So it would be better to start the investigation with Advisor Xu.
After Xia Sanghuan told Professor He her thoughts, he immediately refuted them.
"It's impossible. I know Xu well. He would never resell our files."
"Among my students, he is one of the most serious when it comes to academics."
People always say that Professor He is stubborn. He can be as stubborn as a donkey.
Now that she saw him like this, she thought so, too.
She sighed helplessly and had to start from somewhere else.
Moreover, if she really started with Advisor Xu, she might tip off the thief.
If what Advisor Xu said was true, the files were lost during the last twenty minutes of lunch break.
And most likely, the thief had used a key to unlock the door. So where did he get the key?
After getting the key, how did he take the files out?
All of the questions came at her at once. Before she could figure out one problem, another came.
It was all so chaotic and annoying.
"It's no use thinking blindly here. Why don't we go to the security room to view the surveillance footage?"
Professor He's reminder made her realize that there was such a thing as surveillance cameras.
She couldn't help it. She had lived in Qingshan Slope for the first eighteen years of her life.
What kind of place was Qingshan Slope? It would be a compliment to say that it was a village.
There were only dozens of families, adding up to a hundred people. And they were still farming by hand.
Let alone high technology. There wasn't even an automatic sprinkler.
Moreover, the people there believed in all sorts of ghosts and gods because of Granny Ma. The locals in Qingshan Slope rejected modern products.
She guessed that the only ones that were related to technology were her master and herself.
She thought that after viewing the surveillance footage, everything would be clear.
She never expected that after reaching the security room, there would be another problem.
"You're saying that the surveillance footage has been hacked and you can't view the replay?"
Professor He's panicked voice filled the security room.
Xia Sanghuan, who was beside him, was like a deflated balloon. She squatted on the floor and held her cheeks. She didn't know what she was thinking.
The last hope of finding the culprit was dashed. Did she have no choice but to find Leng Chuanjin?
Even if she found him, so what? If her second brother really had the ability to unearth the culprit, she couldn't guarantee that the files would still be safely stored in school.
What should she do?
The research had finally made a breakthrough. There was hope that Leng Jingzhan could be cured.
Why was there always someone who wanted to destroy it?
She buried her face in her elbows and sighed deeply.
Every time she was in a situation like this, she felt a deep sense of helplessness.
She had the ability in medicine, but she was so weak in other matters.
She didn't have any power, connections, or even property of her own.
However, when she thought of Leng Chuanjin's face, she thought that she could persevere.
Persevere a little longer. Maybe there would be new clues?
She stood up and walked to the security guard in charge of the surveillance cameras.
"Sir, I would like to ask, if there is a reason that I must view the surveillance footage?"
The security guard waved his hand impatiently. "No matter what the reason is, you won't be able to view it. Unless you can get the principal's permission."
Xia Sanghuan wanted to plead for more. However, the other party seemed to have seen through her thoughts and added,
"It's not that we're cold and heartless. It's the rules from above. The fact that the surveillance footage has been hacked is already a case that concerns the law. We can't show it to irrelevant people."
She opened her mouth but swallowed back her words.
No, she couldn't let more people know that the files were lost.
She turned around and walked out of the security room. Professor He followed her closely.
"Where are we going next?"
He asked impatiently.
The continuous setbacks and the interruption of clues had already exhausted his patience.
"To find the principal."
She said without turning back.
"To find the principal? The principal of Fernos College is no ordinary person."
"He's only in school when there's a freshmen's enrollment or when there's a huge event in school."
"Most of the time, he's in the National Research Institute."
"You think finding the principal is as easy as finding a security guard?"
Professor He kept nagging from behind. It gave her a headache.
How could she not know about these things? But at this point, there was no other choice but to give it a shot with the principal.
When she knocked on the principal's office door, she knew that she had won the bet.
The principal of Fernos College was sitting on his chair, just like when she first entered the school. His expression was calm. It was as though the fact that the surveillance footage was hacked was an ordinary matter.
"Principal, we're applying to view the surveillance footage."
Xia Sanghuan got straight to the point. She wasn't ambiguous at all. She didn't even want to say a single word of soft words.
The principal nodded. "So, is there a reason?"
He added with a smile, "If the reason isn't good enough, I won't approve it."
At this point, there was no need to hide anything. She grit her teeth and was about to speak.
"My car keys are lost."
Professor He suddenly said.
"Your car keys are lost? For something like this, you shouldn't need to view the surveillance footage, right? You can just ask around?"
"Moreover, even if you can't find it, you can go to the car company to make another one."
"Furthermore, shouldn't you check if your car is still there?"
The principal shrugged his shoulders and replied calmly.
"Of course the car is still there. Otherwise, I would have called the police."
"If I could find my keys, would I still need to find you to apply to view the surveillance footage?"
She never expected that Professor He was so hard to deal with. He puffed out his chest and said righteously.
She thought that it would be a long battle of argument. However, the principal shrugged his shoulders and gave in.
"Alright, since you're so insistent, I'll bring you to view it."
For a moment, Xia Sanghuan and He Jianyu were stunned.
They were still arguing with the principal. They never expected that the other party would agree so quickly.
The principal brought them to a more advanced security room. Different from the surveillance cameras in the security guard's room, there were surveillance cameras from more confidential rooms.
The principal unlocked the room with his fingerprint. The large screen opened under their expectant gazes.
What appeared before them was a screen full of snowflakes, just like an old television without any signal.
What was going on?
"Didn't the security guard tell you? The surveillance footage was hacked and the system crashed."
"We're still in the midst of fixing it. Of course, there won't be anything."
Under their stunned gazes, the principal explained.