NOVEL NEXT Chapter 94: Is He a Campus Spy?
Alaric pulled the chair back, sat down in front of one of the vacant computers in the long row of desks in the lab. The black screen that hadn't yet lit up seemed to reflect the weary look on his face. He powered on the computer, the soft whirring of the fan followed by the slow flicker of the monitor coming to life.
His fingers tapped the desk impatiently as he waited. His mind was still spinning with the words of the professor earlier.
"We've received a report that you stole an idea… stole a proposal… from a certain server."
The source of that information... clearly didn't come out of nowhere. Someone must have sent it, becoming the root of his problem. Someone who most likely intended to bring him down.
He sighed deeply, then began opening the browser. "Okay, let's start with the most official route."
His hands danced across the keyboard, typing in the address of the company's server the professor had mentioned. Alaric knew full well this would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Because big companies rarely leave important documents open for public access. But who knows, there might be some public records that could confirm his suspicions.
When the official page opened, he began typing in the document number from the accusation letter. The long string of numbers and letters that, if valid, should show a digital trace. He hit Enter.
The search results came back empty.
Alaric retyped it. This time, with some variations. Removing hyphens, adding different codes, even trying some common patterns used for numbering company files. But still, the screen only showed a single sentence: "No records found."
His brow furrowed. He bit his lower lip. "Impossible… If this document were real, there should at least be a digital footprint, even if it's just metadata."
For a moment, his thoughts drifted to another possibility: Could someone inside the campus have fabricated the report? Or perhaps it was an outside competitor, someone from a rival robotics project, intentionally spreading the rumor? Could Edward have something to do with this? Alaric quickly dismissed the thought, trying to hold back his emotions.
His fingers froze on the keyboard. He stared at the screen, filled with dozens of tabs that had yielded nothing.
"If I try to break into the internal server... it could be dangerous. That's already a legal matter," he murmured, deep in thought. He knew full well the consequences of illegal actions. If he tried to breach the company's digital security without permission, the accusations could become reality.
It would be like digging his own grave and walking right into the trap that had already been set for him.
Alaric felt like he had hit a dead end. Every route he tried led to a high wall that couldn't be breached.
Eventually, he closed all the search windows. The cursor hovered in the center of the screen, motionless, just like him... confused.
With a heavy motion, he lowered his head onto the desk. His forehead pressed against the smooth, cold wood, while his eyes blankly stared at the keyboard in front of him. The screen still glowed, casting a faint pale blue light on his face, but Alaric couldn't bear to look at it anymore.
"Useless… There's nothing. Even if there were a trail, I can't just access it. There are rules, there are laws. So, what do I do to clear my name?"
He shut his eyes for a brief moment. The sounds of keyboards and mice clicking from other students around him in the lab felt distant and irrelevant. For a moment, it seemed like the world outside was moving on as usual, while he was trapped in this dark space of accusations with no clear proof.
Alaric exhaled slowly, trying to calm himself. He knew he couldn't give up, but for now... he let his head fall down. Letting time pass while he tried to find some glimmer of hope to latch onto.
The sound of footsteps echoed from the hallway. Alaric, still with his head on the desk, thought it was just another student from the marketing department walking by with their posters. He didn't bother to look up, too tired to care about anything small like that.
But the footsteps didn't fade. In fact, they stopped right in front of him.
Alaric stayed still, but he could feel a shadow covering his screen. Slowly, he heard the rustle of paper.
"Huh?"
Reflexively, Alaric lifted his head. His blurry vision immediately caught sight of a young man, about his age, standing stiffly at the edge of his desk. It seemed like the guy had just stepped out of a practical class.
There was one thing that startled Alaric, even though this was their first encounter: the young man was holding the documents that had been scattered across the desk earlier. But this time, they were neatly stacked in his hands.
The guy's eyes narrowed as he examined the papers with deep focus. Alaric froze, unsure of how to react. The other's face turned serious, his brow furrowing as if he were solving a puzzle.
Then, a quiet clearing of the throat broke the silence.
That single sound made Alaric's heart skip a beat.
The young man didn't look up. His eyes stayed fixed on the papers as his lips moved slightly, as if reading fast. There was something about his demeanor… calm yet intense. And it made Alaric feel a little uneasy.
"This is the document…" the guy finally spoke, his voice low. "The one that got you called to the dean's office earlier, right?"
Alaric fell silent. Instead of responding, he quickly pulled his chair back, putting a bit of distance between himself and the stranger. His expression became more guarded, harder to read.
"How does he know?" Alaric thought to himself. "Is he... someone on the inside? An informant for the campus? Or… is he someone planted to keep an eye on me?"
His gaze scanned the stranger in front of him, searching for any signs. The guy didn't seem special. He blended in with the rest of the students. But... he seemed to know too much about Alaric's situation, information that shouldn't be common knowledge.
Alaric tightened his grip on the papers he had grabbed back from the guy. He didn't answer the question. Instead. He just stared, his brows furrowing deeper as he tried to make sense of the situation.
"Who is this guy?" Alaric wondered.
The young man suddenly smiled. Just a faint, almost imperceptible smile. It was the kind of smile that made Alaric even more curious. "I think I understand what's really going on," he said quietly, his voice carrying the tone of someone who knew something Alaric couldn't yet figure out.
Alaric's mind raced. "What do you mean?"
But before he could get an answer, the guy just tapped the desk gently, almost reassuringly, as if giving him some kind of confirmation or comfort. "I'll help you sort this out. But right now, I've got a lot on my plate."
And just like that, he turned and walked away. His back disappeared behind the lab's door before Alaric could say anything more.
"What...?" Alaric muttered, half in shock, his mouth slightly agape. His eyes stayed locked on the door. "What was that about? He came out of nowhere, acted like he knew everything, then just left? And I don't even know his name."
Alaric let out a long breath and slouched in his chair. His chest heaved with quick breaths, his mind still in turmoil. The papers in his lap felt like a weight.
"Even a stranger knows this is the document causing all the trouble. If that's the case... then the gossip has already spread everywhere."
His head felt heavier by the second. He knew that if he kept thinking about this, his mind would snap. So, with a spontaneous motion, he turned the computer screen back on. His fingers danced across the keyboard. Not to open documents or campus servers, but to search for something that would distract him.
"Forget it… I'll just play a game," he muttered.
In no time, the screen displayed an icon for a popular game among English teens. Valorant? Fortnite? Apex Legends? He clicked on one, not caring which opened fastest. The important thing was to escape, anything but documents, news, or gossip.
Soon enough, the game's intro music filled his ears. But Alaric quickly put on his headset, cranked up the volume, drowning out everything else. The heavy beats of the music mixed with the sounds of the game, filling his mind.
His fingers moved quickly, pressing the buttons, though his focus wasn't really on the game itself. He just needed a distraction, something to shut out the storm of questions that filled his head.
For a moment, it worked. His attention narrowed to the characters on the screen, the gunshots, the missions he needed to complete. The music kept him moving, helped him lose himself.
He even let himself lose repeatedly in the game. It didn't matter. In the beginning, he played poorly, but eventually, as the boredom set in, he let his skills shine, winning repeatedly without a care.
"If I went to class now, it would be a disaster," he muttered between rounds. He could already imagine the cold stares from his classmates, the whispers in his ears, maybe even the direct mockery. Just imagining that was enough to make his stomach turn.