The weapon refiner is not doing her job properly

Chapter 181 The Theft Process
In the temporary break room of the Information Department, Funi sat on the sofa with her knees drawn up to her chest, tears still streaming down her face like broken beads.

The immense grievance and anger over having her achievements stolen overwhelmed her, making it difficult for her to control herself. Especially with her sister Lingfei by her side, her suppressed emotions finally broke down completely.

The communicator's shrill beeping rang out, and Funi instinctively sobbed, straining to look at the screen with her red, swollen eyes, which resembled peaches.

The tears stopped instantly, overwhelming all sorrow.

Funi jumped up from the sofa. "Xiao Zhou, come with me to the information department, right away."

Assistant Zhou was completely bewildered by this sudden turn of events, while Lingfei, who was standing next to him, was also tired and sleepy, and her mind couldn't quite process what was happening.

But seeing Funi's frantic expression, the two immediately realized the seriousness of the situation and followed her without saying a word.

The three of them practically ran into the information department, which was still brightly lit even though it was late at night.

The staff on duty were not surprised to see Professor Funi return; it was common for this workaholic professor to come back late at night to work overtime.

However, they had obviously heard about the incident of Phoenix being taken away by the Star Police, and greeted her with concern: "Professor Phoenix, it's so good that you're alright."

The service robot beside her tilted its smooth head and asked in a steady electronic voice, "Professor Funi has been doing well, hasn't she? The data shows that her vital signs are stable."

Phoenix had no time to explain. She stormed to the vault's access control desk, speaking rapidly and in an unquestionable, commanding tone: "I need to open the highest-level vault immediately! Check the 'Key of Prophecy' numbered S-07! Now!"

The staff member on duty paused for a moment: "Just, checking?"

According to regulations, simply viewing the document does not require a complicated application process from a higher authority.

"Correct!"

The staff did not dare to delay and quickly registered Funi's identity information and purpose of visit in the system.

Then, a guide robot glided over: "Professor Funi, please follow me."

The process began, with heavy alloy doors sliding open and closing one after another. The air circulation system emitted a slight hum, and security scanning beams continuously swept over their bodies. The strictness of the entire process was exactly the same as that of the top-level vault of Suninglong Deposit Bank.

Finally, Funi stood in front of the special safe where the "Key of Prophecy" was kept.

She took a deep breath, her fingers trembling almost imperceptibly, and entered the complex dynamic password and biometric key.

The safe's latch clicked softly, and the door slowly opened.

When Funi's gaze fell upon the sacred artifact in the cabinet, the color drained from her face instantly, replaced by overwhelming rage and incredulous horror.

"It's fake." Phoenix's voice shrill with extreme anger as she slammed the incredibly realistic-looking counterfeit to the ground. "The Key of Prophecy... it's been switched!"

"What?" Assistant Zhou and the IT department manager, who had just arrived, had drastically changed their expressions.

Phoebe's superpowers are clearly progressing rapidly.

Or rather, he deliberately concealed the true effectiveness and limits of his superpowers.

Otherwise, how could the key to prophecy have been secretly replaced under such heavy protection without anyone noticing?

The information department was instantly thrown into chaos.

The sacred artifact was stolen, and it was a prophetic key that was hailed as a "divine artifact."

The alarm blared piercingly throughout the entire information department, and all on-duty personnel were urgently mobilized to retrieve surveillance footage, verify entry and exit records, and analyze residual force field fluctuations...

Principal Yan, wearing the floppy, dome-shaped sleeping cap he usually wears, arrived at the Information Department as quickly as possible, led by Aoli in a flurry of activity.

When the old headmaster learned that the "Key of Prophecy" had been replaced by a crude fake, his face instantly darkened and his lips pressed into a thin line.

His sharp gaze swept over everyone in the information department, finally landing on Funi, who was pale-faced and barely managing to stay awake.

"Besides you, who else knows which safe deposit box the 'Key of Prophecy' is stored in?"

"Besides me, only Assistant Sun and Assistant Zhou know the exact location. The other colleagues in the Information Department are only responsible for security procedures and overall warehouse management, and they will not specifically contact the specific location where the sacred artifacts are stored."

Funi was also annoyed by her own carelessness.

The Key of Prophecy is special; it possesses an inexplicable malevolence that unconsciously influences the mind of its holder.

When it "doesn't want" to stay in someone's hands, it subtly interferes with that person, causing them to unconsciously place it somewhere carelessly.

By the time you realize it, it might already be in the backpack of a passing student.

They only appear more docile when they are completely alone or strictly confined in a closed environment.

A complex expression appeared on Funi's face.

This is why she was so shocked when she saw Su Ninglong casually handling and threatening the "divination board" like a toy.

They had never seen this sacred artifact so docile in anyone's hands.

Knowing its dangers, Funi and her two assistants strictly controlled each research session to a very short time, and immediately locked it back in the vault after completion to prevent it from subtly eroding their thinking.

It will be taken out again for research after the effects have weakened.

The theft of sacred artifacts, especially a significant artifact like the "Key of Prophecy," is an extremely serious matter.

Although Principal Yan had some suspicions, he still personally took charge and ordered the immediate retrieval and screening of all recent surveillance records.

Massive amounts of surveillance footage were quickly retrieved and played back.

Soon, a suspicious figure was identified—Little Phoebe.

In the two weeks leading up to his official announcement of leaving Star Alliance, surveillance footage clearly recorded him loitering around the Information Department building on multiple occasions.

In the video, he always has his hands in the pockets of his large coat, looking casual, but his eyes reveal a subtle curiosity.

Although it was impossible to see exactly what was in his pocket, judging from the subtle movements of his hands inside and the occasional bulging outlines that peeked out, it was clear that there were items inside.

Just a few days ago, Phoebe rejoined the Information Department.

This time, instead of wandering around, he chose to stand in a corner near the intersection of the elevator shaft and ventilation ducts, remaining there for quite some time. The surveillance footage clearly captured his expression at that moment; it was no longer aimless, but rather a state of focused concentration.

Soon after, a satisfied smile appeared on his lips as he left the Information Department building with light steps, never to set foot there again.

The very next day, Phoebe and several classmates announced in a high-profile manner that they were switching to Star Alliance Academy.

Clearly, Phoebe is either the mastermind or an accomplice.

Principal Yan stood at the monitoring station, his brows furrowed. He pointed to the corner of the screen where Phoebe had last stopped and ordered the core personnel in charge of technical investigation beside him in a deep voice: "Immediately calculate the straight-line distance between the locations he frequently visited these past few days, especially this last spot, and the vault where the 'Key of Prophecy' is stored, accurate to the centimeter."

In the tense atmosphere, the technician clearly reported the numbers: "Reporting to the principal, calculation complete. The straight-line distances from Phoebe's recent key locations to the Key of Prophecy are 31 meters, 32 meters, and 29 meters, respectively."

Xiao Fei's ability is telekinesis, or rather, a kind of spatial displacement.

Principal Yan slowly closed his eyes, the replacement range being about thirty meters.

The departure of Little Phoebe and Assistant Sun was by no means accidental, but rather an inevitable result of careful planning.

Phoebe successfully stole the "Key of Prophecy," which is the signal flare for her departure.

And what about Assistant Sun?
She has to leave; if she stays with Star Alliance, she'll immediately become the prime suspect.

She likely leaked the vault's exact location and even security details to Phoebe through some clandestine online method, acting as an "insider" and "eyes" in the theft.

If Su Ninglong hadn't informed them beforehand, they would have been kept in the dark for a long time.

He had anticipated this outcome; it was within his acceptable range.

I just feel sorry for Fennie.

Funi looked utterly miserable; her eyes were swollen as if she had been stung by a bee, and she could barely open them.

Thick glasses sat askew on his red nose, and tears mixed with sweat and dust left a disheveled mark on his face.

Principal Yan looked out the window.

A sliver of dawn was already peeking through the edges of the thick, dark clouds; daylight was approaching. He sighed and walked to Phoenix's side. "Phoenix, go back. You need to rest."

“But…but the things are gone.” Funi’s voice was broken by sobs. “It’s my fault, it’s my fault for not taking good care of them. I knew Assistant Sun would leave…but I was so stupid that I didn’t think to prevent her from stealing. How could I be so careless?”

She instinctively hugged herself tightly with her slender arms, as if that could ward off the overwhelming fear and chill, but she only felt more helpless and cold.

"I'm scared... Principal, I'm so scared... What if... what if my negligence plunges the Star Alliance into utter ruin? You worked so hard to build it up..."

This is the primary reason why Funi cried.

She dared not continue speaking, as images flashed through her mind: the withdrawal of major shareholders, the departure of students, and teachers being poached by Star Alliance with high salaries.

Each and every one of these incidents is like a heavy boulder, pushing the Star Alliance to the brink of collapse.

This reminded her of the groups she had been in, all of which ultimately ended with members dying, disappearing, or going their separate ways and becoming dust in history.

She feared that the Star Alliance, the place where she had poured so much of her heart and soul and placed so many of her beliefs, would follow in the same footsteps.

"The problem of the Key to Prophecy isn't just your problem. Don't worry, we're still here, aren't we? The core of the Star Alliance won't disband, I promise."

"But, but, you haven't..."

"The problem of the Key of Prophecy should never be a burden you bear alone." Principal Yan placed his broad hand on Funi's shoulder, his voice calm and reassuring. "The Key of Prophecy itself is incomplete. Its theft is certainly a blow, but it won't shake the foundation of our plan. An external object can only bring some extra trouble and losses. But we have Master Su and Su Ninglong; they stand firmly on our side, and that is the true source of our strength. How can the value of a dusty, ancient artifact compare to that of a master craftsman of unparalleled creativity?"
The sacred artifacts personally crafted by "Master Su" have repeatedly turned the tide at crucial moments, helping hunters achieve great feats, a fact that is already widely recognized.

"Looking at it from another angle, it's a good thing that Phoebe and Assistant Sun switched to Star Alliance. It's like they helped us get rid of the junk."

Moreover, they completely offended Su Ninglong, making a terrible mistake. Principal Yan didn't say this aloud, but Funi understood the deeper meaning.

She burped several times, realizing that further worrying would be pointless, so she followed the principal's advice and decided to rest and recover her energy.

The theft must be reported according to regulations; however, the existing clues are insufficient to determine that the one who stole the Key of Prophecy was Phoebe, who possesses special abilities.

Nevertheless, how to prevent thieves with special abilities like Phoebe from striking again has become a pressing issue for the Star Alliance.

The atmosphere in class the next day seemed to have returned to its usual calm.

The students had clearly put the incident of Funi being taken to the police station yesterday behind them, after all, she was standing on the podium as usual, teaching her class.

Of course, a few students who couldn't contain their curiosity came over after class and whispered to ask about what had happened the day before.

Phoenix didn't want to lie to the students, but since it involved Star Alliance secrets, she couldn't tell them the truth.

She glossed over it with a simple and vague statement: "What happened yesterday was just some necessary personnel adjustments and arrangements within the Star Alliance."

Immediately afterwards, she quickly assigned a large amount of homework, successfully shifting the students' inquisitive attention to the academic pressure at hand. A soft sigh immediately filled the classroom, as curiosity was temporarily replaced by the heavy workload.

On that very day, the malicious wave against Suninglong on the internet not only failed to subside, but instead, a new and even more intense "attack" broke out without warning, with all sorts of vicious speculations and slanders running rampant.

"Why does she get so many resources? Isn't it because she bribed teachers and professors?"

"Bullying is confirmed; someone personally heard her threatening younger students to pay protection money outside the restroom."

"That's not all. I heard she also gambles and smokes. She's become an alcoholic at a young age because her mother owns a bar..."

"If you've got the guts, then publicly reveal your account. We'll curse you until you cancel your account and quit the internet."

"I understand this kind of person all too well. They only dare to hide behind boys like cowards and don't dare to respond directly at all."

"Her true colors as a gold digger have been revealed. What wouldn't she do for money?"

"Birds of a feather flock together. She's that kind of person, so what good can her cronies be?"

"Wake up! All those companies under her name are empty shells, used specifically for money laundering and swindling. Don't believe them."

Such hostile remarks pierced Song Liu's eyes like a dense barrage of poisonous needles.