotion.

This song, adapted from “Happy Birthday,” left a deep impression on Harry Forrest. Just from this one encounter, he was shocked by Trident’s corporate culture.

—This seemed like a department where you’d get dumber the longer you stayed.

—What exactly do they do all day?

Julian Grant’s image was ruined, and he kept complaining to The Vault about Susan Scott, that little rascal. The Vault didn’t think he was much better, but didn’t dare say it out loud.

She held the bowl and, expressionless, fed Julian Grant.

Every day, this process was extremely slow, only ending when the food was cold.

The way Julian Grant chewed slowly almost made The Vault forget how fast he used to eat.