Chapter 449

"Hey, don't overthink it!" Hannah Morse waved her hand dismissively. "If the school has arrangements, they'll definitely notify us."

We'll know when the time comes.

Why speculate blindly now?

Sophia Sullivan nodded. "That makes sense. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Exactly! We just published another paper in Nature Biotechnology. Shouldn't we be celebrating?"

"We should."

Hannah looked at Marcus.

He gave a slight nod.

"Perfect! Let's go into the city for a fancy dinner today! There's a new Thai place on Newbury Street. The reviews are amazing. I've been dying to try it!"

Hannah's food radar was activated again.

The lab was located in the suburbs. Going downtown was considered "going into the city" for her.

Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Just dinner to celebrate?"

Hannah blinked. "French cuisine works too."

"..."

"Or Japanese? Cantonese? I'm easy!"

"..."

In the end, the three of them went to that Thai restaurant.

Dinner ended at eight PM.

The night was deep, and the city lights had just begun to glow.

"Has Senior Caleb been to the lab recently?" Hannah suddenly remembered something.

Marcus pondered. "Haven't seen him since the semester started. What about you, Sophia?"

Sophia shook her head. "I haven't run into him either."

"That's strange..." Hannah frowned. "Third-year grad students have few classes. He's a workaholic. There's no reason for him not to come."

Before the Spring Festival, Caleb had mentioned rushing data for two models, planning to submit papers right after the semester began.

Sophia guessed, "Maybe he hasn't returned to campus yet?"

MIT had lax management for graduating students. It was acceptable to arrive on campus a few days after completing online registration.

Hannah nodded. "If he were back, he'd definitely be in the lab."

Sophia added, "I called him a few days ago, but no one answered. Later, his phone was turned off completely. I'll go ask at the department tomorrow."

...

The next day, Sophia inquired with other third-year grad students and confirmed they had very few classes.

Caleb indeed had not returned to campus.

She returned to the lab. Just as she put on her lab coat, Hannah rushed in breathlessly—

"Sophia! Something's wrong!"

Sophia looked up. "What is it?"

"I went to find Jude Granger to ask about Senior Caleb. Turns out, he hasn't returned to campus either! I felt something was off, so I quickly asked other third-year students. Senior Caleb really isn't back!"

"You taught me that too many coincidences are not coincidences."

Sophia's brow furrowed tightly. "So both Caleb and Jude haven't returned?"

"Yes!"

"Senior Caleb returning late is somewhat normal. But Jude, that model student, would never dare to do something like this."

First-year grad students were under strict scrutiny.

Violating rules could lead to expulsion.

Jude had worked hard to transfer under Professor Watson's guidance. He cherished the opportunity immensely. Professor Watson had even created a customized training plan for him...

He wouldn't take such a risk.

Hannah said, "So the more I thought about it, the more wrong it felt."

Sophia's expression turned grave. "There is definitely a problem."

"A third-year senior said Senior Caleb's parents are in poor health. Could something at home have delayed him?"

Marcus stated calmly, "His parents have always been in poor health. It never delayed him before. It's unlikely now, unless there's an emergency."

"An emergency?"

"Like a sudden worsening of their condition requiring care, or something happening at home that he can't leave."

Sophia asked, "If it's just something with Caleb's family, how do we explain Jude not returning either?"

"This..."

Sophia concluded, "Guessing is useless. We need to contact Caleb first."

Over the next few days, the three tried every method to reach Caleb.

Phone calls, emails, messages on social platforms...

All attempts vanished without a trace.

"What do we do now?"

Two weeks into the semester, Sophia explained the situation to Professor Eleanor Watson. Professor Watson communicated with the school administration, temporarily postponing action against the two students.

But the school wouldn't wait indefinitely.

Professor Watson said, "One week extension at most."

"Two weeks have already passed. We only have seven days left." Hannah paced anxiously. "What if they can't make it back... Will the school really expel them?"

No one could guarantee otherwise.

"Are we just supposed to wait? There's nothing we can do?"

Marcus said, "We've done all we can. Now we can only wait for news."

"But... Sophia, what do you think?"

Sophia thought for a moment. "Let's try to find Caleb's home address."

"Address?" Hannah was stunned. "You want to go to his hometown?"

"It's the only way to find out what's happening."

Hannah declared, "I'm coming too!"

Marcus added, "It's not safe for two girls alone. Count me in."

"You?" Hannah looked him over. "Can you fight?"

Marcus: "..." This isn't about fighting.

"...Is violence necessary?"

The three immediately split up to take action.

Sophia asked Professor Watson for Caleb's basic information.

Hannah contacted senior students familiar with Caleb to inquire about his address.

Marcus checked Caleb's student records through the registrar's office.

After a busy afternoon, they reconvened.

Sophia spoke first. "The address Caleb provided is incomplete. It only lists Qijiang District, Chongqing Municipality."

Hannah nodded. "That's what I found out too!"

They both looked at Marcus.

Hannah asked impatiently, "Did you find the full address?"

Marcus nodded slowly. "I did."

Their eyes lit up.

Marcus said solemnly, "Datong Town, Qijiang District, Chongqing Municipality."