Luke walked into the scene survey but didn't spot any obvious traces. "Did you see anything suspicious or anyone else at the time?"

"No."

As Luke stood up to look around, people occasionally passed by, some gazing at them curiously. Three days had passed since the incident, and even if the killer had left clues, they might have been compromised.

However, considering Michael Arthur's abilities, if the killer truly left clues behind, he should be able to discover them.

Luke made a round at the intersection but didn't find any cameras that could have captured the scene. A bit further away were some shops, "Were the shops around here open the night the incident happened?"

"No, they were mostly closed at that time."

With no surveillance in the immediate vicinity and no open shops or suspicious people, they would have to broaden their search and investigate more distant cameras.

Afterward, Luke instructed his team to collect surveillance footage from cameras around the location that might have captured the victim or the murderer.

Such as nearby shop security cameras or those along roads further afield.

Luke himself escorted Michael Arthur back to the police station.

Once the officers had gathered surveillance from the area, they began to scour video footage for clues related to the case.

Luke led the review of an entire day's footage, but the results were not very promising, yielding almost no valuable leads.

To find witnesses quickly, Luke resorted to a crude method, hanging banners at the intersection of Via Ovsi Street and Staven Street to look for anyone who might have seen something.

An informant providing valuable clues could earn a reward of 1000 to 3000 US dollars.

This method, which Luke had used before in China, wasn't particularly clever, but many cases were cracked precisely by accumulating enough mundane clues until a qualitative change occurred from the sheer quantity of information.

...

September 21, early morning.

They had checked the surveillance videos and hung the banners for a day, yet still had not obtained any new leads.

Luke convened a morning meeting with his team to brainstorm and look for new investigative directions and ideas.

However, shortly after the meeting began, there was a knock on the door.

"Knock knock."

Reid opened the door and entered the office, "Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt your meeting."

"Chief, what is it?"

"I need to talk to you."

"OK," Luke stood up and instructed the others, "Guys, continue discussing."

Luke invited Reid into his office, "Chief, would you like something to drink?"

"No, thank you.

How's the case going? Any new leads?"

"Nothing yet. That area is too remote for respectable folks to venture out to late at night, and those who are not so respectable, even if they saw something, may not be willing to deal with the police."

Reid joked, "Did you include 'Immunity in exchange for information' on the banners?"

Luke laughed. Such things were possible, but openly advertising them would be taboo and might provoke unfavorable public opinion.

"Let me tell you something more serious," Reid said with a severe expression, "I just got off the phone with the DA's office, they have agreed to the immunity deal for Michael Arthur."

Luke countered, "Since when have they become so amenable?"

Reid spread his hands, "Sometimes they can be quite capricious. But it's good news for us, it will save a lot of money."

"Chief, what's the deal with Michael Arthur?"

"I haven't received concrete details, but my guess... he's likely a retired operative."

"CIA?"

Reid nodded.

"You're sure he's really retired? If he has retired, then how come he got the immunity deal so easily?"

"The information I got is that he is indeed retired.

But his past experiences, the things he's seen and heard, are beyond what the average person can imagine.

Those three scumbags are insignificant in comparison.

Human rights, equality, the law...

This is the real America."

"I understand, and I have no interest in seeking justice for three scumbags; they got what they deserved.

But Michael Arthur's actions have also troubled LAPD.

What if something similar happens in the future?

It could trouble me and my team; does our law enforcement still matter?"

"You guys are doing great. You caught a super-agent; you upheld LAPD's authority. That matters a lot.

I'm proud of you.

I stand with you, never doubt that," Reid made his stance clear and continued,

"So, I've also made a request to the DA's office: the immunity deal is contingent upon Michael Arthur leaving Los Angeles.

I don't care who he is, whether he will commit such acts in the future, but he can't do it in LAPD's jurisdiction.

What do you think?"

"Great, you're the boss."

"OK. I'll be going then, won't disturb your investigation anymore. And if you need more manpower or funds, let me know."

Luke smiled, "That's so generous."

"It's your first case as the acting team leader; I won't let you fight alone."

"Thank you, I'll speak up if we need anything."

After Reid left, Luke assigned his deputy to follow up on Michael Arthur's immunity deal.

The rest of the team was somewhat surprised when they heard the news but were not overly shocked.

Clearly, they had all subconsciously accepted the idea that Michael Arthur was no ordinary person; if he had been, it would be more surprising.

"Is it too late to change careers now?" said Little Black. "I feel like the CIA is much more prestigious than LAPD."

The deputy laughed, "You're right. The CIA is indeed more prestigious. They haven't even made their training facilities public.

But their job is more dangerous, and the requirements are stricter.

Luke might be able to take a chance there."

"What about me?"

"You would most likely end up in a body bag."

"Ha ha..." they all laughed.

Little Black "..."

"So, career change is risky, resignation must be considered carefully."

Luke laughed, agreeing with his deputy's comments. He still preferred being a cop compared to a special agent; the CIA has no law enforcement authority within the United States.

His impression was that although being a special agent seemed cool, it generally didn't end well.

He was doing well within the Los Angeles police system; why look for trouble?

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