Chapter: 1855

“Well... That was quick," Karen remarked, her eyes fixed on the screen. She swiftly took the tablet from Rachel and connected it to her computer, eager to examine the virus.

Ethan and Barnett leaned in, curious, as they watched her work.

Karen's frown deepened after some keyboard tapping. “How is this possible? There's no sign of it. Did the virus actually destroy itself?"

“What is this virus? It's incredibly strong," Barnett said, sounding alarmed.

Karen glanced at Rachel, who started to clarify, “I'm not sure exactly what the virus is, but it can sneak past antivirus scans easily once it's in a computer. It can access a ton of data quickly.

Some of the data that leaked included mine and some of Klein's. Ever since I found out about the leak yesterday, I've been trying to figure it out. It wasn't until I discovered this virus that I realized my computer was probably the source of the leak."

Karen listened intently, her lips pressed together.

With a skeptical look, Klein questioned Rachel, "Don't you think there are gaps in your story?"

"Any other questions?"

"How did you find the virus if it could delete itself without a trace?" Klein pressed.

Rachel was ready for this. She had thought through her answers the night before.

“Last night, while trying to understand the data leak, I turned on my computer. I often connect to my office computer from home after work, so I can easily access information or handle difficult tasks.

Last night, when I was about to review the data analysis Barnett sent, I noticed my computer screen flickered briefly," she explained confidently, looking at Klein.

"I've been thinking about the data leak. When I saw my computer screen flickering, I got alert right away. A friend of mine, who's pretty savvy about hacking, told me about these tiny viruses that hide so well, they can slip past anti-virus software. We need to open every file and check them one by one. So, I gave it a shot. I was extra careful and eventually found the virus tucked away in a tiny folder."

Karen added her observation. "That makes sense. Yesterday, as I was leaving, I noticed Rachel was the last one out. She was hooking up her PC to the office computer."

At this, Klein sharply turned and gave Karen a cold look.

Karen had been suspicious of Klein. Even though he didn't seem Like the main suspect anymore, she still didn't trust him completely. When he glared at her, she stared right back and retorted, "Why are you looking at me like that? I'm just telling the truth!"

Klein shifted his attention back to Rachel and questioned, "If you really found the virus last night, why didn't you stop it right then and there, especially knowing there's critical data on your computer?"

This put Rachel in a tight spot.

If she had acted to stop the data theft, the virus would have self-destructed, leaving no evidence behind.

In that case, her story today wouldn't hold up.

But if she had let the virus steal the data, then their enemies would have gained much more, including key information. Even if Rachel proved she wasn't guilty, she'd still be responsible for letting it happen.

Klein's question was like setting a trap for her.

Rachel pulled out a U disk from her bag and placed it on the table.