The Thief

"I'm certain this was done by someone within the base. There were sentries stationed at the shore, and no pirates were spotted," remarked one individual, causing a sinking feeling among the group.

"I suspect it's someone from the office building," analyzed a senior executive. "We've checked inside, and nothing was damaged, indicating that someone intentionally let others in."

"If that's the case, then we should detain and interrogate all those responsible for guarding."

"That sounds feasible. Our response must be swift; we can't let them escape."

"Crawford and Hurley are relatively trustworthy, but we should investigate the Allen family members."

Upon hearing this, Ignatius expressed some displeasure. "I've known the Allen family for quite some time. It's unlikely to be them; otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to transport those weapons back."

If Alice had such intentions, she would have acted long ago; there was no need to wait until today.

"Base Commander, people can be deceptive. In the face of significant interests, even the most genuine intentions can falter. To ensure fairness, we should investigate everyone," suggested another.

To clear the suspicion from the Allen family, Ignatius reluctantly agreed. "Very well, organize the investigation and find out the truth as soon as possible to give everyone an explanation."

Meanwhile, the Allen family members were also analyzing who the thief could be.

Arnold pondered for a moment. "My inclination is towards collusion between the guards and outsiders."

"Outsiders can't enter without keys unless someone inside is letting them in," pointed out Alice calmly. "Let's just investigate; we'll cooperate."

They had nothing to hide if they weren't involved.

Atticus and Blanche remained open-minded, awaiting the truth.

The next day, Ignatius led the investigation, with each person questioned thoroughly.But there was no further progress; it seemed that everyone was in the clear.

"The more someone appears faultless, the larger the actual problem. Some individuals may seem to answer impeccably, but it only raises suspicion," Ignatius remarked. "You can report anyone suspicious, and the base will handle it seriously."

At that moment, a man stepped forward. "Base Commander, I report the Allen family. From my observations, they behave strangely as a family. Not only do they avoid others during meals, but they also always seem to act suspiciously. Once, I saw Alexander on guard duty with his back turned towards us, and he appeared extremely flustered when we approached."

"And it's not just him; Arnold does the same thing. He frequently glances at us and pretends to be calm when someone passes by."

"I find all the Allen family members suspicious. We all come from the same team, but the Allen family joined midway, and nobody knows what they were like before. I suggest we thoroughly investigate them."

"Also, don't forget about Alice. I offered her some food once, but she refused and even seemed disdainful. Either she's pretending or they're not short on supplies. But where did their supplies come from?"

"I've seen them in the exchange hall before; they have some supplies, but not enough to live extravagantly."

Everyone's suspicion turned towards the Allen family.

Alexander was bewildered. Was he behaving suspiciously? He recalled being hungry and planning to eat a biscuit to stave off hunger when two people happened to pass by, so he put it away.

Arnold's mouth twitched upon hearing the accusations. These people were clearly trying to shift blame, blowing small matters out of proportion. He had only stood guard out of boredom and wanted to snack on some fish jerky, but as soon as someone approached, he put it away. Besides that, he hadn't done anything untoward.

These accusations were utterly absurd. It seemed they were being scapegoated just to find someone to blame.Ignatius couldn't help but turn towards the Allen family members. "Do you have anything to explain?"

Alice replied nonchalantly, "What's wrong with us snacking? We're all disciplined individuals; it's not appropriate to eat openly during work, so we have to sneak it in. It's unfortunate that it's seen as wrongdoing by others. As for our supplies, they come from our previous stock. Some people may not believe it, but there's nothing we can do about that."

"Base Commander, these people are the ones with bigger issues. Think about why they keep trying to tarnish our reputation just to clear their own names. If you believe them, we'll miss the opportunity to catch the real thief," Alexander interjected quickly.

The two sides began to argue vehemently, each unwilling to yield.

The Allen family remained unusually calm, presenting their arguments logically, while the guards grew increasingly agitated.

Later that evening, Ignatius discussed the matter with Hurley.

"So, you still think the Alice family is innocent?" Ignatius asked.

"It's not them," Hurley asserted confidently.

Ignatius glanced at him, half-jokingly remarking, "Hmm, you're quite protective of them."

"The Allen family doesn't lack supplies; there's no need for them to risk everything for a bit of food," Hurley continued to defend them.

"Really? Do they have a lot of supplies?" Ignatius asked out of curiosity.

Hurley smirked mysteriously. "I can't say for sure how much, but they're not short on food. Their peculiar behaviors they mentioned are just to avoid drawing attention, not what they're being accused of."

After pondering for a moment, Ignatius said, "I see. Actually, I also don't think it's them."

To put it bluntly, Alice was capable of taking the supplies herself with her weapons and skills. They wouldn't be able to stop her, especially considering how diligently she had been working all this time.

"Continue investigating the others discreetly. Otherwise, they'll all try to pin it on the Allen family to shift blame," Ignatius instructed.At this point, Ignatius was somewhat angry. While he understood their behavior of shifting blame, exaggerating it excessively seemed deliberate.

The news of this incident somehow spread, and everyone was worried that the office building might be targeted by thieves again.

"Base Commander, if necessary, we can move half of the supplies up to the mountain. With so many of us, we can surely guard it effectively."

"How far is the office building from here? If it gets robbed again, we won't receive notification in time."

"There's a saying: don't put all your eggs in one basket. Keeping all the supplies in the office building poses too much risk. It's better to split them between here and there to reduce the risk."

Ignatius furrowed his brow slightly upon hearing this. "It's not that I don't trust everyone, but the environment up on the mountain isn't ideal. The air is humid, and there's a risk of the food getting moldy if we move it up there. Keeping it in the office building eliminates this concern."

The others fell silent for a moment, realizing Ignatius had considered more factors than they had. They could only offer simple suggestions.

"I understand everyone's concern for the food; after all, it's essential for our survival. How about this? I'll move the supplies that are less prone to moisture up to the mountain."

Hearing this, everyone felt relieved. While having all the food stored in the office building, they were also worried about the possibility of it being stolen.

Ignatius immediately ordered an inventory check and eventually transferred a third of the supplies to the mountain.

More people were stationed at the office building for surveillance. Since the thief hadn't been found, everyone suspected the Allen family.

They couldn't help but cast suspicious glances whenever they saw them.

Seeing this, Ignatius asked if they still wanted to take guard duty. If they didn't want to, they didn't have to.

Atticus replied expressionlessly, "We'll go. Why wouldn't we? If we don't show up, people might think we're guilty and hiding."