The Crime System

The Relentless Case

The sound echoed like thunder, and Vincent Parker stumbled forward, knocking over a stack of documents. His face went pale, and he turned to glare at Luke with murder in his eyes.

"You…" he stammered, but Luke was already doubled over in laughter.

"Relax, Captain!" Luke chuckled. "It's not a crime to scare you, is it?"

Bella Lane tried to stifle her own laughter, but the moment felt like a small victory. Sure, Vincent Parker might have been a thorn in Luke's side, but he wasn't about to let him ruin his day—or his case.

The clock was ticking. Somewhere out there, a woman's life was in danger, and the culprit was waiting to strike again. As they gathered their notes and headed out, Luke could feel it in his gut: this case was far from over.

That night at 12:30, Luke finally crawled into bed, completely spent. Running around all day, from dawn till late at night, had drained every ounce of his energy. He never imagined that investigating cases could be this grueling. Back in his old life, he had no idea how painstakingly complex this work was, but here he was, in this second chance at life, grappling with the relentless grind.

Every piece of evidence, every witness, and every bit of information needed to be checked and rechecked. Sometimes, even when he knew it was likely a dead end, he had to keep going, knowing that the key to unraveling a case often lay in the most unexpected details.

After leaving the station, Bella Lane and Luke decided to focus on the tenth-place competitor from the infamous piano competition, their primary suspect based on the evidence so far. When they finally found her, their jaws nearly hit the floor. She was heavily pregnant—seven months along, to be exact. Her stomach looked like a massive beach ball. There was no way someone in her condition could be the culprit behind the "Maimed Case."

With no other immediate leads, they questioned her about the competition. She admitted she didn't remember much, claiming she had been just eighteen at the time and had no real focus beyond playing the piano. She recalled, however, that the competition had drawn significant attention. Officials from the city and state levels attended, along with professional judges from prestigious music conservatories.

What really stood out was how competitive it had been. Contestants' scores showed wide disparities, with differences of up to three or four hundred points—unheard of in professional piano circles. The stakes had been sky-high, with the top scorers guaranteed spots at elite universities.

Luke couldn't help but think about what Shaun's mother had said: how close Shaun had come to being accepted into the Riverside Music Academy. If she had gotten in, her life would have taken a completely different trajectory. That thought made him reflect on his own second chance at life. This time around, he was determined to avoid his past mistakes and carve out the life he truly wanted.

Since the tenth-place contestant was out of the running as a suspect, they redirected their efforts. Bella Lane's contact in another city confirmed that the eighth-place contestant hadn't set foot in New York City for over a decade, eliminating them as a suspect too. Once again, they hit a dead end.

They decided to split up to track down the other contestants, but the passage of time complicated matters. Some had moved away, others had retired, and a few had even passed away. By late afternoon, the only new lead they'd gathered came from a retired officer who had once worked for the Culture and Education Bureau.

The officer remembered the competition vividly. It had been a massive event, with contestants from all over the state converging on New York City. The preliminary round had featured a hundred competitors, all of them high school seniors between eighteen and nineteen years old. Only the top ten had advanced to the finals, and the competition had been fierce.

Winners gained immediate admission to prestigious music schools, while those further down the rankings faced an uncertain future. It made Luke wonder if their suspect might not have been among the top ten at all. Could the perpetrator be someone who hadn't made the cut, someone who had been consumed by bitterness and sought revenge by targeting the hands of the other competitors?

But if that was the case, they needed the full list of participants—something they didn't have. It felt like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Bella Lane suggested shifting their focus to the potential next target: Principal Lily Xavier. If the culprit were planning another attack, they might catch them in the act. Though reluctant, Luke agreed. At this point, what choice did they have?

That evening, as he trudged home, Luke couldn't shake the feeling that his 1800 dollars—the money he'd poured into this case—had gone up in smoke. Bella Lane tried to cheer him up, reminding him that dead ends were part of the job. "Get some sleep," she said. "You'll think more clearly in the morning."

Surprisingly, Luke took her advice. Back in his apartment, as he stepped into the shower, the system's notification chimed in his head: "Today's adventure is complete. Completion rate: 88%! Congratulations! An invisibility device has been obtained."

"What the hell?" he muttered. Why was his completion rate so high? He hadn't solved the case or even caught the suspect. Yet the system saw fit to reward him.

When he examined the item, his jaw dropped. "Frame key," the system explained. "A one-time use item that can unlock any lock or bypass electronic codes up to level fifteen, leaving no trace."

"Unbelievable," Luke whispered. This was no ordinary key—it was perfect for any investigator. But he couldn't help but wonder: why such a high completion rate for today?

After midnight, still feeling restless, Luke decided to spin the Crime System's daily lottery. As he lit a cigarette, he muttered a prayer. "Come on, system. Give me something good. Help me c***k this case."

The system's voice responded, "The dawn is beautiful and colorful. Your luck will be at maximum."