Chapter 29: Stealing Data (Part II)

Lin Fan was slightly stunned, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes, but he did not respond, silently watching her retreating figure.

Jiang Xingyu walked out of the Library without looking back, her steps light yet appearing exceptionally determined.

Lin Fan withdrew his gaze, falling into a brief contemplation: This girl does not seem simple. Were her words meant to remind me of something?

Or does she know some secret matters?

However, this question did not linger for long.

He quickly refocused his attention on the screen, the download progress continuing to climb, 19%… 20%…

He shook his head, casting aside distracting thoughts, and thought to himself: Regardless, as long as this data downloads successfully, I believe all the truths will surface.

The Library returned to calm, with only the sound of Lin Fan's fingertips tapping on the keyboard echoing within.

After Jiang Xingyu left, the Library fell into silence once again, with only Lin Fan and Karl remaining inside.

Lin Fan looked up out the window; figures were everywhere in the academy corridors, with students passing by in twos and threes.

However, this massive academy appeared strangely abnormal—not a single person walked into the Library.

It was clearly the Galactic Federation University, an institution gathering countless elite students, yet in this hall of knowledge, the Treasure Trove of knowledge between the bookshelves went unnoticed.

Lin Fan frowned slightly, a hint of confusion flashing through his mind.

"Could this place really just be an academic institution on the surface?"

He pondered secretly, but his operations in hand did not stop.

The progress bar on the screen jumped rapidly, 95%… 96%… Finally, in the silence, the progress bar filled up.

"Download complete."

Lin Fan pressed the final key, and the System interface quietly closed.

He pulled out the portable storage device, tucked it into his clothes, and simultaneously looked back at Karl, who had been guarding the door the entire time.

"Let's go," Lin Fan said in a low voice, his tone carrying a touch of calmness.

Karl nodded, vigilantly scanning the surroundings, and after confirming there were no anomalies, immediately followed Lin Fan.

Stepping out of the Library, the sunlight outside filtered through the branches and leaves, spilling onto the academy's stone path, the students' laughter and relaxed footsteps appearing so peaceful.

Lin Fan, however, felt an indescribable sense of unease.

Everyone was chatting and strolling, yet no one was focused on knowledge; even the Library was completely empty.

What exactly were these students learning? Or perhaps… no one was learning at all?

The questions in Lin Fan's mind grew more numerous, but he did not show a hint of anything unusual.

Obtaining the data was only the first step; next, he had to decipher these secrets and unearth the true secrets behind the Galactic Federation University.

As the two figures gradually disappeared into the depths of the academy, the surface calm of this institution began to be shrouded in an unspeakable shadow.

Lin Fan drove the silver starfire c9 sports car, its streamlined design shimmering in the sunlight as it quickly merged into the city's traffic.

Karl, in the passenger seat, remained vigilant, his eyes scanning the surroundings to ensure there were no tails or potential threats.

Inside the car, Lin Fan's hand tapped lightly on the dashboard.

Through his quantum phone, he retrieved the No. 000 quantum data and began decoding and sharing the downloaded materials in advance.

However, the content just parsed made Lin Fan frown.

"Book purchase lists, academy party expenses, various bribes… and even some statistics on improper relationships between students and teachers."

Suddenly, Lin Fan saw several heavily encrypted files. "These contents actually take up such a large amount of data space?"

He casually clicked on one of the files, but a moment later discovered the content was actually passionate surveillance recordings between certain teachers and students.

"To cover up these unspeakable things, these people actually used such complex encryption methods?"

Lin Fan scoffed coldly, his evaluation of this academy dropping once again in his heart.

Karl watched the holographic projection shared by Lin Fan on his arm, his brows furrowing slightly:

"No wonder the download time was so long; these passionate video files actually amount to several thousand T."

Lin Fan's gaze was calm as his fingers swiped quickly across the screen, continuing to browse the data.

However, apart from these trivial contents, the information he truly wanted was nowhere to be found.

"The academy's true secrets are still hidden very well," Lin Fan said blandly, his tone carrying a hint of reluctance.

Karl pondered for a moment and said, "Perhaps this is just peripheral data; the real core data might require deeper-level authorization. We need to find another way to approach the target."

Lin Fan nodded, his gaze focused on the road ahead: "Since they like to play these games of deception, let's see how long they can hide it."

The starfire c9 turned at an intersection into a crowded street, and Lin Fan and Karl quickly disappeared into it, the car's taillights flickering once in the sunlight before vanishing from sight.

Lin Fan and Karl crossed the busy street and walked to an ATM.

People came and went all around, but no one noticed their presence.

However, Karl's robust physique and vigilant gaze, combined with Lin Fan's understated yet elegant attire, still drew some attention.

Karl stood behind Lin Fan with his arms crossed, blocking potential prying eyes like a wall, looking exactly like a scene of a wealthy Young Master withdrawing money with his bodyguard.

Lin Fan took out the No. 000 quantum phone and connected it to the ATM's backend System.

After a series of operations, he said softly:

"For the principal, cash transactions are the safest. After all, while untraceable transfers leave no records, they are too deliberate and would instead arouse suspicion."

"Cash is indeed safer," Karl responded calmly, his gaze vigilantly scanning the surroundings. "Are you sure you need this much?"

"It's necessary," Lin Fan smiled faintly. "The principal of Galactic Federation University is notoriously greedy."

The ATM screen flickered, and then it began spitting out thick stacks of bills.

Lin Fan reached out to take them, and the cash, piled up like a small mountain, was quickly organized by Karl into his carry-on bag.

In a short while, a whole bag was filled, exactly one million.

"Is one million Alliance credits enough?"

"Not enough, this is just the beginning."

"Xiao Du, is there any problem with putting this money into the System space?"

Lin Fan currently had no cultivation, so he could only put it in the System space for now.

"It is possible, but storing these miscellaneous items in the System space costs a fee."

"How is it charged?"

"100 Merit points per cubic meter, per day."

Lin Fan calculated; one cubic meter could hold about eighty million Alliance credits. His current 3000 Merit points would only last 30 days.

"Forget it, my Merit points are too low right now. Karl…"

"Hey, wait a second. Although storing it in the System space costs a fee, you could consider putting it in my room."

Xiao Du's room was the living space for System agents and could span multiple realms.

It could indeed store various things, but System agents generally would not provide this service.

"That's so great!"

"Of course. Considering you share your Merit points with me every time you earn them, helping with this little thing is nothing."

Lin Fan's backpack, full of Alliance credits, rapidly flattened.

Everything had been transferred to Xiao Du's room.