"Jenny, get him some paper and a pen, and have him draw it out."

"Yes, sir."

Luke rose and went to the vault, which was the real target of the suspect.

The first vault was for the bank's money storage, and at this time, money was scattered all over the floor, while the iron racks were empty. Obviously, most of the cash had been taken by the robbers.

Luke touched the thick vault door, estimating that even with explosives it would be difficult to break open without the bank manager's assistance.

Then, Luke entered the second vault, which was different from the previous one, lined with rows of storage lockers. Most lockers had been breached, and their contents were gone.

Anthony came over and said, "These lockers are for personal belongings, even the bank manager can't open them. To open so many in a short time, there must be an expert safe-cracker among the robbers."

Luke replied, "That means we need to find an expert as well."

Anthony said, "No need to look for one, I can answer that.

I've dealt with a fair number of bank robberies, studying all sorts of safes."

"The bank's storage lockers are essentially small safes. This particular model is the CV8 electronic safe by Adali Company. Its advantage is easy management. If the wrong code is entered repeatedly, it triggers an alarm, and the safe door is reinforced with thick steel, making it hard to pry open."

"This type of electronic safe usually has two locks, a main lock and a subsidiary lock. The main lock is usually held by the bank while clients keep the subsidiary lock."

"Normally, both the main lock, subsidiary lock, and a code are needed to open the safe."

"In special circumstances, if the electronic safe is powered down, you just need to insert the key for the main lock and forcibly turn the emergency lock with a screwdriver to open the safe smoothly."

"Once the electronic safe is powered down, it also triggers an alarm, but that's no longer important to the robbers." Anthony walked to the wall where a hole was broken open, and the wires buried within were cut.

Luke sighed lightly, looking at the chaotic state of the vault, "It seems the robbers have made quite the haul this time."

Anthony looked at the opened lockers and said, "This group of robbers must have scoped out the place beforehand.

By scoping out, I don't just mean wandering in the bank's hall, but they've been in this locker room. A regular customer wouldn't have access here; one of these lockers must belong to them."

Luke said, "There are over a hundred lockers here, it won't be easy to check them all."

"Do you have any other good ideas?"

"You have more experience than I do in dealing with bank robbery cases, so you call the shots." Luke couldn't think of a good investigative direction on short notice.

The suspect wore a mask, gloves, and voice changer and had destroyed the surveillance cameras. Even if the tech team performed a thorough search, it would be hard to find any useful clues.

"OK, then let's lock down the scene for now. I need to step out for some air," Anthony said and turned to leave, pausing at the vault's entrance to ask, "Luke, do you want to come with me?"

"To do what? It's just reporters outside."

"Exactly, to talk to those reporters."

"Come on, I'd rather avoid them. What's there to talk about?"

"Luke, you're thinking about this the wrong way. Even if you avoid them and say nothing, they will still report, and they'll report whatever they want.

Many unethical journalists will include some negative news about law enforcement agencies just for ratings."

"Rather than that, it's better to reveal some information to them, information that's favorable to us. The media's direction can sway public opinion and affect people's attitudes toward law enforcement, indirectly determining the tolerance and budget from our superiors."

"Looks like you're quite experienced."

"Come on, let me teach you." Anthony called out and then strode out of the bank.

Luke followed him out, keeping a bit of distance.

Anthony crossed the police line and was soon surrounded by reporters, their cameras trained on him.

Many reporters asked questions all at once, with representation from various television stations, creating a chaotic scene.

Anthony waved his hands, "Hey, don't make a mess, I can't hear anything like this. One at a time."

A black female reporter was the first to ask, "Agent Anthony, is the FBI in charge of investigating this bank robbery?"

"To be exact, the FBI is the lead agency, with assistance from the Los Angeles Police Department."

Another white male reporter asked, "I heard that the robbers took hostages. Are they rescued?"

"Yes, we've rescued the hostages. There's nothing more important to us than their rescue."

"Were there any injuries or deaths?"

"No, not a single one. We ensured the safety of the hostages, which was difficult, but we did it."

A white female reporter followed up, "Have you caught the robbers? How many were there?"

"There were five robbers. Considering the safety of the hostages, we did not attempt an arrest inside the bank, but we have figured out their modus operandi and tracked their whereabouts."

Anthony clenched his hand into a fist, "Everything is under control."

"Do you think they'll strike again?"

"It's very possible, but the FBI will make every effort to arrest them before they can act again." Anthony glanced at his watch, "OK, that's all for today. If I continue, I'd be violating confidentiality regulations."

Anthony greeted the reporters and returned inside the police lines, while the reporters who wanted to continue the questioning were held back.

Anthony approached Luke and whispered with a smile, "Buddy, what do you think of my speech just now?"

Luke gave a thumbs-up, "It was great, I really should learn from you."

His words were heartfelt; sometimes talking a good game is better than doing a good job.

Take this bank robbery, for instance; the FBI had actually been led by the nose the entire time, unable to take effective action against the robbers and ultimately just watching them escape.

But in Anthony's words, it became a different story, emphasizing the rescue of the hostages and shifting the news focus to the rescue. Although insiders knew the robbers had no intention of harming the hostages, the media and public didn't know; they thought it was the FBI and the Los Angeles Police Department's credit.

After listening to Anthony's speech, Luke nearly believed he was the hero who rescued the hostages.

It was somewhat shameless, but it brought tangible benefits.

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