Investment System: Rise to the Top

CHAPTER 004

The dorm supervisor, Mr. Hogan, stepped in confidently, his expression filled with anger as he shouted at Noah. But the moment his eyes truly took in the situation inside the room, he paused for a moment.

In front of him, Rico and his two friends looked disheveled, their breathing still heavy as if they had just been in a heated fight.

Meanwhile, Noah stood to the side, not far, but far enough to be separated from them. He didn’t even look like part of the commotion.

The man cleared his throat softly, but his voice was enough to suppress the entire room. He looked at them one by one and said, “What are you all doing, huh? Making noise at night?”

Rico and the other two looked surprised. They quickly distanced themselves from each other, as if nothing had just happened. Their eyes met briefly, full of meaning, before shifting toward the dorm supervisor.

Rico gave a nearly imperceptible wink.

“Mr. Hogan, we weren’t making noise, let alone fighting,” one of them said, his voice sounding hesitant. “It’s just that Noah…”

His sentence hung in the air as if he was reluctant to continue.

“Noah what? Just say it!” Mr. Hogan snapped sharply.

Rico stepped forward half a step, his face filled with a feigned expression of annoyance.

“He’s making the atmosphere in this room uncomfortable. His bed is dirty and smelly, disturbing the rest of us. But when I told him, he actually told me to clean it myself.”

He snorted softly.

“Of course I refused. Then he… immediately got provoked and wanted to fight me.”

For a moment, the room fell silent, and all eyes turned to Noah.

“No, I didn’t do that!” Noah finally spoke up. His jaw tightened, but his tone remained as calm as possible. “Mr. Hogan, you saw the situation yourself just now, right? I wasn’t even involved with them.”

He looked straight at the supervisor.

“Rico was the one who tried to attack me. He was even stopped by the other two.”

Mr. Hogan narrowed his eyes, his gaze turning cold.

“You still want to pretend?” his voice lowered, but it became even more oppressive. “Noah, I’ve been here long enough to know what kind of student you are. You’re a troublemaker.”

He took a step forward, trying to intimidate him.

“Your bed is dirty and smells, yet instead of cleaning it, you still have time to blame your roommate?”

His gaze was sharp, as if he had already passed judgment.

Behind him, Rico smiled faintly.

Noah frowned.

“I didn’t—”

“Enough!” Mr. Hogan cut him off. “I saw it myself. You’re causing trouble again.”

Behind him, several senior students and other dorm residents had begun gathering at the door, peeking inside. No one dared to step in, but they stayed to watch.

Rico suddenly grimaced, holding his arm.

“Damn… it hurts,” he muttered, deliberately loud enough to be heard.

One of his friends immediately added, “Sir, he started it! He suddenly attacked Rico!”

“Yeah, we were just trying to stop him,” another quickly chimed in.

Noah turned his head, still trying to defend himself.

“That’s a lie. He was the one who tried to attack me.”

The supervisor’s gaze hardened instantly, his tone dropping lower and more pressing.

“You still dare to deny it?”

Noah fell silent for a moment. At that point, he realized something was wrong. From the way Mr. Hogan spoke and reacted, he had drawn conclusions too quickly—as if he already had an answer from the beginning.

Noah’s gaze shifted to Rico.

That faint smile again, along with that provocative look. Noah understood.

So this was their goal…

Not just to provoke him, but to trap him. After this, perhaps a report to the university, and then he would be expelled.

Noah took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. He had gone through things like this repeatedly over the past six months—being blamed, labeled a troublemaker, and more.

What pressured him the most was that he was never given a chance to defend himself, or every time he did, no one believed him. The more he spoke, the more he was suppressed.

Mr. Hogan stepped closer, looking Noah up and down with clear displeasure.

“Who do you think you are? You’ve already caused trouble, and now you still want to argue and make excuses? You know very well what kind of person you are.”

The atmosphere turned silent. The students outside the door exchanged glances, but none of them dared to speak, even if they noticed the flaws in the situation.

They knew opposing the dorm supervisor was not a good idea.

One of the seniors even cleared his throat softly, then said, “We heard the noise from outside, sir. When we came in, they were already in chaos.”

The supervisor nodded slowly, as if reinforcing his own decision.

“You’ve caused trouble many times, Noah. It seems you never learn from your mistakes.”

Noah clenched his fists. He wanted to argue. Wanted to explain everything. But that prejudiced gaze gave him no room. As if whatever he said would change nothing.

“Therefore,” Mr. Hogan continued without hesitation, “I am forced to give you the heaviest punishment. You no longer need to stay in the dorm. Pack your things and leave—”

“No!”

Noah’s voice cut him off, louder than he realized.

The room fell silent, but after that he froze. His mind went blank for a moment. He knew this was wrong, but how could he prove it?

At that moment, the system’s voice appeared in his mind.

[Master, Mr. Hogan is only a dorm supervisor.]

As if enlightened, Noah’s eyes widened slightly.

Right…

He took a breath, then straightened his back.

“Mr. Hogan, you are only a dorm supervisor. It is not your authority to decide whether I, a student at this university, can stay here or not.”

“You… you dare to defy me!” Mr. Hogan’s voice rose, his eyes widening, but his words faltered.

For a moment, Noah felt his courage returning after being ‘forced’ to submit for so long.

“I am not defying you,” Noah continued, his tone calmer. “I am stating a fact. Matters like this should be handled by lecturers or student affairs, not you who are only responsible for supervision. Every student knows that.”

He paused for a moment, then added, “Besides, Rico and the others were the ones who started it. They were the ones who wet and dirtied my mattress and blanket.”

“What proof do you have, huh?” Rico interrupted quickly, his lips curling into a sneer. “You can’t just accuse people without evidence, right?”

Noah fell silent. Not because he had nothing to say, but because he was thinking. Without evidence, everything he said would mean nothing.

Slowly, his head lowered slightly. His gaze went blank, as if he had lost direction. In his mind, he called out.

“System… can you help me?”

To Noah, at this moment, that existence felt omnipotent. The only thing that could possibly turn the situation around.

The cold voice appeared.

[Detecting request for assistance…]

[Analyzing environment…]

[Object detected: hidden recording device]

Noah frowned slightly.

[Location: upper corner of the wardrobe, 35-degree direction from host position]

[Owner: Rico and associates]

Noah’s heart beat faster.

A camera…?

His eyes widened slightly, but he quickly suppressed it.

Clearly, this was not just an ordinary trap. They had even prepared fake evidence.

Unconsciously, his body remained in a lowered position, his mind focused on the system’s voice. To others, he looked like someone panicking.

Rico sneered and mocked, “Look at that. Just standing there. Can’t answer, huh?”

He crossed his arms, clearly enjoying the situation.

“Daring to accuse others without proof. In my opinion, people like this really need to be taught a lesson.”

Some students outside began whispering softly. Their gazes shifted from curiosity to judgment.

Mr. Hogan narrowed his eyes, then nodded slowly as if he had found the perfect moment.

“Correct. Accusing without evidence is a serious offense.”

He looked at Noah sharply.

“It seems I need to report this to the faculty. Let the dean decide your punishment.”

Hearing that, Noah clenched his fists tightly, filled with anger and frustration.