The Erased Number

"Anyway, there are too few clues."

Xiao Xiao ignored Zheng Qing's roar and continued his unhurried analysis. "...More importantly, you were too timid and too unskilled. You actually let that Little Rat slip away right under your noses. There is no way to divine any useful conclusion from the data we currently have."

Though these words were somewhat cutting, they did not surprise anyone.

After all, their earlier encounter had been filled with strange signs from beginning to end, and none of them had managed to grasp many leads. Dr. Xiao's ability to come up with three different hypotheses was already very satisfying.

"In fact, compared with the identity of that Little Rat, I think another matter deserves more attention." The Doctor shifted the subject, fixing Zheng Qing with a blazing gaze. "You said just now that, on the way back, when you passed the pavilions along the lakeside corridor... you did not see the pavilion's issue number?"

Zheng Qing did not hesitate. He nodded very quickly.

Xiao Xiao was referring to a pavilion they had passed while Forest Cat led them to the rat nest. On the way there, the young wizards had been too busy chatting to notice its issue number. So on the way back, they had deliberately paid attention to it.

As a result, they really had noticed something unusual.

"...At the time, I even wondered whether it was because I was short." The young government-sponsored student explained rapidly. "You know, I was still transformed at the time, so my line of sight was lower... But afterward, I asked the others, and everyone said they had not seen that pavilion's issue number."

"The pavilion did have an issue number. It had just been scraped off by someone," Fatty Xin added from the side.

"Scraped off?" Xiao