Bab 118: **Chapter 118: The Supermodel Showdown**
The next day, the weather was clear in Bordeaux, with an expanse of blue sky as far as the eye could see, much like the Atlantic Ocean 98 kilometers away—deep blue and crystal clear. Occasionally, a white cloud would float by, catching the eye against the backdrop of the vivid sky.
In the morning, Luca and his companions left the city center of Bordeaux, heading northwest along National Road A10.
To the northwest of Bordeaux lies the fertile triangular region known as the Médoc, famous for its vineyards.
Nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gironde River, Médoc enjoys a humid climate with mild temperatures and unique soil, making it ideal for grape growing.
As a result, many world-class wineries are located in this triangular area. Among them are two top-tier estates—Château Lafite and Château Margaux. Additionally, there are five first-growth estates, including First Growths and Premiers Crus, and more than thirty second, third, fourth, and fifth-growth wineries.
Their destination, Commanderie Estate, was also located in Médoc, and considered a near-first-growth estate.
"Della, so much time has passed—does going to Commanderie still matter?"
In the car, Luca turned his gaze away from the scenery to look at Della Korbel, who was reviewing some documents. Dressed sharply in a professional lawyer's suit, black stockings, and high heels, with a stern expression, she radiated an aura of elegance, intelligence, and confidence.
"Of course. According to the information I've gathered, Commanderie holds critical evidence."
"Really?"
Suddenly, a thought crossed Luca's mind. "Did you get this information from that group?"
"Yes!"
"The Betty Club group? How many people are in it? Is the whole global membership in one group?"
Luca asked curiously.
Della glanced at him. "Why don't you ask Kate?"
"Kate's an unofficial member. She definitely doesn't know as much as you do."
"You're wrong. I'm an unofficial member too."
A slight smile played at the corner of Della's mouth as she began explaining. She'd only received the invitation last year and found the club interesting enough to join.
Like Kate, she was a probationary member. To become a full member, you had to go through a three-year evaluation period, and only those who performed exceptionally well could be promoted to full membership.
"Exceptional performance?"
Luca was surprised. He had assumed that once the three years were up, members would automatically be confirmed.
"Exactly. On average, around twenty people become probationary members each year, but after three years, no more than three are promoted to full membership. The rest either remain as probationary members or give up their membership."
"What counts as exceptional performance?"
"What do you think?"
Luca pondered for a moment and looked at her. "You're a feminist organization, aiming to fight for women's rights. So, to earn membership, it must involve contributions to feminist causes, right?"
"Correct. There are three ways to qualify for full membership: gaining public recognition, making donations, or fighting for women's rights."
Della shook the folder in her hand. "Why else do you think Kate and I are doing this?"
Luca was taken aback. "So this mission is part of earning your qualifications?"
"Exactly!"
Della opened her laptop again and calmly said, "It's not just Kate and I completing missions this time. In our group, which is the probationary members' group of the club, six of us are involved in this action."
"Like teaming up to grind for experience points?"
Luca smirked. Wasn't this like playing a video game?
"Stop the car!"
As the car exited the highway, Della suddenly shouted, pointing to a smooth stretch of road. "Vito, Vanessa, this is where the accident happened last time. Go check it out!"
"Got it, Professor!"
The Mercedes GLA slowly came to a halt on the road. Two assistants responded and got out of the car.
Luca followed them, arriving at the site where Kate had once fought. He'd heard that many shots were fired that night, yet Kate had charged forward into the line of fire—utter madness.
*Click, click.*
Vito, the flirt who wanted to ask him out, was snapping photos left and right, though Luca had no idea what he was photographing.
He walked back and forth on the road a few times but didn't find a single clue. Curiously, he asked, "Vito, there aren't even tire marks here. What's worth investigating?"
"Plenty. To professionals like us, the scene is full of evidence."
Vito responded seriously.
"Oh? Where's the evidence?"
Luca asked, intrigued.
"Look! Over there!"
Vito pointed to a mound of red dirt by the roadside.
"What?"
Luca immediately became serious and followed his gaze, but he saw nothing unusual.
"Vito, what did you find?"
"An ant colony!"
Vito shouted, pointing to a small hole beneath the dirt pile. "Look at all these cute little ants. Can't you see them? Ants moving their home—it's probably going to rain, right?"
"Ugh!"
Luca stomped on the dirt mound in frustration. Watching Vito crouch by the ant colony, snapping away, he could barely contain his anger and kicked him into the dirt pile.
"Ah! Luca, what are you doing? Please, not here—there are too many people around."
Vito lay on the dirt, whining in a playful tone.
"WTF!"
Luca wiped the frustration off his brow and stormed back to the car, not wanting to see that idiot anymore.
"Oh, Sophia, I love you!"
"Castle, I love you too!"
But when he got back into the car, he found the esteemed lawyer, Della Korbel, watching a soap opera titled *Perilous Journey*.
"Della, is this how you investigate cases?"
Luca frowned and asked.
"Any problem with that?"
Della raised her head and replied coolly.
Luca spread his hands. "One person's taking pictures of ants, another's watching TV, and the last one vanished into the vineyard without a trace. Are you this relaxed because you've got an ace up your sleeve?"
"Want to know? Just listen to their report later. How much you figure out depends on your intelligence."
Della smiled faintly and called out the window, "Vito, Vanessa, get in the car."
"Vito, Vanessa, tell Mr. Kelly what you've found."
After the two assistants got back in, Della calmly instructed them.
"Sure, Professor!"
Vito smiled and began, "Based on my investigation at the scene, Raoul fired eight shots that night—four with a handgun, specifically a 7.65mm MAB-D pistol made by Barronette, and the other four with a large-caliber double-barrel shotgun.
"Five of those shots targeted Kate's Ferrari. The first shot, with the handgun, hit the rear window. The second shot hit the windshield. The third shot forced the Ferrari to stop.
"After Kate stopped pursuing, Raoul fired two more shots. There was at least an eight-second pause between the third and fifth shots, which means that eight seconds before Raoul was thrown from the window, Kate had already stopped chasing him. Therefore, the claim that Kate's relentless pursuit caused Raoul's ejection is baseless!"
"Huh?"
Luca was stunned. How could Vito have figured all that out in just a few moments? Even Sherlock Holmes couldn't pull that off!
"Professor, upon investigation, the truck that caused Raoul to be thrown from the vehicle was a civilian model, a Berliet-T100. This truck has had frequent issues with its emergency braking system. Since it hit the market, over thirty-seven accidents have been linked to brake failure. That night, the driver mishandled the situation—failing to slow down when exiting the highway, neglecting to honk, and not using the turn signal. Moreover, Raoul's driver is suspected of drunk driving."
Vanessa, the female assistant, produced a small notebook as she reported.
"."
Luca frowned. He could understand determining the truck model from the tire marks.
But discovering whether the driver failed to honk, signal, or was drunk driving? That was beyond belief.
Were these two operating with cheat codes?
"How much did you figure out?"
Della asked indifferently.
Luca raised his eyebrows. This was a tricky question. If he admitted he hadn't figured out anything, it would imply he had low intelligence. But honestly, he hadn't figured out much.
"Let's go!"
Della didn't press further. She gave a brief command, and the car slowly got back on the road.
Luca gazed out the window, thinking for a moment. "Their analysis is so precise. There's only one possibility—you have access to surveillance footage."
"You're smart but wrong. If there were surveillance on this stretch of road, do you think it would be in our hands?"
Della chuckled, crossing her legs.
"If it's not surveillance, then what?"
Luca couldn't figure it out. Based on his experience from twenty years in the future, the first thing people would do after an accident was check surveillance footage. But this road wasn't in a city, and there weren't any cameras. So what was the explanation?
"You'll find out at the trial, and trust me, it'll be far more boring than you expect."
"Boring?"
(End of Chapter)
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