☆, Archimedes and Cipher

Zhen Ai sat in the interrogation room, being questioned by Jasmine. Yan Su, Owen, and several other officers stood outside the glass window, watching.

Jasmine began by asking some basic information. She assumed Zhen Ai was an ordinary international student with poor English, so she spoke slowly and deliberately, as if addressing an elderly person with hearing difficulties.

Then she got to the point: “What is your relationship with Jiang Xin?”

“Roommates.”

“Can you describe the scene of the crime when you first saw it?”

“When we returned to the dormitory, the door was loose, and it opened as soon as the key touched it. She was lying on the floor, surrounded by blood. I only glanced at it briefly, then left.” Zhen Ai’s speech was neither slow nor hurried.

“What happened next?”

“I called the police.”

Her answers were too succinct, catching Jasmine off guard. She resumed her normal pace of speech: “You stayed at the scene the whole time after that?”

“Yes.”

“What were you doing?”

“Standing.” Zhen Ai paid no attention to the implied question in Jasmine’s words.

“Standing?” Jasmine’s tone rose slightly, disbelief evident in her voice.

Zhen Ai remained indifferent. “Yes, standing.”

Jasmine felt her eyes deepen inexplicably. After a moment or two of silence, she asked, “Wouldn’t a normal person, upon seeing their roommate lying in a pool of blood, check to see if they could still be saved?”

“There were people crowding around the body, and I thought it was too crowded,” Zhen Ai said calmly.

But Jasmine couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. “Crowding… around the body?”

“Yes, Mr. Yan was examining the scene and the victim. I didn’t need to add to the chaos.”

“So S.A. was there too?” Jasmine was surprised, speaking rapidly. “How did he end up going back to the dormitory with you?”

Zhen Ai calmly replied with a question of her own, “Does this question have anything to do with the case?”

Jasmine lowered her eyes, masking her impatience.

Outside the glass window, Yan Su observed Zhen Ai, then suddenly asked Owen, “Don’t you think she’s too calm?”

“What do you mean?”

Yan Su, with his hands in his trench coat pockets, had an unusually calm expression on his face. “When she saw the crime scene, she didn’t scream or retreat, nor did she show any sign of fear or avoidance. She just stood there, with her arms crossed. Even now, as she answers questions, she does so calmly and without any grammatical errors. Her pace of speech, her logic, everything is fine. She doesn’t seem panicked at all.”

Owen looked at Zhen Ai, then back at Yan Su. She was the same as he had always seen her, whether quietly receiving reports in the lab or in daily life. Her eyes were as dark as deep water, without a ripple; her fair complexion was calm and composed, even when she smiled, there was no real joy.

She actually looked very beautiful when she smiled. She should smile more often.

Owen’s blue-gray eyes narrowed slightly. “Do you suspect her? To what extent? Do you suspect that she wrote the cipher on paper, luring us to follow her, then went to kill someone, and waited for us to arrive to prove her innocence? Do you think she’s involved? That’s impossible, Ai, she…”

“Of course not,” Yan Su interrupted, even laughing.

Owen was taken aback, then relaxed his expression after a while. “Thank you for trusting her!”

“What?” Yan Su glanced at him, his expression strange.

Owen explained, “I mean, I’m glad you’re finally starting to trust others, instead of always relying on cold data and evidence.”

“You’re mocking me,” Yan Su’s expression darkened.

Owen sighed, “I’m praising you.”

“Do you think I would be swayed by ‘trust,’ such an abstract and emotional thing?” Yan Su remained indifferent. “I don’t think she’s the killer because after I had her leave the scene, I glanced at her belongings.”

Owen rubbed his forehead, realizing it was still the same Yan Su…

“There’s only one person’s toiletries in the bathroom. The clothes on Zhen Ai’s bed are clearly not her style; they belong to the victim. There’s nowhere else to put them, so they’re all piled on her bed. She doesn’t actually live in the dormitory.

There’s no hatred between people who have little contact. If there was resentment, out of a competitive mindset, the victim wouldn’t have placed her clothes on Zhen Ai’s bed.

The printer belongs to the victim, but Zhen Ai has used it, indicating their relationship isn’t bad. Additionally, if there was resentment, out of a competitive mindset, the victim wouldn’t have placed her clothes on Zhen Ai’s bed.

There are only Zhen Ai’s books on the bookshelf in the dormitory. They are arranged by color into categories, with different colors on different levels, and then alphabetized. The untidy areas have been organized in this way. She has a serious obsessive-compulsive disorder. But at the crime scene, with blood everywhere, she would definitely feel…”

The conclusion is:

“If she were the killer, she would have used a more elegant and ruthless method.” There was a hint of shallow praise and approval in his words.

Owen was completely at a loss. “Are you praising her?”

“Of course.” Owen rubbed his forehead. This person was hopeless.

“But, there’s one thing I’m curious about. The government grants partial immunity to certain witnesses, so they won’t be punished for killing someone. I believe she has that immunity too.” Yan Su, backlit, his eyes were dark in this moment, “If she did kill someone, what would you do?”

Owen immediately retorted, “She wouldn’t. She doesn’t have a social circle; all

her focus and attention are on her profession. A serious and dedicated girl like her wouldn’t…”

“Yes,” Yan Su said seriously. “Because she’s serious and professional, she would never kill someone.”

Owen was stunned, sighing defeatedly. He also knew Yan Su wasn’t targeting Zhen Ai; he just took logic very seriously. “I know there’s no logical connection between what you said. But I still believe her. And even if what you said did happen,” he smiled, without any hesitation, “I would still fulfill my duty. No matter what happens, no matter who the other person is, I will do everything I can to protect her safety, even if it means sacrificing myself.”

Yan Su said nothing, a faintly emotional line appeared on his sharply defined jawline.

Growing up shuttling between China and the United States, the frequent changes in language environment made him introverted, lonely, and socially awkward, leading to multiple checks for autism by his mother. If he had any friends in the United States, it was only Owen.

Owen was also mixed-race, but he resembled his white father more in appearance. Because his mother was killed and he was determined to become a police officer, he not only became a police officer but also the most outstanding special agent in the team.

From the past to the present, his beliefs have always been firm.

Yan Su looked up at Zhen Ai outside the glass window, suddenly wondering, what are the beliefs of these people who have to disguise their identities all the time?

Jasmine continued to ask, “May I ask why you weren’t saddened or panicked when your roommate was killed?”

Zhen Ai inexplicably recalled Yan Su’s words and asked in imitation, “Since you’re asking if you can ask, why did you ask without waiting for my permission? Since you intended to ask anyway, why did you start by seeking my consent?”

Jasmine:…

Doesn’t this roundabout way of speaking feel familiar?

Outside the glass window, Owen’s face was a little gray. He looked at Yan Su strangely, who remained calm and made no response.

Jasmine’s face stiffened. “It’s a common courtesy. Can you answer my question now?” She considered Zhen Ai’s diversionary tactics as evasion.

Zhen Ai only replied, “Sooner or later, everyone dies.”

Jasmine:…

What kind of worldview is this?

Are people from developing countries all this cold and lacking in empathy? Jasmine sighed with pity. “Please give me detailed information about the deceased, Jiang Xin, including her friends and social circle.”

“I only know that at the beginning of the school year, she was lively and participated in many clubs, such as rock climbing, wilderness survival, and dancing. She had many friends, especially male friends…”

“Did she have a boyfriend?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know? You’re roommates… Anything else?”

“A while ago, she said she quit many clubs, but later I saw her at school with friends from the code-breaking club, wearing the same T-shirt. She always slept in class. That’s it.”

Jasmine felt this information was useless and thought Zhen Ai was being evasive. “You remember these trivial details very clearly.”

Zhen Ai replied, “Because I had a few conversations with her.”

Jasmine thought she understood. “You didn’t get along with her?” Obviously, a cheerful and popular roommate and a quiet, aloof-looking person wouldn’t get along.

Zhen Ai didn’t answer, but looked at her for a while before leaning back in her chair. “Let’s talk about the rest with my lawyer!”

Jasmine was taken aback by this sudden turn of events. Legally, she couldn’t ask anything more after such a statement. Typically, Asians don’t have such a strong sense of self-protection, and they cooperate extremely well with any questions asked. She hadn’t expected Zhen Ai to suddenly refuse to talk.

Before she could say anything, Owen immediately signaled to the lawyer waiting outside the door. The lawyer quickly brought Zhen Ai out and warned Jasmine with a meaningful look, “I can file a complaint for misleading questioning!”

Jasmine’s face turned gray, not saying a word. At this moment, she really hated the freedom that the American judicial system gives to suspects!

The lawyer took Zhen Ai to register information with other officers. Jasmine walked out and saw Yan Su still standing in the cubicle. She couldn’t help but blush, feeling embarrassed about what had just happened. She then applied for a consultation with Yan Su. He was a special advisor to the FBI and CIA, so everyone naturally wanted his more professional opinion to solve the case as soon as possible.

But it was obvious that Yan Su wasn’t interested. However, before he could refuse, Owen pulled him aside and said softly, “You have to be involved in this case.”

Yan Su looked at him calmly, as if saying, “Are you ordering me after taking the wrong medicine?”

“We need to find out what happened with Jiang Xin and that cipher, and if there are any other ciphers,” Owen spoke quickly. “This case may not be related to Ai, or it may be that Jiang Xin intended to harm Ai but it went wrong, or someone else wanted to kill Ai but killed Jiang Xin by mistake. We must find out.”

Yan Su had an expression of “This small-scale case is entirely within the capabilities of the local police force, and it’s not my turn to intervene”: “Oh, let me go deal with a case from 10 years ago that I could have solved back then. Ha, my life really is improving every day.”

Owen corrected him, “Ten years ago, such words aren’t suitable for someone in their twenties.”

Yan Su had a wooden expression. “Oh, please believe in the police.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“You can come yourself if you don’t believe me.”

“Local jurisdiction, independent cases, not terrorism, not public safety issues, special agents can’t intervene.” His voice was low, his hands clenched into fists in frustration.

Yan Su looked at him for a while, then turned to Jasmine. “Okay.”

Jasmine was very happy and said with a smile, “S.A., you like music. The New York International Music Festival is about to open. I have a friend organizing it. If you want tickets…”

Yan Su nodded, took out his checkbook, quickly signed it, and handed it to her. “I’ll take four, thank you!” With that, he left.

Jasmine held the check dumbfoundedly. This wasn’t what she meant at all!

Owen followed Yan Su, shaking his head. Was there really such a clueless person?