The hallway outside the interrogation rooms was silent.
The heavy white door opened slowly.
One by one the candidates stepped out.
Petrov walked first, his expression unreadable.
Behind him came Fiona.
Then Daniel.
The other two candidates followed quietly.
None of them spoke.
For a moment they simply stood there in the corridor.
The investigators had already disappeared behind another door.
Petrov glanced briefly at Daniel.
"You handled the questioning well."
Daniel raised an eyebrow slightly.
"You were listening?"
Petrov gave a faint shrug.
"The walls here aren't as thick as they pretend."
Before Daniel could respond, Petrov turned and walked away down the corridor.
Fiona watched him leave.
Then she looked at Daniel.
For a brief second, their eyes met.
Neither spoke.
But there was something behind Fiona's gaze.
Something calculating.
Then she turned and walked in the opposite direction.
Leaving Daniel alone with his thoughts.
By the time lunch arrived, the entire facility was buzzing with rumors.
Candidates filled the cafeteria once again.
Some were discussing the interrogation.
Others were trying to guess who the investigators suspected.
At one table near the center, Daniel sat with Chinedu, Ayo, Tunde, and Adisa.
Tunde immediately leaned forward.
"So what happened in there?"
Daniel took a sip of water.
"They questioned everyone separately."
Ayo frowned.
"About the breach?"
Daniel nodded.
"Yes."
Chinedu leaned back in his chair.
"Did they say anything about who might be responsible?"
Daniel shook his head slightly.
"No."
Adisa looked thoughtful.
"That probably means they're still investigating."
Tunde sighed.
"Great."
"So now everyone in this place is a suspect."
Daniel didn't respond.
His mind was still replaying parts of the interrogation.
The questions.
The tone of the investigators.
And especially Farouk's reaction when his name was mentioned earlier in the waiting room.
It didn't look like fear.
It looked like someone realizing something too late.
Suddenly—
Every screen in the cafeteria lit up at once.
The familiar system interface appeared.
Conversations instantly stopped.
The mechanical voice echoed throughout the room.
"Attention candidates."
The cafeteria fell completely silent.
"The investigation regarding the system breach has concluded."
Candidates leaned forward.
Everyone was listening.
Then the next line appeared on the screen.
"Candidate Farouk has been found responsible for unauthorized access to the tournament tactical database."
Gasps spread through the hall.
Several candidates started whispering immediately.
Tunde blinked.
"Wait… Farouk?"
Ayo frowned.
"The guy from your group, Daniel?"
The system continued.
"Punishment: One week in isolation."
"Additional penalty: Two point deduction from tournament ranking."
The cafeteria erupted with murmurs.
Some candidates looked shocked.
Others looked relieved.
Adisa placed her hand over her mouth.
"I can't believe it…"
Chinedu frowned.
"That's a severe penalty."
Tunde leaned toward Daniel.
"Well… that answers the mystery."
But Daniel didn't answer.
Instead he stared quietly at the screen.
Farouk…
Something about the verdict didn't feel right.
The system breach had been complex.
Too complex for something so simple.
Yet somehow the entire investigation ended with a single candidate taking the blame.
Daniel remembered the moment inside the interrogation room.
The investigators already seemed convinced.
Almost as if they had decided the outcome before the questioning even started.
Daniel's eyes narrowed slightly.
Something doesn't add up.
Across the cafeteria…
At a table near the back corner of the hall…
Several candidates sat together quietly.
Mendes leaned back in his chair, casually spinning a fork between his fingers.
Beside him sat several members of Timor.
Including Fiona.
She watched the cafeteria calmly as the announcement played.
One of the Timor members whispered quietly,
"So it's done."
Another chuckled.
"Farouk took the fall."
Mendes smiled faintly.
"Of course he did."
Fiona glanced at him.
"You don't seem surprised."
Mendes shrugged.
"In games like this…"
He looked toward the crowd of candidates reacting to the news.
"…someone always becomes the scapegoat."
Fiona's eyes drifted toward Daniel's table.
Daniel was still staring at the screen.
Thinking.
Observing.
Mendes noticed.
His smile widened slightly.
"Interesting."
Fiona tilted her head.
"What is?"
Mendes nodded toward Daniel.
"He's not celebrating."
Fiona watched Daniel carefully.
He looked calm.
But his eyes were sharp.
Studying the situation.
Connecting pieces.
Fiona leaned back in her chair.
"He suspects something."
Mendes chuckled softly.
"Good."
His eyes gleamed with amusement.
"Let him."
Because sometimes the most entertaining games…
are the ones where the opponent slowly realized the board had already been arranged against his favour.
And somewhere deep inside the facility…
Farouk now sat alone in isolation.
Taking the blame for a crime that had been carefully designed.