Even hybrid monsters have their day

Chapter 305 Clues

It didn't take them long to find their target in the large room.

The pen rack looked no different from the rack next to it, with all kinds of pens neatly arranged on it, from ordinary pens used by general staff to high-end signature pens used by managers.

The two men and their dog spent a long time observing and studying the shelf, but couldn't find anything different. They went there full of enthusiasm, but returned disappointed, having gained nothing.

However, a few days later, they discovered that the pen the waiter was using had been replaced with a new one. Taking advantage of being a woman, Geng Miaowan subtly inquired about it.

Normally, Xu Ruwen should have stepped in and used his good looks to his advantage, but this waiter just wouldn't have fallen for it. He treated Xu Ruwen, such a handsome guy, like a thief.

On the contrary, Geng Miaowan, after approaching and striking up a conversation, quickly learned quite a bit. If she had known that approaching would be so effective, she would have done it much earlier, instead of waiting until now.

Geng Miaowan had assumed the waitress's pen had been refilled from the warehouse, but according to her, it hadn't. She said that after using it last night, she put the pen in her pocket when she changed out of her uniform, and took it out to use this morning.

Ultimately, the problem still lay with the pen. They decided to go back to the warehouse to see if they could find anything.

They went in the evening, so most of the hotel staff had already gone home. When they returned to the pen rack, the sharp-eyed Xu Ruwen noticed that the pens on the rack seemed to be missing.

"Come and take a look at this."

Hearing his call, Geng Miaowan quickly went over and saw that Xu Ruwen was flipping through the pen collection book hanging on the pen rack. It clearly recorded that three people came to collect pens at 4 o'clock today.

This skill book has always been hanging here. Geng Miaowan saw it when they came to the warehouse last time. She flipped through it casually, but she didn't see any usage records that time.

How is this going?

However, both she and Xu Ruwen were extremely intelligent people, and after thinking about it carefully, they understood somewhat.

"It seems these pens weren't stolen, but rather taken out."

As soon as Geng Miaowan spoke, Xu Ruwen immediately came to a conclusion. "But these records disappear at midnight, so people who don't know the situation assume they were stolen."

Geng Miaowan's gaze fell indifferently on the requisition book. Although they now knew there was something wrong with these pens, they didn't know exactly what the problem was.

For several days in a row, they went in and out of the warehouse, becoming so familiar with the things inside that they felt like they were at home. If it weren't for the staff coming and going during the day, they would have loved to live there and never leave.

Even so, Geng Miaowan still couldn't find anything strange about it.

Things had reached a dead end. But she didn't lose heart; instead, she became even more determined that as long as she figured out the right path, she would definitely find a breakthrough.

Another half month passed, and it had been more than two months since they came to this space, and they had only figured out a little bit of the way.

Geng Miaowan could sense that the truth was very close to her. So close that it seemed to be right in front of her, yet she couldn't see it clearly or touch it. It was as if something was blocking her way, allowing her to only glimpse its shape but not its essence.

That day, they stayed in the warehouse until well past midnight. As midnight approached, many more items quietly appeared on the shelves, presumably items that had been used that day and would be returned to their original positions at midnight.

Geng Miaowan stared at the pen rack in front of her, on which sat a bowl of instant noodles, now filled with boiling water, weighed down by something. "Tell me," she said, "why were all the items that were issued returned to their original locations by midnight, except for these pens?"

This is the conclusion they reached after observing for many days.

Xu Ruwen wanted to say that he had been pondering this question for a long time as well. He glanced at the instant noodles on the shelf, then changed the subject, saying, "Your noodles are ready."

Geng Miaowan said "Oh," and brought over the noodles, intending to eat. However, she couldn't find her fork anywhere. "Strange, where's my fork? It was right here just now."

She looked around the shelf next to her a few more times, but still couldn't find it.

Huangfu Aohan said calmly, "Twelve has passed, your fork should have been restored by now."

Geng Miaowan nodded blankly, "Oh right, how could I forget about that?"

She stared at the bowl of noodles in her hands, somewhat confused. She didn't even have a fork; how was she supposed to eat it? She felt like she was going crazy from being here; her brain was getting worse and worse.

Knowing full well that the clock would reset at midnight, I still chose that time to eat instant noodles. Now look what's happened—I don't even have a fork anymore, how am I supposed to eat these noodles?

She sighed sadly and was about to put the noodles back on the shelf when something flashed in her eyes. She jumped up suddenly, spilling some of the noodle soup in her bowl.

"Oh my god! How could I not have thought of that!" she exclaimed in utter surprise.

"What's wrong? What's on your mind?" Xu Ruwen asked, and even Huangfu Aohan looked at her strangely.

"Noodles, noodles..." Geng Miaowan held the bowl of noodles in her hands as if she were holding a priceless treasure.

"What's wrong with the noodles?" Xu Ruwen and Huangfu Aohan were even more puzzled.

"The noodles!" Geng Miaowan exclaimed excitedly, gesturing wildly. "The fork was put back in its place, but my noodles weren't. Why is that?"

Her words startled both Xu Ruwen and Huangfu Aohan.

Xu Ruwen murmured, "Yes, everything has been restored, except for this bowl of noodles."

By reaching up and touching the surface, they quickly found the problem – the bowl of instant noodles hadn't been placed anywhere else, but on the shelf where the pens were!

"Could it be that..." Geng Miaowan considered the possibilities again in her mind before continuing, "We've been going in the wrong direction from the very beginning?"

Xu Ruwen understood her meaning somewhat. From the beginning, they had determined that the problem lay with the pens, so their investigation over the past few days had revolved around them. It could be said that these pens had captured all their attention.

But now it seems the problem might not be the pens, but the shelf itself. And the pens were only affected because they were placed on the shelf.

Thinking about it this way, they both felt that things were becoming clearer, like the sun breaking through the clouds.

Geng Miaowan and Xu Ruwen immediately began inspecting the shelves, their primary focus this time. Following this discovery, they indeed found some suspicious items on the shelves.

[May 15th is almost here! I hope to continue my climb on the 515 Red Envelope Ranking, and on May 15th, I can give back to readers with a red envelope rain and promote my work. Every little bit counts, and I'll definitely update harder!] (To be continued.)