"Grace, what good is this stuff? We can’t mail it back to Celestia, can we?" Joanne Chase, who had been quiet the whole time, couldn’t help but ask Grace Winslow with a puzzled look once they got home.

"You’re right, we can’t take them back ourselves, but we can draw up blueprints," Grace Winslow said with a mysterious smile. "And besides, if we can’t, what about the people at the embassy? Don’t you think they can? This is all just discarded equipment, not the good stuff." With that, she carried the items inside.

They had bought quite a lot, so they even spent a little money to have a car deliver it all.

Back in her room, Grace Winslow found some tools and started dismantling the equipment.

She took out a pen and paper and slowly began sketching the internal structure.

The process was incredibly complex. The distance between each component and the size of the parts all had to be carefully recorded. She didn’t have precise instruments for measurement, so she could only note down approximations. She drew for a long time until her neck was sore, and she had still only completed a small part.

Grace Winslow shook out her arms, completely exhausted.

’Those engineers are truly incredible. This drafting work is torture.’

After muttering her complaint, she glanced at the time. It was almost nine o’clock.

Not daring to waste any time, Grace Winslow immediately got up, made a simple meal, and after eating, washed up and fell straight into bed.

The next day was a weekend, so they had no classes. Grace Winslow took Joanne Chase with her, borrowed a bicycle from their landlady, and they headed straight for the embassy.

Grace Winslow and Joanne Chase had been to the embassy once before on their first day in Country Y, so the staff recognized them. Assuming they were there to make a phone call, they didn’t stop them and even greeted them politely.

Grace Winslow gave Leon Rhys’s name and was able to meet with the person in charge. She then briefly explained the situation. "I’ve already bought the items, but they’re difficult to move. If you want them, you can go to where we’re staying to pick them up. It’s all laboratory equipment, and it should be helpful for our country’s development."

"Oh, and there’s this. You can take it back for the experts in Celestia to look at. It’s very important experimental data."

Grace Winslow handed over the laboratory documents from her bag.

They were likely thrown out as trash by mistake, but they were all highly important, confidential documents.

Luckily, the man running the scrapyard didn’t know what they were; otherwise, she would have never been able to buy them.

"This is how you got all of this?" Liam Callahan’s expression changed the moment he saw the documents Grace Winslow took out.

"I bought them at a scrapyard. They must have been accidentally thrown out with the trash. There’s a lot of this kind of data in the lab, so as long as they don’t go through their records, they won’t find out it’s missing. By the time they do, this stuff should already be back in Celestia."

"Our exchange program ends in a month, and then we head back to Celestia. As long as nothing goes wrong in the next month, we’ll be fine," Grace Winslow analyzed calmly.

Liam Callahan couldn’t help but marvel at how audacious Grace Winslow was.

Most people wouldn’t dare go to a scrapyard to scavenge for discarded equipment, nor would they even think of it.

But Grace Winslow hadn’t just thought of it, she had acted on it. That, to him, was extraordinary.

"Comrade Grace Winslow, the two of you saw the man at the scrapyard. He’ll definitely recognize you. After all, Celestian faces are quite distinct here. Therefore, I advise you to return to Celestia immediately. Do not delay. Otherwise, there could be an unavoidable accident."

"The data you’ve obtained is crucial. We cannot allow you to face any danger," Liam Callahan said firmly.

Grace Winslow hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. "No, I can’t leave now. I still have something very important to do here. They’re in the middle of a crucial experiment, and I’ve already recorded most of the data. I just need to get the last bit. This information is vital. Once I return to Celestia and hand it over to the right technical personnel, I’m certain they’ll be able to achieve a breakthrough."

"I know it’s risky, but a person has to stand for something. If anything goes wrong, I will bear all the consequences myself. Just focus on escorting the other exchange students back to Celestia, assuming they’re willing to leave."

Liam Callahan opened his mouth to speak but stopped. He never expected someone as young as Grace Winslow to possess such profound conviction.

Many people could never do this.

In fact, some people saw life abroad as infinitely better than back home. They would do anything to get out and rush toward the future they imagined for themselves.

"Just be careful. If you sense anything is wrong, run immediately. As long as you make it to the embassy, no one can harm you." Liam Callahan knew he couldn’t change Grace Winslow’s mind, so he tried a different tactic.

A smile appeared on Grace Winslow’s face. "Don’t worry. I cherish my own life more than anyone. I won’t let anything happen to me."

"Alright, come get the things after dark. We’re going to head back now." Having accomplished her goal, Grace Winslow waved and prepared to leave with Joanne Chase.

Liam Callahan watched her go. Just as she was about to reach the door, he couldn’t resist calling out, "Wait a moment. I’ll give you something for self-defense."

Grace Winslow never would have imagined that the "something for self-defense" Liam Callahan mentioned was a handgun.

Astonishment was written all over her face. "This... I don’t know how to use it. It’s no use to me. You should just keep it."

"It’s fine, take it," Liam Callahan insisted, pressing it on her. "Even if you can’t fire it, you can use it to scare someone. And remember my words: the second you’re in danger, run! Don’t hesitate!"

Unable to refuse, Grace Winslow had no choice but to accept it.

With the gun tucked away in her bag, she felt a sense of nervous guilt even though she hadn’t done anything.

However, owning a firearm was legal abroad. It was just that she, having grown up under the red flag, wasn’t at all used to the idea.

Grace Winslow’s legs were still trembling as she left the embassy.

Joanne Chase wasn’t in much better shape either.

As they rode back, Grace Winslow couldn’t help but remark, "Doing something like this for the first time... it’s actually a bit of a rush."

Joanne Chase found this amusing. "Grace, I thought you were fearless, afraid of neither heaven nor earth. Turns out you get scared too?" 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Grace Winslow shot her a look. "Of course I do. I’m a normal person, so why wouldn’t I be scared? I’m scared to death."

"Okay, let’s get back. From now on, you need to act perfectly calm, as if nothing happened."

"It’ll take them a long time to even realize the data is gone, let alone trace it to the scrapyard. We still have time to prepare."

Joanne Chase nodded emphatically.

After resting through the weekend, classes resumed as usual on Monday.

Grace Winslow remained incredibly busy, with an endless list of things to do every day.

Everything at the university seemed normal, and the missing lab data hadn’t caused any commotion.

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

Professor Steve was still very keen on having Grace Winslow stay, but she refused him unequivocally.

The moment the time came, she and Joanne Chase packed their belongings and, without the slightest hesitation, took a taxi to the airport.

Meanwhile, back at the university, someone had finally discovered that a box of research data was missing from the lab—and the most important one at that. The news instantly sent the entire university into an uproar, and a massive search was launched for the lost documents.