Chapter 3

Steven was sitting upright in a chair, with his hands resting neatly on his knees, when the office door pushed open. He even stood up and nodded respectfully toward us when he saw us coming in. "Good morning."

Those in the office were caught off guard by Steven's actions. He was far too well-behaved. Armed police had hauled him in, yet he still stood up, bowed, and greeted us politely. He was behaving abnormally.

Captain Hill remained silent and sat down at the desk. He then gestured to the forensic officer behind him and said, "Get me the item."

Hearing that, the forensic officer placed the evidence bag in the center of the interrogation table—the bottled mineral water.

Captain Hill's deputy plugged in the laptop and logged into the city's central database. He then began the questioning. "State your name."

"Steven Lindell."

"State your student ID."

Steven recited the 18-digit number fluently, as if he knew it by heart.

Captain Hill's deputy typed rapidly, and less than two minutes later, he looked up and said, "His information checks out, Captain Hill. His state-level vital records, student records, family information, school records, and mock exam results all match. His file is clean, Captain Hill."

Captain Hill remained silent, his eyes fixed on the bottle of water from start to finish. "Go explain the reason, Jason."

I took a deep breath and said, "The ridges on the bottle cap don't look right."

In that instant, everyone in the office fell silent.

Steven looked up without arguing or even glancing at the water bottle. He merely spoke in a gentle voice tinged with a sense of grievance, saying, "That bottle of water was given to me by my mother this morning before she left at 6:00 am, taken right from the fridge at home.

"She said it was going to be hot today and didn't want me to get thirsty after the exam. She even wrapped a towel around it so that it wouldn't melt on the way.

"I've been carrying it in my hand all the way from home to the testing site. If you think there's something wrong with it, you can ask my mother about it. She's waiting for me outside the school gate now, Mr. Gardner."

Captain Hill remained silent for a while. He then gestured toward the forensic officer with his chin and said, "Test it."

Hearing that, the forensic officer took the water bottle to the portable lab next door. He performed spectral analysis, X-rays, density tests, metal detection, and radiation scanning for the first round.

He returned ten minutes later, shaking his head. "Everything checks out, Captain Hill. There aren't any metals, electronic components, or radiation detected on the bottle, cap, or liquid."

Captain Hill narrowed his eyes and said, "Test it again."

He tested it for a second round. He ran chemical mass spectrometry, trace toxin screening, microbial culture, and UV fluorescence. He returned 20 minutes later, looking slightly embarrassed.

"No known chemicals, toxins, or illicit substances were detected."

He performed another round of testing. He removed the cap and took a separate sample of the seal for adhesive analysis. He returned 15 minutes later and said, "It has been found that the adhesive composition on the seal pattern is an exact match for the one used in the factory.

"It might just be a manufacturing flaw caused by a machine glitch during production. It is a kind of defect that can be found in roughly one in ten bottles at local supermarkets."

He lowered his voice and said, "There's really nothing wrong with this water, Mr. Gardner…"

In that instant, the atmosphere in the office grew tense. Captain Hill closed his eyes briefly, saying nothing.

In the meantime, as time ticked away, the situation outside was nearing a complete breakdown.

Mr. Lester burst in, stumbling over himself. "It's a mess out there, Captain Hill! There are actually parents climbing over the walls—one of the armed guards just dragged one down! Superintendent Johnson is throwing a fit, and even the state department is calling me!

"There are plenty of people tearing into us online! They're accusing us of playing with the futures of 8,000 students! There are even a bunch of online influencers who have already edited the footage and are spreading it everywhere!"

Captain Hill looked grim and remained silent. After all, the bottle right in front of him had gone through three rounds of tests, only to be confirmed as nothing more than plain bottled mineral water.

Mr. Lester was practically on his knees. "W-Why don't we release the student and allow him to take the exam, Captain Hall? We can put him in a separate classroom if we have to! We've already delayed the exam for 50 minutes!

"If we drag this out any more, the entire exam will be ruined! We're talking about 8,000 students here!"

Steven lowered his head, his shoulders trembling slightly. He then choked back his tears as he said, "My mother specifically took time off today to bring me lunch. She's waiting at the school entrance now.

"I'm supposed to help her haul groceries after the exam. I swear I didn't do anything wrong. I'm just trying to take the exam to get into a university, Mr. Gardner…"

He looked up, his eyes brimming with tears and completely bloodshot. "I'm from a poor background, so this is the only shot I have…"

Those in the office locked their gaze onto Captain Hill, then shifted straight to me, giving off an overwhelming pressure.

Captain Hill glanced at me one final time, his eyes carrying fatigue, anger, and a touch of barely concealed disappointment.

"If you don't have anything else to go on, we have to release Steven. I can't take the heat for this anymore today, Jason."

I wanted to say something in return, but I couldn't utter a single word. I didn't know what to say. That bottle had passed three rounds of testing, and every high-tech device backed Steven up.

I had become the madman who pressed the wrong button and ruined the futures of 8,000 students.

Steven looked up at me, his eyes brimming with tears. There was no hatred or resentment in his eyes—only the calm of someone certain he had won, with a trace of pity.