```
Novich took a fierce drag on his cigarette and, tilting his head back, exhaled a smoke ring that was not quite regular.
He forcefully stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray, then looked up at Vladimir with a complex expression on his face that was hard to tell if it was crying or laughing.
Vladimir, on the other hand, met his gaze calmly, his composure unchanged.
They locked eyes for a moment before Novich let out a long sigh, shook his head, and said:
"Now that it has come to this, there are some things that must be made clear.
Vladimir, do you still remember the days when we graduated from the police academy and started working together?"
Novich unexpectedly brought up events from many years ago, which left Vladimir slightly stunned, not knowing what his purpose was.
Nevertheless, he calmly nodded, indicating he remembered.
Novich grinned and continued:
"Back in school, I was always the top student in our class, and you were probably the second best.
