Chapter 193: Reforming Reid (Part 1)

Jack sighed helplessly and crumpled the last draft paper into a ball, tossing it into the trash.

"I know you hate exercise, but no one could dislike this, right?"

He walked to the lawn in the middle of the outdoor track and performed a set of Bajiquan moves. His actions were swift and powerful, attracting a crowd of trainees.

There was no mocking or showing off, and even if there were, Jack wouldn't have used martial arts to fight back. Sanda and Krav Maga, which focus on defeating opponents quickly, would be the more logical choices. 

But martial arts routines are genuinely impressive. Reid was already excited, his hands clenched in front of his chest, eyes gleaming.

"Are you willing to teach me kung fu?"

Jack secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thanking Bruce Lee. For someone like Reid, who has both 'NERD' and 'GEEK' traits, his childhood was likely spent being bullied. Kung fu movies must have been one of the primary fantasies these kids had.

"A year and a half ago, I only weighed three pounds more than you. Every time I went out, I had to carry five dollars in change, or else, if the street kids targeted me, you know."

Jack stared into Reid's eyes and noticed that he habitually squinted—he was a nearsighted person who didn't like wearing glasses.

It was a disaster waiting to happen. Jack could foresee the nightmare that Reid's shooting, combat training, and CQB training would be. Rossi's task wasn't as simple as it seemed.

"You know what joining Rossi's team entails, right?"

Jack's sudden question left Reid confused, so he nodded instinctively.

"Do you think you can handle a regular-sized criminal on your own?"

Reid quickly shook his head.

"Come with me. I've changed my mind."

Jack took Reid back to Rossi.

"What did you say? Cancel Reid's special admission?" Rossi looked at Jack and the bewildered Reid in surprise.

"You worry he'll become a 'weak link,' but I'm concerned he'll be a 'fatal flaw.'"

"Initially, I wanted to tempt him a bit, use his fascination with kung fu to encourage some exercise, and improve his fitness to meet your requirements."

"But look at this cute baby face, and these eyes with at least three to four diopters of myopia. When he needs to shoot at a hostage-taking suspect, won't you be even a bit worried? You didn't even suggest a simple corrective surgery?"

"It made me realize that you don't see him as an FBI agent facing criminals directly, but merely as a brilliant criminal profiler."

Listening to Jack's impassioned speech, Rossi fell into deep thought, while Reid weakly argued.

"But I stayed at the BAU with Gideon for nearly a year..."

He was immediately met with a cold stare, making him retreat half a step.

Jack sighed again.

"You're a genius, Dr. Reid. I remember your first PhD was in mathematics. FBI crime scene data isn't hard to find, so tell me, would you rather believe in luck than probability?"

Reid was speechless, and Rossi sighed too. "I overlooked the most crucial shortcoming because of his impressive resume."

"Please tell me if there's a remedy, what we should do, and how confident you are that Dr. Reid can leave this academy as a regular FBI agent."

Jack looked at Reid again. "That depends on how much Dr. Reid wants to become an FBI agent. For someone who earned three PhDs and two bachelor's degrees before 21, I don't think this is too difficult."

"Cancel the special admission but make some adjustments to the testing order. I'll devise a gradual plan based on my past experience, but it all depends on Dr. Reid's willingness to cooperate."

The pressure finally shifted to Reid. Feeling their gazes, he appeared unsure.

"I don't know if I can do it. This isn't my area of expertise."

"I can assure you it's not as hard as you think."

Jack gripped his shoulder firmly, as if to encourage him through the gesture.

"Of course, it requires you to force yourself to do what you hate the most: exercise. Persistent exercise. You will be very, very tired. It takes immense willpower."

Reid seemed to sense Jack's sincerity at that moment and nodded vigorously.

"I'll try. I don't want to disappoint Gideon. He said I'd be an excellent FBI agent, but can you really... you don't know how bad my shooting is."

"You can do it. Trust me," Jack let go and patted his shoulder.

"When your hands follow your brain's commands completely, hitting the target is just a simple ballistic calculation, Dr. Reid. Provided you wear suitable contact lenses."

So, under Jack's proposal, Reid's shooting, combat, and physical tests were postponed to the final week.

All his extra time outside regular training courses was handed over to Jack.

Finally, the academy allocated a corner of the central kitchen to him and provided the ingredients he requested.

Thus, on Reid's fifth day at the FBI Academy, every morning, other trainees doing physical training would see two guys doing aerobics in a corner of the track.

"One, two, three, four. Two, two, three, four. Three, two, three, four. Four, two, three, four."

Jack called out the rhythm, leading Reid in the eighth set of radio gymnastics, correcting his deformed movements from time to time.

The Americans, who didn't recognize its value, mistook the radio gymnastics for aerobics. But for Reid, with his frail physique, completing a set of radio gymnastics with precise movements was enough to make him sweat profusely.

There might have been some complaints about the academy's obvious favoritism, feeling it was unfair, but these voices quickly disappeared.

Because in all academic training sessions afterward, Reid's astonishing memory and reading speed of 20,000 words per minute left even Jack, with his photographic memory, in the dust.

With his vast knowledge base, most academic instructors felt that Dr. Reid should be the one standing at the lectern, not themselves.

This made Jack fully understand why Rossi made an exception for Reid. Wasting such a brilliant mind by not utilizing it for the BAU, where behavioral analysis and profiling are key to solving cases, would be a huge loss.

Now that he's here, if Jack could help him overcome his weakest points, why not?

Stuck in the academy for five boring months, it was better to find something interesting to do. For instance, making some adjustments to a main character from a TV show to suit his preferences could prevent many future problems.

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