Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

He guessed that the gunman had just been changing magazines.

Luke was also somewhat dazed by now, with more and more people around him getting injured. At a glance, at least a hundred people had been shot, and he hadn't expected the gunman to have such lasting combat prowess.

In the midst of the crisis, many 'heroes' emerged.

Military personnel from other countries, veterans, and some medical workers.

They began to actively assist those who were injured.

Luke wasn't idle either; he kept observing the gunman, gauging his exact location and the shooting situation.

He found that although the gunfire was fierce and the firepower strong, there was only one gun firing.

So far, Luke had only spotted one gunman, but of course, this didn't mean there was only one. It was very possible there were other accomplices inside the hotel.

Luke sat on the ground, trying to keep calm while weighing the pros and cons.

He was a Los Angeles police officer—if this incident happened in Los Angeles, he would have arrested the suspect as soon as he confirmed the gunman's location. It was his responsibility and duty.

He was accountable to the citizens of Los Angeles.

But this was Las Vegas.

Here, he had no law enforcement authority, nor did he have any duty to protect the citizens of Las Vegas.

The local taxes didn't pay his salary either.

Moreover, in his view, since the gunfire had lasted for nearly 2 minutes, there should be police around such a large open-air concert.

But Luke had not spotted any police presence.

"Tat-tat-tat…" The gunfire overhead continued.

The sounds of screaming were also incessant.

The square was less crowded now as those who could run had done so.

The tourists also realized that this shooting was different from the usual; the gunman seemed to have no intention of stopping, and the remaining people no longer hesitated, following the crowd to run outwards.

Those who could run did, and the injured became even more apparent.

Luke stood up, surveyed the surroundings, and saw that at least several hundred people had been shot, possibly even more than five hundred.

A major incident.

Definitely a major incident.

"Swoosh"

"Bang!"

A bullet flew past Luke's ear, hit the ground, and splinters of cement splashed onto him.

He was annoyed; damn frustrating—he had never felt so restrained in his police career.

He had pinpointed the gunman's location, which should be on the 32nd floor, on the east side of the hotel.

After much deliberation, Luke decided to act, to capture the gunman.

He made this decision for two reasons: first, he discovered that although the shooting was powerful and continuous, there should only be one gunman.

Surprising him, Luke still had a chance to kill the opponent.

Second, the casualties on the open square had surpassed several hundred.

This was undoubtedly an unprecedented major incident.

If he could catch the gunman, the rewards, both real and from the system, would be substantial.

Put simply, this was a great opportunity to make a significant achievement.

Time to act.

Luke still had two Bullet-Proof Cards. Even if he couldn't catch the culprit, he would be fine in terms of self-protection.

Thinking this, Luke no longer hesitated and started to move, first checking his firearm and placing his police badge on his belt, and then he turned on his body camera.

Once ready, he shouted loudly, "Make way, LAPD!"

Luke charged toward the hotel direction, encountering a crowd blocking the way and shouting, "LAPD, move aside."

Hearing Luke's shout, the crowd reacted differently.

Some, hearing the word 'PD,' instinctively cleared the way.

Others looked confused; buddy, are you sure you're LAPD? This is Las Vegas. Are you a fake cop?

There were also tourists from Los Angeles, who felt a warm familiarity when they heard the voice.

The image of the LAPD grew in their minds, and some even took out their phones to record Luke as he ran toward the gunman's hotel 'against the tide.'

Luke quickly reached the base of the hotel.

He had heard sirens on the way but hadn't seen any police. At the ground level, he encountered a few hotel security guards, gathered in small groups as if discussing something.

Luke didn't bother with them and took the elevator, pressing for the 30th floor.

He dared not go straight to the 32nd floor in case the gunman had accomplices.

Then the elevator entrance could be the best ambush spot. As soon as the elevator doors opened, Luke in the elevator would have nowhere to hide.

"Ding-dong…"

The elevator reached the 30th floor, and Luke, with his guns ready, aimed at the elevator doors.

Luckily, what he worried about didn't happen—the elevator was empty outside.

Luke exited the elevator; there were no suspicious people in the hallway, and the gunfire was becoming clearer, obviously coming from the direction above.

Luke began to search the hallway, looking for the staircase to go up to the 32nd floor.

He had just reached a corner when he saw a door open and someone seemed to be peering out.

"LAPD, put your hands up! Get on the ground."

"Don't shoot, I'm a hotel employee, please don't shoot." The speaker was a black man in his forties, dressed in a janitor's uniform, slightly emaciated, and very compliantly lay down on the ground.

Luke asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I was cleaning the room when I suddenly heard gunshots, and I got scared. I wanted to flee the hotel but was worried about encountering the gunman.

I was waiting for the police to rescue me."

Luke eyed him, "Don't move, I need to search you."

Luke handcuffed him first, then searched him, and didn't find any weapons but rather found a room card.

"Can this card open rooms on the 32nd floor?"

"Yes."

"I need to borrow this," Luke said, unlocking the handcuffs, "You can go down the elevator. I didn't encounter the gunman when I came up."