Chapter 2

The Los Angeles Police Department oversees 21 districts, which are further divided into 4 command areas, known as divisions.

Central Division, South Division, West Division, Valley Division.

Additionally, there are two extra divisions, the Detective Bureau and the Special Operations Bureau.

The Detective Bureau is responsible for investigating criminal cases, somewhat similar to the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the Public Security Bureau in China, except that the Detective Bureau is more independent.

Luke is a detective in the 'Robbery-Homicide Division' of the Detective Bureau.

Commonly known as the Major Case Squad.

“Vroom vroom...”

A black Harley-Davidson motorcycle pulled into the Detective Bureau.

Luke took off his helmet and looked at the building of the Detective Bureau, feeling somewhat complicated.

The concept of a police officer in China and Los Angeles is entirely different, and the transition is not easy.

Chinese police officers represent honor and a stable job, and Luke, as part of this collective, had a strong sense of belonging.

Los Angeles police officers are just a job, with a substantial salary but also the risk of being shot.

Luke did not have the resolve to sacrifice himself for the citizens of Los Angeles.

For him, fully integrating into this city would take some time.

At 8:59 AM, Luke stepped into the office of the 'Robbery-Homicide Division' First Squad.

The office is divided into five areas: the work area, the lounge, the conference room, the tea room, and the captain's office.

Luke walked through the work area, which was piled with files, to his desk in the southwest corner, acting very low-key, but still attracting the attention of his colleagues.

“Hey, no wonder you're always the last to arrive, right on time,” a bald white man in his thirties said, pointing to the clock on the wall.

Luke gave him the middle finger.

To survive in the LAPD, you can be a jerk, but you can't be a pushover.

“Creak...”

The door to the captain's office opened, and a middle-aged white woman wearing black-rimmed glasses walked out, holding a stack of files under her right arm. “Everyone, to the conference room for a meeting.”

Susan, the captain of the 'Robbery-Homicide Division' First Squad.

Since Luke's arrival in the LAPD, he had never seen her smile, always maintaining a serious expression.

Luke didn't like her much, and this was perhaps one of the few things he and the other team members agreed on.

Luke was the last to enter the conference room, sitting at the end of the table.

Susan placed the files on the conference table and pulled over a whiteboard, which read 'Taser Robbery Case.'

“Everyone, since February 18th, there have been two robberies in Los Angeles, both occurring on Friday nights, and both using Taser guns.

The two cases have many similarities, suggesting they were committed by the same suspect.

Deputy Captain Vincent, please update us on the investigation progress.”

A cocky silver-haired old man continued, “Both victims were young white women with long blonde hair, about 170 cm tall.

They were both electrocuted from behind, and it can be confirmed that the suspect used a Taser gun, but no confetti was found at the scene...”

Taser guns do not use bullets; they incapacitate targets by firing electrified 'darts' and are commonly used by police as a non-lethal weapon.

Each time a Taser gun fires a cartridge, it releases about forty small, colorful confetti pieces with the gun's serial number, which can be used to trace the gun's origin.

“Besides the similar physical characteristics, no connection has been found between the two victims. According to the victims' descriptions, the suspect is likely male and wearing a hat.

Due to the poor lighting at night, no one was able to clearly see the suspect's face...”

Deputy Captain Vincent spoke confidently. He was in his sixties and continued to work thanks to the LAPD's retention system.

He might be the oldest officer in the Detective Bureau, if not the entire LAPD, with extensive experience in crime scene investigation, but he was not expected to chase suspects.

“The crime scenes were all in remote areas. The female victims were found naked, with all their cash, jewelry, and clothing stolen, but they were not sexually assaulted...”

Luke had not yet adapted to his role as a Los Angeles police officer and often slacked off.

But upon hearing the case details, his professional instincts kicked in, and he couldn't help but think about the case.

In the past, Luke had been involved in investigating many robbery cases.

Generally, robbery cases have clear objectives: either to steal money or to commit sexual assault.

But in this case, the suspect's motives were unclear.

If it was about stealing, why strip the victims naked? It was unprofessional and increased the risk of being caught.

If it was about sexual assault, there was no actual action taken.

It was a contradiction.

After Deputy Captain Vincent finished describing the case, he directly assigned tasks to the team members.

Luke was assigned to review surveillance footage, which was his least favorite task.

It seemed to him, perhaps due to his imagination, that Captain Susan's face looked even colder, and she said in a voice with a hint of a London accent,

“Just to add, no one is to disclose any details of the case to the media. They already know enough.

I don't want to see any more news about this case. Understand?”

“Yes, Captain.”

...

Luke poured himself a cup of coffee and sat at his desk to review the surveillance footage.

Reviewing surveillance footage is a common method used by Chinese detectives to solve cases.

The number of surveillance cameras in the United States is much fewer than in China. Given the similar land area, the per capita ratio is quite different.

Americans place a high value on privacy, and there are fewer public safety cameras, mostly private cameras, which adds difficulty to investigations.

This method, which is often effective in China, is not very effective in Los Angeles.

There were two robberies, both occurring on Friday nights. Luke reviewed surveillance footage from 8 PM to 12 AM.

As for why the suspect chose Friday, Luke felt it might be related to the pay system in the United States.

Many companies in the U.S. use a weekly or bi-weekly pay system, with wages typically paid on Friday afternoons.

Of course, this was just a guess, and there was no evidence to support it.

In the morning, Luke spent the entire time reviewing surveillance footage, drinking three cups of coffee, using the restroom twice, and smoking two cigarettes.

For lunch, he had a beef burger, a serving of fries, a fried chicken leg, and a grilled chicken wing.

In the afternoon, he continued to review surveillance footage, his eyes becoming sore and his buttocks numb, but he found no valuable clues.

At 6:30 PM, it was time to go home.

Luke stood up, stretched, and prepared to leave.

The bald white man standing by the printer looked at Luke and smiled, “You're as punctual as my alarm clock. Do you like your new nickname?”

Luke winked, “Alarm clock? Want to put me on your bedside table? Your wife will definitely fall for someone else.”

The bald white man sneered, “Jerk.”

“Don't always compliment me, I might get arrogant.

See you tomorrow, guys.” Luke said and left the office.

The other team members had various expressions, some envious, some disdainful, but no one left. They were prepared to work overtime on such a pressing case.

The silver-haired old man shrugged, somewhat helplessly, “The robber might strike again the day after tomorrow, and this guy has the nerve to act like it's none of his business.

Why is such an irresponsible guy still in the 'Robbery-Homicide Division'?

Is this a retirement home?”

“Haha...” The colleagues burst into laughter.

“He's always been a jerk, but he used to be more dedicated to investigations,” the bald white man pointed to his bald head, “Since he was injured, he's changed. Could it be PTSD?”

The silver-haired old man sighed, “OK, let the captain worry about it.

I'm just a deputy.”