"Thud... Thud..."
"Locke, can I come in?"
"Uh, sure, u..."
After quickly wiping himself down with a towel, Locke hurried out of the bathroom.
Marianne Locke pushed the door open and entered. She was dressed in a white professional suit, appearing confident and elegant. Despite being 45 years old, her regular exercise habits had kept her in good shape, avoiding the typical expansion many women face with age.
Seeing that Locke had already shaved and appeared refreshed, her expression relaxed a bit as she said with concern, "Locke, if you're not ready yet, I suggest you take a few more days off..."
Locke flexed his muscles in response and shook his head with a smile, "u, I'm not as fragile as you think. The vacation is over, and Los Angeles needs me..."
Marianne hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Locke, your father and I have discussed it. We still hope you'll quit the police force. If you're truly interested in law enforcement, I suggest you talk to your uncle Glenn. The IRS might be a good option..."
Glenn was Locke's uncle, a senior executive at the State Tax Bureau, famously known as the IRS.
Shrugging his shoulders without hesitation, Locke replied, "No, I prefer being a cop. u, I'm sorry for worrying you this time. I'll be more careful in the future!"
Marianne gave a resigned look, realizing she had expected this response. She said, "Okay, I respect your choice, but please make sure to take care of yourself. Before doing anything reckless, think of your family first..."
"I swear..."
Locke raised his hand in assurance, hesitated for a moment, then added, "u, I plan to move back to Glenn's apartment today..."
After starting work, Locke moved out of the house and rented a studio apartment near the Wilshire District, a common practice for many young Americans when they come of age.
"Okay, remember to have breakfast. I have to go to work now..."
Marianne felt somewhat displeased with Locke's haste to leave but managed to say a few more words before heading towards the door, "Remember to call your dad and let him know about your decision. He's worried about you. Don't blame him for not being there all the time; he really can't get away..."
His father, Lee Bo, currently worked in New York as the head of the auditing department at KPMG, an accounting firm. After Locke's incident, he stayed in Los Angeles for three days before hurriedly returning to New York.
"I will..."
Locke subconsciously walked her to the door, apologizing, "u, sorry..."
Marianne understood why he was apologizing and hurriedly reassured him, "No need to apologize. I was young once too and understand your desire for freedom..."
Unlike most American parents, Marianne, from Texas, preferred her children to live close by, even after they came of age.
Locke then asked, "u, about you and daddy..."
Marianne and Lee Bo had a heated argument last year due to differences in education philosophies, leading to a long-suppressed conflict surfacing and them currently living separately.
Marianne interrupted Locke, speaking earnestly, "Locke, your father and I will sort things out. Whatever the outcome, we'll let you know first..."
She smiled slightly, straightened Locke's collar, and said, "Although your changes may stem from the psychological trauma of this incident, to be honest, I'm glad to see these changes. You've matured, learned to care for your family, and become polite..."
Locke instinctively apologized, "u, sorry, I was such a jerk before!"
"Yes, that's right! You were indeed a jerk before, never apologizing to me..."
Marianne chuckled in response, then leaned up to plant a kiss on Locke's cheek. "But, I still hope that jerk will come back soon!"
Feeling a bit bewildered, Locke stood there as Marianne made her way downstairs.
A strange emotion lingered in his heart. Was this maternal love?
Alone in the empty villa, Locke sat in the dining room, eating breakfast: sandwiches, bacon, and milk.
Marianne had already gone to work, and his younger brother and sister had gone to school.
Yes, Locke had a younger brother and a younger sister.
His brother, Jet Lee, five years younger than Locke, was 17 years old this year and attended the prestigious Troy High School in Los Angeles. He perfectly inherited their father's Chinese genes, excelling academically, but was currently going through a rebellious phase, causing strained relations between them.
His sister, Hannah Lee, 14 years old, attended the middle school division of Troy High School, also a top student, but with a quirky and non-conformist personality.
Overall, the family had high intelligence, with Locke being the least academically gifted.
After finishing breakfast, Locke skillfully washed the dishes and cups, placing them in the cabinet and activating the drying function.
After completing these tasks, Locke suddenly froze. He didn't even know how to use this high-end Miele dishwasher. Looking at his reflection in the cabinet, he smiled knowingly.
It turns out Locke Lee hadn't disappeared. Their memories had just merged, and he was still Locke Lee.
The self-imposed barriers in Locke's heart shattered in an instant, and the panel appeared automatically.
[Light of Justice - Brave Police System 2.0]
Host: Locke Lee / rocklee
Strength: 9 (Human Peak 20)
Speed: 9 (Human Peak 20)
Endurance: 9 (Human Peak 20)
Spirit: 11 (Human Peak 20)
Mastered Skills: Pistol (l1 Proficient↑), Rifle (l1 Proficient↑), Comprehensive Combat (l2 Mastery↑), Car Driving (l3 Grandmaster↑), Mandarin Chinese (l3 Grandmaster↑), Football (l2 Mastery), Mating (l2 Mastery), Swimming (l3 Grandmaster↑), Housekeeping (l3 Grandmaster), Forensics (l3 Grandmaster), Makeup (l3 Grandmaster), Microexpression Analysis (l2 Proficient), Chemistry (l2 Proficient), Biology (l2 Proficient), Toxicology (l2 Proficient), Sketching (l2 Proficient), French (l2 Proficient), Japanese (l2 Proficient), Art Appreciation (l2 Proficient), Computer (l2 Proficient), Cooking (l2 Proficient), Lockpicking (l2 Proficient)
Justice Value: 500
Attribute Points: 1
Holding Cards:
Experience Card: Car Driving (5 years of experience), Pistol (5 years of experience)
Function Card: Dodge Card
Skill Card: Spanish (5 years of experience)
Looking at the panel, Locke instantly understood what had happened. Not only had their memories merged, but their skills had also merged, with some even leveling up.
What delighted him even more was that his Spirit attribute had increased by 4 points, finally making him more than just brawn. After all, he was also a top student.
Locke's attention then turned to the two experience cards, which had disappeared, but the skill card remained unchanged.
Locke's mind was suddenly filled with experiences of using pistols and driving cars. These experiences felt as if they
were his own, deepening his understanding of pistol use and driving.
Pistol (l1 Proficient) had upgraded to (l2 Mastery↑), indicating that achieving mastery from proficiency only required an additional 5 years of experience.
However, Car Driving remained at (l3 Grandmaster), suggesting that simply adding 5 years of experience wouldn't be enough for an upgrade. He'd have to continue to explore.
Locke then focused on the attribute point, pondered for a moment, and decided to allocate it to Speed.
Boosting the Speed attribute would enhance agility, reaction time, muscle elasticity, and more, making dodging bullets a bit easier.
Locke felt a tingling sensation in his body, but it quickly dissipated. He flexed his hands and stood up, jumping a few times. He indeed felt lighter and more agile.
Lastly, he turned his attention to the skill card that hadn't changed much. After some thought, he went to the study, retrieved a Spanish dictionary, flipped through a few pages, and then used the skill card again.
This time, the card finally disappeared, and the panel changed once more. With it came a flood of experiences learning Spanish, allowing him to speak the language fluently.
This was incredible!
Excited, Locke wondered, if one day he maxed out all his attributes and learned more skills, what would he become?
A superhero?