At Research Institute No. 2 of the Azure Coalition in the Oriental Republic, there was a fireplace that blazed day and night by the entrance to the office area.

Xin Yaoqiao approached the fireplace and tossed the white-covered document she had received fifteen minutes ago into the flames, photos and all. She stood there for a time and watched it burn to nothing. Then she left.

The Azure Coalition had established a rule early on that research documents were never to leave the office area. This probably originated from a time when the research institute’s defenses were not yet as formidable, but the rule had persisted ever since and had become a well-known standard.

At first glance, the rule seemed to be mainly about protecting the documents, but long-term statistics actually proved that it was more about protecting the peop...