Luke shook his head, "No, you're more than a decade older than me; I don't want to be accused of winning unfairly."

Reid retorted, "Running tests physical fitness and endurance, not age. If youth alone meant speed, then we might as well just compare ages and forgo track meets."

Luke turned off the treadmill and laughed, "As you wish, what's the wager?"

Reid replied, "Loser buys drinks next time."

"OK, no problem."

Luke switched to a treadmill too and matched Reid's pace for a jog.

As they ran, they chatted, "Chief, when will you give us more hands?"

"What kind of rookie do you want?"

"Can I pick on my own?"

"I'll send you a list with candidates' information; you can pick from that list."

"Thanks, Chief, that's very thoughtful.

So, I've decided no matter who wins or loses this run,

it'll be my treat."

Reid laughed, "Are you already too tired to run, looking for a way out ahead of time?"

Luke said, "Believe me, I could keep up this pace all day."

"Ding ling ling..." Reid was about to say something when his phone began to ring.

Reid stopped the treadmill and walked aside to answer the call.

"It's me..."

A moment later, Reid hung up and said, "Luke, we can't race today."

"What happened?"

"The 911 emergency center received a call from a woman named Suri Shamari. She reported that a murder might have occurred inside the residence at 105 Prandle community. There's a black pickup parked outside the house; the perpetrator hasn't left, and she's hiding in a bedroom closet."

"OK, I'll take a team there right now."

Reid reminded, "Saving lives is the priority."

"I understand."

...

Half an hour later,

Luke's team arrived at 105 Prandle community.

Several police cars were parked along the roadside, a police cordon was set around the house, and a few officers were positioned, guns at the ready.

Many residents were gathered to watch what was happening.

As Luke got out of his vehicle, many officers turned their gaze towards him, most having seen the special district award ceremony, possibly more than once.

Luke was now quite a public figure.

"Hey, Captain Luke, I saw your award ceremony, three times," Veteran John approached with a smile greeting him.

Luke asked, "How have you been?"

"Not too bad."

"Fill me in on the situation here."

"After receiving the dispatch call, I was patrolling nearby and got here around 10:05. Due to concern for the hostages' safety, we didn't dare storm into the house immediately.

The tenant of the house is Jamie Robinson, who rents this place. According to neighbors, he rarely goes out during the day, sometimes making noises at night.

He seldom interacts with other residents and doesn't attend parties. All we know is he's a white young man with grayish, somewhat curly hair.

We called out, but got no response."

"Are you sure there are still people in the house?"

John nodded, "Yes, someone inside was talking, swearing, and threatening us not to come near.

He must have a gun, he's a violent bastard."

"Where's the hostage?"

"I don't know, I'm worried too; this situation... might not be very optimistic," John sighed.

"Which room is the suspect in?"

John pointed at the room with the curtains drawn to the west, "He was shouting from that room, we could faintly hear more noises, but we're not certain if the suspect or the hostage is inside."

"Thanks, man."

Luke patted John's shoulder and said to the officers nearby, "You heard him, any thoughts?"

Black said, "This guy drew the curtains, probably afraid of being sniped by the police. I bet he's staying in that room."

Jackson said, "This only shows he's been to that room; there's no way to prove he's still inside the house."

The unclear situation inside the room affects the police's judgments.

All they knew for now was at least one suspect and one victim were inside the room, the victim being a girl named Suri Shamari, while the identity of the suspect was still unknown.

Whether the tenant Jamie Robinson was the suspect or a victim was also unclear.

A critical point was, there might be more than one suspect.

At this time, forcibly entering to save the hostage posed many unpredictable factors and great risks; not only was the hostage in danger, but the officers were too.

Luke had someone bring a megaphone, switched it on, and hesitated as he was about to speak.

Owing to his recent high profile, it seemed better to keep a low profile. He looked at a few team members nearby and handed the megaphone to Black, "Marcus, you make the call."

"I..." Black's face showed surprise, "Really?"

Luke encouraged, "Hey, you're a Detective Chief now, have some confidence in yourself."

"You're right, I'm Marcus, the Detective Chief now." Black took a deep breath, took the megaphone,

"Cough...

Attention inside, this is Detective Chief Marcus from the Robbery and Murder Department's Squad One.

You are completely surrounded by the police.

I know you're in there, and I know you have a hostage.

Let us know what your demands are.

Do not harm the hostage or make any dangerous moves; come out of the room with your hands on your head..."

Marcus was calling out for the first time, his voice loud, initially nervous but gradually more effective.

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