Super Detective In The Fictional World

by Stayrr

Luke has transmigrated to the United States, but eventually realizes that this United States is different from the United States of his previous life. Here, the superpowers and characters from the movies in his previous life actually exist. How will Luke fare in a world where such terrifying superpowers exist? Fortunately, he has a cheat – the Super Detective System. Join Luke on

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Read Super Detective in the Fictional World - Chapter 130 - Playing Baseball Isn't Enforcing the Law online free - Light Novel Full

Chapter 130 Playing Baseball Isn't Enforcing the Law

The enormous impact caused the driver to collapse, and he was too dizzy to react.

Playing baseball didn't have anything to do with enforcing the law, right? Luke muttered to himself and punched the driver in the back of the head.

Then, he groped around for the driver's gun and picked up his baseball, putting them both in his pocket.

The gun would be handy in an emergency, as long as no one found out that Luke was the shooter.

Luke sped up after he took care of the driver.

The four women were about to be surrounded. In a few minutes, they would have to surrender if they didn't want to be killed.

Luke, who intended to take advantage of the chaos, certainly wouldn't allow that to happen.

From thirty meters away, Luke saw Sergei grab his lackey's AK and aim at a fleeing robber.

Luke exclaimed inwardly. It was the electrifying woman whom Sergei was aiming at. Luke certainly couldn't allow that.

He came to a stop and adopted the standard pitching stance as he then flung the baseball with his right hand. It flew in a straight line and hit the AK in Sergei's hand.

Sergei was still grinning hideously when the baseball knocked his AK askew.

Unfortunately, it caused him to subconsciously tighten his grip, and he pulled the trigger.

As a result, the AK opened fire in a circle.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Sergei was dumbfounded. Three of his men were down, presumably dead, and the lucky survivors looked at him in fear.

Sergei, however, didn't know what happened at all.

Luke's throw had broken the Major Baseball League's record for fastest pitch.

He had unleashed all his strength in order to save the electrifying woman. The speed of the baseball had been more than 180 kilometers per hour.

Thanks to Luke's distraction, the women had the time to catch their breaths as they ran another twenty meters away.

Luke, in the meantime, turned on his fake phone and took a photo of Sergei with his AK and the three bodies next to him.

With this photo and the AK in his hand, Sergei would definitely be found guilty of murder.

After all, even Sergei himself didn't know what happened. Nobody would be able to pin it on Luke.

Suddenly, Luke spotted a familiar person.

Stunned for a moment, Luke felt alarms go off in his head. Shoot, why was that disastrous guy here?!

At one end of the blockade was Watson, who was running toward Luke with his gun.

Then… he aimed at the women and shouted, "Haha, gotcha! Freeze! NYPD!"

Luke: "…"

The four women: "…"

In the next moment, bullets rained down on Watson. Both he and the long-legged women hurried to take cover.

Luke couldn't help but wonder if the man really was stupid enough to overlook the bandits with rifles behind the women. Did he want to be praised so much that he didn't care about his own life?

Thanks to Watson, the pressure on the women was lifted a little, because not only did he have a gun, he had also shouted "NYPD." Naturally, the criminals would rather finish him off first.

Luke observed coldly as Watson crawled in between the cars. He couldn't help but shake his head.

At that moment, Elsa finally sent him a message. "A deal has been made. You can take action now."

Luke thought for a moment and asked, "Hey, it won't be a problem if I kill too many people, right?" Sergei had too many men, and it would be hard for Luke to try and not kill all of them.

Elsa replied, "It's fine, you can take down as many of those carrying heavy firearms as possible. However, Sergei has to be captured alive."

Luke said, "Got it. You keep an eye on the battlefield and tell me if anything goes wrong."

"I will. Be careful," said Elsa.

Luke bent down and moved forward cautiously before he hid himself behind the tire of a truck.

He had more than thirty enemies. He would be an idiot if he shot at them openly.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Two gang members who were brazenly opening fire next to the road fell without a sound!

Luke rolled under the bottom of the truck to take cover behind another tire.

Bang! Bang!

A gang member who had been charging forward collapsed!

Luke crawled out from under the truck and crouched down. A moment later, he suddenly aimed to the right.

Two gang members were running and shouting as they emerged between two cars. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! They fell immediately.

Luke quickly turned his gun to the left, where another gang member was looking at his dead comrades in surprise.

Bang! Bang!

With the same surprise on his face, the gang member dropped to the ground twitching, before he fell still.

This string of attacks took less than a minute. Luke moved around car corners and didn't stop after hitting each foe.

He shifted targets each time he pulled the trigger. Very quickly, seven of Sergei's gang members were killed.

That was one fifth of the men that Sergei had brought with him, and they were a major part of the force. The fleeing robbers immediately noticed the change.

They didn't know what was going on, but they quickly switched directions and retreated.

If they didn't, they would run into more gang members up ahead since they were surrounded

Since Luke had killed the gang members in the rear, Sergei's siege was now like a net with a hole in the bottom. The robbers immediately escaped through the hole.

Luke didn't follow them. He simply hid underneath a truck as they fled.

Like a ghost, he shot Sergei's men from under the cars when they chased after the robbers.

He shot from up close and under cover every time. One of Sergei's men would fall each time he opened fire.

The gang members further away couldn't see him at all as they watched their accomplices fall one after another amid the gunshots.

By the time Sergei's men at the front of the blockade returned, fifteen of their comrades had collapsed on the road.

Including the seven gang members in the rear, Luke had killed 22 people in ten minutes, not counting the truck driver he had knocked out and the three men that had died at Sergei's hand.

Now, Sergei looked at his ten remaining subordinates. He wasn't angry, but fearful instead. What was going on? Had he run into a super killer?

The thought that it could be a police officer never crossed Sergei's mind. The guy was terrifying enough to kill more than twenty of his men without a word.

He had never heard of an officer as ruthless as this in New York.

Sergei decided to retreat.

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Read Super Detective in the Fictional World - Chapter 131 - Domination and Helpful Baseball online free - Light Novel Full

Chapter 131 Domination and Helpful Baseball

He was brutal, bloodthirsty and vindictive only when his enemy was as strong as he was.

However, half of his men had been killed before they could even figure out where the super killer was. How could Sergei expect to fight such an enemy?

He was brutal and bloodthirsty, but his enemy was even more so.

He had more men, but his enemy had better skills.

"Let's retreat. Don't bother with the killer." Sergei's heart was bleeding as he spoke.

Not only had he lost the chance to acquire the ten million in loot, he had also lost a huge number of his underlings, not to mention that he would probably be wanted by NYPD after this.

This was really a huge loss!

Hiding among the cars, Luke observed Sergei and chuckled. You want to run? Wouldn't all my efforts be for nothing if you run away?

He followed Sergei in an odd half-crouch, his gun steady in his hand. He watched Sergei's team get into two SUVs that were parked not far from the road.

Grinning, Luke took out two special landmines that he had prepared for the bank robbers from his backpack, before he tossed them at the two SUVs.

Then, he tapped on his fake phone. When the countdown started on the screen, he put the phone back into his pocket.

He mumbled quietly, "Ten, nine, eight seven…"

At that moment, the first SUV started up and drove away.

"Five, four, three, two…" Luke had found a suitable position. He shook his head at how few bullets he had left in his gun. "One!"

Bam! Bam!

There was the sound of two low pops, and the first SUV, which had already been going very fast, suddenly tilted and fell on its side.

Sergei was in the second SUV, which fared better since it wasn't going as fast. The driver slammed on the brake and managed to stop the car.

Luke, on the other hand, reloaded his gun and aimed unwaveringly at the second SUV.

The gang members jumped out of the SUV and looked around in a panic, not knowing where to point their guns.

Luke didn't pull the trigger until the four gang members were all out.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The four gang members who were trying to protect Sergei and get off the road were shot dead one by one.

Sergei was left petrified. He looked around and begged, "Who are you? I can give you whatever you want…"

Luke wasn't interested in talking to him. He only needed to catch the guy alive

What Sergei wanted to say or do was meaningless to him.

He was valuable to Luke because he was Katie's murderer, not because he was the leader of a gang.

The gang members in the first SUV which had fallen over crawled out dizzily.

Luke had secretly switched to a new position behind a pickup ten meters away. He shot the gang members one by one.

Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa!

There was only one bullet left in the magazine now. Luke removed the magazine.

He always carried more bullets when he was on duty, but even so, he had almost used up the five magazines he was carrying.

Luke wasn't in a hurry to show himself. He gathered the remaining bullets together and placed them into one magazine.

Even then, he only had twelve bullets left in total.

The good news was that the M1911 which he had gotten off the truck driver had seven bullets left, and Sergei was the only person in his gang that was still alive and kicking.

While Luke was reloading, Sergei thought he had a chance. He quickly jumped into the grass next to the road and started crawling.

Luke had just loaded his gun when he noticed Sergei, who was 1.9 meters tall and as big as a bear, trying to conceal himself. He chuckled and took out the baseball again.

The baseball had bounced back among the cars after knocking Sergei's gun aside. Luke had found it and put it back in his pocket again.

Watching Sergei crane his head to observe the environment as he fumbled to escape, Luke grinned and adopted the pitching stance again and threw the baseball.

In the next moment, tremendous pain exploded at the back of Sergei's head, and he passed out.

Luke approached him and tied him up with nylon rope.

Well, he didn't have handcuffs on him, nor did he have the right to handcuff anyone here.

Elsa called him. "Luke, the bank robbers are about to escape. They're moving the truck away. I'm going to go on my own if you don't get here."

Luke sweated. "Calm down! I'm done here! I'm on my way!"

Why did Elsa want to fight four of them on her own? Had a system been awakened in her, too?

As he spoke, he lifted the unconscious Sergei and ran toward the truck that was blocking the way.

For him, Sergei was more important, and the bank robbers were NYPD's business.

Luke was fine with nabbing both the criminals and the loot, or just recovering the loot.

He wasn't like one of the guys in the movies who considered honor above all else and swore to capture all criminals.

However, he couldn't allow the electrifying girl to escape. Luke was no Good Samaritan, and didn't plan to help her for nothing.

Luke's strength, which was five times higher than normal, allowed him to run fast even while he was carrying Sergei. He soon reached the truck.

At that moment, a woman jumped down from the truck and was about to return to the A8.

From her higher vantage point on the truck, she had seen Luke rushing toward her with a man on his back before she jumped down.

The woman's mouth dropped open as she observed Luke. "What the hell?"

She recognized the man on Luke's back as none other than Sergei, who had almost caught them earlier!

But why was someone else carrying Sergei and running in their direction now? The man wasn't one of those idiots who would charge at the enemy with his unconscious boss, right?

Recalling how Sergei's men had disappeared after that fierce battle earlier, a chill ran down the woman's spine. Exactly who was this guy?

When he was within twenty meters of the A8, Luke tossed Sergei to the ground and took out his guns.

With a Glock 23 in one hand and an M1911 in the other, he quickly moved to the driver's side and said, "Wow! Gorgeous ladies, we finally meet."

It was none other than the electrifying lady driver.

She looked at Luke, surprised. "Who… are you?" She somehow found the man familiar.

Luke chuckled. "That isn't important. The important thing is that you can't go now, can you?"

The electrifying girl smiled faintly at him, but Luke grinned. "Don't let your partners do anything stupid. You aren't better shooters than Sergei's men were. If I could kill all of them, I can kill all of you, too."

The electrifying girl was stunned. "You killed all of Sergei's men?"

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Chapter 132 Gamble or Fight?

Luke grinned and nodded to his left. "Ask your partner who it was that I carried here."

The woman from the truck had her gun pointed at Luke.

The electrifying girl asked her something in Portuguese, only to be shocked by the reply. The young man who looked like a high-school student had truly caught Sergei.

Luke finally said to the woman from the truck, "My lady, please don't point your gun at me, or I will kill you first if I have to take action."

The woman hesitated for a moment, but did put her gun down.

She was the only one who knew that her gun had run out of bullets.

Luke smiled. "Good girl! Now, beautiful lady, your name is Vanessa, isn't it?"

The electrifying girl glanced at him and asked, "What do you want? Money, or something else?"

Luke grinned. "It's simple. You can either make a bet with me or fight me bare-handed. I'll let you go, whether you win or lose."

Vanessa was stunned for a moment. As she pondered, the woman from the truck said something to her that Luke didn't understand.

Vanessa's face changed, and she asked, "What will we bet on?"

Luke smiled. "It's simple. I bet that you won't get away with your loot."

Vanessa was confused, but she quickly accepted the bet. "Alright, it's on. Can we leave now?"

Luke whistled and put his guns away. He bowed slightly, before he dashed back and looked for the unconscious Sergei.

The four bank robbers looked at each other in bewilderment, but soon gathered their wits.

The woman from the truck quickly got in and urged Vanessa to drive.

She had seen Luke running astonishingly quick in their direction with Sergei on his back.

Sergei was a Russian man who was almost 1.9 meters tall and weighed more than a hundred kilograms, but Luke had still run fast with such a heavy man on his back. Only a psycho would choose to exchange physical blows with him.

So, she convinced Vanessa to bet with Luke. At any rate, it was better than him crushing them.

None of them understood why the young man was letting them go, but they didn't have much time to consider it.

There had been too many eyewitnesses to the gunfight. If they stayed any longer, the NYPD helicopters would show up.

Hitting the gas, they fled quickly in the Audi A8.

Luke, on the other hand, pressed a button on his fake phone as the A8 drove away.

Then, he grabbed Sergei, found Bell, and threw Sergei into the trunk of the cab.

Bell wasn't happy. "Hey, hey! I just fixed up my baby, and you're putting a bloodstained man in my trunk?"

Luke said, "I get it, I'll give you an extra hundred to clean your car, alright?"

Bell snorted, "Hmph, it's not about the money… Well, remember that you promised me a hundred bucks."

Elsa asked, "Why did you let the women go?"

Luke chuckled. "They can't get away. Bell, go after them. Their car will start losing momentum in a few minutes. Elsa, get your badge out and get ready to arrest them."

Elsa was puzzled. "Huh? Why me?"

Luke shrugged and said, "It'll prove that you finally got the loot back after a valiant pursuit."

Elsa asked, "Really?" She found that hard to believe.

Even if Luke didn't like credit, he didn't have to give it away, did he?

However, she soon understood what he was doing.

Luke had taken down Sergei's gang and captured Sergei on his own. So, what would her role be in her report? A supervisor?

Luke was only telling her to arrest them so that she could share in the credit.

The bank robbers, and the loot in particular, were an important part of this case.

It would be easier for Elsa to write the report if she was the one who captured them.

Bell was feeling rather excited in the driver's seat.

Her car had been stopped and later impounded last time when she had been chasing the four women, which had been a clear defeat.

She was going to win this time.

She pressed a button, and the glove compartment opened to reveal a panel. She quickly pressed a few buttons on the panel. The car was immediately lifted up as the tires switched into race mode.

The front and rear wings of the car also readjusted for high speed.

Luke wasn't surprised. Having helped Bell repair the car, he knew the basic tricks that it had.

Bell's talent was probably completely devoted to cars.

She could've made a fortune with her modification skills, but she preferred to be a driver than a professional car modifier.

"13.7 seconds! It's even faster now!" Bell rubbed her hands together. "Passengers, please fasten your seatbelts."

Luke and Elsa followed her instruction without any hesitation, otherwise, they would be flung out of the car later.

In the next second, Bell's car wooshed out.

Even with Luke's current strength, he still felt rather scared in a car going at such speed.

Shoot! You're a pilot among cab drivers! It's not that you're driving too fast, but you're flying too low!

In less than a minute, they saw the A8.

Bell found it odd. "That isn't right. Aren't they too slow?"

Elsa glanced at Luke, knowing that he must've done something.

In the A8, Vanessa frowned. "Something's wrong with the car. I can't accelerate."

One of the women suggested, "Should we stop and examine it?"

Vanessa frowned even harder. She suddenly recalled Luke's bet that they wouldn't be able to get away with the loot.

"Let's enter Nassau first. We'll try to get a new car there," said Vanessa.

It wouldn't be easy to identify the problem with the car, certainly not when they were using every second to escape.

But if she had stopped to examine the car, she would have easily discovered that the exhaust tube was partly blocked by a bulging object, which was why her car couldn't accelerate.

It was as simple as that.

Bell easily caught up to the A8. She laughed and sneered at the women tauntingly.

Speechless, Luke could only lower his head and try not to show his face.

Vanessa didn't notice Luke in the backseat. She looked at Bell and wondered how they could run into each other here. This black lady was one of the few people who was as good at driving as she was.

Luke coughed. "Elsa, you can show them your badge and ask them to pull over now."

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Chapter 133 American Style

Elsa said, "I'm a Los Angeles police officer, alright?"

Luke said, "Do you think they can really see your badge from there? Just flash it and order them to stop."

Elsa did so doubtfully.

As it turned out, the A8 went even faster after Elsa showed them her badge.

Elsa was lost for words. "…Bell, drive past them and pull the cab over. I'm going to force them to stop."

Bell asked, "What the hell? You're not trying to make me stop them American-style, are you?"

Elsa said, "This is a cab. I'm saying that I'm going to get out and force them to stop with my gun, okay?"

Bell was relieved. "No problem at all, just watch."

A moment later, Elsa was standing in the middle of the road, a gun in one hand and her badge in the other, as she signaled for Vanessa to pull over.

Vanessa frowned. She had been stepping on the gas pedal, but couldn't accelerate as fast as the car could go.

At their current speed, it would be very easy to be hit by a bullet.

Elsa certainly wasn't a benevolent person. Nobody in the Major Crimes Division could be.

Seeing that the car wasn't slowing down, she decisively opened fire.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

She fired four times consecutively.

Vanessa's car swerved, but two bullets still hit the side mirrors and blew them off.

Luke found it awkward, but he aimed at the running A8 again from the backseat.

Just now, he had shot twice when Elsa opened fire.

So, he was the one who had actually knocked off the side mirrors.

Vanessa gritted her teeth. If her car hadn't swerved just now, the bullets might've hit her.

Staring at the cold officer in the middle of the road, Vanessa didn't dare take any more risks.

The closer they got, the more accurate the officer's shooting would become, and she would definitely be aiming at Vanessa, the driver.

Vanessa spun the wheel abruptly and managed to turn the car around, before she drove back the way they came.

Elsa put her gun down. "Let's go, Bell. Just follow them. There's no need to push them too far."

Since the robbers had decided to turn back, things were easier.

She and Luke had forced them to turn around, and they gave NYPD their location. As long as they were in New York, NYPD could only blame themselves if they couldn't capture them.

Elsa's phone rang. A woman said, "This is Marta, head of the NYPD Major Crimes Division. Am I speaking to Detective Elsa?"

Elsa said, "Yes."

Marta asked, "We're now on our way to your location. What's the situation?"

Elsa looked at the A8 up ahead and said, "Everything is under control."

There seemed to be an argument on the other end of the phone, before Berit's voice came through. "Elsa, what are you doing? My sources tell me that Sergei was there and was in a gunfight with the bank robbers. You'll be held responsible if he escapes."

Elsa looked at Luke in the rearview mirror and found it absurd. "Alright, Sergeant Berit. Why don't we take responsibility and you retire from this case?"

Berit didn't know how to respond, which made Marta even angrier.

Marta was specifically in charge of sorting out the bank robberies. She didn't care about Berit's conflict with the two detectives from Los Angeles. She had to settle the bank robberies first.

Everything was a mess, and Berit wasn't helping at all.

To shift the blame or steal credit was all well and good, but only after the case was solved.

Now, they had yet to see either the money or the criminals. Berit was truly stupid to be threatening them at such a crucial moment.

Marta grabbed the phone and said, "Detective Elsa, Sergeant Berit's personal attitude has nothing to do with the Major Crimes Division. Let's talk about the bank robbers. What's the situation now?"

Elsa looked ahead and said, "Well, they're escaping in the direction of Queens."

Marta was rendered speechless.

Elsa said, "We passed them earlier and forced them to go back. If you're on your way, you better pay attention in case you miss them."

Marta asked, "Huh? What are they driving?"

Elsa watched as the four robbers forced a Benz to stop and kicked the driver out, before they stole his car and fled.

She finally said, "Well, they just stole a black S-class Benz. They're pretty fast. Don't let them escape. I don't think we can catch them in our lousy car. They're all yours."

Bell's eyes widened until the whites could be seen. Have I ever lost a single race? My baby isn't lousy at all!

Luke, however, gave Elsa a thumbs up. Bell immediately knew that they had to be lying.

She asked Luke a question with her eyes, and Luke gestured for Bell to stop next to the Audi A8.

Luke got out and circled the A8.

Coincidentally, he noticed that the unlucky driver whose car had been stolen by the bank robbers was making a call. "Honey, I'm really not lying. My new car was just stolen in New York. By whom? I have no idea! Those women abandoned an A8 and robbed me of my car! Huh? Are they beautiful? Did they point a gun at my head? No, no, honey, I really didn't go to any of those cosplay nightclubs. They were holding real guns…"

Luke was amused. He approached him and said, "Sir, do you need my help?" Bewildered, the man raised his head. "Huh?"

Luke took the phone and said, "Hello, I'm a police officer. I can verify that a bunch of robbers just robbed this gentleman of his car. You can watch the news tonight if you don't believe me. It was the Manhattan bank robbers who robbed him."

After that, he tossed the phone back to the man.

The man was delighted. "Honey, you finally believe me now, don't you? What? He's not my friend, or an actor. Is he really… a New York police officer?" He grew doubtful himself.

How could NYPD hire such a young officer?

Luke smiled and showed his badge. "LAPD!"

The man was lost for words.

A woman shrieked on the other end of the phone, "Jerk, you're lying to me! A police officer from the West Coast has come to the East Coast to vouch for you? Go to hell! I'm divorcing you!"

After the call was cut off, the man looked dazedly at Luke and felt like cursing him.

Luke shrugged and said, "If she's still suspicious after she watches the news, you should really reconsider your relationship. After all, you really were robbed, and I really am a police officer."

After a long silence, the man finally said, "Thank you."

Luke chuckled and waved at Bell.

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Chapter 134 A Slice of the Cake

Bell got out and went over to the A8. Her eyes glowed as she remarked, "This car has definitely been modified…"

Luke asked, "Can you open the car door?"

Bell chuckled. "Not a problem." She fetched a tool she had made herself and opened the A8's door in two minutes.

Luke thanked her and sat in the driver's seat, making sure that the prize was under his control.

Leaving the door open, he took a deep breath and remarked, "Ah, the scent of money."

Bell clicked her tongue and said, "Of course; this isn't a cheap car."

Luke said, "It certainly isn't. It's worth at least ten million."

Bell was suspicious. "Really? I think that's way too much."

Marta soon arrived.

She asked Luke and Elsa for the robbers' whereabouts as soon as she saw them.

Elsa asked curiously, "I told you they turned back. You didn't encounter them?"

Marta was rather embarrassed.

They did encounter the robbers, but the women had gotten away again later. So, they could only come here to look for more clues.

Berit, however, jumped out and scolded, "Elsa, it's all your fault. You let Sergei go, and the bank robbers have fled, too. Didn't you say that you would take full responsibility?"

Elsa glanced at the idiot and turned back to Marta, whom she found far more agreeable. "Is that what you think, too, Officer Marta?"

Marta wasn't stupid, and she wasn't friends with Berit, either. She quickly shook her head and said, "No, no, no. Like I said, Berit only represents himself, not the Major Crimes Division. Can we talk over there?"

Infuriated, Berit was about to open his mouth again.

Marta, however, grew impatient. "Sergeant Berit, if you stand in my way again, I'm going to write a report expounding on your 'remarkable contribution' to this bank robbery case. How does that sound?"

Berit choked and didn't say anything.

The bank robberies had too much of an impact. The robbers had looted more than three million in this last job.

Including their takings from the first two jobs, the robbers had grabbed more than eleven million in total. The banks were frantically pressuring the police to solve the case.

The banks certainly didn't want to be robbed every other day.

Three robberies in one week – even the biggest bank couldn't tolerate this frequency.

If Marta reported that Berit had gotten in the way of the investigation, the agitated leadership of NYPD would definitely vent their fury on him.

Elsa and Marta talked in private for a while, before they finally summoned Berit. Then, the three of them began to make calls.

After almost an hour, everything was finally done.

Elsa returned, exhausted but excited. "Luke, hand the car over to Officer Marta."

Luke chuckled and left the driver's seat. He nodded at Marta.

Marta looked at him with complicated feelings.

It wasn't because she was angry with him, but because her men had reported the gunfight to her in the last hour.

This smiling young officer who looked like a high school student had killed and injured 34 members of Sergei's gang on his own. He even apprehended Sergei, and had thrown him into the trunk of the cab.

It was safe to say that he had single-handedly eliminated Sergei's gang.

Was he really an ordinary detective? He was more like Rambo!

Thankfully, Luke and Elsa had tacitly agreed that the credit for retrieving the loot would go to Elsa, or Marta would be even more alarmed.

After the handover, Luke and Elsa returned to their apartment in Bell's cab.

NYPD would finish up the investigation today, and the two of them wouldn't be needed until tomorrow, so they didn't have to go into the department and annoy everybody there for now.

Luke took a shower in his apartment and read the system notifications in bed.

Mission: Eliminate Sergei's gang and arrest Sergei.

Total experience: 1,500. Credit: 1,500.

Contribution rate: 100%. EXP 1,500. Credit 1,500.

Luke had completed the mission on his own. Elsa hadn't helped at all.

There was no need to mention the unlucky Watson. Even the system didn't deem him a contributor.

Mission: Seize the loot from the bank robberies.

Total experience: 500. Credit: 500.

Contribution rate: 80%. EXP 400. Credit 400.

Luke snorted. He hadn't earned much experience from this second case; he might perhaps have earned more if he had captured the four robbers.

What really drew Luke's attention was something else.

You have defeated Vanessa. You may now learn all her abilities.

Vanessa's abilities: Basic Shooting, Basic Car Repairs, Basic Car Modification… Elementary Driving

Elementary Driving: (prerequisite: 20 Dexterity and 1,000 Credit points)

Luke wasn't very happy, because the ability was grayed out.

Although he had won the bet with Vanessa, it clearly wasn't enough for him to learn her abilities yet.

Luke frowned and thought for a moment, before he left the apartment on his bike.

He had been busy for half a day, and had eaten the fast food which he had packed in the morning for lunch.

Since he was in a bad mood, he decided to look for something nice to eat.

He didn't ask Elsa if she wanted to join him because she was busy talking to Dustin about how to split the cake.

There was no room for food in Elsa's head at the moment. Luke would just pack some for her later.

Luke wandered the streets of New York on his bike.

Eventually, he chose a Chinese restaurant.

It was a one-star Michelin restaurant that served Cantonese food.

Luke ordered almost every dish on the menu and enjoyed them slowly.

Speaking of Michelin restaurants, many people would think that they were expensive

But the number of stars mattered.

Three-star Michelin restaurants would burn a hole in your pocket – eating at one could easily cost more than five hundred bucks a person.

But what Luke picked was a one-star Michelin restaurant, which was no more expensive than some regular restaurants out there.

Luke only spent 87 dollars on the food that he had ordered.

Luke didn't touch most of it. He decided to pack them up for Elsa, Bell, and her boyfriend for supper.

So, Luke essentially only paid forty dollars for what he ate. It wasn't much at all.

Luke hung the takeaway bags on his bike and rode unhurriedly back to his apartment.

Suddenly, his Sharp Nose picked up a familiar scent.

Luke stopped the bike and carefully discerned the smell again. He immediately smiled in delight.

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Chapter 135 Miss Vanessa, Here's the Food You Ordered

Luke passed through various back alleys as he tracked the faint scent. Eventually, he found himself before a rundown building.

He observed the building for a while. It was an apartment building, but it was old and in a state of disrepair.

There were some residents in the building, who were mostly poor or problematic ones, such as illegal immigrants or certain criminals.

After a brief moment of observation, Luke simply picked up his bike and went upstairs.

He met a mother and a daughter on his way. They weren't surprised to see the bike over Luke's shoulder.

Whatever vehicle was parked downstairs, bike or car alike, would be gone in ten minutes.

Luke took another deep breath on the third floor to determine the situation inside one of the apartments. He finally put down his bike and said, "Hello, here's the food you ordered."

There was nothing but silence inside.

Luke chuckled. "Miss Vanessa, the food you ordered is here."

A moment later, the door suddenly opened, and a gun was pointed out, but nobody could be seen.

Luke said, "This is hardly a friendly gesture, Miss Vanessa."

Who else could it be, if not Vanessa?

Luke pointed his own gun at her. "Now, can we drop our guns and have a nice chat?"

Vanessa said coldly, "Do we need to? Aren't you here to catch us?"

Luke smiled again. "If I wanted to catch you, you would be in jail by now."

Gritting her teeth, Vanessa finally put her gun down. "Just talk. What do you want?"

Luke took a deep breath. "The other three ladies, no need to be so anxious. Isn't it tiring holding the guns for so long?"

A moment later, Vanessa made a helpless gesture, and the other three women in the room put their guns down.

Luke finally broke in and subdued Vanessa.

It was naturally useless for Vanessa to resist in the face of Luke's physical strength.

Luke easily restrained her hands and turned her around, keeping her in front of him. "Beautiful ladies, we meet again. Did you miss me?"

Vanessa gnashed her teeth. She didn't expect Luke to be so fast and strong that she was no better than a doll in front of him. She was easily subdued and turned into his shield.

Luke's head was right behind her own. He also had one hand pressed to her back as he restrained her own hands with the other, making it impossible for her to struggle.

Luke, on the other hand, was secretly grinning as he observed the women.

They clearly weren't in the best shape.

The clothes they were wearing were ragged and not their own. Their lips were dry and cracked, and they looked exhausted. They had probably spent the whole afternoon running.

Luke clicked his tongue. "How can such gorgeous ladies live in such a poor environment? Allow this kindhearted man to give you a hand."

As he talked, he slowly exited the room with Vanessa as his shield.

Luke relaxed after he was outside the range of the women's guns.

He examined Vanessa's gun with a smile, only to find that it didn't have any bullets. He was immediately amused.

These robbers were truly desperate now. They could only threaten other people with empty guns, which was hilarious.

Luke took out a wad of cash and tossed it to Vanessa, who was glaring at him. He had stolen the money from Sergei after knocking him out, so he wasn't reluctant to give it away.

He then gave Vanessa the two takeaways bags of restaurant food.

Vanessa was at a complete loss.

Luke explained, "Like I said, I'm here to deliver food. It's my compensation, and so is the money. Alright, nice to meet you. I hope you won't point your gun at me the next time we meet."

He then put Vanessa's gun back in her hand, before he picked up his bike and went downstairs.

Vanessa was confused. What was going on?

She didn't come back to herself until the three women in the room came out and asked her where Luke was. She said, "Well… he's

gone."

They looked at each other in bewilderment.

When they noticed what was in Vanessa's hand, they grew even more curious.

Cash was always good, especially given their current situation.

Sergei, their previous logistics support, had been caught. Their own car was lost, too.

Also, they had been planning to escape after this job, and hadn't left any supplies in New York.

The cash was all one hundred-dollar bills. There were about twenty of them, enough for the women to weather through this crisis.

They couldn't risk exposing themselves by trying to make their own money while NYPD was currently doing a frantic search for them.

Otherwise, they could've easily lured in certain "energetic" men by showing a little leg on the street.

Luke didn't take the gun, and had even given them a lot of cash. But what was in the two bags?

The three women were puzzled, because they smelled food.

They weren't familiar with this particular food smell, but they were certain that it was edible.

They were starving but didn't dare go shopping – for them right now, food was even more important than money.

Vanessa shook her head. "Let's move elsewhere and then see what's in the bags."

Half an hour later, the four women relocated to another building several hundred meters away. They sat down in an abandoned room, and pulled off the dust-covered cloth that covered the dining table.

After the dust settled, Vanessa opened the two bags and found more than ten takeaway boxes in them.

The women looked at each other in confusion after they opened the boxes.

The food was slightly different from what they usually ate, but it was clearly food, and there was meat.

One of the women swallowed. "Did we really order food?"

Vanessa frowned. "Is the food alright? Has it been poisoned?"

The first woman hesitated for a moment, but then said, "I'll test it." Then, she grabbed some food and gobbled it down like crazy.

SO

The other three women were lost for words.

Luke didn't care about what happened to the food.

He returned to the restaurant and ordered another hundred dollars' worth of food.

The boss was surprised to see him again. "Huh? You finished the food you just bought?"

Luke chuckled. "It wasn't nearly enough, so I'm buying more."

The boss smiled. "I bet. I make the best Cantonese food in town."

Luke nodded and said, "I know. A Chinese specialty." He spoke the latter half of the sentence in Mandarin.

The boss was amazed. "Wow, you're quite good at Chinese."

Luke smiled. "I love China, particularly the delicious food there."

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Chapter 136 Treat, and Splitting the Credit

Delighted, the boss even offered Luke a steamed goose head. "Only real gourmets know how delicious this is."

Luke was speechless. Aren't you giving the goose head to me because you can't sell it?

Luke thanked the boss for the freebie, then rode the bike back to his apartment.

At that moment, Vanessa's abilities were no longer unavailable in the system.

Luke was now qualified to study her abilities after defeating her in close combat.

It was also the reason why Luke hadn't handed them over to the police.

It would be poor manners to hand them over to the police after he had qualified to learn Vanessa's abilities.

More importantly, the girl was charming and didn't piss him off. He didn't want to help NYPD catch her.

He wasn't a New York police officer, nor was he Spider-Man, who vowed to catch every criminal.

But who knew whether or not Vanessa would continue to be plagued by bad luck.

If she continued to carry out evil deeds, it was possible that her bad luck might lead to a mishap that would put her in jail.

Everything was up to her now.

Luke knocked on Elsa's door. Faced with her curious eyes, he showed her the food in his hand. "I'm in a great mood today now that the case has been resolved. This is on me."

Elsa said, "How generous of you."

She had finished discussing matters with Dustin, and was feeling hungry.

So, she didn't refuse Luke's offer, and just tasted the dishes one by one.

As it turned out, Elsa's favorite was char siu, which was essentially sweet meat.

The steamed goose that Luke liked, on the other hand, didn't pique Elsa's interest.

Elsa was horrified when Luke chewed on the goose head unhurriedly. "You dare to eat that?"

Luke said solemnly, "This is the best part. The boss only offered it to me because I was a big customer."

Elsa was highly suspicious. She would call the police herself if someone gave her a bull's head while buying steak.

After Elsa was full, she asked Luke's opinion on what to include in the report.

Luke shrugged and said, "You can speak up on my behalf if there's any reward money, but I don't think I can get a promotion. I only have a high school diploma."

In a lot of major cities, police officers could only obtain a promotion after taking a civil service test, and a college degree was the minimum requirement to do so.

While these officers weren't federal employees, passing the test meant that they were qualified to manage other officers.

Any further promotion would only need to be approved within the police department. No further tests would be necessary.

Elsa thought for a moment, and realized that it made sense. She asked again, "Are you not planning to go to college? Some colleges allow part-time study, right?"

Luke shook his head. "I'm only eighteen. It'll take me several years before I can get a college degree. To me, a promotion isn't as important as money."

After a brief hesitation, Elsa asked in a low voice, "Exactly what am I supposed to put in the report?"

U

V

Luke looked at her face and shrugged. "Whatever you want. I'm not desperate for a promotion. If you get promoted, I'll just rely on you for help." Elsa asked suspiciously, "You really aren't?"

Luke said, "How do you think our colleagues will view me if I become a sergeant a year after getting this job?"

Elsa remarked, "Although I want to say that they'll congratulate you, many of them will definitely badmouth you behind your back."

Luke spread his arms. "That's right. I haven't gone to the police academy yet. Everybody will hate me if I'm promoted right now. It's fine, claim however much credit you want for the case. It'll be best if you can be promoted."

Elsa was dazed. "Huh?"

Luke chuckled. "You can return the favor then by making Selina my partner."

Elsa asked in surprise, "Are the two of you really…?"

Luke shook his head. "No, actually. But we've been through life and death together twice. We trust each other."

Elsa was lost for words for a long moment. In the end, she said, "Fine. I feel that it's happier to be your partner than to be your wife."

Luke rolled his eyes. "I'm only eighteen, alright? Can we not bring up such a heavy topic? Have I ever said anything about you getting married?"

Elsa raised her hands and gave up. "Okay! I was wrong to bring it up." She was already 32, and her family and friends would ask her if she had a boyfriend every time they met.

As a detective of the Major Crimes Division, however, she had little time to find a boyfriend.

Forget a boyfriend, she could barely do one night stands because of her unique job.

How many men had the courage to hit on a detective of the Major Crimes Division?

…Alright, fine, if she were as beautiful as Selina, some enchanted men would have still pursued her.

The best that could be said about Elsa was that she wasn't ugly; she just couldn't charm any man with her face.

After the meal, Luke left her apartment. Before he closed the door, he said again, "Remember, I don't want anything but money."

Elsa was speechless. Who wouldn't want such a partner?

Given how Luke performed, Elsa believed that she would be promoted in a few months if she continued working with him.

And if he worked under her later? Elsa didn't think it was entirely impossible that she could be promoted to an even higher level.

The most important reason was that Luke was really good at fighting.

In the event of a major crime, she would only need to dispatch Luke as his superior, and she would get some of the praise after the case was resolved.

Los Angeles was a crime capital, and countless gangs roamed the city.

It was the dream of every leader in the police department to have such a warrior.

The most important leadership ability was to put the right man in the right place.

The director and the deputy director of NYPD, for example, were both civil officers, and weren't involved in specific operations. They only managed the police department as administrators.

Elsa thought about it and grew excited.

As for the possibility that Luke was lying? The chances weren't high.

After all, Luke failed to meet many requirements.

He hadn't graduated from a police academy, didn't have a college degree, didn't have enough work experience, and hadn't passed the police test. These were all shortcomings.

However, if Luke didn't want to be promoted, none of these things really mattered.

A detective was in fact only half a level higher than ordinary officers, but the rumors wouldn't touch him as long as he cracked enough cases.

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Chapter 137 Respect "Aunt" Elsa

If Luke planned on being promoted to sergeant, however, he would have to meet those requirements, or other people would come down on him for it.

Elsa thought hard for a long time before she finally calmed down. She began to work on the case report.

Luke, on the other hand, went to Bell's room with the food that Elsa hadn't touched.

But before he could knock on the door, he already heard the sounds of people having sex inside the room.

Luke simply shook his head and said loudly at the door, "Bell, I brought you some special food. I'm leaving it at the door. Bye!"

He put the food down and returned to his apartment.

He turned on the TV and watched the news, finally able to relax.

He checked the abilities which Sergei's lackeys had, but none of them were useful.

As he expected, those gangsters had nothing remarkable at all.

Luke scoffed, but he also knew that "basic" abilities were no longer any use to him since he had dealt with too many tough figures previously.

Elementary abilities, on the other hand, all cost more than a thousand credits, when basic abilities only cost one or two hundred.

Robert's Basic Driving enabled Luke to drive a car, but Vanessa's Elementary Driving could turn him into a top car racer.

However, he hadn't learned Vanessa's skill yet, because he didn't have a car in New York.

He had been busy for days. Although stalking the long-legged robbers had been a pleasant task, it had still been rather exhausting.

Now that there were no more tasks to complete, no more targets to follow, and no more equipment to make for tomorrow, Luke relaxed, and soon fell asleep.

He didn't wake up until six o'clock the next morning.

Luke went out for a ride on his bike after he got up. He bought some breakfast as recommended by the restaurant owner yesterday, and it didn't taste bad at all.

He ordered some for Elsa after he finished.

Elsa had just gotten up when Luke returned. When she saw the breakfast that Luke had brought her, she couldn't help but ask, "What's the meaning of this? Are you hitting on me?"

Luke shrugged. "I slept too early last night. If you don't want to take it for free, you can pay me. It's 27.50. We can round it up to thirty."

Lost for words, Elsa gave him thirty dollars. "Don't be too nice to girls, or you may cause a misunderstanding."

Luke chuckled secretly. Are you really a "girl"? I respect you like an aunt!

Luke returned to his apartment with the thirty dollars before Elsa figured out what he was thinking.

They had to go to NYPD today and report what happened yesterday. Naturally, Luke and Elsa had worked out a story.

They weren't criminals, in any case.

The main problem was that Luke had been too ruthless yesterday. Twenty of Sergei's thirty men had been killed on the spot, and most of the rest were heavily wounded.

Sergei and the truck driver were the least hurt, but had severe brain concussions nonetheless.

Luke rode the bike to the police department and carried it inside.

The atmosphere turned weird all of a sudden.

He looked around, only to notice that many people had gone quiet and were sneaking peeks at him in the busy hall.

When Luke looked at them suspiciously, they went back to whatever they were doing.

Luke sighed inwardly. He was probably famous in NYPD now.

It was rare in the police system for one person to go up against more than thirty enemies and annihilate them.

Teamwork and cooperation were what mattered most nowadays. LAPD's SWAT organization, for example, was a famous special force.

With teamwork and tactics, a SWAT team could crush a similar number of criminals who weren't as organized as they were.

Luke's performance yesterday, in comparison, was incomprehensible.

The police officers thought that his stats were out of a Stallone or Schwarzenegger movie – only someone like that could kill dozens of people without getting so much as a scratch.

Hm… Those officers hadn't been there when Luke had terrorized Sergei's gangsters, or they would've known that Luke's style was nothing like Stallone's or Schwarzenegger's.

Before he learned Elementary Self-Healing, Luke certainly didn't have the courage to shoot at dozens of people out in the open.

The place went back to normal, but every now and then, someone would sneak a glance at Luke before quickly averting their gaze. Luke's corner was no longer peaceful.

Elsa also showed up soon after. She was going to report to Marta on the loot from the bank robberies.

Luke, on the other hand, needed to talk to Berit, who was responsible for Sergei's case.

Luke greeted Berit in the latter's office and simply sat down without an invitation.

Berit wasn't his boss, and Luke had received little appreciation so far at NYPD. Thus, Luke had no reason to smile at him.

Berit looked at Luke and didn't dare dismiss him like before.

Luke had killed more gangsters yesterday than Berit had killed in his entire life.

The young man was only eighteen and had been an officer for merely a year.

Berit wasn't an idiot, and certainly would rather not piss off such a dreadful figure.

He had been blatantly edging Elsa and Luke out because Elsa was a woman and Luke was a teenager.

Now, Luke was still a teenager, but he had killed more than twenty people. Berit didn't dare be as cocky anymore.

Now that his attitude had changed, the investigation ran more smoothly.

Luke didn't have much to say. NYPD only needed to find out whom he had killed, and if anyone else had been involved in the gunfight.

Luke's debriefing took an hour. In the end, he asked Berit, "How is Sergei?"

Berit said, "He's still in the hospital for now because of his brain concussion."

Luke was lost for words. If he had known, he wouldn't have thrown the baseball at all.

Thinking that, he gave the photo of Sergei carrying the AK to Berit. "I took this yesterday before the arrest. If your forensics department is any good, you should be able to find Sergei's fingerprints on the AK. He was the one who killed the three men lying on the ground. This is enough to get him convicted, right?"

After a brief daze, Berit nodded his head.

With the photo and a statement from the forensics depertment, Sergei would definitely be found guilty of murder. After that, there would be enough time to investigate the other cases that Sergei was involved in.

During lunch at noon, Elsa sat opposite Luke with a strange look on her face.

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Chapter 138 Farewell Gift and Safe Return

Chewing on his hamburger, Luke asked, "Why are you staring at me like that?"

Elsa shook her head. "Captain Marta was even more courteous today after word of your performance yesterday spread. Berit even said good morning to me. Hehe. I always thought that his eyes were on the ceiling."

Luke said, "I prefer money to fame."

Elsa chuckled. "There's no reward money, but it's easier for us to do our job now. We should've been kept for three days of questioning, according to standard procedure, but I'm already done on my end. What about you?"

Luke said, "I think everything is over now. Does this mean we can go back to Los Angeles tomorrow?"

Elsa thought for a moment and nodded. "I'll ask the boss later. If he says it's fine, we'll go back."

They had completed their mission to apprehend Sergei. Where Sergei would be incarcerated depended on the negotiations between the police departments, and wasn't any of their business.

It was safe to say that Luke and Elsa's trip had come to an end when Luke delivered Sergei to NYPD yesterday.

After lunch, Luke went to the Major Crimes Division with Elsa to discuss some things with Marta. He then left with Marta's card.

Bell was already waiting for them outside the door.

Luke sat in the passenger's seat and gave her the card. "Here's a gift for you."

Bell accepted it without thinking much of it. "A card? Who is this?"

Most detectives of the Major Crimes Division didn't have their positions listed on their cards; some cards didn't even have full names, as this could pose a risk.

This was exactly the case with Marta's card, which only had "Marta" and a phone number printed on it.

Luke explained, "This is a captain in the Major Crimes Division. I told her that you're good with cars and well-informed. She said that you can be an informant for her if you're willing."

Informants were different from going undercover. Bell only needed to provide Marta with intelligence regularly without getting involved with the gangs. Essentially, she would be a living surveillance camera.

Informants like these were paid less, but it was also a lot safer.

Also, they were paid per job, and could withdraw whenever they wanted to stop.

Another benefit for Bell was that she could ask for Marta's help if her car was impounded again.

After hearing Luke's explanation, Bell burst into laughter. "Wow, I have an officer behind me now. Thank you, Luke."

Luke shrugged and was amused by the system notification.

System: You have received Bell's appreciation. You may now learn all her abilities.

Bell's abilities: Basic Craft, Basic Car Repairs… Elementary Car Driving, Elementary Bike Riding

He had gone through so much trouble to acquire Vanessa's abilities, but had won Bell's appreciation so easily.

But does this mean that you never appreciated me until I gave you the card? Also, what's with Elementary Bike Riding?

Luke couldn't help but ask an excited Bell, "Bell, are you a good cyclist?"

Bell eyed him strangely and said, "Of course – I delivered food by bike before I became a cab driver. I still hold the best record for food delivery in Queens!"

Luke was lost for words. Fine. It was an elementary ability, in any case, and was better than nothing.

Elsa called Dustin and made sure that everything had been taken care of. She booked a flight for the next morning.

The next morning, Bell sent them to the airport. She hugged Luke and said, "Come find me when you're in New York again."

Luke nodded with a smile. "Alright. Fist bump – it's time to say goodbye."

They bumped fists, shook hands, and bade each other farewell.

After Luke and Elsa entered the airport, Elsa teased him. "I'm really worried for Jessi."

Luke rolled his eyes. "I'm worried for Bell."

Elsa was rendered speechless.

Luke was insinuating the same thing of Elsa and Jessi, so she stopped poking fun at him.

Forty minutes later, they boarded the plane and sat down.

Looking at the familiar cabin, Elsa couldn't help but remark, "I hope it won't be like when we came here."

What an ill-timed jinx!

Luke could only gloomily examine the plane with his Sharp Nose as he filtered out the fouler smells.

"Relax. Nothing will go wrong this time." Luke rubbed his nose and started to read a magazine.

Elsa said, "I hope so."

The flight turned out to be a safe and uneventful one, just like any other flight that Elsa had taken before.

Elsa shook her head and smiled when she got off. "I was too silly. We can't run into emergencies all the time, can we?"

They returned to the police department as soon as they landed.

Luke wasn't bothered. It wasn't bad to check beforehand if Dustin was going to give him any reward money.

When they arrived at the police department, they dropped off their suitcases and went to Dustin.

Seeing them, Dustin immediately put down his pen and stood up with a smile.

He shook hands with Elsa and hugged her first, before he did the same to Luke.

Luke was flattered. Wasn't Dustin… being a little too friendly?

Dustin asked them to sit down and smiled. "Sergei has been caught, so we can finally announce the outcome of Katie's case now. The crisis is over. You did a great job."

Of course, the bank robberies had enabled Dustin to reach an agreement with NYPD which made up for the sacrifices they had made before this. But Luke and Elsa didn't need to know the details.

"You just got back. Go and rest up. We'll talk later. Do you need a break?" asked Dustin.

Luke looked at Elsa. He didn't really care. It was up to his partner.

Elsa said, "I'll take a break today and come back to work tomorrow."

Luke said, "Then, me too."

Dustin nodded. "Alright, you can go back now."

They left the police department. Elsa gave Luke a ride home before going back to her own place.

Luke saw Elsa's car off. He finally took a deep breath and stretched. "I finally have half a day off. How rare."

He opened the door to his apartment and grinned. "It seems that Selina hasn't been slacking off at all."

Their stuff from Houston was now all in this new apartment.

He had been away for two weeks, and their things from Houston had already arrived.

Selina had Luke's car. She had gone to get the items, and then arranged them in the new apartment.

The previously empty apartment now seemed more lived in and no longer felt like a cold dormitory.

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Chapter 139 Cooking and Reminiscing

Luke walked around the apartment, including Selina's room.

Since he was away, Selina left her room door open.

Luke couldn't help but shake his head at the bras that were strewn everywhere, her clothes from when she had changed in the morning, and the messy sheets and blankets on her bed.

Selina was indeed as much of a slob as ever.

His own room was a lot tidier. Everything had been put away neatly.

Well, Luke had done most of it earlier on, and Selina had merely added a few items that belonged to him.

Luke then checked the kitchen, and discovered that the cooking utensils and seasoning that he had bought in Houston were all here.

He opened the fridge, only to shake his head.

There was nothing in the fridge except two cartons of milk, a few Dr. Peppers, and some cheese.

Luke called Selina. "It's me. Yes, I'm back. Are you busy? I'm not. When will you get off work tonight? By seven at the earliest? Fine then. You're using the car. Okay. There'll be food for you tonight. Bye bye."

He left the apartment to buy ingredients.

Thirty minutes later, Luke returned carrying two enormous bags.

Thankfully, he now had 28 Strength, or it would be somewhat tiring to carry such big bags on foot.

Back at the apartment, Luke did the necessary preparations.

His strength and dexterity proved useful once again as he completed in forty minutes tasks that would've taken other people more than two hours. All he needed to do now was wait.

It was only slightly past three. Selina wouldn't be back any time soon. Luke had plenty of time.

Luke found his laptop and checked the news on a certain playboy.

Only then did he discover that the man who had paid a fortune to get him and Selina transferred to Los Angeles was having fun in New York.

Since it was close to the end of the year, many annual meetings and competitions were going on.

Tony Stark was attending… a competition for the top ten cover girls.

This sort of event was definitely designed for him.

Seeing how carefree the playboy was, Luke felt somewhat reassured.

The prodigal Iron Man would save the world. But that would also mean the start of a neverending global crisis.

From that perspective, Luke thought that it would be best if Tony Stark could continue his life as a playboy. Luke had no plans of being killed during a battle.

He wasn't invincible, after all.

Luke browsed important world news and busied himself in the kitchen every now and then.

It soon turned half past eight. The door creaked as someone opened it with a key.

In the next moment, Selina showed up, exhausted.

She grinned when she saw Luke and gave him a big hug. "Oh, how I missed when you were around. I've put on a lot of weight."

Luke was speechless. "Huh?" Shouldn't people lose weight when they missed someone too much?

Selina sighed. "I've put on almost two pounds because of the garbage food I've been eating."

Luke found it impossible to sympathize with her.

Other people would've turned into a 200-pound fatty if they ate like Selina, but she still had her figure, which was rather unscientific.

Luke could only smile. "Go take a shower and change. I'll make dinner."

Selina looked desperate. "Huh? Dinner isn't ready? I expected food on my return."

Luke smiled. "Only the main course isn't done yet. You can have something else first. However, let me remind you that you better leave some room in your stomach for the main course."

Selina was happy to see the cupcakes that Luke was pointing at on the table. She kissed Luke's cheek and said, "Oh, darling, you truly are my savior." She then ran off to take a shower.

Luke wiped off the lipstick mark on his face with a tissue, not knowing what to say.

He shook his head with a smile and put the chicken that had been marinating for five hours into the oven.

After setting up the oven, Luke left the kitchen and browsed the news again.

Ten minutes later, the bathroom door opened. Luke wasn't distracted, and kept reading the news.

Suddenly, he heard quick footsteps from the bathroom, and he instinctively raised his head.

He immediately saw a naked woman running through the living room into her room, before she closed the door.

Luke was too stunned to realize what had just happened.

Recalling the elegant curves of that body, Luke finally understood that Selina must've forgotten to bring her towel in with her before her shower.

She had been on her own in the apartment when Luke was away. God knew what new habits she had picked up. Nudity might have been one of them.

She wasn't scared of peeping toms anyway, since the curtains were closed.

Thinking that, Luke shook his head and checked the roast chicken in the kitchen.

By the time he returned, Selina was already seated at the table and was having a cupcake.

Luke asked with a smile, "Is it delicious?"

Selina snorted. "Is it beautiful?"

Luke was stumped for a moment. He then realized that Selina was accusing him of ogling her when she had been naked.

He smiled. "It's very beautiful. Thank you for entertaining me the moment I got back."

Selina glared at him angrily, but finally became amused herself. "Fine, it's not like you've never seen it before. Tell me, why did you raise your head the moment I ran out, when you were so focused on your laptop before that?"

Luke shrugged. "I have good senses. I subconsciously checked what was going on since you were running too fast. I wouldn't have looked up if you had walked at a normal pace."

Selina was speechless. "So, it's my own fault?"

Luke smiled and didn't say anything. He got up and brought out a pot of stew from the kitchen, which was full of potatoes and beef pieces. The fragrance was truly enticing.

Selina immediately forgot to censure Luke any longer. "What's this?"

"Stewed beef brisket with tomatoes!" Luke replied.

Seeing that Selina was drooling, Luke took out bowls and other tableware, and ladled out a bowl of soup for each of them.

"Let's have this first. I didn't prepare rice today, but there's pizza. Do you want it?" asked Luke.

Selina hesitated for a moment, but still nodded in the end.

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Chapter 140 Save Your Actions For Your Mom

People anywhere had staple food.

In Asia, it was noodles and rice. In Western countries, it was bread, cake or pizza.

Without staples, most people wouldn't feel full, and maybe even uncomfortable, after a meal.

The pizza was already ready. Luke heated two pieces in the microwave for himself and Selina.

Selina was so happy that her eyes narrowed into slits when she smiled.

She liked food more than anything else.

She hadn't realized it, until Luke started cooking for them every day after work in Houston, when Brock didn't give them much to do.

Luke had known how to cook in his previous life, although he wasn't exactly good at it.

Cooking prep was also tedious, so he barely cooked.

He was much stronger and faster in this world, however, so cooking became something he enjoyed doing.

He had read a lot of books on delicious food and had tried many himself in his previous life. Now, with Selina as his test subject, his culinary skills were improving by leaps and bounds.

Still, his skills were no way good enough for him to work as a chef, since chefs were concerned with much more than just taste.

Luke hadn't spent much money in New York.

He had to thank Sergei, who had been carrying several wads of cash on him. After giving one wad to Vanessa, Luke kept two for himself, which amounted to roughly four thousand dollars.

It had covered most of his expenses in New York.

It had also been enough to cover the money that he paid for the electronic parts and secondhand goods.

He wasn't worried that he would lose credit for taking Sergei's money.

Based on the files he had read at NYPD, Sergei was involved in smuggling and human trafficking, and must have killed more than twenty people.

Criminals like him weren't protected by the system.

Of course, only gangsters like Sergei would carry so much cash on them.

Luke was certainly justified in using the money to make better food for himself and Selina!

Selina was devouring her food when Luke reminded her twice, "Slow down, slow down. You'll be full soon if you eat so fast. There's more food to come."

Selina had to slow down, but she couldn't help but quickly speed up again.

In less than five minutes, she had already eaten half a cupcake, a bowl of stewed beef brisket with tomatoes, and a slice of pizza.

The pizza had fruit on it, and was sweet and sour, which was also why she had devoured it so fast.

After that, Selina reached for another cupcake.

Luke slapped her hand. "Don't eat any more. You can save them for tomorrow."

Selina said in frustration, "You really are like

my mom."

Luke rolled his eyes. "You don't want anything to happen to your stomach since you like food so much, do you?"

Selina shook her head quickly.

Luke chuckled. "The detectives that I know of in the Major Crimes Division mostly have gastric problems. Some of them can't even have Dr. Pepper. Do you want to turn into one of them?"

Selina shook her head again.

Luke nodded in satisfaction. "That's why I made you these. You can pack a few cupcakes and put them in your bag. When you're hungry, you can have one."

Selina asked, "Huh? You made all of them for me?"

Luke found that odd. "Of course. I may give some to Elsa, but the rest are yours."

Selina was touched. "Ah, that's so sweet of you, Luke! I love you!"

Luke was lost for words. "Do you always say that to your mom?"

Selina said, "… Well, not exactly."

Luke chuckled. He knew that he was right when he saw how awkwardly Selina was acting.

He had made dinner because the meticulousness of the task could help dispel his negative emotions after the slaughter in New York.

Likewise, bickering with Selina was a way for him to readjust his mentality.

As they chatted, the main course was finally ready.

Luke fetched the roast chicken from the oven. Putting it on a plate, he opened the tinfoil to reveal the two chickens inside.

It wasn't turkey, but sanhuang chicken[1].

Luke didn't know whether he had gotten the original flavor right, but it was much tastier than turkey.

After being marinated in cooking wine and seasoning, the chicken meat was soft and smooth, and could be easily pulled apart.

The chicken had cooking wine and seasoning both on the skin and in the stomach.

It was much more delicious than a regular turkey.

Luke and Selina stopped talking. They each grabbed a chicken and gobbled it down.

Selina finished it even faster than Luke. She asked him pitifully, "Darling, is there more?"

Luke chuckled. "There's another in the oven. You can take it out yourself."

He had known that one chicken wouldn't be enough for Selina.

The chickens he bought from the supermarket only weighed slightly more than half a kilogram each after they were cleaned. One definitely wasn't enough for Selina.

Watching Selina fetch the chicken and enjoy it herself, Luke smiled and poured another bowl of stewed beef brisket with tomatoes for himself.

Everything was the same as always, except for a certain someone who was too full to stand up after that.

The next morning, Luke shook his head at Selina, who looked like a spring roll in her blanket on the couch, and he wondered why it was her head that was buried in the blanket and her butt exposed instead.

Thankfully, it was Los Angeles, where the lowest temperature was still over ten degrees warmer, even in November, or she might've caught a cold.

Luke washed his face first before he woke up Selina and then prepared breakfast.

The most uncomfortable thing for him in New York had been that he had to eat out every day.

By the time Selina came out, hot milk and homemade sandwiches were already on the table. She said happily, "Wow, this is too great. I'm going to throw up if I have hot dogs again. Finally, your sandwiches are back in town!"

Luke chuckled. "You're just lazy. It doesn't take a lot of time if you buy some of the premade ingredients and make the food yourself. You can adjust the flavor, too."

Selina didn't say anything. She never made food, simply because she didn't want to.

After they finished the simple but delicious breakfast, they left for work.

Selina drove the car. Luke grabbed her bag after they got in.

Selina was shocked. "What do you want?"

Luke showed her the paper bag in his hand, lost for words. "I told you to take a few cupcakes with you last night. You were so fast just now that I couldn't even stop you."

[1] A breed from Southern China

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Chapter 141 Award and Promotion

Selina said, "I forgot. Darling, I know that you're the best."

Luke said, "Save that for your mom."

On their way to the police department, Luke asked Selina how work had been for her recently.

Selina replied that everything was under control, and that she was learning much more here than in Houston.

Donald, her partner, wasn't very remarkable, but he was reliable and barely made any mistakes. He was also familiar with the standard procedures of the Major Crimes Division.

From that point of view, Donald was a great teacher.

Luke was quite satisfied, too. He didn't want Selina to just sit around.

Police officers who just sat around might become public enemy number one.

They soon reached the police department. Selina parked the car, and Luke headed in first.

Luke was the one who bought the car, but Selina had been driving it. Luke had only driven it once, on the day he bought it.

He could say that he had a chauffeur to drive him every day.

Luke entered the bullpen of the Major Crimes Division. Elsa was already there, busy with the paperwork on her table.

Luke grinned inwardly. That was the benefit of not wanting any credit.

In other teams, it was the junior partner who would have to write the report, and the senior partner who would review it.

But since Luke had let go of the credit, there was naturally no need for him to write the report, in case he suddenly changed his mind and decided to claim credit in it.

Luke said hi to Elsa and asked, "What's the arrangement for today? Do we have a new case?"

Elsa nodded her head. "We'll get going after I deliver this report to Dustin."

Luke nodded his head.

Ten minutes later, Elsa returned with a pleased look on her face.

Luke teased, "What? Did the boss set you up on a date?"

Elsa glared at him and said, "Let's go."

They got in their police car in the parking lot. Elsa finally said, "The boss said that we'll get reward money for Sergei's case, even if we did give away the bank robbery case."

Luke perked up when he heard that. "How much?"

Elsa replied, "Not very much, two thousand dollars each."

Luke was excited. "Haha, not bad. That's two weeks' worth of my wages."

More importantly, the money was clean and could be used for anything.

In comparison, he didn't dare deposit the money he got from Sergei into his bank account, since he couldn't explain where it came from. He could only use it to pay for his living expenses.

Luke observed Elsa for a moment, then smiled again. "Is there more good news? Just tell me."

Elsa was somewhat embarrassed, but she couldn't keep it a secret anyway. "Actually, the boss said that a few detectives will be promoted as sergeants soon, and it's likely that I'll be one of them."

Luke said with a smile, "Let me congratulate you in advance." He knew that Elsa had passed the civil service test and had enough experience; all she had needed was an opportunity.

Elsa couldn't hold in her smile anymore. "It isn't settled yet."

Luke said, "You better work harder now. I'll definitely support you."

Elsa looked at him and said, "I'll hold you to that."

Luke chuckled. "If you're promoted, you'll be my boss. You can look after me then."

Elsa said with a bitter smile, "Enough. I think I'll be the one who needs your help."

Luke shrugged. "We should always help each other, because we're partners, aren't we?"

Elsa looked at him again and nodded solemnly. "Yes, we are."

There was a brief silence in the car. Luke finally changed the topic. "What's the case this time?"

"A man named Kiyoshi died in an apartment on Seaside Avenue. He was an Asian male, 47 years old, and worked as an engineer for a construction company," said Elsa.

Luke found that odd. "Is he from Japan?"

Elsa said, "Yes, but he lives in America. His son is over twenty years old, and lives with Kiyoshi's ex-wife elsewhere in California."

Luke asked, "What about the details?"

Elsa said, "…Mr. Kiyoshi died a rather miserable death. You can read the file later. It was wilful murder; the victim was cruelly tortured before he was killed."

Luke frowned. "…Nobody's investigating it?"

It sounded like a difficult case, and the murder had probably been carried out by professionals.

That also meant that solving a case like this would be a remarkable achievement. So why was nobody on it?

Elsa glanced at him and said, "Donald was responsible for this case, but he hasn't made much progress in the last few days. That's why the boss gave it to us."

Luke was lost for words. He had stolen Selina's case on the day of his return. He would have to make it up to her by cooking delicious food tonight.

As for Donald? Well, that was Elsa's problem.

Donald wouldn't bother begrudging Luke at all, since they weren't on the same level.

So, it would be Elsa versus Donald, and Luke versus Selina.

Luke felt that he could handle Selina easily enough, and Elsa obviously didn't consider Donald a big deal, either. She was too formidable a woman to be scared of a gentleman like Donald.

However, after investigating the case for three days themselves, they didn't find any leads. In the end, they had to transfer the case file to the archive room.

Then, it was a peaceful but busy life.

There weren't any major cases, but there were numerous small ones.

With Elsa as his teacher, Luke made swift progress.

After their last conversation, Elsa decided to groom him as her future subordinate, so she often shared tricks with Luke as they worked on cases.

Luke might slip up horribly someday if she didn't share her knowledge with him.

Her know-how was based on her years of experience as an officer; Elsa was only imparting her tricks to Luke as an advance investment.

More importantly, Luke wasn't greedy. He couldn't be, in any case.

He lacked both experience and a college degree, which meant that he didn't pose a threat to Elsa.

Soon, it was Christmas.

Catherine called Luke and asked if he was going home for the holiday.

Luke, however, regretfully said that he couldn't.

As newbies, he and Selina had to stay in Los Angeles during Christmas in the event of an emergency.

If nothing happened, they would be able to celebrate Christmas in peace.

But if something did happen, they would have to deal with the emergency without extra pay.

Every newbie had to go through this.

Catherine was a little disappointed, but Luke suggested that they visit Los Angeles during Christmas so that the family could get together and Claire and Joseph could have some fun.

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Chapter 142 Christmas Eve and a Date

The Christmas break in America was usually two weeks long, and ran from 22 December to 5 January in the new year.

Many people also took annual leave during this time, which meant that they got a one-month holiday.

In the end, Catherine said that she would consider it. Even if they did visit L.A., they would celebrate Christmas at home first.

Luke said that it was fine, and declared that he would pay for their trip.

Robert wasn't happy. "You think you're rich now, boy?"

Luke gloated. "Haha, I just received a two thousand-dollar reward for cracking a case. How does that sound?"

Robert was defeated. He didn't know what to say.

Shackelford was too small a town. There was barely any reward money here, unless he ran into drug dealers.

"Fine, you can pay for our trip." Robert gnashed his teeth and gave the phone to Catherine.

Catherine was amused as she watched the two men bicker, and hung up after exchanging a few more words with Luke.

"Why are you always fighting with Luke?" asked Catherine with a smile.

Robert snorted. "That boy is getting arrogant! I'll have to teach him a lesson in L.A. this time."

Catherine was lost for words for a moment. "Fine. The both of you can do whatever you want."

There was something that Robert didn't tell his wife.

What sort of case could lead to a two thousand-dollar reward?

A victim might give the officer who cracked their case money as a token of appreciation. That would be for a regular case.

If the money was from the police department, however, two thousand dollars was certainly a lot. It would definitely have been a tough case.

Robert was worried that Luke might've pissed off some troublesome gang or people now that Luke was no longer under his protection.

Of course, Robert didn't know that Luke's capability was beyond his imagination, or that Luke would soon be reaping more reward money again.

Luke hung up the phone. He shook his head at Selina, who was also making a call.

Selina must be talking to her family, too.

They were both apart from their families and busy at work. The holiday season would be a difficult time for them.

Thankfully, he and Selina still had each other.

After Selina hung up, Luke asked, "Did Sandra ask you to go home, too?"

Selina nodded. "Yes, but it's not that easy. The police department's not paying us for nothing. Maybe next year."

Luke chuckled and rubbed her head. "Alright, let's have dinner."

Selina's mood lifted at the mention of food. "What are we having today?"

Luke asked, "Was the roast chicken delicious?"

Selina nodded quickly. "Yes. Are we having that again?"

Luke shook his head. "No, it's something new. It's my special honey chicken today."

Selina exclaimed, "What?" Why did he bother making something new, when the previous dish was delicious enough?

By the time Luke brought out the honey chicken, however, Selina's complaints had completely disappeared.

She took a deep breath of the fantastic smell of the fragrant meat.

Luke grinned inwardly.

The honey chicken wasn't actually made with honey, but with char siu sauce.

Char siu sauce looked just as appetizing on chicken as it did on char siu; and the crimson chicken smelled sweet and appealing.

Even Luke, who didn't like sweets, couldn't hold back anymore.

Luke quickly cut the chicken and gave Selina a leg first, while he had the chicken breast.

"Well, it doesn't taste bad, but the chicken breast is a little tough. I should probably cook them separately next time," Luke remarked, not entirely satisfied with his cooking.

It took Selina a while to reply, because she was too busy devouring the chicken leg. "Well… I think… I think this is… this is more delicious… than the chicken before."

Luke said helplessly, "Don't talk with food in your mouth."

In the end, he only had one third of the chicken, and the rest went to Selina's stomach.

He shook his head with a smile when Selina grinned happily. He threw the dishes into the kitchen, too lazy to wash them.

Everybody was on holiday!

Hearing the laugh track for the boring soap opera on TV, Luke felt homesick for the first time.

More and more people took leave in the next few days. Even the Major Crimes Division was half-empty.

Detectives were still human, and also had families.

Even Elsa, who struck Luke as an iron lady, flew back to Miami on 22 December for the holiday. Luke was quite jealous.

Miami was a warm place where people could swim even during Christmas; there was sure to be plenty of gorgeous girls and guys out and about.

Well, Los Angeles was also alright. It was much better than New York, at least.

Since Elsa was on vacation, Luke simply signed up for duty on the 22nd and 23rd.

That way, he wouldn't have to work on Christmas Eve and Christmas, unless there was a major incident.

Donald had also taken leave, so Selina simply applied for duty alongside Luke.

Selina brought up the fact that they would probably be celebrating Christmas by themselves in their apartment.

Luke, however, chuckled at that. "Excuse me, but I have a date on Christmas Eve, and I might not be home that night."

Selina was stunned. "What? A date? With who?"

With an indecipherable look on his face, Luke said, "Jimena."

Selina thought for a moment, before she said, "Your ex-girlfriend? Why is she in Los Angeles?"

Luke shrugged and said, "She's studying at a small college in Los Angeles."

Selina found that odd. "Did she contact you?"

Luke shook his head. "Not exactly. It was a pure coincidence. You remember the case Elsa took from Donald? The victim was called Kiyoshi, or something like that."

Selina nodded. "I do. Donald was pretty relieved that you guys took that tough case."

Luke was speechless. "Then why did you tell me that Donald was angry, and that you put in a good word for me? You even asked me to reward you with noodles, didn't you?"

Selina said, "Huh? Did I? I don't remember now. Let's go back to Jimena. How is she related to the Japanese guy?"

Luke continued with his explanation. "When I was investigating the Japanese guy's workplace, I noticed that he had been renovating the last few floors of Nakatomi Plaza, and Jimena's a receptionist there."

Selina said, "Hm, wait, is that her part-time job?"

Luke said, "To be more precise, it's an internship organized by her school. Nakatomi Corporation makes a lot of money. Jimena's college asked if any of the students wanted to work at the company, and Jimena volunteered. I heard that the pay for interns is very good."

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Chapter 143 Christmas Eve and Colleague

Selina asked, "But… she's not going home for Christmas?"

Luke shrugged. "You know that many kids run wild and never go home once they get free. Jimena said that she wanted to stay here and try her luck."

Selina asked, "At becoming a star?"

Luke said in amusement, "No, she's changed her goal. A manager in her company called Gennero enlightened her, and she wants to see if she can work in the finance sector."

Selina remarked, "…Is she drunk? Aren't finance people all from Ivy League schools? Did she even pass maths in high school?"

Luke secretly agreed with her. Finance was all about numbers, and considering Jimena's lack of talent in maths, it was unlikely that she would become a finance elite.

But Luke could only say, "She's still young. Nobody can stop her from trying everything; that's her right."

Selina didn't say anything.

It indeed wasn't her place, nor was it Luke's, to tell Jimena what or what not to do with her future.

They could offer suggestions, but they couldn't force Jimena to accept their opinions.

After a brief silence, Selina asked, "Then, where are you taking her for Christmas? You can't bring her here, or I'll get mad."

Luke chuckled. "I certainly won't. Nakatomi Corporation is having a company party on Christmas Eve, and as an intern, Jimena gets to attend… Well, fine, she's actually going to be working, like pouring wine for other people. She doesn't have to, of course, but it'll be hard for her to work in the company for long if she doesn't. So, you know…"

Selina was speechless for a moment. "How are you getting in?"

Luke said solemnly, "As a member of LAPD, it's my responsibility to go out on patrol on Christmas Eve for the safety of our citizens. There's no need to thank me. This is voluntary overtime."

Selina: "…"

She felt that she had asked a dumb question, and she pouted gloomily.

Watching TV alone on Christmas Eve was too depressing

Luke smiled. "Don't be angry. I prepared lunch and dinner for you. You can just heat them up before you eat; it's your favorite steak."

Selina nodded dejectedly, looking like she was traumatized.

Luke, however, didn't have a choice.

He was a regular guy, and hadn't had sex since breaking up with Jimena half a year ago.

It wasn't because he didn't want to, but that he couldn't find the right person or time.

There was Selina, but he didn't want their relationship to turn into a romantic one.

Brothers could become enemies after starting a business together; the same could happen to partners who became romantically involved.

Jimena had always been a passionate person. When Luke spoke with her, she had practically said, "Come find me, and bring protection."

What else could Luke do, except gladly accept the offer?

The next day was 24 December, Christmas Eve.

Luke drove off, leaving Selina to gloomily watch soap operas on her own and curse him in the apartment.

Luke was wearing casual clothes. This wasn't work, after all, and he didn't have to wear a uniform.

It was already dusk by the time he reached Nakatomi Plaza. Luke drove the car into the underground garage, a limo following behind him.

Luke looked back to discover that the driver of the limo was a short, charming black man.

Luke didn't pay much attention to him, and took the elevator to the lobby.

He asked the middle-aged receptionist a question, and she pointed to a screen not far away and said, "Type in the name of the person you're looking for, and it'll tell you the floor they're on."

Luke wondered if Jimena was on the list, since she was only an intern.

Another man soon joined him. He was also looking for someone.

The receptionist said the same thing to the man, and Luke hurriedly made way for the man.

A moment later, Luke watched the man type in a name: Holly Gennero. He remembered that that was the name of the senior manager whom Jimena had mentioned.

He hurriedly followed the man to the elevator.

The man was in his thirties, and wore a white singlet under his shirt. Luke didn't even need to think to know what the man did for a living

He was a police officer! And a very good one, no less.

When they reached the elevator, the man turned around warily and asked, "Who are you?"

Luke said with a smile, "My friend is an intern at Nakatomi Corporation. I couldn't find her name on the list, but I was told that Gennero is her manager, so…"

The man had an odd expression. He seemed unhappy, but Luke sensed that the man wasn't upset at him.

They entered the elevator together. To avoid the awkward silence, Luke asked casually, "May I know your name?"

Stumped for a moment, the man said with a vague smile, "John."

Luke nodded and said, "My name's Luke. It's a pleasure to meet you, Officer John."

The man was stumped again. "How did you know that?"

Luke chuckled and showed his badge. "Because we're colleagues."

The man was surprised. "You're a police officer? Is LAPD hiring boys now?"

He immediately realized how insulting his remark was, and quickly apologized. "Sorry, I just meant…"

Luke raised his hand. "I know. Most police school graduates are in their twenties. But do you know that certain people can ignore the rules?"

John asked curiously, "Are you one of those people?"

Luke grinned. "Not exactly, but I had a minor conflict with one of them, and he somehow got me transferred here. However…"

John was interested. "However what?"

Luke replied, "However, it seems that the guy's already forgotten about me."

John was dumbfounded.

Luke finally smiled again. "So, I'm not rich, and I don't have a powerful dad. I'm just a regular guy from Texas."

John looked more relaxed now. He extended his hand to Luke. "Let me reintroduce myself. I'm John McClane, from NYPD's Major Crimes Division."

Dazed for a moment, Luke smiled. "Nice to meet you. I'm Luke, from LAPD's Major Crimes Division."

John was even more curious. "How did you…"

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Chapter 144 Reunion and Communication

Before he finished, the elevator had reached their stop, and the doors opened to a rowdy party.

Luke shrugged to indicate that he couldn't hear anything anymore, before he followed John out.

They wandered around, looking for their respective people.

Luke soon spotted Jimena, who was serving wine on a tray as a waitress.

He shook his head slightly, not really optimistic about his ex-girlfriend's choice.

But if she didn't try, she wouldn't know.

The best Luke could do was to give her a hand when she needed it.

A man suddenly jumped at them, and Luke subconsciously dodged him. As a result, the man fell on John, who was next to Luke. The man kissed John's stubbly face and cried, "Merry Christmas!"

Luke was amused.

Baffled, John wiped his face and asked with a wry smile, "Is this the Californian style?"

Luke nodded and patted his shoulder. "I'm going to meet my friend. See you, John, and Merry Christmas."

John nodded and saw him walk off.

He was convinced that Luke was telling the truth when he saw the latter talking to a pretty young girl, and they clearly knew each other.

After all, it didn't make sense if a person who was tailing him left for someone else.

Luke also stopped minding the detective from New York, since all his attention was now focused on Jimena.

A middle-aged man certainly wasn't nearly as attractive as the hot chick in his arms.

When John turned around and left, he suddenly realized that Luke's name was familiar, and seemed to have heard it from somewhere.

The next moment, an old Asian man reached him and said, "Hello, are you Mr. McClane?"

John asked, "And you are…?"

"My name is Takagi. I'm Holly's boss," said the old Asian man with a stiff smile.

John asked, "Oh, you were the one who sent the car to pick me up?"

Takagi smiled. "It's the least I can do for Holly. She's very capable. Come, this way, please."

At that moment, Luke had slipped away with Jimena.

Jimena led them through the emergency exit and climbed up to the 34th floor.

When she opened the door, Luke saw that it was a luxurious private office with a conference room attached; it definitely belonged to a boss.

There were a few building models in the conference room, including of Nakatomi Plaza itself.

Luke asked Jimena, "Where are we?"

Jimena said, "The CEO's room for guests, but I saw him downstairs just now. He has to give a speech soon, and won't come here. Jerk, did you miss me?"

Luke said without any hesitation, "I miss your everything, Jimena," and covered her lips with his own.

The two of them started making out in the conference room.

Jimena was wearing a professional suit with a skirt that was ten centimeters above her knees.

It was a loose skirt, and Luke lifted it easily. He then quickly placed his hands on Jimena's hips.

Jimena hadn't had a boyfriend since coming here. She was feeling rather frisky, too.

She wrapped her legs around Luke's waist, and the two of them melted into one.

Luke chuckled. "Wow, you're too considerate. You chose the best silk stockings."

Jimena was breathing heavily, and didn't respond to him at all.

Luke touched her long legs covered in the silver stockings, and felt amazed.

Jimena had obviously come prepared. Both her skirt and her silk stockings had been carefully chosen for her meeting with him tonight.

In the meantime, Detective John wasn't as happy downstairs.

His conversation with Ms. Holly Gennero didn't go well, because they had a fight over Ms. Gennero's last name.

"Gennero? When did you change your name? May I remind you that you're married and should be addressed as Mrs. McClane?" said John mockingly.

Holly said helplessly, "This is a Japanese company. They believe that married women are unreliable, so…"

A clerk suddenly opened the door and interrupted their argument. "Ms. Gennero, Mr. Takagi hopes that you can give a speech, since you were the greatest contributor to revenue this year."

Holly looked at John and said, "Alright, I'm coming."

When the clerk closed the door, she said to John again, "Just calm down. Let's talk when I get back, alright?" She then left the office.

Their meeting came to a bitter end.

Inside the room, John smiled wryly and said, "Wow, John, how mature of you, fighting with her the moment you meet. Why can't you just say that you miss her and the kids?"

While John McClane was left on his own again, Luke and Jimena had already finished one round.

It really was a smart decision to bring more condoms! Luke thought, Lucky!

It had been a long time since they saw each other, and Luke couldn't hold back for very long.

But thanks to Jimena's provocation, they quickly started a second round.

They weren't as rushed as the first time, and took the time to chat about their lives.

Jimena was thrilled to know that Luke was now a detective of LAPD's Major Crimes Division. "Oh, Luke, I knew you were the best – the town couldn't keep you forever."

Luke chuckled and exerted more strength. "What about you? Are you going to settle down here?"

Jimena frowned and sighed. "I'm not sure. I still have three years to think about it before I graduate."

Luke said, "That's fine. Come find me whenever you need it."

Breathing heavily, Jimena threw herself at him and asked, "Need what?"

Luke worked with her and replied, "Anything."

They finished their second round, stuck to each other.

They were silent for a moment on the conference room table. Then, Jimena giggled.

Luke said, "…Damn it. What are you learning in college?"

Jimena said, "Some of my roomies rented some videos, and I took a peek at them. How about it? Are you satisfied, my little Luke?"

Luke gritted his teeth. "Very much."

Suddenly, his hands on Jimena's smooth back paused.

In the next moment, his face changed and he covered Jimena's mouth, before he leaned in close to her.

Jimena was at a loss. "Huh?"

Luke put a finger to his lips to indicate for Jimena to be quiet, before he quickly helped her put on her clothes.

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Chapter 145 Clear the "Battlefield"

Jimena didn't say anything. She put on her clothes and wondered if anyone was coming.

If anyone discovered Luke and her fooling around here, she would lose her internship and probably be punished by her school.

So, she dressed quickly.

Luke turned away and put on his own clothes.

Thankfully, he was wearing casual clothes, and his jacket, pants and shoes were on in ten seconds.

Then, he whispered to Jimena, who was powdering her face, "There are gunshots downstairs. I think something's happened.'

Jimena was about to exclaim in surprise in his arms, but Luke was prepared for her reaction, and covered her mouth.

Luke continued, "Is there a place in this building with a lot of furniture and nobody around right now?"

Jimena licked Luke's hand, and he finally realized that he was still covering her mouth. He hurriedly let her go.

Jimena glared at him and said in a low voice, "The 21st floor is the office of a big company, with two hundred clerks. Do you think that'll work for you?"

Luke nodded and said, "I'll take you there first. Hide there until I come get you once the crisis is over. Don't run away before I return."

Jimena nodded obediently.

Luke grabbed a bottle of water from a cabinet and gave it to her. "Have some water if you're nervous, but don't drink too much in case you need to use the bathroom."

Jimena's flushed face got even redder. She glared at Luke, since she didn't need to use the bathroom any time soon.

Luke was much more comfortable.

Jimena had truly learned a lot of wonderful new things in college.

Luke led Jimena to the emergency stairs. He shook his head at her high heels.

The noise from her high heels would definitely draw attention.

Luke bent slightly, hinting that Jimena should climb on his back.

When that young and vigorous body was leaning on his back, Luke said in a low voice, "Don't scream." Then, he carried her downstairs.

Jimena nearly cried out when she saw the stairs and walls rushing up toward her.

She hurriedly closed her eyes and held on to Luke tightly.

Luke was as fast as the wind, as if he wasn't carrying Jimena at all. He reached the 21st floor in less than three minutes.

He entered through the emergency exit and found the place dark.

Luke's eyes were better than most people's. In the dim light, he discovered that it was indeed an office, with tables, computers, documents, and miscellaneous items everywhere. It was indeed a great place to hide.

Looking for someone here would mean examining each workstation one by one.

Luke carried Jimena in quickly and put her down in a corner, before he said, "Remember, don't move, don't make a sound, and wait for me."

He was about to leave, when Jimena suddenly dragged him down. "Haven't you forgotten something?"

Luke was confused.

Jimena pulled his hands to her breasts and said, "You better be careful if you don't want to miss them. Don't take any risks!"

Luke squeezed her breasts slightly and said, "I swear I'll be careful – I only used up half the condoms I brought."

Jimena hugged him and said, "Go now."

Luke nodded and quickly left the place.

If his ears didn't deceive him, the gunshots were from the 30th floor.

Considering the size of this tower, it would take hundreds of people to take full control of it.

Jimena's hiding place was safe for now. The criminals hadn't occupied it yet. Or rather, they didn't have to.

According to the receptionist when Luke first arrived, only the company that Jimena worked for was active tonight; the other companies were all on holiday.

Nakatomi Corporation was on the 30th floor.

Luke didn't think that the criminals would have searched all the way to the 21st floor, since that would weaken their defense.

He didn't call the police immediately.

The police would arrive sooner or later, so Luke didn't have to call them now.

He preferred to figure out the situation first, such as what the criminals wanted and what weapons they had, before he passed on that intelligence.

Luke frowned when he returned to the 30th floor.

His Sharp Nose picked up an armed criminal right next to the emergency exit.

It had to be a criminal. All the other companies in the building were on vacation, and security was on the bottom floor.

Luke didn't go in. He simply took deep breaths with his eyes closed.

When he had been wandering around the party earlier, he had counted the number of attendees out of habit, and there were roughly fifty of them.

There were now almost eighty people inside, so thirty of them were criminals.

Also, the criminals might have left some people on the bottom floor, so that they would know when the police arrived.

Luke had also heard noises on the 33rd floor on his way down, as if they were moving something.

His guess was that there were at least forty criminals in the building.

Thinking for a moment, Luke returned to the 34th floor.

After determining the number of criminals, Luke felt that he had better clean up his and Jimena's "battlefield" first.

This case would definitely be a big one; it would be very awkward if the forensics department asked Luke why his semen was at the scene of the crime, so he decided to remove the used condoms that he had thrown into the dustbin.

Luke quickly returned to the 34th floor. He then smelled a familiar scent.

He was stumped. Was that… John McClane? He was up here?

After thinking for a moment, Luke didn't go looking for the guy. After all, he was only here to deal with a personal issue.

He didn't even need to look to know that John was hiding in a certain corner in the conference room and peeping into the office.

Luke took the dustbin away without a sound.

Very soon, Luke returned without the dustbin; there was only a plastic bag in his hand, with two used condoms in it.

Luke was finally relieved.

However, there was nothing he could do about the table on which he and Jimena had had sex.

The table was covered in sweat. If it was investigated, Luke decided to say that the two of them had been making out here.

Suddenly, Luke heard something.

"Give me the code." It was a mellow male voice.

"It's useless even if I give you the code. The data in the computer is synchronized with the data at headquarters at seven every morning," said the old Japanese man.

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Chapter 146 Give Me the Code, and Rob and Run

"Mr. Takagi, I do not care about the data from your headquarters. I only need the code," the unknown man said in his mellow voice.

"What do you want, exactly?" said the old man named Takagi.

"Nakatomi Corporation made a fortune in the past two years. We know that there's a secret vault underneath your tower, with 640 million dollars in bearer bonds," said the man.

Luke now realized why the forty criminals were attracted to this place: They were going after 640 million dollars!

Bearer bonds sounded like a sophisticated product, but there weren't as many of them nowadays, since it was the best means by which criminals could transfer money.

They were no longer released in most countries, and bearer bonds redeemed by the government were then destroyed.

The old man named Takagi was angry. "What kind of terrorists are you? You just want money?"

"Yes, Mr. Takagi. We just want money. It doesn't matter how other people view us. So, tell me the code," said the unknown man.

Takagi was silent.

The man sighed. "Alright, do you see this? I'll kill you on the count of three if you don't talk."

Luke craned his head slightly, only to discover that it was a middle-aged white man with a mustache. He had the vibe of a villain, and was pointing a gun at Takagi's head.

What do I do? Luke thought quickly, and soon made a decision: he couldn't allow Takagi to die here.

If this place turned into a murder scene, the forensics department would turn it upside down, and Luke and Jimena's little secret would be exposed.

He didn't want his personal life exposed to the public.

"Do you know what happened on Christmas Eve? A detective had sex right above some terrorists, and after he was done, he pulled up his pants and killed all the terrorists" – it certainly wouldn't be a case that Luke could be proud of if that sort of gossip went around the police.

Our detective fired at terrorists without pants on!

Imagining how Dustin might tell new detectives about Luke's "feat" in the future, Luke quickly decided to take action.

He walked softly into the conference room through the other door at the end.

The conference room and office were separated by a glass wall.

Luke moved into the shadows across from the criminals. He put on his gloves and threw out two iron balls.

Bam! Bam!

After the two odd pops of noise, the mustached man and another man holding a gun next to him passed out before they saw anyone.

Luke took out another ball from his pocket and knocked out the last criminal, who had been sitting down.

Finally, he grabbed Takagi and quickly withdrew.

He couldn't kill the criminals, at least not for now.

The mustached man was clearly the leader. If he died, there was no telling how the criminals who were holding fifty people hostage would react. So, Luke had to rescue Takagi and get the details from him first.

Luke moved so fast that Detective John only saw the two criminals suddenly collapse, followed by the third one, before a dark shadow lunged out and hauled Takagi away.

"What the hell?" John muttered.

But he perked up a moment later and approached the criminals, taking the two weapons off them. When he was taking off their shoes, two criminals barged in from the elevator with guns.

Shocked, John snuck away via the emergency exit on the other side, carrying the guns and shoes that he had taken.

Luke carried Takagi all the way to the 23rd floor, which was currently under renovation.

He put the old man down and showed him his badge. "LAPD, Detective Luke from the Major Crimes Division. What's going on here?"

The old man tried to calm his pounding heart and queasy stomach. He bowed solemnly to Luke. "Thank you for saving me, sir."

Luke waved his hand. "I'm a police officer, it's my job. Enough of the formalities. What do you know about the robbers?"

Takagi shook his head. "I don't know much. Their leader seems to be a German named Hans. They're here for the money in the underground vault. Have you called the police, Mr. Luke?"

Luke shook his head. This Takagi didn't seem to know much. He asked, "What about their numbers and their weapons? Are they trained? How many people are being held hostage? I need that information before I can call for reinforcements."

Takagi hurried to tell him what he had seen. Luke frowned.

Takagi wasn't familiar with weapons, but as a businessman, he had a keen eye.

He could easily tell that these people weren't poor, based on their clothes and equipment.

They were also well-organized, unlike some gangs, and from their manner of speech, some of the intruders were clearly well-educated.

Everything indicated that they were a team of professional criminals with one objective.

Luke frowned. "Can they open the vault under the building?"

Takagi shook his head. "They can destroy the doors at the front, but as long as force is used, the innermost alloy door will lock automatically. It can't be opened without a code."

Luke said, "Is that why they grabbed you?"

Takagi nodded. "Most likely."

Luke, however, shook his head. "I think Hans meant it when he threatened to kill you just now. Your code might not be indispensable to them."

Takagi also frowned. "The alloy door is made with the latest technology. I don't think it can be destroyed."

Seeing that Takagi had no more useful information, Luke told him to hide.

Takagi asked, "Aren't you going to call the police department?"

Luke nodded. "The signal is bad here. I need to find a different place to make the call. Mr. Takagi, stay safe."

Luke left the 23rd floor and returned to the 30th floor.

This time, the criminal that had been guarding the emergency exit was gone.

In the meantime, Luke heard gunshots from the 34th floor.

Only someone whose ears were as good as his could've caught them.

Luke was stunned for a moment. Who was fighting the criminals?

He thought for a moment, then climbed the stairs to the 34th floor. Confirming that nobody was at the door, Luke opened it slightly and took a peek.

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Chapter 147 No Meeting, and SWAT Attack

The conference room was now a mess. The long desk that Luke and Jimena had used was riddled with bullet holes. A criminal lay on it, dead, and there was another body not far away.

Wow, John's quite good! Luke chuckled inwardly.

His Sharp Nose had informed him that it was Detective John McClane who was inside.

He then heard Detective John speaking furiously into a walkie-talkie. "F*ck you! That's right, I'm making fun of the police Why don't you come and arrest me? I'm at Nakatomi Plaza." The man probably didn't have his cell phone on him.

Luke quite admired the harried, barefooted man in a ragged vest.

Detective John wasn't Luke, who had a system and was far stronger than an ordinary person.

He was just a regular police officer, but he had the guts to go up against fifteen criminals.

But Luke didn't think now was a good time to meet up with Detective John.

First of all, Detective John's wife, the female manager named Gennero, was probably also a hostage.

Luke had learned this from his chat with Jimena earlier. She told Luke that Gennero had a husband who was a detective in New York.

So, if Luke were to make himself known now, wouldn't he be obliged to tag along with John and save Ms. Gennero?

Secondly, Luke was an L.A. officer, but John wasn't. If they worked together, it would mean that Luke endorsed John's actions, and he might be held responsible for any mistakes John made.

Thirdly, Luke's movements would be hampered if he was with Detective John.

So, it was better to stealthily help John wipe out the criminals! Thinking this, Luke was about to slip away.

However, John suddenly exclaimed excitedly, "Haha. They're here, they're finally here."

A moment later, he complained disappointedly, "Really? Only one police car?"

But he soon moved into action. Luke observed Detective John with great interest, and applauded his ingenuity.

John smashed the window and threw down the body of one of the intruders he had killed.

It was impossible for the police officers to not see it.

With his keen ears, Luke even heard the body smash into a car.

There hadn't been any cars parked in front of the building just now, so the only car the body could've fallen on had to be the police car that had just arrived.

Intense gunfire burst out. Luke shook his head, and knew that the police department would definitely take action.

Since he knew what the criminals were up to, Luke wasn't in a hurry.

Also, John had already attracted the police's attention, so Luke had to contact his boss, too.

Luke made a call on the roof of the building with his cell phone.

A moment later, Dustin said, "Dustin speaking."

Luke said, "Boss, it's Luke. I'm now at Nakatomi Plaza in the central district. There are about fifty armed criminals in this place. They have heavy firearms and more than fifty hostages. A police car just arrived, and someone threw a body down at it. What should I do, boss?"

After a brief silence, Dustin said, "Tell me everything you know about the criminals."

Luke quickly explained everything, and Dustin grew excited. "Be careful while you're inside. Hide and wait for my instructions." He then hung up.

Luke knew that Dustin had to be reporting to the director.

This was taking place in the central district, which wasn't Dustin's territory.

However, Luke was at the scene of the crime, which gave Dustin an opportunity to intervene.

Luke enjoyed the cold breeze on the roof and felt bored as he waited for Dustin's instructions.

Suddenly, the door behind him creaked.

Luke immediately plastered himself to the wall and took a deep breath. He smelled three people, and… C4?

These were true professionals!

Luke silently drew out his Glock 23.

There were hasty footsteps, and the door opened as three people emerged on the roof.

They were in a hurry and had their guards down.

After all, their compatriots were hunting down Detective John, and he couldn't have run to the roof.

Calmly, Luke aimed at them without any hesitation.

Pa! Pa! Pa!

He was only two meters away from them, and they were unprepared. He hit them in the back of their heads like a kid shooting at balloons.

Luke listened carefully to make sure that nobody else was coming, before he examined the dead men's equipment.

Besides the C4, there were detonators, ropes and wires.

Eventually, Luke picked up a UMP and its magazines. As for the C4, he casually tossed it down into the square at the bottom of the building

If the criminals wanted it, they could go downstairs and pick it up themselves.

Luke was about to go down, when he saw several police cars arrive. Several floodlights were then focused on the building.

He stopped and noticed a SWAT team.

Luke didn't know what to say – the team only had eight soldiers. There were fifty armed criminals in the building, and the officers were going to charge in when they were so outnumbered?

But there was nothing Luke could do.

Alert them by firing his weapon? The officers weren't cowards. They would only close in on the building even more quickly to take cover.

Call them? There wasn't any time.

If the SWAT team had waited a while longer, they would have gotten Dustin's intelligence.

However, their commander was too hasty, which had given Dustin little time to relay to them the information he had just learned.

Luke watched helplessly as the SWAT team disappeared into the building.

As he expected, intense gunfire rang out a moment later, mixed with screams. It was clear that the SWAT team had been ambushed.

Luke didn't know what to say. Dustin hadn't given him any instructions. He couldn't do anything

However capable he was, he didn't have the power to command officers of a different district.

Even Dustin couldn't have expected them to follow his commands.

A moment later, a light armored car drove up.

Luke's eyes lit up. LAPD was truly rich if they could afford such a vehicle. Most criminals couldn't do anything to armored cars.

However, what happened in the next moment stunned Luke.

With a whoosh, a streak of fire shot out from the second floor of the building.

BOOM!

The armored car, which had been climbing the steps, was hit by an RPG.

"F*ck!" Luke couldn't help but curse out loud

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Chapter 148 Professional Criminals, John on a Rampage, and Luke's Triple Kill

The criminals were true professionals. They even carried an RPG.

In less than five seconds, a second rocket missile hit the armored car again, blowing it up into a gigantic fireball.

Luke cursed in his heart. The criminals turned out to have more than one RPG.

At that moment, Dustin called him. "Hey, Luke, how's it going on your end?"

Luke said, "Boss, you better tell the commander here what you know about the criminals. A SWAT team just charged in the moment they came. Several men and an armored car have been wiped out."

Dustin was stunned for a moment. "What?"

Luke said, "Just now, those people shot the police's armored car with RPGs and turned it into a big fireball."

Dustin gasped. "Where are the terrorists from?"

Luke shook his head. "No, boss, they're here for money. They're not terrorists."

Dustin remarked, "Cash-strapped lunatics… Alright, let's get down to business. You're free to take action, but you must ensure the safety of the hostages, which is the top priority. Then, it's the vault. You have to try and stop them. Don't attack if you don't think you can achieve these two objectives. Trust me, Luke, you'll be in serious trouble if any of the hostages die."

Luke shrugged. "Got it. The bottom line is that the hostages can't die, right?"

Dustin said, "That's right. We couldn't reach an understanding with the central district's police department over command. They want you to obey their instructions, but the chief rejected that."

Luke was dumbfounded. "What? Boss, I'm sure that I'll die very quickly if I listen to them."

Dustin said, "We know. That's why we refused – whatever contribution you can make is going to be up to you now."

Luke asked, "Well, it won't be a problem if I kill all of them, right?"

After a brief silence, Dustin said, "You should at least spare Hans, or it'll be difficult to close the case."

Luke said, "Okay, that makes it much easier for me now. I'm hanging up, boss."

Dustin said, "Take care."

Dustin sighed in his office. "Those are fifty armed criminals. You make it sound like it isn't a big deal." However, when he recalled Elsa's report on Luke's performance, he suddenly had some hope.

If Luke took down all the criminals without getting any of the hostages injured, their police department would claim all the credit.

Though this was a case in the central district, Luke just happened to be there, so this wasn't crossing a line.

If it was anyone else, Dustin would've told them to hide and just pass on intelligence.

No boss could ask their subordinate to challenge fifty enemies on their own – that was just suicide.

Luke hung up and started warming up. He was about to go down, when there was an intense explosion down below, which sent broken glass flying.

Luke craned his head, only to see that it was on the second floor, where the RPGs had been launched from earlier. There could only be one person on the offense on that floor right now.

Detective John, you are one tough cookie! How many C4s have you used?

Thanks to this crazy saboteur, Luke felt that it wouldn't be too difficult to pull off a miracle.

But then a dilemma cropped up.

The police and the criminals started negotiations.

Luke put in his earpiece and connected to the criminals' channel with his fake phone.

Then, he heard a familiar voice. "You little rat, you think you can scare us? I'll catch you and throw you from the roof."

"Hehe. Hans, didn't you say that you would kill me? Send more people! I'm waiting for you! Let me see… What's this guy's name? He's so tall, but he has the tiny feet of a woman! Disgusting!" That was also a familiar voice.

Luke was lost for words. Well, it was clear that Hans and Detective John were on poor terms.

Luke secretly said sorry to John, because he had to leave John alone to distract the criminals.

He returned to the 30th floor. Taking a deep breath, he discovered that there were much fewer criminals here now. At least twenty had left the floor where the hostages were being kept.

Hans was probably annoyed by Detective John's explosions and his mocking, and was determined to kill him.

Luke was quite confident in Detective John, who must've already killed more than one criminal. It would be hard for him to die.

A moment later, Luke heard something else in his earphone. "Larry, Carl, has the bomb been set up on the roof?".

Luke suddenly realized that he had just come from the roof.

Thinking for a moment, he pressed a button and said in a low voice, "Yes!"

"Come down and defend the doors. The FBI should be on their way." The person was too preoccupied to notice anything wrong. He instructed, "We'll drive some of the hostages up to the roof. When the police helicopter approaches to pick them up, detonate the bomb on the roof."

Luke said, "Okay."

He was quite shocked.

Hans certainly deserved the death penalty for planning to use the innocent civilians in the building as bait before blowing them up.

But Luke didn't regret not killing Hans earlier; his lackeys might've run wild otherwise, and started killing people randomly.

At the very least, Hans wouldn't kill all the hostages, because his goal was money.

Thinking quickly, Luke went back up to the roof and hid on the ledge above the door.

A moment later, the elevator dinged, and there were the footsteps of more than ten people.

Luke took a deep breath and locked onto three targets.

One was in the front, one was behind, and one was in the middle. It was a classic way to escort hostages.

Luke held the familiar Glock 23 in his right hand, and an M1911 that he had just acquired in his left hand.

He took a deep breath and watched the criminals in the front and middle show up.

At that point, the criminal in the lead realized that something was wrong when he didn't see his compatriot on the roof. He called out, "Carl?"

Luke leapt down.

Flipping in midair, he used the Glock to shoot the criminal at the back of the group, who had been about to retreat from the door.

A moment later, Luke locked onto another target with the M1911.

Bam! The criminal in the middle was shot in the head.

Luke landed steadily and flicked his right wrist.

Pa!

His Glock blew up the head of the criminal at the front.

There was utter silence for a moment, which was quickly broken by the screams of the hostages.

Luke put his guns away and flashed his badge at the screaming hostages. "LAPD, please be quiet. You'll be able to leave when the helicopter arrives."

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Chapter 149 A Chaotic Christmas Eve

As he spoke, Luke quickly searched the bodies of the criminals. He found three M1911 magazines and two for a UMP.

He also took a holster and tactical vest off one of the criminals, and strapped the magazines he had just looted to the vest.

Everything took him less than a minute.

Everybody was dumbfounded as they watched the young officer, who seemed too familiar with this looting business.

Luke nodded at them. "You'll evacuate when the police helicopter gets here. Tell them to come back again ASAP. I'll bring the rest of the hostages to the roof. Do you understand?"

All the hostages nodded.

Luke suddenly beamed. "Oh, I almost forgot. Merry Christmas."

The hostages were lost for words. Do we look merry at all?

Luke, in the meantime, entered the elevator and went down to the 30th floor.

But the electricity went out in the whole building at that moment.

Luke was surprised. This was downtown Los Angeles. How could there be a blackout?

He was now stuck between the 31st and 30th floors.

Speechless, Luke broke through the ceiling of the elevator and climbed out.

Swiftly opening the elevator doors for the 31st floor, Luke crawled out.

It was a pity that his plan to distract the enemy with the elevator couldn't work now.

It was some distance between the elevator and the hall. The hostages would be safe if the battle was restricted to this area.

Taking the stairs wasn't the best option, but it was the only choice Luke had now.

The emergency lights were now on, but they were much dimmer than regular lights.

Luke heard Detective John start mocking again in his earpiece. "Hans, your men are too weak. Two more have died. You better hurry up!"

A moment later, Hans replied coldly, "Oh, is that so? Are you so cocky because you think I don't know who you are? Hehe, Detective John McClane, this isn't New York."

Luke was rather shocked. How did Hans discover John's identity? John had clearly only shown up for the party tonight.

John fell silent, apparently at a loss.

"Huh, let me guess. You're biting me like a crazy dog because there's someone you care about here, right?" Hans said unhurriedly and gracefully, as if he were a theater actor reciting his lines.

Luke frowned, and there wasn't a sound from John.

If Hans found out about John's wife, John would be in serious trouble!

Muttering to himself, Luke reached the 30th floor emergency exit. Verifying that nobody was hiding nearby, he quickly stepped out onto the floor.

It was much dimmer outside.

Illuminated by the few emergency lights, everybody looked like ghosts, and the panic on their faces made it look like the set of a horror movie.

Hans continued speaking in Luke's earpiece. "Hehe, excuse me, Detective John, but come, Ms. Holly Gennero, say hi to Detective John."

Detective John was doomed! Luke sighed and hid himself in the dark as he locked onto the criminals among the hostages with Sharp Nose.

Well, the criminals weren't exactly among the hostages, but surrounding them.

However… there were only seven men?

Plus the three who had escorted the hostages to the roof earlier, that was only ten men who had been left here. What was going on?

Luke frowned, but remained relaxed. Since there were only seven people, he could give it a shot now.

Once he rescued the hostages, there would be nothing else to worry about, and he could clean up all the other criminals.

Observing the positions of the seven men, Luke took out an iron ball and threw it.

Bang!

One of the emergency lights broke, startling the criminal who was right next to it.

Another man nearby cursed. "Damn it. It's even darker now."

The criminals didn't really care. According to the plan, they would be withdrawing soon. They didn't need much light.

Soon after the man made the remark, pain exploded in the back of his head and he passed out.

Five seconds later, Luke knocked out the second criminal not far away from the emergency light.

Five to go!

Luke quickly assessed the situation, and rejected the idea of shooting immediately.

To ensure the hostages' safety, he couldn't give the criminals a chance to open fire.

Luke wasn't a bad shooter, but he still needed time to adjust to the dark environment.

Also, his left hand had become far less agile and precise since his last injury. It had never fully recovered.

Five targets were too many. Luke wasn't confident.

He had to try his luck now! Bending low, Luke quickly snuck up on the nearest criminal.

Before he attacked, the criminal had already exclaimed, "Where are Bill and George?"

Without any hesitation, Luke knocked the man hard on the back of the head, before drawing out his guns under the criminal's arms.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The other four criminals collapsed without a sound.

Everybody screamed. Luke shot at the ceiling and revealed himself as he stepped out of the dark. He kicked the head of the criminal next to his feet.

"LAPD! Listen to me! Take the stairs to the roof. A helicopter will pick you up. Women and children first. Don't talk in case the criminals hear you. Got it? Let's go!" Luke wandered around the hall and picked up the criminals' firearms as he spoke.

The hostages were somewhat stunned. Luke frowned. "What are you waiting for? I can't protect so many people if the criminals come back later."

The hostages finally came back to themselves and started moving.

Thanks to the ten or so guns that Luke was carrying, nobody dared assault him. The women left first, followed by the men. After all, there weren't any children here.

Soon, they got to the roof. A helicopter soon landed.

Seeing Luke armed to the teeth behind the hostages, someone on the helicopter opened fire immediately.

Luke had been observing the helicopter, and his heart jumped when he saw the man's movements. He leapt back into the stairwell without thinking as bullets brushed past his hair.

Luke cursed out loud in his heart. Who was this idiot?

The hostages exclaimed in shock. Luke was too angry to greet the idiots on the helicopter. He dropped the guns he had picked up and ran to the elevators.

He opened the doors of the second elevator. The elevator in this shaft was still at the bottom of the building.

Wrapping his hands in his jacket, Luke grabbed a cable and rappelled down.

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Chapter 150 John's Furious Charge, and Luke's Silent Assistance

Ten seconds later, Luke landed at the bottom of the elevator shaft.

After checking his surroundings with Sharp Nose, he left through the elevator doors on the second floor.

Luke quietly walked along the second floor with his Sharp Nose fully activated.

There were roughly thirty criminals scattered around on the first floor, who were opening fire and retreating at the same time. There was a person who was shooting back at them from around the first corner.

It was none other than the resolute Detective John McClane.

Luke observed the battle from the stairs and didn't help John immediately.

Suddenly, his face changed. He went downstairs again to the underground garage.

Luke scanned the garage from the cover of the door.

Two vans were parked not far away, and someone was loading something into a nondescript Ford.

Luke squinted.

He saw that Hans was near the Ford, and the woman he had with him seemed to be John's wife, called Holly Gennero or something like that.

Luke wouldn't have recognized her if he hadn't seen her photo at the receptionist's when he first arrived.

Was Hans going to run away?

Luke thought for a moment. Was it possible that Hans had gotten his hands on the bearer bonds that were worth 640 million?

Luke certainly couldn't let him get away.

For one thing, Hans was the culprit tonight. For another, he was running away with valuable bearer bonds.

Given Luke's understanding of the system, he would gain tremendous experience and credit for capturing Hans and retrieving the bonds.

The gunshots were drawing closer from the first floor.

Luke knew that Detective John had to be attacking the criminals like crazy.

He seized the opportunity to take action.

Bending slightly, Luke rushed toward the two vans. Some criminals were already running for the vans from another exit, and Detective John was chasing them.

Thanks to Detective John's distraction, Luke managed to get within ten meters of the vans.

He stood behind a pillar and waited for the right moment.

When the gunfight at the exit was at its fiercest, Luke pulled the trigger of his UMP as he aimed roughly 1.2 meters off the ground and hit the vans with a barrage.

Da Da! Da Da! Da Da!

A straight line of bullet holes that were almost evenly distributed were left on the vans. Cries and screams burst out.

Luke didn't stop. He reloaded his UMP and swivelled to shoot the other van.

Da Da! Da Da! Da Da!

The people in the second van also screamed.

His gunshots were drowned out by the criminals' gunfire as they were also using UMPs, so few people noticed anything wrong.

The criminals lost their cool.

They were so annoyed by the pesky Detective John that they almost puked blood. This man also liked to mock them over the walkie-talkie. He had grabbed all their attention.

That was the reason why they had no idea that another invisible detective was on a killing spree in the plaza.

They involuntarily thought that Detective John was responsible for everything.

Some things didn't feel right, like when their fellows died on the roof and on the 31st floor at the same time. Detective John certainly couldn't split himself into two.

However, the criminals were too anxious to really consider the anomaly.

Luke thus successfully stayed off the radar and ambushed the criminals as they retreated.

He didn't feel any delight, however – he wouldn't let himself feel anything while he was in battle.

After emptying two magazines, Luke reloaded the gun without any hesitation and killed the criminals who appeared at the exit one by one.

Da Da! Da Da! Da Da!

The criminals screamed and fell near the exit as they were running.

They had been frightened by the screams in the vans and didn't know where to go; now, they no longer needed to think about it, since they were already dead.

An engine started, and there was the squeal of rubber tires on the ground as the Ford dashed out, obviously determined to flee.

Luke stopped. Leaning against the pillar, he reloaded his gun and fired at the Ford's tires.

Though it wasn't the best position for shooting, Luke had a UMP in his hand.

The gun had little recoil and was quite accurate, allowing Luke to blow up the car's tires with the sheer number of bullets.

Could he have mistaken it for someone else's car? That would be impossible.

It was Christmas Eve, and only Nakatomi Corporation had a party tonight; all the other companies who used the building were on vacation.

The Ford was the only other car parked next to the vans in the underground garage.

Luke quickly switched locations and hid behind another cement pillar, before he unhurriedly reloaded his UMP.

It was his last magazine, but Luke didn't think he would get the chance to use it.

At the exit, a man roared, "Hans Gruber!"

Luke raised an eyebrow and craned his head.

Detective John McClane was soaked in blood, his white vest now a ragged mess of gray, black and red, and his pants torn at the hem.

His feet wrapped in cloth, the detective hobbled out of the exit, holding a UMP. His eyes were full of fury.

Luke was stunned.

Detective John was so hardcore. He still wouldn't let Hans go, even when he was so terribly wounded.

On the other side, the door of the Ford finally opened, and Hans emerged with a beautiful woman in front of him.

It was none other than Holly Gennero, John's wife.

Luke quickly shook his head.

From the conversation he overheard just now, Luke knew that John McClane was probably a man that could be flattered, but not threatened.

The more you threatened him, the fiercer his retaliation would be.

Say that his shooting only rated 80 points – if someone used his wife or daughter to threaten him, it would become 100 points, or even 120 points, allowing him to blow up anyone's head.

Just now, Detective John had mentioned on the walkie-talkie that he had killed six criminals.

He had blown up the men with RPGs on the second floor with C4.

There were also two criminals in the CEO's office at the top who were riddled with bullet holes.

Luke finally relaxed.

It took time for Sharp Nose to fully investigate an environment, and Luke finally had the lay of the underground garage.

There were no more criminals behind him; everybody was clustered around the two exits.

Hans pointed the gun at Holly's head and said, "Drop your gun and raise your hands, Detective McClane."

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Chapter 151 A Professional at Stealing Credit

John smiled miserably, unable to calm down. He slowly lowered his UMP and tossed it aside.

Hans smiled. "That's right. It's better for you to die. You son of a b*tch, you killed so many of my men. Now, go to hell… ugh!"

Bang!

Suddenly, something flew out from the back and hit Hans in the back of his head.

Hans collapsed and passed out.

John was stunned. It looked like a baseball?

He looked somewhat blankly at Hans, who was unconscious.

A Beretta 92F was plastered to his back, just within reach when he had his hands up. It was supposed to be his final move.

Luke smiled and walked out from behind a cement pillar. "It's so nice to see that you're alright, Detective John."

John was surprised. "You…" What makes you think I'm alright? I'm injured all over – I'm not fine at all!

Luke spread his hands and said, "Forgive me, but Hans can't die. LAPD needs him alive for interrogation, so I had to knock him out instead."

Suddenly, he raised his hand and fired his M1911.

In the Ford, a black man's head dropped to the wheel, and a M1911 slipped out of his hand.

Looking at the McClanes, who were still dazed, Luke couldn't help but remind them, "You should tend to your injuries. John appears to be in a lot of pain."

John's face immediately changed.

He had remained standing all this time through sheer determination.

Now that Hans was unconscious and no more criminals were going to show up, John couldn't take the excruciating pain anymore, and immediately dropped.

Supporting John, Luke propped him up to rest behind a cement pillar some distance away so that he wouldn't suddenly be shot by a criminal who might still be alive in the van. Holly followed him. The couple had finally stopped fighting

Luke called Dustin. "Boss, it's done."

Dustin asked, "What?"

Luke said, "Hans Gruber, the leader of the criminals, has been caught. The hostages are on the roof, waiting for the helicopter. I didn't really do a headcount, but roughly thirty criminals were injured or killed."

Dustin gasped. It hadn't been more than an hour since his call with Luke, and everything was done?

He couldn't help but ask again, "Are you sure?"

Luke thought for a moment and said, "Tell the special forces to come in through the underground garage. I have the place under control. There may be more criminals hiding on the first floor, though. Oh, by the way, they seem to be carrying a lot of C4s."

Dustin acquiesced right away.

Luke thought for a moment, then warned him, "However, there's a minor issue."

Dustin grew anxious. "Were any hostages killed?"

Luke said, "Not that I know of. But more than ten criminals were actually killed by one Detective John McClane from New York. He contributed a lot to Hans's arrest, too."

Dustin felt his teeth ache. "What? Why is he there?"

Luke replied, "Because his wife is a senior manager at Nakatomi Corporation, and he's here on vacation to visit his wife."

"F*ck!" Dustin couldn't help but curse out loud.

Since that was the case, the credit for this incident would have to be split.

Seeing how wretched Detective John looked, Luke somehow felt guilty for using him as a distraction.

Everything turned out well, and he had helped save John's wife too. However, Detective John's contribution couldn't be ignored.

Also, if John wasn't around, Luke would be hounded by both his department and the department of the central district. Now, if the two departments wanted to fight for credit, they would have to argue with NYPD first.

It was always easier for people on the same side to reach a compromise when they had a common enemy.

Besides, Luke wasn't interested in an award of any sort. What he desired was the experience and the credit which the system gave him.

Dustin moved very quickly.

Ten minutes later, a bunch of police officers stormed the underground garage.

Luke was rather comforted to know that the commander of this operation had dispatched a troop that was larger than a squad of eight.

Luke had voluntarily dropped all his weapons except his pistol before they arrived.

The newcomers didn't order him to lie flat on the ground as they would a suspect. Their chief asked, "Luke Coulson?"

Luke showed them his badge, which was hanging around his neck. The chief glanced at it and saluted him. "Thank you for your contribution to this operation."

"You're welcome." Luke nodded his head with a smile. He was in a good mood.

He nodded at the two people next to him. "This is Detective John McClane from NYPD. You better get him to the hospital ASAP. Next to him is his wife, Ms. Holly."

The chief of the special forces simply nodded his head.

Luke patted the Ford next to him and said, "Also, this car is worth 640 million. See that it's well-protected."

The chief was stunned. "What?"

Luke explained, "Those criminals were here for bearer bonds. They looted Nakatomi Corporation's vault and packed bonds worth 640 million dollars into this car. Don't lose them, or none of us will be able to bear the consequences."

The chief was well aware of what the consequences were.

The criminals were able to steal the bonds partly because they had made meticulous plans, and partly because of Nakatomi Corporation's negligence.

However, if the bonds were lost again under police watch, many people in LAPD would lose their jobs.

The chief of the special forces hurriedly had some of his subordinates protect the Ford.

Luke suddenly remembered that he had left two people upstairs. He said, "I need to go up. Two important people are hiding upstairs."

The chief frowned. "I can ask our men to get them out."

Luke said, "One of them is on the 21st floor, and the other is on the 23rd. I specifically told them not to come out until I came to get them."

The chief thought for a moment, and then had two of his subordinates go with Luke.

A while later, Luke returned with Takagi and Jimena. The chief couldn't help but ask, "Who are they?"

He was quite curious as to why this amazing young detective had hidden these two people.

Luke said, "This is Mr. Takagi, head of the Nakatomi Corporation that was unfortunately robbed. This is Jimena, my girlfriend. She's currently an intern at Nakatomi Corporation."

The chief of the special forces asked suspiciously, "So, you were here to spend Christmas Eve with your girlfriend?"

Luke nodded matter-of-factly, "Of course. Why would I specifically come here to take down criminals when I'm from a different department?"

The chief of the special forces was lost for words.

Luke asked, "Can I go now?"

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Chapter 152 The Deputy Director's Reminder

The chief of the special forces shook his head. "I'm afraid not. The deputy director wants to see you."

"Huh?" Luke was rather surprised.

The deputy director was also known as the deputy chief.

There were only two people above the deputy chief, namely, the assistant chief of police and the chief of police.

But these top two positions were in fact only responsible for administrative matters instead of actual cases themselves.

The deputy chief was always the commander at the very top when it came to the actual cases, and furthermore only got involved in major cases.

Luke took Takagi and Jimena to the other side of the garage and drove his Ford out.

He was stopped at the exit. After he showed his badge, and both he and his car were examined, he was allowed to pass several minutes later.

He didn't want to take the bus to work tomorrow, so he had to drive his car out.

Driving his Ford to where he was told the deputy director would be, Luke got out and asked a black policeman, "Can you tell me where Deputy Director Robinson is?"

Stunned for a moment, the black man eyed him strangely. "Luke Coulson?"

Luke said, "That's me."

The black policeman said, "I'm Bauer. Come with me."

Luke followed him to the back of a command van, where he saw a white man between forty and fifty years of age.

Bauer said, "Chief, Luke's here."

The white man extended his hand to Luke in delight. "Nice to meet you, Detective Luke Coulson. I'm Duane Robinson. I'm very proud of what you've done. You're a distinguished officer of LAPD. I'll…"

Luke interrupted him awkwardly. "Deputy Director Robinson, please allow me to introduce you. This is Mr. Takagi, head of Nakatomi Corporation."

Stunned for a moment, Robinson extended his hand. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Takagi." He knew that it was Nakatomi Corporation that had been attacked tonight. Thus, he said hurriedly, "I'll definitely look into the case, please rest assured."

Takagi, however, shook his head. "It's already clear what happened tonight."

Robinson was taken aback. "Well…"

Takagi bowed at Luke again. "Thank you for saving me. If it's possible, I hope to host you at my home tomorrow."

Luke rolled his eyes and smiled. "Mr. Takagi, I'm sure you'll be busy in the next few days. Why don't you give me your contact, and we'll talk later?"

As he spoke, he glanced at Nakatomi Plaza.

To be honest, Detective John had done more damage to the building with the C4s on the second floor than the terrorists had.

It would take Nakatomi Corporation a while to fix up the building.

Takagi thought for a moment, and agreed with him. He presented Luke his card with both hands.

Luke accepted it with both hands as well. He saw that it was a personal card which had nothing but a personal phone number and a name on it.

However, most of the employees at Nakatomi Corporation didn't know this number at all.

Luke thanked him with a smile and watched him speak to Robinson. Very soon, a limo came to pick Mr. Takagi up.

Luke then said to Robinson again, "Chief, my girlfriend was frightened by everything that happened. Can I take her home first?"

Robinson immediately understood Luke's meaning. He said, "That's fine. You'll be free to go in a moment. However, you need to report to headquarters tomorrow morning."

Gesturing subtly, Robinson led Luke to a corner. "Luke, it was LAPD who worked out this entire case, do you understand?"

Luke was puzzled. "But what about Detective John McClane?"

Robinson didn't consider it a big deal. "That's between us and NYPD, but the FBI isn't a part of this, alright?"

Luke was surprised. "FBI? Where were they?" Robinson sneered. "On the helicopter."

Luke abruptly cursed, giving Robinson quite the shock.

Luke said angrily, "When I took the hostages to the roof, the people in the helicopter shot at me and nearly killed me. Those FBI agents aren't careful or professional at all."

Robinson was delighted.

After experiencing something like that, Luke wouldn't say anything nice about the FBI at all.

Robinson patted his shoulder in satisfaction. "That's all. Have a good rest tonight with your girlfriend." His tone turned sly.

Luke chuckled. "Yes, sir!"

Robinson laughed and told him to go.

Luke saluted him and took Jimena to his car.

They didn't go back to Jimena's dorm, where her roommate would hear them if they made any noise, not to mention that it only had a communal bathroom.

Luke decided to go to a hotel.

Since he hadn't used much of the money from Sergei, Luke simply took Jimena to the Beverly Hills Hotel and booked a luxurious suite for eight hundred dollars a night.

They smiled at each other. Together, they "toured" the bathroom, the glass window, the table, the sofa, and the extremely comfortable bed.

The next morning, Luke was woken up by his phone.

He picked up the phone and heard Dustin's voice. "Where are you? Selina said that you aren't at home."

Luke said, "I left with my girlfriend last night."

Pausing for a moment, Dustin said helplessly, "Do you know what time it is? Headquarters just called. I need to take you there for the investigation into last night's case."

Luke yawned. "Huh? What time is it?"

Dustin said, "It's ten past nine. How much longer do you plan to sleep?"

Luke couldn't dawdle anymore. "Fine. I'll be at the department in thirty minutes."

Dustin said, "You only have twenty." He then hung up the phone.

Luke snorted. You were acting so nice when you asked for my help, but you're singing a different tune now when I'm no longer needed.

On the other side, Jimena was still sound asleep in bed.

Luke called out to her, only to find that he couldn't wake her up. He could only wash his face and brush his teeth first.

After he was done, he left a thousand dollars and a note on the nightstand under Jimena's cell phone. He then left the room in a good mood.

He told the receptionist that no one was to knock on the door until noon, before he finally drove to work.

What happened next was quite boring. Dustin took him to Park Center, which was LAPD headquarters.

Duane Robinson, whom he had met last night, was also there, and even shook his hand with a smile. However, the deputy director appeared much more reserved today.

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Chapter 153 Folly In the Competition for Credit

Luke wasn't bothered. He never took the big shots' chumminess seriously, since it was only routine behavior for them most of the time, and weren't their true feelings at all.

The interrogation that followed, however, was quite interesting. He was questioned by two parties, namely the FBI and LAPD.

What was interesting was that the FBI tried to prove that Luke hadn't played an important role, while LAPD's questions highlighted his contribution.

For example, the FBI's people would ask, "Why did you let the hostages run amok until our men saved them, instead of protecting the hostages until they left safely?"

Then, LAPD would immediately ask, "After escorting the hostages to the roof, what forced you to leave them to return downstairs and take down the criminals, ultimately ensuring the hostages' safety?"

Most of the time, Luke simply enjoyed the show that was in fact a squabble dressed up as an inquiry.

When he was asked a question, he would answer in support of LAPD.

The FBI hadn't contributed to the case at all last night, and had almost shot Luke.

Now that Luke thought about it, the FBI might have even indirectly helped the criminals a lot.

He simply told the truth about what he did last night, and slightly exaggerated John McClane's contribution.

For example, he claimed that he and Detective John finished off the last twenty criminals together, which made more sense.

He spoke highly of Detective John since the latter had blown up the second floor of the building last night, which would require loads of money to fix.

So, John would definitely be punished if his contribution to the case was deemed subpar.

After all, he was an officer from New York, and didn't have law enforcement power in Los Angeles.

Luke wasn't sure if Nakatomi Corporation would appreciate what John had done. Wouldn't it be terrible if John had to pay for the damages he caused?

John's wife made a lot of money, so he could probably afford it, but as long as he could justify his actions, he wouldn't need to pay a cent.

And through it all, the FBI still didn't have any part in it.

Detective John was from NYPD, not the FBI.

Luke grew impatient as the FBI agents bombarded him with questions again.

One of them asked yet again, "How did you kill those criminals? Can you tell us one more time?"

Luke rapped the table and said, "I've already told you twice. Don't question my abilities."

The agent insisted, "We're just trying to confirm…"

Luke waved his hand. "If you have clearance, read your classified files on me. Last September, I worked with an FBI team in Shackelford in Texas and killed thirteen armed Mexican gangsters, which was verified by the FBI. Furthermore, I killed nineteen and injured twelve armed criminals on a highway between Queens and Nassau last month. You can look up the case at NYPD. Now, do you still doubt my capability?"

The FBI agent was stunned.

If what Luke said was true, taking down the criminals in Nakatomi Plaza wouldn't have been impossible for him. After all, Detective John had helped him out.

According to Luke, John killed a dozen people, so Luke killed slightly more than thirty, which was similar to the number of criminals he killed in the gunfight in New York.

Given that there was precedent, it was impossible for the FBI to argue that Luke was incapable of doing what he had done.

The two examples that Luke had given were endorsed respectively by the FBI and NYPD, a third party, and couldn't be discredited at all.

After Luke's counter, the FBI agents finally gave in.

One of the agents left the room and spoke to their chief, and the FBI agents lost interest in questioning Luke after that.

They had finally pulled Luke's file from the FBI's system by then, and it contained all the details.

This young officer was only eighteen, but had already cracked several major and dangerous cases after just half a year on the job as a police officer.

It was estimated that he had injured or killed roughly a hundred criminals in half a year.

Furthermore, almost all these criminals had been moving in groups when Luke wiped them out.

Even a ten-person FBI squad would barely be able to achieve the same feat, let alone a single detective.

Luke was capable, and he didn't have a very high rank. He wasn't scared of the FBI at all.

So, the FBI could only give up on the idea of coercing Luke, and talk to LAPD's leadership instead, hoping to earn something from last night's case.

Luke and John had killed most of the criminals before the FBI agents arrived, but it would be too embarrassing for the FBI agents to report that they hadn't done anything except take the hostages away.

Luke was free to go after that.

He was here not because he was important, but because he could be used against the FBI.

Deputy Director Duane, for one, was angry at the FBI robbing him of command during the operation, and wanted to get back at them.

However, Luke accidentally learned that it was Duane who had instructed the eight SWAT members and the armored car to charge into the building before they did any reconnaissance.

He felt lucky that the man wasn't his boss, and that the man wasn't in charge of field operations all the time given his high position; otherwise, plenty of SWAT members would perish because of the deputy director.

It was 5pm when Luke left Park Center.

He had received a call from Selina earlier that morning. He told her what happened last night, and she complained that he hadn't called her when something so big happened.

She had been watching a soap opera instead of the news last night, so she hadn't known about the gunfight at Nakatomi Plaza at all.

Jimena also called Luke and told him that she was still waiting in line at the police department to give her statement, and that there was no telling when she could leave.

Luke asked if she needed his help, but she refused.

Everyone in line were employees of Nakatomi Corporation; she would draw too much attention if an intern like her cut the queue.

They had to cancel their plans for that night. Jimena told Luke not to wait for her, as a co-worker would send her home.

Dustin had taken Luke to Park Center that morning in his car, so Luke could only take a cab back to the police department before he drove his own car home.

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Chapter 154 Appeasing Selina

Luke somehow felt relaxed when he saw Selina watching TV lazily on the couch.

Seeing how comfortable her life was made him feel that his own life was just as comfortable! That was what Luke thought in his heart.

Selina, on the other hand, glanced at him and didn't say anything.

Luke greeted her and went to look for food in the fridge. A moment later, he exclaimed, "Selina, where's the beef? The roast chicken? And the cake?"

Luke had every reason to be shocked, because all the food had been prepared for two people. But it was all gone?

Suspicious, Luke went over to Selina and observed her carefully for a moment.

Finally, he couldn't take it any longer, and raised her shirt above her stomach.

Selina cried out angrily, "What are you doing, jerk?"

Luke looked at her bulging belly, lost for words. "You're not going to tell me that you're three months pregnant after just one day, right?"

Selina looked away shiftily. "You said you weren't coming back, so I figured that I didn't need to leave you any food."

Luke held his head. "Don't you feel full?"

Selina said matter-of-factly, "That's why I don't want to move right now."

Luke was lost for words. "Alright, wait here."

Picking up his wallet, he left for the Chinese supermarket, and bought a few things.

After he returned, he cooked a pot of soup in the kitchen, and later brought out a cup of it. "Drink this."

Selina showed no intention of moving. Left with no other choice, Luke could only hold her head and feed her the soup.

The moment she tasted the soup, she perked up. "Wow, it's delicious. Sweet and sour. What did you put inside?"

Luke said, "It's made from hawthorn, red bayberries, and sugar. It can help with digestion."

Selina said, "Give me another cup."

Luke said, "There's one more cup in the kitchen. Drink it an hour later."

Selina was immediately disappointed. "Why didn't you make more?"

Luke was angry. "So that you can eat more once you've digested everything that's in your stomach?"

Selina chuckled. "It's only because you went out to fool around with Jimena. I was too bored to do anything other than eat."

Luke said, "I've only fooled around once in the past half year. If I were someone else, people would think that I'm gay."

en

Selina snorted. "You're not trying hard enough. You go home after work every day. I've never seen you hit on a girl."

Luke said, "I go home after work because I have to make food for you. Are you complaining about that?"

As he spoke, he stretched out his hand and placed his palm on her belly, before he started rubbing it slowly in a clockwise direction.

He wasn't using a lot of strength. Selina took a long breath, feeling quite comfortable. "What are you doing?"

Luke said, "Pay attention to what I'm doing and how much strength I'm using. Rub clockwise like this; it'll help with your digestion, you pig." He then stopped.

Selina lay still on the couch. "Why don't you do it for me? I don't feel like moving."

Luke said, "You don't feel like moving because you're too full." He washed his hands and made food for himself in the kitchen.

Since Selina had devoured his dinner, he had to make more food.

Thankfully, he had purchased a lot of ingredients a few days ago for the holidays. There was a lot of marinated beef and chicken.

He quickly stir-fried some beef and made himself a sandwich, which he then enjoyed with a glass of milk.

Selina didn't steal his food this time. It seemed that she was really full.

She lay on the couch and rubbed her slightly bulging belly with her right hand while she switched TV channels with the remote in her left hand.

She then switched to a news channel that was covering last night's incident at Nakatomi Plaza.

The TV hosts were talking animatedly. Very soon, stretchers covered in white cloth appeared on camera.

One of the TV hosts said, "As far as we know, the police and a team of robbers were engaged in a fierce shootout at Nakatomi Plaza last night. The police killed 37 robbers and injured seven. Three police officers were killed, and seven were injured. One of the hostages was killed."

Luke did some calculations.

Two police officers had been in the armored car, and eight SWAT members charged into the building. So, the casualties were all on the police's side?

Luke didn't want to see too many casualties on LAPD's side, particularly not when they were caused by someone else's idiotic command.

Selina perked up and called out "Darling" in the sweetest voice.

Luke knew that she wanted something. "Just tell me what you want."

Selina asked, "How many people did you kill?"

Luke counted for a while, but shook his head. "I'm not certain. I'm sure that I killed eleven and injured four, but I don't know how many more I killed."

Selina found that odd. "You don't know?" She knew that Luke had good sight and hearing.

Luke shrugged. "I fired at two vans with a UMP. I don't know how many robbers were in them. Probably more than twenty, I think."

Selina was excited. "You can do that? I'm gonna try that next time."

Luke rolled his eyes. "I couldn't have done it without John McClane. They wouldn't have all retreated to the vans if they had known that they were dealing with more than one opponent."

Selina pondered deeply. "Oh, I see. So, we should hide during a mission, then jump out at the end to claim the credit."

Luke thought for a moment, then nodded his head. "That's right. You'll most likely just get yourself killed if you charge out in front."

At that moment, the news commentary continued, "These robbers pretended to be terrorists and demanded that the American government release seven members of the Irish National Liberation Army, six of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, and three of Asian Dawn. However, this was soon discovered to be a ruse. Asian Dawn doesn't exist at all, and was invented by a third-rate newspaper. The robbers' real target was the bearer bonds worth 640 million in Nakatomi Corporation's vault."

Selina's mouth dropped open. "Wow, that's a lot of money."

Suddenly, she rolled her eyes. "Does that mean that you'll be getting another cash reward?"

Luke nodded and said, "Probably, depending on Nakatomi Corporation. And even if Nakatomi Corporation doesn't want to give me one, our police department should give me something, right?"

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Chapter 155 Takagi's Little Gift

Luke didn't actually expect a reward from Takagi, even if the latter had given Luke his card and called him his lifesaver.

He knew very well what the Japanese were like.

The people of this country were modest, trustworthy, polite, and respectful, and attached great importance to social hierarchy.

However, they also had the potential to overturn anything that stood above them, and might burst out on a rampage and turn into bloodthirsty beasts that weren't bound by any sort of code of conduct.

They also recorded their deeds and passed them down as tales through the generations.

They were a highly complicated and controversial people.

Thus, Luke didn't expect much from Takagi. While the man had bowed to him, it might have been out of polite habit, and didn't necessarily mean that he really thought highly of Luke.

All of a sudden, Takagi appeared on camera. "We're going to transfer the bonds out and upgrade our vault's security measures. I would like to point out, however, that the power system in Los Angeles is terrible. The blackout in the central district was the reason why the robbers were able to overcome the vault's final electromagnetic protective measure. We will be suing our power supplier."

Luke and Selina looked at each other in bewilderment.

After a long time, Luke finally commented, "So that's how the robbers opened the vault. I was wondering how they got it open without getting the code from Takagi."

He also knew that it had been the FBI's idea to cut off the power, since it was hardly possible for regular people, who didn't even know where the power hub was, to do so.

Only the FBI or police could've forced the power supplier to shut down the power.

After Luke told her what the FBI did, Selina laughed out loud. "Will they have to pay damages?"

LAPD shrugged. "LAPD has me, and McClane has his wife, so who can Nakatomi Corporation blame in this case, except the FBI, who barely contributed anything?"

He knew why the FBI had been unfriendly toward him.

They'd made numerous mistakes and hadn't helped at all. It was possible that whoever was in charge of the case would be demoted.

Luke would be happy to see that happen.

The man's idiotic subordinates had fired a barrage at him from the helicopter, and Luke would've been killed if he hadn't reacted quickly.

It was already good of him not to ask for an apology or compensation from the FBI.

Luke chatted with Selina for a while before they each took a shower and went to bed.

The next day, Catherine called Luke to tell him that they were leaving for Los Angeles the following day.

Luke was naturally happy about his family's visit. He promised that he would cover their plane tickets and accommodation fees.

Selina was also delighted.

Robert was like family to her, too, since she started her job under his command at the beginning

Selina volunteered to pick up Luke's family at the airport, and to look for a hotel for them.

It made things easier for Luke since Selina was willing to help.

They had to be on duty in a couple of days, so they could take turns keeping Luke's family company.

As Luke made plans for the holiday, his phone rang with a call from Dustin. "What did you do to Takagi? He says that he's going to give you a million dollars as a personal reward."

Luke was caught by surprise. "What?"

Dustin smiled. "That's right, a personal reward from him, not from Nakatomi Corporation. You're going to be a millionaire, Luke."

Luke frowned. He didn't like the sound of that.

Thinking for a moment, he asked, "What will our department get?"

Dustin said, "Nakatomi Corporation is willing to donate 500,000 dollars to our department to upgrade our equipment, like the walkie-talkies for the officers."

Luke was lost for words. Was Nakatomi Corporation mocking the police? Detective John had let the police know what was going on by chucking the body of one of the robbers out the window instead of contacting them on the walkie-talkie.

Before that, the operator had treated John's call for help on the walkie-talkie's emergency channel as a prank call, and had summarily ignored it.

Had it not been for Luke and John, a lot of hostages would've died, and a lot of people in LAPD would've been punished for it, including the operator.

Of course, American emergency operators were infamous for being unreliable.

That was probably because too many people called 911 as a lark, inevitably leading the operators to regard some real emergency calls as a practical joke.

After a brief silence, Luke asked, "Boss, what's your suggestion?"

Dustin scratched his head.

Money mattered more than anything else in America. Could he tell Luke to refuse it?

But if Luke accepted it, it would be like a slap to the face for LAPD.

So, Dustin suggested, "If possible, can you keep the matter of Mr. Takagi's personal reward between the two of you?"

Luke thought for a moment and said, "Alright, boss, I'll try."

He found the card that Takagi had given him and gave the man a call.

A moment later, a man said over the phone, "This is Takagi. Who is this?"

Luke replied, "Luke Coulson, the detective. You remember me, right?"

Takagi's voice immediately turned warmer. "Of course, Mr. Luke. I was going to contact you."

Luke chuckled. "Mr. Takagi, it's nice to speak to you again. My colleague tells me that you want to give me a personal reward, is that right?"

Takagi said solemnly, "Yes. This is just a small amount of money. You must take it."

Luke was amused. He knew that it was inappropriate for him to accept the money, and was well aware that it certainly wasn't a small amount.

Pondering for a moment, Luke said, "Mr. Takagi, could you change your personal reward? My family is coming to Los Angeles tomorrow, and will be staying for a week. Can you help arrange their accommodation and have them taken around on tour during the week?"

After a brief silence, Takagi said, "That is too small a thing to repay you with."

Luke chuckled. "Mr. Takagi, I'm a police officer. It's just my job."

Takagi, however, also chuckled. "No, Mr. Luke, I know very well that the American police is not obliged to protect any one person. It was not your responsibility to save me."

For a moment, Luke was stunned. He hadn't really given it a lot of thought.

He had always considered it his duty to save those in need, and he had saved a lot of them.

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Chapter 156 New Gift and Another Level-Up

The truth, however, was that an American police officer could kill a citizen when they determined that the latter was threatening their life, but they weren't obliged to protect a citizen when the citizen's life was under threat.

The Supreme Court ruling in 1981 had set up the ground rule: the American police had no specific duty to protect a citizen(1).

Of course, the pressure which the media put on the police was a different matter.

It was actually the leadership of the police department, instead of the bottom-level officers, who were affected by that pressure.

Takagi said, "So, I'll make sure that your family has fun in Los Angeles, but you must not decline my personal gratitude."

Luke smiled bitterly. "But Mr. Takagi, you'll make me the target of jealousy in my police department."

Pondering for a moment, Takagi proposed, "If so, would you like to be my corporation's head of security? Your annual pay won't be lower than 500,000 dollars."

Luke was rendered speechless by Takagi's offer.

But on second thought, an annual pay of 500,000 dollars was only befitting of someone who crushed fifty robbers without getting hurt himself, and who retrieved bonds worth 640 million bucks.

Luke just needed to solve another emergency for Nakatomi Corporation on the same scale to be worthy of that pay.

Luke secretly apologized to Robert as he said earnestly, "Mr. Takagi, I love being a police officer. My foster father is a police officer and I've always looked up to him. So, I'm afraid that I have to decline your offer."

Takagi sighed softly, knowing that belief couldn't be easily reshaped by money.

He could only say, "Alright, I have a personal house in Los Angeles that I would like to give to you. All you need to do is sign your name on the deed. Your colleagues won't know as long as you don't say anything."

Luke was amazed by how shrewd Takagi was. By offering Luke a house, he could stay in touch with Luke.

Then, it was settled. Takagi told Luke something about the dead hostage from last night.

The hostage was another senior manager at the company, who had tried to save his own skin by selling Gennero out.

He had spoken to Detective John via the walkie-talkie to prove to the robbers that he knew John well.

He did convince Hans, but was shot right after Hans confirmed that his intelligence was accurate.

Many of the Nakatomi Corporation employees had witnessed that hostage being taken away after he volunteered to offer intelligence.

So, his death had nothing to do with Luke or John.

The other fifty employees of the company who had laid low weren't even hurt when they were rescued.

It was further proof that the senior manager's death had been his own fault.

Also, Takagi mentioned that Hans was responsible for the death of a construction engineer at his company.

The robbers tortured Kiyoshi for information on the layout of Nakatomi Plaza, and killed him after verifying that it was true.

Luke found the name familiar, and finally remembered that it was from the first case that he and Elsa had taken when they came back.

Things had turned out exactly the way they were supposed to.

It wasn't Elsa and Luke's fault for not pursuing the case further back then, because there were just too many similar cases.

But Luke still encountered those unfortunate robbers in the end, though Elsa didn't get to play a part.

She called Luke that night, full of regret. "If I had seen this coming, I would've postponed my vacation for a couple of days."

Luke chuckled. "I'm sure that we'll have more opportunities."

He didn't really mean it. He had gone to the plaza to hook up with Jimena. How could he have brought Elsa with him?

Even if Elsa had been in Los Angeles, she wouldn't have been at the location at all, nor was she capable of fighting fifteen armed robbers. She wasn't Detective John.

Elsa's strength lay in investigation rather than killing

Relaxed, Luke grinned at his stats panel.

Luke (aka Luke Coulson)

Strength: 31

Dexterity: 20

Mental Strength: 14

Extra stat point: 1

Luke had claimed the mission reward after he dealt with Hans Gruber.

Mission: Eliminate Hans Gruber's gang and retrieve the bonds.

Total experience: 5,000. Total credit: 5,000.

Contribution rate: 75%. EXP 3,750. Credit 3,750.

As experience has reached 7,000 points, the host has leveled up to level 9.

Seeing that Strength was drawing closer to 40 points, Luke was more than satisfied.

He was only two levels away from the minimum requirement for the ultimate lifesaver, Elementary Self-Healing, and from healing his left hand.

He only had 400 experience points left after the level-up, but he had more than 14,000 credit points.

He couldn't hold back the urge anymore. Opening the list of abilities, he learned Elementary Driving and also selected a few uncommon abilities from the people that he had killed or defeated.

For example, Basic Language Proficiency (English, Spanish and Portuguese), from the electrifying, long-legged Vanessa, only cost a hundred credit points.

Luke immediately picked that. He had no time to learn languages, so this ability would be very handy.

A hundred credit points was nothing for him.

Luke also picked Basic Demolition from an expert bomber on Hans's team.

But Luke knew that he would run low on credit points in the future.

The X-gene super abilities all cost no less than a thousand credit points. Some even cost more than ten thousand.

He had a lot of credit points for now, only because he hadn't officially joined the greater battlefield that was going to be New York.

Luke wouldn't settle down in New York until he got Elementary Self-Healing, or he might be easily killed off by some random guy.

How efficient was Takagi?

That very afternoon, a lawyer visited Luke and had him sign a few documents. After the lawyer handled the rest of the paperwork, the house would be Luke's.

Tempted, Selina urged Luke to check the house out.

When they reached their destination, they realized that it was a detached villa which covered two hundred square meters. It had five bedrooms, two bathrooms, a garage and a pool.

Luke and Selina toured the house after letting themselves in with the key Luke had just gotten. He remarked, "This house, plus the furniture and decor, must be worth more than a million, right? I don't think what I did is worth that much."

Selina, however, was excited. "Haha, Luke, can we move in here? I'll swim in the pool when the weather gets hotter."

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Chapter 157 Champagne, Steak, and a Bubble Bath

Luke rolled his eyes. "That's just a big bathtub, alright? Besides, you can also heat up the water. You can take a bath right now if you want."

Selina's eyes glittered. "Darling-"

Luke said, "Wait! Let me think about it."

After some consideration, he decided not to argue with Takagi anymore.

Takagi was a successful old man who was insistent and clever. Luke wasn't confident that he could persuade him to change his mind.

Luke had nothing to say if Takagi believed that his life was worth this villa. Luke could give him a hand again if he ever needed it.

He knew that that might have been Takagi's plan all along.

Considering Luke's abilities, Takagi might have to ask for his help one day. This house was both a gesture of gratitude and an advance investment.

This house was indeed worth a lot, but it was still nothing for Takagi.

It was nothing to give this house away, as long as it could help him stay in touch with Luke in case he needed Luke's help in the future.

After Luke checked the house, he called Takagi. "Thank you, Mr. Takagi. I'm very satisfied with this house."

Takagi simply smiled. "That's fantastic, Detective Luke. Keep in touch."

Luke chuckled. "Alright, I hope I wasn't interrupting anything. Goodbye."

After hanging up the phone, Luke shook his head and put thoughts of the clever old man aside. He said to Selina, "Let's go home first to grab your swimsuit, unless you plan to jump into the pool in your underwear."

Selina exclaimed with wild joy and went to get the car.

After a few round trips, they had moved most of their necessities to their new home.

Luke had noticed that the furniture and appliances in the villa were barely used.

This villa must've only had the basic furniture in the beginning, and Takagi must've gotten the other things put in over the last half-day.

It was homey and comfortable, and not ostentatious at all.

Takagi must've selected such a no-nonsense villa because he found Luke to be a down-to-earth man.

Sure enough, Luke was quite satisfied with it.

Moreover, Luke's family didn't have to stay in a hotel anymore. There was even enough room for Selina.

Selina had always been a doer. Once she was settled in, she immediately tried out the "big bathtub" in the backyard.

Luke, on the other hand, prepared the ingredients he had brought for dinner.

Since they had moved into a new house today, Luke thought that he should make something classy.

Champagne was definitely necessary, and they wouldn't eat at the table, but by the swimming pool.

Very soon, Selina ran back excitedly and told Luke that she had figured out the mechanism for the big bathtub.

Luke nodded his head and got her to help him take the dishes out to the backyard.

Selina then put down the ice bucket and took off her clothes, before she jumped into the water and spun around in the pool, laughing.

Well, in a pool that was three meters long and three meters wide at most, spinning was the best she could do.

Luke allowed her to do as she pleased since this Christmas had been rather boring for her.

He put the steak on a tray next to the pool and said, "Stop playing. Have some food first."

Selina obediently sat on the steps on one side of the pool.

She accepted Luke's service happily and said, "I didn't know you're also good at waiting on other people!"

Luke smiled. Standing in the warm water, he stared to the west.

This was the west side of Beverly Hills, and the backyard faced the west. There were no tall buildings around here, so the view was quite splendid.

Although the commute from here would be longer, Luke didn't think that Selina would want to go back to their old apartment.

Enjoying the steak, the champagne, and Selina's occasional questions, Luke thought his life was wonderful.

The stars in the sky illuminated the night like small lamps.

The next day, Luke went to the police department at Dustin's request.

Since Selina had taken the car to pick up his family, Luke had to take the bus.

He wore a tracksuit today because he wasn't here to work, but to meet Dustin.

Somebody else was in Dustin's office, so Luke simply waited outside the office for a bit.

Soon, the person came out and smiled at Luke. "The boss is asking for you."

Luke nodded and entered the office. "Boss, what's up?"

Dustin pointed at the door. "Close the door."

Luke immediately knew that they were going to discuss something confidential.

After the door was shut, Dustin asked, "How did you persuade Takagi? He said that he wouldn't be giving you the reward money."

Luke told the truth. "I asked him to give me something else that was less eye-catching."

Dustin didn't pursue it further since it was a private manner.

It was bad enough that he had intimated that Luke should turn down the gift; it would be inappropriate for him to poke his nose into Luke's new reward.

He nodded his head and said, "Takagi also said that he will personally donate 500,000 dollars to the Major Crimes Division so that we can buy more equipment."

Luke shrugged and said, "That's good."

Lost for words, Dustin said in a low voice a moment later, "Yes, it is. Do you have any thoughts? The chief says that he can give you special treatment."

Luke found that strange. "What do you mean?"

Dustin coughed and said, "Say, if you get a college degree and pass the civil service test, you'll be promoted the moment you get your cert."

Luke was disappointed. He wasn't interested in a promotion at all. "I would rather get money."

Dustin was surprised. "What?"

Luke said, "I'm too young. It's not good if I'm promoted too fast. I think it's better for me to gain more experience from the bottom."

Dustin was unconvinced. "Are you serious?"

Luke nodded his head. "Yes. I don't think I'll consider a promotion for a couple of years. For now, a pay rise would be good."

After a brief silence, Dustin said, "Alright, that works too."

He wasn't entirely convinced. "You really don't want a promotion?"

Luke nodded his head with a smile. "No, I don't. I told Elsa the same thing before. I've only worked for half a year. I'm in no rush."

Dustin finally remembered that, technically speaking, Luke had only been a police officer in the big city for three months.

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Chapter 158 Family Reunion and Holiday Celebration (PART 1)

If Luke went to college right now, he would only be 22 when he got his degree four years later.

A 22-year-old sergeant? That would be too unbelievable.

Elsa was 32, and she had only been promoted to sergeant recently.

Luke's recent achievements were so astonishing that Dustin had subconsciously forgotten his age.

Dustin rolled his eyes and suddenly smiled. "Well, we'll be getting some new cars. Do you have a favorite model?"

Luke thought for a moment and said, "I'll just use the same as everyone else. Any car will do for me."

Dustin nodded his head, satisfied that Luke didn't get cocky.

The second thing that Dustin talked to Luke about was the robbers that Luke had killed and injured.

But since Luke didn't have any outrageous requests, Dustin promised to take care of everything for him.

What a nice young man! Dustin remarked inwardly.

Seeing that Dustin had fallen silent, Luke stood up and said, "Boss, I'll be leaving."

Dustin made a call after Luke left the office. "Supply division? What are the new cars that you're giving us?"

Luke found it was still early when he left the police department, so he took a bus home. Selina was already up and was doing some cleaning

Selina was surprised to see him. "That was quick."

Luke shrugged. "Maybe because I saved Dustin a lot of trouble."

After they left the house, Luke told Selina about Dustin's offer in the car. Selina was amused.

She already knew that Luke wouldn't consider a promotion for the next couple of years.

But she was rather jealous after learning that he would get his own police car.

Police cars were quite good. Moreover, since Luke had won his boss's favor, he could even use the police car for personal business.

Luke smiled. "But you're not losing out on anything. You'll be free to use the Ford whenever you want in the future."

Thinking for a moment, Selina realized that it did make sense, and she cheered up again.

When they reached the airport, they chatted as they waited for Luke's family.

Thanks to the good weather, the flight wasn't delayed, and Luke's family arrived right on time.

It was quite joyous when they met in the hall.

Claire hopped around in excitement as she clutched at Luke. Joseph looked at his sister scornfully, but was secretly happy too.

Robert and Catherine, on the other hand, greeted Selina first, before Selina greeted their children.

When they left the airport, Selina drove off with Catherine, the kids and the luggage, while Luke and Robert took a cab.

Robert and Luke bickered nonstop in the cab, but Robert was stunned when he saw the villa. "You can afford this?"

Any diligent man in Shackelford would be able to afford a house like this, since Shackelford had plenty of empty land, and anyone could build whatever house they wanted.

But this wasn't Shackelford; this was Los Angeles, which was right next to Hollywood.

Luke laughed. "It's a windfall. But let's not talk about it now. Let's check your rooms first. I don't know what you need yet. I only moved in yesterday."

Robert followed him into the villa in a daze, only to be even more shocked.

This villa wasn't extremely extravagant; at least, not that Robert could tell.

However, the furniture and appliances inside were all the best products on the market.

He couldn't afford them even if he saved up for two years.

However, since Luke had said that they would talk about it later, he didn't ask.

Robert was lost for words when he saw the gigantic bathtub in the backyard outside.

Well, Robert was quite similar to Luke in that neither of them regarded it as a pool.

Then, it was lunch for everyone, which Luke had already prepared.

Many of the ingredients that he had brought over yesterday had already been mixed together, and would be ready as soon as they came out of the oven.

And so, in the cool afternoon breeze, everyone enjoyed roast meat and chicken in the backyard.

Selina lured the two kids into playing in the bathtub. The three of them had a water fight, laughing and shouting.

When they wanted food, they would get Catherine and Luke to deliver it to them.

Of course, Luke was summoned more often, since the kids hadn't seen him in a long time.

Robert watched Luke deliver a plate of roast meat to Selina with a strange expression, before he asked in a low voice, "Dating your colleague isn't forbidden here?"

Understanding what Robert was implying, Luke chuckled. "Of course it is, but to me, Selina is more like Claire."

Robert realized that Luke regarded Selina as a sister.

He finally asked, "What's the deal with this house? Don't tell you that you bought it."

Luke said, "It's a personal gift from Mr. Takagi, head of Nakatomi Corporation. He offered me a million bucks, but I refused it so he gave me this."

Robert and Catherine both exclaimed, "What?"

A million dollars was a huge amount of money for most Americans.

Luke smiled. "I saved him from robbers and helped his company recover bearer bonds worth 640 million. This isn't an excessive reward for that, is it?"

Robert and Catherine couldn't believe it.

Robert came back to his senses first. "What's going on? Why didn't you say anything before?"

They talked a couple of times every week. Robert was surprised that Luke hadn't mentioned it earlier.

Luke shrugged and said, "It was supposed to be a surprise. Besides, it happened on Christmas Eve."

Robert and Catherine were stunned yet again. It happened three days ago? No wonder they hadn't known anything.

Luke told them the story, skipping over the details. He exaggerated Detective John's contribution, and claimed that the New York officer took down a dozen terrorists on his own.

Catherine was more or less convinced, but Robert was suspicious, because he felt that Luke was more likely the one to have hunted down the terrorists.

But they were both reassured to know that all the robbers were accounted for, and that 80% of them were killed or heavily wounded.

Those robbers were certainly done for.

Although they had only been pretending to be terrorists, what they had done was precisely an act of terrorism.

In the current climate, any criminal in America that had links to terrorism would be heavily punished without the possibility of parole.

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Chapter 159 Family Reunion and Holiday Celebration (PART 2)

Luke couldn't avoid telling his parents about the Nakatomi Corporation case, but he didn't say anything about the gunfight which he had been involved in back in New York, in case they worried about him.

He simply entertained Catherine with some of the funnier cases he had worked on, like the one where a woman quarreled with a clerk, and in a fit of fury, threw her excrement at the latter.

Catherine immediately hit him angrily.

It was a good thing they were only drinking then, or they might have thrown up at that story.

Luke could only change the subject and talk about a woman who climbed a fence to take a shortcut, only for her underwear to get stuck in the fence, and she had to call the police for help.

Catherine was unconvinced. "What underwear was she wearing?".

Robert was also suspicious. "Was her ass not swollen?" But Catherine looked at him angrily, and he hurriedly shut up.

Luke shrugged and said, "I have the same doubts. It's a story from the University of Southern California. I don't know if it's true."

Time passed by quickly.

Everybody, including Selina, stayed at the villa that night. There was even a free room, because Claire insisted on sleeping with Selina.

Luke had no idea what they wanted to do. He simply told them not to sleep too late because they would be going out the next day.

At nine in the morning, when everybody got up and had breakfast, someone knocked on the door.

Catherine told Claire to go and open the door. Claire soon exclaimed, "Luke, you prepared a car for us?"

Luke was at a loss. "What car?"

Claire said, "A limo."

Puzzled, Luke walked to the door, only to see a familiar face. He thought for a moment, then ventured a guess. "Did Mr. Takagi ask you to come?"

The short black guy smiled pleasantly. "Yes, sir. I know that Mr. John and you caught those robbers together."

Luke nodded his head. "You were in the garage?"

The black guy said in embarrassment, "I'm only a driver."

Luke didn't ask him why he hadn't stood up to the robbers, or why none of the fifty hostages had resisted, either.

He simply smiled. "It's our responsibility, not yours, to catch the criminals. Right, why did Mr. Takagi ask you to come?"

The black guy said happily, "I'll be at your service while your family is in Los Angeles. I can drive you anywhere you want to go. I know all the fun places in L.A.."

Luke finally remembered that he had mentioned this to Takagi before, but he hadn't expected Takagi to provide him with a tour guide after already giving him such an expensive villa.

He couldn't help but feel that he owed Takagi for this; he would have to help the man out at least once, as long as it didn't violate his principles.

The favor that Luke owed Takagi wasn't worth much now, but what about five or ten years later?

It had to be noted that Luke had defeated fifty armed bandits when he was only an ordinary young man half a year ago.

Takagi definitely had no doubt of Luke's future prospects.

Of course, there was the possibility that Luke might be an ungrateful person, but even if that was the case, Takagi wouldn't be losing out on much anyway.

Luke informed everyone of the limo and their exclusive driver for the upcoming days.

Claire shrieked excitedly. "Ahhhh! Disneyland, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Sunset Boulevard! I'm coming!"

Luke didn't tell her to pipe down since she was only excited.

Catherine said hopefully, "Can we drop by the Getty Art Center?"

Luke nodded with a smile. "Of course."

Joseph asked, "Can we watch a movie? I heard that Aero-Troopers: The Nemeclous Crusade is showing at Christmas."

Luke said, "Of course. You can discuss the specific time with Claire and mom."

Robert had been silent the whole time. Luke grinned and whispered to him, "Should I ask the driver to take you to San Fernando Valley on your own?"

Robert snapped, "Get lost!".

After gathering everyone's opinions, Luke asked the driver how they should arrange their itinerary.

The driver asked, "How many days are you going to be here for?"

Robert thought for a moment and said, "Five days, maybe."

Luke said, "You can stay for a week. An exclusive car for us like this isn't easy to come by."

Robert said, "I only have five days of leave."

Luke could only give up on the idea.

After all, it wouldn't be safe for Catherine to travel on her own with Claire and Joseph.

After confirming the duration of their stay, the driver quickly proposed, "You don't want to visit Disneyland at Christmas; there are too many visitors during the holiday. You'll have to wait forever in line."

Reluctantly, Claire dropped the idea of visiting Disneyland.

The other places weren't as popular. Joseph's wish to watch a movie, for one, could be satisfied at any time.

As for Robert's San Fernando Valley… Well, it wasn't on the list.

In the end, they decided to visit Universal Studios, which was similar to Disneyland but less crowded.

As for the Walk of Fame, Beverly Hills, and the movie, they could do those in the following days.

Of course, the most boring part would probably be the visit to Beverly Hills, because the things there were too expensive.

Luke's and Robert's annual wages combined probably wouldn't be enough to cover even a few items of clothing there.

But Claire and Catherine were obviously keen on visiting the place, and so was Selina. Were they going to go shopping without actually buying anything?

Luke secretly whispered, "I can shell out ten thousand dollars for Catherine, Claire and Selina to buy something they want. What do you think?"

Robert gritted his teeth. "I'll cough up seventy-five hundred, and you'll put in the same amount. Catherine is my wife, Selina is with you, and as Claire's brother, you'll pay half of her share. So, each of them will have five thousand dollars to spend."

Luke chuckled. "Deal."

He then secretly whispered to Selina about the arrangement. Her eyes immediately widened. "Really?".

Luke said, "Everybody has a Christmas gift, but I haven't gotten you anything yet. You're family to me, too."

Selina hugged him and kissed his cheek. "Okay, you'll be my little brother in the future."

Luke was lost for words.

As for exactly what the three ladies bought, Luke had no idea, but they were clearly in a great mood after shopping.

Claire and Joseph hadn't traveled far from their hometown much, and had a great time.

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Chapter 160 Trickery and Secret Base

Claire even said that she would visit Luke and Selina whenever she was on break.

Luke could only smile wryly.

He and Selina would be too busy with work to spend time with family.

Catherine, however, knew very well how busy a police officer was. She quickly shut down Claire's idea, then said, "If you really want to come here, try to go to USC or UCLA. You'll be able to work here and live in the same city as the big celebrities."

Claire declared, "Alright, I'll study harder."

Luke was amused by how gullible kids were.

Joseph realized that he would have to wait another twelve years or so before he could come here.

Time flew by. On January 3, Luke sent his family to the airport.

Claire cried when they said their goodbyes Joseph was also reluctant to go.

Robert and Catherine were much better. They simply patted Luke's shoulder, hugged him, and said goodbye.

Luke knew that he had to keep a distance from his family since he might drag them into danger if he was too close to them.

He waited three hours in the airport for Elsa, who was returning from her vacation.

Elsa kicked off her high heels the moment she got into the car and complained, "I shouldn't have gone home! Damn it!"

Luke asked with a smile, "What's wrong?"

Elsa said, "Tiffany got married. She even has a son now. She bragged about how rich her husband is. He's only a manager at a three-star hotel in Miami, but she made it sound like her husband slept with Hilton."

Luke was amused.

"There's no point in being angry unless you want to get married yourself right now." Luke chuckled. "Everybody makes their own choices. You didn't choose her path, so why are you angry? You'll make a lot more money as a private detective, so why are you still a police detective?"

Elsa gradually calmed down.

She was only angry because she felt humiliated, but had nobody to talk to about

it.

She couldn't help but agree with Luke. "That's right. I love my job. I never wanted to get married and have children, so I applied for LAPD after graduation. This is my life. I don't have to compare myself with that b*tch."

Luke grinned and didn't say anything.

Ambitions were very complicated. Some people believed that they were worthless, but some people believed that they were more important than anything else.

Luke actually had few ambitions, except to live a happy life without worries.

He had basically achieved his ambition in his previous life, since he was reincarnated before he grew old.

In this life… He would live splendidly until he died in a particular battle.

There was no need to give it so much thought, because the world would push him forward. Those who didn't move forward would become part of the background for the superheroes, or die in the remains of a certain great war.

Picking up Elsa was Luke's only mission for today.

They didn't need to go in to work until tomorrow. Luke was free for the rest of the day.

Luke found an address in his cell phone and drove over.

It was an abandoned factory on the outskirts of Los Angeles.

Luke surveyed the factory, and finally found a well-hidden basement by tracking the vague smell of gun oil with his Sharp Nose.

Luke carefully opened the door. He didn't enter the basement until he was sure that it was safe.

Who knew whether that father and daughter pair had set up any security measures, such as bombs, in this place.

The basement wasn't large. It had probably been a utility room for the factory.

Luke turned on his flashlight and searched for a moment, before taking out a bag from a drawer.

Inside the bag were rolls of cash, but not in large denominations. Most of them were twenty-dollar bills.

Altogether, there was about eight thousand dollars.

Luke wasn't bothered that it wasn't much. It wasn't like he had to make an extra effort to obtain the money anyway.

It would hardly have been possible for him to bring the money back with him from New York, so an exchange with the father and daughter worked out better.

He searched the room and discovered two pistols, a P226 and a HKP7.

There was also a HK416 rifle, and a G3/SG1, which was between a rifle and a sniper rifle.

He didn't find a lot of bullets. On average, there were only two magazines for each gun.

Luke wasn't very surprised.

This place must only be for emergency supplies; the father and daughter wouldn't have stored a lot of cash or guns here.

After seeing this place, Luke had some thoughts of his own.

Maybe, he could set up his own secret base in a similar place?

There were a lot of abandoned factories on the outskirts of big cities that had no signs of life at all.

But after thinking for a moment, Luke gave up on the idea for the time being.

He would need to do a lot more research in order to set up a secret base like this. For now, his garage would suffice as a temporary workshop.

His villa was enough for him, as long as he wasn't working on dangerous or illegal equipment.

Of course, it was only for now.

He couldn't do anything covert at his villa, or someone else might come stumbling in and see it.

Luke didn't touch the guns and simply took the money. He wandered around Los Angeles and bought a lot of tools and items with the cash, before he had them delivered to his place.

He wasn't very rich yet, but he could create more equipment for himself now. Otherwise, the four elementary abilities from Tony Stark which had cost him a thousand credit points each would go to waste.

What Luke needed most right now was the ability to move quickly.

It wasn't a problem on the ground with a car, but it would be quite difficult for Luke when he had to move between city buildings.

Batman, for example, was able to move swiftly through the city with his cape, his gadgets, his enormous strength, and his quick reactions.

Luke felt that Tony Stark was definitely a greater craftsman than Alfred.

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Chapter 161 Confidential Case and Big Star

Well, as someone who didn't read comics, Luke was under the impression that it was Alfred who made Batman's equipment.

Luke was quite confident in his capability.

After all, he could now jump from the third floor of a building without getting hurt.

All he needed to do was streamline certain movements so that his body could take the impact.

He continued working late into the night. Selina checked on him at midnight, but got bored and left. She wasn't interested in crafting.

Luke took a shower and went to bed at two in the morning.

On January 4, when most people were still enjoying their break, Luke returned to work with Elsa.

Elsa greeted Dustin and gave him some gifts she got in Miami, which weren't very expensive but quite thoughtful.

Then, Elsa and Luke left the police department.

Luke asked, "What's the case this time?"

Driving the car, Elsa said, "This case has to be kept confidential."

Luke asked, "How confidential?"

Elsa said, "Don't say anything unless the boss asks you."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "Got it." It was possible that Elsa wanted to keep the case under wraps for personal reasons.

Elsa finally said, "The victim in the case is Sheerah. She's sort of a friend of mine, and is a singer who became popular in the last few years."

Luke asked, "Oh, do I know her songs?"

Elsa was lost for words. "Forget it. All you need to know is her name. Are young people nowadays not interested in celebrities anymore?"

Luke chuckled. He had always been more interested in songs, movies and TV series themselves than in celebrities.

Elsa continued, "She's in some kind of trouble, and hearing strange noises at night. She thinks that she might be haunted by a ghost."

Luke was at a loss. Shouldn't she have looked for a psychic?

Elsa shook her head. "She's at an important stage of her career. If a gossipy psychic tells other people that she's insane, it won't look good for her."

Luke said, "But we're the Major Crimes Division, right? Her situation isn't really a case we would work on."

Elsa nodded her head. "That's right, so I've only been looking into it as a personal friend. However, the day before yesterday, she told me that she lost something."

Luke asked, "What is it?" It had to be something valuable in order for the Major Crimes Division to get involved.

Elsa said, "It's her diamond pendant, which she bought for 1.3 million at an auction."

Luke nodded. That was certainly valuable enough.

The Major Crimes Division was officially known as the Robbery and Homicide Division.

Since Sheerah had lost something so expensive, she could demand an investigation because it might've been a burglary.

Elsa said, "Also, she said that she felt something the night she lost the pendant; she couldn't move at all, or wake up. It wasn't until the next morning that she finally realized that her diamond pendant in the safe was gone."

Luke asked, "Why didn't she call the police?"

Elsa said, "For the same reason – how would she explain it? Those police officers certainly wouldn't keep it a secret for her."

Luke nodded his head.

The case was troubling for Sheerah, but good for him and Elsa.

Working on cases like this was a way to make friends with the upper class.

When something happened to the rich, they would usually ask detectives they trusted to quietly investigate first before deciding to call the police.

For example, a certain magnate called the police when he lost something, only to discover that it was someone in his family who had stolen it. It had been quite embarrassing for him.

So, a personal connection with a detective was useful.

Takagi was friendly toward Luke for perhaps the same reason.

Very soon, Luke and Elsa arrived at a small stadium.

Luke was a little stunned. "Why are we here?"

Elsa got out. "Because she has a fan meeting here today. That's what stars do. No matter how much they suffer, they can't stop appearing in public, or they might lose their popularity."

Luke shrugged but didn't say anything.

Elsa was obviously very familiar with Sheerah. Security took one look at her face and let her through the back door.

The security guard who led them in had them wait for a while, since the fan meeting was coming to a close.

Luke looked around backstage curiously.

It wasn't nearly as interesting as what happened on stage.

Items were scattered haphazardly over the floor, including clothes, makeup, accessories, and various odds and ends which served some unknown purpose.

Elsa coughed and said, "Stop ogling."

Luke could only shift his gaze, because he happened to be staring at some lingerie.

The star couldn't have only just taken them off, right?

A moment later, there were cheers from the front, and Elsa stood up. "She should be saying goodbye."

Elsa and Luke went to the stage corridor, only to see a blond retreating with a bunch of security guards.

Luke, however, felt that something wasn't right.

Was the situation getting out of control?

There was no telling what started it, but some fans were climbing over the guard rails to get to the star.

People tended to go with the flow. If too many fans mobbed her, she might be in trouble.

Luke frowned. "Something's wrong. Do we need to help her?"

Elsa noticed that the audience was about to burst onto the stage like a flood.

She quickly said, "Let's help her. Don't be too rough."

As she spoke, she quickly rushed toward the star.

The security guards were obviously very familiar with Elsa. Though surprised, they didn't shove her away.

Elsa pointed at Luke and shouted, "My colleague and I will help you. Hurry up and get out of here!"

The security guards could only nod. There was no time to speak.

The audience was reaching out like zombies to grab at them.

Instead of going up to Sheerah, Luke simply walked out in front of the security guards and started pushing aside the fans who were in his way.

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Chapter 162 Help From an Awesome Uncle, and Field Investigation

Luke's strength was now 32, which was six times higher than that of a regular person. It couldn't be any easier for him to push people aside.

This significantly reduced the pressure on the security guards.

Luke didn't use many tricks. He simply stuffed the people who surged forward into the gaps in the crowd, like stuffing stones into the cracks of a dam.

It certainly couldn't stop the dam from collapsing, but it could delay the flood.

Luke moved fast. The fans that he pushed back were squeezed on all sides by the crowd and couldn't move anymore, which in turn limited the actions of the people around them.

The security team was able to speed up. They rushed into the exit passageway ten seconds later.

The light was dim. There was a middle-aged, unprepossessing-looking white man next to Luke.

But Luke knew that the man wasn't simple.

Just now, he had very neatly punched and thrown off audience members who got too close. He was definitely a professional.

Luke abruptly warned him, "On your right."

The white man reacted quickly. He dodged a stranger coming at him without any hesitation, and twisted the guy's wrist. A knife hit the floor with a loud clatter.

The white man pressed down on the stranger's wrist ruthlessly, and the latter gave a miserable cry. His wrist had to be dislocated, if not broken.

The white man didn't hesitate. "Let's get out of here."

Warily, everybody ran through the dark passageway and into the carpark. Then, Sheerah got into a car, and the white man drove her away.

Luke turned around and looked at Elsa. "Are we still going to meet her today?".

Elsa thought for a moment and nodded. "Her schedule's tight. She only has one hour for us today. After this, we might only have half an hour."

Luke nodded and didn't say anything. He got into Elsa's car and followed Sheerah.

Elsa suddenly asked, "Why didn't you take down that assailant yourself? You could have caught Sheerah's attention."

Luke was puzzled. "That man could deal with it himself. Why would I steal his job? I was only there to help, right?"

Elsa glanced at him. "No wonder you don't have a girlfriend."

Luke coughed and said, "No, but I have a female friend who can help take care of my problem."

Elsa choked. How could she mock Luke when she didn't have anyone to hook up with at all?

Elsa could only drive in silence, and didn't feel like talking to her ruthless partner.

Half an hour later, they reached a small villa in Beverly Hills.

Luke whistled. "This star seems much richer than Katie. Her villa is worth at least five million dollars!"

Elsa was still brooding silently.

The security guard at the door let Elsa through the moment he saw her face.

Luke immediately knew that Elsa was closer to this Sheerah than he had thought.

Before they entered, Luke stopped Elsa with a weird expression. "Wait a moment."

With his Sharp Nose, he detected that the two people in the room seemed too close to each other.

Five minutes later, the door opened, and the white man came out looking at a loss, a card in his hand.

The man's clothes were still neat and tidy. So, he wasn't as unprofessional as Luke had been imagining

Luke greeted him with great interest. "Hi, may I know your name?"

The man finally came back to himself. He recognized Luke as the person who had helped him out, and as someone whom Elsa knew.

With a courteous smile, he said, "Nice to meet you. I'm Bryan Mills."

Luke extended his hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Luke Coulson. You're very good."

Bryan smiled calmly and said, "I'm too old. I should retire."

Luke said, "No, you can fight for another ten years in your current condition."

Bryan smiled bitterly. "Let's hope so." He then said goodbye to Luke and Elsa.

Luke followed Elsa into the room.

The interior decor here was much classier than Ms. Katie's.

Sheerah had been in the spotlight for almost ten years. She was a good singer whose songs appeared on the Billboard Charts now and then.

Although she had never claimed top place, she was definitely a first-rate singer.

Elsa introduced Luke to her and promised that he was absolutely trustworthy. The star simply nodded at him indifferently.

Sheerah had been quite unlucky recently.

She lost an accessory worth over a million dollars after experiencing a weird situation at home, and she was almost ambushed by an armed hoodlum at the fan meeting.

She looked rather pitiful in her bathrobe.

Elsa comforted her for a moment, then got down to business. "Sheerah, since we're here, let's try fixing some of your problems. Can you show us your room?".Read more chapter on NovelFull

Sheerah knew Elsa very well. It was true that what upset her the most was the weird thing that was going on at home.

She managed to pull herself together and got up. "Follow me."

Her breasts were accidentally exposed when she stood up from the couch.

Luke noticed and secretly nodded. The woman truly had what it took to become a big star…

It was inappropriate for Luke to say anything since it would be very awkward.

Following Sheerah to the third floor, Elsa asked, "Are you sure that nobody has entered this room since you called me the other day?"

Sheerah nodded. "Yes. You told me that the scene has to be preserved for your investigation, so the room hasn't been cleaned since."

Luke was amazed by how meticulous Elsa was.

If she hadn't been on vacation in Miami, she might've already found more clues.

Sheerah hesitated for a moment in front of a room. She looked at Luke and then at Elsa.

Understanding her concern, Elsa nodded her head slightly. "He's good. Also, he's a great detective."

Sheerah looked at Elsa in surprise. She knew that her old friend barely complimented others, much less someone who looked like a high school student.

With no further hesitation, Sheerah placed her finger on a panel on the door, and it opened one second later.

Luke asked, "It's a fingerprint lock?"

Sheerah nodded. "Yes, but it can be opened by voice, too."

Luke asked again, "Who else can open this door besides you?"

Sheerah replied, "Only Meryl, the caretaker. But there are logs of when the door is opened, and there aren't any unusual records from when that strange thing happened."

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