[ok] metadata extracted
[ok] rot13 reversed
[ok] fieldcraft confirmed
flag{facing_north} — 100 points
Correct. Before a saguaro comes out of the ground, the crew paints a mark on its north face — the tender side that never sees the noon sun. Decades of Sonoran sun harden the south face like armor; the north side stays soft. Replant it rotated and the burn shows up within a season — one of the quiet reasons "we relocate saguaros" and "we relocate saguaros that live" are different companies.
Conventions vary. Some crews paint the sun side, some paint the shade side. What matters is that a mark is made, not which direction — but here the tender side is the answer.
You've now done real digital forensics: metadata inspection is the first move on any unknown file, and the habit transfers everywhere — photos, PDFs, Word documents. Everything carries more than its pixels.
level 03: coming soon. it may or may not involve the radio.