This most recent decision to increase Rail's charge up and throw everyones timing off.

One of the best banner artworks I've seen.

I am sad to say that Kevin will not be returning to compete in this year's edition.

"Da" - Yes "Nyet" - No That's about as far as my Russian goes.

I've emerged from retirement to express my sympathies. Losing parents is an ordeal nobody should have to endure.

And anooother one bites the dust

Oh how far you've come! From asking me for tips on how to apply for reporter to an accomplished writer and forum mod...

Congrats to all HotY! Well deserved.

Happy Christmas and Merry New Year

Pretty disappointing when compared to the themed WAR last year.

Neither. Anime isn't real.

Hint #1 for the riddle: The first paragraph will give you the name of a song. You are then supplied with four numerical answers in the next four paragraphs. Good luck

I sincerely appreciate the support! I will not be deleting my account by any means, so youll probably see me making an appearance here and there both in battle and in the forum. Sometime in the near future I have plans to make a discord server dedicated to writing (completely unrelated to tanki). When that happens Ill reach out and get you an invite. Take care

Well, this is it folks. It’s been roughly 2 years since I embarked on my incredible helper journey, and nearly 9 years since I was introduced to Tanki Online. Through the years, TO has been a huge part of my life, and has seen me mature from a fledgling elementary kid of 10 into a 19 year old college sophomore. It would take 100 pages of constant narrative to recount all of the good memories I’ve had the blessing to experience within the game. Instead, I’m going to have to cram my farewell into this little forum post that will most likely be forgotten in a month. First, I want to thank the amazing group of people that have made up my clan, the Destroying Angels. The team was founded in 2017 as a close-knit brotherhood of tankers, and I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know and battling alongside these great guys through thick and thin. As the commander of DestA, I truly feel like the team has lived up to my expectations. For all those below who have served, I tip my cap. @MRayquaza xLTCx @Bulldude deathhunter @Apostle @Hyamzo @zaydie_boy2000 @Double_Th3_Shots @Classique @Metaphor @sezze100 @G4LAXY @D.A.R.K.N.E.S.S @Rename @Alsarbon @RoseBlade @cosmooss @TrDark FirstKiss @Sabry.Superman @Apost @Mr.Nibbles @Jay @Adab @Authority @Persistent Gory @xGen @Old_Gladiator , my two commanders, @Royalty & @l.Mystify.l and many, many others who have contributed to our esports journey. I also want to thank my talented co-workers in both the Newspaper and Social Media helper teams. Not only has my writing evolved into a more realistic and sophisticated style, but I have also had the opportunity to bounce ideas off of and collaborate with these fellow writers. The Tanki Online Newspaper will always have a special place in my heart, as will the AWS. One final time, I want to remind my readers: What other video game has a newspaper? The answer is none, or at least none as brilliantly founded and fabulously upkept by the reporter team of Tanki Online. Now, with its closure swiftly approaching, I think I speak for the entire team when I say it’s been an honor to pen articles for such a project. From the inscrutable pieces crafted by early wordsmiths like thekillerpenguin, Night-Sisters, hogree, Lhamster, and Fen-Harel, to the comic relief of Yisroel.Rabin in the monthly issues of The Dictator, to the dual Adminship of Flexoo and Hexed, and finally to this last chapter of the greater story - the story of the newspaper itself. The lives of so many aspiring writers have been woven together into this one common goal. I salute these former writers, and more importantly, the ones who I have worked with over the past two years. @Hippin_in_Hawaii - The English teacher whose Tanki-verse stories have captured the imagination of thousands. @Tidebreaker - The cynical yet highly relatable world traveler and creative writer of guides. @LOLKILLERTOTHEDEATH - Mr All Caps who has served two separate terms as a reporter and penned the successful Fear The Nipah series. His long tangents and involuntary discord spam have entertained everyone on the team. @Sacrifice - The hard-working fellow whose high energy and creativity has inspired many. @Venerable - The legendary AWS writer who quickly demonstrated his wit and writing prowess upon joining the newspaper project. @Sabry.Superman - Loves baguettes and is definitely French. His personality and positivity have served as a great role model. @kaisdf - The head honcho whose knack for descriptive writing would shock even the best of them. What more can I say about our admin? @Person_Random - The recent Berkeley commit and article machine whose works have single handedly led the paper through the dark age of 2020. She has been the loyalist of friends since we both began writing in 2018. I also want to recognize some notable figures in my much loved SM family. @natrolite - The event admin and promo code trivia host who has invested hundreds of hours into moderating the official Tanki discord server. His services have helped transform the server from a chaotic mess into the amazing place that exists today. @Zackery459 - My fellow American whose ban hammer everyone respects and fears. His friendship has been invaluable. @Dynasty - His work managing the Facebook and Instagram pages have not gone unnoticed. To close this farewell, I want to thank all of the discord regulars I have gotten to know since the server opened in 2018. It’s has been a great experience to host Jeopardy, engage in uplifting conversation, and aid you in whatever questions you’ve had. I sincerely hope my services have not been lacking in any way, and if they were, at any point, less than desired, know that I have invested as much time and energy as my busy life permitted. Those of you that know me best are aware of my fascination with both the unexplained and rap lyrics (I will still be posting the continuing chapters of my current mystery on the AWS), so with my final words I present a riddle in the form of a rap. I leave the rest of my unused clan inventory totaling roughly 415,000 crystals plus another 100,000 crystals in gold boxes to the first one who solves this little enigma. Prove that you are as worthy of a detective as Sherlock Holmes... or Asher Underwood. It is a fitting end to my helper career. Good luck, and without further ado, here is the riddle. This is the end of a long era Fortnite is finally right in something Only for two pairs though History has already been written And now I’m just sittin back, embracing the fact It’s over, I’m through with resisting the track Like I drew hope from my delusional knack Admitting I’m still at top of this pack But really I’m just fighting to cling to the back You like that? It’s time to end this bit and finally get to the point Im hoisting a challenge Crack the code and there’ll be nothing you can’t afford We begin from the beginnings The wiki? Maybe, but don’t forget to rewind back before our time Look there’s a fish out of water Think smarter not harder Woah there’s an error Who edited this mess What it meant to say is key, so be sure to search your best Which one, you ask Well, let’s see Pressures on now, whoo that’s neat Let me introduce you to my friend P.B. He has a clue so integral, it’s elemental to your success So grab it and stash it away for further tests Took a break, but now I’m back at it The return of a king, face reveal fanatic Only the original counts, so lemme check his account Holy cow Three doors down I see his clanly crown But all we need, is what CC leaves Another pause, now we’re in night Advanced through the day, and won our fights Like my wording? Hah, at this point you must be hurting Just like these two Whom we bid adeiu After losing twice to the immortal vice I bet they’re enjoying their time in the cell for their crime But wait they have something we need A common wardrobe factor First and fifth, I wonder… Forget what I said earlier Think harder, not smarter Within, you’ll find its less-known name therein Google it with wade, and you’ll have it made How many times did he make the All-NBA? That’s three clues down, you prolly need a nap by now The clashing of swords only gives this best reward But don’t get stuck within the game, think outside the box To where it started, a great empire that’s long been lost Rewind to its prime and then go back a year further Now you’re all set to break this little riddle Fool me once, shame on you Fool me twice, shame on me I pulled the same trick twice So you better recheck your dice PM me the 4-word answer here on the forum to claim your prize. Community teamwork is encouraged.

I'm assuming the club paint is arachnid then

Part I - Wreckage A three wheeled police car in the middle of the Mojave was about as unlikely a scene as any. The handicapped vehicle stood out like a sore thumb amidst the giant cacti, bristling tumbleweeds, and desert wildlife that populated the arid landscape just outside Death Valley, California. Heat waves lazily wafted across the barren dunes, creating a dry and dizzying effect. An occasional strong wind gust scattered sand against the vehicle’s windshield, the particles slowly collecting on the edge of the wipers. A curious band of roving jackrabbits stopped momentarily to gape at the unprecedented human intrusion. A quick reconnoiter left them with the unanimous feeling that the chance of receiving a snack was quite slim. Then, suddenly, the passenger door opened, eliciting a hasty retreat from the nomadic posse and leaving the immediate area destitute of any signs of life. A tall, black haired individual dressed in a dark pea jacket stepped out of the vehicle and subconsciously shrank back from the intense heat. He lay his left arm over the top of the door in an effort to steady himself and glanced toward the rear of the car. The bottom half of the back right tire was hopelessly deflated - a mass of rubber limply clinging to the lower portion of the metal hubcap. What exactly had caused such a catastrophic blowout was unclear. Asher Underwood wiped his already glistening brow with a shirtsleeve, then quickly stripped off his outer garments, revealing a plain white t-shirt beneath. He wasn’t muscular per se, but possessed enough brawn to avoid the thin category - a few trips to the gym a week did the trick. A pair of opaque sunglasses concealed the exhaustion in his eyes, but an irritated frown could clearly be seen on his mouth. He hadn’t envisioned that accepting Darrin’s request earlier this morning would end up with a flat tire in the middle of the desert. But then again, it was impossible to anticipate such sudden calamities. With a sigh, the detective half folded, half wrapped his jacket into an oddly shaped ball and laid it on the now vacant passenger seat. He let his gaze linger for a moment at the vast expanse of sandy nothingness, then swung his head below the roof of the black and white Ford. Hunched in the driver’s seat, Darrin was in communication with another officer via a police walkie talkie. The conversation was going poorly, evidenced by the chief’s exasperated tone and an occasional violent hand gesture. “I don’t care what he says. Do NOT move the corpse.” Darrin held the device up to his mouth as the connection fizzled for a second. Asher heard an unintelligible stream of words on the other end before the chief responded. “It’s even higher where we’re at, so it may be a while.” Another moment later Darrin wrenched the radio away from his face, thrust it back in its holder, and looked over at Asher while simultaneously reaching for the door handle. “We gotta do this quick.” The detective snorted in response, then leaned over to check the built in thermometer on the dashboard. It read 101 degrees Fahrenheit. Just another balmy day in south eastern California. At the expense of Darrin’s police vest, the spare tire was soon unfastened from the bottom of the Ford and rolled around to the side of the vehicle. The detective quickly set to work loosening a set of rusted and unwieldy lug nuts while his companion labored with the jack. Within minutes, heavy amounts of perspiration had gathered on both men’s faces as the hot sun shone down gg unmercifully from its throne in the heavens. A lone raven circled overhead, eagerly scouring the sandy floor for any signs of sustenance. Underwood wiped his parched lips with the back of his hand, leaving a line of caked dust painted on his cheek. Fatigue overwhelmed any desire to further examine the blown out tire, and by the time the wheels had been swapped out, both Darrin and Asher were frantic to find shelter back in the air conditioning. During the length of their work, only a handful of cars had passed on the two lane road cutting through the valley. This was an isolated part of the world - one that had potential to spell disaster for those stranded in its clutches. The intense heat was a potent weapon, but it had failed to permanently delay its latest visitors. Roughly twenty minutes later, the old Ford skidded back onto the pavement with a lurch and headed toward the line of mountains visible in the distance. The two men sat in silence for most of the remaining journey. Underwood was still slightly annoyed at even being present on the trip, and soon began mulling over a certain client that had approached him a few days earlier. The late spring and early summer usually proved to be the busy season for the private investigator, bringing an influx of both cases and paychecks. Whether this was because criminals were more active during these months, or whether Asher’s recent attempts at an ill-funded advertisement campaign had actually worked was unclear. Either way, he was in no way eager to tackle another case, especially one he was essentially being dragged into. Maybe if this business in the Mojave was a bit more out of the ordinary he’d be more motivated to investigate. But from what Darrin had already told him, it was a fairly straightforward case. Odd how a phone call interrupting their morning coffee had snowballed into this desert foray. The duo saw the first signs of life about twenty minutes later, passing an official Death Valley National Park sign and a small trailhead parking lot that contained a dozen or so vehicles. The sun had just peaked overhead and was now on its way west, temporarily blinding both driver and passenger before Darrin jerked down the car’s glare visor. A few moments later a convoy of police vehicles could be seen in the distance, lined up along the side of the road. Officers were milling about in the ditch directly to the left of the dusty street, framed against a local gas station situated around the curve behind them. Sensing the release of pressure on the gas pedal, Asher slowly straightened up from his slouched position and took in the scene. The prospect of being relieved of his cramped passenger seat position was definitely a part of Asher Underwood’s impatience to exit the police car. He just wanted to get this little excursion and investigation over with. Pulling behind the last patrol car in line, Darrin shut off the old Ford and sat motionless in his seat for a second, relishing the fact that had finally arrived. “This shouldn’t take too long.” The police chief hesitated a moment to see if his friend would reply. Asher contorted his body backwards and placed his hand behind the driver seat headrest. He mimicked a stretch before shooting a quick glance over at Darrin. “Has the truck been searched?” Darrin eyed the detective then replied sarcastically, “I’m sure you’ll find something of interest even if it has.” A lower ranked officer approached the vehicle just as the two newcomers stepped out of the Ford. His face and hands were streaked with sand, and a pair of dark sunglasses hid his eyes. “Captain,” the man spoke in a firm, professional tone. “The body is right over here.” He indicated over his shoulder, then produced a paper packet from the front pocket of his police vest. “Run down of the case, sir. All of the evidence we’ve collected so far.” He handed the parcel over to Darrin, who in turn opened it and examined the contents. The police chief thumbed through a vehicle registration sheet, a pair of rusty keys, a newer looking smartphone and an assortment of other odds and ends before pulling out an oddly shaped wallet. “Twei Kung Linh”, Darrin muttered under his breath, peering at the driver’s license enclosed on the inside. The character in question was Asian, Japanese or Korean Darrin couldn’t be sure. He had medium length jet black hair that hung down over his forehead, accentuating the paleness of the face. The smile was plainly forced. The police chief rubbed the stubble on his chin, then returned the wallet to its plastic bag and stuffed it back into the packet. The deputy had been watching Darrin intently through this procedure, but now looked up for the first time. Seeing Asher, he acknowledged the detective with a barely discernible nod. The detective was still standing awkwardly on the passenger side of the car, looking irresolute about whether to zip up his jacket for a wind buffer or completely discard the garment due to the heat. He ended up doing neither, and instead began picking his way down the sharp incline towards where the deputy had motioned earlier. “Who’s that?” Darrin continued his examination of the smartphone, presumably Linh’s. The right edge was badly cracked, but the microprocessors inside were functioning properly, evidenced when the chief was able to power-on the device. “A friend.” Darrin’s voice was strained. The deputy gave an understanding nod, even though his superior’s response raised more questions than it answered. He’d never personally seen a high ranking officer such as Darrin allow someone who wasn’t on the police force to participate in an investigation. Using the emergency contact bypass, Darrin quickly scrolled through the various phone numbers. Nothing seemed to jump out at him. The contact names sounded normal enough. He’d let Asher conduct his own survey of Linh’s items later. Satisfied with the preliminaries, the chief slid the phone back into the parcel and straightened up. Darrin was dimly aware that Underwood’s sour mood had rubbed off on him to some extent. That, combined with the ever present desert heat made him anxious to conduct this investigation as quickly as possible. “Has the case statement been written up?” Darrin had only a limited amount of information surrounding the crash at this point. He personally thought it an intriguing matter, but Asher had presumed otherwise during their initial discussion in the car. “Roansson should be finished with it now,” the deputy answered. “He’s down with the other officers at the crash scene.” “Fine.” Darrin seemed pleased. “Let’s take a look.” The first glimpse of the mangled truck was afforded to Darrin when they crested a small embankment to the side of the road and could look down into a ditch beyond. The vehicle was on its right side, a nearby sign post lodged in the front hood. The remnants of the windshield clug to the sides of the car’s frame, leaving a gaping hole that revealed a shadowy interior. The passenger side door had been completely removed by the police crew that had arrived nearly two hours earlier. The victim had been extricated from the wreck via this opening. Off to the side of the car, Darrin saw a white sheet draped over a stretcher, concealing a body that lay beneath. Linh had been declared dead on the scene. Asher Underwood was staring at the stretcher with a blank expression on his face. As Darrin approached, the detective drew his hands out of his jacket pocket. “Officers,” the police chief addressed a small group of force members gathered around the body. “Captain,” one of the men stepped forward and shook hands with Darrin. “Sergeant Roansson.” Darrin gave a curt nod then bent down and slowly drew back the sheet to reveal the bulge beneath. The man Darrin had just seen on the driver’s license came into view, the only difference being that the jet black hair was now matted down to the forehead of the unfortunate victim. No wounds could be seen from first glance, and the chief’s secondary checks also failed to turn up any major punctures or lacerations. There were a couple of minor scratches on the abdomen resulting in a few patches of dried blood, but nothing that initially appeared fatal. In fact, Twei Kung Linh looked the picture of health. Only the lack of a heartbeat and the absence of any rising and falling of the chest gave the indication that this man was more than sleeping. “Internal injuries.” Darrin looked up to see two EMTs that had made their way from an ambulance at the front of the line of police cars. “Do you want the body taken back for further examination?” The chief shot a look over his shoulder to Asher Underwood. The detective had eyeballed the victim, but appeared to be uncharacteristically disinterested in an examination. Asher pursed his lips but made no response to Darrin’s unspoken inquiry. “I think I’ve seen enough.” Darrin whipped back around. He was regretting bringing his friend on the case. The sheet was once again draped over the body, and the stretcher was methodically raised and transported to the waiting emergency vehicle. As they stepped back over to the totaled truck, the sergeant related to Darrin and Asher some information regarding the crash. “We think the accident happened somewhere between four and five o’clock this morning. Undoubtedly the darkness played a key role in what happened. That, coupled with…” Roansson broke off and gestured towards the truck. “We found fragments of a bottle containing alcohol. The victim was clearly drunk.” The trio were now standing right next to the vehicle, and both the police chief and detective could make out green tinted glass fragments scattered amongst the other wreckage materials. Darrin wiped his brow. The heat was unforgiving. “What about the incident over at the gas station?” Roansson grimaced. “According to the attendant working there this morning, the victim came into the station at about 4:30 this morning. Apparently, Linh was acting suspicious, hanging around near the back of the convenience section talking on his phone. Eventually, the attendant got nervous, assumed something was up, and tried to dial the police. When he saw what was happening, Linh pulled a gun on her and threatened to shoot.” Roansson gave a slight shrug. “Then something must have scared him and he bolted. We couldn’t get much more out of her.” Darrin looked up the road. The gas station was only about a mile away. Linh must have been heavily drunk. “Is she working now?” Roansson shook his head and referred to a notepad in his breast pocket. “It’ll reopen tomorrow morning. She’ll be working then.” He hesitated for a second before continuing. “One more thing… I’m not sure if it has anything to do with the case or not, but two park rangers reported a white minivan showing remarkable interest in the crash.” A small wad of paper containing a phone number was exchanged between the two officers. “You might want to follow up on it.” As the two finished discussing other more trivial matters pertaining to the crash, a few of the junior force members carefully removed any protruding glass from the windshield before conducting a second extensive search of the car’s interior. A light coat was retrieved, as well as a wide brimmed hat, a map of the greater LA area, and an open, slightly dented jackknife. Upon the conclusion of this procedure, the car and remaining debris were hauled away by the collective effort of a tow truck and a junk removal vehicle. Arms folded, hair whipping around from wind gusts, Underwood watched the tow truck drive away amidst a cloud of dust. He already had a couple theories regarding the incident, but none of them posed any significant interest to him personally. Probably just a petty criminal on the run. Asher absentmindedly strode over to the wreckage site where the last of the metal was being cleared away. A small piece of plastic blown astray by the wind collided with his leg, forcing an involuntary scratch from the detective. Suddenly, he stiffened, eyes locked on an object that had just been uncovered by the long arm of the junk vehicle. Asher held up his hand and hollered at the man operating the machine, then quickly picked his way through the field of debris. Upon reaching an oddly shaped hunk of metal, the detective stooped and picked up a small, sandstone brick that lay half concealed beneath. It was the absurdity of such a thing located in a car crash wreckage that had caught his eye. There were no brick walls nearby, nor any man made structure that it could have possibly fallen from, leaving Asher to assume that it had been in the car itself. With surprising agility, he swung himself up to the bottom step of the machine and hailed the person in the open cockpit. “Did you find any more of these?” The operator blinked at the unexpectedness of the question. He then shook his head and leaned down in an effort to be heard over the roaring motor. “Not that I’ve seen.” Asher nodded then leapt down from his perch, narrowly missing a protruding area of the chassis. There was probably an easy explanation to this new find, but he didn’t see it at the moment. He was joined by Darrin at the edge of the crash site. Asher handed the object over to the police chief to satisfy his friend’s questioning glance. Darrin turned it over in his hands for a few seconds. “A brick.” The chief's voice was monotone. “Mhm,” Asher’s reply was more of a grunt than an agreement. By now the line of police cars had dwindled to a select few, the crash site bustle having considerably died down. The wind was picking up even stronger as the sun made its way down toward the edge of the horizon. Streams of sand blew across the tarmac as the desert sought to reclaim any evidence of human activity in the area. Darrin had his windshield wipers at the highest setting as he piloted the police car over to the gas station. The small building looked even more insignificant due to an imposing range of mountainous rocky craigs situated behind it. Two of the neon lights making up the name had petered out, leaving the weary traveler to piece together what “ urning Sa ds” actually meant. The gas pumps and small parking lot were completely empty, reflecting the fact that there was a closed sign hanging on the glass door. A stereotypical icebox lay to the left of the door, affording tourists bags of ice to combat the blazing heat. The Ford was pulled into one of the slanted parking spaces in front of the convenience store - or at least what Darrin assumed must have once been a space. The aged white lines had been worn down by countless sandstorms; only the faintest trace of their existence peeped through the dust and cracked asphalt. Fingering the store key Rohansson had given him, Darrin glanced down at his watch. They had just enough time to check out the building and get back to LA before dark. Barring another flat, that is. The key slipped smoothly into the lock, and seconds later the two men were inside a small dimly lit building no more than 50 feet by 50 feet. Beverages and various sandwiches lined the refrigerated section at the back wall, while a plexiglass partition separated the employee alcove on their immediate left from the rest of the store. It was here that Darrin stepped over to first, eyes open for any possible clues that could explain the events that had taken place here no more than 6 hours ago. Was Linh afraid that the attendant had already made connection with the cops? If not, why had he left so abruptly? The police chief reached for the landline phone hanging next to an assortment of scratch off lottery tickets. He looked back towards the check out counter and the door, trying to judge where Linh had been standing when he pulled out the gun. “Maybe Linh saw… or heard something that made him make a beeline for the car.” Darrin murmured his thoughts louder than he had intended. The police chief walked around the partition and assumed a position on the opposite side of the counter, where he guessed the gunman had probably stood. He scanned the wall for anything out of the ordinary, but the shelf contents seemed dull and normal enough. There was a shuttered window about halfway up the wall, but from his position Darrin doubted that it afforded any sort of view when opened. Still, it was probably worth checking out. The chief grabbed a stepstool leaning against one of the shelves and yanked down the cord hanging from the shutters. The slats slowly slid up the glass, revealing the yellow glow of the burning sun outside. All Darrin saw was a sea of blue. Asher’s voice broke the eerie stillness. “They’re out of Smirnoff.” The words came from one of the back corners of the store and gave off a weird echo that made it sound as if the detective was much farther away than in reality. The police chief carefully pivoted on the narrow top step of the stool and reached for the edge of a shelf for balance. “What?” The sound of clinking bottles suddenly rang out and then died back down. “The alcohol our victim was supposedly drinking.” “Oh,” the reply echoed. “He was probably already drunk when he came in here.” Darrin drew the shutter back down and jumped to the ground. “Apparently he didn’t buy, or take, anything from the store.” Darrin heard footsteps and a moment later his friend appeared around one of the aisles. There was an odd grin on his face, something that the chief longed to see. It was a sure sign that Asher Underwood had uncovered some sort of clue. “I wouldn’t be too sure of that.” Without another word, the detective slipped out the front door and made his way back to the police car. Retrieving an object he had picked up not more than an hour ago, Asher retraced his steps to the building and brushed past Darrin, who was standing on the front sidewalk and wondering what on earth his friend was talking about. The detective led Darrin around the corner and about halfway down the outside of the store before pulling up short where the solid concrete facade gave way to a door. Towards the top of the entrance was tacked a crooked sign that read “storage” in bold, block letters. Bordering the narrow walkway opposite the door was a low brick wall, of the same sandstone variety as what Asher now held in his hand. There was a gap in the top row. Without hesitation, the detective slid the brick from the crash site into the crevice, in the process discovering that all of the bricks were partially loose. It fit perfectly. The two men stood in silence as Darrin appreciated the fact that this only further complicated matters. Somewhere a vulture cried out in its unending search for prey. Then, quite abruptly, Asher cleared his throat in an authoritative manner and turned to his friend. “Well I think that’s all there is to it.” Darrin opened his mouth to protest but only got past the first syllable before Asher cut him off. “You go ahead and interview the attendant tomorrow. I imagine after a little chat with her, we’ll have marginally more information at our disposal. But as for me,” the detective wiped a pair of dusty hands on his khaki shorts for emphasis, “I’m putting this little episode in the record books.” Asher turned to face the parking lot, only to have his shoulder jerked back by Darrin’s firm grip. “And could you please explain this little episode to me?” There was more than a hint of frustration in his tone. The detective met Darrin’s commanding gaze with his own. “Another casualty of drunk driving, maybe, but it certainly looks to me like this Linh of yours was trying extra hard to get killed.” “Oh really,” Darrin’s voice was filled with a mixture of sarcasm and disbelief, but he was also a little intrigued. Asher was rarely wrong. “I don’t know if you’d noticed, but the position that the brick was lying, underneath the car, could only have occurred in one scenario. He must've thrown the brick out of the vehicle himself. There’s no way it could’ve just fallen out of the truck and landed under the hood.” Asher sighed and lifted a hand to his face. “And it probably made its exit through the front windshield.” The police chief chuckled at the absurdity of the statement. “So Linh came to this gas station, hung around for a while, pulled a gun on the girl working here, then on his way out grabbed a brick he would later throw out of his own windshield as his car was rolling down a gully… That’s, that’s…” Darrin lifted his hand from Asher’s shoulder and ditched the conclusion to the sentence he had started. “Why?” Asher’s face was rigid. “I never said he threw it before the crash, although it is more likely. Either way, its unexplainable… unless we’re looking at a suicide.” Darrin was at a loss for words, all signs of laughter gone from his tanned complexion. “I’d run the body through a coroner before you jump to any conclusions.” Asher shrugged. “Who knows, I might be wrong.” “But surely there has to be a backstory…” Darrin began. Asher waved his hand. “Petty thief on the loose. Scared of the cops. I’ve had hundreds of cases turn out this way.” The detective looked down at the pavement and murmured, “Although none of them have involved a car accident…” The chief’s voice had an edge to it. “And what about the car sighted by the park rangers?” Then, remembering Asher hadn’t heard his conversation with Rohansson, Darrin filled his friend in on this piece of information. “Curious passersby. Wouldn’t you stop if you saw a car in a ditch? Not everything out of the ordinary is suspicious.” Darrin couldn’t believe his ears. “But that’s exactly the opposite of the motto you normally follow! Everything and anything could be important.” The chief’s face was flushed, and he spoke in an urgent tone. Asher made no reply to that comment and instead made an effort to end the conversation. “I’m done. I don’t think there’s much more to uncover regarding this case, and if there is, you’ll have to find it without me.” With a flick of his jacket, the detective made his exit, leaving Darrin both perturbed and downright angry. Underwood really was acting quite odd today. ... to be continued

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I personally hate any Crusader with a 50% prot against the turret I'm using. despicable

Looking forward to lengthened MM battles! Apparently my view is contrary to popular opinion.

CoNgRaTuLaTiOnS @Happier on becoming a full fledged esports spec!

I get emotional whenever I see the old forum interface. ?

Wannabe gladiator imposters thank the challenge reward committee.

Huge thanks to Nikola and Elon for their collab on this project.

Props to the design team for rolling out this amazing banner!