**A Sudden Inspiration**

"Name?"

"Ethan Parker."

"Gender?"

Ethan found it amusing. This interrogation procedure, after all these years, was still the same as he had seen on TV. They even asked for his gender, which seemed redundant, but he knew it was part of their necessary process, so he answered compliantly, "Male."

"Age?"

"Eighteen."

"Occupation?"

"Student."

"Home address?"

"Sixth Building, Fourth Floor, Unit One, Workers' Housing of Songjiang Bus Factory," Ethan answered.

"What were you doing last night?" Ava Fay suddenly changed the topic.

Last night? Ethan recalled encountering two robbers, teaching them a lesson, then meeting a girl who offered her services, but instead of taking advantage, he gave her some money. That was about it.

"What are you thinking about? I'm asking you a question. What were you doing last night? Tell me everything!" Ava Fay thought Ethan was trying to come up with a lie.

"Last night, Amelia tutored me until 8:30 PM. Then we went to the night market for beef noodles..."

"Stick to the key points!" The female officer glared at Ethan impatiently and shouted.

Ethan felt irritated by this female officer. She looked attractive, but acted like a strict and frustrated person. He thought, "You must be a single, hormonal mess taking your anger out on me."

"Alright, continue," Ava Fay gestured for the female officer to remain silent.

"Where was I?" Ethan purposely tried to annoy the female officer.

"What kind of memory do you have!" The female officer yelled.

"Ethan, you were talking about eating beef noodles," Ava Fay reminded him.

"Oh, right, beef noodles. Look at your boss's attitude; you should learn from him! Young officers are just inexperienced." Ethan spoke in a condescending tone, as if he were the one in charge.

"You're so smug now, but you'll be crying later. You're a murder suspect, and you're still acting tough!" The female officer retorted angrily.

"Enough, Xia Xue. He's right; your attitude won't get you anywhere. Getting angry during an interrogation is the worst thing you can do. It won't get any information out of him and will only make him more defiant," Ava Fay reprimanded. "Besides, whether he's guilty or not isn't for us to decide; that's up to the court."

Xia Xue fell silent, embarrassed by the scolding. Fresh out of police academy and interning at the criminal investigation team, she had forgotten her training in her anger. Ava Fay's reprimand brought her back to her senses, and she quieted down.

"Continue, Ethan," Ava Fay nodded, recalling his own early days on the force, similar to Xia Xue's temperament, but he had learned to control his emotions over the years.

"After the beef noodles, we were heading back and encountered two robbers on Fourth Street…" Ethan recounted the events.

"The thin man you described was found dead when we arrived. The coroner confirmed he died from pulmonary hemorrhage causing respiratory failure," Ava Fay revealed after Ethan finished his account.

"What? He died?" Ethan was shocked, realizing he might have actually killed someone.

"Yes, but your statement is just one side of the story. The other robber is still unconscious. We'll know more once he wakes up," Ava Fay said.

"When he wakes up, I doubt you'll get much out of him. I was the one who knocked him out first," Ethan sighed.

"Don't worry about that. Our forensics team is reconstructing the scene. Whether it's self-defense or excessive force, the conclusion will be clear," Ava Fay assured him.

Just then, another officer entered the room and approached Ava Fay. "Captain Ava, the other suspect is awake, but he's pretending to have amnesia at the hospital!"

"What?" Ava Fay was taken aback. In all his years, this was the first time he encountered a suspect using amnesia as an excuse.

"Captain, what should we do? Without solid evidence, these two might only be charged with disturbing the peace… We might not be able to hold them for long," the officer said, looking troubled.

Ethan felt a wave of despair. If the suspect had amnesia, it would be harder to clear his own name.

"Is he really amnesiac?" Ava Fay asked.

"The doctor said his brain is fine, so theoretically, he shouldn't have amnesia. It seems like he's faking it," the officer replied.

Ava Fay fell into deep thought. If the suspect wasn't facing serious charges, why pretend to have amnesia? What was he trying to hide?

"Could he be hiding something? It's not a major crime," Ava Fay muttered to himself.

Hiding? Ethan suddenly had an inspiration. If someone pretends to have amnesia, what's the most likely thing they want to hide? Recalling the internet novels he had read, he realized it could be their identity.

"If someone pretends to have amnesia, they might be trying to conceal their previous identity."

"Captain, I suggest we hold him for a few days under the public security regulations," the officer recommended.

"Wait!" Ethan suddenly shouted, "Have you investigated his identity?"

"Identity? How? He claims to have amnesia. How are we supposed to investigate?" Xia Xue responded, displeased.

"You can upload their photos online for identification!" Ethan suggested.

"You think we have time to upload every little thing online?" Xia Xue retorted angrily.

"No, Ethan is right. Upload their photos and have law enforcement agencies verify their identities," Ava Fay realized.

"Yes, Captain," the officer left to carry out the order.

Ava Fay gave Ethan a thumbs up, "Good job, young man. I'm impressed!"