Chapter 40: The Arrival of the Major Crimes Unit

The next day, Ao Xi drove Zhuo Ning back to school, watching her graceful figure disappear into the distance.

Ao Xi scratched his head, reflecting that yesterday had been yet another day he’d been bewitched by beauty—otherwise, how could he have ended up in a relationship so inexplicably? These days, romance is the latest trend; even dogs won’t bother with it. Now, he thought, he wasn’t even as good as a dog.

“If you keep showing off like this, I’ll have to ask you to leave,” said Mary, the psychologist, without any mercy.

“I’m a paying patient too, can’t you show a little compassion?” After dropping Zhuo Ning off, Ao Xi stopped by the psychological service center for an evaluation.

“The county police settle the counseling fees with us regularly and in full; strictly speaking, you haven’t actually paid anything.”

Ao Xi shifted his posture. “Fine, let's get started then.”

“Started with what?”

“The psychological evaluation. I’m waiting for your report.”

“You really don’t seem like someone in need of counseling. Enough, get up, stop pretending. I know very well how your county police treat our reports.”

Ao Xi thought about his own experiences; the county police truly didn’t care much about them. “If you feel disrespected, why do you still take this job?”

“It’s for the money. Once my own practice is up and running, I won’t work here anymore.”

“That’s unfortunate—I won’t be able to have your evaluations in the future.” Mary was a good doctor, not a meddler, unlike those psychologists in TV dramas who insist on probing into the deepest recesses of one’s mind. That’s just a sign of their own issues.

“No need to regret it. I’m licensed, so I can still provide evaluations, just not here. You might have to pay a bit yourself.”

“That depends on how much it costs,” Ao Xi replied, ever pragmatic.

He chatted a while longer with Mary, was promptly ushered out, dressed, and left the center.

He was stopped by a stranger—a Black man.

“Hello, are you Ao Xi? I’m Levi Angel, Deputy Chief of Administration for the County Police Major Crimes Unit. May we talk?”

“Of course, let’s go to the café next door.”

Ao Xi was curious as to why the deputy chief of the Major Crimes Unit sought him out. By rank, Levi was on par with Deputy Director Robin, both at the same level. When Ao Xi was at the precinct, unless it was for internal review, there was rarely any reason for a deputy director to find him; the difference in rank meant their paths seldom crossed in daily work.

They found a quiet spot in the café, tucked against the wall. Levi took the seat with his back to the wall, facing the door and the glass. Ao Xi raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

After the waiter brought two cups of coffee, Ao Xi dropped in two lumps of sugar, stirred, and asked, “Deputy Chief Levi—”

“Just call me Levi.”

“All right, Levi. What can I do for you? I don’t believe we’ve interacted before.”

“That’s true, but it’s not important,” Levi replied. “I came to see you because Cole Simmons, head of the Asian Gang Unit, attended your internal review yesterday. He’s very interested in you and looked up your file in the system, then recommended you to me.”

Ao Xi felt a chill at his back. “Interested? Recommended?”

“I’ll be direct—would you like to join the Major Crimes Unit as a detective?” Seeing Ao Xi’s confusion, Levi explained, “I’ve looked over your file in detail: recent arrival from China, robbed of all possessions upon landing, but fortunately recovered them. You bought property, joined the police department, and have a tough style. In less than a month, you’ve shot multiple suspects and been subject to repeated internal reviews.”

Ao Xi grew uneasy. “I can explain—”

“No need. You’re perfect.” Levi sipped his coffee. “Perhaps, due to your victimization, you may be a bit harsh with suspects, but as long as it’s compliant, I won’t say more. That’s not why I’m here.

You know, we in Major Crimes often deal with extremely tricky cases, tangled webs that sometimes reach deep—even into our own department. When I saw your file, my first impression was ‘clean.’ You have almost no special connections to anyone in the country. You won’t hesitate because of personal relationships; it’s nearly impossible for anyone to influence you through private ties.

You own property, have a car, and aren’t short of money. Bribing you would be difficult. Your tough manner makes enemies, you have no girlfriend and can work long hours—all advantages.”

“You make me sound like Judge Bao,” Ao Xi said, “but actually, I do have a girlfriend and get along well with my colleagues.” He explained who Judge Bao was.

“That’s great. Stable relationships and family life make you more trustworthy.

As for ‘Judge Bao,’ we’ll never match his standards, nor do I expect you to. That’s why I wanted to talk to you quickly—the longer you stay at the precinct, the less ‘clean’ you’ll be. I think you understand what I mean.”

Ao Xi nodded, indicating his understanding. What was unclear? They saw him as an outsider, unlikely to be tangled in personal favors during investigations. Even if he wanted to play favorites, he had none to play with. They were keen to recruit him, planning to use him to the fullest, worried that if he stayed too long, he’d form connections. So here they were.

“Why should I join Major Crimes? I’m fine at the precinct.”

“Promotion is slow for patrol officers, buddy. You’ll need at least a year to move up to Senior Patrol, then another two years for Second Senior Patrol. Major Crimes is different—solve cases, get promoted fast, and earn bonuses.”

“I don’t care about money or advancement.” Ao Xi thought, as a nemesis of evil, why care about some petty bonus? Promotion just meant managing a few more people, nothing special—spending more time in the office, less chance to shoot criminals in the street.

Levi looked into Ao Xi’s clear eyes and realized he meant it. He suddenly found ‘clean’ types hard to handle. If you don’t want promotion or money, how can I leverage you?

His mind raced, then he ventured, “Major Crimes handles many cases—lots of vicious criminals…”

Levi noticed Ao Xi’s expression change at the word ‘criminal.’ “These criminals are so heinous, nothing but their deaths will satisfy public outrage…”

Ao Xi’s eyes lit up.

Excellent, you’re into this. That works—those criminals deserve it anyway. If you catch them all, great; if you shoot them, even better.

“Major Crimes oversees all serious cases across Los Angeles County, divided into several teams: ethnic gang crime unit, gun violence unit, robbery, kidnapping, rape, and other violent crimes unit, major financial crimes unit, and so on. You’re welcome to pick any team you like.”

Levi was overpromising—while Major Crimes did oversee all these units, each had specific requirements. Some were strict, and if a team leader refused to accept Ao Xi, Levi couldn’t force it. The team leaders were seasoned officers, experts, not easily swayed. He figured he’d lure Ao Xi in first, then see where he could be placed.

Ao Xi, unaware, was thinking seriously—if he did transfer, which team would be best? Too many choices, a bit overwhelming.

First to exclude was the financial crimes unit. That sounded like specialized economic investigation work—he couldn’t and wouldn’t do it.

The robbery and kidnapping unit seemed promising—its criminals were clearly bad guys, perfect candidates for execution. The only issue: how to find the perpetrators? He wasn’t trained in investigative work; the academy never taught him that.

A note: American police academy training is only a few months, not enough time to cover everything. New officers often lack comprehensive skills. The workaround is to send rookies to be prison guards for a few years, then transfer them to patrol, where they gain experience, before moving to other departments.

Whether this is strictly enforced is another matter—going straight to patrol means being ahead by several years, which is advantageous for those aiming for mid or upper management. These rules aren’t universally applied; the system is fragmented.

The gun violence unit had the same issue—shoot and run, but how do you find the shooter? How long would it take? What if you couldn’t find him?

So, the most suitable team was the gang unit—after all, monks may flee, but their temple remains. Anyone in a gang couldn’t possibly be a good person.