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

Chapter 192 Coincidence
Unfortunately, the big guy had suffered such a heavy blow that he had long lost his mind and was unable to speak.

“Okay, so you can’t blow it.” Eric shook his head, reached out and hooked his index finger, giving the big guy a hard tap on the forehead.

The burly man, who had already fainted, crashed backward like a small mountain.

Several truck drivers who witnessed the whole thing and whose expressions changed drastically instinctively shrank back, no longer daring to steal a glance at the stunningly beautiful woman, lest they be beaten up by this seemingly ordinary yet ruthless and decisive young man.

They exchanged glances silently, thinking it best to avoid trouble and having no intention of calling the police.

The locals present also had no liking for these two wicked villains, and had no intention of calling the police; they only applauded and cheered.

Only this group looked at Eric with a sense of appreciation and gratitude.

Eric glanced around and immediately realized that no one present would call the police, which perfectly matched his prediction.

This is why he took such drastic action.

"Darling, shall we go?" Tifa said as she walked over to the two people who were lying unconscious on the ground, seemingly lifeless.

Eric nodded and said, "Okay."

After this incident, they couldn't stay any longer.

Tifa pulled out her FBI badge, which she always carried, and deliberately flicked her wrist, slapping it against the bar with a crisp snap. The badge was then displayed to the female barista behind the bar and to the customers who had been peeking at them.

On the black cover, the gold FBI badge stood out prominently under the dim lighting of the coffee shop.

“FBI, call an ambulance for them first,” Tifa said softly, instantly grabbing everyone’s attention.

Her words seemed to infuse the air in the café with a sense of order; although the tension remained, the chaos and panic were temporarily suppressed.

Seeing the obvious results, Tifa put away her badge and looked at the young female barista who visibly relaxed. The professional, hard lines on her face softened slightly, but her tone remained crisp:

"Two cups of black coffee, to go, plus a sugar packet, please."

"Ok."

The female barista seemed to wake from a dream, feeling a sense of relief, and hurriedly turned around to operate the coffee machine.

The hissing sound of steam seemed particularly jarring at that moment.

Eric then straightened up completely, his face still expressionless, as if the thunderous blow he had just received was nothing more than a dusting.

He casually moved his right wrist joint, which he had just struck, and then stood quietly beside Tifa, like a silent guardian statue.

Soon, two steaming cups of black coffee were packed up and handed over by the female clerk, who whispered a reminder to Eric and Tifa as she looked at them.

“Be careful, they’re members of a nearby trucking gang, and they have several accomplices here.”

Tifa turned and exchanged a glance with Eric, who shrugged and said nonchalantly.

"Anyway, we're leaving now."

Another gangster? To be honest, he's killed so many gangsters, one more or one less won't make a difference.

Seeing this, Tifa thanked the kind female barista, deftly took the paper bag, stuffed the sugar packet into the bag, and then obediently followed Eric through the messy center of the area.

He precisely avoided the coffee stains and scattered fragments on the floor, ignoring the fearful, awe-inspiring, or bewildered gazes cast upon him.

The doorbell of the coffee shop rang crisply again.

-

The couple sitting at the bar by the window watched Eric and Tifa's figures disappear from sight, then exchanged a glance and finally breathed a sigh of relief in unison.

"Those two are actually FBI agents? No wonder they dared to make a move," the man whispered.

"It's all your fault for coming here," the woman in the floral dress said, looking at her boyfriend with a frustrated expression.

"Kate's boyfriend took her to Paris for the weekend, but you took me to an abandoned hunting ground..."

Hearing his girlfriend's complaints, Steve felt a little apologetic. His intentions were good, and if it weren't for this harassment, he was sure that the trip would have been very satisfying for Jenny.

“I’m so sorry, Jenny. Believe me, that abandoned hunting ground has a beautiful view; it’s a hunting ground surrounded by woods.”

There's also a beautiful lake in the center of the area; this is our last chance before the developers build their apartments there.

The woman in the floral dress sighed inwardly as she watched her nagging boyfriend. To be honest, she was a little disappointed. She envied the beautiful girl from earlier because she had a handsome and powerful boyfriend who stood up for her.

She also hoped that her boyfriend could stand up for her like that handsome young man.

Unfortunately, she immediately realized that her skinny boyfriend was no match for the two harassing truck drivers; he couldn't beat either of them...

Jenny glanced at the center of the conflict, where people were already checking on the injuries of the two despicable men, and shook her head.

"Okay, maybe we're just unlucky. Shall we leave? I don't want to stay here anymore. Even if I need to rest, it's better to rest in the car than here."

"Okay." He had no desire to stay there any longer, so he quietly left the bar with his girlfriend Jenny and walked out of the coffee shop.

A bell rang.

The two people who had just walked out suddenly realized that the RV parked next to their SUV had just driven away.

The two exchanged a glance, their eyes showing surprise. It turned out that the other two were also out having fun.

----------------

Tifa was still sitting cross-legged in the passenger seat, with a laptop lying on her fair, crossed thighs.

She looked at Eric, who was still driving, and said softly.

"It's obvious that those two are indeed parasites here, so the impact of this matter should be very limited."

“That’s my assessment too,” Eric said with a smile.

"The way you pulled out your ID and threatened me just now was so cool!"

Tifa rolled her eyes in exasperation.

Eric chuckled: "But we should definitely keep an eye on that so-called truck gang."

Tifa nodded, looked at the notebook in front of her, and as she typed, some detailed information appeared on it. She then raised an eyebrow.

"kindness?"

Eric heard this surprised interjection: "What did you find out?"

Tifa herself was an FBI agent and a core member of the BAU, giving her extensive access to FBI databases.

“There might not be any truck gang at all, but those two men are from the same small town nearby,” Tifa said.

Eric understood what he meant. The FBI's database didn't have information on the Truckers Gang, this little-known gang, but Tifa had managed to find out the identities of the two men.

"This also indirectly shows that this trucking gang is just a small-time operation, otherwise it would at least appear in the FBI's massive database."

Tifa nodded. "The town's name is Ravenbrook." She then exchanged a surprised glance with Eric. "Darling, it seems the place you're going to is near Ravenbrook?"

Eric narrowed his eyes slightly; this was a coincidence he hadn't expected.

Even so, it would be quite out of character for him to back down over such a small matter.

He lacks a sense of security, but he's not a coward. A coward wouldn't have created so many skill panels.

“It won’t affect anything; that place is a bit far from the town,” Eric said.

"Those two people at the coffee shop will be unconscious for at least two days, so we left long before their people knew about our situation."
Besides, those people don't know our exact location either.

Tifa nodded, indicating that she would follow Eric's instructions, and closed her notebook with a smile.

“Honey, I’m so curious, what kind of place is that?”

Eric calmly replied, "You'll be satisfied." Actually, he had only seen the information online, but in any case, as long as the lake was large enough, the scenery must be beautiful, and it would be a good place for camping.

Following Eric's instructions, the RV, under his control, drove off I-95 and then turned onto I-66 heading west.

Once they entered I-66 and headed west, it roughly meant that Eric and Tifa were beginning to enter the countryside.

After Eric drove for a while, the traffic gradually thinned out, and the rolling hills and lush forests of northern Virginia began to replace the city landscape.

While it doesn't mean being far from highly urbanized areas, it did give Eric and Tifa a sense of entering a relatively natural environment.

Eric loosened his grip on the steering wheel slightly and glanced at Tifa beside him.

Her gaze was also drawn to the changes outside the window.

Eric could sense the change in Tifa's heart through her expression. Eric's lips curled up slightly; the allure of this vast natural forest was still very strong for this urban beauty.

Eric felt relieved and began to appreciate everything along the way.

The essence of road trips is nothing more than a few things: the freedom to breathe, the joy of discovery, the profound resonance, and a journey that touches the soul.

The main attraction, of course, lies in the scenery along this highway.

"It's so quiet I can hear my own heartbeat, darling, I love this feeling." Tifa leaned against the car window, looking at the scenery outside. In her eyes, sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, dappling the road and creating a beautiful play of light and shadow.

For her, it was as if the whole world had fallen silent.

Eric glanced at Tifa, shook his head inwardly, and said nothing to break the atmosphere.

The feelings of city dwellers and country people are absolutely different. He was a country person in his previous life, so when he looked at the scene around him, his evaluation was just so-so.

Of course, this may not be a forest in the true sense of the word. It should be very different when we drive to Sky Meadows State Park.

Eric glanced at the map navigation above. He was still a short distance from Sky Meadows State Park, which meant he was almost there.

Because he had plenty of time, his plan was to camp overnight on that large lake and then go to Sky Meadows State Park the next day.

Then we camped overnight in the forest area of ​​the park, which meant we got to enjoy two different views.

Eric had a very well-thought-out plan.

He looked at the map above, saw that the road would go straight through the town of Ravenbrook, and after seeing a smaller road appear on the left, he turned the steering wheel and turned onto it.

Although the navigation didn't show the end, Eric had seen a detailed map and knew that this path would also lead to his destination.

But just as he turned the corner, Eric heard the sound of an engine. He raised an eyebrow and glanced out the window. He was facing the intersection and saw an SUV coming towards him.

"This is?"

Eric's gaze faltered slightly. He remembered this SUV because he had parked his RV next to it near the coffee shop.

As the RV drove onto the side road, Eric's gaze pierced through the front window and he could clearly see the two people sitting in the SUV. He twitched the corner of his mouth.

"What a coincidence?"

The two people sitting in the SUV were not anyone, nor were they members of the so-called truck gang that was chasing them; they were the couple who had been harassed at the coffee shop.

at the same time.

Steve and Jenny, inside the SUV, just happened to see the RV disappear into the side road.

Although he didn't have Eric's sharp eyesight, he immediately recognized the RV as Eric and Tifa's.

"them?"

Jenny looked at Steve and asked hesitantly, "Are we going to that place you mentioned?"

Steve shook his head: "Not necessarily, we're not on the same page as them."

As he spoke, he drove the car over, but when he passed the side road, he didn't turn, but drove straight through it.

"Ok."

Jenny felt inexplicably disappointed and subconsciously glanced at the alley, but the RV had long since driven into the depths and disappeared from sight.

Having gone through the turmoil at the coffee shop, Jenny now feels a strong sense of unease about this unfamiliar and remote area.

The presence of the couple, who were suspected to be FBI agents, actually made her feel safer.

Steve sensed his girlfriend's change in mood and comforted her, "Don't worry, we'll get there safely. You'll forget all the bad memories by then, I promise."

Jenny forced a smile: "I hope so."

Steve let out a soft breath, reached out and manipulated the center console, and said with a smile, "Come on, let's listen to some music to change our mood."

Then, the central control panel broadcast a message that sounded like an interview.

"Good afternoon. You've been talking about powerless parents, saying they can't control their children's behavior."

"."

A clicking sound interrupted the next sentence: "Blair wants to bring the idea of ​​respect into schools and communities."

"Therefore, we should increase funding for parents, including signing contracts with them to attend parenting courses."

Steve instinctively looked at his girlfriend Jenny, who happened to be a kindergarten teacher.

When he saw Jenny's suddenly tired eyes, he knew that the job of a teacher might be tiring for her, or that dealing with a group of children was not an easy task.

He promptly changed the channel.

“Okay, I was suddenly interviewed out of the blue today. Turns out, music is always playing,” Steve said.

As he finished speaking, music finally started playing on the center console.

Lyrics Summary
(End of this chapter)