Larry looked up and gazed at Tommy with great patience. Disrespect toward the deceased was something Larry could not tolerate. His voice became even more indifferent.
"This is a photo of the deceased's head. It's been slightly altered, but the facial features are still easy to recognize."
Not everyone could easily follow his words, so he clarified for this officer.
"Since you can recognize her, I want you to modify a few things—if you still remember the girl's face. Just reduce the parts I marked by twenty percent, no more."
Checking the time, Larry shouted, "Max, follow me and have someone work on the identification! I need the photo finished in an hour."
"Where are you going?" asked Jane, who had been called over but wasn't aware of the investigation Larry was conducting on his own.
"To a restaurant!"
"All right, Jane, you should bring your gun," Max warned, noticing that Larry was carrying his. That was a clear sign things could go wrong.
Compared to Jane's excitement at the idea that Larry had discovered something, Max had a bad feeling about this. Honestly, he grabbed the case files and followed them.
…
Half an hour later, three casually dressed people appeared on the pedestrian street.
Max, with his youthful look, wore reflective silver sunglasses on his nose. He had on a short-sleeved Southeast Asian–style shirt with coconut tree prints, flip-flops, and shorts.
Larry and Jane, on the other hand, dressed in a more reserved style, which gave them some common ground.
The three of them, dressed like that, looked like individual tourists in a group tour.
"Larry, what are we doing here?"
"Walking and watching."
"Max, you talk too much. Right now, we're tourists—remember to use British English; it usually fools people." Hearing Larry's words, Max nodded, apparently understanding.
The group began strolling along the Korean pedestrian street. As the shops changed, they soon reached the street where the victim had been abducted.
It was mostly restaurants, with a few cosmetic and clothing stores scattered toward the east end.
Larry and his companions had entered from the east. At the seventh shop, Larry looked west from the doorway and tapped the camera hanging from Jane's neck.
Confused, Jane didn't understand. Max was standing next to a scarecrow outside a shop, posing with his hands in a scissor shape.
"Jane, take a picture of me!" Since Larry said nothing, Jane did exactly as Max asked.
They continued down the street, taking photos in front of almost every shop whenever Larry gave his subtle signals.
Near the west end of the pedestrian street, there were about a dozen stalls.
They were neatly arranged, clearly authorized by the city's unified planning for the pedestrian area.
Larry thought for a moment, then approached. Max and Jane quickly followed.
Each stall was crowded with waiting customers. A young man selling fermented dough for baking, speaking with a Canadian accent, chatted with a middle-aged man selling Mexican food.
His skill was impressive—a knife over fifty centimeters long flew over the cutting board, and with a simple flick of the blade, the fermented dough landed in a nearby bowl.
Over twenty different seasonings, added at will, completed each dish in just ten seconds. The air was filled with the complex aromas of the various seasonings blending together—a truly tempting experience.
Max quickly scanned the line, struggling to decide. "You get a burrito, you get tacos, and I'll order a stew."
Three different dishes were what they ended up ordering.
"It's been a while since I've had authentic Mexican food. Let's see how well they make it here."
Larry walked toward the longest line of all, his gaze fixed on the young man slicing the meat.
He handled the long blade with such mastery—movements etched into his bones—a skill unlikely for someone his age.
Meanwhile, the middle-aged man beside him used two knives to chop cooked meat, peppers, onions, and unfamiliar spices. With quick, precise movements, he minced the meat finely.
After a moment's thought, Larry shook his head.
Perhaps he was overthinking it. Repeating such monotonous tasks day after day could make anyone's skill unmatched.
They waited nearly half an hour before their food was ready.
Looking at the greasy tacos and roast pork, Larry simply ate. The three of them stood by the roadside and ate their meal.
A few minutes later, Max patted his belly in satisfaction—but upon hearing a street vendor, he bought two large tubs of ice cream along the way.
"I'm stuffed!"
"Where are we going this afternoon?"
Before Larry could answer Max's question, his phone rang.
Jack's name appeared on the screen, and Max perked up.
"It's the boss."
Larry, who disliked being interrupted during an investigation, answered the call. "I sent the plate number to the orthopedic surgery departments of several major hospitals, and I just got a response.
"The orthopedic department at the University Hospital said they found the patient information for that plate in their electronic medical records. Can you come take a look?"
"See you at the orthopedic department of the University Hospital in an hour."
Without delay, the three of them got in the car and headed to the city's University Hospital. An hour later, they arrived at the orthopedic department, where Jack was already waiting.
"Have you spoken to the doctor?"
"Yes, let's go!"
The four of them went straight to the office and identified themselves. The doctor, who had just been on the phone discussing details, quickly stood up.
"Hello! Please follow me."
"When was this patient operated on?"
"Late 2000. Her surgery was a bit unusual—the curvature of the plate wasn't quite right, so we adjusted it on the spot. I still remember her. I didn't expect the details you gave me to match perfectly. It immediately reminded me of this patient, and when I checked the plate number, it was indeed a match."
The doctor had already pulled up the patient's electronic medical record. "Here's the patient's history. Take your time reviewing it."
"Can we get a copy?" Max asked, interested.
"I've already printed one for you."
Larry reviewed the medical file of one of the victims.
Patient name: Amber Depp
Gender: Female
Age: 25
Occupation: Actress
Report: Found unconscious in the hallway of a hotel room by hotel staff. She had suffered multiple injuries, including a fractured left clavicle and a broken nose.
Despite these injuries, she refused to let the doctor report the case after regaining consciousness. Reviewing the original X-rays, Larry was even more certain that Amber was deceased victim A.
At the end, there was information about the payment.
Larry enlarged the page. There was a copy of the deceased's ID. Although it wasn't very clear, the number was legible, and the photo was visible.
Jane pulled out her phone and dialed a number. "Check this ID number for me… Okay, I've got it!"
She hung up and looked at Larry.
"This Amber Heard is her real name. She's been arrested multiple times by the police for trafficking sexual content. We've confirmed her personal information—we have what we were looking for."
Larry nodded, and after saying goodbye to Jack, who went to see his wife, they left the hospital. But at that moment, Max, who had eaten the most, clutched his stomach.
"Oh God, something's wrong."