Chapter 004: Steel Wire Ropes

Adrian felt a lump in his throat as he gazed into Kirk's deep blue eyes, which were filled with a sense of laziness, mockery, and a relaxed demeanor that was nonetheless laced with sarcasm. Unavoidably, he felt a twinge of guilt and unease, and in a flurry, he quickly lowered his gaze to avoid Kirk's penetrating stare

Home invasion robbery, quadruple homicide, a family of four brutally murdered, two children, yet he is the only one investigating

Adrian barely found his voice amidst the storm, saying, "It is all their fault"

Where is justice

Is the focus currently on the media

Looking at Kirk before him, Adrian was engulfed in a painful struggle and a conflict of emotions, "God, you are nothing but a madman"

However, the entire NYPD budget is currently tight, and overtime pay is being cut from top to bottom, including restrictions on surveillance time, daily case handling time, and so on. Even if the work is completed and overtime pay is requested, all those documents are just a pile of waste paper, and overtime pay has never been honored.

Without waiting too long, the door to the interrogation room was immediately opened, and a head popped out, surveying the tense atmosphere of the room. A hint of surprise appeared, and a friendly and familiar greeting was offered.

Mr. Holmes, I have just purchased a house. What will happen to the mortgage if I lose my job? Marianna will kill me. I do not want to lose my house, nor do I want to lose the barbecue grill I just bought.

Perhaps they need a slap in the face from the "Times" to wake up

Adrian was taken aback

Adrian rolled his eyes and said, "Are you saying that you care? Because you care, you involve the 'Times' and drag the entire police department into this; because you care, this private detective is working for free to uphold justice, right? Just like Dexter Morgan."

Thoughts surged in my mind, and several times words were on the tip of my tongue but were pulled back by a profound sense of helplessness, ultimately causing my shoulders to droop weakly

Kirk shows no signs of weakness

Interrogation room? Haha, hahaha...

The reason is quite simple; it pertains to the budget of the entire city. The struggles among different departments and various stages have led to ongoing controversies and complaints regarding the police department's consistently high budget in recent years. Consequently, the mayor has had to resort to shifting resources from one area to another in search of a balance. Although the police union has formally filed a complaint through the proper channels, the interests involved in the budgetary issues are extensive and cannot be resolved in a short period.

Damn it!

Who

What do you think will happen then

"Get lost, this is not funny, let me out"

Despite being a homeless person, it is still murder; the NYPD allows those murderers to go unpunished, and then smugly observes the foolishness and laziness of the police

Stephen was completely puzzled, "Who? Who is counting money with - pictures - books?"

Adrian hung up the phone in frustration, feeling that he should have stormed out and slammed the door to end things dramatically, but now, all his momentum had dissipated

But what is truly lamentable is that I cannot give up this job

The body leaned forward, the chair landed back on all four legs, and the left hand slapped the table heavily

The more he spoke, the angrier he became; the more he spoke, the more agitated he grew. Adrian seemed to be engulfed in a flame.

Heh

Bang

"Damn God, of course it is their fault." Yet in the blink of an eye, he was once again engulfed and overwhelmed by Kirk's imposing presence. "Should Stephen be grateful that he does not need to take the subway to conduct the investigation?"

Bang

Why do the police unions not speak out in the eyes of outsiders

A small gap, yet it leads to a complete breach, in front of a stranger where friend and foe are indistinguishable

What is the truth

Reason

A thunderous sound, a tremendous roar.

So are we involving the media in this matter

That feeling is difficult to describe accurately; it is as if one is standing on a tightrope, with a cliff ahead and a precipice behind, trapped in the middle, facing a dilemma with no way to advance or retreat, and looking around only to find oneself in a state of utter helplessness, where every step could lead to disaster

So, is this all there is? Is this your point of view?

At this moment, Adrian noticed that he was holding a cigarette but had never lit it. He took out his lighter, but it seemed to be broken; no matter how he tried, it would not ignite. "I... I don't want to be involved in this matter at all. I don't know, I know nothing, and we have never met."

But perhaps, precisely because they are strangers, certain words become easier to express.

Adrian knew he should brake, a voice in his mind was shouting "shut up, shut up"; yet the words continued to pour out, as if a dam had been opened, suppressed for too long to be controlled any longer

Adrian's reason told him that he should turn around and leave, that he should stop here, and that he should not continue to entangle himself with this guy

Kirk did not get angry but instead laughed lightly, letting out a soft chuckle.

What should we do

Wake up, Detective Adrian

Kirk said, "Thank you for the compliment"

However

Anger. It is uncontrollable, yet amidst the fury, there is an overwhelming sense of helplessness.

Looking at Kirk before him, Adrian found himself in a painful struggle and conflict, barely managing to squeeze out a few remnants of rational words from his predicament

Who did this damn nonsense

Generally speaking, investigating cases is similar to carrying out assignments; the police department often dispatches two or more officers to work in pairs, looking out for and assisting each other. However, now, Gallagher has cited budget constraints as a reason for assigning a single detective to handle the case investigation. This is truly outrageous and unprecedented, yet no one is able to change his decision

You should have seen how Stephen, a *picture* book author, struggles and endures.

Hey, buddy, how come you came without saying a word to me

Adrian raised his middle finger at Kirk

Do you think we do not wish to continue the investigation

As he turned around, Adrian was ready to leave the interrogation room, but then...

Without needing to turn around, Adrian could imagine the smile at the corner of Kirk's mouth, "Shut up!"

With a turn, the steps were already prepared to move forward, yet there was another pause, and I turned back again

Kirk raised the lighter to light a cigarette for Adrian, "Ultimately, this is our life; we need to make choices and take responsibility for each choice, right, Detective Adrian?"

Let me tell you, Gallagher does not care about serial killers, nor does he care about how many people have died; he only cares about whether he can be promoted and rise to prominence after this year's election.

Adrian rolled his eyes in silence, took out his phone, and dialed the outside extension, "It's me, Adrian. I am locked in the interrogation room."

Kirk did not mind placing his hands behind his head, as if he were sunbathing. "Detective, if you are willing to do your job, then it won't be my turn to take the stage, will it?"

Come on, hurry up, hahaha

Sharp, incisive

Adrian also launched a counterattack

Adrian took a deep drag of his cigarette but did not have time to exhale, his steps somewhat unsteady, as if he were fleeing in a panic, simply wanting to escape

In front of him, the lighter beside the book ignited a flicker of flame. Adrian raised his head and then saw the pair of eyes belonging to Kirk behind the glow of the fire

What should he do

These are murders

Certainly, the overtime pay will not disappear; it merely needs to be postponed, from a delay of one month to a delay of two months, and even until now, it has still not been implemented

Overtime pay! Your supervisor Gallagher has reassigned personnel to other cases, leaving only Stephen behind

Hehe. Kirk chuckled softly, "Detective Adrian, no one cares about these homeless people. They are displaced, they have no family, no friends, they are abandoned and forgotten like this, no one cares about their lives or deaths, yet they are still lives, their deaths should be acknowledged"

Before the conversation could continue, an incredible storm erupted from the police station office behind.

Kirk let out a hearty laugh without any restraint

Did you hear that? Murder!

Kirk straightened his body again, lazily leaning against the back of the chair, with a face full of nonchalance, "Am I the crazy one, or is it this world?"

grass

Cannot open

Even if the investigation continues now, there are only seven corpses and piles of garbage, with no usable evidence whatsoever, no clues, akin to searching for a needle in a haystack, making it utterly impossible to solve the case

Adrian rolled his eyes in frustration, exclaiming, "Stephen, wake up! Get a grip, or else you might get sold out and find yourself obediently counting money for someone else."