At noon, on the way home, Bruce looked at the city scenery flying past the window while Katherine drove beside him.
Just now, the Amber Alert regarding the Diego kidnapping case was declared over, which meant the case of ‘Octopus’ had also come to an end.
Barring any surprises, Octopus would never be saying goodbye to prison.
Bruce had a bountiful harvest today.
First, for participating in the arrest of Ernesto in the morning, he received a [Wooden Treasure Chest]; for killing Omar, he received a [black iron treasure chest]; and for participating in the arrest of Octopus, he received another [bronze treasure chest].
But most importantly, Bruce also received another administrative leave.
That’s right, another one.
In less than a month, Bruce had already happily received two administrative leaves.
However, Hank, the boss of the Intelligence Unit, promised that nothing would happen to him, and he should just treat it as a day of rest at home; at the latest, he would receive notice to return to work as usual by tomorrow noon.
Bruce had no doubt about this.
Although he had been on the job for less than a month, Chicago was full of legends about Hank, the most famous of which was his tendency to ‘protect his own.’
Still, Bruce mentioned something about what to do with the action reports for the past two days.
To this, Antonio patted his chest and said the matter of the reports would be left to him.
And so, Bruce officially began his second administrative leave.
…
After saying goodbye to Katherine and agreeing to have dinner together in the evening, Bruce returned to his apartment alone.
Opening the door, he threw his damaged jacket onto a chair and walked straight to the kitchen.
He poured himself some bourbon and downed it in one go.
The burning sensation spread from his throat to his stomach, making him feel a bit more grounded.
“Alright,” he said to the empty room, “let’s see what you’ve given me, System!”
Bruce focused his mind and silently thought: “Open System Panel.”
The translucent light-blue panel floated before his eyes again, looking much like the last time he saw it, except the treasure chest column now had three more boxes.
One [Wooden Treasure Chest], one [black iron treasure chest], and one [bronze treasure chest].
Bruce tried to touch the wooden chest with his consciousness.
The chest emitted a faint glow and then disappeared.
[Opened the Wooden Treasure Chest from the arrest of Ernesto Mipas]
[Obtained: Skill – Spanish Proficiency] Gain the ability to fluently use daily conversation and law enforcement-related vocabulary.
[Obtained: $250 Cash (Deposited into the host’s hidden account; the source has been processed by the system, no risk of traceability)]
Bruce blinked.
Almost simultaneously, he felt a slight stream of information flood his brain, as if he had suddenly remembered knowledge he had learned long ago but temporarily forgotten.
He subconsciously whispered in Spanish: “Policía de Chicago, las manos donde pueda verlas.” (Chicago Police, hands where I can see them.)
Cool.
Standard pronunciation, natural intonation, just as if he had been speaking Spanish for twenty years.
“OMG!” Bruce muttered, taking another gulp of whiskey.
“So convenient.
Keep going, keep going.”
[Opened the black iron treasure chest from the killing of Omar Rojas]
[Obtained: Skill Points ×2] Can be used to upgrade existing skill levels.
[Obtained: Skill – Gun Duel (LV1)]: When using pistol-type weapons, accuracy +100% within 20 meters, accuracy +50% within 50 meters.
[Obtained: $5,000 Cash (Deposit method same as above)]
Five thousand dollars.
Bruce stared at the number; this was equivalent to about one month of his after-tax salary.
Currently, the annual salary for an American police officer is roughly $76,550, which is about $6,300 a month.
Then Bruce noticed the description of the “Gun Duel” skill.
One hundred percent accuracy within 20 meters?
This didn’t sound scientific.
He wondered what would happen if there were obstacles in between—would the bullets curve?
He’d go to the police station’s shooting range tomorrow to test it out…
[Opened the bronze treasure chest from the arrest of Adlerus Diaz]
[Obtained: Skill Points ×2]
[Obtained: Talent Fragments (Basic) ×3]
[Obtained: Skill – Dragon Subduing Tiger Taming (LV1)] Top-tier grappling and control techniques, merging the essence of Chinese Qin Na, Israeli Krav Maga, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
A technique to quickly subdue any enemy.
Bruce tried to recall the so-called “Dragon Subduing Tiger Taming” skill.
Immediately, clear sequences of movements surfaced in his mind: how to use leverage to overcome a larger opponent, how to find counter-attack points when pinned, and how to use minimal force for maximum control.
Bruce sat back on the sofa, staring at the new skills and 4 skill points on his personal list.
He began to ponder how to allocate them reasonably to maximize his benefits and best suit his current survival.
[Form-Intention Fist LV3], [American Iaijutsu LV2], [Spanish Proficiency LV1], [Gun Duel LV1], and [Dragon Subduing Tiger Taming LV1]…
Spanish was definitely excluded first.
As for marksmanship and combat…
Ultimately, Bruce spent 3 skill points to upgrade Gun Duel to LV3: When using pistol-type weapons, accuracy +100% within 40 meters, accuracy +50% within 80 meters, and shooting speed +100%.
Looking at the skill description before him, Bruce fell into deep thought.
This meant that in the same amount of time, he could produce two effective shots.
This wasn’t just a matter of 1+1; if he could hit the same spot twice in rapid succession within 40 meters, he believed any body armor would be useless against him.
Finally, he spent 1 skill point to upgrade Dragon Subduing Tiger Taming to LV2: Added ground fighting technique combinations, improved joint lock effectiveness, and increased pain control precision.
“This is crazy,” Bruce muttered.
As for Talent Fragments, collecting 10 would allow him to synthesize a random talent.
He already had 4 now; he just needed to keep up the effort.
[System]: tough cop system (Killing criminals or solving cases will drop treasure chests)
[Host]: Bruce Stacy
[Physical Stats]: Age 24, Height 185CM, Weight 85KG
[Profession]: Patrol Officer, Chicago South District 21st Precinct
[Strength]: 13 (Average person is 10) (Bone density, muscle strength, blood flow rate)
[Speed]: 13 (Average person is 10) (Physical agility, nerve reaction, coordination)
[Endurance]: 13 (Average person is 10) (Organ strength, bone density, muscle strength, recovery ability)
[Spirit]: 18 (Average person is 10) (IQ, memory, observation, analysis, logical reasoning)
[Talent]: None (Basic Fragments ×4)
[Skills]: Form-Intention Fist LV3; Gun Duel LV3; Dragon Subduing Tiger Taming LV2; American Iaijutsu LV2; Spanish Proficiency LV1.
[Common Weapons]: None
[Backup Weapons]: None
[Armor]: None
[Vehicle]: None
[Special Equipment]: None
[Treasure Chests]: None
…This was his updated personal interface.
With more and more skills, it was reassuring, but looking at the string of “None” at the end, Bruce decided to find some time to buy some things to replenish his gear.
Closing the system interface, he walked to the window.
In the distance, the sound of sirens was faintly audible, never ceasing.
Suddenly, a knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.
Bruce walked alertly to the door and looked through the peephole.
He saw Catherine Hayek standing outside, holding a paper bag and a bottle of wine.
She had changed out of her uniform and was wearing jeans and a gray sweater, her hair still a bit damp.
“Katherine, it’s not dinner time yet.
Why are you here?”
“Hank said I should take a day off too,” Katherine held up her phone.
“I thought a certain dummy might not be in a good state, and as your training officer, I still need to show proper concern.
Oh, don’t look at me like that—alright, I just wanted to eat the Chinese food you make a bit sooner.”
Bruce smiled, tucked away his playful look, and stepped aside to let her in.
“I just didn’t expect it.
Come on in.”
Katherine walked into the apartment and scanned the room.
The living room was so tidy it hardly looked like a single man’s residence, except for the jacket on the sofa and the empty glass on the dining table.
“Are you hurt?”
“No, just my clothes got scuffed,” Bruce said as he took the items out of the paper bag in the kitchen: chicken, potatoes, beef, and some side dishes.
“I didn’t know what to buy, so I just got a bit of everything,” Katherine naturally walked into the kitchen, took plates out of the cabinet, and helped Bruce organize the ingredients.
In the two weeks since Bruce had been transferred to the 21st Precinct, Katherine had come over for a meal almost every night.
She had even joked once about just moving in together to share the rent.
At the time, Bruce had agreed on the spot, and Katherine had said she would move in when her rent was up this month.
The two of them cooked together in the kitchen, chatting and laughing, their rapport slowly growing.
At four in the afternoon, a plate of spicy chicken, potato beef stew, and a vegetable salad were served on the table.
After setting out the food and opening the wine, the two of them just ate in silence, enjoying the long-awaited meal.
Both were starving; they had been too busy to eat lunch.
…
“Today was very dangerous,” Katherine spoke up, poking a piece of chicken with her fork.
“The gunfight in the alley, and the standoff on the bus…”
“But we handled it, didn’t we!” Hearing this, Bruce put down his chopsticks and looked into Katherine’s eyes.
“With our cooperation, all the criminals were brought to justice.”
Katherine rolled her eyes, but her tone softened.
“Still, you have to stay safe.”
After saying that, Katherine took her wine glass to the window, looked at the pedestrians below, and said slowly: “Bruce, the Intelligence Unit is short-handed.
Jules will be recuperating for at least three months, and might not even return to the front lines.
They need fresh blood.”
“Do you think we can do it?” Bruce asked softly, pouring Katherine a bit more wine.
“You’re already doing it,” Katherine smiled.
“Even I’m full of drive now.
Today you found the surveillance lead they missed, located the bus station, and saved the hostages on the bus.
That’s more than many Intelligence Unit detectives achieve in a whole year.”
Hearing this, Bruce raised his glass in a toast and downed it.
“In any case, if we really do get transferred to the Intelligence Unit, I hope we can still be partners.
Sheriff Hank always has people work in two-person teams, especially when dealing with dangerous targets.”
Katherine also raised her glass and downed it.
“I hope so too.”
Dinner ended in a relaxed atmosphere.
When she left, Katherine hesitated for a moment, then gave him a quick hug—a brief but warm embrace.
“You did well today, Bruce, really.
But don’t be so impulsive in the future.”
Then she turned and left, her footsteps gradually fading in the hallway.
Bruce closed the door and leaned his back against it.
The living room still held the aroma of food and the faint scent of Katherine’s perfume.