Luke and Courtney Bass finished their chat and took a stroll around the shooting location.

A few hundred meters away from the shooting site, several trailers were parked, next to which were signs of charcoal burning, and a plastic bucket filled with a large amount of household trash, resembling the aftermath of a bonfire party.

Afterward, Luke and Xiao Hei returned to the crime scene and reported the situation to Susan.

Susan thought for a moment, "You two go check out this traffic accident and see if there are any suspicious points?"

"Yes, captain."

...

In America, a traffic police officer is not a separate police category, but a job assignment, which includes but is not limited to traffic management and also comes with a gun, handcuffs, and equipment.

The officers designated for traffic matters generally rotate among the frontline officers.

If there's an emergency nearby, they might also be dispatched by the command center to take care of other matters.

Luke and his partner went to the nearby canyon substation to investigate.

The officer who received them was a black police officer named Harris, a guy in his forties and very well-built, even taller than Luke.

Luke brought him a box of donuts, and upon learning their purpose, Harris, while eating a donut, said, "Yeah, I was in charge of this traffic accident case. The car owner who was hit is named Lucas, a big star, very handsome, my daughter likes him a lot."

"We would like to see the original handling records."

"Any problem?" Harris asked, sucking on the greasy residue on his fingers.

"Lucas died last night, and we are investigating the case."

"Wow, that's big news, such a shame, he was a good guy. My wife and daughter are going to be heartbroken."

Xiao Hei inquired further, "Your wife likes him too?"

"Yes, I even bought a mask of Lucas, you know, don't tell anyone."

"Hey, buddy, I like you. Let's have a drink sometime, we'll have a good time chatting."

The black officer Harris asked back, "You like wearing masks too?"

Xiao Hei wiggled his body, sporting a cheeky grin, "Who doesn't?"

Luke felt a bit superfluous, "Guys, I don't want to spoil your fun, but Lucas's case is definitely going to be in the news, we have got to catch the killer fast."

"You're right, I'll go apply to my superior." Harris finished his last donut and turned to leave.

Xiao Hei looked at Luke as if he wanted to say something.

Luke cut him off decisively, "Shut up!"

Xiao Hei squinted his eyes, "I was just going to recommend…"

"Do you want to sit in David's trunk?"

"No." Xiao Hei made a zipping motion over his lips.

...

Soon, the black officer Harris returned, bringing with him the case files, handling records, and related documents.

Luke looked over the files and materials, "Is there any video evidence?"

"The vehicle at fault didn't have a camera installed, but the car that got hit did." Officer Harris played a surveillance video.

In the video, the car was parked by the roadside, and the footage also showed pedestrians on the right sidewalk.

Suddenly, a car from the left hit it at high speed, the camera got knocked off, and the scene went spinning.

Luke replayed it several times, scrutinizing the footage, "This doesn't look like a regular traffic accident."

Harris said, "Indeed, it's a bit suspicious. The person at fault, Ada Phil, was not on drugs, had not been drinking, just went straight into it."

"Then why was it ruled a regular traffic accident?"

Harris explained, "According to the offender, she dropped her phone and was bending over to pick it up. As a result, she couldn't control the vehicle and the accident happened.

Secondly, we have no evidence she hit him on purpose.

The most crucial point, there were indeed skid marks, which are key.

Moreover, we sought the opinion of the victim, Lucas, and he agreed to a settlement."

Luke thought for a moment and asked, "Do you often handle traffic-related matters?"

"Absolutely, most of the time I do, my wife doesn't like me running around with a gun."

"Then you're very experienced."

"Of course, my shooting might not be great, but I'm definitely an expert in this area."

"From your experience, does this look like a regular traffic accident?"

Harris shook his head, "It doesn't matter what I think, what's crucial is the evidence."

"Harris, let's not talk about evidence, let's chat like friends. I want to hear your opinion."

Harris was silent for a moment, pursing his lips, "I don't think it's normal. The offender, Ada, has over a decade of driving experience, and this person never even had a speeding ticket before, she doesn't seem like someone who would make such a basic mistake."

"Thanks, your viewpoint is very important to me." Luke conveyed his appreciation and prepared to leave.

Harris saw them out of the canyon substation, chatting and laughing all the way with Xiao Hei, having a great time.

As they were leaving, Xiao Hei extended his right hand, "Hey, buddy, be sure to give me a call."

Harris also waved and fist-bumped, "I will."

After getting into the car, Luke looked at Harris still waving in the rearview mirror and said with a smile, "To those who know, we're here for an investigation, to those who don't, it looks like you came to make friends."

"I just thought he was pretty interesting, just had a casual chat... If you don't like my way of investigating, I can try to change…"

"No, just be yourself." With Xiao Hei's intelligence, expecting him to solve the case, the prison guards would be out of jobs.

...

2 p.m.

Luke and Xiao Hei had just returned to the detective bureau.

David asked, "Where the hell have you two been? I thought you'd disappeared too."

Luke replied, "We went to investigate Lucas's traffic accident."

"That shouldn't take that long."

"We grabbed something to eat on the way back; the dessert was decent, I'll take you there next time."

David shook his head, "I knew it, you two lazy bums make a disastrous pair, always finding excuses to slack off. I really don't know what the captain was thinking."

Xiao Hei struck a pose, "Yeah, I know, you're just jealous.

But we're the ultimate dynamic duo."

David sneered, "Eat shit, idiot."

Luke laughed, "David, you're like a cranky old man right now, you need to find a chick."

Xiao Hei mimed a 'D' with his fingers like a gun, "Yeah, this won't do, you'll peel, hahaha."

David flipped him off, grinding his teeth, "Fuck, you're dead meat."

Luke was speechless; Xiao Hei's mouth really did need a filter, never learning his lesson.

He's like a clown you can't help but not hate.

Perhaps, it's his carefree demeanor that allows him to expand his network of relations.

You could say there's a loss and a gain.

Susan walked in from outside the office, "The preliminary autopsy report for the body is out."

Susan went to the projector and placed the document there, "The big pit where the body was found is the initial crime scene. The fatal wound was a knife cut at the back of the neck, and the time of death was between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.

In addition, the film crew staff identified the murder weapon as one of the film's props."

After finishing with the autopsy report, Susan switched to a video, "This is from last night's film shooting."

In the footage, Lucas was lying in a big pit, calling 911, and a shadowy figure was shoveling dirt into the pit outside, very similar to the scene where Lucas met with the accident.

"Wow... someone's mimicking the movie plot to commit murder?" Xiao Hei gasped.

"Exactly."

Susan continued, "This film tells the love story of a young couple.

The male lead and the female lead meet by chance in a bar and fall in love at first sight.

The guy is a corporate executive and a young talent, while the female lead is a beautiful and kind heiress from a wealthy family.

The two quickly fall in love.

Later, the female lead suddenly disappears, vanishing as if she evaported, and the desperate male lead searches for her until he hears news from her friend.

The female lead's family went bankrupt, and she was drowning in debt. She chose to leave to avoid dragging down the male lead.

Upon learning this, the male lead wants to help the female lead, but he lacks the ability to do so.

Because he's not really a corporate executive, but a drug dealer, and even the luxury car was rented.

He was posing as a rich and handsome guy just to get laid, but he ended up truly falling for the female lead.

To help her, he embezzled his boss's drug money to pay off her debts.

The drug lord found out and decided to punish his betrayal by burying him alive.

Which is the scene you've all just watched.

After learning of his fate, the female lead is overwhelmed with grief and contemplates suicide out of love, but discovers she's pregnant and decides to raise the child on her own."

"Wow, such a tragic love story... I definitely wouldn't watch it." the deputy team leader shook his head.

Xiao Hei laughed, "Deputy team leader, this movie isn't made for your age group anyway."

"Bullshit, a good movie has to appeal to a broad audience."

Susan interrupted, "Now is not the time to discuss the merits of this film, but why would the killer recreate the film's plot to commit murder?"

Luke said, "Has this film been produced before? Could it be an obsessed fan?"

Susan replied, "This is a script adapted from a novel; it's the first time it's being filmed."

The deputy team leader combed his hair with a comb, "Killing according to the movie script feels like it's publicizing the film. I bet this movie will get hyped up.

I think we should look into the film's financial beneficiaries. If the lead dies and the movie becomes a hit, who ultimately benefits?"

Luke remarked, "There are too many, anyone related to this movie would benefit."

"Wuu wuu..."

Right then, a faint sound of a woman's piercing cry for help drifted in.

Xiao Hei curiously asked, "What's going on?"

Raymond spread his hands, "Lucas's wife is here, Jenny took her to identify the body."

David spoke up, "Lucas, I remember that actor. I've seen his movie Special Warfare. It felt explosive back then. I really liked his shooting style, but he switched gears later on.

He was just over thirty this year, it's a bit of a pity."

The deputy team leader nodded, "Yeah, that's why it's most important to be satisfied with what you have." He glanced at Luke, Susan, and Xiao Hei, "Being handsome, skilled, and popular with women are all fleeting; the real achievement is to live healthily into your sixties or seventies."

Xiao Hei spread his hands, "Being handsome isn't my fault, it's God's arrangement."

The deputy team leader smiled, "Young man, you really understand well. I'm proud of you."