Chapter Twenty-Eight: Interrogation
Let's return to the present, to the Public Security Bureau.
"Miss Shichu, may I ask what you were doing around 2:30 pm on Thursday?"
The glaring lights in the interrogation room made her feel uncomfortable. She blinked uncomfortably and then whispered after a while, "I should have just finished the 'Underwater Basic Combat Knowledge and Operation' class and come out of the training room."
"should?"
"Because I would take off my personal computer for this class, I don't know the exact time. However, the class ended at 2:30. After class, I went to the locker to get my personal computer, changed my clothes, and went to the next class, Federation History."
Upon hearing this, a glint flashed in the eyes of the sheriff in charge of the interrogation. She looked sharply at the beta girl in front of her and asked sternly, "Why did you remove your personal terminal?"
The beta girl in front of her seemed intimidated by her serious attitude, her body trembling slightly before she slowly spoke: "Because waterproof versions of the quantum computer are too expensive, I can't afford one. I'm afraid I'll accidentally break it during class, so I always take it off. I... I'm an orphan, I have no money, my parents..."
The girl's voice gradually lowered, carrying an indescribable sadness and desolation.
The sheriff remained silent for a moment, her gaze never leaving the girl, as if trying to capture every subtle expression. She quickly considered the girl's words, assessing their credibility.
She wasn't lying.
Actually, she had already read the child's information before she came. Her parents died in a fierce battle against the Star Beasts on the front lines, and she was an orphan.
A pang of pity welled up in her heart, but her professionalism allowed her to quickly suppress the emotion and remain calm and perceptive as she scrutinized the beta girl before her.
"Where were you between nine and ten o'clock this morning?"
"Sleep at home."
"What is your relationship with Luo Yanchuan?"
"Luo Yanchuan? I'm not familiar with him and we don't have much interaction. He only came to our class on Monday. I accidentally disturbed his sleep that day. He... seemed to dislike me."
"We found that your personal computer sent him a message through your student account on the Icleus School intranet at 2:30 pm on Thursday, asking him to meet you this morning."
The sheriff looked at her sharply and said seriously, "This morning at the location you agreed to meet, a vicious alpha riot occurred, resulting in two deaths and 13 serious injuries."
"Luo Yanchuan was the first to lose control and riot."
Shi Chu blinked, her face filled with confusion and fear: "I...I don't know."
"I did not send any messages, and the school has surveillance footage to prove it."
"I'm sorry, the surveillance cameras in that area broke down at noon. Could we check your personal computer?"
"Of course." Shi Chu decisively took the quantum computer from her right hand and handed it over.
The stern-faced sheriff handed the personal terminal to the professional beside him and continued questioning Shi Chu.
"One of the deceased was named Wu Li Leet, who was also a student at Icleus Academy. Do you know him?"
Shi Chu felt a surge of emotion, but remained outwardly calm.
"I'm not sure, can I see his picture?"
The sheriff turned on the projector and displayed Wu Li's photo, along with those of everyone else involved in the incident.
Shi Chu's pupils contracted when she saw the photo, and she said with a hint of surprise, "I met him once. I was sleeping in a tree on Wednesday morning when I heard him confessing to Luo Yanchuan... and being rejected."
She quickly realized that the reason she was ambushed and killed yesterday was all because of Luo Yanchuan.
After reviewing her computer records, the professional whispered something in the sheriff's ear.
"Miss Shichu, do you have any additional clues to provide?"
"Hmm..." She hesitated for a moment before slowly speaking, "That afternoon when I came out after class, I saw my deskmate Shen Xiuyin standing in front of my locker, looking a little strange."
"So you suspect she tampered with your personal terminal?"
"Hmm, we can't rule that out. She's been acting strange ever since Luo Yanchuan came to our class."
"Okay, Miss Shichu, thank you for your cooperation. We need to discuss the outcome." The sheriff stood up and went outside the room with several jurors to discuss the matter.
Outside the door, the stern-faced beta sheriff spoke first: "Based on the monitoring data of her various bodily functions, she is not lying. Considering her overall performance, I agree with the results measured by the instruments."
"Agreed," the crowd seconded.
The professional who had previously reviewed Shi Chu's computer records said, "I checked her chat history from that day, and the message was deleted immediately after it was sent."
"Judging from the other chat logs, she had no interaction with those two people, but she did have some contact with her classmate Shen Xiuyin."
"I suggest we first question everyone who was in class with her that day, especially Shen Xiuyin, whom she mentioned."
"Agreed."
After observing the crowd's reactions, the sheriff slowly said, "Then let the twelfth squad of the security brigade bring those people over."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "Next, let's discuss the possibility of her being a suspect in this incident."
The topic sparked a lively discussion, with various opinions and speculations circulating for quite some time.
"Judging from her identity and behavior, I think we can rule her out as a suspect. Her personal computer shows signs of being opened with a one-time key, which means it is very likely that someone used her personal computer to send a message to lure Luo Yanchuan out."
"Why did she specifically use her personal computer to send the message? I don't think we can rule her out as a suspect so quickly."
"Judging from the scene, someone used an alpha seducer. Why were all the alphas in that coffee shop? Don't you understand what that means? This is a setup targeting the Luo family."
"Yes, that's right. I think the Leet family wanted to use Luo Yanchuan to climb up the social ladder to the Luo family. They planned to use an alpha seducer to directly induce his heat and then naturally become the Luo family's daughter-in-law. But they didn't expect that Luo Yanchuan's heat cycle is approaching recently. Their plan backfired, causing his heat cycle to erupt and become completely out of control."
"Indeed, an ordinary beta has virtually no way of obtaining such a banned substance, but if it's the Leet family, the possibility is much greater."
...
After an unknown amount of time, the sheriff opened the interrogation room door again and walked in.
He looked at the somewhat nervous beta girl sitting in the chair and said in a deep voice, "Miss Shichu, after our joint discussion, we have temporarily ruled out your suspicion. Your personal computer cannot be returned as evidence. The Sheriff's Court has already transferred the corresponding fees to your account. You can purchase a new one yourself later."
"In addition, please keep your communication channels open, as we may need to ask you for some more information later."
"Can I go home now?" the girl blinked and asked softly.
"Of course, but now someone wants to see you."