As Jack took out his keys and unlocked the door, he found the living room completely dark. Holding the bouquet of flowers, he walked towards the bedroom, puzzled. Maureen had given him a key to her house long ago, making it easier for her favorite student to drop by anytime for study sessions.
He knocked lightly on the door, but there was no response, only the sound of meowing coming from inside.
What's going on? Jack wondered. Maureen was allergic to cat hair; how could she have a cat now?
Curious, Jack turned the doorknob and opened the bedroom door. To his surprise, he saw two catgirls, one dressed in black and the other in white.
Both women wore matching fuzzy cat ear headbands and fluffy cat paw gloves. The difference was one wore black stockings and the other white. They were playfully meowing and tussling with each other, seemingly unlocking some extraordinary achievement.
That night, Jack harshly criticized the two catgirls for their unprofessional cosplay. How could they be so scantily clad, wearing nothing but stockings? Essential elements like cat tails and collars were missing.
For nearly three months following that evening, Jack experienced some of the most relaxed days since joining the police force. There were no serial killers or gang wars, no car chases or shootouts.
Justin's recovery took longer than expected, nearly 50 days, but she exceeded everyone's expectations. Before Chris took her back to Chicago, she was already helping Jack in the kitchen.
Though Justin still had some fear of going out and talking to strangers, she could communicate normally with familiar people. During a video call with Professor Hubble, she called him "Daddy," bringing tears to the eyes of the 60-year-old professor.
As a token of gratitude, Chris left Jack a handgun before departing—a Czech-made FK 7.5mm pistol, a rarity he had never seen in person due to its high price.
This gun, costing up to $7500, was said to have only 1001 units sold in the entire USA. Its special 7.5mm bullets were priced at $83 per box of 50, ten times the cost of regular bullets.
But after firing just one magazine at the range, Jack fell in love with the heavy, 1.3 kg, all-metal handgun. Its sleek, elongated design was perfectly balanced, with a 15-round magazine that didn't feel bulky and fit his hand perfectly.
Amazingly, despite its powerful 7.5mm bullets, which boasted a muzzle energy of over 1200 joules and could still deliver 700 joules at 100 meters, the gun's recoil was incredibly smooth. Jack could easily fire it one-handed in rapid succession.
The only downside was that its distinctive firing signature and unique caliber made it unsuitable for certain covert situations. Once Jack registered the gun, it would be easy to trace.
However, this minor flaw was completely overshadowed by the gun's advantages. With it, Jack could handle most gunfights he might encounter in his daily routine. Even at 100 meters, it could easily penetrate a level IIIA bulletproof vest.
With just a week left before Hannah returned from Quantico, Zoe was about to officially resign from the LAPD at the end of the month. Detective Grey would soon be promoted to Superintendent Grey, and Tim had passed the Superintendent exam, becoming Superintendent Bradford and now the supervising officer for patrols.
Angela had achieved her dream of becoming a detective and was now four months pregnant, busy planning her wedding, hoping to have everything ready before her due date.
John was working towards becoming an instructor, possibly transitioning from the oldest rookie cop at the Wilshire Division to a novice trainer within a year.
Last week, Jack submitted his resignation to the LAPD. Rossi had formally invited him to join the FBI, waiving the requirement for two years of work experience and the minimum age of 23, provided Jack could successfully complete the 5-month training program at Quantico.
The most anxious person now was Lucy. Her relationship with Tim was about to go public, but Tim's recent promotion to interim supervisor meant he couldn't transfer to Metro as Jack remembered. This left Lucy with no other choice but to consider a transfer herself.
Fortunately, no one was pushing Lucy to go undercover this time. Transferring to another division seemed to be her only option.
Days were filled with routine tasks—issuing traffic tickets, dealing with street dealers, and petty theft. Jack's progress in the system had nearly stalled. Since the Rosalind case, he had accumulated a total of two system coins. Combined with one he had saved before, it still wasn't enough to upgrade a single skill to mastery.
He even wondered if he would get a chance to use his new gun before becoming a federal agent.
As of now, Jack was chasing a thief with Lucy. The young Asian man seemed to have some parkour skills, jumping and flipping like a mini Jackie Chan, while knocking over garbage bins and other obstacles in his path.
Lucy, having partnered with Jack frequently and indulging in his midday meals, had put on a bit of weight and was struggling to keep up.
Jack, not wanting to spend $160 on a new uniform before leaving the LAPD, carefully navigated through the alley, avoiding the scattered debris, and kept a measured distance from the thief to see how long he could keep running.
After ten minutes, the young man was gasping for breath. Realizing he couldn't shake Jack, he made a sharp turn, climbed over a dilapidated wire fence, and dashed into an abandoned factory.
"Can you keep going?" Jack asked Lucy, who had just caught up, smiling.
"Let's do this," Lucy replied, gritting her teeth.
Jack, still smiling, drew his Glock and switched on the tactical flashlight. He planned to corner the thief, who had disappeared into the factory without making a sound. With his heightened sense perception over 25, Jack detected nothing, indicating the thief had likely found a hiding spot.
The factory's open workshop was empty. Jack and Lucy crossed it quickly and entered the office area, clearing the rooms one by one along the corridor.
Halfway through, the thief suddenly appeared in front of them, screaming.
"My God, I touched it."
"Hands up!" Lucy commanded, her gun trained on him.
"I'm going to be sick..." The thief's cheeks puffed up as he spoke.
Jack stepped aside discreetly and ordered, "Lie down, face down."
Lucy moved forward to cuff him, asking, "What did you touch?"
"A body... ugh."
To prevent the guy from choking on his vomit, Jack grabbed his hair and turned his head to the side. He then told Lucy, "You watch him. I'll check it out."
A body meant a case, and a case meant experience points. Jack was bored out of his mind these past few months, having spent most of his time upgrading his language skills to proficiency. Lately, he had even started learning Latin and Italian.
As Jack ventured further into the factory, the thrill of discovering a new case filled him with excitement.
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