The System’s Hidden Ability

Luke spread his hands and said, “So, we’re not following up on this case anymore. Just give it to the FBI. We’re police detectives, we work with the living.”

Elizabeth and Billy nodded with bitter smiles.

They didn’t want to upset Luke. After all, it wasn’t a case that they had to crack.

Luke then took Selina to Elsa’s office and informed her of their decision to drop the case.

Elsa wasn’t too surprised.

It wasn’t unusual for a police detective to refuse to work on certain weird cases.

However, it was the first time that Luke had dropped one after he started investigating it. Before he left the office, Luke casually asked, “Right, who’s coming from the FBI? Do I know them?”

Elsa said, “I think it’s one of their senior researchers, but I don’t know exactly who.” Luke said, “Okay. I’ll go read the case file first.”

Elsa lowered her head and waved her hand, implying that he could get out.

Since he had dropped the Wever case, Elsa naturally gave him a new one. After they returned to their desks, Selina asked in a low voice, “Are we really abandoning the

case?”

Luke nodded. “Yes. As police detectives, we should stay as far away from such cases as possible, since there’s barely anything we can do except get ourselves killed.”

Selina nodded her head.

Luke wasn’t an ordinary detective, but even he was unwilling to investigate any longer. It was not hard to imagine how dangerous the place had to be.

But at that moment, Luke wasn’t feeling frightened, but delighted. When he had set foot inside the house, the system had suddenly reacted.

System: Unknown negative energy detected trying to establish a link with the host. Do you accept?

Of course Luke didn’t accept.

The system was bound to Luke’s soul, and didn’t react to most dangers.

It existed as a support tool all this time, and never stopped Luke from doing anything.

Luke had been figuring out the rules of the system by running his own tests.

Now that the system had voluntarily sent out an alert, it didn’t seem right at all.

Luke certainly wasn’t an idiot to accept the link.

Remembering the people who had died in that house and the Remus family who almost went crazy, Luke felt it was best that he stay away from tricky and weird beings.

He was only capable of Elementary Self-Healing and physical attacks for now, and couldn’t deal with supernatural creatures. A reckless adventure wasn’t worth it.

However, there was still a silver lining.

If the negative energy in the house was ghosts, and the system could reject a connection with them, then by extrapolation, could the system reject the invasion of those with mental super abilities?

Did that mean that the system could help him resist mental attacks?

Luke was quite happy about that. This was much more important than finding out the truth about the haunted house.

More importantly, it was an unnecessary risk, since he had another guy who had mental abilities: Bobby.

Luke wondered if the head of his company’s PR department had made any progress in Mental Communication.

Later, he could have Bobby use Mental Communication on him; it would be a safe and convenient way of obtaining results.

As he was thinking, the phone on the desk rang. Selina answered it, then said, “Dustin wants you in his office.”

Luke nodded. “You can read this case file first.” He then got up and left.

When he arrived at Dustin’s office, he was stopped before he entered.

Dustin got up and walked out, wearing his jacket. Hinting for Luke to follow him, he said in a low voice, “Jennifer is here.”

Luke asked, “That big celebrity?”

Dustin nodded slightly and continued in a low voice, “She’s waiting for you in the director’s office.” Luke was puzzled. “Huh? Is she here to file a complaint about me?”

Dustin looked at him weirdly and continued, “No, she’s here to thank you.” Luke: “…You’re not being sarcastic, are you, boss?”

Dustin found that strange. “You resolved a huge problem for her. It was her employees who caused the problem, not you. Why would she complain about you?”

Luke: …I certainly can’t tell you that I watched a dozen videotapes of her naked.

Dustin continued, “She said that she’s here to thank the police department, but she won’t talk until you get there.” Luke immediately got it. “She wants to make a donation?”

Dustin said, “We’re not sure, but it’s possible, and it won’t be a small amount.”

Luke said, “I don’t think I get to decide that for her, right?” What if the star was here only to express her gratitude verbally, and the bosses thought that it was Luke who blew it?

Dustin knew what he was thinking. “No, you won’t be blamed even if she doesn’t donate anything. But the more generous she is, the more credit you’ll get.”

Luke: …It’s not a pay rise or a bonus. What good will that credit do me? Of course, he only thought that to himself. He actually didn’t really care about a bonus, either; he cared more about garnering support in his department.

Take the Wever case, for example. He could drop it without an explanation, which was precisely the police department’s implicit support of him.

Other detectives would’ve had to explain themselves if they wanted to give up a case, and if their boss got angry, they might be ordered to keep working on it.

Luke didn’t have any such trouble. He was now free to choose the cases he wanted to work on, just like his uncle Old Greyson.

At the director’s office, Dustin nodded and had Luke go in, and he simply said, “Director, Luke is here,” at the door, before he left.

Well, Dustin had been Director Brad Pierre’s trusted subordinate for a long time. That was why he was so casual.

Brad waved his hand at Luke in greeting, and Luke saluted the chief of the police department after he closed the door. “Director, Luke Coulson, reporting for duty.”

Brad nodded and said, “Have a seat.”

Luke sat down on the couch and glanced at Jennifer Perry, who was opposite him.

Luke was calm and even smiled at her politely, but the big star involuntarily looked away.