It didn't take long before Helena brought Rian everything he had requested.
By that time, a crowd had gathered around him, curious to see what he intended to do with a laptop.
Though Rian had already demonstrated his uncanny detective instincts, the truth was that he'd barely been on the job long enough for anyone to truly know him. His colleagues, even the experienced ones, knew little about the breadth of his skills.
Helena handed him an Alienware laptop—top-of-the-line hardware, powerful enough to handle anything.
It already contained surveillance footage from the entrances to the park and surrounding streets.
Time was tight, so they only had the traffic cam data. Private surveillance would have to be collected door-to-door by police officers.
Rian split the footage into four windows and began playback.
The moment they saw what he was doing, the room fell silent.
Watching one video? That was manageable. Two, maybe—but four at once? That was pushing human limits.
Some of the beat cops were visibly confused, but veterans like Erik and Helena, both from the Detective Bureau, had seen their share of elite talent.
The two exchanged a glance. What they saw in each other's eyes was unmistakable—excitement, and the burning desire to poach Rian for their own team.
And just when everyone thought Rian's multitasking was impressive enough, he turned the dial further.
He sped up the videos.
2x.
4x.
6x.
8x speed.
At 8x, even a single video became a blur for the average person. Watching four simultaneously? That was downright insane.
Some of the younger officers couldn't hold their tongues.
"Is this guy serious? Nobody can actually follow four feeds at eight times speed."
"He's just showing off—this isn't even possible for a normal human."
"He's just a rookie, not some ace detective from the Bureau. Who does he think he is?"
"Let him keep acting cool. He's not gonna find a damn thing."
Erik whipped around and glared.
"SHUT UP!"
The muttering stopped instantly.
What they didn't know was that Rian's special talents were fully engaged. His photographic memory and razor-sharp focus were in overdrive.
With a mental stat of 15, Rian's brain was firing on all cylinders. Neurons sparking like live wires, his mind processed high-speed data like a machine. If his brain were a power grid, it could've lit up the entire station.
With a dexterity stat of 15, his fingers danced across the keyboard like lightning.
First feed—pause.
Second feed—pause.
Third, fourth—pause.
He rewound each one.
14 seconds back on the first, 8 on the second, 17 on the third, 10 on the fourth.
The first two feeds showed the park entrances. The third and fourth came from streets nearby.
Rian highlighted a figure in each video.
Henry leaned in, puzzled.
"Rian, are you sure? These don't look like the same guy."
Each clip showed a man, yes—but different clothes, different accessories.
Erik narrowed his eyes, examining the footage more closely. Then his eyes lit up—he'd seen it.
Rian played clip three and began explaining.
"See this guy? About 6'1", roughly 160 pounds. Business casual, dragging a suitcase. Looks like a traveling salesman."
Then he switched to feed one.
"Now look here—same height and weight. He's got a full beard and sunglasses, but check the posture. The stride. The gait. And he's got a massive hiking pack."
It wasn't too strange to see someone with a backpack at a park—people camped there sometimes.
Rian played feed two next.
"Again, different outfit. Beard's trimmed. But same build—six-one, 160. This time he's holding a large duffel bag."
Finally, he played the fourth feed.
"Same posture. Same duffel. He probably stashed the kid inside. Once that was done, changing bags wasn't an option."
He paused the footage.
The screen froze on a black Cadillac Escalade SUV.
"Now, we don't have direct footage of him getting into this car—but it shows up in both feeds three and four. Odds are, this is the getaway vehicle."
The room went still. The realization clicked like a thunderclap.
Henry was slack-jawed.
"Rian... is your brain even human?"
He'd partnered with Rian before, but never imagined the man's mind could function like this.
"Outstanding work. Rian, you're a goddamn genius!"
Erik's eyes burned with fervor. He wanted Rian in his team now.
Helena was nearly glowing.
"We usually spend all night poring over footage like this. You just did the work of an entire division."
"Helena!" Erik barked. "Get a trace on that SUV, now!"
"On it, Captain!"