It was like talking to himself, "Eric Foster" is a legal term, meaning concealed and undisclosed crimes, but having the surname Yu and the given name Zui does sound a bit odd. Hearing this, Mouse chuckled and said, "He is a bit odd."

"You all... also think he's strange?" Paul Carter turned to ask the trainees.

That question brought up old and new grievances. The girl named Grace Howard, the one who had been harshly criticized by Eric Foster that morning, gritted her teeth and said, "He's just a jerk, even bullies girls."

"Really? That's too much." Paul Carter felt he was about to touch on something not found in the files, and, sharing their indignation, he unintentionally found himself on the same side as the others.

"Not just too much, way too much." Another male student chimed in.

It seemed the anger was unanimous, and everyone joined forces to denounce Eric Foster, this petty, vengeful man. Another girl said, if you say one unpleasant thing to him, he'll curse you back ten times over, with no grace at all. Another boy said, this guy is so cunning, he's rotten to the core, never lost a bet or a card game, and if you owe him a few dozen yuan, he'll shamelessly chase you down for it, even following you to the bathroom. Someone else went even further, saying this guy has committed every possible offense and broken every rule—smoking, fighting, drinking, skipping training, cheating on exams—he's done it all, a true black sheep. The criminal investigation class loses its annual excellence award every year, all thanks to him. The harshest was Grace Howard, who clearly held a deep grudge against Eric Foster, and went on and on listing his faults, from giving girls disgusting nicknames to tarnishing the class's honor, painting him as utterly irredeemable and heinous.

This was odd. Paul Carter asked in surprise, "No way, are there really people with such low moral standards in the police academy? If he had any disciplinary actions, I should see them in his personal file."

"Ah, that's where his shamelessness lies," Grace Howard said, counting on her fingers. This guy puts on a good front, is both a school volunteer and a helper, looks like Lei Feng in public, but turns into Ouyang Feng behind the scenes—he's toxic.

"Is he really that bad?" Paul Carter didn't quite believe just the girls' side, so he looked at the boys and asked in surprise, "Then shouldn't this black sheep have been kicked out of the revolutionary ranks long ago? How has he managed to stay hidden until now?"

"Unspoken rules!?" another boy blurted out, giving Paul Carter a universal answer. The only way he could have stayed this long was thanks to unspoken rules. Though it wasn't said outright, Paul Carter could tell they were hinting at bribing instructors.

This assessment surprised Paul Carter too. He hadn't expected that the seemingly ordinary one was actually so extraordinary. While everyone was badmouthing Eric Foster, Mouse and Ethan stayed silent. By now, Paul Carter had already figured out that these two were Eric Foster's close buddies. He smiled and asked, "Samuel Reed, Ethan Cooper, why don't you two have anything to say? Are what they're saying true?"

"Well, well, he's a bit cunning, but not that bad," Mouse said with a cheeky grin, at least saying something nice for his friend. Ethan also said awkwardly, "It's not that exaggerated, using so many adjectives is just too subjective."

The two of them took the opposing side, but even so, their defense wasn't very convincing. Paul Carter could tell that Mouse and Ethan were loyal brothers, putting principles aside, while the rest had probably suffered at Eric Foster's hands. He was about to speak when Grace Howard snorted disdainfully and mocked Mouse and Ethan, "You two have some nerve to talk. After messing with your classmates, you didn't even spare your own year. Once you were done with your own year, you went on to corrupt the next. If you stay at the police academy for two more years, you'll both be rich."

"What do you mean?" Paul Carter was confused. Mouse and Ethan rolled their eyes and glared fiercely at Grace Howard. But Grace Howard wasn't afraid of them and was about to spill the beans about their gambling ring. Just then, the door banged open and Eric Foster, who had gone to get something, returned. He handed the bag to Paul Carter, who knew it was time to end the gossip. He slowly stood up, and Eric Foster noticed something was off—why were all ten people staring at him like he was an alien? Their looks were indescribably strange. Feeling uneasy, he said, "Why are you all looking at me like that? Hey, am I really that handsome that you all look up to me?"

No one spoke. Now, looking at Eric Foster, they all felt a bit petty for badmouthing him behind his back. Paul Carter smiled and said, patting Eric Foster on the shoulder, "Not necessarily. If we stand together, you're definitely better looking than me."

Looking at Paul Carter's wrinkled, dark face, Eric Foster frowned—there was really no comparison. The others laughed, and Paul Carter gave them an out, saying, "Classmates, let me give you all another chance. Today, all the cases I brought are internal ones. Even if you don't participate in the elite selection, it's no harm to observe. I formally invite you to join. Of course, if anyone regrets it and wants to enter the selection, there's still time."