Luke Johnson followed closely behind, searching the right side of the house: "Clear."

The two moved forward in a staggered formation.

The house wasn't large, consisting only of a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and a single bedroom.

Inside, the place was a mess, cluttered with all sorts of junk and food waste, with a sour stench assaulting their noses.

"Clear."

"Clear."

...

Luke Johnson and his partner searched the house carefully but didn't find any sign of anyone.

Luke Johnson holstered his gun and rubbed his finger on the coffee table, finding a thick layer of dust. There was also some leftover pizza on the table, already moldy.

Judging by the state of the food, no one had lived here for at least a week.

"David, there isn't even a mouse in here. Where did the cry for help come from?"

David Smith shrugged indifferently and said, "Maybe... I misheard. You know how it is."

"Of course, I know. You're just a reckless bastard. If you don't fix this bad habit, you'll get us killed sooner or later."

"Right back at you. I'm a bastard, you're a lazy ass. You ignored such an important lead just to go eat."

"At least I don't get our teammates reported, and while we were eating, I was able to apply for a search warrant."

"Come on, by the time the search warrant is approved, the suspect will be in Mexico. According to department policy, police have the right to investigate a suspect's residence in an emergency. What we're doing isn't illegal."

"For you, every situation is an emergency."

They argued for a bit, and the atmosphere grew tense.

After a moment of silence, David Smith spread his hands: "OK, this one's on me. I apologize.

But since we're already in, why not search thoroughly? Maybe we'll find something valuable."

"This isn't over, David." Luke Johnson said, and the two split up to search.

The living room and bedroom were both a mess. Luke Johnson even found a bag of white powder, a few hundred dollars, and some seasonal clothes in the closet.

From all this, it looked like the suspect had left in a hurry.

David Smith finished searching as well, standing by the window and looking out with a frown: "Hey, there's a shady guy lurking around our car. What's he up to..."

The two of them left the house and saw a scruffy white man peering through the car window, gripping the door handle with his right hand and holding a long piece of wire in his left.

"Bastard, get your filthy hands off!"

Seeing David Smith storming over, the scruffy white man quickly backed up a couple of steps and tossed the wire aside: "Whoa, whoa, don't get mad, I was just joking."

"Your joke is hilarious, but you picked the wrong people." David Smith flashed his badge.

"Oh, no, I respect you, I don't want any trouble." The man backed up two more steps and turned to run.

Luke Johnson had already circled around to the other side, blocking his escape route.

The white man swung his fist, acting like he was going to hit Luke Johnson.

Luke Johnson dodged to the side and hooked the man's calf with his right foot.

In his haste, the scruffy man couldn't avoid it and fell straight to the ground: "Bang!"

Luke Johnson pressed his knee into the man's lower back: "LAPD. You even dare steal a police car? Gutsy."

The scruffy man didn't try to resist, just turned his head and said, "Sir, I wasn't trying to steal the car, it was really just a joke."

"That long wire in your hand doesn't look like a joke." Luke Johnson cuffed him and hauled him up from the ground.

A woman with messy hair came running over from a distance: "What are you doing? Why are you arresting my friend?"

David Smith flashed his badge: "Are you his accomplice?"

"You're cops?" The woman didn't seem to be in a good mental state.

David Smith tilted his head slightly, looking at the woman as if he recognized her: "Lindsay Smith, it's me, David Smith."

The woman waved her hand: "Let him go."

David Smith patted his chest: "Lindsay Smith, it's me, David Smith."

The woman seemed to recognize David Smith, shaking her head and looking a bit uneasy.

David Smith slowly approached: "It's okay, I've been looking everywhere for you, just wanted to make sure you're doing alright. Are you okay?"

The woman stepped back: "I'm fine, I'm fine, stay away from me."

"I just want to help you, really, I just want to help."

Lindsay Smith shot back, "You want to help me?"

"Yes."

"Give me all the cash you have?"

"What?"

"Give me all your money."

"How about I take you to a rehab center?"

"I don't need to go to a place like that. Hurry up."

David Smith glanced back at Luke Johnson, looking a bit helpless: "Lindsay Smith, don't do this."

The two stared at each other for a moment. David Smith sighed, then pulled a few bills from his pocket.

Lindsay Smith snatched them and ran off.

David Smith watched her go, looking desolate.

Luke Johnson was a bit stunned, never having seen David Smith so 'soft': "What just happened?"

David Smith's eyes were red as he strode over and punched the scruffy man in the stomach: "What's your name?"

"Logan Williams"

"That's enough, David, someone's coming." Luke Johnson, worried he might do something rash, dragged the scruffy man aside.