Chapter 41 Rewards

Dave pondered for a moment before saying, "Steven is an irresponsible man. He was terrified when you took him to the police station. With my guidance, he decided to go into hiding.

I spent $40,000 to help him escape. He's probably living happily in Mexico now."

"How did you scare him off?"

Dave repeated what he had told Alyssa.

Luke asked, "Aren't you afraid he'll come back?"

"I was worried, so I planned to make him a wanted criminal. As long as the police are after him, he won't dare to return.

If he doesn't come back, the police won't uncover the truth."

Luke pressed, "How did you set it up?"

"Steven has lofty ambitions. He doesn't want to work for others and always aims to do something big.

He approached me several times, wanting to go into business with me. Basically, he wanted me to fund the venture while he ran it.

I have money, but I won't waste it on him.

Then I saw Alyssa dancing at the club, and a plan started to form in my mind.

I agreed to invest with him, and he wanted to rent a shop to open a restaurant, so I agreed.

After renting the shop, he gave me a key, and I designed the shop to look like a crime scene."

Luke inquired, "How exactly?"

"I sprayed some blood on the walls and floor, then used disinfectant to clean it up. The smell was awful.

I hid the Taser and Alyssa's belongings in the smoke exhaust duct. When the police find these, they'll naturally suspect Steven."

Dave's description matched the crime scene, so Luke continued, "Who did you kill?"

"I didn't kill anyone. I've done some crazy things, but I haven't killed anyone."

"What about the blood?"

"I bought it."

"Where and when?"

"Garcia Rogge, we traded on Binmei Street on March 5th."

Marcus was surprised. "You know Blood Man Garcia? That's unexpected."

Luke asked quietly, "Do you know this man?"

"Yeah, he runs a blood station."

"Is it legal?"

"Half and half," Marcus shrugged and asked Dave, "But isn't Garcia someone you should know?"

Dave laughed. "No matter who you are, in America, you can't do without a lawyer."

"I know Garcia, and I'll verify it with him. If you're lying..." Marcus gave a knowing look.

Luke changed the topic, "Where's Tony?"

Dave replied, "You haven't found him?"

"We want to take a statement from him."

Dave smiled, "If you can't find him, how could I?"

"What is Tony Will's real name?"

"What? What do you mean?" Dave looked confused.

Luke studied him, unsure if his confusion was genuine.

He asked about more case details, and Dave admitted to two robberies and one kidnapping but had no information on Tony Will or Steven.

...

At around 1:00 p.m., Luke and another officer left the interrogation room.

Susan, the deputy captain, David, and others emerged from the observation room next door.

Susan nodded at them, "Good interrogation."

The deputy captain said, "I bet this guy is hiding something. Maybe he killed both Tony and Steven."

Luke shook his head. "He's been calm. It's hard to get him to talk without evidence."

"You guys go eat first, we'll review it this afternoon," Susan said, turning to leave.

Luke, already hungry, headed to a nearby Mexican restaurant for a big meal.

At three o'clock, a case summary meeting was held in the conference room.

Deputy Director Reid also attended.

After comparing the victim's statements, clues, and Dave's confession, everything matched, and the "Taser robbery case" was officially solved.

Garcia also admitted to supplying Dave with plasma.

Regarding Tony and Steven's disappearance, there was no evidence linking Dave, so it was handled according to regulations.

...

8 p.m.

Flying Bar.

"Cheers!"

Luke and his colleagues sat around a table, drinking.

Luke downed half a glass of ice-cold beer, feeling refreshed.

Marcus grinned, "Captain, this is my first time drinking with you. It's an honor."

Susan glanced around, "I don't come to places like this often."

Marcus suggested, "You should come more often to unwind and relieve work stress."

"I'll think about it."

The deputy captain said, "At least come for celebrations after solving a case."

"Definitely."

Luke said, "Captain, the 'Taser Robbery' is solved. I'd like to take two days off."

Susan glanced at the others, "Who else needs a break?"

"I have something to do," Marcus smiled.

"Okay, Marcus gets one day off, and Luke gets two."

Marcus was pleased but a bit miffed. "Why does he get an extra day?"

"Luke's outstanding work on this case deserves it. He found the clues about Alyssa's disappearance and Dave.

I reward good performance and penalize poor performance. Any questions?"

"No, that's fair," Marcus conceded, then changed the subject. "When we interrogated Dave today, he was always calm. Was he pretending?"

Susan said, "I've been observing. Don't underestimate him. The investigation is our domain, but the courtroom is his."

The deputy captain nodded. "He confessed, and the evidence is solid. Can he still exploit legal loopholes?"

Susan shook her head. "I don't know. Deputy Captain, you have more experience in this area. I'll leave it to you."

The deputy captain nodded.

Jenny, curious about the details, asked, "Since Dave is calm, why did he do something so irrational?"

Luke, understanding Dave better, said, "Jealousy. He envied Steven."

Jenny asked, "Why would a rich, powerful lawyer be jealous of Steven, his friend?"

Luke explained, "Because Steven, inferior in every way, married the woman of his dreams. Dave's jealousy built up over more than ten years. Alyssa's striptease at the club broke the dam, and he lost his mind.

Emotions have a compensatory nature. Calm people suppress their emotions, and when they snap, they go crazy."

Susan raised her glass, "I'll have to come to the bar more often."

"Ha ha..."

Everyone laughed.

...

That evening, when Luke returned home, his mother and brother were asleep.

He took a shower and went to bed.

Lying there, he heard a familiar voice.

[Congratulations to the host for solving the 'Taser Gun Robbery Case' and rescuing Alyssa. You are awarded 20 lucky draw opportunities.]

Last time, Luke saved Daisy and caught the robber Tim, earning ten draws.

The Taser robbery was more complex, earning twenty draws.

Though unclear on the system's evaluation method, Luke guessed that harder cases earned better rewards.

What are you waiting for? Enter the lottery.

The pointer moved.

Random stop, the selected area lit up, one thousand dollars.

Second draw, one thousand dollars.

Third draw, one thousand dollars.

Fourth draw, one thousand dollars.

...

Seventh draw, adventure cards.

...

Fifteenth draw, bullet avoidance card.

...

The card read 'bullet avoidance', with a note: [Passive card, function unknown].

Prize list:

'Eighteen thousand dollars!

Adventure card, [Passive card, disappears during an adventure.]

bullet avoidance card, [passive card, function unknown]

After twenty draws, Luke only got two new cards. The winning rate was low this time.

The good news was the generous prize money.

Cards and bonuses moved to the warehouse interface on the left, with a total of four reserve cards.

2 adventure cards.

Detection card, 1 piece.

bullet avoidance card, 1 piece.

bullet avoidance seemed like a protective card.

In gun-rampant Los Angeles, this kind of card was extremely valuable, like insurance for Luke.

But there was a difference between bullet-avoiding and bulletproofing. The specific effect could only be known after use.