Super Detective In The Fictional World Chapter 9: 273, a 13 tzameti fanfic

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Chapter 273 Call Your Family When You're In Trouble

Luke listened to the call, only to be stunned. He simply said, "Got it."

Jennifer appeared calm, but her eyes were fixed on the detective. She asked, "What happened?"

Luke leaned back in his chair and looked up at the blue sky. "Miss Manny Scott just passed away in the hospital."

Various emotions flashed across Jennifer's face, before she eventually sighed and covered her face with a hat as she leaned back in her chair.

Luke secretly shook his head, but didn't interrupt her silent crying.

He rose and went off to make a call. "Hey, are the results for the murder weapons out yet? Are you at least done with that extendable baton?"

A moment later, he hung up helplessly and sighed. "It seems that he isn't a complete idiot after all."

The examination of the extendable baton had revealed two things.

Firstly, it was indeed the weapon that had been used to smash Manny in the head, since it had her blood and hair on it.

Second, there was only one person's fingerprints on it, and they belonged to Thomson.

As for the rubber product for ladies, it had Millis's blood on it. So, someone must've struck Millis in the head with it last night.

However, there weren't any fingerprints on this rubber product.

One of the murder weapons had been found at the back door of the living room, and the other in a corner of the communal bathroom for the security guards.

Therefore, it was impossible to convict anyone using the murder weapons.

After a brief hesitation, Luke finally made a call. "Greyson, it's me, Luke. Are you free to talk?"

Old Greyson replied casually, "No, but I can give you five minutes."

Luke was amused. "I'm working a case. I've found the murder weapon, but it belongs to someone else, and the criminal's fingerprints aren't on it. Do you have any suggestions?"

Old Greyson: "What kind of weapon?"

Luke: "An extendable baton."

Old Greyson: "Where did it hit? The head?"

Luke: "Yes."

Old Greyson: "Check whether the victim's blood can be found on the suspect's clothes."

Luke: "The suspect pretended to be rescuing the victim along with everybody else, so he has a lot of blood on his clothes."

Old Greyson: "Is that so? Have your forensic scientists send me the photos of the blood on his clothes. I'll take a look at it."

Luke: "Huh? Am I allowed to do that?"

Old Greyson: "I'm asking for photos, not the evidence itself. I'll tell you if I find anything. Okay, I'm very busy. Send the photos to me by the end of the day."

Luke: "…Okay."

A moment later, he contacted the forensics department and asked them to send the photos.

The forensics department didn't argue. After all, it was the top expert in the country who was asking for the photos.

As insiders of the trade, they knew even better than Luke what a marvelous man Gilbert Greyson was.

In less than an hour, Old Greyson called back. "Something's wrong with the blood in photos M12, M17 and M33. The pattern can only have been caused by high-speed spatter. If necessary, have your forensics department find an expert on blood pattern analysis. This will suffice as proof."

Luke asked, "What if the blood was caused when someone waved a hand? There were a number of people around."

Old Greyson: "That's unlikely, unless someone was behind the suspect and moving like they were throwing a baseball. But even then, the pattern would still be a little different. Forget it, I'll give you a number. You can tell her that I sent you, and have her do a blood pattern analysis for you. I need to warn you, however, that her fee is very high."

Old Greyson was a busy man, and hung up right after that.

After thinking for a moment, Luke didn't call the number. Instead, he forwarded Old Greyson's conclusion to the forensics department.

Very quickly, the forensics department called back. "It's true that something's wrong with the blood pattern."

Luke asked, "Will that convince the judge?"

The forensic scientist said, "Yes, unless the suspect is rich enough to hire a more professional expert to disprove our conclusion. So, is he rich?"

Luke looked at the security guards' dorm and chuckled. "Well, I don't think so."

The forensic scientist said, "That's not a problem then. Unless he's been saving all his money for years and not spending on anything, he can't afford an expert like that."

Luke hung up the phone and thought for a moment. One case had been taken care of, but what about the other one?

He made another call. "Elsa, any updates on Jennifer Perry's case?"

Elsa replied, "The chief has asked once. He hasn't started pressing yet, but I believe we'll be under a lot of pressure in a day or two."

Luke said, "I've found a suspect, and I'm pretty sure he's guilty, but we only have a blood pattern analysis, which isn't enough to prove that he's the murderer. Can you handle him?"

Elsa said, "Give me his file. I'll deal with him. Huh, wait, why aren't you coming back?" Luke said, "Because there are two cases and two murderers, and I've only found one of them."

Elsa: "…Fine. I'll try to find more leads for you on my end."

Luke: "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. It'll be good enough if you can take care of the suspect. I'll work harder on my end

too."

Luke hung up and then called Elizabeth. "Elizabeth, help me look into someone; check his criminal record, relationship history, and personal assets. Send the info to Jennifer's house when you're done."

A moment later, Elizabeth drove over with the files.

She asked Luke curiously, "Have you made any progress?"

Luke nodded and said, "Well, with any luck, both cases here will be closed today."

Elizabeth's eyes glowed. "So fast?"

Luke said, "Both our boss and you helped a lot. It would've taken me days if I had to investigate the cases on my own.'

Elizabeth certainly didn't take that seriously. "You're flattering me. All I did was gather the info for you." While reading the files, Luke asked, "Did you find anything?" Elizabeth said, "Two things. Firstly, Thomson is going through a divorce with his wife. Secondly, his mother has been receiving regular bank transfers. Guess who's been giving her money?"

Luke said, "I bet it isn't Thomson's wife."

Elizabeth was amused. "If she were that generous, she wouldn't be demanding so much alimony from Thomson."

Luke chuckled. "Haha, I can see that. Thanks, Elizabeth, that's very helpful." He then walked into the house.

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Chapter 274 Taking Morgan Down

Elizabeth hurried to follow him. "Can I come with you?"

Luke said without looking back, "This is your case in the first place. Were you planning on hiding in the back?" Hearing that, Elizabeth happily followed him into the mansion.

In fact, although it was her case, Elsa had asked Luke to investigate it.

Elsa had previously hinted to Elizabeth that as long as she worked hard when she was with Luke, he wouldn't wrong her. Elizabeth had been slightly confused by that back then.

At first, she thought that Luke would give her guidance in return for the dirty work that she would have to do for him. However, after a few cases, she realized that she had been overthinking things.

After closing her cases with a lot of help from Luke, she gave him the reports, but Luke simply took out mention of his involvement from them.

That way, Elizabeth and her partner took full credit for those cases.

She had been quite uneasy when she handed in her first report to Elsa, but Elsa had simply said, "Keep it up, and listen to Luke."

Elizabeth immediately got it. Luke wasn't interested in taking credit for solving a case, and was simply focused on cracking them. Of course, Elizabeth knew why he was so self-assured; it was because he was the most efficient detective in the Major Crimes Division.

Luke didn't really need the credit, while Elizabeth and her partner would certainly remember the favor.

Luke was too lazy to claim credit for Elizabeth's cases.

Besides, the system gave him experience and credit points when Elizabeth's cases were solved, which was good enough for him.

In recent days, Elizabeth had been energetically carrying out tasks for Luke.

For example, she could've spent five hours looking into the man, and nobody would fault her for it. However, she finished the task in an hour.

After Luke and Elizabeth came in, Elizabeth obediently greeted Selina.

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Luke nodded, but then shook his head. "We checked her room, but we didn't find anything."

Elizabeth frowned. "Is it possible that we missed something?"

Luke said, "It's possible. Do you have any other thoughts?"

By then, they had reached the hallway which separated the maids' rooms.

Looking to the left and right, Elizabeth was suddenly struck by an idea. "Could it have happened in Manny's room?"

Luke smiled. "Yes, that's a possibility. Let's go in and take a look."

They pushed open the door and entered, and looked around Manny's room.

After her conversation with Luke, Elizabeth immediately found it odd. "Wait, why do I feel that…"

Luke finished the thought: "This place has been reorganized."

This room wasn't exactly tidy, but the items in the room were all in place, as if they had just been put back.

Luke and Elizabeth observed the room.

Manny was a woman, and didn't have OCD. There were a lot of things in her room.

The room wasn't exactly dirty or messy, but there was perfume, makeup, and accessories everywhere in the room.

Elizabeth was amazed. "Do maids really make so much money? She can afford Dior perfume? Let me see. This one is from last year, designed for youthful women. Well, these two are from this year, one for mature women, and the other for… girls?"

Slowly surveying the room, Luke asked, "She's only twenty-four. She's still a girl, isn't she?"

Elizabeth was silent for a moment, before she said, "But this perfume is only designed for those around twenty. Judging from her other bottles of perfume, she doesn't look like someone who would choose the wrong perfume."

Luke said, "What if she suddenly wanted to feel young instead of mature?"

Elizabeth said, "…Well, that's indeed a possibility."

Luke asked, "Find anything else?" He thought that Manny might've indeed felt threatened by Millis.

Millis was only twenty. She was much younger than Manny

The perfume for girls was clearly more suitable for Millis, but Manny had still bought it; it was obvious what she had been thinking.

Wait! Something wasn't right!

Sensing something, Luke went over to the perfume and sniffed it.

With his Sharp Nose, Luke sensed Thomson's and Millis's scents on the perfume bottle, but not Manny's.

That was interesting. To put it simply, Manny had never touched the perfume that was on her dresser, but Millis and Thomson had.

Also, the perfume smelled familiar. Luke remembered it from Jennifer's room, but mixed as it was with the other perfumes, he hadn't paid much attention to it.

Now that an entire bottle was in front of him, Luke immediately sensed that something was wrong with this perfume.

Carefully smelling the perfume for a while, he said, "Elizabeth, take another look around the room. Are there any other items here that don't match Manny's style?"

Elizabeth looked around and saw something. "I don't think Manny would like this art piece, would she? Also, it doesn't fit here, right?"

She was referring to an elegant, abstract statue on the top of a black, square pedestal. It sat on a box to one side of the mirror.

Luke looked at it and then remembered that there was a similar statue in Jennifer's bedroom.

He didn't touch it, and merely activated his Sharp Nose.

Same as the perfume bottle, it only had Millis's and Thomson's scents on it, though the latter's scent was faint, which clearly indicated that he had only touched it briefly. In the meantime, Luke smelled something else inside the statue that was out of place.

Luke put on a pair of gloves and observed it for a moment. Then, he pressed a particular area, and part of the pedestal fell open. Elizabeth exclaimed, "Wow! A hidden camera?" She was taken aback.

The pedestal turned out to be hollow, and a tiny camera had been installed inside.

Luke took out the camera, only to find that its battery had run out.

"Elizabeth, see if you can find the charger for this camera in Millis's room," said Luke.

Elizabeth immediately went to Millis's room, and soon returned with a charger.

Luke plugged in the charger and pressed the playback function on the camera.

Then, they heard Millis's voice. "Haha. Manny, you're screwed! Haha, with these videotapes, Jennifer will do anything I tell her. All her money will be mine! Haha!"

Elizabeth was dumbfounded. Two maids were fighting over Jennifer's money?

Several seconds later, however, Millis disappeared off camera after a dull thump.

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Chapter 276 Boss, I'm Done

On the camera screen, Millis was struck in the head from behind with a red rubber product, and she collapsed to one side. Then, a man growled in a low voice, "You want to ditch Manny and take all the money? The money is mine! Mine! Go to hell, b*tch!"

As he roared, there was the sound of the rubber product hitting flesh.

Elizabeth was completely lost for words as she looked at the video.

On the screen was the twisted but clear face of a man, and it was none other than Thomson, the head of security.

Luke didn't say anything. After the man beat Millis up in a frenzy, he suddenly came back to his senses and began to clean up the mess. He was a little panicky, but still organized. He put the items that Millis had knocked over with her fall back in place, before he dragged the unconscious Millis out.

Then, the room was quiet once more.

Luke played the video at 24x the normal speed and confirmed that nobody entered the room again, until the camera stopped recording when it ran out of battery.

He raised his head and looked at Elizabeth. "It seems that this case is over now. Elizabeth, you did a great job. Keep it up."

Elizabeth: "Huh? Okay."

Elizabeth found some evidence bags and packed up the statue, the camera, and the perfume bottle. She then left the room with Luke.

In the garden, Luke spoke to Jennifer, who was still in a daze. "Miss Perry, please summon your security guards here."

Jennifer didn't ask anything and simply called for them.

The four security guards who were resting in the dorm soon arrived. None of them looked good.

They hadn't been asked many questions, but it was still rather irritating. Everybody was eyeing them as if they were all murderers.

Also, Morgan had been taken away in the afternoon, never to return.

After being co-workers for so long, they inevitably felt sorry for him.

Looking at the security guards, Luke said, "Okay. Green, Ram and Ricky, you can go now."

The three of them looked at each other before they left.

Luke looked at Thomson and said, "Thomson, let's go. We need you to help us with the investigation at the police department."

Thomson suddenly rushed toward Jennifer while he reached for his gun at the same time.

All the security guards, including Thomson, were armed.

Shaking his head, Luke stepped forward and blocked his way. He raised one hand to stop Thomson from reaching for his gun, then punched him in the stomach with his other hand.

Thomson immediately collapsed.

Luke's punch looked light, but Thomson felt as if his stomach was cramping.

Luke handcuffed Thomson unhurriedly and said, "Thomson, what should I say about you? Trying to take Miss Perry hostage in front of three police detectives? Should I commend you on your courage?"

It was over for this guy! There were cameras on Luke's car, which wasn't parked very far away, and they had recorded yet more evidence to use against Thomson.

Thomson couldn't say anything at all. There was nothing but panic and fear in his eyes.

He had no idea why he had done that either.

Maybe because Morgan had been taken away, or it was the way Luke had looked at Thomson, and how he had been kept back when his co-workers were told to go; everything seemed to be telling Thomson that his assault on Millis had been revealed.

He wasn't wrong. Luke had asked all the security guards to come over in case Thomson grew suspicious and fled.

While Luke could still catch Thomson even if the latter ran away, he certainly wouldn't give up an easier approach.

Jennifer appeared calm, but she looked at Thomson with abhorrence and disgust. Luke made a call. "Boss, I'm done on my end. I'll have Selina and Elizabeth bring Thomson in."

Elsa was at a loss. "Huh?"

Luke said, "I found evidence. Elizabeth will give you the report later. She did a good job today."

After hanging up, Luke said, "Selina, you and Elizabeth take Thomson to the police department in our car. Elizabeth, give me your car key. I'll drive it back when I'm done here."

Both girls nodded and returned to the police department with Thomson and the new evidence.

Could Thomson escape from a car that Luke had modified? Not unless he had super abilities.

Watching the car drive away from the back door, Luke picked up the videotapes on the table and said, "Let's go, Miss Perry. I need to watch all the videotapes."

Jennifer couldn't remain calm anymore. "Why? Haven't you already arrested the suspects?"

Luke said casually, "Miss Perry, forgive my bluntness, but you are at the center of both cases, and you could be a suspect too. Too many celebrities have killed to keep their secrets safe."

Jennifer was lost for words.

As they talked, they returned to Millis's room.

An hour later, Luke came out, empty-handed.

Before he got into the car, he looked back at the security guards standing at the gate and the beautiful mansion close by, before he shook his head. "Beverly Hills? Rich people? Hehe."

He met Elsa back at the police department. "Boss, you're not taking a break?"

Elsa had just come out of the interrogation room. She shook her head. "Millis is also dead, from bleeding in her brain."

Luke immediately understood.

One assault case had escalated into two murder cases, which was much more serious.

However, Elsa was feeling relaxed, since the cases had already been solved.

Evidence on both criminals had been found; there was practically no way for them to turn things around now. "Where's Elizabeth?" Luke asked.

Elsa said, "She's taking Thomson's statement in the interrogation room. She'll become used to it after she works on more cases like this."

Luke nodded his head.

It was better to give the rookie detectives this part of the job since Elsa and Luke had taken care of the critical portion. Elizabeth and her partner could freely familiarize them with the standard procedure for resolving cases. After they entered Elsa's office, Luke finally asked, "Is there anything I should pay attention to with these cases?"

He was sure that he hadn't made any mistakes during the day, but he still asked Elsa the question out of habit. After all, she was the person in charge.

Elsa shook her head. "No. Are you interested in the information we managed to get?"

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Chapter 277 Maids or Security?

Luke nodded and said, "Just the gist will be fine."

After Elsa told him the gist of the interrogation, Luke said, "Alright, boss. You shouldn't talk anymore. You spent the whole day yelling at the suspects, didn't you?"

Elsa had some water and lowered her voice. "Did I have a choice? I have to raise my voice to put pressure on them."

Luke asked again, "What about Selina?"

Elsa said, "She's watching Elizabeth and her partner in the interrogation room."

Luke rose and said, "Then I won't disturb you any longer. Boss, you should take a break; you deserve it for cracking two murder cases in one day."

Elsa nodded and watched Luke leave for the interrogation room.

In the interrogation room, Elizabeth and Billy were bombarding Thomson with questions, and Selina was observing Thomson as well as the detectives through a one-way mirror from next door.

She would notice any unusual reactions on Thomson's part as well as any flaws the rookies might have.

Once she noticed something, she would remind Elizabeth and her partner via their earphones. It was hard for a suspect to withstand the joint assault of multiple detectives in the interrogation room. Seeing Luke come in, Selina asked curiously, "What did you do back there? Did you… hehehe."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Didn't you see what her 'personal hobby' is? You're getting more and more dirty-minded nowadays."

Selina snorted. "Then what did you do, exactly?"

Luke coughed and said, "I watched all the videotapes."

Selina was lost for words. And you're saying that I'm getting more dirty-minded? Luke said, "Those videotapes have to do with the cases, after all, and if we follow procedure, they should be processed. However, do you think that's a good idea?"

Selina immediately shook her head.

Unless necessary, it was best not to take the videotapes back to the police department, in case someone copied them and sold them for money.

They had to do with Jennifer Perry's private life, and could easily sell for millions of dollars. Few officers would care about ethics or professionalism with so much money on the line.

"Since I promised Jennifer that I wouldn't take the videotapes with me, I could only watch the videotapes there in case I missed anything. Don't forget that Jennifer is the employer of the two victims as well as the two suspects. How can we be sure that she's clean?" Luke said.

Selina thought for a moment and nodded. "That does make sense. What did you find in the end?"

Luke nodded. "There are three types of recordings. Two are of Jennifer and either one of the maids, and one is of all of them together. There's nothing else."

Selina clicked her tongue and looked at him. "You must've really enjoyed it!"

Luke chuckled. "As long as you're willing to pay, you can go to San Fernando Valley and immediately make a dozen movies like that. Alright, I think this is basically over now, right? Have Elizabeth come out. I'll give her back her car key."

Selina rolled her eyes and said something into her headset.

Elizabeth soon came out to take the key. Luke gave her some encouragement. "We'll be counting on you to wrap up the cases now. Also, don't be hasty with the Wever case. I'll read the case file tomorrow, and then we'll decide what to do."

Elizabeth nodded quickly. "Got it, don't worry, Luke. Um, you too, Selina."

Selina chuckled and pretended to look affronted, before she grabbed her purse and left.

Luke smiled and waved goodbye.

Elizabeth was feeling quite upbeat.

Luke was obviously implying that she would get the credit as long as the cases were wrapped up.

What Elizabeth and her partner needed most was credit.

As soon as they had more credit, they wouldn't have to worry about making mistakes all the time.

Seasoned detectives tended to be mean to rookies, which wasn't unusual in any trade.

But the more cases they wrapped up, the less cocky the veteran detectives would act around them.

Luke and Selina left the police department and drove home.

When they got back, Selina took off her coat, kicked off her shoes, and threw her purse to one side, before she jumped on the couch. "Oh, home sweet home. That mansion was beautiful, but I didn't feel comfortable there at all."

Luke smiled and said, "I'll make dinner. Go and take a shower first."

Ignoring him, Selina turned on the TV with the remote. "Let me see, where are the TV series I lined up? Haha, they're right here."

From the videotapes and the intelligence gathered, as well as the confessions that Elsa and Selina had related to him, Luke could guess what had happened in both cases.

In short, the cause was one simple reason: money.

Millis and Manny had been receiving copious bonuses from Jennifer for their extensive and personal service.

However, Millis, who was younger and less docile, had gotten it into her head to blackmail her employer after secretly recording their exploits. By her reckoning, she would earn at least a million dollars from it.

But she had been careless and was discovered by Morgan when she set up the camera, and she had been so scared that she confessed her scheme.

Morgan, on the other hand, was no gentleman at all, and had threatened her.

Also, he was more professional and audacious.

He promised he would help her with the recordings and the blackmail, on the condition that he get half of the money.

There was no way Millis could refuse. Morgan also disdained her lack of ambition, and felt that the videotapes were worth ten million dollars at the very least.

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Chapter 278 Don't Be Blinded by Money

Millis's eyes were opened by Morgan. With his help, she was able to put her plan into action.

However, Millis might be young, but she definitely wasn't an idiot.

She did make the recordings, but she lied to Morgan and said that she couldn't make the videotapes because of Manny.

However, she secretly recorded Morgan planning the blackmail operation, which was on the videotape that had a unique number on

Millis had placed the hidden camera disguised as a piece of artwork in Manny's room to test that it was working while she was putting on her makeup.

Her declaration about teaching Manny a lesson and making Jennifer listen to her was all about the videotapes.

If she did get ten million dollars, she certainly wouldn't work as a maid anymore.

Furthermore, the perfume was something that Morgan had gotten for Millis, which had an aphrodisiac quality. The last time Millis had put on a bit of the perfume, neither Jennifer nor Manny had noticed anything out of the ordinary, and instead had been very stimulated. So, Millis planned to use more of it this time.

With the perfume and the cameras, she would be able to shoot a lot of scandalous things about Jennifer.

She had come up with an excuse, then gone to her room to fetch the perfume. Fantasizing how she would become rich off the recordings, she made the gloating statement in front of Manny's mirror while freshening up.

On the other hand, Thomson had been hitting on Manny while they worked together, and had promised that he would marry her after he divorced his wife.

While Manny was older than Millis, she wasn't as cunning, and she did plan to be together with Thomson.

Sensing that Jennifer preferred Millis, who was younger, Manny had planned to resign as well.

However, she was reluctant to say goodbye to her paycheck and her "special" bonuses.

Thomson occasionally asked Manny for money, and had her transfer it to his mother's account, with the excuse that he didn't want his wife to have access to it.

Last night, Thomson went looking for Manny on the spur of the moment.

He didn't find Manny in her room, and instead found Millis talking about monopolizing Jennifer's love and money.

Manny had been waiting for Thomson's divorce to go through. She had transferred a lot of money to his mother's account, but still hadn't got any updates on the divorce.

She grew suspicious of Thomson's motive, and was reluctant to give Thomson's mother more money.

However, Manny gave him the excuse that Jennifer liked Millis more, so she didn't get as much of a "caretaker fee" anymore.

Manny claimed that Jennifer was mentally weak and couldn't fall asleep unless someone was next to her at night, and whoever spent the night with her would receive a "caretaker fee."

Thomson didn't doubt that. He could tell that Jennifer liked Millis better after the latter was hired.

Divorce proceedings weren't going well for Thomson. It was likely that he would lose all of his money and have to pay years of alimony.

Manny had no money either, and judging from Millis's statement, it seemed that she was about to oust Manny.

For Thomson, that was like breaking his moneymaker.

Thomson, who had been feeling anxious all this time, exploded with rage, and smashed Millis over the head with a random thing that he grabbed behind her. After he came back to himself, he cleaned up the mess, but mistook Millis's perfume for Manny's and left it in Manny's room. After the assault, Thomson couldn't leave the mansion to dispose of the weapon, so he could only hide it in the communal bathroom.

That way, nobody could trace it back to him even if the weapon was found. After learning of Millis's injury in the morning, Morgan, who had been conspiring with her, knew very well that Millis shouldn't have been in the living room at all because she had videos to take that night.

Jennifer, Manny and Millis couldn't have been the only ones in the house last night.

Recalling how Millis told him that Manny was in her way, and thinking that he had lost ten million dollars, Morgan was so enraged that he stole Thomson's baton and attacked Manny from behind.

He didn't know that, just like him, Thomson could sneak into the mansion through a window.

The only difference was that Thomson snuck through Manny's window, while Morgan snuck through Millis's. Little did he expect that Luke would show up that morning. As a result, his simple yet effective plan to set Thomson up failed.

Selina, who had finished dinner and was resting as she digested the food, remarked, "Those men and women certainly worked really hard for the money, didn't they?"

Luke agreed with her. "So, never be blinded by money."

Selina rolled her eyes. "I'm very poor. You can stop worrying about that, because nobody has ever bedazzled me with money."

Luke was amused.

While Jennifer and Manny were innocent, everyone else involved deserved what happened to them.

Jennifer Perry had paid for those special services, but nearly lost everything for it.

Neither Millis nor the security guards had been satisfied with their salaries, and they all wanted to earn more from the owner of the mansion.

Actually, everybody involved in the crime, including Jennifer herself, were slaves to money and desire, and couldn't resist temptation.

Luke subconsciously looked at Selina, who was rolling over the couch like a caterpillar, and was amused. At the very least, he knew someone who preferred food over money.

Selina didn't take a shower before dinner. Hence, while she was resting after dinner, Luke said, "Since you haven't showered yet, and we didn't work out during the day, we'll go to the gym now."

Selina was lost for words.

In the end, Selina took a shower and went to bed before twelve without needing Luke's help.

She had exercised her brain more than her body today, which was practically a holiday for her compared with the training she had suffered in the last few days.

After his shower, Luke confirmed that Selina had indeed gone to bed. He then returned to his workshop and continued working.

It was a blessing to be ignorant sometimes.

Selina, for example, could sleep soundly at night, while Luke had to bustle about every day.

What was ironic was that he had earned the ability to overwork by overworking. It was quite hilarious.

However, he wasn't sure if Bullseye had already left, so Luke couldn't go out just yet to clean up the streets, and could only stay home at night to make equipment for himself.

He actually quite enjoyed the work.

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Chapter 279 The Cases in Wever

Ever since the system's appearance, Luke had gotten more and more fond of guns.

Guns were weapons that he could openly use for the long term. With Tony Stark's abilities, it wasn't hard for him to make his own special weapons.

Gun modification was like an instinct that was in the playboy's blood.

Beginning with Howard Stark, who was Tony Stark's father and also a playboy, they invented a lot of weapons, including the iron suits ultimately developed by Tony Stark.

Although Tony Stark shut down the weapons division of his corporation, he never abandoned his pursuit of more powerful arms.

Though Luke wasn't as good as Tony Stark, it wasn't hard for him to make guns with Tony's abilities.

After he made two special pistols for himself, Luke fiddled around with other firearms.

While he could use a pistol as a police detective, it was impossible to take a rifle out with him when he was on duty every day.

So, the other guns he designed were for his vigilante pursuits. He had to make them himself so that there were no records of them anywhere.

Like his pistols, these guns were built for different purposes and not just for killing.

Seeing more and more guns in his inventory, Luke was actually quite excited despite his grumbles of overworking himself.

He hadn't liked them before because he hadn't been good with them. It was like people who weren't smart and didn't like school.

Now that he had enough abilities, he enjoyed making his own toys and defeating his opponents with them.

He was busy the whole night. He went to bed later than Selina and got up before she did.

After making a simple breakfast, he woke Selina up.

After breakfast, Luke nodded at the box on the table. "Work harder today, alright? Your dessert for the day is inside."

Selina quickly finished her sandwich and opened the box. "This is… green tea cake?"

Luke nodded and said, "It's the first time I've made it. If you like it, I can make other green tea desserts, but if you don't, I'll work on something else next time."

Selina had a piece of the cake and remarked, "Huh, the taste isn't bad. I guess we can have it every couple of days."

Luke: "It seems you're not sold on it. Perhaps I'll make something else for you."

Selina: "…Darling, you're so considerate."

Luke: "It's nothing. You can have as much as you want as long as you don't slack off in your training."

Selina immediately turned gloomy. "Can we talk about something less depressing on this beautiful morning?"

Luke: "Okay. I'll talk about it once we get off work then."

Selina: …

Selina split the green tea cake and packed them into multiple paper bags.

Since Luke said he would make her more food, she decided to use the cake to bond with her less agreeable colleagues.

Selina was quite comfortable doing so.

As a gorgeous and friendly woman, it wasn't strange for her to give other people gifts.

Luke, on the other hand, might appear polite, but he always seemed distant to his colleagues.

So, Selina had to bond with their colleagues in his place.

After they arrived, Selina began to distribute the cake.

They hadn't come too early. By the time they arrived, eighty percent of the detectives were already there.

Each paper bag contained four slices of cake for each team of detectives.

Luke didn't leave, and simply smiled and nodded back at the colleagues who thanked him.

After Selina was done distributing the paper bags, they went to Elsa's office.

Elsa teased Luke. "You didn't prepare anything

for me?"

Luke chuckled and shut the door, and Selina gave her two bags. "Boss, here are some sweets for you and Dustin."

Elsa quickly hid the food and said, "You did a good job yesterday. Even Director Brad praised

you."

Luke and Selina weren't that excited.

This wasn't Houston, and they weren't shut out here.

While it might be too much to say that they had a lot of friends in the police department, they didn't really have any enemies.

Elsa, Dustin, the director and the deputy director wouldn't give them any trouble, and would even offer help when necessary.

Luke and Selina's life here was much better than in Houston.

Elsa only mentioned Brad because she didn't want them to feel that they were being ignored, even if they were still young and weren't in a hurry to be promoted.

"Are you going to investigate the two cases in Wever today?" asked Elsa.

Other detectives might take a break after resolving a major case, but she knew that these two wouldn't.

Luke nodded and said, "I'm going to read up on them first. These cases might be tricky."

Elsa nodded. "Alright. If you haven't found any leads in three days, the cases will be transferred to the FBI."

Selina found that odd. "Huh? Were these crimes committed by a serial killer?"

Usually, the FBI wouldn't intervene unless a case was important or involved multiple murders and locations.

These two cases were hardly major ones, so it could only be a serial killer.

Elsa shook her head. "It's not clear, but Dustin already told us to pay extra attention in case we run into any trouble."

Luke frowned. "Trouble?"

Elsa didn't keep it a secret from Luke. "The FBI has already decided that they'll take over in three days."

Luke nodded. "What's the boss's opinion?" He was actually fine with it.

Elsa shook her head. "The boss has no objections. If the FBI wants to take over, just let them."

Luke immediately got it. There wasn't anything to be gained from the cases in Wever, so the police department would be happy to give them away to the FBI as a gesture of goodwill. "We'll go take a look first." Luke didn't give an answer right away. Elsa nodded.

Luke and Selina then left Elsa's office and returned to their desks. At an adjacent desk, Elizabeth raised her head and gave Selina an inquiring look.

Selina said, "Fine, Elizabeth, you can come over. There's no need to stare at me like that."

Elizabeth rose with a smile and said, "Thank you for the cake, Selina."

Selina could only chuckle. Elsa and Dustin were the only people in the police department who knew where the cake came from, while the rest of the officers thought that it was Selina who made it.

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Chapter 280 Haunted House in Wever

Luke said, "Tell me the problems with this case." He then picked up Elizabeth's case file and browsed through it.

Billy, Elizabeth's partner, was standing nearby. He was a quiet man, but Luke was very satisfied with him as he was calm and patient. Elizabeth had worked hard. Although she had helped with the Jennifer Perry case yesterday, she had still managed to gather a lot of new information for this case as well.

Elizabeth said, "The biggest problem is that the female body has been identified to be Vivian Violent, who was buried a year ago."

Luke nodded. "Okay. What about the missing little girl?"

Elizabeth said, "We'll have to start with the Remus family who recently moved to Wever…"

After listening to her explanation, Luke and Selina had a rough overview of the case.

The Remus family, which was made up of a couple and their son Gary, bought a house in Wever.

The night they moved in, however, they ran out of the house, crying for help.

When the police arrived, the family claimed that there were ghosts in the house that wanted to kill them.

The police officers searched the house but didn't find anything. The Remus family was freaked out. They decided to leave the place. They asked the police officers to take out some of their belongings for them, so that they could leave.

However, when they questioned the family, the police officers noticed that all of them mentioned two people.

One of them was Harry Violet, a father who used to live here until he killed himself after his daughter went missing, and the other was Tessa Violet, the missing daughter.

They were the ghosts that the new family encountered.

As to why the new family knew the identities of the ghosts, the photos of the father and daughter had still been in the house when the new family moved in.

The police officers would've laughed and let them leave if the new family had only seen Harry, but since the girl Tessa was a registered missing person, the family was asked to stay at a motel for the time being until Luke could ask them more questions.

Luke thought for a moment and said, "Let's go and question the Remus family first, then check Vivian Violet's body."

The four of them left and soon reached a motel.

They found the Remus family at the motel. The family seemed tired and scared.

Despite the warm L.A. sunshine, they shivered now and then as if they were cold.

Luke showed them his badge and talked to the family.

Half an hour later, Luke and his group left for the morgue.

On their way to the morgue, Elizabeth asked, "Luke, did you notice anything?"

Luke replied, "Although many people are good liars, I don't think this family is lying. Many critical parts of their statements are identical, like their descriptions of the father and daughter's appearances. Also, they used different phrasing in their descriptions, so I don't think they memorized anything beforehand."

Selina asked, "You don't really think that the house is haunted, do you?"

Luke didn't say anything, but murmured inwardly, I can't say anything for sure yet.

When they checked the body at the morgue and listened to the coroner, even Selina fell silent.

Vivian had been dead for a year, but the body was as fresh as if she had passed away just two days ago Her fingerprints, her DNA and her dental records all proved that she was Vivian Violet.

Elizabeth had investigated the lady's grave and found no signs of excavation, but to open her coffin required her family's permission as well as court approval. Since Vivian's family was all dead and it was hard to reach out to any other relatives, her coffin couldn't be opened yet.

Three days later, the FBI would take over, and whether the coffin could be opened or not would no longer be the police officers' business.

Luke even examined Vivian's body personally to confirm that she wasn't a fake.

Selina didn't really dare touch it.

She wasn't scared of bodies, which she had seen a lot of, but this case was still too creepy for her.

After they left, Luke simply said, "Let's take a look at their house."

Half an hour later, they arrived at No. 1120 on Westchester Road.

Looking at the house, Selina was again amazed. "Another mansion?"

Luke chuckled. "This house covers around a thousand square meters and has three floors, which include six bedrooms and four bathrooms. Our salaries are barely enough for us to pay for the upkeep, much less to rent the house."

The gate wasn't locked, and the four of them smoothly entered the front yard.

Luke said, "Elizabeth, Billy, take a look around the place."

The two naturally had no objections.

Although the case had happened inside the house, there might still be leads outside.

Luke and Selina wandered up to the front door, which wasn't locked either.

Luke shook his head. "How scared they must've been! They didn't lock any of the doors?" He stepped inside.

The moment he did, his face changed, and he retreated so quickly that he bumped hard into Selina, who had been about to enter behind him.

Rubbing her chest, Selina exclaimed, "Ouch! You did that on purpose, didn't you?" She wasn't being unreasonable. Luke's movement had been so violent that even her breasts hurt.

Luke pulled her along as he walked away. He then took out his phone. "Elizabeth, is Billy with you? The both of you come back. Don't enter any part of the house, including the basement, garage, and tool shed."

Elizabeth and her partner returned a couple of minutes later. They were both puzzled. "What's wrong, Luke?"

Luke simply told everybody to get into the car. He didn't speak until they returned to the police department. "We'll drop this case. I'll talk to the boss later."

After a brief hesitation, Elizabeth asked, "Luke, can I ask why we're dropping it?"

Pondering for a moment, Luke said in a low voice, "A psychic will be able to do more than we can on this case." Elizabeth and Billy looked at each other in bewilderment, not knowing what to say. They didn't really believe that Luke was a coward, because everybody said that Luke was the detective most capable of fighting in their department. Then… was he scared of ghosts?

Looking at them, Luke asked, "Let me put it this way. If this case is a supernatural one, how are you going to resolve it?".

Elizabeth and Billy looked at each other and shook their heads silently. They certainly didn't have an answer. They were detectives, not exorcists.

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Chapter 281 The System's Hidden Ability

Luke spread his hands and said, "So, we're not following up on this case anymore. Just give it to the FBI. We're police detectives, we work with the living."

Elizabeth and Billy nodded with bitter smiles.

They didn't want to upset Luke. After all, it wasn't a case that they had to crack.

Luke then took Selina to Elsa's office and informed her of their decision to drop the case.

Elsa wasn't too surprised.

It wasn't unusual for a police detective to refuse to work on certain weird cases.

However, it was the first time that Luke had dropped one after he started investigating it. Before he left the office, Luke casually asked, "Right, who's coming from the FBI? Do I know them?"

Elsa said, "I think it's one of their senior researchers, but I don't know exactly who." Luke said, "Okay. I'll go read the case file first."

Elsa lowered her head and waved her hand, implying that he could get out.

Since he had dropped the Wever case, Elsa naturally gave him a new one. After they returned to their desks, Selina asked in a low voice, "Are we really abandoning the

case?"

Luke nodded. "Yes. As police detectives, we should stay as far away from such cases as possible, since there's barely anything we can do except get ourselves killed."

Selina nodded her head.

Luke wasn't an ordinary detective, but even he was unwilling to investigate any longer. It was not hard to imagine how dangerous the place had to be.

But at that moment, Luke wasn't feeling frightened, but delighted. When he had set foot inside the house, the system had suddenly reacted.

System: Unknown negative energy detected trying to establish a link with the host. Do you accept?

Of course Luke didn't accept.

The system was bound to Luke's soul, and didn't react to most dangers.

It existed as a support tool all this time, and never stopped Luke from doing anything.

Luke had been figuring out the rules of the system by running his own tests.

Now that the system had voluntarily sent out an alert, it didn't seem right at all.

Luke certainly wasn't an idiot to accept the link.

Remembering the people who had died in that house and the Remus family who almost went crazy, Luke felt it was best that he stay away from tricky and weird beings.

He was only capable of Elementary Self-Healing and physical attacks for now, and couldn't deal with supernatural creatures. A reckless adventure wasn't worth it.

However, there was still a silver lining.

If the negative energy in the house was ghosts, and the system could reject a connection with them, then by extrapolation, could the system reject the invasion of those with mental super abilities?

Did that mean that the system could help him resist mental attacks?

Luke was quite happy about that. This was much more important than finding out the truth about the haunted house.

More importantly, it was an unnecessary risk, since he had another guy who had mental abilities: Bobby.

Luke wondered if the head of his company's PR department had made any progress in Mental Communication.

Later, he could have Bobby use Mental Communication on him; it would be a safe and convenient way of obtaining results.

As he was thinking, the phone on the desk rang. Selina answered it, then said, "Dustin wants you in his office."

Luke nodded. "You can read this case file first." He then got up and left.

When he arrived at Dustin's office, he was stopped before he entered.

Dustin got up and walked out, wearing his jacket. Hinting for Luke to follow him, he said in a low voice, "Jennifer is here."

Luke asked, "That big celebrity?"

Dustin nodded slightly and continued in a low voice, "She's waiting for you in the director's office." Luke was puzzled. "Huh? Is she here to file a complaint about me?"

Dustin looked at him weirdly and continued, "No, she's here to thank you." Luke: "…You're not being sarcastic, are you, boss?"

Dustin found that strange. "You resolved a huge problem for her. It was her employees who caused the problem, not you. Why would she complain about you?"

Luke: …I certainly can't tell you that I watched a dozen videotapes of her naked.

Dustin continued, "She said that she's here to thank the police department, but she won't talk until you get there." Luke immediately got it. "She wants to make a donation?"

Dustin said, "We're not sure, but it's possible, and it won't be a small amount."

Luke said, "I don't think I get to decide that for her, right?" What if the star was here only to express her gratitude verbally, and the bosses thought that it was Luke who blew it?

Dustin knew what he was thinking. "No, you won't be blamed even if she doesn't donate anything. But the more generous she is, the more credit you'll get."

Luke: …It's not a pay rise or a bonus. What good will that credit do me? Of course, he only thought that to himself. He actually didn't really care about a bonus, either; he cared more about garnering support in his department.

Take the Wever case, for example. He could drop it without an explanation, which was precisely the police department's implicit support of him.

Other detectives would've had to explain themselves if they wanted to give up a case, and if their boss got angry, they might be ordered to keep working on it.

Luke didn't have any such trouble. He was now free to choose the cases he wanted to work on, just like his uncle Old Greyson.

At the director's office, Dustin nodded and had Luke go in, and he simply said, "Director, Luke is here," at the door, before he left.

Well, Dustin had been Director Brad Pierre's trusted subordinate for a long time. That was why he was so casual.

Brad waved his hand at Luke in greeting, and Luke saluted the chief of the police department after he closed the door. "Director, Luke Coulson, reporting for duty."

Brad nodded and said, "Have a seat."

Luke sat down on the couch and glanced at Jennifer Perry, who was opposite him.

Luke was calm and even smiled at her politely, but the big star involuntarily looked away.

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Chapter 282 We're Not Professionals

Thankfully, Director Brad broke the awkward atmosphere with a long and monotonous speech.

It was basically what Dustin said to Luke earlier, but couched in very subtle and implicit terms.

After he was done, Brad said, "Luke, Miss Perry would like to express her thanks to you alone. You'll talk to her in the reception room." The reception room was right next to the director's office. They went in and Luke closed the door.

After a brief hesitation, Jennifer said, "I was saved a lot of trouble thanks to your efficiency. I'll give you a million dollars as a personal reward."

Luke shook his head in amusement. "No, Miss Perry, I didn't contribute that much to the case, so the reward is unnecessary."

He certainly didn't want to take the money.

On one hand, the money wasn't much to him, since he was living in a villa and had a million dollars in his bank account as well as another million which he looted off criminals.

On the other hand, Jennifer's offer was a blatant attempt at keeping him quiet. If he took the money, he would feel like he was blackmailing her.

Biting her lip, Jennifer said, "Please take it."

Luke knew what her intentions were. He thought for a moment, then said, "Will you be donating to my police department this time?" Stunned for a moment, Jennifer said, "Yes, I'll donate a million dollars to the police department." Naturally, it was meant to keep the police officers who were involved in her case quiet as well.

As for the two security guards who had committed murder, it didn't matter what they said.

The most important thing was to prevent the police from backing up their statements.

Luke nodded. "Make it two million then. If you're willing, I would be very happy if you could donate half the money directly to the Major Crimes Division." Jennifer was surprised. "The Major Crimes Division?"

He was giving away a million dollars to the police department? For what? A bunch of medals?

Luke nodded and said solemnly, "Yes. I work hard because I'm paid by the police department, not by the victims. Okay, Miss Perry, I didn't take your videotapes with me yesterday. I think my attitude should be clear enough. There's no need to worry about it. I have better things to do."

Jennifer almost felt ashamed after hearing that. Was she really overthinking it, and he was only trying to be a good police officer?

After duping Jennifer, Luke returned to the director's office with her.

Luke said, "Director, Miss Perry and I are done with our talk."

Brad looked at them and nodded. "Okay, you can get back to work."

Luke saluted and left the office.

Selina was idly reading the case file when Luke returned. Her eyes glowed as she asked, "What did they give you this time?"

Luke chuckled. "Why don't you think that Dustin summoned me to scold me?"

Selina said, "Of course he won't scold someone like you who works hard and doesn't want a promotion."

Luke agreed with that. He gestured for Selina to lean in close, and he told her about Jennifer.

Selina was speechless.

Luke said, "Just keep it to yourself. Don't tell anyone, not even Elsa or Dustin. Do you understand?"

Selina was dazed. "Huh?"

Luke said, "It's all about acting, Detective Selina. You can't get a promotion or a pay rise without acting skills."

Selina said, 'Okay, got it."

Soon, the phone on Luke's desk rang again. He picked it up and talked for a moment, only to look confused.

Selina: "Acting! It's all about acting, Detective Luke!"

Luke: "… Hold that thought, it's possible that I might have to act later."

Selina was surprised. "What?"

Luke said, "The director just told me that the star wants to ask for a favor."

Selina said, "Did she suddenly change her sexual orientation?"

Luke chuckled and went to the director's office again.

Ten minutes later, he returned.

Selina looked at him curiously.

While Selina wasn't a fan of any star in particular, Luke knew that she paid attention to everything about the stars, particularly embarrassing gossip on them.

"Alright, get ready. Give your case to Elizabeth for now. We have a new mission," Luke said with a smile.

Selina quickly rose and handed the case to Elizabeth. She then came back and put on her coat.

Luke helped her pick up her purse, and they both walked out.

Selina asked, "What's our new mission? Where are the files?"

Passing Selina's purse to her, Luke said, "Let's talk in the car."

They went to the parking lot and got into the car. Luke then drove the car over to a Benz Sprinter, before he rolled down the window and gave a honk.

The Benz Sprinter slowly started up and moved forward, and Luke followed it.

Selina looked at the car and asked curiously, "Is that Jennifer's car?" Luke said, "Of course. No regular person can afford such a luxurious car."

Selina said, "How much does it cost? A hundred thousand dollars?" Luke said, "I don't know, but the car has been modified; chances are the modifications cost more than the car itself." Selina nodded. "Is she our new mission?"

Luke said helplessly, "She's too rich for me to refuse her."

Selina found that strange. "What happened?"

"Apparently a lot of accidents have been happening in the production team that she's joining, so she's hiring us to protect her for a couple of days on set," said Luke.

Selina: "What? We're not professional bodyguards!"

Luke: "But she gave us money." Selina: "Huh? What money?"

Luke: "One million to the police department, and another million exclusively to the Major Crimes Division."

Selina: "…Okay. In that case, I can protect her

24-7."

Luke: "We just need to watch over her on set. You don't have to be so excited. The money isn't for you, anyway."

Selina: "But we'll definitely receive bonuses. I think we can celebrate at a big restaurant later."

Luke couldn't argue with that.

They had cracked the earlier case, and would certainly receive huge bonuses for it.

It would be too outrageous if they got nothing after the police department received such a huge donation.

As they spoke, Luke drove the car all the way to Hollywood

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Chapter 283 Watching People Shoot a Horror Movie

Hollywood was in Luke and Selina's area, but they rarely dropped by.

Mostly, it was because Luke had been on too many vacations or work trips.

Selina had always dreamed of working in this place.

She was quite keen on meeting celebrities in person.

Very soon, they followed Jennifer's car to a film set.

With Jennifer's car leading the way, the guards at the gate simply gave Luke a temporary pass and let him in.

Luke parked the car, but it wasn't until five minutes later that the star finally got out of her own car.

Luke was confused when he saw Jennifer wearing a hat and a pair of big sunglasses. Nobody can see your makeup at all, and you'll have to put on makeup again before you start shooting, so what were you doing in your car for the last five minutes?

Of course, he didn't really intend to ask the silly question out loud.

He simply waited five meters away with Selina for Jennifer to enter the set.

The star, however, waved her hand at Luke, and he had to go over.

He didn't have a choice. After all, he was being paid.

"Miss Perry, how can I help you?" asked Luke.

Jennifer raised her hand. "Call me Jennifer. You too, Selina. You don't mind me calling you by your names, do you?" They shook their heads.

"Can you stay by my side later except for when I'm filming?" she asked in an extremely low voice.

Luke and Selina naturally nodded again. It was good to be in closer proximity to Jennifer since their mission was to protect her.

The trickiest mission was trying to protect a client who forbade the guards from remaining close by, in which case the guards might not arrive in time when there was an emergency.

After walking a hundred meters, they entered the set. Selina almost exclaimed in amazement at the scene.

It was a big forest set. At first sight, it was almost like a real forest.

Of course, that was only in Selina's case. Luke had already detected the smell of modern electronic equipment which didn't feel like the air of a forest at all the moment he entered.

Also, some fans and unknown equipment nearby were humming softly, so the place wasn't half as quiet as a real forest would be.

Quite a few people greeted Jennifer when she entered.

Jennifer simply nodded and barely said anything back to them.

When she reached a camera, two men raised their heads from where they were sitting and looked at her. "Jenny, you're here."

"Hey, Jenny. Do you feel any better?"

Jennifer nodded at them. "I'm fine now. It was just a little cold."

The two men suddenly noticed Luke and Selina behind her. One of them, who was slim and had a beard, found it strange. "You changed bodyguards?"

Jennifer chuckled. "They're only temporary."

The director was silent for a moment, but he said in a low voice, "Okay, if that's what you want."

Luke and Selina clearly saw the director's face. It was obvious that he too was aware of the rumor that it wasn't safe in his crew.

Done with making small talk, Jennifer sat down not far away.

Many people immediately surrounded her.

While they put makeup on Jennifer and got her into her costume, an assistant director gave her notes on the scenes to be shot next.

Naturally, the assistant director wasn't teaching Jennifer how to act. He wasn't qualified to do so.

He was simply telling her where the cameras would be and how the lights would be arranged so as not to waste Jennifer's precious time.

Jennifer merely nodded now and then without saying anything. The staff nearby had to cater to her whims, and didn't dare ask her to be more cooperative at all.

Selina clicked her tongue, amazed by the big star's demeanor.

Unlike Selina, who was curious about Jennifer, Luke focused on the set.

He didn't activate Sharp Nose fully, because the place didn't smell great.

However, there weren't many dangerous objects here. The only smell of gunpowder was from the props department.

Certain crimson bags didn't reek of blood, but of ketchup and honey.

This explained why actors in horror movies could run so fast when they were bleeding all over; clearly, their "blood" gave them too much sugar. Since Jennifer was still getting ready, the director shot other scenes first.

It wasn't because Jennifer wasn't famous enough, but because the director wanted the other actors to adjust their mindsets first, in case they lost their cool when Jennifer started shooting

Jennifer was only appearing as a guest star in the movie.

The director of this movie was also the one who picked Jennifer as the lead in the movie which made her famous.

So, Jennifer was here to return the favor and take part in the director's new movie as a guest star without being paid.

Luke knew this partly because Jennifer had told him earlier and partly because he had gotten Selina to look at the file.

It might or might not be very helpful for his temporary bodyguard gig.

In any case, without the information, he would've found it hard to understand why Jennifer would star in a low-budget horror flick.

Luke had actually watched the movie which shot Jennifer Perry to fame before. He never thought that he would personally watch her shoot a horror movie one day.

It did feel rather strange.

In a quiet forest, a woman in a thin dress stumbled along and looked back every now and then, fear written all over her face.

As she ran, her breasts almost bounced out of her dress.

Suddenly, her face changed, and she screamed loudly.

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Chapter 284 Fake Body

"Cut!" shouted Pierce, the director, and he jumped out of his chair. "Sarah, what are you doing?"

The woman in the thin dress was at a loss. "Huh?"

"What's with your face? Is it your time of the month? You're only scared, you haven't lost any limbs yet. You're acting like you've already been stabbed a hundred times, when everything has only just started. Again!" Pierce scolded her and returned to his seat.

A moment later, they did another take.

Dumbfounded, Selina said to Luke in a very soft voice, "Is this acting? I thought that the actress did quite well. I would've taken out my gun if I ran into her; it did seem like someone was chasing her."

Luke smiled. "You'll see what truly great acting is like today. Maybe you won't look so silly anymore after you watch them."

Selina was dissatisfied. "Are you any better than I am?"

Luke smiled and didn't tell her that as a transmigrator, he had been acting since he was five.

After another ten minutes, when even Luke felt that it was too much, the director finally approved the take.

To be honest, Luke really couldn't tell the difference between the first and last takes. All he knew was that those breasts were indeed huge and perky.

Jennifer was all dressed up. Seeing that Luke and Selina were interested in the filming, she said, "Pierce's demands can be very high. He often shoots the same scene a dozen times until he's satisfied. It may seem outrageous, but you have to admit that his work always has a unique vibe."

Luke nodded, not really interested.

Some strict directors could even literally traumatize the actors and actresses on set.

These actors and actresses had to see a shrink after several months of torture, and it wasn't unusual for them to take a hiatus for a year or two after they returned to acting.

Just as the crew was preparing the second scene, someone exclaimed in shock, "Ah, Frank… Frank's dead!"

Everybody looked at the screaming woman, who was Sarah Poch, the movie's lead actress.

At that moment, she was trembling and pointing at the forest set.

She had clearly been changing into her costume when she noticed the anomaly. Frightened, she pointed at the forest, and had yet to button up her dress.

But few people had the time to gawk at Miss Poch's partial nudity. Everybody exclaimed and looked at where she was pointing.

Luke quickly patted Selina on the shoulder and said, "Watch Jennifer and don't get distracted. I'll go over and take a look."

Selina immediately withdrew her gaze. She nodded and paid attention to her surroundings.

Luke stepped forward and flashed his badge. "LAPD. Stay where you are and don't come any closer."

The few individuals who had been about to come forward stopped and looked at Pierce.

Pierce frowned and glanced at Jennifer.

Jennifer nodded at him and got to her feet.

Hence, Pierce didn't say anything.

Both of them had known each other for many years and worked together on many movies, and he trusted Jennifer.

Jennifer approached him and told everyone else to leave, before she explained the matter to Pierce and Todd, his writer, in a low voice. On the other side, Luke had entered the forest set and was walking toward the body that was strung up.

The moment he entered, his face changed. Who was this guy? Was this some kind of joke?

When he approached the "body," his Sharp Nose told him that the man was still alive.

Gloomily, Luke picked up a random branch prop and whacked the man's butt.

The body suddenly moved and shouted, "Ouch! Stop! That hurts!"

Everybody on set was confused. Exactly what was going on? Even Luke almost exploded with anger, despite his usual good temper. "Get down here and tell me why you're doing this."

The "body" obediently unhooked himself from a barely discernible metal rope at his waist, which had been holding him securely to the tree.

When he dropped down, he couldn't help but lick the sweet and sour taste of the fake blood off his lips.

Luke said, "Name, age, occupation, address, and social security number. I'll be taking you back to the police department if you don't give me your details."

The "body" smiled awkwardly. "Officer, it was just a joke. You don't have to arrest me, do you?"

Luke turned to the side. "Miss Jennifer Perry, do you think this is a joke that won't affect your performance later?"

Jennifer's calm was restored. She shook her head and said, "No, it's made me uneasy, which may affect filming."

Luke turned back. "Now, do you want to be a guest in our interrogation room at the police department?"

The "body" could only give in now.

He certainly knew who Jennifer Perry was. Since she was the victim, and he had indeed disrupted filming on set, it was possible that he would be kept in custody for a day or two.

Luke then took him to a corner and interrogated him.

Ten minutes later, Luke calmly returned.

Jennifer was already filming. When Luke returned, Selina asked in a low voice, "What's that about?"

Luke shook his head. "That guy is just an extra. Somebody paid him to play a dead body, claiming that it would help build up the atmosphere of a horror movie."

Selina's eyes bulged. "And he believed that?"

Luke chuckled. "It does happen a lot. After all, many production teams have done bizarre things for a film."

He even suspected that someone had intentionally fabricated the rumor of frequent accidents in the crew.

"So you let him go?" asked Selina.

Luke said, "No, I handcuffed him to a prop over there. He'll stay there until Jennifer is done."

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Chapter 285 Poch Is Dead and the Body Still Lives

As Luke and Selina talked, Jennifer started shooting another scene.

They stopped talking and focused. It would be embarrassing if anything really happened to the big star.

Pierce approved her scenes after just two retakes, but it still took almost an hour.

In fact, the two retakes weren't entirely necessary, but Jennifer's performance was slightly different in each one. So, Pierce was free to choose any of the takes he wanted during post-editing. When Jennifer walked back, she suddenly pointed at the ceiling in fright. "What's that?"

Luke turned around, only to see a person hanging from the ceiling in a corner.

Everybody was horrified at first, but then realized that it might be another practical joke, like what Mr. Body had done earlier.

"Selina, have them bring that person down." Luke, however, frowned and pointed at the person, before he ran to where Mr. Body was handcuffed.

Ducking around the miscellaneous items on his way, Luke saw Mr. Body and came to an abrupt halt. He then drew out his pistol.

Bang! Bang! A rope was immediately shot apart, and Mr. Body, who had almost suffocated, fell down, gasping harshly.

Luke turned around and gestured at Selina, who took out her gun as well. He then freed Mr. Body and asked, "Who did this?"

Mr. Body shook his head in pain as he coughed hard.

Luke took off the noose from around the man's neck and sniffed it, only to frown; not because there weren't any scents on the noose, but because there were too many.

Most of the scents belonged to the props manager as well as his assistants, but that couldn't prove anything, as they were responsible for most of the props.

The scents of other people on the noose were vague.

That could be because they had touched the rope a long time ago, or because they had only touched it briefly. It was hard to tell the difference, particularly when the scents of a dozen people were all jumbled up. Putting the noose aside on a nearby wooden shelf, Luke observed the murder contraption that had almost turned Mr. Body into a real body.

The fatal setup was very simple. A rope with a noose on one end had been tied to a wooden plank that was part of a windmill. As soon as the windmill turned, Mr. Body, whose hands were handcuffed to a prop, wouldn't be able to resist at all when the noose tightened around his neck.

For filming convenience, it was an electric windmill, and the switch was on the ground nearby and turned on with a rope that was tied to it.

Luke hadn't noticed it earlier since the environment was quite noisy with all kinds of machines and props.

Also, Jennifer had been shooting a group scene in the forest.

Although the camera was mostly focused on Jennifer, the other extras had to work hard to scream, stumble and fall, creating all kinds of noise.

Luke wasn't God. He couldn't catch everything that was happening around him when his attention was fixed on Jennifer.

Frowning, Luke carefully examined the clues he had.

He couldn't detect any scent of a stranger, which was interesting.

Luke slowly walked around the set.

A few minutes later, he stopped and shook his head.

There were too many people here.

The production team, plus the staff which the actors and actresses had brought with them, amounted to more than fifty people.

Also, this was a movie set, and people bustled to and fro all the time. It was hard to tell who the murderer was.

He returned to Mr. Body again and asked, "Mike, can you talk now?"

Mike struggled to nod.

Luke asked, "Who attacked you?"

Mike shook his head. "I didn't see. Just now, the windmill behind me started turning, and a noose just started to strangle me." Luke frowned. "Did you hear anything unusual?"

Mike shook his head again. "No, I was strangled all of a sudden. I didn't notice anything." Luke didn't find that odd.

To teach him a lesson, Luke had handcuffed him to a low iron shelf so that he could only squat there. It would be hard for him to turn around and see what was behind him.

"Let's go, but don't say anything to anybody, got it?" Luke instructed him.

Mike nodded and wobbled after him.

Luke took the man, who had almost died for real after faking it, to Selina and whispered something to her, before he asked Jennifer, "Jennifer, are you done with filming?"

Jennifer nodded.

Luke said, "Then would you please leave first?"

Jennifer knew what he meant.

Her agreement with Luke was that he would protect her during filming.

As soon as she left the set, Luke's job as a bodyguard would be over. He would then be free to fully dedicate himself to the case.

Jennifer was well aware of the young detective's ability to crack a case.

She didn't say anything else, and simply nodded. She then said something to Pierce and Todd, before bidding them farewell.

Seeing her off, Luke turned to look at Pierce. "This is now a crime scene, so please cooperate with us by not moving around or talking to random people, and no one can leave without permission."

Pierce silently looked at the naked body that was on the ground not far away.

Luke looked at Selina, and she nodded and said, "I've contacted the police department. Forensics is on the way."

Luke was quite satisfied. Selina did a great job as support. She had certainly learned a lot while working with Donald.

Luke then bent his head and looked at the body that had been cut down from the ceiling.

He was already familiar with the person, who was none other than Sarah Poch, the movie's lead actress.

Now, her pretty eyes were closed and her naked body was covered with a blanket. Her mouth was half-open, but she wasn't breathing.

A doctor in the crew was performing CPR on Sarah, but Luke knew that Miss Sarah was already as dead as could be.

Luke didn't see her chest move, and had already detected the smell of excrement when she had still been hanging from the ceiling. Selina had examined her pulse earlier and confirmed that she was dead.

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Chapter 286 Narrow Down the Range

Luke seemed to be observing Sarah's body, but he was actually discreetly surveying everybody's reactions.

Regretfully, while their reactions weren't entirely the same, nothing suspicious really stood out.

Luke didn't find that odd.

The murderer attacked two people after Luke identified himself as a police officer. The suspect had to be a psycho, since no sane person would commit a crime when they knew police officers were present. Luke and Selina began to ask everybody questions.

Both of them were using recorders that Luke had modified, and they didn't have to write everything down themselves.

Half an hour later, Elizabeth and Billy arrived. Elsa and her new partner Simmons, a young white detective, also showed up soon after that.

Their help would be indispensable since there were too many people that had to be questioned.

This was also a major case. The lead actress of a movie had been killed right in front of police officers and hung from the ceiling. It was a provocation no matter how you looked at it.

The murderer had even attempted to kill one other person. Did they really think that the police was nothing?

Luke quickly explained what happened to his colleagues who had just arrived.

Frowning, Elsa asked, "Did anyone see you handcuff Mike?"

"No. I handcuffed him in a corner. Nobody could've seen him behind all the items in the way unless they were nearby." Luke shook his head.

He knew why Elsa had asked the question. It meant that the murderer's attack on Mike wasn't planned, but improvised.

After all, the murderer couldn't have known that Luke was a police officer, or that he would handcuff Mike in that corner.

Elsa turned gloomy. "What is his goal? To provoke the police?"

Killing a suspect that Luke had handcuffed was even crazier than killing a random guy in front of him.

Luke would've been in serious trouble if Mike had been killed.

Mike didn't deserve to die because of his prank. If the incident was reported, Luke would probably be demoted and transferred out.

If Elsa lost Luke, her team's efficiency would definitely plummet. Elsa said in a low voice, "We'll be working overtime today. Does anyone have a problem with that?"

Nobody said anything. They certainly didn't have the courage to openly object to their boss.

Elsa said, "Luke, you can take action freely. The rest of you will investigate the crew with me. Let me know if you find anything."

Everybody nodded, and the crew was divided into several groups for questioning.

Luke wasn't given a task because Elsa knew that he had a mysterious way of cracking cases.

He could often find suspicious things after roaming the crime scene for a while.

Hence, Elsa would rather not squander Luke's ability by having him interrogate the crew.

Luke walked back and forth on set, mainly around where Sarah had been hung and where Mike had almost been strangled.

But he didn't find anything.

The murderer was quite cunning.

The murder weapons he used were all props that had been touched by a lot of people, just like the noose around Mike's neck.

After examining the crime scene, Luke deduced that the murderer must've used a simple yet practical trap to hang Sarah instead of doing it himself.

When Sarah stepped into the trap, the noose dropped around her neck and tightened.

Sarah was only 1.6 meters tall, and according to Jennifer, it helped Sarah cut a more pitiful-looking figure in the movie.

Sarah wasn't a strong woman. The moment she stepped into the trap, the noose tightened around her neck and she was hung.

Luke could totally imagine how desperate she must've felt with a bunch of people right in front of his eyes, yet she couldn't cry for help at all.

Luke wasn't entirely disappointed after his inspection.

The murderer was bold and used carefully-devised traps.

It was a good thing for the murderer, because it would be hard for the police to track him down.

However, the murderer still left clues behind.

And there was an obvious one in Sarah's death.

Why was the murderer so confident that Sarah would set foot in his trap?

This wasn't a jungle, and the murderer had only set up one trap, yet somehow, he knew that Sarah would fall into it.

The trap range was very small; just twenty centimeters off and it would've missed Sarah.

Luke found that interesting.

Else didn't contact him, which meant that she hadn't found anything yet. The forensic scientists were already on the job when he returned to Sarah's body.

Luke questioned them, and their replies were within his expectations.

Sarah had indeed died by hanging, and hadn't been strung up only after she was strangled; otherwise, the body would have exhibited a different set of marks. Also, there wasn't anything unusual under her fingernails.

Clearly, the murderer hadn't given her a chance to struggle.

Perhaps, the murderer had simply and silently watched her step into the trap and get hung. Cold-blooded and scheming, the murderer felt like a serial killer.

As far as Luke could recall, though, many serial killers did like to use strangulation, but few would silently hang their victims next to a crowd.

Soon, the forensic scientists took Sarah's body away. Until further examination, it was impossible for Luke to acquire any other leads from them.

Luke circled the set again.

This time, he calmed down and carefully analyzed the smells on the nooses that had been used to hang Sarah and Mike.

Although he couldn't directly find the murderer this way, he could narrow down the range of suspects. There were traces of twenty people on the two nooses, which was roughly half of the crew of around fifty people.

Following that, there were only five targets whose scents were on both nooses.

It was only one tenth of all the people on the set, which was good enough for his investigation.

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Chapter 287 The Biggest Suspect (1)

Luke went to Elsa and whispered something to her.

After hearing him out, Elsa rearranged the tasks and had the rookies continue the interrogation, while she and Selina began to question the five biggest suspects.

Luke stood behind them and observed the suspects' reactions during the interrogation. When the last man came in, the others greeted him. "Hey, Todd."

He was none other than Todd Vince, the second in command on the crew.

He was the writer and the first assistant director on the movie.

Other than Pierce, the director of the movie, he was the most powerful man in the crew.

After a few minutes of questioning, Todd got up and left.

After a moment, Elsa turned back and looked at Luke. "Did you notice anything?"

Luke approached them and said, "Maybe, but tell me what you found first so that I don't influence your view."

Evidence was needed to convict a criminal. He could basically deduce who the murderer was, but that wasn't proof.

Selina thought for a moment, then said, "As I recall, I didn't see the props manager and his assistants during the filming."

Elsa pondered for a moment before she shook her head. "Luke said that the murderer used a trap to kill Sarah, so he didn't have to be there. He could be using you and Luke as his best alibi."

Luke nodded inwardly.

Nobody knew how Sarah had stepped into the trap, and it was impossible to identify the murderer since the trap could've been set up much earlier on.

Elsa said, "Even the people that were in your line of sight could still be suspects. They might've set up the trap before you arrived." Both Selina and Luke nodded.

Doing so ran the risk of the trap being exposed earlier on, but it also made it much harder to investigate.

Elsa looked at Luke and asked, "Now, can you tell us what you discovered?" Luke said, "Todd is the biggest suspect."

Both Elsa and Selina were stunned for a moment. Elsa then asked, "Why him?"

As the writer and an assistant director, he was always with Pierce, and a lot of people would have been paying attention to him. Luke had found an excuse. He spread his hands and said, "Precisely because he didn't have time to commit the crime." Elsa realized what Luke was getting at. "He used a trap to murder Sarah because he couldn't disappear for long?".

Luke nodded and added, "Secondly, as the writer and an assistant director, he's one of the few people in the crew who can tell Sarah where to go."

Elsa and Selina were struck with realization.

Although Sarah was only a C-list actress, only Pierce and Todd could order her around in the crew.

In this low-budget horror movie, she was the biggest star.

Of course, in that regard, Pierce held even more power.

If he told Sarah to take off her clothes and give him a lap dance, she would still do it.

But Pierce didn't have a motive, and his scent wasn't on the two nooses either.

Luke had compared the scents at the crime scenes with what was on the murder weapons to identity the murderer.

Nobody had been near the area where Sarah had died today, but Todd's scent was present from the previous day, as well as Sarah's.

Without looking at security footage, nobody else would realize it since everybody was busy filming and wouldn't be keeping track of each other's whereabouts.

If Jennifer hadn't brought Luke by today, it was possible that Todd might've tricked everyone. "If it's Todd, what's his motive?" Selina was puzzled. "He's the writer and an assistant director. What good will it do him for this movie to be haunted by negative news?"

Neither Elsa nor Luke could give her an answer, because there were too many possibilities.

In any case, Elsa simply made a decision. "I'll have Billy and Simmons continue investigating the set as a distraction. Everybody else will focus on Todd and try to find his weak point."

Luke and Selina certainly had no objections.

It was best for the three female detectives to interrogate the crew since they were less aggressive as women and would communicate more easily with them.

Both the detectives and the crew members were exhausted by yet another round of questions, but nobody complained.

Who knew whether the crew would still exist after this incident.

Many people in the crew were relying on this movie, and the police detectives were also hoping to close the case as fast as possible to minimize the negative impact.

An hour later, Elsa returned and met up with Luke again. "There's something wrong with Todd."

Luke didn't respond and simply waited for her to continue.

But Elsa just had some water and hinted for Elizabeth to pick up where she left off.

Elizabeth gave everybody a bottle of water and continued, "Based on our investigation, Todd was actually close to Sarah. In fact, it was Todd who recommended her as lead actress."

Luke continued listening.

"However, it seemed that Pierce wasn't satisfied with Sarah's performance and was thinking about replacing her," Elizabeth went on.

Luke was puzzled. "But filming has already started. Won't they lose a lot of money if they replace the lead actress now?"

Elizabeth said, "There'll be losses, but filming only started a week ago, and because Pierce has been unsatisfied with Sarah's performance, progress has been slow. If the lead actress is replaced, filming will proceed much more smoothly."

Luke nodded. If Pierce was satisfied with the performance of the new lead actress, it was possible that the crew could save on weeks or even months of filming, so replacing the actress actually wouldn't be a waste.

Elizabeth said, "Todd and Sarah were more than close. Apparently, they were quite… intimate."

Looking at Elizabeth, Selina interjected, "That isn't strange, but that's just our speculation. Nobody said anything outright." After adding that, she gestured for Elizabeth to continue.

Elizabeth smiled awkwardly. She was quite embarrassed to talk about it. As a new police detective who had just graduated from college, she wasn't ready to face the ugliness of reality yet.

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Chapter 288 The Biggest Suspect (2)

"Several people in the crew mentioned that Todd wasn't around for a bit before Sarah's body was spotted, but he was only gone for roughly five minutes," said Elizabeth. "That's about everything we know."

Luke nodded and looked at Elsa.

Elsa concluded, "So, Todd is indeed suspicious, but we don't have any direct evidence."

She looked at Luke and asked, "Did you find anything else?"

Luke shook his head. "No."

Elsa frowned and said, "Then let's call it a day and head back to the police department."

Although Todd was a suspect, it was unlikely that he would run off, given his reputation in the field.

It wasn't common for the police to crack a case in one day. The two Jennifer Perry cases were exceptions because Luke happened to be there.

Luke said, "We'll have to interrogate Mike at another time. We should at least figure out why he was almost killed."

Elsa nodded. "He's been sent to hospital. We can visit him later."

Everybody in the crew was relieved, because they could finally go home and get some rest. However, what Pierce said bummed them out. They were told that filming would be postponed until further notice.

Elsa took Luke and Selina to the hospital, while the other detectives returned to the police department to sort through the files.

They found Mike at the hospital.

The film crew was covering his medical fees. Although the accident was partly Mike's fault, Pierce would rather that Mike didn't make a fuss about it.

Seeing Luke come in and close the door, Mike grew anxious.

He was pretty scared of Luke after being taught a lesson.

Luke didn't ask him any questions, and instead left the job to Elsa.

A moment later, after some prodding by Elsa, Mike finally confessed what he knew.

The person who hired him to scare people on set was none other than Sarah Poch.

The detectives looked at each other, feeling creeped out.

Sarah told him to pretend to be a body hanging in mid-air, but very soon became a real one herself.

Well, she was even worse off than Mike, who at least had kept his clothes on, while she had hung naked.

Elsa prompted Mike to continue.

In order to convince Mike, Sarah had mentioned that this was Todd's arrangement and that Mike wouldn't get in trouble for it.

Mike dreamed of becoming an actor and knew who Todd was, so he had accepted the task without much hesitation.

The detectives looked at each other and confirmed that something was off about Todd.

However, there was no reason for him to kill Mike.

Sarah hadn't betrayed herself at all when she saw Mike's performance. Even Pierce, who hadn't been satisfied with her performance, didn't notice anything wrong.

After Sarah's death, nobody would believe that Todd was involved in this case, because Sarah could've been using Todd's name to dupe Mike.

But if Mike had died today, there would certainly have been even fewer connections between Todd and Sarah's death.

They didn't get any more useful information after that.

Mike had only ever talked to Sarah and had never seen Sarah with Todd. His words couldn't be used as evidence, and could only point them in a direction for investigation.

However, his statement did convince Elsa that Todd was a suspect.

It was a lot easier to investigate Todd alone than it was to investigate fifty people.

After that, everybody went home.

The three rookies naturally had to work overtime. Elsa simply called them and told them to continue with the investigation before she went to bed.

That was the perk of having newbies.

They had to work hard if they wanted to establish themselves in the Major Crimes Division. After dinner at home, Luke and Selina did some low-intensity training.

Selina then went to bed, and Luke continued working at night.

He wasn't really concerned about the new case.

It wouldn't be strange if they couldn't find any evidence to arrest Todd in the end.

He had worked on almost a hundred cases in the Major Crimes Division, and had only cracked thirty of them. Even then, he still had the highest clean-up rate in the division.

One had to learn to give up every now and then as a detective.

The next day, Luke and Selina went to Elsa's office and found the three exhausted rookies reporting to her.

They simply nodded at her and listened to what the rookies had to say.

After hearing their report, Elsa looked at Luke. "It seems that this case is getting tricky."

Luke nodded. "We can't convict Todd without any proof."

Actually, everybody knew that the trickiest thing was Todd's identity.

He wasn't powerful, but he knew too many people in show business.

As long as some of them talked to the media, the media might give the police department quite the headache.

Elsa thought for a moment before she said, "I'll follow up on the case with Elizabeth's team. You can go work on other cases."

That way, the three rookies would get some experience and the efficiency of the team as a whole wouldn't drop.

Luke nodded. "I'll visit Jennifer later and see if she knows anything."

Elsa simply nodded and dismissed everybody.

After Luke and Selina left, he called Jennifer.

It was Jennifer's private number, which Luke had obtained yesterday. Jennifer hesitated for a moment before she told Luke that she would call him back.

A few minutes later, she called Luke. "Pierce is at my place. Do you want to talk to him?"

Of course Luke wanted to talk to him.

Pierce had worked with Todd for more than a decade and would be a convenient source of intelligence.

When they reached Jennifer's home, Luke saw that the security guards had been replaced.

After checking their badges, two new security guards let them in.

Luke and Selina met Jennifer and Pierce in the familiar garden.

Both of them were enjoying their coffee under an outdoor umbrella.

After Luke and Selina sat down, Jennifer summoned a maid, a plump lady in her forties who made good coffee.

After the maid left, Jennifer said, "Pierce, those two detectives are very capable. Something happened here a few days back, and they fixed the problem in a day. You can chat with them, and I'll go put on a face mask." She then left after that.

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Chapter 289 Two Experiments

Luke and Selina's conversation with Pierce ended roughly forty minutes later.

After they left Jennifer's mansion, Selina remarked in the car, "That's show business! Todd wanted to direct this movie himself."

Luke shrugged. "Politics are inevitable once you reach a certain level, even if you're only a police officer."

"Haha, you're talking nonsense again." Selina smiled and said, "But that life seems so extravagant on TV. I don't think it's as hard as ours."

Luke chuckled. "It depends on whom you're comparing them with. Everybody has to work hard if they want to live better lives."

Talking in the car, they soon reached home.

Selina found that strange. "Why are we back home?"

Luke said, "We put off your training because of the investigation. Since Elsa said that this case isn't urgent, we can make up for it now."

Selina closed her eyes in pain. "No wonder you said that nobody's life is easy. I already feel how hard mine is."

Luke smiled but didn't say anything. He, for one, had never complained about working overtime at night.

The team worked on the case at the film set for a few days before Elsa lowered the case priority. It wasn't the first time that Luke had run into something like this. He wasn't bothered at all.

Two nights ago, however, Todd had been mugged in a strange incident on his way home. The criminal punched him in the belly and dragged him into an alley.

Then, Todd was forced by the crazy thug to… play blackjack with him.

In the end, the man suddenly stopped dealing and picked up a random stick.

Thump! The writer passed out in the alley after a strong hit to the head. System: You have defeated Todd Vince and have received a list of his abilities.

Todd Vince's abilities: Basic English, Basic Writing… Basic Ropework (100 credit points).

Naturally, Luke was the crazy thug.

Everything that he was reluctant to do on a good guy, he tested on Todd. He defeated Todd twenty times in blackjack. Plus the punch he gave Todd when he first captured him, the man lost 21 times.

After subduing Todd with that last whack, he received the system notification and learned Basic Ropework.

Inferring from Todd's ability, Luke basically figured out how he had killed Sarah and almost killed Mike.

Basic abilities actually weren't basic at all.

The system only listed the excellent skills of ordinary people, and these were categorized as basic abilities. Todd, for example, was a successful writer, and the system acknowledged his abilities in Basic English and Basic Writing.

On a scale of one hundred, the skills that most people were capable of were below sixty, and the system simply ignored these. Abilities classified as basic actually weren't necessarily on the same level; it was just how the system categorized them.

The Basic Ropework which Todd was capable of was one of the better basic abilities.

He could lasso a running bull or horse from dozens of meters away, and was even better than champion cowboys.

However, he wanted to be an actor, and he used his ability to kill people.

Luke didn't kill Todd.

The guy was the best test subject.

Looking at Todd's history, this was the first time that someone in his crew had died.

He must've killed Sarah Poch for a reason, and it remained unknown what deal Sarah Poch had made with him. Luke planned to keep Todd alive and see how unlucky he would become.

He was still figuring out more ways to learn other people's abilities.

For example, he couldn't learn Bobby's Mental Communication ability yet, because Bobby didn't really feel grateful toward him.

Luke felt that it was because Bobby wasn't rich yet and couldn't openly approach Sheerah.

However, Luke didn't know when his company would make a fortune. Todd had committed a murder, but wasn't a serial killer, so he was the perfect test subject for Luke.

Luke magnanimously let him go, then shifted his attention to his company.

According to reliable sources, Bullseye had returned to New York, and Luke could stop being so wary now.

He talked to Bobby first.

After speaking to Bobby, Bobby tried Mental Communication on him, and as expected, Daddy System appeared again. System: Spiritual energy trying to establish a link with the host. Do you accept?

Naturally, Luke refused, but he was quite excited.

The system could really prevent other people from spying on his thoughts, which was very important.

All this time, he had been worried about running into people with powerful mental abilities, such as Professor X, White Queen and Jean Grey.

His system and the truth he knew about this world must not be detected by these people, or he might end up in a laboratory and spend the rest of his life as a lab rat.

The system now gave him protection. While he didn't know how far this protection extended, it was still important. At the very least, the system would warn him when someone was trying to peek into his head, so he would always know if someone was trying to learn his secrets.

In that case, it would be possible for him to run away when he met unbelievable men like Professor X.

He didn't believe that Professor X in a wheelchair could be faster than he was.

With Tony Stark's crafting abilities, and with enough time and money, who knew how far Luke's future combat ability could go.

After that important experience, Luke asked Bobby about his progress in selling the technology, and Bobby said awkwardly, "Miss Jenny is very capable. She reached out to a senior manager at Google. We have a meeting in a day or two."

Luke chuckled and patted his shoulder. "Don't feel ashamed. Her father is a magnate. You don't have that benefit. Were you of any help during the discussion?"

Bobby nodded, but added in a strange tone, "However, Miss Jenny seems to be… missing you."

Luke nodded, got up and said goodbye to Bobby.

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Chapter 290 Luke's Reassurance and Selina's Conscience

When he was at the door, Luke said without turning back, "Bobby, you need to learn to control your abilities, alright?"

Bobby nodded with a bitter smile. "I know. In fact, I can only sense intense emotions, like when Miss Jenny misses you…"

Luke waved his hand. "Okay, I'm not criticizing you, but it would be best if you can fully control your ability. Keep it up."

He was both slightly disappointed and reassured.

Bobby didn't seem very gifted when it came to his mental ability. It was highly unlikely that he would turn into another Professor X.

After he left, Luke called Jenny. "Hey, how've you been?"

Jenny was all dressed up and was about to leave when she received Luke's call. She said in delight, "Ah, did you learn from Bobby that I'm going to negotiate with Google?"

Luke was stunned for a moment. "Negotiate?"

Jenny smiled. "I reached out to a vice president at Google with my personal connections. Hm, he's actually my dad's friend. I call him Uncle Lamarck. He happens to be in town and is very interested in your product after my introduction, so I'm meeting him today." Luke smiled too. "That's good. Since you're busy today, I won't waste your time anymore."

Jenny hastily stopped him. "Wait, are you only calling me to ask about work?" She sounded upset.

Luke chuckled. "You're my assistant. Of course I care about work first. Okay, can I now invite the beautiful Miss Gwenis to dinner? I'm free tonight or tomorrow night."

Jenny rolled her eyes and said, "Okay, it's a deal. You'll have dinner with me tonight and tomorrow night."

Stumped, Luke smiled. "As you wish, Miss Gwenis."

After teasing each other for a while, Luke hung up.

Given his physical attributes, he was in fact willing to accept Jenny's invitation every day.

However, he couldn't spend too much time on her. Two nights were already extravagant enough.

He only slept for two hours at night nowadays, and devoted the rest of the time to making equipment and training. Having dinner with Jenny meant that he would lose at least twenty hours of work and exercise.

However, he needed to relax every now and then to avoid psychological issues.

That night, Luke found a hidden gem of a three-star Michelin restaurant that served Western food in Los Angeles.

He barely went to restaurants as he could cook himself. However, Jenny was clearly very familiar with restaurants like these.

They hadn't grown distant despite not seeing each other for days, and had actually been keeping in touch by phone.

Jenny was aware that Luke was busy with tricky cases, so she didn't insist that they meet.

Luke naturally didn't tell her about the cases he worked on.

It wasn't because he didn't trust her, but because his cases couldn't do anything except make one feel uncomfortable.

He simply entertained Jenny with the more hilarious cases he encountered when he had been on patrol in Houston.

Now that he thought about it, Brock's arrangement back then hadn't been all bad; at the very least, it gave him a lot of stories to tell.

He wondered how the man was doing after he unfortunately lost his job because of Faraday

Page.

Luke would feel much better if he knew that the man wasn't doing great.

Neither of them went home after dinner, but left for a hotel.

Luke didn't go to another three-star hotel. He found a four-star one in Beverly Hills.

Jenny hesitated and said, "…Actually, three stars is fine."

Luke chuckled. "That's fine. I made a fortune recently."

They checked in and chatted in their room over a bottle of wine.

Jenny told him about her meeting with her uncle.

That vice president Lamarck was very interested in Luke's navigation map, and said that he would give it consideration.

Then, Jenny couldn't help but ask, "Will you really not consider lowering the price?"

Luke thought for a moment, then shook his head. "They can buy it if they want. If they don't, it's fine."

Jenny was surprised. "Huh? Why?"

Luke said with a smile, "Because I've developed capacitive touchscreens. So, it doesn't matter now whether or not the technology can be sold."

Jenny asked, "Why?"

Luke said, "With capacitive touchscreens, we can start our own phone company. If Google is interested, however, we can negotiate with them over the capacitive touchscreens too."

There was no Apple or Steve Jobs in this world, so it remained unknown who would usher the world into the age of touchscreen smartphones.

Jenny was rather shocked.

While she had inherited her father's business talent and had picked up many things quickly, she couldn't always foresee whether or not something would make money. So, she was simply overwhelmed with disbelief after hearing what Luke said.

Jenny had seen and used the touchscreen phone that Luke had made. It was indeed convenient, but she wasn't ambitious enough to build a major company on it.

Luke shrugged and said, "It's fine. You're an MBA student, and I'm just a high school graduate. I'm waiting for you to make our business flourish. We're still young, anyway."

Jenny rolled her eyes. Are you mocking me by explicitly saying that I'm an MBA student when you're a high school graduate? In her fury, she jumped on his back and attacked Luke's ears.

Luke simply smiled and pulled her in his arms.

The night was too great to be wasted on talk of money. Luke went to work the next day, completely refreshed, leaving Jenny sound asleep. They had been busy until two in the morning and busy again later in the morning. She was completely exhausted.

Thankfully, she didn't have to work, and there were no classes on the weekend. It was also why she had invited Luke to dinner two days in a row.

Luke picked Selina up on his way and gave her the dessert that he had bought at a store as her snack for the day.

While having the chocolate mousse, Selina grumbled, "Well, you're not entirely inconsiderate."

Luke chuckled. Did it hurt your conscience to say that?

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Chapter 291 Old Greyson's Friend

Luke and Selina had no urgent cases for the day. In the morning, they went to investigate a theft at a mansion.

Because the lost accessories were valuable, the case was given to the most capable squad in the Major Crimes Division. The rich always had special privileges in this country.

After examining the crime scene at the mansion, Luke and Selina went for lunch.

In the afternoon, they practiced shooting at a range, as the theft case wasn't really important. They weren't in a hurry to crack it.

After two hours of practice, they were about to leave the range and get into their car, when Luke's phone rang.

He looked at the number and picked up in surprise. "Greyson, what's up?"

Old Greyson was much busier than Luke was, and the two of them hardly talked.

Robert and Catherine, on the other hand, contacted him every couple of days to catch up.

After a brief silence, Old Greyson asked, "Do you know Todd Vince?"

Luke was stunned. "I do. I met him recently."

Old Greyson was obviously surprised. A moment later, he said, "I need to ask you a favor."

Luke asked, "What is it?"

Old Greyson: "I have a friend who just flew into Los Angeles. She might be going after Todd."

Luke was shocked. "What?" He certainly hadn't seen that coming.

After his surprise, he immediately asked, "She?"

Old Greyson: "Yes. So, you must stop her at the airport. I'm on my way."

Luke: "Fine. What's her full name?"

An hour later, Luke called Old Greyson in his car. "Greyson, your friend wasn't on the plane, although she did buy a ticket."

Old Greyson replied, "She might have gone straight to Todd."

Luke couldn't help but ask, "Why?"

Old Greyson: "She suspects that Todd killed her sister."

Luke: "What? Who's her sister?"

"Sarah Poch, an actress," replied Old Greyson.

Luke: "…I know her. I actually investigated her case a couple of days ago. Why does your friend think that Todd killed Sarah?"

Only Elsa's team knew that Todd was the primary suspect. They had never disclosed that.

Sarah's sister should've been in Las Vegas. How did she learn of it?

Old Greyson said, "The letters and recordings that her sister sent to her hinted at it." Luke was lost for words. Was this a coincidence?

He thought for a moment, then said to Old Greyson, "Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on Todd in case your friend does anything that she'll regret."

Old Greyson said, "Thank you. Give me Todd's address. I'll be there in two hours."

After Luke hung up, Selina was already checking for updates on Todd. "Todd is… resting at home today after he got food poisoning yesterday?"

Luke found that odd. "How do you know that?"

Selina said, "He got a stomachache in a restaurant yesterday, and argued with the chef, so the restaurant called the police."

Luke realized that Todd's run of bad luck might be starting

He asked casually, "Was it the restaurant's fault?"

Selina shook her head. "Not sure, but Todd was the only customer who had diarrhea yesterday."

Luke smiled and said, "So, in other words, all we need to do is keep an eye on Mr. Todd's home."

With his bad luck, Todd would probably run into disaster, such as a vengeful sister, even at home!

They went to Todd's home, which was also in Beverly Hills.

Though it wasn't a big mansion, the house was extravagant enough for a writer.

Of course, Todd's horror fiction was quite famous, or Pierce wouldn't have personally hired him as his writer.

It was already evening, and the sky was getting dark.

Luke drove the car around Todd's house and set up four surveillance cameras. He then parked the car dozens of meters away to wait.

After night fell, a woman drove to Todd's house.

When she pressed the doorbell, the door opened soon after.

Luke and Selina were both surprised. "Why would Todd let her in?"

The woman who had just entered was precisely Old Greyson's friend. They had just seen her photo that afternoon.

Luke thought for a moment and said, "I'll go in and have a look. You stay here and let me know if you notice anything."

Selina nodded.

Luke quickly got out. He put on a pair of gloves and new shoes, before he avoided the surveillance cameras and climbed a wall into Todd's house.

A lot of police officers patrolled this area. Most burglars wouldn't try anything here as they might be caught easily.

So, the walls around here weren't too high, though most of the houses had alarm systems installed.

As long as the alarm went off, the patrolling officers would arrive in less than five minutes.

That was the privilege of being rich.

It was also the reason why Luke could sneak in easily.

Todd lived alone. He used to be married, but was now divorced; apparently, his wife could no longer stand his queer temper.

Luke wasn't in a hurry.

Old Greyson's friend didn't seem to be in a rush, nor was she carrying knives or guns. However, Luke did smell the scent of a familiar rope.

It seemed to be some kind of prop: the same rope that Sarah Poch had been hung with. Luke approached the door and exerted a bit of force, but it was locked.

He took out a gadget and stuck it into the keyhole. A moment later, the door unlocked with a click.

Basic Theft turned out to be a very convenient ability.

After he entered, Luke observed the room unhurriedly.

At the end of the hallway, he stopped and brought out a camera.

A good show was taking place on the couch in the living room. Todd said, looking unhealthy, "Where is Dr. Burley? Why isn't he here?" The woman in a nurse uniform smiled gently. "He's taking care of an emergency patient, so he sent me here. He said that I could give you a shot first, and you can go to the hospital if you still don't feel well tomorrow."

Todd was angry. "I pay him to be my personal doctor. How can he do this?"

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Chapter 292 Professional Code

The nurse had long black hair and sultry lips. Her eyes and her smile were charming too.

She didn't get annoyed, but explained patiently, "Yes, but you know that he's also the personal doctor for a few other people. His patient is in really bad condition. If you want, you can call him after he's done with the surgery."

Todd grumbled but eventually gave up. He had been suffering diarrhea for an entire day, so he had to ask his personal doctor to come see him.

As they talked, the nurse had already given Todd the injection.

Luke took a sniff with a strange expression, but he didn't say anything.

Thinking for a moment, he placed the mini-camera on a shelf not far away and started recording.

Very soon, Todd was immersed in a strange state.

He looked like he was murmuring soundlessly in a daze.

The nurse kept smiling. "Mr. Todd, how do you feel?"

Todd: "I'm a little… uncomfortable."

The nurse: "You've been busy?"

Todd: "Yes."

The nurse: "What have you been busy with?"

One person asked a question and the other answered, and Luke observed and recorded them.

He couldn't help but feel amazed by Old Greyson's friend, who was clearly a professional, with her nurse costume and her truth serum.

Their conversation reached a critical point.

"Did you kill Sarah Poch?"

"…Yes."

Luke saw the veins pop on the back of the nurse's hands. She was clearly holding herself back from exploding with rage. She asked again, "How did you kill her?". "I told her to wait for me in the corner where we often had sex. She stepped into the trap I set up and was hung."

"Why did you kill her?"

Luke was curious too when he heard the question.

Todd replied dizzily, "Because she hit on me first. She then blackmailed me into making her the lead actress after she found evidence that I killed Kelly."

"But she was already the lead actress. Why did you still kill her?"

"Pierce had already made up his mind to replace her next week. She said that she would drag me into hell if she couldn't be the lead actress."

Luke was surprised. This Sarah obviously wasn't simple either, considering that she had the courage to threaten a murderer. But who was Kelly?

Thinking quickly, he recalled that the only Kelly around Todd was his ex-wife.

It was said that his ex-wife went out traveling after the divorce and never returned.

It seemed that Kelly might not have wanted to go on that trip.

At that moment, Luke's phone buzzed.

He connected it to his earpiece and heard Old Greyson's voice. "I'm outside Todd's house. Where is she?"

Luke looked at the nurse who seemed calm but had tears running down her face, and saw her give Todd another injection.

After she put the syringe back into the medical kit she had with her, she took out a string of rope. Luke thought for a moment and quickly typed, "I'll bring you in."

Old Greyson hung up the phone on the other side.

Luke quietly retreated and opened the gate by pressing a button in the house.

Old Greyson frowned when the gate opened, but he then saw Luke waving at him.

He quickly ran to Luke.

Old Greyson had always been a graceful and scholarly man. Luke had never seen him run or look so anxious before.

It seemed that the lady inside was very important to Old Greyson.

Old Greyson was about to say something at the front door, when Luke hushed him, ushered him inside, and pointed at the living room.

Old Greyson looked at the living room, only to see a rope dangling from a glamorous chandelier.

Todd was gradually becoming more conscious. He looked at the beautiful nurse in fear. "What… What do you want?"

The nurse said calmly, "I told my sister that she could give a man a lot of things, such as her body or her heart, but she must never give them power, because they can use that to hurt her anytime they want. It seems that she forgot my warning…" Old Greyson couldn't help but walk out. "Enough, Lady Heather, stop!" The nurse, who was putting Todd's head into the noose, was stunned when she turned around. "Gil?"

Old Greyson said helplessly, "I told you to stop! There are better ways. Why do you have to sacrifice yourself?"

Luke was quite surprised.

His uncle didn't seem to be blaming this Lady Heather for getting revenge, and was only implying that she shouldn't do it herself.

Also, Lady Heather stopped after Old Greyson told her to. What was that about?

Luke simply stayed back and fiddled with the camera in his hand.

He had retrieved it after recording Todd's confession.

The video might not be enough to put Todd in jail, but it could ruin his reputation.

More importantly, the guy might've killed his ex-wife, and Sarah had had that evidence.

If Todd could be convicted for both murders, the guy would spend decades in prison.

While Luke pondered the matter, Old Greyson was already embracing Lady Heather, who was weeping. "Okay, let's go."

Then, he left with the charming Lady Heather without looking at Luke at all.

Luke scratched his head. Did he have to clean up someone else's mess again?

He went back to the living room and packed up the irrelevant stuff, before he called the hospital. "This is LAPD. I have a patient who is in a coma due to food poisoning. Please send an ambulance."

He then left the house and put Lady Heather's professional tools in Old Greyson's car.

Old Greyson had rented a car and come straight here after his plane landed.

Now, the car would take the mature lady as well as her professional tools away.

Old Greyson looked at Luke and said, "Call me if you run into trouble."

Luke smiled. "Don't worry, I will."

Old Greyson nodded and drove away.

He wasn't worried about Luke.

In fact, he was even more familiar with Luke's style than Robert was. It was also the reason why he came to Luke when he needed help in Los Angeles. It was because Luke was trustworthy and wasn't bound by rules.

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Chapter 293 Pull Yourself Together!

After seeing Old Greyson off, Luke told Selina what happened in the house.

The two of them entered the house again and saw that Todd was calling the police in a panic.

Luke said in amusement, "Mr. Vince, you can hang up. I'm in charge of your case." As he spoke, he couldn't help but step back and give Todd a strange look. "An ambulance will take you to the hospital soon. So… can you pull yourself together and not soil your couch?"

Before he even finished speaking, he and Selina both stepped back again.

Todd was delighted at first, but then exploded with anger. "Why are you here? Are you with that woman?"

Luke had no choice but to turn off his Sharp Nose. "It seems that you aren't thinking straight. This is my partner. Of course I'm with her."

Todd: "No, I'm not talking about her… ugh."

Shocked, Luke and Selina retreated right up into the hallway, and Luke simply shouted, "Mr. Vince, let's focus more on talking instead of doing!"

Todd's face was pale from near dehydration, but diarrhea wasn't something that one could control.

At that moment, the ambulance arrived.

Two paramedics rushed inside. "Where's the patient?"

Holding their noses, Luke and Selina pointed at the living room.

The paramedics ran over, and a while later, carried Todd back out with dark faces. They confirmed with Luke, "Is this the man, detectives?"

Luke and Selina were now at least ten meters away from the door. They simply nodded. "That's him. Right, he's Todd Vince, a famous horror writer."

10us

Todd rose up on the stretcher in fury, only to lose control of his bowels again.

He immediately lay down and shouted weakly, "Just you wait! Just wait!" Luke and Selina looked at each other, not really worried.

Todd wasn't actually a big deal.

It wasn't easy for the police to deal with him, but it wasn't easy for him to deal with the police either.

They belonged to different worlds, and it would be hard for the man to get back at Luke.

As for the female nurse, Todd might not remember what he told her.

Even if he did, what could he tell the public? That he killed Sarah in order to hide the fact that he killed his ex-wife?

So, Luke simply got into his car and followed the ambulance to the hospital. He had to make sure that there was a proper ending to this incident.

If Todd insisted on taking revenge on Old Greyson's friend, chances were that Luke would have to "reason" with him.

While he was thinking this, the ambulance up ahead ran a red light at an intersection.

This was very normal.

Ambulances and police cars were allowed to run lights in an emergency, as long as they paid attention to the other vehicles around them.

However, a speeding car appeared from the right and slammed into the ambulance.

The ambulance doors at the back were smashed open, and a stretcher flew out.

The stretcher skidded over the road on its wheels, right into the path of a fast-moving truck at the intersection.

Dumbfounded, Luke could only remark, "What the heck?"

After a long pause, Selina murmured, "Was that Todd on the stretcher?"

Luke: "Let's go down and take a look."

Neither of them went over to the truck that had stopped. They put up lights at the scene of the traffic accident as a warning to passing cars and checked the ambulance first.

After a brief inspection, Luke was relieved.

The paramedics and the ambulance driver only had scratches and were fine on the whole, mainly because the ambulance had been hit in the rear while they had been in the front.

Luke had them call another ambulance, before he went to check the car that had been speeding.

After a quick glance, Selina whistled. "Wow, it's still March, right? Isn't she cold?"

In the driver's seat was a muddle-headed young girl who was only wearing a bikini. She was stuck behind the airbag, and was looking around bewilderedly.

She had clearly heard Selina's whistle.

Luke said, "You take care of this. Remember to have the hospital run a blood test."

If she was speeding in a bikini in L.A. in March, she was probably driving under the influence. Luke would rather not waste his time on her.

Finally, he checked the truck.

The truck must've been carrying goods out of the city, when there wasn't any traffic at night.

But now, the driver was gloomily examining the accident.

Seeing Luke and his badge, the middle-aged man immediately cried, "Officer, I… I didn't break any road rules. That damn thing simply flew under my truck."

Luke looked at him and nodded. "I know, don't worry. My car's dash cam captured everything." The driver was relieved. "Really? That's wonderful." He was happy because his boss would probably fire him if he was blamed for this accident.

Luke nodded and said casually, "That's right. That guy deserved to die anyway."

The driver was too excited to hear what he said. "Huh? What did you say?"

Luke: "Hehe."

Staring at Todd, whose eyes had popped out under the truck, Luke sighed and said, "If you had seen this day coming, would you have done things differently?".

He then rose and said to Selina, "Have them take care of the body. Todd's dead."

Selina rolled her eyes. "I would be more surprised if he was still alive." She then made the call.

Luke thought for a moment, then called Old Greyson. "Todd was just hit by a car. He's dead." Old Greyson: "Did you…?"

"Someone crashed into his ambulance and knocked him into the path of an oncoming truck." Luke rolled his eyes.

What was Old Greyson thinking? If it was Luke, he would've disposed of the guy far more cleanly!

Old Greyson gave a rare apology. "Fine, I'm sorry."

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Chapter 294 Closure and Business Introduction

Luke said, "So, did Lady Heather's sister ever mention where is the evidence that Todd killed Kelly? I suspect that Kelly refers to Todd's ex-wife."

Old Greyson: "I'll ask."

Luke hung up and waited.

Half an hour later, Old Greyson sent Luke a message that there was a basement in Todd's house that had been sealed for two years.

Seeing that another ambulance had arrived and the paramedics had started working, Luke looked at the truck and sighed. "It seems that they really will be plagued with bad luck."

Slightly disappointed, he walked to his car.

Selina greeted him. "Okay, let's call it a day. I've transferred the job over to the hospital and the police department."

Luke relaxed; he didn't have to waste time talking to other people anymore. "What do you want to eat tonight?"

Selina said, "Barbecue."

Luke was amused. "Okay, let's buy the meat first and then go home."

After the barbecue, Selina did the dishes and went to train, while Luke went out again with Secretary Jenny.

Since Luke had agreed to two nights, he certainly had to keep his promise.

At midnight, Luke received Old Greyson's call.

He answered the phone on the balcony. "Hey, what's wrong?" Old Greyson said, "Nothing, I just want to take her back sooner."

Luke thought for a moment and said, "Ask her if she wants to sue Todd for compensation over Sarah's death. If she does, she better gather all the evidence together quickly, since the matter of Todd's ex-wife will be reported tomorrow."

Todd was dead, but he still had property under his name.

As Sarah's sister, Lady Heather had the right to sue Todd.

Once it was proven that he was Sarah's killer, Sarah's family would be able to get a share of his assets.

But if Lady Heather was slow to act, Todd's money might all go to his ex-wife's family as compensation, and it would become tricky then.

After a brief silence, Old Greyson said, "Okay, I'll talk to her. Also… thank you."

Luke: "Hm, let me ask you something. Are the two of you… Forget it. Bye."

As soon as he started to ask the question, he felt that he had crossed the line.

So far, Old Greyson had never asked questions about his personal life, so it was obviously inappropriate for Luke to do so in return.

If there was anything between them, Old Greyson would've introduced her outright as his girlfriend or wife. The next day, Luke and Selina found Elsa and told her what happened last night.

Of course, they simply said that they went to Todd's house because they received information from a source.

Elsa looked at Luke and asked, "So, what's the lead?"

She wouldn't ask who the source was. She wouldn't tell Luke who her sources were either.

They were a detective's personal connections. The more people knew about them, the more danger they would be in. Luke said, "Todd probably killed his ex-wife and buried her in cement in his basement."

Elsa was stunned. "Holy sh*t! That guy's so ruthless?"

She trusted Luke because most of what Luke said had turned out to be true so far.

"Are you going to follow up on the case?" asked Elsa.

Luke quickly shook his head. "If your new partner is free, boss, it'll be a good opportunity for him to gain more experience."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Okay, I'll remind Simmons to take a few more evidence bags with him."

Luke gave her a thumbs up and left.

What were the bags for? To contain the vomit, of course.

Todd had been single for years, which meant that his ex-wife had been missing for years.

Luke certainly wasn't interested in examining a body that had been buried for years.

Luke's phone rang after he left Elsa's office. Looking at the number, Luke picked up the call. "Hello, Jennifer. How can I help you?"

After a brief hesitation, Jennifer said on the phone, "I've hired a new security team, and I was wondering if you could help me take a look at them."

Luke thought for a moment before agreeing to her request.

The woman had just donated two million dollars to the police department. It wouldn't be good if he came across as too cold.

He spoke to Elsa before leaving for Jennifer's house with Selina.

Jennifer received them in the garden. After the maid served them some drinks, she said, "Thanks for dropping by. I've been feeling uneasy since what happened a couple of days ago, so I'm hoping that you can check my security arrangements and see if there are any flaws or shortcomings."

Luke was speechless for a moment. He then said, "Jennifer, I'm afraid you might have misunderstood something. We're police detectives. We're not trained to protect people, and we might not be able to pick out the flaws in your security if they exist."

Jennifer was completely lost. "Huh? But I thought you're quite good. You found Thomson out so quickly." Luke was amused. "Cracking cases and protecting key figures are two different things. I really don't think I can help."

Thinking for a moment, he then said, "However, I know a professional who's good at

it.'

Jennifer asked, "Your colleague?"

Luke shook his head. "Do you know Sheerah?"

Jennifer frowned and thought for a moment. "The singer?"

Luke nodded. "Yes, she hired a bunch of professionals as security guards for her concert. There's a guy called Bryan who's quite good. If you want, I can help get you his contact."

Jennifer didn't seem reassured. "But you don't know them well, do you?"

Luke chuckled. "Bryan and his team are professionals. Also, you're only hiring them to inspect your security, not to protect you forever. You don't have to worry."

After a brief hesitation, Jennifer agreed to the plan.

Luke called Sheerah and asked about Bryan's team. They were indeed professionals, and they charged pretty high, too. Sheerah had paid almost a hundred thousand dollars for their protection services at her concert previously, and that was still a family/ friend rate since she knew someone in Bryan's team.

Bryan's team was picky as well. They only accepted quick and short jobs, and refused tricky ones that might take a while.

Sheerah specifically stated that the team was made of retirees, and they weren't really doing this for the money.

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Chapter 295 A Favor for Elizabeth

Luke told Sheerah about Jennifer's request. He didn't mention Jennifer's name, and only described what she needed.

Sheerah said that Bryan would probably accept the job as long as he was free and the pay was good enough.

Luke got Bryan's number. He hung up after thanking Sheerah.

Close by, Jennifer overheard most of the conversation, and was quite satisfied.

Those people had proven that they could be trusted when they worked for Sheerah before.

Luke contacted Bryan and soon received an affirmative reply. Bryan was happy to work for the big stars, who never hesitated to pay.

After a brief conversation, they agreed that they would meet and talk in person.

Half an hour later, Bryan arrived, and he didn't come alone.

Luke rose with a smile. "Hey, Bryan, it's nice to see you again."

Bryan replied with a smile as well. "It's you. It's Luke, right? I didn't expect to work with you again."

Luke quickly shook his head. "You're flattering me. I really don't know much about protection. That's why I told her that she should hire you."

Bryan nodded with the same shy smile on his seemingly plain face.

Luke turned and smiled. "Hi, we meet again, Kim. You're even more beautiful than last

time."

Bryan, Selina and Jennifer looked at him curiously.

Thinking back, Kim exclaimed, "You're… that guy from the plane!"

Luke nodded with a smile. "Haha. It seems that I haven't been completely forgotten yet. What an honor."

Looking at everybody, he explained, "I sat next to Kim and her friend on the plane when I was on a work trip. After we landed, I was too busy to contact them again."

Everybody felt amazed by the coincidence.

Finally, Bryan introduced Kim to everyone.

Nobody asked why he had brought his daughter to a meeting with his potential employer, but they could guess when they saw how excited Kim was at meeting Jennifer.

However, Kim was very obedient. Except for exchanging greetings at the beginning, she didn't take part in the discussion.

Bryan was an efficient person, and after getting a quick outline of what Jennifer wanted, he simply said that he could take the job without asking for more details.

Luke then rose with a smile. "I think we've done our part here. Jennifer, call me if you have any problems."

Jennifer nodded. "Okay. Thank you, Luke."

It was already eleven by the time they were done. Luke and Selina simply bought some Mexican food and brought it back to the police department.

When they met Elsa, Selina said, "Haha, you have something good to eat today, boss."

Elsa nodded at them and said, "I've asked Simmons to follow up on Todd's case. Are you interested in a new case?"

"What case?" Luke was curious.

Generally speaking, when Elsa asked them whether or not they were willing to take on a case, it wasn't a simple one.

Elsa picked up the phone on her desk to make a call. "Elizabeth, come in."

Elizabeth soon arrived. She smiled at Luke shyly. "Hey, Luke, Selina."

Elsa asked her to close the door. She then said, "Elizabeth asked me for help with this case. Since none of our cases here are urgent, I thought you might want to lend a hand." Luke and Selina looked at each other. "Is the case somewhere else?"

Elsa nodded and let Elizabeth speak.

Elizabeth explained the situation to them.

As it turned out, Elizabeth was from a town in Arizona. She had come to L.A. for college, and had stayed after graduation.

Her mother, her sister and her brother still lived in her hometown.

The town had been experiencing a rash of missing cases recently. At first, it was pets. A couple of days ago, however, two people disappeared.

Luke found it strange. "Is it really okay for us to go?"

They went to Woodsburg last time because of Deputy Director Condra's connections. Also, Woodsburg was still part of greater Los Angeles.

However, this case was in a different state altogether. It wasn't regulation for them to step in.

Elizabeth said in embarrassment, "My mother… is the town sheriff." Luke and Selina were both enlightened. So, it was a female version of Robert!

For the most part, sheriffs were the chief of the police in towns like these. They didn't really need to get anybody else's permission if they wanted to ask an outsider for help, as long as they were willing to pay.

But could Luke and Selina ask for money in this case?

Looking at Elizabeth, both of them sighed and knew that it was impossible.

It was the classic case of doing someone a favor.

Elsa didn't order them to take the case, either, but told them to decide for themselves.

They were free to take it or leave it.

After all, the Woodsburg case helped them earn Condra's appreciation, but they probably wouldn't get anything from this one.

Elizabeth was a new detective who didn't really matter.

After a brief silence, Luke simply asked, "Does your mother know that we're coming?"

Elizabeth cheered up. "If you're willing to go, I'll call her and ask her to give you as much help as needed."

Luke dropped his forehead into his palm. "So, your mother doesn't know that you came to

us?"

Elizabeth simply chuckled and didn't reply, but her answer was obvious.

Luke sighed and said, "Elizabeth, talk to your mother first and make sure that she won't be unhappy about us going over, alright?'

Luke was already being very nice to Elizabeth.

Other veteran detectives might've simply berated Elizabeth as an idiot.

Elizabeth had only asked for Luke's help because she knew how good-natured he was.

Her mother was anxious. Her sister and her brother had also called her and told her creepy rumors that worried Elizabeth.

That was why she had made this outrageous request.

She wouldn't have dared ask for Luke's help if she didn't know him well.

The police department in her mother's town only had the budget to cover Luke's accommodation and food at most.

Elizabeth ran out happily to call her mother.

On the other hand, Elsa looked at him and asked, "Why didn't you refuse her?"

Luke chuckled. "If you wanted to turn her down, you would've done so already. I know that you like her."

Elsa nodded and said, "Yes, she's careful and smart, and unlike some of the other ambitious newbies, she's willing to study the case files as instructed. She'll be as good as Selina in a few years."

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Chapter 296 You Are and Always Will Be

Selina laughed in amusement. "Boss, I'm only a high school graduate. She'll definitely be better than me."

Elsa chuckled and said in a low voice, "If you and Luke want, you can register at a third-tier college and get a diploma in a few years. By then, you can easily be promoted."

Luke didn't respond to that. He didn't want to do office work. As for Selina… He looked at her.

Selina glared back at him warily. "When would I have time for college?"

Luke thought about all the survival training that he had arranged for her, and realized that she really didn't have the time.

However, he decided to ask Jenny if there was any college where they could get a diploma by shelling out a little more money and spending less time in class.

Ignoring them as they winked at each other, Elsa said, "However, I can only give you one week on this case at most, and that includes your trip both ways."

Luke shrugged and said, "Not a problem."

If he couldn't resolve the case in a week, it would be pointless to remain there any longer.

It was a matter of attitude if he went or not, while it was a matter of luck if he could crack the case.

Luke and Selina were then driven out of the office.

Half an hour later, Elizabeth returned happily. "Luke, Selina, my mother is glad for your help."

Luke looked at her. "Elizabeth, tell us the truth. Your mother's attitude will determine what investigation methods we can use."

Elizabeth ducked her head. "I persuaded her. She's willing to help you with whatever you need, except…" Selina asked, "Except that we're only helping with this case and we can't disrupt local order?"

Elizabeth lowered her head in silent confirmation.

Luke said, "Raise your head, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth subconsciously raised her head and looked at him.

"It's your family," Luke said calmly. "There's no shame in wanting to help your family. So, don't act as if you've done something wrong." Elizabeth nodded slowly. "Okay." Luke suddenly chuckled. "Besides, it was Elsa who asked me for this favor. Do you think I could refuse?"

Selina simply snorted.

She certainly didn't believe that. If Luke didn't want to go, Elsa wouldn't force him to work on this case.

Elizabeth nodded and was well aware of that.

She knew that it wasn't Elsa but Luke who had the ultimate say on the matter.

However, Elsa had shown her support by asking Luke to help her, and Luke had also accepted the case.

Both of them were very kind.

Luke continued, "Exactly what is going on over there? Tell us everything you know. We don't want to mess anything up."

Elizabeth told them about the case in detail, and Luke frowned. "Your mother can totally contact the FBI now, can't she?"

Considering the severity of the issue that Elizabeth had described, what mattered most was keeping everybody safe instead of preserving the local sheriff's dignity.

Elizabeth smiled bitterly. "She would've done that, but in the last couple of days, Wade, the town mayor, told everybody that the town isn't safe and that they should accept Vitello's terms and move. Now, many people are suspicious that Wade is behind everything. My mother isn't sure either."

Luke asked, "Do you believe your brother?"

Elizabeth turned solemn. "Mike and I have always been close. He hardly ever lies, and he wouldn't do so about something so horrible. So, I thought that you might be able to help."

Because the two of you are the most capable detectives in LAPD, she secretly thought to herself.

Luke and Elsa appreciated Elizabeth not just because she was pretty, but also because she was smart.

She knew that Luke had once defeated fifty criminals on his own, plus he cracked the two Jennifer Perry cases on the day of his investigation. Nobody could ensure her family's safety better than he could.

After talking for twenty minutes, Elizabeth gave the files on her hometown to Selina to analyze on the way.

Luke and Selina wasted no time and simply set off.

They were still driving the squad car which the police department had given to them. After Luke's modifications, it was far more useful than any other vehicle.

Elizabeth's mother also faxed over a request for help.

Although it was a bit unbelievable that a town in Arizona would ask LAPD for help, the fax made everything official.

After hanging up the phone, Selina glanced at Luke and snorted. "Need I remind you that you're not supposed to date your student?" Luke: "What?"

Selina: "Also, you're not supposed to date your colleague, either."

Luke was absolutely unmoved. "Okay."

Bored, Selina sighed. "Your good student has done all the paperwork. We're now on an official work trip."

Luke nodded and didn't say anything.

Selina: "Were you hitting on her just now? 'Don't act as if you've done something wrong'? It wouldn't have ended well for her if she had tried this on another old detective in our division."

Luke: "But I don't think I'm old. I'm still young." Stumped for a moment, Selina then realized his meaning, and said angrily, "I'm also young. I'm only 24!"

Luke: "Of course you are, but you'll be 25

soon."

Selina sighed. "I remember the good old days in Shackelford when someone called me an angel."

Luke chuckled. "Yes. You're an angel, and you always will be."

Selina snorted and focused on the files.

After acquiring Elementary Self-Healing, Luke drove most of the time since he didn't get tired.

Selina was exhausted after reading the files, and she took a nap. Eventually, they reached Boom Town territory in the glow of the setting sun.

An old sign next to the road said "20 miles to Boom Town."

This town used to be a prosperous one, hence its name. But after the gold mines here dried up, the town fell into inevitable decline.

Now, the mayor was communicating with a corporation in the hopes of selling the town as a whole.

However, the residents who had lived here for decades were reluctant to leave. The two parties were at an impasse.

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Chapter 297 The Most Beautiful Sheriff Other Than You

Boom Town hadn't been peaceful recently.

Several pets and even two residents had gone missing, which made the mayor sound even more persuasive. When Luke and Selina entered the town's territory, they found the view pretty amazing. Different from Texas that was vast and spacious, this place lay between a wide open plain and a mountain, and they drove along a hilly road.

Suddenly, there was an ear-splitting noise, which made Luke frown.

A moment later, three motorbikes made a racket as they sped by their car.

Luke calmed down.

They were off-road bikes, and this was a wild country road. The noise was understandable.

However, a police car with flashing lights suddenly showed up behind them.

Luke slowed down and moved closer to the edge of the road.

He didn't speed up again until the police car passed him as well.

The police car didn't slow down or block him, which meant that it wasn't after him.

After another several hundred meters, Luke saw the three motorbikes again, as well as a police officer who was writing the unlucky riders tickets.

Luke whistled and said, "Selina, that's the most beautiful sheriff I've ever seen other than you."

Selina rolled her eyes. "I would be happier if you were praising just me, Luke."

Luke said, "Hey, I'm stressing that she's a beautiful sheriff. Get a clue."

Selina immediately got it. "Is that Elizabeth's mother? Unbelievable. Elizabeth is 22. How can her mother be so young and beautiful?"

Luke shrugged. "That's why I'm amazed. If this is Elizabeth's mother, she must be well over forty."

Selina said, "Definitely, unless she gave birth to Elizabeth when she was fifteen or something."

As they talked, they stopped behind the police car.

After they got out, they looked into the police car when they passed by, and Selina sighed. "I think we're right. I don't think there's another beautiful sheriff in this town who happens to have a gorgeous daughter and son."

Luke saw the teenage girl and the little boy in the police car too. They both took after their mother.

Most importantly, the beautiful sheriff and the passengers all resembled Elizabeth. After writing the tickets, the sheriff returned, not looking too happy.

When she saw Luke, however, she still put on a polite smile and asked, "Are you in any trouble? Did your car break down? Or are you looking for directions?"

Luke asked with a smile, "You must be Ms. Samantha Parker, right?"

The sheriff nodded and said, "Yes, and you are…?"

Luke said, "Ms. Parker, we're Elizabeth's colleagues from Los Angeles. She must've told you about us."

Samantha looked at them in surprise. "You're… Elizabeth's colleagues?" She felt that Luke looked more like a freshman from her daughter's college.

Selina, on the other hand, did look like a detective.

Luke said, "My name is Luke Coulson. This is Selina Hayek. Elizabeth must've mentioned us to you."

Selina nodded at her as well. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Parker."

Samantha was finally convinced of their identities. "I didn't expect you to arrive so

soon."

Luke shrugged. "Elizabeth has been doing a great job. Since she asked for help, we certainly had to come as soon as possible. If you don't mind, can we talk in town?".

Samantha also realized that it was inconvenient to talk on the road. She nodded and said, "Do you want to come to my place? You can follow my car."

Luke nodded with a smile.

Ten minutes later, both cars parked in front of a house.

After they got out, Selina couldn't help but say admiringly, "Wow, what a beautiful place!"

Luke looked around and nodded in agreement.

Not far away was a majestic mountain.

A classic American house sat among the trees beyond a lawn.

The house was plain but big, and covered more than two hundred square meters. The yard, surrounded by a white fence, was well tended.

It was obvious that the owner of the house was a patient and diligent woman with good aesthetic taste.

Samantha opened the door, and her children promptly entered the house. Samantha said, "Come in, please."

Luke and Selina stopped talking and entered the house.

There were no extraneous decorations in the house; everything had a practical use.

The outdated design clearly hinted at how old the house was, but it was clean, warm and

homey.

Luke and Selina were led to the living room. After asking what they preferred, Samantha gave Luke a bottle of water and cola to Selina. Few people in this small Arizona town drank Dr. Pepper.

They were the only three in the living room. Elizabeth's siblings had returned to their rooms.

Finally, Luke and Selina showed Samantha their badges.

It was standard procedure that couldn't be disregarded, in case something went wrong with their investigation.

Samantha examined their credentials carefully. After returning the badges, she grew solemn. "What do you want to know?"

Luke said, "Let's put the pets aside first. Have you found the missing residents?"

Samantha shook her head. "No. Those two lived on their own on the edge of town, so there's no telling whether they left of their own accord or ran into any danger."

Luke asked, "Are you aware of the situation your son mentioned?"

Samantha was puzzled. "Mike? What did he say?"

Luke and Selina looked at each other, lost for words.

Obviously, Mike hadn't told Samantha anything because he didn't think she would believe him.

Luke thought for a moment and asked, "Can I talk to Mike in private?"

Samantha hesitated for a moment, but looking at Luke's friendly appearance, she nodded her head.

After asking where Mike's room was, Luke headed over and left Selina to talk to Samantha.

He knocked on Mike's door, and the boy said from inside, "Mom? Just a minute."

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Chapter 298 Mike's Discovery and the Entomologist

Luke waited patiently and didn't go in until Mike said he could.

Mike looked at him in surprise. "Why are you here?"

Luke said with a smile, "Can I sit down?" He pointed at a stool in the room.

Mike nodded.

Luke sat down and looked at Mike, who was slightly nervous. "I have a sister who's in high school and a five-year-old brother too. He's smart, just like you."

Mike nodded and looked at him curiously.

Luke said, "Your sister Elizabeth and I are good friends. I'm here because she told me that you found something weird, and I'm very interested in it."

Mike grew alarmed. "What is it?"

Instead of giving a straight answer, Luke simply said, "Do you know that I have an uncle who is an entomologist and a forensic scientist? His favorite snack is fried insects."

Mike was shocked.

Looking at his face, Luke chuckled. "You know that you can like something in many different ways, and eating is one of them."

Mike was lost for words.

Luke said, "So, can you show me your big discovery? If it's interesting, I can have my uncle analyze it. He's interested in unique insects."

Mike still hesitated.

Luke said, "Hey, kid, your sister asked me to help you. You don't want your mother to think you're a liar, do you?"

Mike's trust in his sister and his sense of disquiet finally outweighed his fear of this stranger. He rose and took something out from a drawer. "This is it."

Luke narrowed his eyes and sniffed the object. "You also told your sister that you spotted a terrifying monster?"

As he asked the question, Luke examined the object in his hand.

Mike hesitated, but nodded again. "Yes. It's too big. It's like a moving cabin."

Deep in thought, Luke asked, "Do you mind if I show this to my uncle?"

Mike: "Huh?"

Luke: "I'm going to take a picture of this and send it to him."

Of course, Mike had no objections.

Elizabeth had told Luke that her brother loved insects. That was why Luke had used Old Greyson as a lure.

Don

After sending a picture of the object and a message to Old Greyson, Old Greyson soon called back. "What did you just send me? Is it a movie prop?" Luke: "No, I'm holding it right now. I've confirmed that it's real."

Old Greyson: "Where are you?"

Luke: "Boom Town, a small place in Arizona."

Old Greyson: "Boom Town? Wait, I think I know someone who lives there."

Luke: "Who is it?"

Old Greyson: "Joshua Taft. He specializes in spiders."

Mike exclaimed, and Luke turned his head and asked, "What's wrong?"

Mike said, "I found this when I visited Joshua's spider farm."

After a brief silence, Old Greyson asked, "Are you with someone?"

Luke: "He's the person who discovered this object. I got it from him just now."

Old Greyson: "…Has something happened to Joshua?"

Luke looked at Mike.

The boy shook his head. "I don't know. Mom hasn't allowed me to go back to the spider farm after the recent incidents. I did try calling Joshua, but he didn't pick up." Luke: "Did you hear that, Greyson?" Old Greyson: "…Try to help him if you can, but don't put yourself in danger. I don't want Robert to scold me."

Luke: "Got it. It's rather tricky here. Two people are missing. Don't come yourself, I'll update you." Old Greyson was silent for a moment, before he sighed and said, "Okay, be careful. Right, take a clearer picture of that object, preferably with a ruler next to it."

Mike, however, interjected, "I have some analytical data on my computer. If you want, I can send them to you, Mr. Greyson, if you have an email address."

Luke: "…"

Old Greyson: "…Okay, thank you. Right, what's your name?"

Mike: "You can call me Mike."

Old Greyson: "Thank you, Mike. I'll send my email address to you. Goodbye."

After ending the call, Luke gave Mike the email address which Old Greyson sent him. Then, Luke watched the little guy skillfully operate his computer and send out all the files.

Luke couldn't help but ask, "Can I take a look at the files?"

Mike said, "As long as you don't tell my mom."

Luke raised three fingers and said, "I swear."

Then, he lowered his head and examined the files on the computer.

A moment later, he said in surprise, "Did you gather all this yourself?"

Mike, however, didn't seem proud of it. "Well, I like studying them, and I've been writing reports on them, but mom always says that the place is dangerous. I can't go there often."

Luke actually agreed with Samantha, since clearly, something had happened to Joshua.

As a mother and a police officer, Samantha was more focused on safety than her child was.

If not for his mother's warning, this little boy might not be standing here now, whole and healthy.

A moment later, Luke frowned and asked, "How many spiders are there in Joshua's spider farm?"

Mike thought for a moment before he shook his head. "I'm not sure. He often raises new spiders. But the last time I counted them, it was already over two hundred."

Luke was lost for words, and wondered if this was a joke.

Looking at the model of a spider next to a human in the files, Luke was almost creeped out by the comparison of body size.

A spider the size of a basin was certainly frightening!

Arthropods, including but not limited to spiders, scorpions and centipedes, had always been Luke's least favorite creatures.

When he thought that he might have to face some kind of massive spider, he felt distinctly ill.

But Luke didn't have a choice.

He couldn't call for backup, because he had nothing but the forearm of some prey hunted down by the spiders, which he had gotten from Mike.

If police officers could be mobilized based on speculation, all of them would have long died of exhaustion.

Luke thought for a moment and said, "Mike, your mother is right. Joshua's spider farm can be really dangerous now. You've already seen a monster, right? So, listen to your mother and don't go there."

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Chapter 299 Luke's Fear of Lack of Firepower

Looking at Mike's depressed face, Luke smiled and patted his head. "Hey, I'm Elizabeth's backup, and I'll save those in trouble. You're too small to fight the big monster, right?"

Mike was suspicious. "Are you really that good? Even Elizabeth asked for your help?" Luke chuckled and showed him the pistol in his holster as well as his badge. "Do you see these? Remember, keep it a secret between you and your mother. If anyone else finds out that your sister asked for our help, she'll be in trouble."

Mike nodded obediently.

Luke liked the kid, who was really smart; maybe even smarter than Elizabeth.

He was obviously gifted, to be able to write up those reports at his young age.

He was also quite sensible, unlike other innocent and naive kids.

After giving the kid the reminder, Luke rose and left his room.

Back in the living room, Selina was reading the files by herself. Luke asked, "Where's Samantha?"

Selina pointed in one direction without raising her head. "She's cooking."

Luke nodded and walked to the kitchen. "Samantha, do you have a minute?"

A moment later, Samantha was surprised after hearing Luke's request. "You're not going to have dinner here? I can go with you."

Luke shook his head solemnly. "Samantha, I think the situation is very bad, but what we have isn't enough for us to call for reinforcements, so we better investigate it as soon as possible."

Hearing that, Samantha untied her apron. "I'll go with you."

Luke thought for a moment before he nodded. "Alright. As for food, Selina, fetch some of the sweets from our car so that Ashley and Mike can have that for dinner."

Selina immediately went out.

Samantha was stumped a little. That didn't feel right. Shouldn't she be the one entertaining the guests? Why were the guests offering her food instead?

Luke said, "Samantha, you better remind Ashley and Mike to keep the doors and windows locked."

Samantha frowned but still did so.

It was common sense which she always told her children, and it was certainly handy now.

A few minutes later, the three of them left.

Samantha led the way in her car, and Luke and Samantha followed behind her.

They first went to the home of Peter, the deputy sheriff. The bald, middle-aged man looked upset. "Checo, my cat, just screamed in the ventilation duct and then went quiet. Is he…"

Samantha and Luke looked at each other and had everybody go into the house.

Luke went to the living room and took a deep breath at the ventilation duct.

He then stood up. "Is this the spot?"

Peter burst into tears. "Oh, yes. My poor Checo. Something must've happened to him."

Luke said nothing and simply turned to Samantha. "Let's go to the homes of the missing residents first."

After saying goodbye to the weeping Peter, Samantha asked in a low voice, "Did you find anything?"

Luke said, "That cat is indeed dead, but I don't think we should say that to Peter's face, right?"

Samantha asked, "Exactly what killed it?"

Luke chuckled. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you. Let's just look for more evidence for now."

An hour later, Luke had examined the homes of the two missing residents, the homes of the missing pets, and even Joshua's spider farm.

Regretfully, he discovered that while Peter's unlucky cat had been dragged off by a spider, the other missing pets weren't attacked at home.

The spiders on Joshua's spider farm, on the other hand, had completely disappeared, and their scents were scattered all over the nearby mountain.

Luke discovered a lot of new caves on the mountain, but they were too narrow for any human to squeeze through.

Remembering the number of spiders that Mike had mentioned, Luke certainly wasn't crazy enough to explore the caves. It wasn't like Selina was inside one of them this time.

He still couldn't call for reinforcements.

Backup might not come even if he exaggerated the severity of the matter. The police received all sorts of alerts every day, and would die of exhaustion if they checked every single one.

No reinforcements would be deployed unless there was concrete evidence for raising the alarm.

Luke and Selina returned to Samantha's home, and after some discussion, left once more.

They bought a bunch of bullets and clips from the only gun store in town.

With Samantha there, they weren't asked any questions about their purchase.

Luke simply bought a thousand bullets and ten clips each for his pistol and his rifle. Samantha was completely shocked.

Selina explained with a smile, "He has this fear that he doesn't have enough firepower. He won't feel safe until he has enough bullets."

Samantha was lost for words, but affected by their attitude, she borrowed an M4A1 and three clips from the store.

Earlier, she had asked Luke if he needed a gun, and offered him two models.

But Luke had declined the moment she told him what they were.

Those guns were obsolete, and weren't even semi-automatics. Luke would be crazy to face a swarm of spiders with those guns.

He had to admit that the place was too poor.

Samantha and Peter were the only officers of the town's local police department. Boom Town had declined, and the townsfolk didn't have the money to hire more officers. Samantha and Peter's salaries were very low.

Other than the Glock 17 which both sheriffs carried, the rifles and shotguns which the police department had were all antiques; there were even Winchester shotguns. That was also the reason why Samantha merely borrowed an M4A1 instead of buying it.

Thanks to the sheriff's good reputation in the area, the owner of the store offered her an automatic M4A1, which was the ultimate treasure of his store.

Luke wasn't interested in the weapons at the police department. He wasn't the nostalgic sort.

And even if he were, he would've also chosen the M4A1.

While not the best gun, it was the rifle which the American police were most commonly equipped with

Now, there were two M4A1s and one Benelli M1014 in Luke's car.

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Chapter 300 Hellhound Bruce

In fact, Luke had a tremendous amount of clips and bullets in his inventory, but since he had the time, he naturally didn't mind creating cover for himself.

If a battle did happen later, nobody would really be able to tell how many clips he had used, or which bullets were his.

Later, Samantha drove them to a hotel in town, which was next to a fast food restaurant.

Luke and Selina were satisfied with this arrangement, which was very convenient for them.

They checked into the hotel and then ate at the restaurant next door.

In a corner booth, Selina asked in a low voice, "Is it bad?"

She was too familiar with Luke, and could infer from many small details that Luke was in a sombre mood.

Luke took a bite of his hamburger and looked out the window. "I'm not sure, but it never hurts to be careful."

Selina nodded. "I know. Why else would you ask for a double room? You're scared that the spiders will attack me at night, right?"

Luke nodded. "You're too sound a sleeper. It's not improbable that the spiders will capture you and bring you back to their cave in the middle of the night."

Selina was lost for words.

Suddenly, they saw many of the townspeople, including the customers in the restaurant, gather in one place.

Luke observed them for a moment, before asking the waitress at the counter about it.

The waitress, a middle-aged woman, replied unconcernedly, "They're joining the town meeting. Wade is once again trying to make them sell their houses and their land."

Noticing that Luke was confused, the waitress asked, "You're not from around here, are you? I've never seen you before. Wade is the mayor, and a bloody capitalist and leech."

Luke thanked her with a smile and turned around, but he murmured inwardly that the townspeople only had themselves to blame, for electing Wade as mayor; he would've already been kicked out of office, if he didn't have supporters.

Once they knew what it was about, Luke and Selina lost interest in the matter and went to their room.

The owner of the hotel had quite a complicated expression when she watched the two of them return to their room, as if she was recalling the good old days of her youth. The next morning, Luke and Selina set off for McCormick Mining Corp.

This company was the biggest mining company in town.

However, after Mr. McCormick, the owner of the company, passed away a few months earlier, the company had gone bankrupt, and was waiting to be liquidated.

Gladys McCormick, McCormick's sister, was running the company for the time being.

When Luke pushed open the door of the so-called company, the bell over the door rang, letting the owner of the house know that a visitor had come.

This was actually just a small bungalow. Luke saw a fifty-year-old lady who was typing, a cigarette in her mouth. Without turning to look, she said, "We're not hiring anymore."

Luke chuckled and was about to say something, when the black-and-white bulldog next to the old lady ran over and bit Luke's pants, growling intimidatingly.

Luke was amused. He gestured at Selina to talk to the lady, before he crouched down and petted the naughty dog. "Oh, are you a hellhound? What a fearsome attack!"

The little guy threatened Luke at first, and seemed to ignore Luke's hand. Very quickly, however, it lay on the floor to reveal its belly at Luke's comfortable scratches.

Luke picked it up with a smile and kept scratching its belly and chin as he went forward.

The old lady was a little embarrassed. "Bruce is a little naughty, but he isn't really a biter."

Luke nodded. "I know, Ms. McCormick. He's just a good boy who wants a playmate. Isn't that right, Bruce?"

The bulldog grunted in his arms and narrowed its eyes comfortably.

This old lady was none other than Gladys McCormick, who was the manager of the mining company for the time being. She would soon lose that identity, however, since the company was about to close down.

Naturally, Luke and Selina had come to her about the mines in the mountain.

The caves dug out by the enormous spiders which they had found last night probably led to the mines.

Anyone who knew about mines understood how dangerous an unfamiliar mine could be.

One could easily get lost inside, or encounter a collapse or an explosion. Anyone who rashly entered an unknown mine might very likely die down below without a sound, and their bodies might never be found.

Naturally, Luke had come to the mining company for information on the mines, including maps and dangerous locations, so that it would be easier for him to find the spiders' nest.

Mines were undoubtedly still safer than the small, newly dug out caves that he had found yesterday. At the very least, Luke could fight in the mines.

After hearing their explanation, Gladys frowned. "Although this company is shutting down, my brother said before that he had discovered a new mother lode in the mines,

So…"

Luke and Selina looked at each other, and were somewhat at a loss.

It couldn't be said that this old woman was being stingy. McCormick Corp had always mined gold, and it was possible that the deceased owner of the company had left some clues in the files.

If new gold lodes were found, that would mean a huge fortune.

Luke didn't try to convince the old lady, since he would have the same concerns if he were in her shoes.

Besides, she wouldn't believe him even if he told her that there were big spiders in the mines.

Luke and Selina could only say their goodbyes. Putting the bulldog down, Luke said, "Goodbye, Bruce. I'll bring you a bone next time, alright?" Bruce scrambled around his feet, and only went back reluctantly after Gladys called for it a couple of times.

After they left, Selina looked at Luke. "What do we do now?"

Luke said, "Let's go look for Samantha. The residents here trust her. After all, she's lived here for 38 years; she'll be much more persuasive than two strangers."

When they went to Samantha's house, they saw a handsome middle-aged man talking to the beautiful sheriff at the door.

Samantha was holding a bunch of flowers that had obviously just been picked.

Luke parked the car at a distance as he didn't want to disrupt the sweet moment.

Selina said enviously, "I haven't received flowers for a long time."

Luke chuckled but didn't say anything.

Luke didn't drive the car over until the man was gone. He greeted Samantha. "Hey, you're looking pretty good today, Samantha."

Samantha was smiling, and was clearly in a better mood than yesterday. She invited Luke and Selina into the house.

Luke and Selina didn't have time to waste, and simply told Samantha about the information they wanted on the mines as well as Gladys's attitude on the matter.

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Chapter 301 Tricky Mines, and the Spiders Attack

Samantha was blank for a moment. "You should've come sooner. Chris was here just now."

Recalling the handsome middle-aged man, Luke asked, "Is he the man who just left?"

Samantha nodded. "Yes. He's old McCormick's son and now owns those mines. Do you want me to call him and ask him what he thinks?"

Luke and Selina were of course happy about that.

Instead of going into the house, they sat on the porch and stared at the town in the morning sun.

"What a beautiful place," Selina remarked. "It's a shame that this is going to be abandoned."

Luke simply nodded, but he didn't feel much regret.

There were too many such beautiful and remote towns in America as well as China in Luke's last world, but for various reasons, these towns often eventually ended up as desolate lands that nobody ever visited.

After a dozen minutes or so, Samantha returned in embarrassment. "He must be in the mines. I can't reach him. Do you want me to take you over there?"

Unwilling to waste more time, Luke immediately accepted her offer.

A moment later, the three of them set off in two cars again.

When they reached the mines, Luke observed the environment and found that it was only one kilometer away from the spider farm in a straight line, with a small hill in between.

He suspected that the spiders had found their way into the mines and had made their new nest there.

They spoke to Chris via a walkie-talkie and asked him to come up. Samantha talked to him in private for a moment, before they went over to Selina and Luke.

They shook hands politely, and Chris said with a bitter smile, "My aunt is too obsessed with this place; after all, she and my father worked here their whole lives. In any case, I think I can help. There are a few old miners who know the mines better than I do. You can ask them about the details. How does that sound?"

Luke thanked him and felt greatly relieved.

Old miners were sometimes more helpful than maps, they knew a lot more about the specific situation that wasn't indicated on a map.

They didn't go into the mines yet since it would be too dangerous. Chris also mentioned that new exploration was happening again underground, and it was possible that there was high density gas in the abandoned tunnels.

Before the existence of a new mother lode was confirmed, few people dared to risk their lives in mines filled with gas.

A few old miners were summoned. They talked to Luke and Selina in turns.

In the end, Luke found out that the mines on the spider farm's side happened to be a hotbed of gas, and that workers hadn't explored that part yet.

Luke got a strong headache.

If the place was brimming with gas, he wouldn't be able to shoot down there. Then, did he have to rely on a sword?

He wasn't the Hulk, with boundless physical strength. It would be dangerous to fight the spiders in their nest.

But he also couldn't blow up the mines just because of the suspicion of enormous spiders.

These were gold mines, even if they had dried up. Many miners and families in town were still hoping to find new mother lodes to revive the town.

In order to resolve the problem of enormous spiders, Luke would have to investigate it himself after he made full preparations.

After he obtained concrete evidence, he could report to the FBI and have them take care of the monsters.

After the conversation, Luke made a deal with Chris, and would wait for the latter to bring information on the mines to the fast food restaurant in town at noon.

He also made it clear that he only needed maps, and he didn't need more geological information on the mines.

Luke and Selina then tactfully left, and didn't ask Samantha to go with them.

Seeing how she and Chris made eyes at each other every now and then, they knew that something had to be going on between those two.

When they returned to the town, Luke and Selina began to examine their guns carefully; their equipment would most likely come in handy later, and they couldn't be negligent.

They brought all the clips with them. Luke even placed a few tear gas grenades in the

car.

Selina didn't suspect anything.

The weapon compartments in the front and back of the car were all organized by Luke, and she knew how many guns there were in them. However, she didn't know how many clips there were, though there definitely had to be more than ten.

So, she had no idea that Luke had thrown yet another ten clips and twenty tear gas grenades inside from his inventory.

It was noon by the time they were done with preparations. They had lunch at the fast food restaurant.

Chris came as promised and gave them the maps of the mines.

Watching him leave in a hurry, Selina chuckled. "He shaved. It seems that he's quite into Samantha."

Luke rubbed his face regretfully.

He had been planning to grow a beard so that he would look more mature.

The type of neatly trimmed beard which Tony Stark had wasn't bad. Luke had plenty of time, and his hands were nimble and precise, so it wasn't troublesome for him to trim his own beard.

Unfortunately, while he did have facial hair, it wasn't lush or thick enough yet for him to trim it into an attractive shape.

Selina chuckled when she noticed what he was doing. "Just drop the idea. You'll be a pretty boy for the rest of your life."

That left Luke speechless.

His face was indeed quite fair, and it never tanned because of his self-healing ability.

In the afternoon, they studied the maps in a corner of the fast food restaurant.

Luke felt that he had to explore the mines the next morning.

If guns couldn't be used, he could go in with cold weapons such as a bow or a spear.

If he ran into any danger and he didn't want a fight to the death, running away was always an option.

He also had irritant sprays and gas masks in his inventory, which might be of some use against the spiders as well.

His time in this town was limited, and he couldn't waste it.

It slowly turned six in the evening, and the sky turned a golden color at sunset.

Suddenly, Luke pricked his ears. He frowned and said in a low voice, "Selina, let's go and get the guns, and be careful."

Selina followed him and asked in a low voice, "What's up?"

Luke continued in a low voice, "The spiders are out." Looking at the sunset, he remembered what Mike said.

Most spiders were scared of the light, which was why they liked hunting at night.

As they walked, he called Samantha, but the beautiful sheriff was the first to speak when she picked up the phone. "Luke, something happened. Gladys was captured by spiders."

Luke was lost for words. Why did that line sound so familiar?

With no time to waste, he simply said, "I was going to tell you that I've spotted spiders attacking the residents. If possible, gather everybody in a safe place."

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Chapter 302 A Quick Change, and a Request For Reinforcements

A little panicked, Samantha subconsciously asked, "What place is safe?"

Luke reminded her, "Buildings with entrances and exits that can be locked easily. Also, they have to be made of concrete. Wooden houses won't stop the spiders."

Samantha said, "What? Let me see… Right, the shopping center! The shopping center that the mayor put up is very solid."

Luke said, "That's good. Also, we may have to show our badges when we rescue the residents. You won't mind, will you?"

Samantha said without hesitation, "Not at all. I give you permission to use weapons in order to ensure the safety of the residents."

Luke said, "Okay, stay in touch, and contact me if anything goes wrong." He then hung up the phone.

They left the fast food restaurant for their car.

There was only a last bit of dying light in the west. It was already dusk in the town.

When Luke had been on the phone, Selina had already retrieved two bulletproof vests from the car. She put on one and clipped on the magazines and other equipment on it.

After Luke ended the call, Selina tossed him the other bulletproof vest.

Luke had made these bulletproof vests himself. All sorts of useful gadgets could be clipped onto them, and they didn't carry the LAPD sign.

As Luke put on the bulletproof vest, Selina threw him an M4A1, then picked up a Benelli M1014 and two clips.

Luke caught the M4A1 with one hand and the tactical backpack that Selina threw at him next with the other.

He unzipped the backpack and took out the clips that were inside. He then clipped the tear gas grenades to his vest as well.

Selina was also completely fitted out at almost the same time.

They then took out their badges and hung them on a special metal chain around their necks.

The entire process took less than two minutes.

Luke said, "Follow me. Watch your back and above you." He then started running.

He was fast but not sloppy.

In a rescue, he also had to ensure his own safety. It would be a joke if he got himself in danger.

The other customers in the fast food restaurant were dumbfounded. What was going on? Why did a young couple suddenly turn into two awesome police officers?

No one would mistake them for criminals. After all, they were all very familiar with the typical way that police officers wore their badges.

There were only two sheriffs in town, and the people here had been feeling anxious recently. So, it wasn't unusual that the sheriffs would look for outside help.

The curious customers walked to the windows and watched the two running officers, wondering what they were doing.

Luke and Selina soon ran to a house fifty meters away. They shouted "Police!" and kicked their way in.

A horrified old man inside was crying for help. "Help! There's a monster inside! A huge monster!"

Luke simply waved his hand at the old man to back away. He then changed positions and aimed at the door.

An enormous spider with a body bigger than a basin and with legs that could wrap around a man appeared.

Bang! Bang! The head of the spider exploded, and its body knocked down a lot of things when it collapsed. Luke quickly walked into the room and kicked away the body of the spider that was twitching. He then took out a jack knife to cut open a human-shaped cocoon on a chair.

Inside was an old woman who took deep breaths and started coughing.

Luke didn't waste time talking and simply picked up the old woman. "Do you have a gun? If you do, take it with you, and drive her to the mayor's shopping center. If you see any spiders on the road, don't stop, and just ram into them, got it?"

He was talking to the old man.

The old man could only nod blankly. He finally came back to himself when he saw the two fully armed individuals take his wife out of the house. He hurriedly took out a shotgun from a cupboard and several boxes of bullets, then grabbed the car key from a side table and followed them out.

Luke and Selina put the old woman in the car and watched the old couple drive off.

With his sharp ears, Luke could already hear unusual noises in many parts of the town.

There were cries of fear, the sound of barking, and the occasional gunshot.

He narrowed his eyes and looked at the mountain in the east, only to see faint black spots jumping their way over.

That was where the mines were located.

Luke dialed another number. He ran as he waited for someone to pick up the phone. He didn't wait for long. A man said calmly, "Detective Luke, it's been a while. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Luke had already killed another giant spider in another house further away. Pulling a hysterical, middle-aged woman out and throwing her to Selina, he said, "Hello, Captain Wales. I'm in Boom Town in Arizona. I believe you'd be interested in the fact that a huge number of giant spiders have appeared here."

The man immediately asked, "What giant spiders?"

Luke raised his hand and fired as he sent flying a spider that had just been about to sneak up on Selina. It dropped to the ground in a burst of disgusting fluid.

As calm as ever, Luke said, "Those I've killed are thirty to fifty centimeters long, not including their legs. Each of them can hunt down a human being on their own, and they're now hunting the residents here. I'll send you pictures. You have to take action right now."

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Selina opened fire decisively, and another giant spider that scuttled out from the side exploded with a splatter of that disgusting greenish black fluid.

Wales said, "Hang in there. I'll send you reinforcements right away. Stay in touch." He then hung up the phone.Luke relaxed a little.

S.H.I.E.L.D. was quicker to respond to a crisis than the real FBI.

The twenty spiders he saw were valid enough evidence for him to call for reinforcements.

While thinking this, he took out his fake phone and sent Captain Wales several photos of the spiders, both dead and alive.

He then quickly recorded an announcement with his fake phone and played it on a loop before putting it back into his chest pocket.

"Attention, everyone. Giant spiders have appeared in town and are attacking people. If your house is solid and can be sealed off, please stay inside and wait for assistance. Otherwise, please leave as soon as possible and drive to the new shopping center, where you will find Sheriff Samantha. Bring whatever weapons and ammunition you can find. On your way there, don't stop, and don't let any sudden appearance of the spiders on the road stop you."

This way, he and Selina wouldn't have to waste time repeating their explanations when they rescued people.

Selina was relieved as well. She really didn't know how to comfort those residents who were almost scared witless.

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Chapter 303 The Nature of Human Beings

Thanks to the memories of his previous life, there was one principle that Luke was aware of.

What were human beings like?

They were repeaters by nature.

Recalling classic cases in marketing and advertising, he knew that a long speech often wasn't as effective as a simple one played on a loop, which was the easiest to remember in a short period of time. At that point, night had already fallen.

The few lamps on the town's main road also lit up, but they only made the previously peaceful town look even more terrifying.

There seemed to be a giant spider lurking in every dark corner where the light couldn't reach.

Luke was firing his M4A1 much more frequently, but he still maintained a fixed rhythm.

Naturally, his gunshots attracted many residents who were fleeing in panic.

Gunshots meant human beings who were resisting the monstrous spiders. When the residents approached the source of the gunshots, they heard Luke's announcement on repeat.

Luke and Selina basically didn't have to say a word as they simply focused on hitting the spiders that were after the residents.

Luke had no time to talk. For each resident that he saved from the giant spiders that were hunting them, he was rewarded with twenty experience and credit points by the system.

This was simply the best raid for experience and credit points.

He and Selina cooperated well. He was strong, his reactions were swift, and his shots were precise. There was barely any recoil from the M4A1 for him.

Selina's M4A1 had also been modified with additional fittings that could help her control the gun more easily.

She was mainly responsible for eliminating the spiders that slipped through. She didn't fire as frequently, but her reactions were also very quick.

Just like that, one attacked and the other covered for him. The gunfire wasn't especially rushed, and they killed all the giant spiders that came within a hundred meters of them.

Not long after that, they heard a broadcast by Samantha on the street. "Folks, this is Sheriff Samantha. We are now in a state of emergency. Giant spiders have appeared in town and are attacking people. If you don't have solid shelter, please take your weapons and ammunition with you, and drive to the shopping center. I will establish a defense line there and protect everyone. This is not a joke, I repeat, this is not a joke. Please take action immediately for your own safety."

Luke and Selina were relieved. The broadcast was quite loud, and many people should be able to hear it.

The broadcast should be on the town's radio frequency, so it should be able to reach even more people listening to it at home. This made Luke and Selina's rescue mission a lot easier.

So, Luke and Selina calmed down and focused on eliminating the spiders nearby. One good thing about Boom Town was that it had a long, broad street that passed through more than half of the town. It was the street in front of the fast food restaurant, and led to the mayor's shopping center.

So, Luke and Selina only needed to clear this street, and the residents within a few hundred meters down the road who came running at the sound would be able to reach them.

As for the residents who were still hiding in houses further out, there wasn't much that Luke and Selina could do.

If they entered those complex buildings, their clean-up range would be significantly reduced, and if the lifeline that was the main street wasn't guarded, more residents would die.

Suddenly, a police car charged over from a small side street after a hasty turn.

Luke was stunned for a moment. Was this… Deputy Sheriff Peter's car?

There were only two police cars in town. Samantha's was an SUV, but this was a regular vehicle, so one could tell right off the bat.

Luke immediately noticed that the car was packed.

At first glance, he saw Samantha, Peter, Ashley and Mike. There also seemed to be two other people whose faces he couldn't see.

When that car appeared like it was on fire, giant spiders suddenly swarmed out of the side street after it. Not only did the spiders leap down the street, they also climbed and covered the walls and roofs of the buildings around them like a tide. Luke quickly ducked behind a car on the roadside and finally fully opened fire with his M4A1. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! A giant spider that had pounced on the top of the police car was sent flying, and another was blown up while it was still in the air. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three spiders that had been about to climb up the back of the police car exploded and writhed on the ground.

"Retreat and get the car!" Luke shouted.

Selina immediately started to back away.

She wasn't as fast as Luke. If she didn't retreat in time, she would drag Luke down here.

She ran a hundred meters, got into the car, and drove it away from the curb.

Luke began to pull back as well.

But unlike Selina's mad dash back, he faced the flood of spiders as he retreated backward.

His M4A1 also fired nonstop, the triple bursts almost sounding like one, as the spiders that were chasing the police car were hit and fell one after another.

At that point, the police car had reached him and was starting to slow down. The window rolled down to reveal Samantha's anxious face.

Without looking at them, Luke shouted, "Don't stop! Head for the shopping center now!"

In the meantime, he switched to a one-handed grip on the M4A1 and drew out his Glock with his left hand.

The police car paused for a moment, as if they were hesitating. But then, they saw Luke run backward, so fast that he was already ahead of the car.

Peter, who was driving, mumbled, "Holy sh*t! Did this guy specially practice running backward?"

Samantha had already come back to herself. Looking at Luke's car up ahead, she said, "Speed up! He's covering us. His partner has already driven the car over and is waiting for him."

Peter hurriedly sped up, and the car rushed to the shopping center.The overwhelming tide of spiders consumed all the Glock's bullets. Luke put the gun back into his holster and reloaded his M4A1 as he kept running.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Killing the closest three giant spiders to him, Luke got into the passenger seat after Selina opened the door for him.

At the same time, Selina sped up and followed closely behind the police car.

Luke put the M4A1 in a box nearby and quickly reloaded his Glock. Rolling down the car window, he raised his hand and aimed.

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

Two spiders exploded in a burst of disgusting fluid and struggled on the ground.

At this point, even Luke couldn't kill each spider with one shot anymore.

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Chapter 304 Fierce Battle and Instant Kill

In the brief battle just now, Luke had fired nonstop and used up almost three clips. The M4A1 had heated up quickly, and smoke could be seen wafting out of it.

The gun barrels of modern rifles had long lifespans overall, but if they were fired incessantly and the barrel overheated, this would greatly affect the gun's accuracy. It was even possible that the bullets might get stuck or even explode inside the gun.

It was unlikely that a gun which Luke had modified would explode, but stuck bullets could be fatal in a fierce battle.

He didn't want to lose this gun when the battle had just started. Although he had more guns in his inventory, he didn't plan to use his unregistered secret weapon unless it was necessary.

The Glock was much less powerful than the M4A1, but Luke was very familiar with this gun. Since it was smaller, it was more suitable for use in a car than the M4A1.

He didn't think about trying to kill the spiders anymore, and simply stopped them from jumping onto the car and obstructing it.

Samantha's car was in front of them. If he didn't stop the spiders behind him, Samantha would soon be surrounded by this troop of spiders. Luke used up two Glock clips very quickly. He then grabbed Selina's M4A1. She hadn't fired as much as Luke, so her gun was still usable. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Luke missed a target as the car was moving at high speed, and a spider almost hit the car.

Thankfully, he reacted fast enough and shot the spider again at the last moment.

Finally, they reached a relatively tall and new building. It was a shopping center built by Wade, mayor of the town.

Who the hell knew why he had built a shopping center when the town was about to go bankrupt, but it was now the only shelter that the residents of the town had.

Unlike the houses of the residents, which were mostly made of wood on muddy ground, this shopping center was a concrete building and a lot more solid, with a metal roller shutter over the entrance.

Drawing out the Glock again, Luke said, "Don't park our car at the entrance. Drive twenty meters away."

Selina was surprised. "What?" Luke said, "The spiders will definitely charge at the entrance later, and I don't want my car to be painted in the green and black fluid from the spiders."

Selina: Bro, you still have such high demands when we're fleeing for our lives?

Still, she did as Luke said.

Seizing that brief moment, Luke took out the Benelli M1041 and its bullets from the box.

The car screeched to a stop ten meters to one side of the shopping center.

Selina grabbed the M4A1 that Luke had just reloaded and got out.

When Luke got out, he raised his right hand and pulled the trigger. With a bam, a spider that had been scuttling toward Samantha's family from the side was blown away.

Samantha's family was fine, but unfortunately, the disgusting fluid splattered over Peter, dyeing him black and green.

"Samantha, go inside and gather everybody on the second floor to stop these things," Luke shouted. He had noticed that the second floor had a lot of windows that could be opened.

It was possible for the spiders to crawl in through the windows, but if everyone worked together, those windows would also be of great use in a counterattack. Samantha's family was still in a panicked state.

After all, a bunch of spiders had chased them all the way here.

After Luke said that, Samantha shouted anxiously, "There's a huge spider behind us. It's chasing us, too."

Luke smiled grimly. "I know. I'll take care of it."

As he spoke, the ground shook slightly, and he fired his shotgun, blowing away three spiders that had come rushing in within ten meters. Luke's gaze then shifted to a turn in an alley. On the other side, Selina was urging Samantha and the others to enter the shopping center.

Only after they were inside could they roll down the metal shutter over the shopping center's entrance.

Selina was well aware that if Luke wanted to enter, he wouldn't use the entrance.

As the shutter slowly rolled down behind Luke, Selina quickly ran to the second floor and said, "Samantha, get people organized. Half of the men with guns will come with me to get rid of the small spiders on the second floor."

Everybody was lost for words. Were spiders that could wrap their legs around a human being small?

Luke fired his shotgun and blew away the few spiders that were close to him. He then dropped to one knee.

He put the shotgun on his bent leg, drew out the Glock with his left hand, and then quickly loaded a few special bullets into his shotgun from his belt of bullets.

Two spiders dropped down on Luke from a nearby building.

While loading the bullets with his right hand, Luke raised the Glock in his left hand.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! The two spiders jerked and fell in front of him in a spray of fluid.

Bang! Bang!

Without raising his head, Luke shot a spider that was crawling down from the top of the shopping center and planning to attack him from behind. He then put the Glock back into the holster and rose.

The Benelli had been reloaded. Luke picked up the shotgun and raised it.

As the ground shook, a gargantuan thing emerged from around the corner of a street nearby.

It was almost as tall as a house. Including its furry legs, it was almost ten meters in diameter and looked like a tank.

It turned out to be a super huge tarantula.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

The semi-automatic Benelli unleashed the fiercest firepower, and Luke shot seven bullets into the huge monster.

The tarantula as huge as a house was truly intimidating, but it didn't have quick responses. It had barely shown up, when seven enormous holes appeared in it.

Being hit consecutively by a shotgun in a range of thirty meters wasn't a privilege that a human being could enjoy since they would've been blown away after the first hit.

This monstrous tarantula obviously wasn't made of steel either.

A mix of black, yellow and green fluid spurted out from the seven enormous holes in its body. It came to an abrupt stop and convulsed like mad, and didn't seem half as horrifying as before.

Calmly, Luke put the Benelli, which had run out of bullets, on his back, and raised the M4A1 which had already cooled down. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Three spiders that had drawn close while he was dealing with the enormous tarantula were blown up mercilessly. Then, Selina shouted from above, "Grab the rope!"

Looking around warily, Luke grabbed a rope that had been dropped down and said, "Pull me up."

The rope immediately stretched taut, and it clearly wasn't just one person who was pulling

Holding his gun in his other hand, Luke quickly ascended to the second floor.

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