Koleda took a deep breath and said, "Actually, even if you couldn't get the answers to your questions from us, you could easily find them by searching online."
"Ten years ago, Belobog Heavy Industries had a scandal involving the CEO absconding with funds. The person who did it was my father—Hols, the CEO of Belobog Heavy Industries at the time."
"On the eve of the Fall of the Old Capital, a large sum of money suddenly vanished from Belobog Heavy Industries's accounts, and that guy disappeared at the same time..."
"Because of that guy's irresponsible actions, we went through an extremely difficult period. Fortunately, the rest of us have managed to pull ourselves back up."
After listening, Ling said apologetically, "I'm sorry, it seems I made you recall unpleasant memories..."
Hu Tao also nodded from the side, saying, "Mhm, it's already impressive that you've managed to achieve what you have today. I admire you for recovering."
Koleda gave a laugh that was both hearty and helpless. "Heh, it's fine. I stopped considering that irresponsible scum my father a long time ago, and the current Belobog Heavy Industries has absolutely nothing to do with him."
Just then, Grace, who had been inspecting the three machines nearby, walked over unnoticed. Hearing Koleda's words, she immediately said, "Wait a minute, Koleda, how can you talk about your own father like that?"
"It's true that a large sum of money was missing from the company accounts at the time, but no one can prove that Uncle Hols was the one who took it!"
Then, she paused and said, "I understand the pain of growing up without a father, but you shouldn't hold such a deep prejudice against Uncle Hols!"
"You were too young when he disappeared, and your time with him was limited. You don't know how outstanding he was to all of us..."
However, before she could finish, Koleda roared, "You're the one who doesn't know anything!"
Next, she violently grabbed Grace's clothes and pushed her into an empty corner nearby, then lowered her head, remaining silent for a moment. When she looked up again, her eyes were nearly bloodshot.
Seeing this, Ben and Anton quickly dispersed the surrounding staff. Ling and Hu Tao watched Koleda with worried expressions.
However, Koleda gritted her teeth and ultimately said nothing, only silently releasing the hand that was clutching Grace's clothes, murmuring the words she had spoken earlier: "You don't know anything..."
After speaking, she turned to leave, but found Hu Tao already standing behind her.
Just as Koleda was about to speak, Hu Tao sincerely spoke first: "Koleda, although we haven't spent much time together, I can clearly see that you already regard Grace, Anton, and Ben as your closest family."
"And among family, the most important thing is open communication."
Koleda opened her mouth, but still said nothing.
Hu Tao continued, "Trust me, hiding immense pain is not good for yourself or for your important family members; instead, it creates cracks in trust."
"So, please speak them out. As your friends and family, we will definitely be your strongest support."
Grace also placed a hand on Koleda's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Koleda."
"I truly was too slow before. I only vaguely noticed something was wrong when I heard what you just said. Please tell us what you know, okay?"
Koleda paused, wiped her eyes with her hand, and then slowly began, "Actually, on the night Dad disappeared, I personally saw him leave the house."
Everyone's expression changed upon hearing this, but no one spoke.
Koleda's speaking pace gradually quickened. "It was late then, and I was woken up by the sound of a phone call in the living room."
"I came out of my room to see what was going on, and I saw him arguing fiercely with someone on the other end of the phone, with a briefcase full of bundles of cash resting by his feet."
"I had a bad feeling, so I rushed up to stop him, but he told me to be obedient and said he would be back soon. Then he grabbed the briefcase and rushed out the door."
At this point, Koleda's tears began to flow uncontrollably. "But... but since that day, he never came back... Later, I found out that money was the exact amount missing from Belobog Heavy Industries's accounts..."
After hearing this, everyone fell silent, leaving only Koleda's sobs echoing in the corner.
Only after Koleda calmed down did Grace say remorsefully, "Something like that actually happened... I'm sorry, Koleda. If I had realized sooner, you wouldn't have had to bear all this alone for so many years."
She paused and asked again, "So, why didn't you tell us about this? Wouldn't it have been easier if you had spoken up?"
Koleda said in a self-deprecating tone, "Who knows... I guess I felt that once I spoke of such a thing, my father would truly become a bad person."
She then took a deep breath and said, "However, just as Hu Tao said, I feel much lighter now. Thank you, Hu Tao."
Hu Tao smiled and said, "You're welcome. I'm glad to see the change between you all."
Then, she changed the subject and stopped smiling: "However, there's a saying that seeing isn't always believing. There might be another hidden reason behind your father's departure..."
"Don't rush yet. Think carefully again. Do you remember what your father was arguing about with the person on the other end of the phone?"
"For memories tied to strong emotions, you can usually recall something."
Koleda, who had been about to argue, composed herself and began to recall carefully.
After a long while, she said, "I only remember the last few sentences he shouted. They were something like, 'You want me to pretend nothing happened?' 'Don't be ridiculous,' and 'Explain yourself clearly, what exactly is inside [that thing]?'"
After saying this, she herself was stunned for a moment, and only after a long pause did she say, "I didn't quite understand it back then, but thinking about it now, it seems there really was some inside story that I wasn't aware of."
Then, she sighed helplessly, "But so what? Maybe we'll never be able to find out what really happened back then."
But then, Grace offered her a ray of hope: "No, perhaps we can find out."
Koleda immediately grabbed her arm and excitedly asked, "How do you know, Sis? Did the Piledriver tell you?"
Grace removed Koleda's hand and said, "Hold on, little one, don't get excited. It's like this:"
"After checking the logical cores of those three machines, I found that before they went missing, they had all received the same signal originating from deep within the Hollow."
"More critically, the signal's identification code format was the same as our company's intelligent machinery. The decoded text was: BLG-prototype."
Koleda said in disbelief, "Are you saying this signal came from the prototype unit that Dad hadn't finished yet?"
Ben interjected, "No, to be precise, it was already completed."
"At the time, our company's production line was relatively backward and couldn't complete the independent manufacturing. So, apart from the core components, the rest was commissioned to other manufacturers for production and assembly according to the blueprints."
Anton followed up on Ben's statement, saying, "Unfortunately, after the machine was completed, the Fall of the Old Capital occurred before the final payment could be settled and it could be formally delivered."
"The manufacturing company unfortunately got caught up in the Hollow Disaster and completely vanished, and the prototype unit also disappeared without a trace..."
Grace said thoughtfully, "But it looks like the prototype unit didn't disappear, and it still maintains a certain degree of functionality to this day."
"Perhaps Uncle Hols recorded some of the true circumstances of that year into its intelligent core before he disappeared. If we can find it..."
Koleda said impatiently, "Maybe we'll find out what really happened back then—what are we waiting for? Let's leave now!"
However, she hadn't taken more than a few steps before her legs gave out, and she nearly fell.
Hu Tao, who was nearby, quickly reached out and supported her, saying worriedly, "Koleda, you are truly exhausted right now. Please rest first."
Ling also walked up to dissuade her: "That's right, you were running around in the Hollow for so long earlier. If we go straight back in now, it will be difficult if we encounter a powerful Remnant! Let's rest first."
The others also came forward to persuade Koleda, as everyone believed that they should make thorough plans and preparations before entering the depths of the Hollow.
Under everyone's persuasion, Koleda regained her senses and said guiltily, "I'm sorry... I wanted too much to clear my father's name. But, it is indeed better to leave tomorrow than to leave right now."
"In that case—everyone go back and rest. We'll act together tomorrow."
Seeing that Koleda had mostly recovered her usual complexion, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time, they were all happy that she was finally able to release her inner emotions.