The Crime System

My Suspicion

Luke sat on his balcony, contemplating the Maimed Case that had been troubling him. After a night of intense research, he had realized that using the current case as a launchpad might be the key to solving the previous two cases that the police had already thoroughly investigated. He planned to ask Team Leader Priscilla for additional information when he arrived at work, as she was in charge of the Maimed Case.

Having woken up too early, Luke had plenty of time before work. Following one of his small habits, he took a bottle of iced tea onto his third-floor balcony to think. The space was about 600 square feet, and he sat in a patio chair, sipping his drink while enjoying the warm sunlight pouring in from the east. The golden glow on his face gave him a sense of satisfaction.

A loud noise suddenly came from the neighboring balcony, which was separated from his by an anti-theft net. A tall, long-haired woman appeared, looking young—perhaps a little over twenty. She was holding the newest iPhone, listening to w******p messages through the speaker, wearing only a thin, revealing white tank top that showed off her figure through its semi-transparent fabric.

Luke recalled what his landlord James had told him about the neighboring beauties. He had just moved in and had only seen them once—four thin, tall, beautiful girls with model-like figures. However, Luke knew James was wrong about them being college students. Based on his previous job experience, he could tell from their posture and expression that they were social butterflies from the nightclub scene, despite their youth and lack of heavy makeup.

The woman on the balcony had noticed Luke. As she listened to her messages, she nodded confidently at him, seemingly unconcerned about her revealing clothing. Luke politely raised his iced tea bottle in response and took a large gulp.

His gesture caught the woman's attention. She put down her phone and asked with curiosity, "Drinking iced tea this early in the morning? Um... You're a newcomer, right? The fat guy actually rented the room out?"

Luke politely nodded but didn't engage further, leaning back to finish his iced tea. This only increased the woman's interest. She examined him and asked, "What do you do?"

"Investigator! Special Crimes Unit!" Luke answered briskly, feeling a sense of pride about his profession.

"Oh? I couldn't tell, but you're a cop!" The woman's expression changed instantly. Despite his morning stubble, Luke's broad frame and handsome appearance were clearly enticing to her.

"You..." she gaped slightly before remembering to introduce herself. "Hi, I'm Jessica. Officer, if I end up in some kind of trouble, will you come and help?"

Luke sighed inwardly at the boring name. "Girl, don't tell me your first name is Jessica? Also...has your house never had pets?" he thought to himself. Seeing Jessica waiting for his response, he replied without hesitation, "Nope!"

Jessica was surprised by his response. She was used to men desperately trying to please her, but Luke didn't even seem interested.

"Why?" she asked hurriedly.

"Because...I'm an investigator on the Special Crimes Unit!" Luke stood up slowly with a smirk and spoke with dramatic pauses, "All those I meet, are. Dead. People!!"

Jessica stared at him for a while, processing his words, then forced an awkward smile. As Luke returned to his room, she crossed her arms and muttered, "Weirdo!"

The truth was, Luke had used dry humor to end the conversation not because he didn't want to make friends, but because he worried about his ability to maintain friendships. He knew social butterflies like Jessica too well—getting involved with them often led to tragedy. He had seen too many examples of men becoming addicted to such relationships, resulting in broken families or financial ruin.

Luke remembered the warnings from his seniors: "Remember, one shouldn't harm your own neighbors, do not date hes, especially since she's under your command. Do not touch!"

He was careful with his words and had no desire to get close to Jessica. In his mind, he knew that today his adventure words were "Reus and Rea mixes." Perhaps if he had chatted more with Jessica, he might have been able to date her. But he knew that if that had happened, he would have been the one falling into a trap, not her.

Luke hadn't sworn to celibacy and wasn't deprived of relationships. If Jessica had truly been a pure college student, he might not have let go of such an opportunity. But he had recently reconnected with his old lover, Angela, and remembering their youthful promise, he wanted to fix his past mistake. He had decided that once he solved the Maimed Case, he would pursue Angela with all his energy to find true happiness.