Shifan stammered, "I... I just think this isn't right..."
He quickly changed the subject: "By the way... can I ask why you're looking for Xiaosheng?"
Xiang-LEE was the first to answer: "That question involves privacy. We cannot disclose details to unrelated individuals."
Shifan forced a smile: "Understood, understood... Speaking of which, this robot looks familiar. Could it be... from Moontree Lodge?"
Lucian's expression turned serious: "You're mistaken. This robot is called the Cosmic Robot—"
Rover cut Lucian off: "We have confidentiality obligations."
Shifan laughed awkwardly again: "I... I see. I heard wishes at Moontree Lodge come true easily. I wanted to try it myself."
"Ahem... The centrifuge's timer is almost up. I should go check on the samples now."
With that, Shifan hurried away.
But from his guilty tone and expression just now, some clues were already apparent.
Lucian and Rover exchanged glances and said in unison: "He's suspicious!"
Lucian pondered: "There are two possibilities now. Either he knows Xiaosheng, or he is Xiaosheng himself."
"And from the very beginning, someone has been watching us..."
Lucian turned around and noticed a researcher hiding in the bushes, sneakily observing them.
Rover wondered: "That's... Should we go ask?"
The group approached the furtive researcher, who sighed and rubbed his forehead: "I knew I'd be spotted... But I actually wanted to talk to you too."
Lucian raised an eyebrow: "Talk to us? You overheard our conversation just now, right? Do you know Xiaosheng?"
The researcher nodded slightly: "My name is Jiuli. I know you want to help Xiaosheng fulfill his wish, but you don't know his real identity."
Lucian nodded: "Correct. Are you saying the person we just spoke to is Xiaosheng?"
Jiuli sighed: "Yes. As expected of Intelligence Officer Lucian—your observation is sharp."
"He probably guessed your identities too, which is why he made an excuse to leave in a hurry. Sigh... He's still running away out of habit."
Jiuli continued: "When I first discovered Xiaosheng was Shifan, I was shocked too. We grew up together, studied together, and even entered the research institute together."
"Since childhood, he's always been outstanding—friendly, polite, and effortlessly fitting into any group."
"But at some point, he started posting those negative messages on the forums. Figuring out Xiaosheng's identity didn't take me long. I'm too familiar with how he speaks."
"I tried asking him directly, but he always avoided the topic. And... he started distancing himself from me, even transferring out of the research project we used to work on together."
After speaking, Jiuli took out a photo of himself with Shifan. However, Lucian and Rover noticed Jiuli's hands were trembling slightly, unlike the steadiness of a young person's.
Lucian asked: "What happened to your hand?"
Jiuli explained: "Oh, it's an old injury from an Echo-related experiment. Though not serious, it left some lasting effects. Since then, I haven't been able to operate precision instruments."
"I once wondered if Shifan distanced himself because I couldn't continue researching his project, but I know he's not that kind of person."
Xiang-LEE interjected: "Analysis: Jiuli's information has a 99% reliability rate. To fulfill the wish objective, further details are recommended."
Lucian mused: "Could it be that Shifan blames himself for your hand injury?"
"You mentioned you used to work on a project together, right?"
Then, Lucian recounted everything they had learned at Moontree Lodge about Shifan's wish.
Jiuli grew anxious: "That's very possible! But the truth isn't like that—I never thought my injury was his fault!"
"He wrote that wish, but in reality, he acts no different from before—still smiling, comforting others, helping them shoulder their burdens..."
Rover looked at Lucian: "Seems you were right. Outwardly, he acts normal, but inside, he's suffering..."
Jiuli quickly added: "That just makes people worry even more..."
"I can't even talk to Shifan properly now. Maybe you can!"
"Shifan has been fascinated by Echoes since childhood. Maybe you can approach him through that!"
After parting ways, Rover asked: "What should we do next?"
Lucian thought for a moment: "Since he likes Echoes, why don't we gather some Echo-related data?"
Xiang-LEE replied: "Feasibility: 98%."
Lucian: "Let's go find him directly. My terminal is full of Echoes—he can study whichever one he wants."
With that, Lucian took Rover's hand and headed outside the research institute, where they found Shifan.
Shifan looked listless: "Intelligence Officer Lucian, Rover... You're back? Still haven't found that Xiaosheng?"
Lucian smiled: "Young man, you look a bit weak. How about some 'Echo data' as medicine?"
Shifan stared at the screen Lucian pulled up: "This is... physical Echo test data. Why do you have this? No—how did you even get this data?"
Lucian chuckled: "That's none of your concern."
Shifan hesitated: "Then... what do you want to know?"
Lucian pointed at Jiao-Jiao beside them: "See her? This little girl is very interested in Echoes. We heard you're an expert in the field, so we came to seek your advice."
Jiao-Jiao: "?"
Shifan sighed: "I haven't been one for a long time... But..."
Then, as he examined the Echo data, he began muttering a stream of incomprehensible jargon.
After a while, his expression suddenly turned excited: "This data—can you sell it to me? I'll pay any price!"
"But... even with this data... if it's just me alone..."
Lucian's eyes lit up: "Sell it to you? An unexpected harvest?"
Rover placed a hand over Lucian's mouth. After a pause, Lucian licked her palm.
Feeling the tickle, Rover coughed lightly: "So this is your wish, isn't it? Xiaosheng?"
Shifan froze: "Wh-what do you mean?"
Xiang-LEE said: "Whether it's about your friend or your Echo research, you've always carried regrets."
Shifan took a deep breath: "I don't understand what you're saying. That experiment had a serious accident—I was the one who shut it down. How could I possibly—"
Rover smiled: "You didn't deny being Xiaosheng, though?"