Chapter 16: Warning

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Chapter 16: Warning

Over the next few weeks, the Wilshire Police Department was in turmoil. Tim Bradford's drug-addicted wife, Isabella, was hospitalized for overdosing on "drug," and at least 1 kg of high-purity "drug" was found in the room where she and her current live-in boyfriend resided.

Since she was a former DEA detective, exposing her identity in prison would be a death sentence. She had no choice but to accept the DEA's terms and become an undercover agent again. The DEA wanted to use her to trace the entire drug trafficking network through her current boyfriend.

Jack found it hard to understand Tim's naive idea. Despite wearing the crown of righteousness, he still wanted to send his wife to rehab after dealing with this matter, hoping to mend his broken family. Jack really wanted to punch him and tell him loudly to give up because Lucy was his true soulmate.

Meanwhile, John had a stroke of bad luck. One day while patrolling, he and Talia Bishop encountered two armed robbers robbing a small supermarket. Bishop managed to subdue one of them, but John chased the other one into a residential building. In the end, he had no choice but to shoot and kill the robber who continued to resist in the second-floor bedroom.

Despite the presence of body camera footage, the deceased's brother filed a formal complaint against John, leading to an internal affairs investigation, and John was put on a one-week administrative leave.

As John was still a rookie in the probationary period and his training officer Bishop was not present during the incident, the internal affairs department subjected him to rigorous questioning. Realizing the situation wasn't looking good, Jack had to take John to visit Maureen.

That evening, Jack invited Lucy, and the three of them met again at the small tavern.

"How did you manage to recover so quickly after shooting twice? Am I too emotional?" John asked Jack, seeking advice.

Jack glanced at Lucy, feeling guilty, thinking that they had broken up, and he couldn't offer the advice of spending a night with a girl.

"Or perhaps, what you're really worried about is your career? After making up your mind to start anew in mid-life, you're now being questioned for simply following standard procedures in your task, and it makes you doubt your choices?" Jack attempted to use his rudimentary psychology skills.

John shook his head. "I'm not that fragile. I just feel like that person shouldn't have died. Maybe I was too hasty with the shooting. Perhaps I could have subdued him without using my gun. He was so young; he might have resisted out of impulse."

"Hey!" Lucy couldn't stand by, slapping his shoulder. "I don't want to attend your funeral. Your way of thinking will get you killed."

"I think you might be more suitable to be a cop on the other side of the Pacific. I heard that cops there get criticized by the public if they don't shoot in the leg for their first shot," Jack teased John.

"Police are a part of the state's violent machinery; we are tools used by the ruling class to protect their interests. If you don't realize this, being a police officer is definitely a wrong choice," he said firmly.

Seeing the two confused expressions, Jack shrugged. "Just forget what I said."

"You majored in psychology, right? Why are you so proficient in political terms?" John looked puzzled.

Hehe, did you know that in a certain country's nine-year compulsory education, they included spell-casting to slay dragons? Jack shook his head, planning to blur the topic. (Note: Idk anything about this one?)

At that moment, a curvaceous beer girl sashayed over with three bottles of beer and left a tissue paper with her phone number on John's table before leaving.

"Wow!" Lucy's face instantly lit up with amusement. She playfully teased, "It's the first time I've seen a girl looking for a cop. Be careful."

It seems the unfinished business is still there. During their last breakup, John questioned how these two guys could look down on him.

Jack had invited Lucy in the evening not to rekindle their romance but to console John. If he caused trouble and got them both fired, the plot would go awry, and he'd be stuck alone at Wilshire Police Department, bored to death.

Thinking about this, he patted his waist, saying, "Maybe not. I don't hide my badge either. I see you're into older guys, just like Lucy, right?"

"Shut up!" Lucy blushed with anger and threw a french fry at him. The three of them laughed and chatted about Tim and his wife's situation. It seemed well-known that undercover officers weren't treated like human beings. They often faced double pressure from ruthless criminals and suspicion from their own people. There were countless examples like Isabella, who ended up as an undercover drug dealer turned addict.

Jack remembered that Lucy later participated in undercover training too, but before he transmigrated, "Rookie" hadn't reached its end, so he didn't know her outcome. But since they brought up the topic, he deliberately steered the conversation towards certain unpleasant aspects of law enforcement. It could be seen as a preemptive measure for when Tim and his wife fell apart, allowing Lucy to enjoy being a bickering couple with Tim.

Apart from John, Jack's favorite character in this American drama was Tim. This veteran had a sense of justice and compassion, appearing tough on the outside but tender on the inside. He always longed for a complete family, and only he could tame Lucy, the unreliable older guy enthusiast.

Today, only Jack drove his Chevrolet as they went out for drinks. He refrained from drinking too much, so after they dispersed, he first dropped Lucy off at her apartment and then took John to his newly bought house.

Watching John sway into the house, Jack turned his car around to head home. The headlights swept over a black Mazda parked on the roadside, and the fleeting figure inside made him feel uneasy.

It was already past 10 PM, John's new house was a detached villa with the nearest neighbor being a hundred to two hundred meters away. This Mazda appeared particularly suspicious.

Pretending nothing had happened, Jack continued driving for three to four hundred meters, ensuring no other cars were around. He then turned off the headlights and slowly drove back while dialing John's phone. There was no answer. After a moment of thought, he immediately called 911, reporting his badge number, and requested nearby night patrol officers for backup.

As he was off duty, not in uniform, and had no authority to search the suspicious vehicle on the roadside, plus he had been drinking, it was better to have more witnesses to avoid trouble.

As soon as he hung up with 911, John called back, "I was just taking a shower. What's up, Jack? Did I leave something in your car?"

"Get your gun. You might have company," Jack warned. His Chevrolet was now approaching the Mazda. When they were less than 20 meters apart, he abruptly turned on the high beams and was startled to find the car empty. He quickly warned John over the phone, "Be careful, the person might already be inside the house. Look for cover, I'll be at your doorstep in a minute, and be careful not to accidentally shoot anyone."

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