"Yes." A few seconds later, he finally put down his hand, looked at Logan Bennett, and admitted, "There are indeed some conflicts between me and my roommate."

Logan Bennett said coldly, "Just some?"

Ethan Brooks crossed his arms over his chest, staring at Logan Bennett. Most people would look a bit flustered or agitated when interrogated by the police like this, but this young top student had better composure than most; at least, on the surface, he didn't show much displeasure. He simply repeated, clearly and calmly, "Just some."

Logan Bennett's eyes flickered slightly, his emotions unreadable.

"—Alright then." After a while, Logan Bennett leaned back in his chair and shrugged indifferently. "So tell us, what kind of conflicts are there, and why did he give you an eighteen-thousand-yuan bag? Forgive me for being blunt, but I've only ever given luxury goods back when I had my first love, and even then, it was useless—just got ten minutes of a good face and that was it, like throwing a meat bun at a dog, never to be seen again..."

"He's too noisy."

"Hmm?"

"My roommate," Ethan Brooks's tone was very flat, "spends five nights a week video chatting until two in the morning, binge-watching shows and playing games until five, and keeps the lights on all night. The other two days, he goes out partying and doesn't come back until three or four, and as soon as he comes in, he turns on the lights and makes a racket washing up. No matter how deeply I'm asleep, I always get woken up. I can't even remember the last time I slept through the night."

"I'm a student in extreme financial difficulty—the kind who basically commits a crime if I don't get the top scholarship every year. Normally I can put up with it, but during exam periods, I really can't, and it's hard to concentrate on experiments during the day. You know, some chemistry experiments are dangerous. There were several times I almost had an accident..."

Logan Bennett suddenly interrupted, "You have neurasthenia?"

Ethan Brooks didn't answer.

"You mentioned the lights twice just now. Is it because you're very sensitive to light when you sleep?"

"..." Ethan Brooks finally sighed, sounding exhausted. "When my previous roommate was here, I didn't have neurasthenia."

Outside the interrogation room, Noah Wright let out a soft "tsk." "This kid's got a pretty solid motive."

Logan Bennett asked, "Since your conflict is so serious, why didn't he move out? Instead, he bought you a gift as—sorry, the only word I can think of is to keep you—he wanted you to move back into the dorm after you returned from the lab in Beijing, right?"

Ethan Brooks said, "I really don't know why, but I guess he probably couldn't finish his thesis."

Logan Bennett looked up, scrutinizing Ethan Brooks in the shadow across the interrogation table, his gaze openly probing and icy with suspicion.

"Officer," Ethan Brooks seemed a bit helpless, "everyone has some roommate conflicts, but that's not a reason for me to be inexplicably interrogated here for half a day, is it? May I ask, what happened to Lucas Morgan? If something did, shouldn't you check the surveillance footage from my lab for the past two days first?"

Outside the interrogation room, Mason Reed's phone rang. He gestured "sorry" to Noah Wright and hurried out to take the call.

Ten seconds later, he pushed the door open and came in. Noah Wright turned around, asking with his eyes what was going on.

"...Brother Wright, Brother Bennett." Mason Reed swallowed, his face not looking good. "There's a bit of a situation at the internship company..."

Logan Bennett took off his earpiece and looked up at Ethan Brooks, saying sincerely, "I'm very sorry."

Ethan Brooks: "?"

"Your internship company just reported that the lab surveillance was down for a while not long ago and wasn't fixed until yesterday. So on May 2nd, the last time you went back to the dorm and saw Lucas Morgan, there was no surveillance footage."

Ethan Brooks: "..."

"And you might not know this, but May 2nd was also the last time you spoke with Lucas Morgan. A few hours later, he was found dead behind the KTV in Fuyang District, carrying the backpack you refused—" Logan Bennett pressed the statement down on the table. "That day."

Ethan Brooks's always steady expression finally changed:

"...What did you say?"

Logan Bennett's voice wasn't exactly harsh, but each word carried a more threatening force, echoing in the interrogation room.

"You'd better honestly tell us what Lucas Morgan said to you the last time you met, classmate. The victim died of chemical poisoning, and you have ample motive, the ability to make poison, and no alibi. If you're still trying to hide something, then you're the only suspect in this case so far."

Logan Bennett folded his hands, leaning back, and said lightly, "You should know what that means."

An intense silence filled the air. Ethan Brooks seemed frozen in the shadows, not even blinking.

"...Impossible..."

No one answered. All eyes were fixed on his face.

No one knew how much time passed before Ethan Brooks finally spoke under the burning stares, his voice very soft and hoarse, "That day at noon, when I went back to get my things..."

"Lucas Morgan was in the dorm reading. When he saw me come in, he suddenly insisted on making a bet with me."

Chapter 6

"You believe him?" Noah Wright asked, not quite convinced.