Volume 1, Chapter 136 Dilemma

The glaring cold light shines mercilessly and directly on the face, making people dizzy.

"Let me ask again, Miss Du Ruo, how did you come up with this set of data?"

The white man standing across the glass window of the interrogation room had a blank expression on his face and sharp eyes, trying to win this psychological game with a stern and indifferent voice.

Du Ruo's hands were tightly bound by cold handcuffs, her lips were dry and cracked due to long-term lack of moisture, the strong light made it almost impossible for her to open her eyes, and the lack of sleep caused by neurasthenia made her heartbeat abnormally disordered. The overload and fatigue of her body continued to torture her, reminding her that she was in a dilemma from which she could not escape.

“Please answer my question! How did you get this data?”

The man asked loudly again.

Du Ruo swallowed slightly, trying to moisten his hoarse throat.

She squinted her eyes slightly, trying to stay somewhat lucid in the glaring light, and answered in a weak voice that was almost swallowed by the echo of the interrogation room: "I don't know."

"Don't know? Then why did these data appear in your experimental traces? You must think clearly. Hiding the truth will do you no good." The man's voice rose a few decibels, and every word was like a heavy hammer, hitting Du Ruo's heart.

She curled the corners of her mouth slightly and smiled almost helplessly, her voice revealing a hint of weakness, yet also a hint of sarcasm.

"Inspector, I really don't know what truth you want. Otherwise, just remind me and I'll tell you."

The man shouted, "Why is it that only your experiment produced different data? How did you get it?"

Du Ruo answered casually: "I miscalculated the initial data, so it's different. It's just an incorrect experiment, why are you making such a fuss?"

'Bang---'

The man suddenly slammed the table hard, startling the recorder beside him.

Du Ruo seemed not to hear it. He closed his eyes slightly and looked calm.

"You Chinese have a saying, 'You won't cry until you see the coffin.' You know I don't have the patience to listen to your nonsense. I hope you can think it over before you answer. Don't you want to go home?" The man threatened.

Du Ruo's answer remained firm. "I've said it many times. I don't know. I don't know. No matter how many times you ask me, the answer is the same."

She said fearlessly: "Inspector, we Chinese have a saying that goes, 'When you are surrounded by mountains and rivers, you may think there is no way out, but when you turn around, you will find another village.'"

"You can only detain me for 15 days at most. If you don't find any substantial evidence that I am suspected of leaking secrets, my lawyer will bail me out. I can afford to wait."

The man put his hands on his hips, swore something, and waved his hand. Then someone walked into the interrogation room and took Du Ruo away.

Walking through the long corridor, mixed sounds came from the cells on both sides.

Frivolous whistles, angry curses, booing noises…these sounds echoed in the narrow space, chaotic, depressing, and disturbing.

Du Ruo, however, seemed to be out of the matter, unmoved, not even showing a hint of fear, and just silently followed the footsteps of the female agent in front of him.

Finally, they arrived at an independent cell. Du Ruo sat quietly on the edge of the bed. There was no light and no windows in the room. It was a truly airtight cage, suffocating.

Du Ruo took off his shoes, sat cross-legged, closed his eyes and rested, secretly adjusting his breathing rhythm to stay calm and awake.

The female agent did not leave immediately. She stood at the door and looked at Du Ruo, breaking the silence with a soft voice: "My daughter is the same age as you, and she is still in high school."

Du Ruo still closed his eyes and did not respond.

"If your parents knew you were suffering here, they would be very distressed. Who doesn't want to be reunited with their family?" The female agent's voice was very gentle, with a hint of pity in her words, as if tempting Du Ruo. "As long as you tell us the steps to solve the data, we will guarantee that you will return home safely. You don't choose either way, are you going to keep wasting time like this? Can you hold on?"

She was like a mother who couldn't bear to see her child suffer, and she was patient and compassionate.

Du Ruo opened his eyes and looked at her, saying innocently, "What are you talking about? I really don't know what to explain. That set of data is wrong data."

The female agent shook her head helplessly. "Good luck, kid."

The iron gate closed tightly, and Du Ruo's innocent eyes suddenly turned cold.

His nails dug into his flesh, trying to use the pain to keep him somewhat conscious.

It’s the eighth day, hold on a little longer.

But…

Du Ruo stared at the ground in a daze.

I wonder if that big fool can hold on. Will he be sad if he can’t contact her?

At the same time, in an office.

"Any new clues?"

"No, sir, there has never been any academic discussion in her chat history."

"Not at all?"

“A little bit, but…”

"But what?"

"They are all basic college math problems, and I can solve them all."

“…”

"One more thing, sir."

"say."

"This guy has been looking for her. From the chat history, it seems he is her boyfriend. I have rejected him many times using the excuse of being busy, but he seems to be looking for her more frequently. What should I do?"

"I broke up with him. I don't have time to deal with these irrelevant people."

"Should we handle it on our own? Will it be bad?"

"What's wrong with that? You're not a man, or am I not a man? She's not the only woman in the world. If she breaks up, he'll stop talking and forget about it when he finds a new lover. Don't delay important matters. There's an order from above to pry her mouth open."

"Alas...the Chinese are really tough. Even a little girl is so tough."

"Stop talking nonsense and continue investigating. Don't let go of any evidence that can be used."