Chapter 20: Another Shot Fired

In the afternoon, Ao Xi dealt with two cases of speeding, one of running a red light, and three illegal parkings—a fruitful haul by any measure. He could feel his experience in handling these situations growing rapidly. The average American’s sense of civic responsibility wasn’t much to write home about; otherwise, how could they rack up 920,000 tickets in just half a year? That was a precise figure Ao Xi had asked Mark about over lunch.

Mark, in return, gave him a lecture about saving money—reminding him that eating at the police department’s partner restaurant earned them subsidies and discounts. Mark said he had no sense of thrift. Ao Xi immediately retorted that he'd bought a house and a car, both paid in full, which left Mark looking like a fool. After leaving Mark fuming, Ao Xi’s fatigue from the day seemed much lighter. He hadn’t expected being a cop in America to be so exhausting—not just physically from driving all day, but mentally as well, constantly on guard against potential threats.

If only he had a bathtub at home, Ao Xi would have liked nothing more than a good soak to unwind. He considered buying one, but then remembered how long it took to fill and adjust the temperature, and abandoned the idea. Lying on his soft bed, he quickly drifted off to sleep, vaguely realizing he’d been living here for several days without ever using the communal facilities—a bit of a waste, really.

The next day, Ao Xi still didn’t have a chance to check out the big pool or scout for pretty girls; he was out early for work. He had just finished changing into his gear at the station when the dispatcher’s voice came through: “Adam 388, Adam 56—San Gabriel, 32000 Aripas Street. Report of a domestic dispute. Please respond.”

Starting a domestic dispute before eight in the morning—if a family couldn’t get along, maybe they should just part ways. Ao Xi drove over, met up with Adam 56, a first-class officer named Rick, and together they entered the reported property. As soon as they stepped in, Ao Xi frowned: there were bloodstains on the ground, and the front door was wide open.

The two exchanged a glance and drew their pistols, Rick leading the way, Ao Xi close behind, inching toward the house. Through the open door, they could see more blood on the floor inside.

Rick slowed his steps and moved cautiously inside, Ao Xi following, his pistol sweeping every possible hiding spot.

Fortunately, no one was lying in wait to ambush them. After checking the premises, they discovered an elderly man and woman, both over seventy, and a Chihuahua—each murdered, stabbed to death.

To kill even the elderly, and not spare the dog—truly monstrous.

A homicide like this could only be handed over to the homicide unit. Rick radioed it in, while Ao Xi went back to the car for crime scene tape and sealed off the street.

It wasn’t long before the homicide squad arrived—they were clearly busy these days. Just a few days earlier, a middle-aged Asian had been murdered, but thanks to swift investigation and tracking down a departing vehicle, the perpetrator was caught. This time, the killer hadn’t taken a car, so that avenue was closed. All they could do was take photos and start digging into relationships.

His part done, Ao Xi said his goodbyes and drove away. He had barely gone two blocks when the radio crackled again: “Adam 388, report of a blood-covered male with a knife chasing a maintenance worker on the Arroyo Street bike path. Please respond immediately.”

Arroyo Street wasn’t far from here. A blood-covered male with a knife—could it be...

Ao Xi acknowledged and sped over. Arriving on Arroyo, he saw a Hispanic man, about forty years old, covered in blood, a black mark of guilt on his forehead, strolling aimlessly down the road.

There was no sign of the maintenance worker—perhaps he’d fled or was lying somewhere out of sight.

But whether that worker was safe wasn’t his responsibility—the police were here to catch the killer. If the worker was dead, it was just his bad luck.

Ao Xi parked, drew his handgun, and shouted at the man, “Freeze! LA County Sheriff! Drop the knife!”

The man looked at Ao Xi and yelled back, “Come on, then! I’m not afraid of you!”

Fine, Ao Xi thought, advancing with his gun raised. He called out as he moved, “I order you to drop the knife, or I am authorized to shoot. Do you hear me? Drop the knife and get on the ground!”

His approach seemed to throw the man off—it was as if Ao Xi had caught him off guard by actually obeying his challenge. What if he’d said something else?

“Put down your gun!” the man shouted.

Not a chance—did he think Ao Xi was stupid?

At that moment, other officers arrived—Rick from Adam 56, who was the closest backup. As soon as his car stopped, Rick jumped out, raising his weapon from a distance, “Drop the knife! Or I really will shoot!”

Ao Xi grew anxious. This was a rare chance to take down someone marked with such a black aura of guilt—he couldn’t let Rick steal it. He quickly closed the distance by a few more steps. “You see? You’re surrounded now. There’s no escape. Surrender now. Two elderly people were killed on the next block—was that your work?”

At those words, the man’s eyes turned bloodshot. With a roar, knife raised, he charged straight at Ao Xi.

Bang! Rick fired the first shot from afar but missed.

Ao Xi felt confident now. He aimed at the man, retreating as he fired off nine shots in quick succession—deliberately missing a few, just in case any stray bullets caused collateral damage. He hoped the bystanders would learn not to gawk.

With Rick’s additional rounds from afar, the man was soon riddled with more than ten wounds, his body resembling a hornet’s nest.

Ao Xi was already wondering whose shot had been fatal when he heard a familiar notification from his system.

[Host has eliminated the target. Reward: $200, 1 free attribute point.]

He immediately allocated the point to speed. Now his stats read:

[Strength: 11 (human male average: 10)
Constitution: 9 (human male average: 10, +1 from reserve physical training)
Reflex: 10 (human male average: 10)
Speed: 9 (human male average: 10, +1 from system reward)
Skills: English lv1—sufficient for daily conversation, portable space
Handgun Mastery lv2
Special Driving lv0
Combat lv0
Police Procedure lv1]

Not especially strong, but good enough for routine patrol work.

“Hey, man, are you all right?” Rick came over with his gun ready, first checking the man on the ground, then turning to Ao Xi.

“I’m fine, man, just fine,” Ao Xi replied, expertly unloading his gun and handing it over with his tactical belt.

Rick took it, hesitating. “That makes three you’ve killed now, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, you know me?” Ao Xi asked.

Rick nodded. “Soon, everyone at Temple Station will know you.”

Ao Xi just shrugged. He couldn’t avoid his duties, after all. As long as he stayed within the rules, no one could touch him. So what if he’d killed a few more? They were all justified.

The homicide detectives, drawn by the gunshots, arrived and quickly identified the dead man as the son—aged forty-one—of the elderly couple and the dog murdered at 32000 Aripas Street. He’d always had a troubled relationship with his father, their arguments frequently escalating.

Ao Xi couldn’t help but sigh. It reminded him of that coward from yesterday—except the coward really was timid, while this one’s whole family had ascended to the next world.