America: The Gear-Up Detective

"She's my roommate!" Liu Qingxi quickly swallowed the food in her mouth, her tone becoming anxious. "What happened to her?"

Rod patted her hand and comforted her, "Her parents said they haven't been able to contact her for several days and have reported her missing to the police."

After a pause, Rod said somewhat guiltily, "But you don't need to worry too much. You may not understand these hormone-fueled young men and women in America; running away from home is commonplace for them."

The reason I felt guilty was that the system notification appeared the moment Hank sent the missing person's information.

[Mission Update: A girl with a bright future, in the prime of her life, has disappeared? Ran away from home? What lies behind this?]

A reward will be given for solving this case.

Completion Rewards: Hidden

Since the system has already generated the task, it means that this case is not a simple case of running away from home or family conflict.

After offering some simple comfort to Liu Qingxi, Luo De tentatively asked, "You live in the same dormitory? What's your relationship like?"

Liu Qingxi's eyes reddened slightly. She put down her chopsticks and lost her appetite. Hearing Luo De's question, she took a breath and said in a slightly tearful voice, "She is also a student at UCLA's School of Art and Architecture, but she is an undergraduate. She is also my first friend in Los Angeles."

Before Rhodes could learn more, Liu Qingxi grabbed his sleeve and blurted out everything she knew:

"Evelyn is beautiful and kind. She gets along well with her classmates. She loves ballet and often works part-time dancing to earn a living."

She has a very good relationship with all of us roommates.

I often hear her say that she has a good relationship with her family and that she wouldn't have run away from home!

"Rhodes, please, you have to find her, okay!"

Rhodes hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and hugged Liu Qingxi in his arms. Feeling the warmth in his embrace, Rhodes said softly, "I dare not make any promises, but I can guarantee that I will do my best to find her."

Or the murderer who caused her disappearance.

Rod silently swallowed the rest of the sentence.

I hastily finished this not-so-pleasant breakfast.

Liu Qingxi packed her things.

Rod and Hank were on the phone, agreeing to meet at Evelyn Brooks's school dormitory to search her place first.

Perfect timing, Luo De can also take Liu Qingxi back to school.

Liu Qingxi remained silent throughout the journey, and Rod didn't know how to comfort her. The two could only chat about Evelyn's situation in a casual way.

At ten o'clock, Rod drove his car and slowly stopped in front of a dormitory building, arriving at the dormitory building before Hank.

This wasn't the first time Rod had come; he had brought Liu Qingxi back before.

This is a nine-story dormitory building where men and women live together. Of course, students of the same gender live on the same floor and in the same bedroom.

Looking down at the UCLA students coming and going, laughing and joking, Rod sighed inwardly.

Because the missing person was Liu Qingxi's friend, Luo De had a feeling that someone close to him had met with misfortune, which made Luo De feel more emotional than when he was handling cases.

The two got out of the car and headed to Liu Qingxi's dormitory together.

Upon entering the building, no one checked student IDs, meaning anyone could enter.

Rhodes silently noted down these details.

The elevator slowly ascended to the door of dormitory 704.

Liu Qingxi took out her key and opened the door.

Rod followed him into the dormitory.

The curtains were drawn, and the room was dimly lit. Rod asked softly, "Is anyone still in your dorm?"

"I have another roommate, Sienna Dalton. She should still be sleeping. Should I go wake her?"

Rhodes nodded. "Of course, we may need to search Evelyn Brooks' bedroom later and take statements from you... these are necessary procedures."

Liu Qingxi said softly, "I understand."

Then, he turned around, knocked on the door of the room on the right, and went inside.

Rod drew back the curtains, letting the sunlight stream into the living room and illuminate the room.

Looking around the room, the living room wasn't very big. In the center was a red two-seater sofa, and against the wall was a long white table with some takeout boxes and other miscellaneous items on it.

There is a room on each side of the entrance, and another room slightly to the right of the main entrance, making a total of three bedrooms, which correspond to Liu Qingxi, Evelyn Brooks, and another person.

Slippers and high heels were scattered everywhere, along with some clothes and socks strewn across the living room. Rod couldn't tell whose things they were, so he simply sat on the sofa and waited for Hank to arrive.

Five or six minutes later, the door to the room on the left opened, and Liu Qingxi came out, followed by a black girl with a messy haircut, wearing a slightly tight tank top and shorts, whose expression did not seem to change.

Rhodes stood up, showed Sienna Dalton his badge, and said, "I'm Detective Rhodes from the Murder and Heist Division. I have some questions for you about your roommate, Evelyn Brooks."

Sienna walked to the table, poured herself a glass of water, gulped it down, and then said to Rhodes, "Detective? If you hadn't said so, I would have thought that Xixi had finally brought her boyfriend back."

Liu Qingxi nudged Sienna's waist and whispered, "Sienna, Officer Rhodes has important business to attend to."

She didn't object to her boyfriend's statement.

Sienna put down her water glass, then realized what was happening. "Evelyn? What happened to her?"

"She's missing; her parents haven't seen her for days."

Sienna looked surprised upon hearing this, but unlike Liu Qingxi, she wasn't panicked. She continued, "Missing? Could she have gone on vacation with her boyfriend?"

This is a normal reaction for people who grew up in America. When it comes to men and women, especially those who have just passed the rebellious phase, their first reaction is not to be murdered or kidnapped, but to run away from home.

Before Rhodes could ask, Sienna then denied her own statement, "That shouldn't be right. Evelyn is a good girl. She calls her parents every day, and her boyfriend doesn't seem like the type to lead Evelyn into doing bad things."

As she spoke, she sensed something was wrong, and Sienna's dark face turned grim.

Listening to Sienna's words, and adding what Liu Qingxi had said before, Rhodes already had a mental image of Evelyn's personality.

Then, Rhodes asked, "How's your relationship with Evelyn Brooks?"

"We have a very good relationship, or rather, Evelyn has a very good relationship with everyone—classmates, friends, and even mentors. She is a very kind and warm-hearted person."

Rhodes pressed further, "So when was the last time you saw her?"

Liu Qingxi thought for a moment and said, "It was that weekend when you and I went to the library together. I saw her that noon, but I haven't seen her since."

Sienna thought for a moment, then said sharply, "OMG! I think the last time I saw her was last weekend afternoon, and I haven't seen her since. Has she been missing for almost a week?!"

Just then, Rod's phone rang; Hank had arrived downstairs.