The real life of an American police officer: Winning over others with virtue

Chapter 168 Background
As the taillights disappeared from sight, Eric turned to look at the four boys staring at him, and his lips twitched involuntarily.

Is he suddenly a father?

at the same time.

The notification sound indicating that the task was completed followed shortly afterward.

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[Reward: +0.5 points]

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The reward is great, but we still need to settle the four boys first.

“Come with me.” Eric glanced at the boys and walked toward the police car parked to the side.

Behind him, four boys followed like ducklings following their mother, led by the tallest boy, one after another obediently following Eric.

It has to be said, this scene was quite interesting.

But Eric figured out something from this: the four boys had a certain habit.

That means that no matter what they do, the tallest boy always takes the lead, and then the others follow suit.

Even the queuing arrangement follows this pattern.

Eric raised an eyebrow and glanced at the tallest boy, who looked to be about twelve or thirteen years old. For some reason, he felt that this boy did indeed have stronger military skills.

"Leader? Scout and guide?"

He stood by the passenger door on his own initiative, then gestured for the boys behind him to sit in the back. He then stared at him intently, as if waiting for instructions.

Eric said helplessly, "Go inside."

As soon as he finished speaking, the boys acted quickly, opening the door and sitting down one by one. After they were all settled, their eyes remained fixed on him.

It's as if he needs to give instructions at every step.

"Well, now I'm the king of the kids." Eric coughed inwardly, glanced around, opened the door, got in, started the engine, and drove away towards his original patrol area.

It was 5 a.m., just one hour before I had to leave work.

As we drove into downtown Los Angeles, the surrounding scenery began to change noticeably.

The city exists in a state between sleep and wakefulness, with the lingering glow of neon lights from the night and the faint light of dawn approaching.

Even though there was no one around, it still had a strong psychological impact on these boys who had never been to a real city.

It's like when a country bumpkin steps into Shanghai and enters the Bund, he feels something different from before, that is, he feels very small.

The world outside the car window was an incomprehensible world to the few Burmese children huddled together in the back seat, including the boy in the front passenger seat.

Eric glanced at the passenger seat; the tallest boy was pressed against the window, his wide eyes flashing with confusion and instinctive fear.

Eric pursed his lips and glanced at the three boys in the back seat through the rearview mirror.

The three boys huddled together, nervously looking around, their expressions revealing an instinctive aversion and unease towards the unfamiliar environment.

"Don't worry, they won't eat people," Eric said gently in Burmese.

The boy in the passenger seat looked back and saw only the smile on the other person's face that made his eyes widen.

"You'll get used to it eventually."

Eric said, turning to look at the passenger seat, and asked gently:
"What's your name? How old are you?"

"Zhizhimin!" Zhizhimin said crisply.

Thirteen years old!

Eric paused for a moment. Why did this name sound like something a girl would choose? But he didn't think much of it. He glanced at the rearview mirror and looked at the three boys in the back seat.

"what about you!"

"Godanway, eleven years old."

"Mara, ten years old."

"Miao Lun, ten years old."

The youngest person listed in the newspapers, from the largest to the smallest, was only ten years old. "OK!" Eric continued in Burmese. "So how did you all get to America?"

The four boys exchanged glances, and it was the eldest, Zhizhimin, who answered first.

According to him, the boys' home was located in a remote village in Kachin State, Myanmar, torn apart by the tug-of-war between the government army and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

Their family was torn apart by war, the drug economy, or forced conscription; their father was taken away by government troops for forced labor and never returned.
And their reasons and process for coming to America became quite simple.

The reason is to escape hell.

In short, the process can be summarized as follows: with the help of their relatives and friends, they finally escaped from that hell. After a long and arduous journey, they went to seek refuge with their so-called relatives and friends, only to be sold to the 187 gang by these so-called relatives and friends.

Eric was processing this information and analyzing its veracity when Zhizhimin's words made him pause slightly.

"I killed him!"

Eric paused, then asked, "What are you talking about?"

Zhizhi Min looked serious, completely unaware of the power behind his words, and said:
"I killed that man! He was a bad person; he betrayed us!"

Eric frowned slightly, but did not ask for details. He simply said, "Don't say things like that in front of others in the future."

Zhizhi blinked, and finally nodded.

Eric sighed inwardly. Sure enough, these child soldiers, who may have received military training from a young age and even had blood on their hands, lacked the proper respect for life.

But judging from their experience of escaping hell and their actions in protecting Mia, they probably weren't that bad at heart.

He was genuinely worried, not knowing how to deal with the boys.

But the most important thing right now is to settle them in.

Without thinking twice, Eric drove his police car to a nearby hotel that looked decent and booked a room for the boys.

Although during check-in, the receptionist occasionally cast suspicious glances at Eric and the four dirty Burmese boys behind him.

However, the LAPD uniform I was wearing worked its magic, and the process didn't go awry.

In the huge room.

The four boys seemed a little uneasy, their eyes scanning the entire room warily.

"Don't worry, it's safe here," Eric said helplessly.

"No one would harm you."

Hearing this, they calmed down a little, and habitually lined up again, staring at him intently.

Eric looked at their dirty clothes and grimy faces; it was perfectly normal for the receptionist to scrutinize them like that.

"How long has it been since you last took a shower?"

"I don't know," Zhizhimin answered on behalf of everyone, and all four children shook their heads.

“Okay.” Eric pointed to the bathroom downstairs.

"You guys clean it up first, okay?"

Seeing their blank stares, Eric resignedly led the way, acting like a nanny.

"Come here, I'll teach you how to use it and how to take a bath."

Under the focused gaze of the four boys, Eric patiently explained how to use everything in the bathroom from beginning to end.

"I don't need to say anything more, do I?"

Eric said, "It's like when you use a towel to wipe your sweat at home."

As he spoke, Eric picked up a towel: "Wet your body first, then use this to wash yourself."

Be careful not to touch the wound.

You should help each other out.

(End of this chapter)