He said a word, and Paul Carter walked straight out the door. As soon as he opened the classroom door, he waited. Grace Howard felt a bit guilty and hurriedly shouted, "I'll go!" and was the first to run out. Once one ran, everyone ran. In a rush, all those who hadn't signed up followed Grace Howard out, even Ethan lost his resolve and slipped away, afraid that Eric Foster would grab him for questioning. With difficulty, Eric Foster managed to hold back the slow-moving Mouse. Mouse grinned and said, "Eric, let's talk after I get back from observing. Don't glare at me—glaring isn't cool."

Taking advantage of Eric Foster's moment of confusion, Mouse broke free and slipped away. Everyone ran to the multimedia classroom, and in the blink of an eye, only Eric Foster was left. He looked, bewildered, at Paul Carter, who was standing at the door with a smile, and asked uncertainly, "What's going on? Why does it seem like everyone's possessed?"

"They're not possessed—it's you who's a bit off. Interested in going to observe?" Paul Carter asked kindly. Eric Foster's eyes showed uncertainty, but he shook his head. Paul Carter smiled and continued, "Can you tell me why? As a soon-to-graduate criminal justice student, I really don't understand why you have so little interest in your own field."

"No, I do—it's just that I'm not very interested in processes where the outcome is already known and there's no suspense. Those cases don't have as much suspense as detective novels," Eric Foster replied seriously.

This sentence made Paul Carter pause for a moment before he understood the meaning. He realized that what he had brought were a few impressive cases handled by the criminal investigation department. To be honest, he wasn't very interested in these cases used for external publicity either—it was just for show. But he found it odd that such words would come from a student who hadn't even worked on a case yet.

"Interesting. When you become a police officer in the future, there will be plenty of suspense to satisfy your curiosity—I'm just afraid you might never find the right answer in your whole life," Paul Carter said thoughtfully. Eric Foster's eyes flickered with confusion and puzzlement, but before this rookie could ask, Paul Carter gently closed the door and left.

Eric Foster had thought that this old cop, who was always encouraging rookies to jump into the pit, must have come to invite him. Unexpectedly, after saying something so cryptic, he just left, which surprised him a bit. He sat down, pondering the old cop's words. At his age, he probably couldn't understand this old cop who always looked so concerned about the country and the people. What was clearer at this moment was that the huge classroom was now empty except for him. In his heart, a sense of being overlooked welled up, and within that feeling, there was even a hint of loss...

Chapter 07: Like a Different Person

"Yo, that's impressive. Just the drugs they're destroying must be worth a fortune!"

"Mouse, can you say a little less? Aren't you afraid people will laugh at you?"

"Hehe, I'm just saying. It's not like you know anyway."

"Get out of here..."

"Look... those are the narcotics police. My cousin works in narcotics. Their equipment is a whole generation ahead of the SWAT team, especially their communication gear—it's the most advanced in the world. The pinhole cameras we're playing with now? They stopped using those years ago."

"Those drug dealers aren't much either. That one looks like Ethan—you can tell he's no good just by looking at him."

"Who's talking about me again? Traitor, number two, don't think I can't hear you."

In the darkness, whispers mixed with the students' banter. When Ethan shouted, the crowd chuckled, but no one responded to him. On the screen, the drug dealer being interrogated had a round face, with all his features bunched together—he really did look a bit like Ethan. Someone quietly compared him to Ethan, causing an even bigger wave of laughter.

In the next room, Chief Grant, Director Sullivan, and the newly arrived Paul Carter stood outside the door, occasionally peeking in through the crack. These were three representative criminal cases: one cross-border drug trafficking case, one serial murder, and one gun case. They had intended to impress the students, but from the students' half-hearted discussions, all they heard were comments that made their teeth ache. Seeing the destruction of drugs, someone lamented how much they were worth; seeing the multi-department cooperation, someone envied the advanced equipment; seeing the mastermind behind the series of head-bashing murders, many thought the suspect was just stupid.

Stupid? Sure, but only after you know the answer. Before that, that case had the whole city living in fear.

"Mr. Carter, students these days lack a bit of self-discipline and have stronger personalities. They're not as simple as we were back then," said Director Jack Sullivan, trying to smooth things over after hearing the students' comments, afraid that the two people who had come early to discuss recruitment would be disappointed—after all, they were from the provincial department.

"It's fine. Those without personality probably won't amount to much," Paul Carter replied unconcernedly. At that moment, the unremarkable face of Eric Foster lingered in his mind. He casually asked, "All the graduating class is here, except for one, I think his name is Eric Foster. Director Sullivan, what's your impression of this student?"

"Not bad, pretty good, just a bit timid—not too willing to become a criminal police officer," said Jack Sullivan.

Such a different evaluation made Paul Carter pause, especially since the difference was so great. He felt a jolt in his heart—clearly, the records were quite inconsistent. He kept a straight face and asked, "Timid? What about other aspects?"