Chapter 1: Admission to the Police Academy

Chapter 1: Admission to the Police Academy

"You damn gangsters, just wait until I become a cop" Jack muttered, grinning at his reflection in the bathroom mirror as he checked the wound on his face.

Previously known as Zhang Qingmo.

Today, he went by the name Jack Tyler—a 21-year-old biracial young man born in California. Three years ago, in 2015, an apartment fire had left him orphaned and brain-dead due to inhaling toxic gases. He was destined to live life as a vegetative person.

Despite the bruised nose and swollen face, Jack saw a young and handsome face staring back at him in the mirror. If one ignored the current injuries, his appearance was on par with the young version of Leonardo DiCaprio or even Keanu Reeves in terms of looks.

His diverse heritage—Chinese grandfather, Hawaiian-born Jewish grandmother, and English-Italian maternal grandparents—contributed to his striking features.

Jack, having traveled through time, didn't retain any memories from his original body, not even the language. With limited English proficiency from his previous life and the knowledge of a fresh high school graduate, he found himself struggling with illiteracy.

To make matters worse, the tall and skinny old man with a British accent who treated him was none other than Dr. House. The beautiful female intern he recognized resembled the heroine Grey from "Grey's Anatomy."

Even the man claiming to be his uncle, who looked nothing like him, turned out to be Daniel Williams—From Hawaii Five-0.

It seemed that this world he had arrived in was a patchwork of American TV dramas.

Fortunately, Dr. House concocted a story of amnesia caused by long-term lack of oxygen to the brain, helping Jack, now Jack Tyler, leave the hospital after undergoing medical tests. However, he lacked any memory of his original body or even the ability to speak English.

As an 18-year-old adult, Jack successfully rejected his relatives who wanted to foster him, perhaps due to their elopement and marriage in Los Santos. Neither his grandparents nor maternal grandparents insisted on it.

And so, from that day forward, a middle-aged man from another world, abandoned his original identity and lived in this strange world under the name Jack Tyler.

___

Three years flew by in the blink of an eye. With the help of the small grocery store left behind by his parents, the soul of this middle-aged man integrated into Los Angeles, the City of Angels.

"You're okay, Jack? Open the door," came a hasty knock along with concerned voices. Jack hurriedly left the bathroom, opened the door, and welcomed two women inside.

Officer Anderson and Officer Hannah stood before him—one exuding a mature and glamorous aura, while the other had a sweet, girl-next-door appearance.

"Officer Anderson, Officer Hannah, welcome," Jack greeted them, holding the door open with a smile.

"Did those street gangsters trouble you again? Poor Jack, let me see that wound on your face," Hannah said, anger evident in her eyes. She pushed Jack onto the sofa, straddled him, and leaned in to examine his face.

Jack exaggerated a pained expression on his face, signaling to the smirking Superintendent Anderson that he was just passively receiving unwanted affection.

Superintendent Anderson looked at Jack, who appeared to be in agony, and patted Hannah's shoulder. "Hannah, he's about to suffocate."

Jack, standing at 185 centimeters tall but weighing less than 70 kilograms, was considered physically weak by European and American standards. Hannah, with her proud figure, was slightly shorter but weighed close to 65 kilograms. Growing up on a farm and working out in the police gym daily, her core strength easily overwhelmed him.

"Hannah, mark my words, once I pass police training, I'm going to kick your ass," Jack blurted out, attempting to divert attention from his embarrassing situation and hide his aroused desire.

Hannah, too, realized that something was amiss with her lower body. She, who has always been carefree, remembered that her immediate boss was still standing beside her. She quickly stood up, searching the refrigerator for distraction.

Superintendent Anderson sat down beside Jack with a smile, her eyes inadvertently glancing at a certain part of him.

"You are heading to the police academy for training tomorrow. Have you taken care of everything?" Jack nodded, knowing that the glamorous lady couldn't do anything about her jealousy. At least for now, he and Hannah were innocent, so there was nothing to hide.

"The transfer procedures for the small grocery store downstairs are complete, and an agent is handling the sale of this apartment," Jack explained, pointing to a cardboard box on the table containing relics and photos of his original parents—the few things that survived the fire.

"Some things to be packed are here, and I need to borrow your garage for a while ."

In the past three years, apart from managing the small grocery store, he devoted most of his time to self-studying English and various subjects. Money was tight, and he barely bought anything beyond a few articles of clothing.

"What about the kitchen utensils? What if I want to eat your Chinese food in the future?" Hannah asked, disappointed to find only two bottles of yogurt in the refrigerator. She opened one bottle and began drinking.

"As long as you pass the training and get assigned to a district police station, you can find a new house and buy new kitchen utensils. These ones are old and incomplete," Jack shrugged. His behavior had already assimilated into the local culture, and no one would suspect that another persons soul resided within him.

"Don't worry about the assignment after graduation. I've already made arrangements and reserved a spot for you at the Wilshire County Police Station," Superintendent Anderson stated, her smile sweet but tinged with an inexplicable flicker in her eyes.

Jack was taken aback by the offer. Considering their unusual relationship, Superintendent Anderson's arrangement was somewhat understandable.

"Why go to such lengths?"

"What's the matter? You deserve to be called a genius for regaining your literacy skills in one year and earning an associate's degree from a community college in two years!; no one would stupid enough to let someone else take you away from them" Superintendent Anderson said with a straight face, her smile sweet.

"You should smile more." Jack couldn't help and blurted as felt a sense of excitement as he looked at her alluring figure. Was this the feeling of flirting with a future female boss?

Sensing the ambiguous atmosphere between them, Hannah, who was biting a yogurt straw, glanced back suspiciously.

"Hannah, please take Jack's things down and put them in my car. Wait for me for five minutes," Superintendent Anderson quickly changed the subject, dismissing her.

Unable to ignore her boss's orders, Hannah flicked her ponytail, picked up the box, and left.

Once the door closed, Superintendent Anderson sat on Jack's lap, caressing the wound on his face lovingly and giving him a passionate kiss.

"Captain Anderson, you don't have to," Jack murmured.

"Shut up, little boy. Call me Zoe. Don't you want to help me? The Los Angeles Police Department has been understaffed for the past few years. We desperately need high-quality recruits, and I promised your Uncle Daniel that I would take good care of you."

"I don't know why you insist on becoming a policeman. With your learning ability, you could easily get into Caltech. You're only 21 years old," Jack interrupted her, patting her buttocks to stop her from continuing. "Okay, Zoe, we've already discussed this topic. I have my reasons. It's almost time. If you don't leave now, Hannah will get suspicious."

Reluctantly, Zoe got up after feeling the fiery desire in someone's gaze. "Then I won't bother you. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning. Today, I'll find someone to take care of those street gangsters."

"It's better to wait until I graduate from the police academy in half a year. I'll take care of them myself. Remember to close the door for me."

Jack groaned while sitting on the sofa, feeling that he was still too young to resist such temptation. As the beautiful lady waved goodbye, only the scent of the sea remained, stimulating the desires of a young man.

Finally composed, Jack got up from the sofa, locked the door, and went into the bathroom. Facing the mirror on the wall, he carefully touched the wound on his face. With the movement of his fingers, only an inconspicuous red mark was left on the originally bruised area, indicating that this area had been injured before.

He was careful to leave these traces so that Zoe wouldn't find anything suspicious when she picked him up the next day.

This miraculous healing ability came from his special ability, the Police Detective Development System, which he gained after time traveling to this world. The system had been locked, and he could only see two attributes: mental power 15 and constitution 8.

There were also three skill trees: professional skills, life skills, and language skills. Clicking on them, he saw a bunch of gray skill icons.

The professional skill tree had only two items: healing and driving. The life skills tree had various skills like cooking, gardening, maintenance, and even playing poker. The language skills tree was the poorest, with only one skill, Chinese.

All the skills listed were ones that Jack had mastered before time traveling.

In the second year after his arrival, Jack worked hard to improve his English skills. Finally, a gray icon appeared on the language skill tree, representing English proficiency.

After finding the right direction, Jack sought help from his Uncle Daniel in Hawaii to learn how to become an LAPD officer. Daniel introduced Zoe, a comrade-in-arms who had recently become the chief of the Wilshire County Police Department in Los Angeles.

At that time, Zoe had just turned 32 and had been transferred from the Department of Criminal Investigation to Los Angeles. She invited Jack to visit the Wilshire County Police Station after receiving a call from Daniel.

She initially thought it was just the whim of a typical rebellious teenager.

To Zoe's surprise, the next day at the designated time, a charming young man with neatly styled hair and a slightly bashful expression stood before her.

He wore a slightly worn but clean coat, jeans without deliberate tears, clean white canvas shoes, and no visible tattoos. Zoe found it hard to believe that this was a 19-year-old young man living independently in the bustling city of Los Angeles for an entire year.

And as she listened to Jack explaining his plans to become a police officer with a serious demeanor, she felt that this young man in front of her might play a significant role in her future.

Over the next two years, Jack showed his determination bit by bit. He dealt with local criminals and social issues in the community, ensuring his record remained clean. He completed his community college education with ease, earning an associate degree. He also trained in martial arts, gained physical fitness, and prepared for the police academy entrance exam.

Zoe did her best to support him. She introduced him to Hannah, a police officer under her command, and had her colleagues keep an eye on Jack's store during patrols.

During that time, Zoe often drove for half an hour to Jack's store after her tiring workday. They would have dinner together, and she would teach him the basics of being an LAPD officer. Naturally, a mature single sister and a middle age man disguise as a young man formed an indescribable bond.

After two years of hard work, Jack added two gray icons for pistol shooting and combat to his system panel. His mental strength increased to 18, and his physical fitness reached 12.

In the third year after time traveling, Zoe handed Jack an admission notice to the police academy. Just when he felt relieved, his system finally became active.

Several notifications appeared on Jack's screen:

Congratulations on obtaining the training qualification for the LAPD Police Academy. You are rewarded with 150 experience points. Every 100 experience points can be converted into 1 system gold coin. Your current remaining experience value is 50, and you have 1 system gold coin.

The Police Detective Development System is now activated. All skills will take effect automatically. You can use system gold coins to purchase attributes and skills. Please explore the usage rules on your own.

Please continue to work hard. If you fail the police academy training exam, the system will be shut down.

Ignoring the somewhat misleading system prompts, Jack checked each item on the skill tree. Except for the two language skills and cooking, all the other skills were marked as entry-level.

After contemplating for a while, Jack decided to use his only system gold coin to upgrade his healing skill from introductory to intermediate. He wanted to avoid accidental injuries during training, which could result in system shutdown if he failed the exam.

The healing skill proved to be truly miraculous. Jack experimented with it since last Thursday, recovering from accidental cuts while cooking and bruises on his face like the one he received today. With a simple thought, he could restore any part of his body to its previous state, even performing delicate operations with his fingertips.

However, each use of the skill temporarily consumed his mental energy, and he needed sleep to recover. After quickly washing up, Jack lay down on his bed and fell asleep. Since the system was activated, he had been sleeping soundly for the past few nights.

___

At 7 o'clock in the morning, Jack's phone alarm woke him up. He spoke with Zoe over the phone, unlocked the door, and proceeded to make breakfast. He fried four poached eggs with the remaining ingredients in the refrigerator and cooked two bowls of clear soup noodles. Adding a small spoonful of lard, he finished just as Zoe arrived.

Smelling the aroma, Zoe's eyes lit up. "It's been a long time since I had your breakfast. What did you put in it? It smells so tempting."

With a smile, Jack avoided explaining the ingredients in Chinese food to Zoe, as he had learned from experience. "If you wake up next to me every day, I promise you'll always have my homemade breakfast." Zoe playfully pushed him and began eating the noodles with chopsticks.

Half an hour later, Jack and Zoe left the apartment together, their bags already packed. Zoe started the car, and as she looked back, she saw him looking at an elderly couple busy at the small grocery store downstairs.

"Are you thinking about your parents?" Zoe asked, stroking his cheek affectionat

ely from the driver's seat.

"No, I'm just saying goodbye to my past," Jack replied.