Chapter 26: No Longer a Rookie
The detective couple warmly received the two of them. Since their first visit, Jack and Hannah had been coming to see them every other week. Jack would use his Healing technique to treat Hunter, and lovely Hannah became the source of joy for the elderly couple, especially Dee Dee, who treated her almost like her own daughter.
During this treatment, Jack took the opportunity to claim that Hunter's recovery was remarkable, completely curing the area of bleeding in his brain. Jack also took the chance to heal some accumulated fatigue in Dee Dee's body. Without a doubt, the two elderly people could easily live past a hundred years, especially since they were such a loving couple, worthy of protection.
In the evening, as they bid farewell to Hunter and Dee Dee and gazed at the small villa getting farther away through the car window, Hannah, who looked thoughtful, suddenly spoke, "Do you know that Dee Dee was violated in the past, and later, Hunter avenged her?"
"What?" Jack was startled by her words and almost lost control of the steering wheel. Of course, he knew about this plot; he had watched the episode where revenge was taken, and he wanted to chop off the heads of the screenwriter and director. The question was, how did Hannah know about it?
"I haven't heard anything about it. Did you talk about it when you two were alone just now?" Jack looked at Hannah with suspicion. There was no way that Dee Dee would talk about such a sad past for no reason. Suddenly, a thought came to him, and he thought about Hannah's psychological issues, making him have an ominous guess.
Dee Dee would never bring up this heartbreaking topic without reason, so there was only one possibility: this silly girl poured her heart out to Dee Dee about her own issues, and Dee Dee consoled her with her own experiences.
Gripping the steering wheel subconsciously, Jack didn't say anything. Just thinking about this lively and cheerful girl experiencing such a thing made his breath become heavy. Suppressing his anger, he reached out and touched Hannah's head, trying to speak calmly, "Hannah, you know I'm not someone obsessed with legal or procedural justice. If someone I care about is hurt, I don't mind seeking revenge. Do you understand?"
American laws only protect the privileged, and Jack didn't become a law enforcer to serve the upper class. As a grown ass man, he had already formed his own principles in his previous life.
The system, LAPD police officer, or any profession was just a tool for him to have a better life in this world, following the rules, not for the sake of justice but to improve his skills and the quality of his life. Ultimately, he considered all of these as tools to live better in this world.
Jack wasn't a saint like John, who also had his own sense of justice. Moreover, once his skills improved, he could switch to a different map. He had already checked the internal system of the LAPD and found that there was indeed a man named Hank Voight, who was the head of the Intelligence Unit in Chicago Police Department. The TV series' world was not just black and white. If it came to that, he could simply become a "dark" cop, and the system would still recognize it.
Hannah remained silent, just holding onto Jack's right hand and rubbing her cheek against his palm. Feeling the moisture in his palm, Jack slowly parked the car by the roadside, turned to look into her eyes seriously, and softly said, "Hey, Hannah, you are the smartest and strongest girl I have ever met. Maybe the time isn't right now, but I believe that when you open your heart to me, I will never let you down."
Hannah remained silent, slowly closing her eyes, with a few crystal tears still clinging to her long eyelashes. The atmosphere was intense, and Jack had no choice but to muster his courage and lean in for a kiss. However, just as his lips touched her soft ones, Hannah burst into giggles.
"So, Zoe has already opened her heart to you, huh?"
"Hey! Are you teasing me? This joke isn't funny at all." Jack was slightly angry, or rather, he tried to mask his uneasiness with anger.
He was still not used to the casual approach Americans had towards romantic relationships. Handling the complicated dynamics between the four of them had been bothering him for days.
"You know, you look very cute when you're angry." Hannah grabbed Jack's hand and pressed it against her cheek.
"Things are not what you imagine. Give me some time, and I'll tell you everything about my past. But before that, you have to promise me one thing."
"What's the condition?" Jack raised an eyebrow. As long as it wasn't about revealing embarrassing secrets, they could still be good friends.
"During our time practicing Krav Maga, you're not allowed to retaliate against me. You've threatened to spank me so many times!"
Feeling relieved, Jack restarted the car, replying weakly, "Yes, ma'am."
When the group returned to the police station after the administrative leave, they received cheers from everyone. Of course, Jack felt that most of the celebration was due to the relief of not having to work overtime every day. With so many daytime patrol officers gone, even with support from other precincts, the Wilshire Police Department was still stretched thin.
The report submitted by the District Attorney's office confirmed the legality of everyone shooting at the Bronson Building case. Lucy's outstanding performance in successfully delivering the baby during the crisis earned her the right to choose short-sleeved uniforms. Bishop was confirmed to be recruited by the ATF after her recovery, and in turn, Angela, who competed with her for detective qualification, finally obtained the position and would be transferred to the Detective Bureau after six months of training.
Both Hannah and Tim were promoted to a higher rank.
The biggest winner was undoubtedly Jack. His heroic actions were reported to the higher-ups and earned him a special commendation. His probation period was shortened to three months, which meant that in two weeks, Jack would officially become a LAPD police officer.
"This is what you deserve. If you weren't still a rookie, they might have even given you a Lifesaving Medal." Chief Inspector Gray, with his stern face, surprisingly praised Jack during the briefing.
The following two weeks were incredibly peaceful. Jack smoothly passed his rookie test and became an official LAPD officer. The system rewarded him with a large amount of experience, giving him five gold coins, enough to upgrade any proficient skill to mastery. He hadn't decided which skill to improve yet and decided to keep them for now.
John, who had recovered from his injuries, and Lucy, who still had half a year of probation, couldn't help but feel a bit jealous amid their congratulations. Jack, who had learned to adopt American perspectives, no longer feigned humility like a Chinese would. He confidently showed off in front of them.
However, the showmanship went a bit too far, and in order to soothe the hurt souls of the two rookies, Jack had to promise to cook them a big meal.
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