Chapter 36: Surveillance

In Molly’s office, Chiba and Molly sat at the same desk, each wearing an earphone, listening intently. What played in their ears was the conversation that had just taken place between Calvin and Shawn in the hallway.

After dropping Hesta off last time, Chiba had specifically sought out Molly. She had pulled the records of the Granguay brothers' movements within the base and quickly discovered that while their paths seemed chaotic and aimless when they were together, Calvin’s movements when acting alone were extremely simple: the student dormitory, the cafeteria, the academic building, or the training grounds—nothing more.

On one hand, Chiba had asked Molly to instruct Calvin to try and record his conversations with Shawn recently. On the other hand, she felt that since Shawn’s rating had been downgraded and they could no longer return to the student dormitory or utilize the library inside, Calvin would inevitably have to go to the main library on the base.

Therefore, she had left over twenty listening devices along that route, especially in the hallway that lacked surveillance, as a second layer of insurance for their monitoring.

Chiba’s original plan had been to install secret surveillance directly at the pair's current residence. However, Molly, having already compromised her principles once, had resolutely rejected this proposal, and Chiba had been forced to let it go.

"Shawn is quite savvy," Chiba said, setting down her earphone. "If all the newcomers knew how to focus their energy on their strengths, Valenti wouldn't have to spend all day trying to figure out how to alleviate their stress."

Molly’s face turned ghastly pale. She shot Chiba a cold look and let out a scoff after a long silence.

Chiba thoughtfully reached behind her head and whispered, "The question I’m more concerned about now is, where did Shawn get that data? It sounds a bit like the documents we used to fool the United Government two years ago... surely those haven't passed their confidentiality period yet?"

"We are investigating everything," Molly said in a low voice. "So far, he has hacked into the computers of at least six staff members at the base, though they are all peripheral employees with limited access to classified files. Shawn likely obtained some social engineering databases from outside and used credential stuffing to hack into the accounts of some key figures in the United Government, thereby obtaining the materials."

"Well, of course," Chiba laughed, as if she had heard a joke. "If Shawn had hacked into core personnel, he’d either be in prison by now or have been offered a permanent position, wouldn't he?"

Molly glared at Chiba, not finding anything funny at all.

"However, after this is settled, you should still find an opportunity to clarify this with him," Chiba stroked her chin. "The reason female Mercuries have such good stability is that the estrogen in their bodies slows down the effects of blood loss—that was over a decade ago. Since the introduction of the EE-13 injection, our gender-based combat casualty ratio is nowhere near as bad."

"Is that the point?"

"What else is there?" Chiba whispered. "In any case, I feel more reassured after hearing it."

"Reassured?"

Chiba leaned back, propping the front legs of her chair in mid-air, rocking slowly back and forth.

"Since Shawn is planning on working in logistics in the future, it’s impossible for him to do anything out of line. Even if we take a step back and assume he wants to leave the base to seek employment with the United Government, he still has to weigh how much of a stain his file can sustain."

Molly sneered. "Perhaps I should consider submitting a report to headquarters about your behavior, so they can see whether you are truly capable of fulfilling your guardianship responsibilities."

"I certainly am," Chiba said, the smile on her face fading slightly. "Look at this past period; I’ve taken the time every few days to return to the base and take Hesta out for a stroll—among all the active Mercuries, where else would you find a guardian more responsible than me?"

"What have you been doing when you take her out?"

"Eating desserts, walking around the Old City..." Chiba counted on her fingers, detailing her past outings with Hesta. "And looking at the scenery, experiencing life... that’s all."

Molly squinted, offering no response.

"You don't believe me?" Chiba raised three fingers to the sky. "Molly, I haven't told you a single lie, not about big things or small."

Molly was in no mood to argue with Chiba. The situation outside had been escalating over the past few days. What had originally been just protests and rallies within Tanyi City had slowly spread to other habitable zones, fueled by the incitement of various media outlets.

Within the Third District, at least a dozen foundations that maintained close ties with AHgAs had issued warnings and inquiries, demanding that the base provide a response to external questions as soon as possible.

She clasped her hands—a gesture that usually meant Molly wanted to end a conversation or issue an ultimatum.

"Regarding the dispute over Hesta's custody, how exactly do you intend to resolve it?"

Chiba maintained her usual lighthearted, evasive attitude. "The plans are all progressing steadily."

"How much longer do we have to wait?"

"It depends on the efficiency of the United Government. The current protests are basically confined to Tanyi City; the scale is too small. We need to give the other habitable zones in the Third District some time to react." Chiba smiled brightly. "To let this trend burn into the core city of the Third District, we’ll need to wait at least another month or a month and a half."

"Do you think the current situation isn't chaotic enough?" Molly’s jaw trembled slightly with shock. "You want to wait for this fire to burn to the core city—"

"Stay calm," Chiba said with a meaningful smile. "Everything is under control."

Molly took a deep breath. "...Then, to what extent has it progressed?"

"If luck is on our side, the plan has already reached 40%."

"Luck?" Molly was deeply shocked to hear such an imprecise term. "...And what if your luck is bad?"

"If luck is bad, it’s already reached 90%."

Molly found it absurd. "...What does that mean?"

"It means I always have a more reliable Plan B, although it might be a bit more brutal."

Chiba flashed a very cheerful smile at Molly.

"If things haven't reached the point of no return, I will always prioritize more civilized and moral approaches... so please, cooperate with me, Ms. Molly."

Molly lowered her eyes, her expression grim.

"There won't be a next time."

...

"That’s about it."

In Valenti’s office, Calvin had relayed most of Shawn's thoughts regarding Hesta. In the conversation, he didn't mention a single word about Shawn's plans for the future.

Sometimes he felt that Shawn’s reasoning wasn't without merit—for instance, when he mentioned that one should be reserved about certain information rather than opening oneself up completely to the base. But at other times, he felt the guy was just unreasonably stubborn.

While lost in thought, Calvin heard Valenti sigh softly across from him. His heart sank, and he began to worry about Shawn's situation. Just as he was racking his brain to think of something to say that might improve Shawn's impression, he heard Valenti suddenly say, "You've worked hard these past few days."

"...What?" Calvin looked up, surprised.

"You've really worked hard, always being troubled whenever something happens with Shawn," Valenti said gently. "This wasn't something you should have been worried about in the first place."

"It's nothing; it's what I should have done." Calvin shook his head immediately. He hesitated for a moment and whispered, "Perhaps I shouldn't bring this up now... but are you aware of our first field exercise next month?"