The backup for Frank and Mike came from the Davis team, who were closest to their location.
Davis and his partner were heading back to the precinct with a suspect from a convenience store robbery case in custody.
Davis whispered a few words to Frank and gave Mike a nod as a greeting.
As soon as Frank returned, he slapped Mike on the back.
“It’s basically confirmed that it’s him.
Good job, rookie.
You found him fast!”
Frank reported to dispatch that the suspect had been apprehended and the transfer was complete.
Back at the precinct, as soon as they walked into the lobby, Mike felt several pairs of eyes on him.
Sergeant Huggins was standing by the water cooler, talking to a middle-aged man in plainclothes.
The man had short grey hair, was in excellent shape, and wore a dark jacket with khaki pants.
His eyes were sharp.
Seeing Mike, Huggins beckoned him over.
“Mike, come here a second.”
Mike walked over, and Sergeant Huggins introduced him.
“This is Detective Liam Carter, deputy head of the precinct’s detective squad.
Carter, this is Mike Lee, the patrol officer who caught the convenience store robber today.”
Carter reached out, his handshake firm and powerful.
He looked Mike up and down.
“Officer Lee, Huggins tells me you went straight for the suspect hiding behind the dumpster today?”
Mike replied calmly, “Yes, Detective Carter.
After receiving the call, we searched west along the street.
I saw a shadow moving behind that dumpster and found it suspicious.”
Carter nodded and continued his questioning.
“I know that alley.
There’s junk piled up on both sides, and a few homeless people usually hole up there.
Why did you fixate on the guy behind the dumpster?”
Mike obviously couldn’t say the system’s prompt had helped him narrow down the range, but he had indeed seen the man’s suspicious behavior, so he simply told the truth.
“His behavior was unnatural,” Mike said.
“The other homeless people were either lying down ignoring us or sitting there in a daze.
He was curled up behind the dumpster, poking his head out to watch the street.
When we approached, he immediately pulled his head back.
It was suspicious.”
Carter’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“That’s all?”
“And his shoes,” Mike added.
“Most of the other homeless people had shoes that were filthy and torn; his sneakers were relatively clean.
He was wearing a dark blue hoodie—and while that didn’t match the black jacket described by the shopkeeper, I thought that if he had just committed a robbery, he might have turned his jacket inside out or changed it entirely.”
The corner of Carter’s mouth curled up slightly. Read this novel at novelping.com for the best experience.
“Not bad.”
Sergeant Huggins laughed and patted Mike’s shoulder.
“Hear that?
Carter says you’re not bad.
The new recruits in our precinct aren’t just rookies who only know how to fill out forms.”
At that moment, other officers in the lobby looked over.
One older patrol officer whistled.
“Good work, Lee!
That convenience store owner is my neighbor.
He just got robbed the day before yesterday; finally caught the guy this time!”
Another laughed, “Looks like I’ll have to stick close to Mike on patrol from now on.
Might even solve a few more cases!”
Scattered applause broke out, mixed with a few good-natured jests.
Mike maintained a modest demeanor, nodding in acknowledgment.
Carter said to Huggins, “A promising seed.
Train him well.” He then nodded to Mike and turned to leave.
Huggins watched Carter walk away and said to Mike, “Carter has the highest clearance rate in the precinct.
He rarely takes the initiative to pay attention to patrol officers.
He happened to have business with me today, and your performance caught his eye.
That’s a good thing.”
“Thank you, Sergeant.”
“Alright, go write the report.
Be detailed; the detective squad might review it.”
Mike found Frank, and the two went to the patrol unit’s office area.
Davis had finished the suspect transfer paperwork and was walking over with a cup of coffee.
“Hey, Mike,” Davis called out to him.
“On the way back, that guy kept mumbling about his bad luck.
I was curious too—that alley has two forks.
How did you choose the dumpster on the right immediately?”
Mike repeated what he had told Detective Carter.
After hearing it, Davis gave him a thumbs-up.
“Others might think you were just lucky, but I know that place.
There are at least ten homeless nests in different corners of that alley, and the lighting is terrible.
Being able to lock onto the target at a glance definitely deserves Detective Carter’s praise.”
Mike smiled.
He knew in his heart that his observational skills were indeed formidable; his Dynamic Vision was useful in many ways.
While it wasn’t the first time he had filled out a case report, this was Mike’s first arrest in an armed robbery case.
Frank guided him on how to properly describe the search process, the use of force, and the chain of evidence.
After listening, Mike tore up the half-finished report and rewrote it from scratch.
Once he submitted the report, the system’s notification sounded in his mind.
[Ding!] This story is hosted at g.com.
[Side Mission: “Street Arrest” completed.]
[Mission Rating: B+.
Successfully apprehended an armed robbery suspect, recovered stolen goods, no casualties.]
[Rewards Issued: Points × 50, slight increase in jurisdiction reputation, increased attention from the detective squad.]
[Current Points: 50.]
Only 50 points?
Mike felt a slight twinge of disappointment, but then he considered that side missions were naturally simpler than main missions, so a smaller reward was normal.
However, the mission prompt this time explicitly mentioned “increased attention from the detective squad,” whereas the “Drug Den Cleanup” mission from before had listed the expected reward as “attention from the Detective Bureau and ESU.”
Mike didn’t know much about the NYPD’s organizational structure beyond the general precinct setup and the broad categories of patrol, detectives, and special services at headquarters.
With the system, he hadn’t planned on taking the administrative promotion route, but moving into the Detective Bureau or Special Service Bureau in the future seemed like a good option.
While Mike was writing his report, Sergeant Huggins found Frank, and the two talked in the office for ten minutes.
When he came out, Frank’s expression was a bit complicated.
“What’s wrong?” Mike asked.
Frank sighed.
“Carter’s old partner, Officer John Miller, just got out of the hospital for high blood pressure and wants to take a month off.
We’re short-handed for the night shift.
Huggins asked if we could start working nights early.”
“Night shift?” Mike raised an eyebrow.
“I thought the night shift schedule for rookies wasn’t for another three months?”
“Originally, yes.
But Huggins said your performance these past few days has been good, and since they really are short-staffed, he asked if we were willing.
Of course, you can refuse; he can arrange for someone else.”
Mike thought about it.
While the night shift meant an inverted sleep schedule, it also meant more free time during the day.
He could use that time to refine his basement workshop, continue improving the silencer, or handle any missions the system might issue.
“I’m fine with it,” Mike said.
Frank was a bit surprised.
“Are you sure?
The night shift is exhausting, especially the latter half of the night.”
“I’ll have to experience it eventually.
Better to adapt early.”
Frank nodded.
“Alright then.
If nothing goes wrong, we’ll have an evening shift this week, a day off, and then a graveyard shift.”
“What’s the difference between evening and graveyard?”
“Evening is 4:00 PM to midnight.
Graveyard is midnight to 8:00 AM.
The graveyard shift is the most miserable, especially those two hours before the morning handoff.”