14_Jimmy's Mysterious Transformation

Jimmy found Amy the next day and filled out a form. He was then asked to wait for further notice. The current processing procedure seemed completely different from what he had previously learned about the police recruitment process.

After Christmas, Jimmy told Jon about his plans to become a police officer. Although Jon couldn't quite understand Jimmy's decision, he expressed his support and understanding.

On the evening of New Year's Day in the millennium, while Jimmy was busy at the restaurant, he received a call from Amy asking him to come to the police station urgently. Jimmy requested leave from Jon, called a taxi from the restaurant's partner, and hurried to the police station.

Upon arriving at the station, Jimmy noticed that the lobby was empty, so he proceeded to Amy's office.

"Amy, what's the rush?" he asked.

"Jimmy, go to the detention room, complete the procedures there. Someone inside will instruct you," Amy whispered to Jimmy, glanced outside, and added, "Don't talk to anyone inside."

Confused, Jimmy headed to the detention room, where he found a middle-aged man sitting on a bench. There was a black square box about 24 inches in size and a regular-sized briefcase on the chair.

"Jimmy?" the man inside asked, to which Jimmy nodded.

"Come over and register your information," the man opened the square box, revealing a monitor on the lid, various devices, sealed bags, and a keyboard inside.

"First, fingerprint registration with all ten fingers," the man pointed to a fingerprint entry device on the left with slots. Jimmy proceeded to register his fingerprints on all ten fingers.

"Now, sign here." The man handed Jimmy several documents, indicating where to sign.

"Give me a strand of your hair." The man opened a test tube, plucked a strand of Jimmy's hair, and placed it inside.

"Take a photo in front of that white cloth, then change into this outfit and take another." The man picked up a camera and retrieved a set of blue uniforms from the box.

Jimmy noticed a white backdrop already set up on the detention room wall. He took a photo in his casual clothes, changed into the uniform for another photo, followed by a police academy training outfit, and lastly, a headshot in a T-shirt. The man even adjusted Jimmy's hairstyle a few times to make each photo look distinct, though the length remained the same.

"Alright, wait at the door, don't leave," the man instructed.

Jimmy exited the detention room and waited outside. After about 10 minutes, he was summoned back inside.

"Take this bag to Amy. Goodbye."

Carrying the briefcase and the black box, the man left the detention room and the police station abruptly, leaving Jimmy puzzled. He took the paperwork back to Amy's office.

"Amy, this is for you," Jimmy handed her the documents.

"Jimmy, give me your driver's license," Amy requested, taking his license from the documents and replacing it with a card. "Use this from now on. Follow me."

Amy led Jimmy to the chief's office, where Chief James was waiting. After locking the office door behind Jimmy, Amy handed the documents to the chief.

"Alright, Amy, you can go now. Jimmy, come with me," Chief James said.

Opening a back door in the office, the chief led Jimmy to a parking lot behind the station, away from prying eyes.

"Jimmy, I know you have many questions, but I can't reveal much. Just remember, your information has been updated. You've completed your police academy training and been transferred from the State Police Highway Patrol East District Third Patrol Team to our county police station. You can now familiarize yourself with your new identity," the chief said.

Handing Jimmy a piece of paper from the briefcase, the chief patted his shoulder and returned to his office.

Jimmy started to grasp the situation, although many mysteries remained. The most pressing issue was his new driver's license, which he hadn't examined yet.

As Jimmy pondered in the parking lot, a police car pulled in, driven by a familiar face, Noah.

"Hi, Jimmy, what are you doing here? Waiting for a ride home?" Noah asked.

"Yes, Noah, you know, I still don't have a car."

"Wait a moment, I'll drive you home after my shift." Noah grabbed his patrol gear from the trunk, entered the station through the back door, and returned shortly to drive Jimmy home.

Instead of going back to the restaurant, Jimmy went straight to his rented apartment. Inside, he took out his driver's license and the paper to review the contents.

While the license still bore his name, Jimmy Yang, it had transformed from a California license to one from Arkansas, with his apartment address. The license number no longer matched the old one, and his birthdate had changed from 02/07/1980 to 01/18/1976, making him 24 years old instead of 20. The paper was a resume detailing his new identity from elementary to high school, police academy, and entry into the state police force.

Although lacking detailed information such as classmates or teachers, the timeline provided basic information that seemed legitimate. Jimmy realized his new identity should be traceable in the citizen information system.

Lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, Jimmy was left with one question: why?

From the night before Christmas with Chief James to the mysterious man today, Jimmy felt entangled in a conspiracy. Amy took his original license, likely to be canceled soon, leaving him to rely on this new identity. Could this new persona lead to unforeseen problems, like making enemies unknowingly? The man from earlier had a spy-like demeanor, reminiscent of movies like "The Bourne Identity" or "Mission: Impossible," raising fears of being a substitute for a criminal, landing him in jail, or worse, being eliminated. These thoughts haunted Jimmy, making sleep elusive. Additionally, only Chief James and Amy seemed privy to this matter in the station. How should Jimmy navigate his future interactions with colleagues without raising suspicion? Was he the only one kept in the dark, or did others know his situation as well?

These uncertainties tormented Jimmy, keeping him awake into the night.