I was a rookie reporter in the 00s

Zhang Wanqing and the other two arrived at the company's server room, where rows of servers were humming. They found the server administrator and asked about the server's status.

The administrator said that the server did experience some glitches, but they were minor and quickly resolved. He found it unbelievable that someone could have secretly accessed the project data.

"Have you checked the surveillance?" Fu Siyuan asked.

The administrator shook his head. "No, we haven't found any suspicious individuals. However, we suspect someone within the company has leaked the information."

"Someone inside the company leaked information?" Zhang Wanqing frowned. "Have you ever suspected Chen Xiao?"

The administrator shook his head. "No, Chen Xiao is a good employee. He wouldn't do such a thing. Besides, he's been working overtime recently just to catch up on the project."

The three did not get much useful information from the administrator, but the server failure and data leakage mentioned by the administrator made them feel that something was wrong.

"We need to check the company's surveillance." Li Wei suggested.

The three of them went to the company's monitoring room, which was lined with rows of monitors showing every corner of the company. They found the security guard in charge of monitoring and asked about the situation.

The security guard said that the surveillance did not find any suspicious persons, but they found some strange things when they checked the surveillance.

"What strange thing?" Fu Siyuan asked.

The security guard retrieved the surveillance video, which showed a figure wandering in the company's corridor on the night Chen Xiao disappeared. The figure was blurry and his face could not be seen clearly, but it was certain that the person was not Chen Xiao.

"Who is this person?" Zhang Wanqing asked.

The security guard shook his head. "I don't know. We haven't found out who this person is. However, we suspect this person is related to Chen Xiao's disappearance."

"Is it related to Chen Xiao's disappearance?" Fu Siyuan's eyes lit up. "Then we need to check this person's identity."

The three began to investigate the identity of this mysterious man. They first checked the company's employee list but could not find who this person was. Then, they checked the company's visitor records but could not find who this person was.

"Who is this person?" Zhang Wanqing frowned. "Could this person be an outsider?"

"It's possible." Fu Siyuan nodded. "We need to expand the scope of the investigation and find out if this person is an outsider."

The three began to expand the scope of their investigation. They first checked the company's surrounding surveillance but did not find who the man was. Then, they checked the company's surrounding environment but did not find who the man was.

"Who is this person?" Zhang Wanqing frowned. "Could this person be a ghost?"

"Impossible." Fu Siyuan shook his head. "There are no ghosts in the world. This person must be a real person."

Sunlight filtered through the glass, casting patches of light onto the floor of the company corridor. Zhang Wanqing, Fu Siyuan, and Li Wei walked side by side, their footsteps remarkably clear in the quiet. Their goal was to find Li Lei and Xia Le and learn more about Chen Xiao's disappearance.

Li Lei is Chen Xiao's colleague and a technician at the company. He's usually quiet, but possesses strong technical skills. Xia Le, a competitor, has been coveting Chen Xiao's project. Both men have motives to sabotage the project, but the specific details require further investigation.

The three of them came to Li Lei's office and knocked on the door. A low voice responded from inside: "Come in."

When he opened the door, Li Lei was sitting in front of the computer, staring intently at the screen. He looked up and saw the three people. His eyes changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Li Lei, we are reporters from the newspaper and are investigating the case of Chen Xiao's disappearance." Zhang Wanqing said, her tone calm but with a hint of unquestionable firmness.

Li Lei frowned slightly, seeming a little impatient: "What does Chen Xiao's disappearance have to do with me?"

Fu Siyuan took a step forward, his eyes sharp. "We heard that you have a good relationship with Chen Xiao. Has he told you anything unusual recently?"

Li Lei was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "No, he has been very busy recently, and we hardly communicated."

Zhang Wanqing noticed that Li Lei's eyes flickered a little, and her heart moved: "Li Lei, are you sure you are not hiding anything?"

Li Lei raised his head, a flash of panic in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure: "I really don't know, you can ask other people."

Li Wei, watching from the sidelines, noticed that Li Lei's hands were trembling slightly, a clear sign of nervousness. Suddenly, Li Wei decided to try a different angle: "Li Lei, were you at the company the night Chen Xiao disappeared?"

Li Lei was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "I'm here. I worked overtime until very late."

"Working overtime so late?" Fu Siyuan pressed, "Have you seen Chen Xiao?"

Li Lei shook his head: "No, I was only focused on my work and didn't pay attention to him."

The three of them emerged from Li Lei's office, all feeling somewhat puzzled. Li Lei's answer seemed evasive, but there were no obvious flaws. They decided to investigate Xia Le again.

Xia Le's company was located on another floor of the same office building, and its decoration style was even more luxurious. The three of them arrived at Xia Le's office and knocked on the door. A crisp voice responded from inside: "Come in."

Pushing open the door, Xia Le was sitting at her desk. Seeing the three people, she smiled slightly, with a look of scrutiny in her eyes: "Three reporters, what do you want to see me for?"

Zhang Wanqing got straight to the point: "Xia Le, we're investigating Chen Xiao's disappearance. I heard you're in competition with his project."

Xia Le's smile faded slightly, and his tone was cold: "Competition is a normal business behavior. I don't have time to care about other people's private affairs."

Fu Siyuan took a step forward and looked directly at Xia Le: "Were you at the company the night Chen Xiao disappeared?"

Xia Le smiled slightly, with a hint of disdain in his eyes: "Of course I'm here, but I don't have time to care about a missing person. You should ask his colleagues, maybe you can find some clues."

Zhang Wanqing noticed a flash of panic in Xia Le's eyes, and her heart moved: "Xia Le, are you sure you are not hiding anything?"

Xia Le raised his head, with a hint of coldness in his eyes: "I have nothing to hide, you can go investigate other people."

Li Wei, watching from the sidelines, noticed a hint of panic in Xia Le's eyes, a clear sign of nervousness. Suddenly, Li Wei decided to change his perspective: "Xia Le, did you see anyone suspicious the night Chen Xiao disappeared?"

Xia Le was stunned for a moment, then shook his head: "No, I was only concerned with my work and didn't pay attention to him."

The three of them emerged from Xia Le's office, all feeling somewhat puzzled. Xia Le's answer seemed evasive, yet there were no obvious flaws. They decided to investigate other clues.