Chen Xuan had assumed it would take some time to get in touch with her old "classmates," but to his surprise, just two days later, Honglian came looking for him with excitement. "Someone replied! She said she's willing to help investigate."
"Who?"
"Abigail." Honglian showed him the email on her phone. "She's an agent in headquarters' disciplinary inspection unit now. This is great!"
Chen Xuan glanced at the email and found that it was entirely in English. He could read it if he activated Linguistics, but he could not be bothered. "Just tell me what it says. Didn't she ask why you were struck off the organization's rolls?"
"She did, but I told her I never had any intention of betraying my original ideals. She didn't press any further."
Her trust level was that high?
Chen Xuan could not help feeling suspicious.
"Were you close with her?"
"Not bad, but not particularly close either," Honglian answered honestly. "I contacted four people, and she was the first to reply. During centralized training back then, she was extremely fair. Whenever there was a bully in the class, she was the one who stepped in to handle it. Everyone trusted her."
"But I know that was more than ten years ago, after all." She paused, then added, "More than ten years ago, I never imagined I'd one day part ways with the organization either. I can't guarantee she's still as upright as she used to be, but she's the only one who's replied so far. We can only give it a try first."
That was true enough.
Chen Xuan nodded. "Does this Abigail person want any compensation? If it's money, I can transfer it to her."
"No. She only asked that I meet her in person. That's also a condition for helping. She