Mirabe shot Linden a sideways nce, her eyebrows yfully raised. "Mostly because they''re just in clueless."


    Linden''s cheek twitched. Even though he knew Mirabe was talking about Meg and her crew, he couldn''t shake the feeling that her words somehow included him too.


    Trying to brush it off, Linden cleared his throat and spoke with more weight in his voice, "Sure, the experimental data isn''t perfect, but ny-seven percent is still pretty solid. Plus, she''s submitting her paper for publication. It''s got a decent chance of getting epted."


    He was well aware of the journal Meg was aiming for a top-notch international research journal that only epted papers every couple of years. Having a paper published there meant more than just personal recognition; it could set the stage for future sess.


    Even though Mirabe seemed convinced that Meg''s experiment was bound to flop, academic papers often focused more on contribution than on the results themselves.


    Mirabe, however, just shook her head with a knowing smile. "Nah, she won''t make it with the Scientific Chronicles."


    Seeing Mirabe''s confidence, Linden couldn''t help but scratch his head and ask, "How do you know that?"


    Mirabe answered with a casual air, "Just a hunch."


    With that, she continued on her way, giving a little wave. "Thanks for today, Linden. I''m heading back to the department."


    Linden watched her walk away, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. There was something mysteriously intriguing about Mirabe.


    After hesitating a bit, he decided not to head back to the department. Instead, he pulled out his phone, made a quick call, and then turned towards the administration building.


    **


    In Zane''s office, after listening to Linden, Zane''s expression turned stormy.


    No wonder Meg hadn''t asked for his help with data analysis recently; she was afraid he''d catch wind of her giarism.


    "Professor, Meg is Mr. Calvin''s student, and there''s not much we can do about her. After what happened today, I''m worried about Mirabe''s future here."


    Linden wasn''t there to tattle or seek revenge but to see if there was a way to protect Mirabe.


    Though he hadn''t known Mirabe long, he could tell she was someone worth standing up for. Plus, looking out for fellow department members was just the right thing to do.


    Zane gave Linden a look of approval. Most people would be too scared to confront someone like Mr. Calvin.


    Taking a deep breath, Zane clenched his fist and pounded it on his desk. "If Meg can stoop so low as to steal ideas without any moralpass, why should we turn a blind eye? This isn''t over."


    Linden, seeing Zane''s reaction, worried he''d overstepped. "Professor, Mr. Calvin is someone we can''t afford to cross. I''m telling you because..."


    Zane raised a hand to stop him. "Linden, I get where you''reing from, but leave this to me. You don''t need to get involved."


    Meg might be leaning on Mr. Calvin for support, but why shouldn''t his students have someone backing them too?


    Zane''s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. From his recent encounters with Wade, he sensed a strong connection between Wade and Mirabe. Otherwise, Mr. Calvin wouldn''t have shown up to defend them when used of data theft.


    With that thought, Zane picked up the phone beside him.