POWER STONES ARE REQUESTED.
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Chapter 9: A Visit
"It seems like I wasted a lot of this precious tea," Maureen said, covering her mouth, chuckling with a hint of self-deprecation in her tone.
"My father has some Chinese heritage, and I learned a little from him when I was a child," Jack explained, knowing that this body couldn't visibly show much of the Seres features.
Surprisingly, Maureen didn't inquire about the details of yesterday's case or pry into Jack's background.
Leaving the EAP counseling center, Jack had a perplexed expression. Why did he suddenly have a psychiatrist friend? And why did she invite him to her house tomorrow? This psychiatrist seemed peculiar.
Upon returning home, Jack contemplated whether he should read some psychology books to sharpen his psychological skills. As he opened the door, he found Hannah playing a game console in front of the TV.
Seeing Jack, Hannah turned off the console and, instead of hanging on him like a koala as usual, she hugged his arm, looking up at him with worried eyes.
Jack patted her head, comforting her with a smile, "I'm fine. I'll get better, and soon I'll surpass you. You've been a patrol officer for three years, and you haven't fired a single shot."
Hannah made a face, "You better complete your first year as a rookie, and then I'll be a police officer soon."
"Let's work hard together. In two days, I plan to enroll in community college and finish the remaining two years. With a bachelor's degree, they say the annual salary can be close to 100,000."
"Oh, by the way, let's go to Huashang Supermarket in Chinatown to buy groceries. Our customer tomorrow is the psychiatrist I met today."
"Humph! Another beautiful lady, I bet?" Hannah teased.
"Well, she's just average, nowhere near as good as you." In the evening, Jack and Hannah visited Tim Bradford at the Central Hospital and met Dr. Grey.
Grey seemed to have a particularly good memory of handsome guys and recognized Jack instantly. Learning that he was now an LAPD officer and Tim's colleague, Grey enthusiastically shared the details of the operation.
Tim's luck was both good and bad. He attempted to block the suspect's escape route and collided with Selby, getting shot and falling to the ground immediately. Fortunately, Lucy bravely left cover to rescue him, and John arrived just in time to shoot Selby from behind, forcing him to give up his attack.
Afterward, Tim was taken to the central hospital for examination. The bullet had passed through his soft body armor without causing major damage and lodged in the middle of his heart and lungs, avoiding vital organs and major blood vessels. He was expected to be discharged in three days.
Jack and Hannah entered Tim's ward. He was arguing with a nurse, and Hannah couldn't resist snapping a selfie with her phone.
Despite his rugged appearance, Tim looked older than John, but he was actually less than 40 years old. Jack sensed that his weary face wasn't solely due to the gunshot wound but also from his small family that had been torn apart just a few years after forming.
Seeing Tim off, Jack resolved to find opportunities to help him in the future. Building good relationships with colleagues, especially in a profession like the police, was crucial.
Unlike Hannah, who aspired to join the FBI, Jack had no clear goal yet, and his skill level on the system panel was too low. He decided to develop in the LAPD for two years and pursue a college degree afterward.
The following day, Dr. Maureen's visit was a pleasant surprise. She came along with Zoe, as it turned out that they were best friends and college classmates. As the two beautiful women chatted in the living room, Jack couldn't help but feel a bit smug. Fortunately, Hannah was free that day.
Lunch consisted of four dishes and one soup, including kale in oyster sauce, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, meat-stuffed green peppers, broccoli soup, and ham and mushroom soup, with rice as the staple.
Although Maureen, who appreciated Chinese culture, wasn't as proficient with chopsticks as Zoe, who had been dining on Chinese food with Jack for two years, she praised Jack's culinary skills. It seemed that not all older Americans preferred General Tso's chicken and sweetened Chinese dishes.
"So, is our monthly agreement nullified?" Jack asked after lunch, seizing the moment when they were alone.
Zoe looked exceptionally beautiful that day, and Jack wondered if it was due to the healing technique or just because he was in good spirits. She cupped his cheek and gave him a gentle wet kiss.
"The agreement isn't nullified; it continues. But you, broke it once before, so I thought I should too—it's only fair."
"Don't worry, Maureen is my best friend. I talked to her a long time ago, so she called me after seeing you yesterday. It's quite a coincidence, as if it was arranged by fate." After bidding farewell to the two beauties, Jack sat on the sofa and pondered. Was the persistent state of adrenaline after the burst of adrenaline a problem with the original body, or was it a hidden personality from his previous life, or even a side effect of crossing?
This issue needed to be resolved. As an LAPD officer, he could face danger at any time, and he didn't want to risk turning into a murderous maniac one day just because Zoe wasn't by his side.
Maybe he could talk to Hannah? Thinking of her straightforward nature, Jack hesitated. Although he had some relationship experience in his previous life, he wouldn't initiate anything without genuine feelings. He didn't want to hurt anyone.
Feeling that he was dangerously close to being a scumbag, Jack sighed, deciding not to dwell on these troubles. Instead, he activated the system in his mind and began to tackle multiple-choice questions. After killing Selby the day before yesterday, he gained 50 experience points, including 1 point for each traffic ticket during his two days of duty and 5 points for arresting a pair of lesbians. His experience bar now exceeded 100 again.
Now the question was whether he should first break through 20 mental power or physical fitness. Jack hesitated, considering the benefits of mental power for daily skill learning, and ultimately, he clicked "OK."
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