Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

Bern Nelson said, "Too many, they're all over the country, I'm only in charge of the mutual aid association in Los Angeles."

"How many people are in charge of the mutual aid association in Los Angeles? Or rather, how many people can access the three members I mentioned earlier?"

Bern Nelson thought for a moment, showing a troubled expression.

Luke urged, "Don't feel burdened, just say it directly.

We will verify carefully and won't wrong a good person."

"Park Zhengmin.

He is also a member of the mutual aid association. He often helps out at the association, welcomes new members, and counsels those who need help.

He's a good person, willing to help everyone, and definitely not a murderer."

"Where is he now?"

"I don't know."

"Have you seen him in the last three days?"

"No."

Luke took out the photo of the suspect's vehicle, "Have you seen this car?"

"Park Zhengmin seemingly also has a car of the same brand, model, and color."

"Do you know where we can find him?"

"I don't know."

"You should know his phone number and home address, right?"

...

Luke didn't question Bern Nelson further but first had someone keep an eye on him.

According to the killer's murder pattern, it's very likely another crime will happen tonight.

The police must find the prime suspect, Park Zhengmin, as soon as possible.

Based on the clues provided by Bern Nelson, the police found Park Zhengmin's home.

Kyle May Apartments.

Park Zhengmin lives in apartment 309. The room lights were off, and the suspect's vehicle wasn't found in the parking lot.

It was already eight o'clock in the evening, and Luke speculated the suspect probably wasn't home and might already be on his way to commit a crime.

Every second counts.

Luke led the team to the outside of apartment 309, listening closely by the door but heard nothing.

Luke waved his hand.

A patrol officer swung a battering ram.

With a "bang," the apartment door was busted open.

"LAPD!" Little Black, Jackson, Port, and others rushed into the room.

"All clear."

"No sign of anyone."

The apartment wasn't big, just a studio with a bathroom. The police quickly searched through it.

Luke turned on the apartment's lights, revealing everything inside.

The apartment was a bit messy, with leftover food on the table and a smell of kimchi in the air.

The wall on the right caught Luke's attention, with several photos and some documents attached.

The first photo on the left was of Hashimoto Yumi.

The second photo on the left was Ma Jiehui.

The third photo was Amir Modi.

The fourth photo was of an Asian man.

The photos on the wall further solidified the likelihood of Park Zhengmin being the murderer.

And the fourth photo might very well be his next target.

Luke glanced at his watch; it was now ten past eight. Based on the suspect's previous crime timelines, he might not have acted yet.

The police must quickly find the man in the fourth photo. Every additional minute increases his danger.

Beside the photos, the wall also had each person's details.

Park Zhengmin had investigated each victim's situation before committing the crime, which might be why he succeeded every time.

Name: Ma Zheng

Ethnicity: Chinese

Age: 30

Occupation: Food courier.

Phone number: 626 836 2231

License plate number: 8LCB393

...

A white Toyota parked by the roadside.

A man stepped out from the driver's seat, wearing an earpiece, seemingly on a call, "Honey, I've arrived. If I'm not talking, I'm delivering food to a customer."

Saying this, he went to the trunk, took out a food delivery, and ran to a nearby villa.

Soon after, he walked out of the villa and spoke into the earpiece, "Wow, her house is huge.

Guess how much tip I got?

Twenty US Dollars!

So damn rich.

Do you know what she ordered?

Just a vegetable salad.

Sigh...

These foreigners' money is easy to earn.

The delivery I just made netted me almost two hundred RMB.

This is like picking money off the ground."

The more he talked, the more excited he became, "I have to keep going, I'll work until ten tonight, when the restaurant closes, I'll be done.

These foreigners are so lazy; they close by ten.

If they didn't, I could work until midnight.

No, until 2 AM.

Haha... I'll talk to you later; I'm off to deliver to the next place.

I'll get something to eat after ten and continue tomorrow morning.

These foreigners are so dense; they can't compete with me.

Everyone knows I'm the 'delivery king' around here now.

In a few years, we'll be able to buy a house, not just in the county but even in the city...

Yes, aiming for a second-tier city, definitely."

He hung up his phone and walked to his car, pausing.

When he arrived, there was a car behind him, but no car in front, so he parked here.

But in just a short while, a car parked very close in front of him, making it impossible to drive out.

"Damn it... Can you even drive?" he muttered, looking at the black Volkswagen in front; someone seemed to be inside. He breathed a sigh of relief; it's good there was someone; if not, he'd be stuck.

He walked to the Volkswagen driver's side and knocked on the window, "Knock, knock."

The window rolled down, revealing another Asian man inside.

"What a coincidence," he smiled, his English wasn't great, and perhaps he'd run into a fellow countryman, "Brother, my car is at the back, and you're blocking it. Move, please."

"@#￥%&..." the Asian man inside spoke a flurry of words.

The delivery man was puzzled by the unfamiliar language, even harder to understand than English.

Then he remembered his wife's favorite Korean dramas, ah, this is Korean; they often have those tones at the end.

Forget it, let's use hand gestures.

The delivery man gestured, indicating for him to move the car.

"Squeak..." The Volkswagen car door opened, and the man stepped out, seemingly holding something.

The delivery man glanced at him with a hint of disdain, followed by a flash of panic, "Oh, shit!"

He saw that the man held a knife, and as he got out of the car, he aggressively stabbed at the delivery man.

With a "thud!" the knife plunged into his abdomen.

"Ah!" The delivery man tried his best to dodge, but was still stabbed.

Luckily, he was in good physical condition and immediately began to run the moment the knife was drawn, "Help, murder!"

As the attacker pulled out the knife, ready to stab a second time, the target fled.

He couldn't let him get away, so he chased straight after him.

The delivery man, often exercising and in great shape, continued running despite his injury, clutching his wound.

The attacker closely chased him from behind; they ran quite a distance at similar speeds.

The delivery man's wound bled heavily, slowing him down. Frustrated, he thought if not for the injury, he would've outpaced the attacker long ago.

Had the attacker been unarmed, he believed he could have taken him down even while injured.

"Ah!" The delivery man screamed.

The attacker caught up and slashed him across the back.

In pain, the delivery man sped up slightly, knowing he'd be killed if caught.

"Ring, ring, ring..." His phone rang, but he ignored it; now wasn't the time for calls.

Blood was everywhere as weakness set in, and despair crept into his mind as he felt himself unable to keep going.

Is this how it ends?

His grand plans remain unachieved; how unwilling he felt!

Wife, I...

"Woo, woo..."

Just then, a siren blared, rekindling hope within him.

"Murderer!" he yelled, trying to get the police car to notice.

Soon, two police cars arrived.

Alarmed at their sight, the attacker turned to flee.

However, cars flashing police lights approached from the opposite side of the street.

The attacker turned back towards the delivery man, a murderous look in his eyes.

At this moment, four officers dismounted from their vehicles, guns drawn, "LAPD, drop your weapon!"

"Drop the weapon, or we'll open fire!"

"Drop the weapon and put your hands on your head!"

The attacker stood still, surrounded by more and more police, trembling uncontrollably, unable to control his limbs. His knife slipped from his hand to the ground.