Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

Las Vegas.

Mandalay Bay Hotel.

In the early morning, a ray of sunlight pierced through the gap in the curtains and shone into the hotel room.

The sunlight fell on his eyes, and Luke slowly opened them, instinctively glancing over at Daisy, who was still in a deep sleep.

Yesterday, the two of them had spent the afternoon gambling at the casino, with Daisy losing two hundred US Dollars and Luke losing five hundred US Dollars, leaving them with one thousand three hundred in chips.

The loss was not significant; it wasn't even enough to cover a day's rent.

The good news was that Luke had tried out every game in the casino. Although he was far from an expert, he now knew the rules of each game.

It was an educational experience. He considered the lost seven hundred US Dollars as tuition fees. Now he could say he had been to Las Vegas and stepped into a casino.

If he hadn't gone to the casino, he would have been embarrassed to say he had been to Las Vegas.

Yesterday was just a warm-up; today, he planned to go big, ideally turning the system's reserve of over four hundred thousand US Dollars into cash.

Having seven hundred thousand US Dollars in cash in hand was an exhilarating thought.

Luke got out of bed and walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows to draw back the curtains. The outside scenery unfolded before him—it had to be said, this world of glitz and glamour could easily make one lose oneself.

With money, you were God in this place, able to enjoy any conceivable service.

Of course, Luke wasn't considered wealthy yet.

However, with Detective System, his ability to make money was extraordinary. In just four short months since arriving in Los Angeles, he had already racked up over eight hundred thousand US Dollars, with an average monthly income of two hundred thousand US Dollars.

That amounted to around two and a half million US Dollars per year, a sum that already surpassed the earnings of most doctors and lawyers; the financial prospects were limitless.

Of course, this was all contingent on successfully liquidating the system's reserve funds.

At nine o'clock in the morning, Luke and Daisy got ready and went downstairs for the buffet breakfast.

The casino chips could also be used directly to pay for the meal. The one thousand three in chips left over from yesterday meant that breakfast, plus tip, only cost fifty US Dollars in chips.

The hotel's dining was relatively cheap, giving diners the illusion of value for money. The real purpose, of course, was to entice you to play at the casino. After all, how much could meals cost? The casino was the true money pit.

After eating, Luke exchanged another thousand US Dollars in chips, giving five hundred to Daisy and keeping two thousand two hundred for himself.

Luke started on his path to liquidation once again.

Luke wanted to test his luck and began with the slot machines, but after losing two rounds in a row, he became a little annoyed.

But soon enough, fortune turned, and he won a few hands. His two thousand two hundred quickly turned into four thousand.

Luke's total gambling stake, including yesterday's and today's, was only three thousand US Dollars, and in a short span, he had won back what he lost and an additional thousand US Dollars.

This was the charm of the casino.

Luke grew more confident about his path to liquidation.

Then he headed to play blackjack. His luck was good, and he won several hands in a row, turning his four thousand into ten thousand US Dollars.

The financial prospects looked bright.

Luke felt he had it under control and aimed to take advantage of his luck, accelerating the cash-out of his reserve funds. Once it was done, he planned to take Daisy for a good time in Las Vegas, where there was more to do than just casinos, with many entertainment options available.

Luke could sense that Daisy wasn't too interested in the casinos. Perhaps she had been a bit curious yesterday, but today she was clearly just there to accompany him.

Therefore, Luke decided to act quickly and decisively, increasing his bets.

However, luck is fickle, and as soon as Luke upped his bets, he began to lose money.

After losing just two rounds, his winnings of seven thousand US Dollars were gone, leaving him with only three thousand.

Luke began to worry and switched games, trying his hand at dice.

The rules of dice were simple—it was essentially a game of guessing high or low, crude but straightforward.

The thrill was in the risk.

With dwindling chips in hand, Luke couldn't bet as heavily as before, so he reduced his stakes for each bet.

The next while saw wins and losses. Overall, with little experience and average luck, Luke lost more than he won.

By noon, he was down to eighteen hundred US Dollars.

At this point, Luke was getting frustrated. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

He had come to Vegas for liquidation. In theory, he should have been raking it in. Could it be that this method of cashing out wasn't viable?

If he were to rely solely on his own gambling skills, he would definitely lose money.

As for Daisy, of the five hundred US Dollars she started with, she had a little over one hundred left, having lost more than three hundred.

Daisy handed her chips to Luke. "Let's go eat, I'm a bit hungry."

"Alright." With no winnings, Luke's interest had waned.

At noon, they went to an Italian restaurant. The menu was exquisite, and they ordered quite a few dishes, spending over one hundred in chips, including tip.

After ordering, Daisy asked, "Luke, what are your plans for this afternoon?"

Luke responded with a question of his own, "What about you?"

"I'll follow your lead."

Luke really wanted to say that they should go back to the casino this afternoon.

But he could clearly sense Daisy's dissatisfaction.

"There are plenty of shopping places in Las Vegas. Let's go shopping this afternoon," he suggested.

Daisy smiled. "That sounds nice. I was thinking of buying a couple more clothes."

"OK. It's settled then."

Luke was somewhat distracted as they ate. His entire purpose in coming to Las Vegas was to liquidate the system's reserve funds.

According to his plan, winning money in a casino was the best way and place to liquidate. Logically, he should have been winning.

Yet things didn't go as he had hoped; not only had he not won money, but he had also lost a thousand US Dollars.

Luke speculated about the reason—was it because he hadn't visited the casino enough times?

It's like buying scratch cards before, not every time is a win.

Luke thought maybe the Detective System was worried that winning money on his first trip to the casino would draw too much attention, so it wanted him to lose before winning, which wouldn't seem too abrupt.

The more Luke thought about it, the more he felt it was possible.

However, since he had promised Daisy to go shopping in the afternoon, that would have to wait until later.

"Ding-a-ling-a-ling..." While they were eating, Daisy's phone rang.

Daisy picked up her phone, furrowed her brows slightly, and then pressed the answer button, "Hello, this is Daisy."

Daisy stood up to take the call on the side.

Luke ordered another plate of grilled oysters, a man needs to replenish himself properly, after all.

Last night, in a new city, a new environment, and a world-class poker destination, he naturally didn't miss out on playing a game of poker with Daisy.

A bit later, Daisy came back, looking somewhat upset.

Luke asked, "What's wrong?"

Daisy let out a slight sigh, "One of my old clients has run into some tricky issues that need my attention back home."

Luke put down his utensils, "Can we go back the day after tomorrow morning?"

"We won't make it by then, I have to go back today."

Luke was annoyed. They had hardly started their vacation, and now, just one day in, she had to return? What sort of luck was this?

Daisy, holding Luke's hand with an apologetic expression, said, "Sorry, I can't stay with you."

"Do you have to go?"

"Yes, the firm has booked me on a flight this afternoon."

"OK, work is important." Luke shrugged his shoulders. Daisy had made up her mind, what more could he say?

After finishing their meal, Daisy took a taxi to the airport and went back to Los Angeles.

Luke was certainly not pleased, but as the old saying goes, "Luck in love means luck out at the game."

Now that Daisy was gone, he didn't have to reluctantly go shopping anymore.

After checking, Luke settled the bill for the meal, realizing he still had two thousand US dollars in chips left.

Let's do this.

Maybe these 2000 US dollars could help him hit the big time and win a fortune.

Luke had prepared himself for a long battle.

However, fortunes can change unexpectedly, and around four in the afternoon, Luke had lost the last of his 2000 US dollars.

From yesterday to now, he had lost a total of three thousand US dollars.

Luke was quite irked. Although 3000 US dollars wasn't a significant sum for him, amounting to about three days of hotel expenses, the main issue was this trend likely meant his plan to liquify assets was ruined.

His two reasons for this trip were both ending in failure.

The first reason he came to Las Vegas was for a romantic getaway with Daisy, which had barely begun before she had gone.

The second reason was to cash in on the Detective System's reserve funds.

According to his original assumptions, both goals should have been easily attainable.

But the System didn't play by the rules, not only preventing him from winning but also causing him to lose three thousand US dollars. You tell me, isn't that aggravating?

This won't do, he had already spent two days at the casino, and if he stayed any longer, his mental state would be affected. He didn't want to become a real gambler.

Although he felt that the casino should still be a viable way to cash in, perhaps he just hadn't found the right method or the timing was off.

But he didn't want to try any longer.

He made up his mind not to set foot in a casino for the next two days.

As for cashing in, he would find another way.

With the woman gone and the money lost, Luke suddenly felt a little lost. What should he do next?

That evening, Luke sat alone in the buffet restaurant for dinner.

Once inside, he regretted it. Eating at a buffet alone is truly damn awkward.

He was worried that if he left to get food, by the time he got back, not only would the table be cleared, but it might also be occupied by other customers.

Fortunately, that didn't happen.

Luke sipped on wine, enjoyed good food, read novels, and felt quite content and self-sufficient.

"Excuse me, sir," someone said.

Luke looked up to see a black woman in the restaurant's uniform.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Are you satisfied with today's dishes and service?"

"Not bad."

"Do you have any suggestions?"

"No, it's quite good."

"Thank you for your appreciation." The waitress handed Luke a ticket, "Tonight, our hotel is hosting an outdoor concert. If you're interested, you can attend."

Luke took the ticket, "Where is it at?"

"Right in the outdoor plaza below the hotel, it can accommodate tens of thousands of people, really lively. It's one of the most popular entertainment events at our hotel."

"OK, if I have time, I'll take a look."

"Enjoy your meal," the waitress said before turning and walking away.

Luke glanced at the ticket; the outdoor concert was starting at ten o'clock tonight, with special mystery guests and a few pictures of attractive women on it.

It seemed like the kind of high-energy concert that was very Las Vegas. Since he was here, he might as well experience it.