Chapter 192: Hidden File

The System appeared.

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[Target Escaping.]

[Recommended action: Chase.]

Nobody stared at the disappearing vehicle. "I know."

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[Vehicle detected.]

[Estimated speed: 92 km/h.]

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Nobody looked down at his briefcase. Then he looked at the road. "...And I’m wearing office shoes."

The System responded instantly.

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[Skill issue.]

¯\_ (ᵕ—ᴗ—)_/¯

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Nobody’s face twitched. "You’ve been getting too comfortable."

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[system window]

Am I? (˵ ¬ᴗ¬˵)

(≖⩊≖) Meaw

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He turned around.

Aiden and Toma had reached the exit.

Aiden looked toward the road. "Did you see who it was?"

"No." Nobody glanced at the empty street. "But I know one thing."

"What?"

Nobody looked at the building. "They weren’t trying to steal the file."

Aiden frowned. "Then what were they doing?"

"They were checking whether we had found it."

Toma’s expression became uneasy. "So..."

Nobody nodded. "They’re scared."

Aiden looked back at the building. For a moment, no one spoke. Then Aiden’s phone rang. He answered. "Hello?" His expression slowly changed. "What?"

Toma watched him.

Aiden’s face became pale. "Say that again." He listened.

Then lowered the phone. "The police found another witness."

Nobody looked at him. "Who?"

Aiden stared at the floor. "Someone who worked directly under the chairman."

Toma stepped closer. "What did they say?"

Aiden looked at both of them. "They said the chairman ordered them to destroy every remaining record connected to Project 05-17."

Nobody’s eyes narrowed. "But why?"

Aiden shook his head. "They don’t know."

Nobody looked toward the city. Something was moving beneath the surface. Daniel’s confession had not ended the conspiracy. It had frightened it. And whatever Project 05-17 really was... Someone was desperate to make sure no one ever found out.

Nobody smiled faintly. "Looks like we’re not done yet."

The System appeared.

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[Correct.]

[Main Investigation Progress: 63%.]

[New Objective Unlocked.]

Discover the Truth Behind Project 05-17.

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Nobody stared at the blue window.

Then another notification appeared.

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[Additional Warning.]

[This objective may affect previously unknown variables.]

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Nobody’s smile disappeared. "Previously unknown variables?"

The System remained silent for several seconds.

Then one final line appeared.

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[Something has noticed you.]

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Nobody slowly looked toward the distant rooftops. Nothing was there. At least...Nothing he could see. He tightened his grip on his briefcase. "Great." He sighed. "Just when I thought I could have a normal day."

High above the city, on the roof of another building, a lone figure stood watching Nathan Industries. The wind moved through his coat. His face remained hidden. He looked at the distant building for several seconds.

Then quietly turned away. He did not contact the chairman. He did not interfere with the investigation. He simply watched. As if he had been waiting for something else entirely. And somewhere inside Nobody’s mind, an unfamiliar feeling stirred.

Not fear. Not recognition. Something much older. For just a moment, he felt as though he had seen that silhouette before. But the thought disappeared before he could catch it.

He shook his head. "...Probably nothing."

The city continued moving around him.

And the mystery continued to deepen.

.....

The black sedan disappeared into the morning traffic before Nobody could get a clear look at the driver. He stood outside Nathan Industries for several seconds, staring at the road.

Then he sighed. "Another mysterious person." He adjusted his tie. "Why can’t criminals just wear name tags?"

The System appeared beside him.

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[Suggestion rejected.]

[Criminals wearing name tags would significantly reduce narrative tension.]

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Nobody stared at the window. "You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?"

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[System has no emotions.]

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A short pause.

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[Probably.]

He he he (˵ ¬ᴗ¬˵)

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Nobody narrowed his eyes. "Unbelievable."

He returned to the building. By the time he reached the executive floor, Aiden and Toma had already secured the archive room. The IT department had isolated the affected terminals, but several files were already gone.

Aiden stood in front of the main monitor. "Everything connected to Project 05-17 was targeted."

Toma crossed her arms. "Not everything."

Nobody looked at her. "What survived?"

She pointed toward the screen. "One file."

The title was simple.

05-17 / SUBJECT TRANSFER RECORD

Nobody’s expression became serious. Aiden opened it. The document contained only a few lines.

Project 05-17

Status: Terminated

Primary Research Site: Redacted

Final Transfer: Authorized

Subject: [REDACTED]

Transfer Date: 17 May

Then the document ended.

Aiden stared at the screen. "That’s it?"

Toma shook her head. "There’s something hidden in the metadata."

Nobody stepped closer. Aiden opened the metadata panel. A long string of numbers appeared. Nobody immediately recognized the format.

The System didn’t. For once, it remained silent.

Aiden looked at the IT employee. "Can you decode this?"

The employee hesitated. "I can try."

"Do it."

The employee began working. Nobody stood behind them. His attention remained fixed on one line.

Final Transfer: Authorized

Transfer of what? Equipment? Research material? A person? He didn’t know.

Then the employee suddenly stopped typing. "Sir."

Aiden looked over. "What?"

"I found the original file."

Everyone became silent.

"Where?"

The employee pointed at the screen. "It wasn’t deleted."

Aiden frowned. "Then where was it?"

"Hidden." He opened another directory. A folder appeared. It had no name. Inside was a single compressed file. The timestamp was five years old.

Aiden clicked it. The computer asked for a password.

"Can you bypass it?"

"I’ll need time."

Nobody glanced at the clock. "How much?"

"Maybe twenty minutes."

The System appeared.

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[Encrypted file detected.]

[Security Level: Extremely High.]

[Estimated bypass time: 19 minutes, 42 seconds.]

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Nobody blinked. "Why are you telling me?"

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[Because the user is currently standing beside a computer.]

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Nobody looked at the System. "You’re useless."

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[Thank you.] Dummy

╾━╤デ╦︻ (•_- )

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Aiden walked away from the terminal. "We need to know what this contains."

Toma nodded. "But there’s something else." She opened another report. "This was recovered from an old employee account."

Aiden read it. His expression slowly changed. "What is this?"

"A personnel transfer request." She pointed at the bottom. "The request was approved by the chairman."

Nobody looked at the name. The document was dated five years ago. The employee listed on it was Daniel Cross.

Aiden’s eyes widened. "Daniel?"

Toma nodded. "According to this, Daniel wasn’t originally assigned to the legal department."

Aiden read the document again.

"He was transferred there after Project 05-17 was terminated."

Nobody’s eyes narrowed. "So Daniel knew something about the project."

"Apparently."

Aiden sat down. "Why would they move him into legal afterward?"

Nobody didn’t answer.

The System did.

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[Potential motive detected.]

[Information containment.]

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Nobody’s expression became serious.

That made sense. If Daniel had knowledge of something dangerous, placing him in legal would give the company control over documents, contracts and internal records.

But there was another possibility. Daniel wasn’t simply being silenced. He might have been useful.

The IT employee suddenly shouted. "I got in!"

Everyone turned. The encrypted file opened. There were dozens of documents. Research reports, Transfer logs, Payment records, Employee lists, Photographs and one video.

Aiden opened the first document. Most of it was heavily redacted. Names, locations, dates and several sections had been covered by black blocks. Whoever had prepared the file had clearly wanted to make sure that even someone with access to the archive would learn as little as possible.

But one sentence remained visible.

"All assets associated with Project 05-17 were transferred under executive authorization."

Aiden frowned. "Assets?"

Toma leaned closer to the screen. "That’s a strange way to describe a project."

Nobody crossed his arms. "Could be equipment. Documents. Company property."

"Or something the company didn’t want listed normally," Aiden replied.

He opened the next report.

This one contained a transfer record.

TRANSFER ORDER: 05-17

Origin: Confidential Division

Destination: Nathan Industries

Authorized By: Chairman

Received By: Daniel Cross

Nobody’s eyes narrowed. "Daniel again."

Aiden scrolled further.

The next few pages contained payment records. Several large payments had been made through different company accounts around the same period. The descriptions were vague.

Consulting Fee.

Administrative Expense.

Asset Relocation.

Legal Processing.

Toma looked at the amounts. "These aren’t normal departmental expenses."

Aiden nodded slowly. "And they’re all connected to the same period."

Nobody pointed at one of the entries. "Look at the recipient."

Aiden zoomed in.

The payment had been made to a company called Westbridge Consulting.

Another payment had gone to the same company three days later.

Then another. And another.

Toma opened the company directory on a second terminal. "Westbridge Consulting..."

Her expression changed. "There is no active company under that name."

Aiden looked at her. "What do you mean?" "It existed five years ago. But the registration was terminated shortly after Project 05-17 was closed."

Nobody stared at the screen. "So someone created a company, received money from Nathan Industries and then shut it down."

"Apparently," Toma said.

Aiden opened the next document.

This one was a personnel list. There were twelve names. Most of them had already left Nathan Industries. Three had transferred to other companies. Two had retired. One had no employment record after the termination of Project 05-17.

Nobody pointed at the last name. "Who is that?"

Toma checked the record. "Marcus Hale."

Aiden frowned. "I don’t recognize him."

"Neither do I."

Nobody looked toward the IT employee. "Can you search the company database?"

The employee nodded and began typing. A few seconds later, he shook his head.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"No employee profile. No payroll information. No access records. It’s like the person never worked here."

Nobody looked back at the old personnel document.

"But someone listed him."

The employee hesitated.

"Sir..."

"What?"

"I found one thing." He opened another record.

A single line appeared.

Employee ID: MC-0517