novelnext Chapter 264 : The Academy Archives
Chapter 264 : The Academy Archives
“Well then…… where should I begin investigating…….”This was before the Kim Cheolsu Faction had truly begun operating.
Having returned to his office in Sector E, Lexus Bane first gathered the modules and equipment he had carefully stored away in the warehouse (though in reality, they had simply been tossed there haphazardly).
Whenever he commuted to the Academy, he only carried the bare minimum for personal protection.
But if he was going to work as a Fixer in earnest, that wasn't nearly enough.
After all...
Uncovering the truth behind Peter Jones' death meant digging into the deepest darkness of the Stingray Group.
If they discovered that someone unrelated was investigating what had happened behind the scenes...
There was no telling how they would respond.
And although it was extremely unlikely—and something he would rather not even imagine—
He might end up facing that Aaron Stingray.
Only recently had Lexus finally paid off his bar tabs and overdue rent, and he had been enjoying the sight of Credits steadily accumulating in his bank account.
If possible...
He didn't want to make an enemy of his employer.
‘It's not just that I'm afraid of fighting him anymore... I'm actually starting to like him as a person…….’
Muttering to himself, Lexus concealed a pistol inside his coat before inserting several Combat Modules into the socket at the back of his neck.
While waiting for the Nanomachines to modify his body according to the Combat Modules' internal data...
He reviewed the case once again.
White Puppy (Iri) and PJ (Peter Jones) were siblings without a blood relationship.
PJ had belonged to the gang that murdered White Puppy's parents during childhood. His estimated age at the time was around eight years old (far too young to have been the mastermind).
PJ entered the Academy at the age of twenty. The recruitment process remains unknown.
Considering White Puppy's testimony regarding PJ's age and his estimated age at the time of the Everheart Couple robbery-murder case, there is a high possibility that PJ lied about his age when he enrolled.
According to White Puppy's testimony, PJ became a Stingray Scholarship Student around the second semester of his first year, then disappeared shortly after entering his second year. The only item left behind was a damaged Combat Module.
The Stingray Group possesses no records concerning PJ. (The records may have been intentionally erased.)
Questions:
What exactly happened to PJ while he was living as a Stingray Scholarship Student?
Who still knows the truth about this incident?
“This is tough…….”
It had already been over four years since Peter Jones disappeared.
The Academy students who had attended school alongside him had all graduated and scattered by now.
Especially the other Stingray Scholarship Students from his cohort.
By now, they would either be interns or full-time employees at headquarters.
As young professionals struggling just to survive in a corporation...
It seemed unlikely they'd risk drawing the attention of upper management by talking about Peter Jones.
Likewise...
There was almost no chance that faculty members, who were essentially nothing more than corporate lackeys, would cooperate.
No...
There wasn't even any guarantee they knew much about what had happened inside the Stingray Foundation.
‘The easiest way would be to ask His Highness the Crown Prince…….’
Or perhaps...
That Maria.
The poor secretary who handled practically all of Aaron's work whenever he casually disappeared.
Maybe she'd know something.
“Mmmmmm…….”
Lexus sat down on a worn-out sofa with springs sticking through the upholstery and sank into thought.
He folded his arms, frowned deeply, and shook one leg for quite some time.
“Ah, whatever. What's the worst that could happen?”
Let's just dive in.
That's what being a Fixer was all about.
Whether it worked or not, you charged in first and figured things out afterward.
Well...
Other Fixers probably didn't operate that way.
But at least Lexus had always preferred charging straight ahead without hesitation ever since his days as a police officer.
“First stop—the secretary!”
Incidentally...
That very personality had caused him countless problems during his police career.
Unfortunately...
None of those lessons had remained in his memory.
Even past sixty, Lexus was still an incredibly immature man.
“Peter Jones?”
“Yes.”
“That student.”
“Do you happen to remember him?”
“……”
Maria's eyes twitched ever so slightly at Lexus' straightforward question.
Of course...
It was barely noticeable.
Probably more than ninety-five percent of the people living in this city wouldn't have caught that tiny reaction.
Lexus, however...
Needed only that single movement to realize she knew something.
His interrogation modules were enthusiastically sounding alarms as well.
“If you know anything about him, I'd appreciate it if you'd tell me, Maria.”
“I don't.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Really really?”
“Yes.”
“For real?”
“For real.”
“Like... seriously?”
“Really.”
“Hontoni (本当に)?”
“Honㄸ…….”
Maria maintained her expressionless face despite Lexus' relentless questioning.
Eventually...
She sighed.
Partly because she was once again disappointed by the frivolous behavior of the man she had once admired.
And partly because she realized there was no longer any point in hiding it.
“……Why are you investigating that student?”
“I received a request.”
“Our contract prohibits outside work, Mr. Lexus Bane.”
“C-Come on... can't you overlook that just this once……?”
“Haa…….”
Maria sighed again.
Evangeline's disappearance had already caused her considerable emotional distress.
And now, to make matters worse...
Lexus had brought yet another troublesome issue to her doorstep.
It felt as though she'd gained another wrinkle.
“Was this request made by Miss Iri?”
“I can't reveal my client's identity.”
“This is important, Mr. Bane.”
“If you—or someone completely unrelated—are investigating this merely out of personal curiosity, then I will stop you.”
“But if the person involved is the one requesting it... that's a different matter.”
“So if it's our White Puppy, you'll cooperate?”
“White Puppy?”
“Oh, right—not White Puppy... I mean Iri Elisbell.”
“It's just a nickname.”
“She kind of reminds me of a puppy, you know?”
“And her hair's white too.”
“Why did you suddenly start speaking informally?”
“……Ma'am.”
“……”
Ahem.
Feeling somewhat awkward, Maria cleared her throat and returned to the original topic.
“To be honest, there isn't much I can tell you regarding Peter Jones.”
“We merely handled that incident according to our contracts and regulations.”
“Legally speaking, there was absolutely no problem.”
“However...”
“When viewed from an outsider's perspective, it's possible that the image of the Stingray Group could appear somewhat distorted.”
“So?”
“In other words... the matter is classified.”
“Unless Chairman Aaron grants permission, I will not speak about that incident.”
“Was Chairman Aaron involved?”
“I cannot answer that.”
“Just one little hint…….”
“I said no.”
Maria glared sharply at Lexus.
“Mr. Lexus Bane.”
“Miss Iri Elisbell is one of fewer than five Stingray Special Scholarship Students among the Academy's two thousand students.”
“In other words...”
“She is one of the talents Chairman Aaron cherishes the most.”
“So?”
“Chairman Aaron has deliberately kept that incident hidden from Miss Iri.”
“He doesn't want her talent to be ruined by unnecessary confusion or false hope.”
“Hmm…….”
Lexus quietly pondered Maria's response.
He had expected it.
As always...
This secretary was unbelievably stubborn.
At this rate...
No matter how much he begged, she probably wouldn't budge.
Just as disappointment began settling in...
Maria suddenly said something completely beyond his expectations.
“Basement Floor Fifteen.”
“The Academy Archives are located there.”
“They contain academic records of every graduate, along with various other data.”
“Hm?”
“Only authorized personnel may enter.”
“A few faculty members—including the Headmaster—and certain employees from sponsoring corporations.”
“Why does a place like that even exist?”
“Student records could just be stored in the faculty office……”
“Stop speaking informally.”
“Oh. Sorry.”
“The reason is simple.”
“It stores information that could be considered... somewhat controversial.”
Despite discussing such a serious subject...
Maria's expression remained completely unchanged.
“People like you—or the students—might find it horrifying.”
“But personally...”
“I believe it's absolutely necessary.”
“I-I see…… ma'am.”
“You'll find data concerning Peter Jones there.”
“I'll officially warn you not to look.”
“But if you insist...”
“I'll grant you temporary access authorization.”
“Huh?”
“Seriously?”
“Yes.”
“Seriously.”
“Why?”
“Because Chairman Aaron instructed me to.”
“??”
Once again...
Question marks floated beside Lexus' head.
Hadn't Chairman Aaron been hiding every secret about Peter Jones from Iri until now?
So why was he handing over archive access this easily?
Lexus was about to ask...
But Maria spoke first.
“Will you look?”
“Or will you leave?”
“……”
Was there really anything to think about?
“I'll look.”
Maria smiled strangely before replying.
“Stop speaking informally.”
“At the moment...”
“I'm your superior, Mr. Bane.”
“……Yes.”
Women these days are scary.
Entering the Academy Archives on Basement Floor Fifteen proved difficult enough on its own.
Naturally...
The elevators used by ordinary students couldn't reach it.
Only one of the few elevators reserved for faculty members and authorized personnel had access to Basement Floor Fifteen.
After receiving the security key...
Lexus followed Maria's instructions step by step before entering the elevator.
“Insert the key... then press the buttons in order…….”
There wasn't even a button labeled Basement Floor Fifteen.
Instead...
After entering a specific command like selecting a hidden character in a fighting game...
The elevator doors closed automatically.
Then it began moving.
“Ooooh…….”
Lexus waited in admiration.
Judging by the strange way inertia shifted inside the elevator...
Its route wasn't a straight line.
It twisted through a labyrinth.
Several minutes later...
The elevator finally stopped.
The doors opened.
[Arriving at Basement Floor Fifteen.]
Accompanied by an announcement unlike the usual one...
Lexus stepped out.
A long corridor immediately came into view.
His ocular scanner detected numerous hidden security systems embedded throughout it.
“Scary…….”
The security was far more thorough than he'd imagined.
These were supposedly just student records.
Why hide them so thoroughly?
And why had Maria granted him access so easily?
“If I'd known this, I wouldn't have bothered stopping by my office.”
The pistol hidden inside his coat suddenly felt unnecessarily heavy.
Enduring the inconvenience, he walked to the end of the corridor.
Soon...
He arrived at the archive room.
“It's... smaller than I expected.”
At most...
It was about the size of one or two server rooms combined.
Apparently every record had already been digitized, so there was no need for a larger facility.
Rows upon rows of data storage units filled the room like library shelves.
Air conditioners ran constantly to cool the heat they generated.
At the center of the room stood a computer that appeared to function as a search terminal.
Lexus cautiously typed the name—
Peter Jones.
“This is…….”
At that moment...
He finally understood Aaron's intentions.