Chapter 26 – The Canary's Silence
Two hours later, Bai Xueqing stood alone in the dim archive room of Bai Corp's internal HR division, a tablet in hand. Dozens of employee records glowed on the screen, each one cross-checked and sorted by Zhihao's code filter.
One name kept surfacing under multiple internal aliases. One profile that had been unusually "clean."
Tang Xinyi. Recently promoted to data compliance officer. Smart. Quiet. Excellent reviews.
Too perfect.
Mo Chen appeared at the doorway, phone pressed to his ear. "Confirmed. Tang Xinyi never existed before three years ago. Her ID registration is a forgery."
Xueqing's jaw tightened. "Then she's our Canary."
"Zhihao's trying to backtrack her digital footprints. But she's buried them deep."
"Where is she now?"
He looked up, eyes narrowing. "Still inside the building. Probably knows we're closing in."
Xueqing set the tablet down and pulled out her phone. "Then it's time we listen to the bird sing."
---
Ten minutes later, Tang Xinyi stepped into Xueqing's office, her face neutral.
"You called for me, Miss Bai?"
Xueqing didn't look up from the file she was leafing through. "Yes. I wanted to review some discrepancies in last month's data transfer logs. You were the last one to access the compliance servers."
"I remember," Xinyi said evenly. "There was an issue with the firewall permissions."
"Oh?" Xueqing finally looked up. "Because the IT logs say the system was stable. And that someone exported data using an executive-level bypass code."
Xinyi's expression didn't flicker. "You think I had access to that?"
"I don't think," Xueqing said softly. "I know."
Mo Chen emerged from the side office, silent as a shadow.
"Would you like to explain," he said, holding up a hard drive, "why your access code led us to this? Compiled footage, reports, voice notes. All about Xueqing. All sent to an encrypted cloud address linked to Yanshang's proxy network."
For a moment, silence. Then—Xinyi laughed.
Cold. Almost mocking.
"I knew the cage was closing," she said, calmly pulling off the brooch from her collar and setting it on the table. "You're too clever, Miss Bai. I was told you'd be."
"Who sent you?"
She smiled faintly. "I only answer to one voice."
"Xu Yanshang," Mo Chen growled.
"No," she said, eyes gleaming. "Someone older. Someone darker."
The room chilled.
Xueqing leaned forward. "Then you're going to tell us everything. Or that voice won't be the last thing you hear."