"Let's go to my place, make some good food, and go over the case again. We might get some unexpected insights."
Jack invited John to bring Galis along and drove with Angela to the supermarket to buy a bunch of groceries before heading to his house.
This white two-story house had recently been renovated. John had mostly helped with the kitchen before his vacation, and during the following two weeks, Jack had installed a large bathtub in the first-floor bathroom, cleared out most of the old furniture, and repainted the walls.
The house looked the same from the outside, but the interior was now completely refreshed. It was almost exactly how Jack had dreamed of, except for a few missing appliances.
As soon as Jack got home, he headed to the kitchen to start cooking, letting the others explore the house.
"What's up? You look like you have something to say."
Jack, busy in the kitchen, noticed John looking as if he wanted to speak but was hesitant.
"Did you do all this by yourself?"
John gestured to indicate the entire house.
"Yep, I spent most of my two-week vacation on this. I also reworked some of the electrical wiring in a few rooms. Though it seems fine, I'd like you to check it over."
Jack tasted the food and added a bit more water to the borscht, turning down the heat. After this round of renovations, the skills he'd acquired from "Friends of Military and Civilian Talents" had mostly advanced to proficient.
However, his small savings were almost depleted. If it weren't for the bonus he received after the terror attack case, he might not have been able to pay the bills this month.
"If my former business partner had half your work efficiency, I'd be rich by now."
Jack guessed John's true thoughts behind his capitalist remark.
"You want to remodel your house too, right? No problem, I can help whenever I have time."
Jack recalled that John had been renovating his house for over a year, encountering numerous issues like electrical fires and collapsing shelves. In hindsight, it was quite amusing.
John, grateful, picked up a tomato from the cutting board. "What do you need me to do?"
"Just slice this and these cucumbers."
Jack handed him a few cucumbers. There were quite a few people today, and they were all hungry. Although John's culinary skills were mediocre, he was a middle-aged man with plenty of life experience and could at least handle prep work.
Jack put a whole chicken wrapped in foil into the oven and set the timer. He drained the oil from the fried peanuts and sprinkled them with a bit of sea salt while they were still hot.
Soon, a plate of peanuts, a dish of smashed cucumbers, and a bowl of sweet tomatoes were on the table, along with some ready-to-eat sausages and other cold dishes from the supermarket.
"Dinner will be ready in 40 minutes. Help yourselves to some snacks first."
Jack hesitated about whether to open a bottle of Erguotou. He was short on cash lately and had forgotten to buy some wine for the house. All he had was the Chinese liquor, but considering they still had to discuss the case, getting drunk didn't seem appropriate.
At that moment, the doorbell rang, and Wesley, whom Angela had called over, appeared with a bottle of Harlan Estate red wine.
Angela went to greet him, and after a bit of affectionate exchange, they joined the others in the living room.
Unlike Westerners who typically separate their living and dining areas, Jack had combined his due to remodeling the kitchen, which took up part of the dining space. He had a large square table in the middle, big enough to seat three on each side.
Although it might seem unusual compared to the long dining tables common in Western homes, this was his own house.
Everyone took their seats. John and Angela, having eaten at Jack's place often, were adept with chopsticks, so he only prepared Western utensils for Wesley and Dr. Galis.
Tim and Lucy weren't there, and John secretly felt relieved not to see a hot pot on the table. The spicy meal from a few weeks ago had been tough on him.
Jack, noticing John's expression, chuckled to himself. He hadn't expected that a Sichuan hot pot could have such a strong effect, sending both middle-aged men with hemorrhoids to the hospital. However, he did provide some aftercare.
During the delivery of two tubes of Ma Yinglong ointment from China, he experimented with his master-level healing skills on them and was pleasantly surprised to find that what used to be instant healing now had a lasting effect.
Previously, his advanced healing was a divine skill, but using it discreetly was challenging. For example, when he rescued the county officer who had lost his left foot, most of his mental effort was spent controlling the healing range to avoid suspicion.
If he used his full power, closing the wound instantly, John might have considered it a miracle.
Now, the healing skill could also work in a sustained manner, like a game skill that provides continuous health regeneration. This made Jack wonder.
If he cast a healing spell on himself before a firefight, would it allow him to survive a headshot and regenerate? Although he wasn't sure if the newly grown brain would still be him.
Of course, this was just a fantasy. With his current rate of attribute growth, in a few years, when his mental and physical stats broke 30, he might survive even in a hail of bullets. Dodging every bullet might be an exaggeration, but turning fatal wounds into serious injuries and serious injuries into minor ones would be possible.
Due to the time constraints, today's dinner was relatively simple. Besides the cold dishes, there was a roast chicken made from a whole Rhode Island Red, borscht, and some dumplings Jack had stored in the freezer during Christmas. Feeding five people wouldn't be an issue.
No one present was particularly devout, so they were used to talking while eating. The conversation centered around today's case. Wesley, since the terror attack, had become one of them and knew when to keep quiet.
Galis was also considered an insider, and since she treated the drug dealer nearly beaten to death, they didn't need to hold back.
"Angela, what are your thoughts on Bruno?"
Jack started the conversation. The case wasn't particularly large or complicated, but it was his first official participation in solving a case. If it were handed over, he'd feel a bit unsatisfied, so his concern was no less than Angela's.
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