บท 46: Control Room

"Near the playground?"

"Where exactly near?!"

Kang Shuwei's tone grew increasingly impatient.

He attempted to deduce how Li Xuan might utilize this hole that could only accommodate one person, but his mind was now a chaotic mess, and he couldn't find a starting point.

Seeing his expression, the security department's uncle sensed the flicker of anger in his eyes, prompting him to provide Kang Shuwei with the answer he sought.

"It's right next to the lamppost near the main road by the playground. It's pretty easy to recognize."

Upon hearing this detailed description, Kang Shuwei released his grip on the uncle's arm, his brow furrowed as he began to think deeply.

If Li Xuan had escaped from there, he would have been seen by Sun Ting...

In other words, Li Xuan likely hadn't left the school yet.

Meanwhile, the phone on Gu Hanxue's desk started ringing.

The call was from the Dean of the Aerospace College.

"Principal, what's the situation? The students are supposed to participate in a competition. Why haven't you released them yet?"

"This year, Professor Lin is leading the team. It's a crucial moment for achieving good results!"

"If this drags on..."

Upon hearing this, Gu Hanxue gritted his teeth, but he couldn't divulge anything related to Lin Yi.

Nevertheless, he interrupted the Dean, saying, "Old Wu, please wait for a moment. I'll get back to you shortly."

After hanging up, he cast a troubled look at Kang Shuwei. "Captain Kang..."

Kang Shuwei understood the implication behind Gu Hanxue's gaze.

It was now ten o'clock, and the bus had to depart.

However, Li Xuan hadn't been captured yet. If they allowed the bus to leave now, it could potentially lead to problems.

Kang Shuwei realized that if they continued to obstruct the departure, it might provoke resistance from the students.

If a rebellion occurred, it could destabilize the current situation.

He immediately contacted Tao Xiaoyi, who had been near the bus all this time, asking him to confirm the situation on the bus.

Kang Shuwei instructed Tao Xiaoyi to let the bus proceed to the airport first. Once security checks were cleared, the bus could return to the school.

This way, they could ensure that Li Xuan wouldn't be able to sneak onto the bus.

It was a balanced solution.

Gu Hanxue also let out a sigh of relief. This competition was crucial for the school. The exchange with Yanjing Aerospace University happened only once every two years. Winning this competition might lead to more research funding for them...

After hanging up the call, Kang Shuwei dialed another number.

"Sun Ting, have you seen Li Xuan?"

As he spoke, he quickly left the principal's office.

...

At the school gate, at ten past ten, the bus finally left the campus.

"Liu Niyun, what's wrong with you?"

Sitting beside Liu Niyun was her close friend Chu Xin.

Chu Xin had noticed that Liu Niyun's expression had been worsening since they got on the bus. She initially thought Liu Niyun was worried about missing the flight. However, the bus was already on its way to the airport, so why hadn't Liu Niyun's expression improved?

So she decided to ask.

Upon hearing her words, Liu Niyun simply smiled faintly, shook her head, and remained silent.

Seeing her reaction, Chu Xin didn't press further.

However, with her sensitive nature, she had already realized that Liu Niyun's subdued mood probably had something to do with Professor Lin.

Indeed, it was related.

Liu Niyun had now definitively confirmed Professor Lin's true identity.

She turned to look out of the window, her lips pressed together.

Struggling in her heart, she thought, "He truly is Li Xuan..."

The person who warranted such a grand search operation in her heart was none other than Li Xuan.

"But why... I've confirmed so many times, and there's truly not a single loophole!"

"How did he manage that?"

"Those documents, the courses he taught..."

"Even those kites..."

As she pondered, she suddenly chuckled.

"Yeah, if I could figure out why, Li Xuan wouldn't be the person I admire."

"And this experience... it's already so precious."

Although Tao Xiaoyi was on the bus, he naturally didn't notice the sudden sense of relief that appeared on the young girl's face.

Even if he had seen it, he would probably have smiled and passed it off.

He might not have seen many girls like her, but he understood the particular innocence that belonged to her age.

The bus continued eastward, headed to the Lvkou Airport in the eastern suburbs of Jinling.

...

Kang Shuwei rushed all the way to the control room.

Sun Ting was sitting with her feet up on the desk, chewing gum and watching the surveillance footage.

When she heard someone burst in, she quickly put her feet down and turned her head.

But upon seeing the newcomer, her guard relaxed.

She asked curiously, "Captain Kang? Why are you here?"

Kang Shuwei didn't answer that question. He was too eager to ask, "Have you seen Li Xuan?"

Naturally, Sun Ting shook her head.

But Kang Shuwei didn't even look at her. His gaze remained fixed on the surveillance screens.

With a confident tone, Sun Ting added, "No."

Kang Shuwei knew that would be the answer. He then inquired, "Which monitor is focused on the playground?"

Seeing Kang Shuwei's expression, Sun Ting hesitated briefly.

But she quickly became anxious.

Picking up a notebook beside her, she flipped it open and said, "A1, A3, B12. These three are focused on the playground."

"A7, A9, A11, B5, B14 are around the playground..."

After answering Kang Shuwei's question, Sun Ting asked, "Captain Kang, what's going on? What happened?"

Kang Shuwei didn't answer. His gaze continued to sweep across multiple monitors.

Finally, his finger jabbed at a black screen, and he asked, "What does this one cover!?"

Sun Ting hesitated before responding, "This one covers a patch of woods across from the playground. It also captures some of the area outside the woods."

"So, it can see the fence?"

After a moment's thought, Sun Ting nodded and continued, "The technicians who were in the control room earlier went to fix this camera. It was working fine this morning... The problem occurred between 8:30 and 9."

"It's not that there's no signal; it's just that something seems to be obstructing it."

Kang Shuwei was momentarily stunned. But at that time, Li Xuan hadn't left...

Let alone Li Xuan hadn't left, he himself hadn't even arrived at the Aerospace University between 8:30 and 9!

Was it a coincidence?

Had Li Xuan intended to leave from there all along?

As these thoughts raced through his mind, Kang Shuwei turned to leave, wanting to go near that monitor and see what had caused the camera's malfunction.

But just as he turned around, he heard Sun Ting's voice again.

"Captain Kang!"