Previously, I had already helped Luke out with one case, which went pretty well.

Luke had given him a thousand US dollars in funds, because to make a horse run, you have to feed it first.

Because of some issues in the morning, Luke didn't get to the Detective Bureau until almost ten o'clock.

They held a brief morning meeting to arrange for team members to handle case closing procedures, then Luke himself returned to his office, processed a few documents, and then started slacking off.

"Congratulations host for successfully cracking the false alarm case, uncovering new clues in the girl's kidnapping case, and successfully solving the case and rescuing three victims." Luke waited for a while, but the expected reward didn't come.

After a while, another voice rang out in his mind, "Congratulations host, for becoming the captain of the first squadron of the Robbery and Murder Department. The lottery system has now been upgraded to an exchange system.

You can use points to exchange for existing cards.

The reward for this case is 70 points."

This change took Luke by surprise; he hadn't anticipated that a formal promotion would result in a system upgrade.

Luke opened the system interface, the lottery interface had disappeared, replaced by the exchange interface.

He could use points to exchange for existing cards, supplementing whichever card he needed, greatly increasing his autonomy.

But the downside was that without the lottery system, he could no longer directly draw reserve funds.

There were still 180,000 US dollars in the reserve fund section, with a new note beside it saying that it had to be liquidated within two months or else it would be cleared to zero.

This left Luke with a sense of loss; with this source of cash gone, he would have to find new ways to make money in the future.

Luckily, he wasn't short on cash at the moment, so it didn't directly affect him.

Luke decided to try it out. A Detection Card cost ten points, so Luke exchanged for one.

The points column changed to 60 points.

The Detection Card column increased from 5 to 6 cards.

Overall, his right to choose had increased, which was also a benefit.

...

Nine o'clock in the evening.

Ross Beach Open-Air Restaurant.

"Cheers."

Luke, Jackson, John, and Lucy clinked their glasses together.

There were no other customers in the restaurant, just their table outside.

Luke gulped down some beer, looking out at the sea not far away, where the moon and stars were sparse, and the moonlight sprinkled on the sea looked as if it had gilded the edges.

The four chatted while admiring the moonlight, listened to the waves, felt the sea breeze on their faces, and enjoyed the leisure time.

John took a bite of pizza, looking at Luke and Jackson, "I've always wanted to know, how did you guys catch the perpetrator of the false alarm case?"

Jackson, after eating an onion ring and wiping his mouth, said, "We noticed the victim of the false alarm case showing signs of lying during his statement, and we speculated that he might know who made the false alarm. So we followed him and caught the perpetrator directly."

"Is it that simple?"

"Yep."

John thought for a moment, "How did you guys realize there was something off about the victim of the false alarm?"

"The captain found it out. His interrogation skills are so sharp, most suspects find it hard to lie to him."

John looked as if it all made sense, "So, in other words, I actually lost to Luke, not you."

Jackson said, "Whoa, whoa, sounds like you're trying to wiggle out of this."

"I am not that kind of person." John cleared his throat, "Ahem... but do you really want to see me streaking?

I think it's only fair to ask before we start,

lest you take me for a pervert."

Jackson said with certainty, "Come on, that's exactly why I came."

"What about you, Lucy?"

Lucy hesitated for a moment, "Er... a little bit, I guess."

"And Luke?"

Luke's expression was complex, "I abstain.

Just being able to drink a bottle of beer in the sea breeze is satisfaction enough for me."

After asking around, John downed the beer left in his bottle as if finally making up his mind, "Give me two minutes."

John took a bag and went to the backlit side of the restaurant. When he came back, he was wearing a robe, spreading his arms wide, "Ladies and gentlemen, the most important, grandest, and most spectacular moment of the night has arrived."

John stepped out of the restaurant's boundary, stood on the beach, looked around, and seeing no one else, he suddenly took off the robe, revealing nothing underneath.

"Whoa, whoa..." Jackson stood up, waving the bottle in his hand.

"Oh my God, you actually went through with it…" Lucy shouted with a laugh.

Luke was at a loss for words, "Why do I have to see this?"

John turned around and ran toward the far end of the beach, his white figure in stark contrast to the black night sky.

"Yo-ho-ho…" He cried out in a mix of ghostly wails and howls as he ran.

Thankfully, the beach was not crowded at night and didn't attract much attention.

Of course, although there weren't many people, there still were some.

A homeless man rubbed his eyes and sighed, "Another poor soul driven mad by life..."

A white elderly woman sitting on the beach was shocked to her core, looking at John with disbelief, "My God, what am I seeing?"

Her left hand trembling, she fished out a cellphone from her pocket and dialed 911, "Hello, I need to report a crime."

"Ma'am, what's the situation?"

"There's a pervert on my beach."

"What kind of pervert, could you describe him?"

"He's running naked on the beach, a white man, running while...

It's been a long time since I've seen...

Oh Lord... he's running back this way."

"Ma'am, can you give me the specific address?"

"He's running towards me."

"Ma'am, are you in danger? Please give me the specific address."

The old lady searched her person, "Where are my reading glasses? Damn it, I forgot to bring them..."

"Ma'am, what did you say?

Please speak up, I can't hear you."

"I... cancel the report."

...

John had his fun running around the beach and then got dressed and continued to drink beer in the restaurant.

Luke raised his glass, "To your bravery, John."

Lucy said, "Me too."

Jackson said, "Buddy, you did what I want to but don't have the guts to."

John took a sip and said seriously, "Actually, you all should try it, it's a great way to relieve stress.

The moment I was running, I felt like I became one with nature, and all my stress disappeared. It was like being back in college...

It made me feel younger."

Luke said, "Hearing you say that, I kind of want to give it a try."

John encouraged him, "What are you waiting for?"

"Haha... I'll wait until the next time I beat you."

...

The following morning.

At the Luke family.

Last night, the four of them played until after ten before calling it quits, and Luke had a fair amount to drink.

He brushed his teeth in the morning, brewed a pot of Dragon Well tea in the backyard, and drank some tea to sober up.

A white sedan pulled up in front of the Luke family's house, the driver's side door opened, and a long leg extended from the car followed by a tall, curvy Latin beauty stepping out.

"Orty, you've come at just the right time, the first steep of tea is just perfect."

Orty walked over to Luke, "Captain Luke, congratulations on your promotion."

Luke poured her a cup of tea, "Congratulations aren't just words, do you have a gift?"

Orty sat down opposite Luke, placing a bag on the table, "Does breakfast count?"

Luke smiled, "Breakfast doesn't count, but...

If you join me for breakfast, then it does."

Orty gave a playful smile, "Are you flirting with me?"

"Is it that obvious?"

Luke opened the takeaway which contained fried eggs, pancakes, bacon, potato cakes, and sausage. The aroma was seductive, and he was quite hungry.

Orty took a sip of tea, her eyes shifting, "What's in it for me if I join you for breakfast?"

"There are plenty of perks, depends on what you want," Luke replied as he ate a piece of potato cake with the plastic fork that came with the takeaway, finding it quite tasty.

Orty broke off a piece of pancake and ate it daintily, "Aside from congratulating you, I also received a very suitable commission. Do you have time for it?"

"Is it dangerous?"

"Hardly."

"How much is the commission?"

"According to the client's requirements, the commission is between fifty to one hundred and fifty thousand US dollars, depending on the task's outcome."

Had it been before, Luke might have hesitated, but now with the Detective System upgraded and unable to directly withdraw the prize money, he needed other means to make a living.

To live lavishly in Los Angeles, one can't have too little money.

"I'll think about it."

Orty pursed her lips, a hint of coquetry and complaint in her voice, "You've turned me down more than once, haven't you?"

Luke chuckled, "OK, tell me about the commission."

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