Gathering Clues

(Miluno)

"Huh? There's a mole in the City School colluding with 'the Other Side' to open the gate and let Betelgeuse go to the Sky Branch, which led to SpiCa being arrested?"

Sirius, having learned just how bad the situation was, was also somewhat unsettled.

"That SpiCa guy, he said he was going to personally lead a team to 'the Other Side' to scout ahead, and I told him not to go, but now he's been Past! What are we waiting for? We need to organize a rescue right away!"

Although they Ceruno a body, their personalities are completely different, so they look like completely different people.

I replied, "Minister Hefi hasn't woken up, Magic Supply System can't be repaired, so we can't launch a rescue operation. We need to find the traitor before that happens."

She nodded and asked:

"So, you've run into trouble while searching for the mole and need my help to solve it?"

Principal Xiao Yi sighed and said, "Sirius, rather than saying we've encountered a problem, it's more accurate to say that the rules you set have caused us trouble."

"... Hmm? The trouble I left behind?"

Clearly, Sirius hadn't reacted yet.

I explained to her:

"The Wormhole Device's operating system and the City School's surveillance system may have been hacked. We need to find professionals to take a look, but the alarm you set up is triggered as soon as an ordinary person City School... This alarm system is far too redundant."

Fortunately, the City School's Central Control System is essentially magic written into the Magic Crystal by Sirius, so there is no risk of it being hacked. Otherwise, the "Zodiacal" would have to be renamed "Axis".

Sirius shouted:

"Isn't this all to ensure the purity of the magic academy!"

"Stop being stubborn. Just cancel that restriction first, catch the mole, and then you can change it back, right?"

It's getting late; my parents should be arriving soon.

Sirius, forced to compromise under pressure, is sitting cross-legged beside the Magic Crystal, fiddling with it.

Because she couldn't understand it, no one bothered her.

While we were fiddling with the capsule and waking Sirius, Detective Antarctic Star wasn't idle either; he was searching for new clues in the Control Tower with Goldie.

Unlike the main hall where anyone can come and go, and the Wormhole Device that anyone can operate, the Control Tower has strict access control. Normally, teachers and students are prohibited from entering. Only Xiao Yi, SpiCa, and Sirius have the key to open the door.

In other words, anyone who shows up there without permission is most likely the mole we're looking for.

Clues include fingerprints left on the keyboard of the computer in the surveillance system; lingering odors at the scene; and the time period during which the surveillance was tampered with.

"No, she's a professional repeat offender. She considered everything I thought of... No fingerprints were left, the scent was deliberately eliminated, and even the surveillance video was edited without leaving a trace—it wasn't just simple, crude cutting... Not only do we not know the time of the operation, but we also don't know how she got in."

Antarctic Star Shi Yi she spoke, but her frequent pacing, rapid speech, and restless hands all betrayed her inner turmoil.

Yeah, just like you and me when we can't solve the big questions in an exam.

"I can't smell anything at all, it's so clean here!"

Goldie also pointed to his own nose and chimed in.

"Clean? Ah!"

Antarctic Star seemed to have thought of something, and his eyes lit up.

"The Control Tower has cleaning robots too, right? How did that one get in?"

Cleaning robots are automated vacuum cleaners, mops, and trash cans. These things can be seen everywhere in City School. They have a uniform design and are equipped with a stable chassis, all-terrain tires, a water tank, and a compressed trash can. They are not only responsible for cleaning the City School, but can also be used as trash cans when you want to throw away trash.

There is an automated robot maintenance center in the east of the city that provides 24-hour cleaning services through a rotation system.

In other words, if the robots responsible for Control Tower's cleaning also enter and exit through the access control system, they could be exploited by the other side.

Principal Xiao Yi shook her head and replied:

"There's no need for them to go in or out. Unlike the ones outdoors, the cleaning robots in the Control Tower are permanently stationed. They're only sent back when maintenance is needed; otherwise, they stay inside the tower to charge and refill their water tanks."

"What about the trash?"

Antarctic Star pressed further, "The garbage can't all be piled up here, can it?"

"The control center doesn't have that much trash; we can just pile it up and take it out together."

Where is it piled up?

Xiao Yi didn't quite understand the purpose of the Antarctic Star, but she still pointed to a wall with a robot logo painted on it.

"That's a hidden door. Behind it is the maintenance room for the cleaning robots; all the maintenance work is done there."

Antarctic Star nodded, opened the door and went inside. Not long after, he dragged out a completely shrunken garbage bag.

"There's not much trash, and very little dust."

She opened the trash bag, not minding the dirt, and began searching for something with her hands.

"Antarctic Star ~ What are you looking for?"

Principal Xiao Yi also squatted down next to Antarctic Star, watching her rummage through the trash.

Antarctic Star replied:

"Hair, I'm looking for hair that shouldn't be here."

I see...

The hair sucked up by the cleaning robot is indeed a blind spot.

Principal Xiao Yi nodded and then said:

"Even if we find a hair, it won't be possible to analyze it so quickly, right?"

Wait... since it's hair...

"I know a guy who could come in handy."

Sirius changed the rules of the City School, and when Mom and Dad successfully arrived, they also brought along a cross-dressing guy.

"We've basically learned about the situation on the way here, so let's not waste time on small talk. I'll start Memory Rewind I miss now."

The situation was indeed urgent. My mom didn't even have the mood to joke with me anymore. As soon as we arrived at the Control Tower, she hurriedly began her investigation.

She examined the control panel of the monitoring system, her eyes glowing red, retracing the events that had occurred there that afternoon.

"Then I'll leave this to Lin Xi. I'll go back to the Wormhole Device and take a look."

My dad, with a full beard and carrying a laptop bag, looked travel-worn. He adjusted the bridge of his glasses.

"I've worked with that system before, so I know that the embedded motherboard of the Wormhole Device also records every usage instance. Deleting data in the control program alone won't work, but someone who hasn't worked with it before would never think of this."

I don't quite understand, but basically it means we can still find out who used the Wormhole Device back then, right?

"Then I'll go with him."

The penguin girl twirled a tuft of white hair on her forehead and said:

"The mole might do something to cause trouble."

"Thank you for your help. I'll let you know what the results are for the hair test."

With Antarctic Star by my side, I feel a little more at ease.

The parents, who had rushed over, started getting busy, leaving only the cross-dressing man idle.

The idle wolf is struggling.

"You dragged me here in the middle of the night just to make me eat hair you found in the trash? You guys are going too far!!"

Despite her protests, she was still forced to stand in front of her newly styled hair.

I picked up a soft, black hair, brought it to his lips, and gently swayed it under his breath.

"Eat, this is the fate of the orcs."