Inside the [Learning Materials] folder, there was only a single file, resting quietly within the reflection of Alain's dark eyes.
The file's name consisted of just two words: Control Console.
He double-clicked the Control Console folder, entered it, found a 'Control Console.exe' icon, and clicked again...
A pure black interface appeared. After the routine loading screen, the true Control Console presented itself before Alain's eyes.
"Hiss..." He looked at the operation interface, feeling his scalp tingle for a moment.
It wasn't because the interface was complex; on the contrary, it was all written in Chinese. Furthermore, there wasn't any specialized terminology.
[Open/Close Window], [Light Switch], and things of that nature. It was like the control hub for the entire residence. This was likely the true face of the so-called "Control Console."
Alain glanced at the light on the Secret Room's ceiling, clicked the [Light Switch] interface, and clicked the slider with his mouse—
Zzz.
With the sound of an electric current, the Secret Room quickly went dark.
"As expected... this is a smart home control interface." Alain reached a conclusion.
"Smart home?" Mila seemed to have a different opinion.
She walked out of the Secret Room, looking at the long, vintage corridor. Above the corridor hung bright yellow pendant lights, emitting a glow reminiscent of candlelight.
She walked back to Alain's side. "This place doesn't look like a smart home at all."
"...Mn."
Alain did not deny it. The decoration style of this mansion was Classical European, like a vampire's ancient castle. Paired with modern smart home technology, as well as the residence control hub before Alain's eyes...
It really didn't fit the scene at all.
But Alain felt that with Yang Wanhua's technical prowess, achieving both "aesthetics" and "functionality" simultaneously shouldn't be difficult.
He tentatively clicked the close button for the corridor lights. Sure enough, the corridor lights dimmed in the next instant.
"It really is a smart home? This setup must be pretty expensive, right?" Mila marveled repeatedly. "Should we move it home?"
"I picked it up, thought no one wanted it... is that what you mean?" Alain teased.
"Ju—just kidding!"
After the mild joke with Mila, Alain turned the lights back on, his focus gathering on the [Open/Close Window] interface.
"Could it be that these windows are also part of the smart home system?" Alain was puzzled.
Controlling the lights was one thing. But for even the windows to be smart home devices...
Wouldn't that be a bit too extravagant?
He tried clicking the open button for a window in the corridor. Immediately following a whoosh sound, the window directly facing the Secret Room's door automatically closed. The cool breeze vanished without a trace.
"It actually moved..." Mila was slightly surprised.
Alain had roughly figured out how to use the residence control hub, so his eyes scanned up and down, looking for an [Open Door] button.
But after searching around, he found nothing.
"There's window opening, but no door opening?" Wasn't this a bit wrong?
The reason Alain wanted Monika's hint was to open that iron door in the basement. As a result, he obtained a control hub and understood that Yang Wanhua's technical prowess was awesome, she was very rich, and also very bored: after all, she even automated the opening and closing of windows.
But! Not having a door opening key was going too far, right?
While he was searching up and down for a door key, he unexpectedly found a "strange thing" in the [Open/Close Window] interface.
It was an equally unremarkable window name, displayed as "Bedroom No. 3 Window."
Currently, however, it was in a closed state.
"..." Alain was confused. He had just opened every window in the entire mansion.
Therefore, apart from the window he had just closed via the operation hub, all other windows should be in an open state...
Furthermore, which bedroom was this "Bedroom No. 3"?
A spark of inspiration flashed in Alain's mind, and a picture suddenly appeared:
That was the bedroom where Yang Wanhua had attempted to imprison him, a bedroom that was a complete mess.
"No, that's not right..." Alain shook his head, quickly dispelling the unrealistic thought in his heart.
He had lived in that bedroom for several hours; he had explored most of the layout. Alain knew very well that the window in the "Confinement Room" should only be that Rupert's Tears window.
And that window, he had inspected carefully; it was completely sealed, impossible to open.
But just in case...
Alain still clicked the open button for that window. The soundproofing of this Secret Room was good, and considering the distance from the "Confinement Room" was quite far, Alain couldn't hear any sound of a window opening.
"Mila, come with me." Alain stood up. To avoid being separated, he immediately took Mila and left the Secret Room, walking quickly toward the "Confinement Room."
Stopping in front of the open door of the small room, the layout inside remained exactly the same as when he left.
Broken walls and ruins, a complete mess, without a shred of tidiness visible.
And the dark wooden floor appeared even more gloomy under the dimmer light of dusk outside the window.
Alain's gaze focused on the Rupert's Tears window.
Seeing that tightly closed window glass, he lamented his own unfounded worries—that window was a fully sealed structure; Alain even suspected whether it was breathable. How could it possibly open?
So, he was probably alarmist. At this point, he should consider whether "Bedroom No. 3" was some secret room they had missed.
Creak—
"Ah, it opened."
But just then, a sharp, piercing sound forcefully intruded into Alain's ears.
The sound came from inside the "Confinement Room," from that window. It was like a sharp rapier stabbing into Alain's ear canal and piercing his eardrum...
"...Huh?" He looked over in disbelief, finding that Mila had entered the "Confinement Room" at some point.
Moreover, she was standing by that window, her small hand pausing in the action of opening it, not yet put down.
And in front of her was a slightly open window.
He couldn't see any mechanical structure, nor were there any wires, connectors, or the like.
That window, which had hard-tanked over a dozen of Alain's slash attacks leaving only scratches, had split from the middle to reveal a smooth gap, opening right before Alain's eyes.
"That's not right." Alain walked over quickly.
He had inspected it carefully and couldn't find a single trace of window-opening machinery. If there really was a pre-existing slit, then Alain should have been able to open the window easily when he slashed it with the greatsword back then.
Therefore, this window was one that Alain had confirmed to have absolutely no mechanical structure... In other words, it was absolutely impossible for it to be a smart home device.
"Here, look." Mila stepped aside.
Alain stopped in front of the window.
____
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