Logan Bennett’s ten fingers tapped against each other in a steady rhythm. After a moment, he said slowly, “Tech is working on restoring the surveillance footage. If we can find an alibi, I’ll believe him.”

The deputy office was filled with the mixed smell of instant noodles and cigarettes from overnight. Outside the door, voices could be heard as the day-shift officers arrived for work.

“But this is just too far-fetched, Old Bennett. Both Lucas Morgan’s department head and advisor said his grades were terrible—he’d be lucky just to finish his thesis, let alone anything else. Yet Ethan Brooks claims he was desperate to bet on getting into a PhD program and wanted to do research? Lucas Morgan spent all his time binge-watching shows, gaming, and chasing girls—he’s not the academic type at all. And you heard Ethan Brooks’s statement. Don’t tell me you didn’t notice he wasn’t telling the whole truth. That kid is definitely hiding a lot!”

Logan Bennett raised an index finger and waved it in front of Noah Wright’s nose:

“I’ll reserve judgment on your first point, but I completely agree with the second.”

“—He’s definitely hiding something.”

Half an hour ago, in the interrogation room.

“He bet on getting into a PhD program.”

“What?”

“He bet he could get into a PhD program,” Ethan Brooks said helplessly. “I don’t know where he got that confidence—maybe it was those miracle passes he always managed at the end of every semester.”

Logan Bennett exchanged a surprised glance with the detective taking notes. Then he turned to Ethan Brooks: “—How did you two even get onto that topic?”

“When I walked in, he was reading. He didn’t understand an experiment and asked if I could explain it. Things between us weren’t so bad that we couldn’t talk, so I explained for about twenty minutes. There were still a few points he just couldn’t grasp, so I said we’d stop for today. Those were all extra topics anyway, so it wouldn’t really affect him if he didn’t get them.”

“Then he got anxious, told me not to look down on him, said he wasn’t worse than anyone else, and that if he wanted to get into a PhD program, he definitely could.” Ethan Brooks explained, “Honestly, I didn’t mean to look down on him.”

Logan Bennett thought to himself, we all get it—top students often have a natural bias against struggling students, sometimes without even realizing it. But those of us who struggle are actually pretty sensitive. Outwardly, he just said, “So you made a bet? What was the wager?”

“Research project. If he really got in, I’d have to take him on for a project.”

“And if he didn’t get in?”

Ethan Brooks suddenly fell silent. After several seconds, he finally answered, “He’d owe me one yuan.”

Everyone in and outside the interrogation room was stunned.

“……” Logan Bennett confirmed, “One yuan?”

“I didn’t believe he could get in, and I couldn’t be bothered to profit from it. But he was really worked up at the time, insisted on arguing with me, so I just wanted to get it over with so he’d go back to the lab.” Ethan Brooks let out a long sigh, this time with a hint of regret. “If I’d known that was the last time I’d see him, maybe I would have stayed longer… at least helped him understand those last few points.”

The interrogation room fell silent. Everyone was lost in thought, the only sound their own breathing.

“Can I ask? Lucas Morgan—how did he… how did he die?”

Logan Bennett snapped out of his thoughts, grunted, and replied offhandedly, “Drug-induced hallucination.”

Ethan Brooks was surprised. “Impossible, he used drugs?”

“That’s exactly why we need to investigate—the case isn’t clear yet, so we can’t disclose details at this stage. You’re a top student, you know the regulations.”

“……”

Logan Bennett closed his notebook, stood up, and stretched his shoulders, as if suddenly remembering something: “Right, one last question. Earlier, when my colleague asked you about that luxury bag, why did you say you had no idea?”

Ethan Brooks had already stood up, but hesitated at the question.

“…I didn’t want to get into trouble.”

He paused, avoiding Logan Bennett’s gaze slightly, and said, “Getting a bag out of nowhere—it just doesn’t make sense… When something weird happens, any normal person’s reaction is to stay away, isn’t it, officer?”

·

“It’s definitely strange, but that alone isn’t enough to suspect Ethan Brooks of the crime.”

Logan Bennett opened the window, letting in the fresh morning air that swept away the stale mix of smells from the office. Noah Wright stood behind the desk, still puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“If I wanted to kill my roommate, I’d do it somewhere familiar, not a thousand miles away in an unfamiliar place. In fact, ninety percent of student assault cases happen on campus. If you really wanted to kill someone, causing a lab accident would be much easier than using scopolamine and methamphetamine.”

Noah Wright seemed thoughtful.

“But,” Logan Bennett changed the subject, “—Ethan Brooks’s statement did give me an idea.”

“What?”

“It’s still pretty vague, I can’t say for sure. I just have a hunch that Lucas Morgan’s death might be related to his vow to get into a PhD program, and the sudden failure of the chemical plant’s surveillance is quite a coincidence.”