Investment System: Rise to the Top

CHAPTER 008

“Police?” the dean repeated in disbelief. “Are you sure?”

The vice dean nodded quickly, his expression serious.

“Yes, sir. They’re already outside… and want to come in now.”

The room was instantly filled with a different kind of tension than before. The dean rose halfway from his chair, his face hardening with anger.

“Who called the police?”

All eyes immediately turned to one person. Noah. The gazes were filled with accusation, suspicion, and confusion.

Rico frowned, then whispered to his friend, “No way… he hasn’t even touched his phone this whole time.”

Mr. Hogan also narrowed his eyes, trying to recall. Since Noah entered the room, his hands had indeed been empty. There was no chance for him to contact anyone.

Silence hung in the air, but before anyone could say anything, the door opened again.

This time, it wasn’t just one person.

Two uniformed men stepped in with firm strides. Behind them, a middle-aged man with an authoritative aura followed—the rector.

The atmosphere shifted instantly.

“Rector…” the dean’s voice caught, clearly surprised.

The rector simply gave a brief nod, then gestured for the police to proceed. One of the officers stepped forward, his gaze sweeping across the room before stopping on Noah.

“Who here is Noah?” he asked bluntly.

Without hesitation, Noah raised his hand.

“I am.”

The officer looked at him for a few seconds, then gave a small nod.

“We received your report, and we have also reviewed the evidence you submitted,” he said calmly, but it was enough to freeze everyone in the room.

The sentence fell like a hammer.

Rico, who had been standing casually, immediately stiffened. The smile on his face vanished in an instant.

“W-what do you mean…?” he muttered.

Mr. Hogan visibly turned pale.

Meanwhile, the dean frowned more deeply, now not only angry but also wary.

“What evidence?” he asked, trying to maintain his authority.

The officer did not answer immediately. He opened the folder he was carrying, then took out several printed sheets and a small device.

“The report we received includes allegations of bullying and violence against a student,” he said in a flat, professional tone. “First location: the small forest behind the library, last night.”

The officer’s gaze shifted to Todd.

“We have visual recordings showing the victim being forcibly dragged by several individuals.”

Todd’s previously relaxed expression stiffened slightly, though he still tried to maintain his composure.

The officer continued.

“The victim was then beaten by more than one person, accompanied by verbal abuse.”

Rico took half a step back unconsciously.

“That… that’s not true—” one of his roommates said, but his voice wavered.

The officer didn’t even glance at him.

“Second location: the dorm room. We also received evidence in the form of recordings from a hidden device installed without permission.”

That sentence instantly drained the color from Rico’s face.

“The hidden camera recorded acts of provocation, destruction of personal property, and attempts to incite a fight.”

This time, the room fell completely silent. No one dared to interrupt anymore. Meanwhile, Noah simply sat calmly in his chair.

The dean looked at each person in the room, his expression turning complicated.

“Is… this true?” he asked, this time not to Noah, but to Rico and the others.

No one answered immediately. Rico clenched his teeth, cold sweat beginning to form at his temples.

“That… that’s just a misunderstanding, sir—”

“A misunderstanding?” the officer cut in coldly. “Recordings do not lie.”

He raised the small device.

“If necessary, we can play it right now.”

That statement silenced Rico completely. Mr. Hogan looked away, not daring to meet anyone’s eyes, deep down, he also felt guilty.

Todd remained silent. But this time, his smirk had disappeared. His gaze, which had been on Noah, slowly shifted, unintentionally, toward the door that wasn’t fully closed.

There, several students were still standing, half-peeking, half-holding their breath. Faces filled with curiosity, hungry for a spectacle.

But that wasn’t what made Todd’s eyes stop. Among them, there was one person. Their gazes met.

Only for a brief moment. But the anxiety in his heart gradually subsided. The panic that had appeared when the police revealed the evidence slowly faded, replaced by a cold calm.

The corner of his lips lifted again. He stepped forward slightly and said, “But I’m curious. How convincing is that ‘evidence’? Officer, is it possible that it’s a fake video?”

Todd was very confident in what he said. As for the forest behind the library, that area didn’t have proper camera surveillance. More precisely, the cameras there had already been damaged by him and his friends before yesterday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Rico, who had initially been pale, suddenly seemed to find his footing. He immediately chimed in, his voice louder than before, “Yeah! That’s right! If there really is recorded evidence, where did it even come from?”

He stared at Noah sharply, his tone turning pressing.

“Don’t tell me… it’s fabricated.”

The other roommates quickly joined in, their voices overlapping again. The narrative that had just collapsed was slowly being rebuilt.

“He kept insisting about evidence,” Rico continued, pointing at Noah. “And now suddenly there’s a video? What a coincidence or maybe he made all of it himself?”

The room heated up again. Some students outside began whispering. The doubt that had briefly disappeared now returned thin, but real.

But the officer didn’t budge. The uniformed man closed his folder calmly, then said flatly, “We do not operate based on assumptions.”

He looked at Todd, then Rico, one by one.

“Before coming here, we conducted forensic verification on the recordings. Metadata, compression patterns, and traces of digital manipulation, everything has been examined.”

He paused briefly, letting it sink in. His gaze hardened slightly.

“And the result is clear. The recordings are authentic. There is no indication of tampering.”

Rico opened his mouth, but no words came out immediately. His face tightened, his mind racing for a loophole.

“Then… if that’s real…” he muttered, half to himself. “If it’s from the dorm room… that’s impossible!”

The words came out louder than he realized, making everyone turn toward him.

“It’s impossible for there to be any video from our room unless… unless it’s from the hidden camera I installed.”

As if realizing his mistake, Rico covered his mouth, his breath hitching. His face turned pale, then flushed red in an instant.

“I… didn’t… I mean—”

His words fell apart. In front of him, the officer looked at him expressionlessly, but his eyes sharpened.

“Thank you for your confession. Installing a recording device without permission, combined with its use for provocation and bullying… that is already serious.”

Rico stepped back unconsciously. Mr. Hogan swallowed hard, clearly unprepared for how things had turned out. Meanwhile, Todd fell silent again. But this time, there was no longer any relaxed calm on his face.

Noah looked at them without expression. But amid the chaos, the system’s voice echoed in his mind again.

[Warning: Main target has not appeared.]

His heart beat slowly.

Main target?

At the doorway, the figure who had exchanged glances with Todd stood still, his face stiff, but his gaze far too calm for someone who should have been panicking.