2025-04-02 22:56:07Luke Sullivan looked at the woman contemplatively as she smiled and hiccuped, "Sorry handsome, your pick-up line was wasted! Haha, I'm not just some pure and pretty face. I'm not here for a date!"
Oh...
As soon as she opened her mouth, Luke understood. This woman wasn't some innocent drunk girl – she was here for business.
Originally, he was just here to pick up a pretty girl, with no intention to pay for it.
Luke thought about changing his target, but felt somewhat bitter. Firstly, she simply stood out too much; no other girls could match her looks. Secondly, everyone else was already paired up, making it hard to engage other women in conversation.
Ah!
Luke made his decision – as long as it felt good, what's some money! He'd consider it a celebration for successfully crossing over!
So, he sat right beside her, continuing the conversation. "Hey beautiful, so those feelings of yours, how much are they?"
"Ha!" She laughed coldly, readily putting up three fingers, "True love? Priceless. One night? Three hundred! Also, I won't go home with you, or to some cheap motel. Four-stars and up or bust!"
"Jesus!" Luke slammed the table, "Is this a robbery? Three hundred? Four-star hotel? My God! Say, do you do discounts?"
"Handsome, I can tell you're not in this business!" She didn't even bat an eyelash. "You should know, with this price, there's no discount! If you have the guts and the money, we leave now, and I guarantee you'll be satisfied. If not, move out of the way and don't waste my time!"
"My God." Luke searched through his memory, realizing that even if he put his entire savings together, it wasn't even enough for a motel. So, he could only angrily yell at her, "Okay, I've decided to leave!"
Little did Luke know, someone had overheard their conversation. He had only just moved aside when a man clad in designer clothes came with a wad of cash and sat in his seat.
"Let's go, baby!" The man chomped on his gum and slapped down the cash, "Money's no object with me. Tonight at the Ritz, we will go all night, how about it?"
When the woman saw the money, her spacey expression vanished, instantly replaced by liveliness. She pretended to nod her head coyly, and left with the rich man without any hesitation.
The woman didn't even look at Luke as she left. His frustration was insane. Luke clenched his fist and angrily stared as the foxy pair left, telling himself, "Gold diggers! The less I see them, the better!" But as he stared, he saw a man sitting at the bar.
The man was wearing a black windbreaker and a baseball cap. His head was down, and the collar of the windbreaker was propped up, covering most of his face, only revealing two gloomy eyes.
The man's eyes never left the gold digger who was just drinking. Now that the beauty was leaving, his eyes followed the woman into the distance, as if deeply entranced.
Because the beauty was leaving from Luke's side, as the strange man's eyes followed the woman, he and Luke suddenly locked gazes.
"What the hell are you looking at?!" Luke thought the man was mocking him, and immediately flipped him off.
The man in the windbreaker shook a little as if surprised, then immediately stood up and left, disappearing within moments.
Luke ordered one of the cheapest cocktails, wanting to quench his own thirst, but his mind immediately jumped to a very important issue.
'Jesus Christ! That guy in the windbreaker; could it be that guy?'
Could there really be such a coincidence in the world?
Luke tried to convince himself otherwise–he was probably thinking too much. There was no way. He had just finished listening to the briefing for the York Criminal Case, and had he really seen the culprit himself?
Those kinds of odds must be smaller than winning the lottery!
Luke held the beer glass in his hand, yet he could not drink properly at all. The man in designer clothes was just too suspicious!
He lowered his head with a gloomy expression, and that of a suspicious feeling.
Luke thought about Detective Priscillia's case briefing. The York Case victims were all females with questionable habits. It fit that gold digger perfectly.
Not only that, but the culprit's face had been scratched, and the man in designer clothes was covering his face with his collar. Could it be?
Could it really be that the male in designer clothes was the York Criminal?
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The Crime System Catching the York Criminal
Having come to that thought, Luke could no longer sit around. He figured even if he was wrong, he still had to take a look. He put down his beer glass and quickly went in the direction where the male with the designer clothes had run off to.The bar exit was a plain, small steel door, similar to the entrance. Luke rushed out and immediately emerged into a narrow, dark alley.It was already 10:00pm at night, and the alley was deathly quiet. He looked both ways. Using the moonlight, Luke quickly saw the shadow of someone fleeing past on his right."Huh?" He paused for a moment, even more suspicious now. He quickly ran in that direction.Chasing and being chased were both his previous specialties. Not only was Luke fast, but he was also light on his feet, and there was no sound in his pursuit.The shadow had disappeared to another small and dark alley. The alley headed straight towards the parking lot.When Luke walked past a green dumpster, he suddenly saw someone on the ground. It was
The Crime System The First Reward
Luke Sullivan heard the word "reward money" and recalled the investigation unit's rule. Officers who caught criminals would be awarded prize money based on the situation, which would also be recorded in their records, helping with promotions or exams later on.'There's money to be made catching criminals? Good! Good!' The side of Luke's mouth tilted up, and he threw a glance at Vincent. Vincent was unhappy to begin with. Seeing Luke taunt him, he crossed his arms, no longer speaking."The culprit's baton was modified by himself. The voltage goes up to 30,000 volts which can instantly knock a person out!" Detective Priscillia continued, "The culprit's name is unknown. We only know that he is a high school student, but he could've dropped out. Due to the injury, the culprit is currently in the emergency room while under surveillance, and currently cannot be questioned. Mr. Sullivan, your attack was a little too strong!""What? Too strong? You've already said it! A 30,000 volt. How could
The Crime System What is this Crime System About?
"What the...?" Confused by this sudden explanation, Luke quickly selected the orb again, causing the voice to repeat the description of the Invisibility Eavesdropper device."Detective Sullivan, I added two sugars to your coffee, just how you like it!" Bella called out, mistaking his distant expression for simple enjoyment of his drink.Her voice yanked him back to reality, and the bustling noise of the precinct suddenly felt overwhelming. He needed somewhere quiet to process what was happening. Ignoring Vincent's usual griping and Priscilla's presence, Luke stood up and headed for the door.As he stepped out, he ran straight into Captain Jake Sheldon. They'd never been particularly close, so Luke ducked his head and tried to slip past him.To his surprise, Captain Sheldon blocked his path and asked, "Sullivan, weren't you supposed to be taking a personal day? How'd you end up catching our thief instead?" His expression turned serious. "Level with me here. How did you know they'd show
The Crime System I’m Penniless
Some hours later, Luke found himself truly penniless. He didn't even have money to buy data on his phone and had to look up house rental information on a computer instead.Among the mass of advertisements, he randomly picked a few that were near the police station. Showing no regard for work hours, he threw on his jacket and left the workplace.As for Dawson's investigation, Luke didn't have high expectations. If just a few of his words could solve a cold case that had been plaguing the Special Crimes Unit for ten years, it would really be the joke of the century!Executed by lethal injection but having escaped death and crossed over, and then obtaining the technical, so-called Crime System had put Luke in a great mood. As he strolled down the street, the sun beamed upon him warmly as he walked with an extra spring in his step.He started realizing that being a crime detective might not be so bad. Catching criminals and getting rewards, not to mention some special privileges. That kin
The Crime System Caught in the Act
Luke Sullivan noticed the kid wearing a dark green cap. The youngster was of average height and skinny, almost like a student. Yet they looked very nervous, as if doing something questionable.'Interesting!' Luke thought. He used to deal with these delinquents often and followed the kid out of curiosity. Despite the youngster being on high alert, constantly checking left and right, Luke was experienced in stealth and avoided all detection.Finally, he followed the kid into a dark corner. There was a tattooed man with dyed blonde hair waiting.The two exchanged no words when they met. The youngster immediately handed the other man some sort of black Game Card, while the blonde pulled out an envelope in exchange.'Huh!?' Luke watched from the sideline. Even an idiot could tell that the two must be making some sort of illegal deal! If he rushed out now, he could definitely catch them red-handed, adding more credit to his criminal catching record.But Luke was used to this sort of activit
The Crime System Getting the House Rent
Luke's mind reeled. "Wow... No way?" This had to be the second biggest coincidence in the world. He had just quarreled with the owner of Dalton Fruit Company, and now he'd caught his daughter red-handed in illegal activities. Surely, this couldn't be a mere chance!He couldn't help but attribute this to the Crime System. It had to be involved somehow."Mr. Policeman, sir?" The girl's voice snapped Luke back to reality. She stood obediently before him, too scared to run. "Please, can you let me go? The money... I mean, the stolen fee... I don't want it anymore!"An idea suddenly struck Luke. He hastily returned the envelope to her. "What do you mean you don't want it? Here, take it! It's fine, we're all friends here. No problem at all!""Oh... you..." The girl was shocked. "You know my dad?""Mm... you see," Luke thought quickly, changing tack. "I... I just rented your house! Now that I understand your situation, if it's to save your mother, I can turn a blind edge! Don't worry, carry
The Crime System The Strange Detective
It was 6:30 am in the morning, the sun just peeking over the horizon of New York, most of the city still shrouded in shadows. Luke Sullivan hadn't witnessed it himself, but he had been told about the scene at the 24-hour McDonald's on Banyan Street. Two middle schoolers were there, trying to catch up on their morning recitation while quickly devouring their chicken sandwiches.Suddenly, a woman stumbled in. She wore a brand-name windbreaker, but it was stained with blood. Her hair was a mess, and she was clearly exhausted. She nearly collapsed as she pushed open the heavy glass door, limping towards the students."H...H...Help..." she managed to call out weakly.The middle schoolers looked up and nearly screamed. They scrambled back, dropping their juice in shock. The woman was missing her right hand! At the end of her wrist was only an ugly, blood-soaked bandage.At 8 o'clock that morning, Luke was lounging in the giant bed of his new flat, feeling utterly content. The rent was still
The Crime System The Maimed Case
Luke Sullivan was startled awake by his phone ringing. "Hello? Officer Sullivan, where are you? How come you still haven't arrived? The entire unit's waiting on you!" came Bella's urgent voice."What's up? Go where?" he answered lazily."No way?" Bella sounded surprised. "Didn't you get the text? The Maimed Case! The whole team is at the office for a meeting! Hurry up and come... hurry..."The line shut off, and Luke now saw the phone notification. Due to a sudden case today, everyone was required to be at the police station at exactly 8:00 am for a meeting to analyze the situation. The entire team must be there.Looking at his watch, it was almost 8:30 am.Luke was rather agitated. Yesterday he hadn't gotten any sleep, today he finally got some shut eye, but how come there was another case out of nowhere? With a name like the "Maimed Case," too?At first, he was much too lazy to go. But after thinking about the name "Maimed Case," it sounded somewhat interesting. After much contempl
Latest Chapter
Hands of Justice
Luke understood two things clearly as the pieces fell into place. One, Lila's drugged gun wasn't some off-the-shelf purchase. It had been specially prepared for this crime. She couldn't have been sure that Sophia Young would go into the grave alone, so the gun was her backup plan. Ironically, Luke ended up being the one who got shot in the end.The second realization was more chilling. For years, ever since that piano competition, Lila hadn't thought about severing hands in revenge, even though she felt robbed. It wasn't until last January when she learned her mother had a terminal illness that her resentment boiled over. Losing her mother's presence, already so fragile, shattered her last thread of patience. Devastated, she finally gave in to her thirst for vengeance.Luke sighed deeply and said, "You're so capable, Lila. But why would someone with your skills choose something so stupid for revenge? You could've tracked down those suspects and forced them to tell the truth! Whoever h
Fifteen Years of Festering Hatred
Luke sat up instantly. Lila Davis? Wanting to see him? What could her angle possibly be? Despite himself, he was curious. There were still gaping holes in the story—mysteries left unsolved.After grabbing his coat, Luke made his way to the station.The interrogation room was just as oppressive as he remembered—dim corners soaked in shadow, with a single, merciless bulb spotlighting the prisoner. Luke had been here many times, but never on this side of the table.Lila Davis sat waiting, her arms strapped tightly to the interrogation chair. Her head drooped forward, long tangled hair hiding her face. When she heard Luke’s footsteps, she raised her head slowly.She wasn’t tall. Her face was sharply angled, her skin pale to the point of translucence. She barely looked thirty. If not for the crimes she had committed, she could have passed for an ordinary college student. Yet this woman had done the unthinkable—severing the hands of three victims."I heard you wanted to see me," Luke said,
How Luke did it
Luke Sullivan hadn’t caught the culprit through sheer intellect. No, he had something far more valuable on his side—the Crime System’s gift: an invisible tracking device.When he was struck by the anesthetic dart and had hovered on the edge of unconsciousness, an idea had flashed through his mind like a lifeline. The tracking device. Summoning the last of his strength, Luke had managed to plant it on Lila Davis. The device had been nothing short of miraculous—completely invisible. She hadn’t noticed a thing.Later, when he regained consciousness, the Crime System had activated the radar in his mind, lighting up with Lila Davis’s exact location. That was how he had found her.Still, he hadn’t expected her to be so cunning. Lila had dug a hole in advance, creating an escape route for herself. As Luke stared at the grave she’d hidden in, he couldn’t help but wonder: what kind of willpower did it take to lie there in absolute silence for days? No ordinary person could endure such mental t
Finishing the Incomplete Mission
Luke Sullivan was still drifting in a semi-conscious haze when the baritone voice of Vincent Parker sliced through the fog like nails on a chalkboard."You’re really something, Luke Sullivan! Such a major thing happened, and I’m the last to know! Do you even consider me your superior anymore?" Vincent’s booming indignation hammered at Luke’s skull. "Sure, I’m not the acting leader, but I’m still your superior! How dare you keep me in the dark? I’m no better than an outsider now! Let me tell you this—if the culprit isn’t caught, none of you will have a peaceful day!"Luke barely mustered the energy to curse Vincent out in his mind. The man’s voice was so obnoxious. Yet, as the anesthetic’s hold on his body slowly ebbed away, a more alarming realization struck him—he couldn’t move. His limbs felt leaden, like he’d been run over by a truck.“Miss Wendy, is Officer Sullivan alright?” a soft, worried voice asked. It was Bella Lane, and her concern was a welcome relief from the shouting.“D
The Close Attack
Hanging up, Luke scrolled through the photos again, searching for anything he might've missed. Then it hit him—the jars under Lila Davis's bed. There was an empty spot, clearly meant for a fourth jar. His gut churned. That jar was for Sophia Young. But where was it now? If it wasn't at her place, had Lila Davis taken it with her?A thought struck him like lightning. Why was Sophia Young even in town? To repair her father's grave. If her flight landed on schedule, she'd likely have gone straight to the graveyard.The graveyard. A secluded spot with no cameras and no witnesses. The perfect place for Lila Davis to strike.Luke's hands tightened around the steering wheel as he sped off. The clock was ticking, and the pieces of this grim puzzle were falling into place. Time to stop a killer.He had never driven a police car before. He didn't even have a driver's license. But Luke Sullivan from his previous life? A different story altogether. Back then, he was a street king. Police stations
The Unknown Location
Luke had barely flipped his phone open when Bella Lane's vivacious voice burst through the line. "Luke, what a coincidence! I was just about to call you!" she chirped. "Lily Xavier's private life is a mess. I just saw her go into a hotel with two guys!""What?" he stammered, thrown off guard. He had meant to tell her about what he'd just uncovered at Lila Davis's house, but this? This was unexpected.Before he could gather his thoughts, she cut him off with a laugh. "I'm joking! She's there for a conference. Relax! Kekeke…"Luke sighed, cutting her short to lay everything on the table about what he'd found. The dismembered hands, the chilling clues—everything. By the time he finished, Bella Lane was silent, her usual spunk replaced with stunned disbelief."L-Luke! What do we do next?" she stammered.Good question. What did they do next? Luke wasn't exactly a seasoned cop, and an earth-shattering case like this wasn't something they taught at the academy. He knew they had to lock down
The Ladder of Vengeance
When Luke finally laid eyes on Lila Davis's detailed plan, it all clicked. The methodology was diabolically brilliant. If "vent" was the keyword for Mary Nelson's case, then for Yara Voss's case, it was undoubtedly "ladder." The revelation hit him like a sledgehammer. Lila Davis had used a retractable ladder to bridge the five-meter gap between the building next to Yara Voss's apartment and her home. This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment crime; it was a masterclass in meticulous planning. Months earlier, Lila Davis had scouted the rooftop of the adjacent building, stockpiling food and water to sustain her. On May 23rd, after severing Mary Nelson's hand at the stadium, she didn't return home. Instead, she disappeared into the bustling morning work crowd and made her way to the neighboring building. From there, she ascended to the rooftop and hid. Her entry was ghostlike. She hadn't come through Yara Voss's building but the adjacent one, days in advance. When law enforcement reviewed s
A Real Mastermind
Luke walked over to the bookshelf, his gut telling him this was where the answers lay. The books were arranged perfectly, categorized into literature, science, technology, and—interesting—medical science. His eyes stopped on a section labeled "Medical." Among the titles were books on anaesthesiology and human anatomy. Luke's heart raced. Could this be a clue to Lila Davis's connection to the Maimed Case? Reaching out for one of the books, he heard the old lady gasp. "Officer, why aren't you wearing gloves?"Luke stood in the dimly lit room, the faint smell of old books and lavender air freshener lingering. The elderly woman, with her worn expression and frail frame, watched him warily from the doorway. "I'm here to investigate, not to take evidence!" he said bluntly, waving off her protests. "Why would I need gloves? Don't worry, your daughter isn't a detective. She won't notice!"Ignoring her muttering objections, Luke grabbed a book from the neatly arranged shelf. The title read
The Secrets Behind Closed Doors
"Do you know where your daughter is?" Luke asked Lila Davis's mother, trying to mask the uneasy feeling creeping up on him. Something about her story didn't sit right. "How can I find her?" The old lady shifted nervously, still preoccupied with her worry over the piano incident. "Officer, I've told you everything you asked. Why do you still need to find her?" "Nothing serious," he lied, flashing his badge for effect. "This is just routine. We're investigating the piano competition. There's a chance we might catch the culprit who hurt your daughter." Her furrowed brow relaxed slightly. "Oh… well, my daughter should be with the performance troupe—the one at the City Cultural Center. She mentioned going to the countryside with them tonight and wouldn't be back for four or five days." Luke felt his chest tighten. Out of town? The timing was too convenient. If Lila Davis was the mastermind behind the so-called Maimed Case, could this be her next move? "Ma'am, let me ask you this.
