Holip became a little impatient, "Hey, Herman, I heard you saved me?"

"No, no, I never said that," Herman hurriedly denied.

Holip displayed an angry expression, "You're the one who saved Lev when he was injured?"

"Uh... the situation was quite complicated at the time, it's hard to clearly explain what happened on the scene..." Herman stammered, unable to make eye contact with Holip.

Holip, pointing his finger at Herman, rebuked him, "You're a liar full of lies! It was Lev who saved you, it was us who drew away the shooter, and this is how you repay Lev."

Herman Vied took a few steps back, "The situation was too chaotic then, I did not get a clear grasp of what was happening, and I wasn't sure if you were there to save me."

"Then why did you lie?"

"I didn't mean to lie, perhaps my expression was problematic. I was terrified at the time, and maybe it was because we were in different locations... Anyway, I apologize to you guys.

Now that you mention it, I've thought carefully, and indeed it seems like you guys helped to draw the shooter away from me.

My heart is full of gratitude, thank you," Herman said, looking somewhat guilty at Holip, afraid that he might rush at him in a fit of anger,

"Detective Chief, could you please take him out? I'd like to talk to you privately."

Luke said to Holip standing on the side, "Holip, things have been clarified now, thank you."

"I'm more than happy to do so," Holip said and pointed at Herman Vied, "If you dare to frame Lev again, you're dead."

Luke waved his hand, "Hey, don't say things like that in front of me, it puts me in a difficult position, OK?"

"Sorry, Detective Chief, I'll talk to him in private later," Holip dropped the line and turned to leave the hospital room.

Herman Vied sat down on the bed with a sigh of relief.

Little Black chuckled and asked Herman, "Hey, why did you chicken out?"

"My grandpa used to say, don't argue with someone with a simple mind.

This guy's 195 cm tall, if he goes berserk he could throw me out of a fourth-floor window," Herman said, visibly shaken.

Luke asked, "Do you understand what perjury is?"

"Sorry, Detective Chief, I didn't mean to lie, I never thought of committing perjury.

Lev died, and if others found out he died trying to save me...

I don't want to be seen as a coward.

I never intended to hurt anyone or interfere with the police investigation, I apologize," Herman said.

"You already have," Luke replied seriously, "I need you to describe what happened at the crime scene again."

The police had not yet clarified the reason for the shooting, and reconstructing the truth of the case through the testimonies and records of those involved was one method.

If an involved party lied, it could potentially influence police judgment.

Take Herman's previous testimony for example; he said the shooter was continuously pursuing Lev Kaufte, and he was injured while trying to draw the shooter away.

From that description, the shooter's target appeared to be Lev Kaufte, and Herman was not the intended victim.

However, according to what Holip had said, the situation was not so.

In Holip's words, the shooter was originally after Herman, and he and Lev drew the shooter away to save Herman, meaning the shooter's real target was Herman, suggesting that there might be some connection between Herman and the shooter.

Luke warned, "If you dare to lie again, I'll charge you with perjury. Do you understand?"

"I understand," Herman thought for a moment and continued, "When I first heard the gunshots, I was terrified and didn't dare move, planning to hide in the classroom and wait for help.

After a while, when it seemed the gunshots had passed, I decided to run outside.

But just as I got to the lobby of the music building, I saw someone with a clown mask enter through the door, and he pointed his gun at me and shot.

I was petrified at that moment and ran for my life.

Yelling for help, hoping someone would come to my aid.

Latter, I thought I heard Holip's voice, and things got chaotic.

"Bang, bang, bang!" The gunshots were relentless.

I didn't mean to lie; I was shot in the shoulder and completely panicked; I was afraid the shooter would keep chasing me, so I just focused on running.

I... didn't know Lev was there to save me; I swear."

Luke pressed, "You didn't hear Lev's voice?"

"At first, no, but then... I heard his pained cries... he had been shot, and I wasn't sure at that time if it was to save me.

After hearing what Holip said, I realized, and I feel very guilty, sorry."

"You shouldn't be apologizing to me, but to Lev and Holip."

"You're right, I did wrong..." Herman, whether sincerely remorseful or due to the situation, promised,

"From now on, I won't tell the public that I protected Lev; I will let everyone know that Lev protected me, he's a hero."

Luke stared at him for a while, suddenly recalling Anthony's micro-expression analysis – though not completely reliable, it was still widely used, as it could generally reveal the signs when an average person lies.

"Is the shooter someone you're familiar with?"

Herman shook his head, "He was too well-covered, I couldn't make out anything, and I was too scared to even think. But I felt like it was probably a man."

"Have you offended anyone recently?"

"No, I've always been kind to people."

Luke pulled out the photos of the other victims, "Do you recognize them?"

Herman carefully looked at the photos, pointed to Josie Alyssa, who was killed in the female restroom, and said, "I know her."

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