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

Chapter 201 Excitement
"Is there a problem?" In the car, Tifa clearly sensed a conspiracy.

“Okay, hold on tight,” Eric replied. “We can’t afford to be stuck here doing nothing, no matter what.”

Upon hearing this, Tifa silently gripped the handrail, her expression turning serious. Looking at the scene of cars blocking the road through the windshield, she understood that things were inevitably heading in the direction she least wanted to see.

Those cultists are really quick!

Once Tifa was seated, Eric decisively swerved the steering wheel sharply to the right, causing the car to lurch forward and the wheels to screech over the gravel and weeds on the shoulder.

“The situation here isn’t good, we need to find a place.” As Eric’s voice rang out, he abruptly shifted into reverse and slammed on the gas. The huge RV, like a nimble fish, swung its rear end at a dangerous angle into the gap, almost brushing past the front of Steve’s SUV behind it.

In the cramped space, the RV sped forward, braked sharply to reverse, and sped forward again... The steering wheel turned rapidly left and right in Eric's hands, and the tires screeched on the gravel and asphalt.

A few seconds later, amidst the astonished gazes and possible curses of the drivers behind, the RV had miraculously turned 180 degrees, with its front steadily pointing in the direction it had come from!
Steve and Jenny in the SUV were both startled.

"Steve?"

Jenny's exclamation reminded Steve of Eric's calm expression. He gritted his teeth, jerked the steering wheel, and used the space left by the RV to easily turn the car around and catch up with it.

And so, the two cars, using the edge of the road shoulder, drove in the opposite direction, brushing against the congested traffic, creating an absurd and stark contrast with the frozen red river of cars behind them.

This left some drivers completely dumbfounded.

The owner of the RV and SUV, who had no idea what was wrong with him, suddenly drove against traffic.

Is this some kind of reckless act?
They were considering this idea, but the seven or eight burly men who were scouting ahead frowned. One of them took out his phone and informed the person on the other end.

"They've been found."

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Compared to Tifa's serious expression, Eric seemed more relaxed.

He preferred direct confrontation to sneak attacks from the shadows.

At this moment, he even had the mind to think, and laughed:

"They've already used these methods, so the state trooper they're dealing with probably isn't any better. Goodness, no wonder there have been so many victims, yet this place remains completely silent."

Looking at the traffic ahead, caught off guard by their wrong turn, Tifa's expression wasn't good: "Honey, do you want to go to that coffee shop?" She remembered the barista's advice to them earlier that day.

She was an intelligent person, and she could almost understand Eric's thoughts without him having to explain them.

Upon hearing this, Eric nodded and said, "That female barista should be a good one."

There was nothing he could do; this was cult territory, and it seemed that many people were connected to the cult. He could sense that a net was beginning to surround them.

Therefore, a battle is highly likely to follow.

The terrain here is too open, and there are many innocent drivers around, so it's not a good place to fight. He needs to find a place to meet the challenge.

The coffee shop and the gas station I went to before were pretty good options.

Importantly, the female barista is not a member of a cult.

In just a minute or two, the familiar brightly lit coffee shop and gas station complex reappeared in sight.

This time, Eric didn't hesitate at all. He turned on the lights, slowed down, and steadily slid the car into the fairly spacious open space in front of the gas station.

The SUVs behind followed.

Steve and Jenny never expected that they would actually come back to this place.

"How did we end up back here again?" Jenny's voice was filled with confusion and a hint of barely perceptible tension; she instinctively sensed the strangeness in the air.

Steve said in a deep voice, "The traffic jam ahead is probably caused by that cult." At this point, he finally realized what was going on and looked up.

Even though it was already 8 p.m.

The café was still brightly lit, and through the windows outside, one could vaguely see that there were still some customers inside.

Seeing Eric and Tifa get out of the car, Steve and Jenny exchanged a glance and followed suit.

"Officer, what's the situation now?"

Eric calmly said, "The road ahead is a dead end, and there may be pursuers behind us, but this is our only safe haven. Anyway, you'll be staying with Tifa for a while."

Without further explanation, he led the group, each with their own distinct expression, to the coffee shop. Pushing open the heavy wooden door, a pungent aroma of coffee mixed with the grease of fried food wafted out.

There were quite a few guests inside, but most of them were drivers and passengers who were passing by and wanted to take a break.

At one table sat several truck drivers in dusty work clothes, chatting quietly over large cups of coffee and plates piled high with French fries. Their faces showed the weariness of their long journeys and the frustration of being stranded due to an unexpected accident.

At another table sat a young couple with two young children. The children were clearly tired, listlessly slumped on the table, stirring the melting ice cream with a small spoon.

In the corner, there were two or three young people wearing windbreakers, who looked like backpackers, spreading out a map and discussing in hushed tones.

The dim, slightly murky light poured down from the ceiling lampshade, casting shifting shadows of varying depths on the wooden tabletops and people's faces.

The ringing did not attract their attention, which relieved Eric and Tifa, who were on high alert.

There's a high probability that no cult members are in this shop.

But the ringing attracted the attention of the female barista behind the counter. When she saw Eric and Tifa, as well as Jenny and Steve behind them, her eyes widened.

I don't understand why these customers, who once left a story at the coffee shop, suddenly came back.

Eric and Tifa exchanged a glance.

Eric was put in charge of keeping watch over the entire area, while Tifa walked to the bar and took out her FBI badge. She suddenly realized that this badge could be quite useful in certain situations.

"Welcome," said Anli, the female barista, suddenly a little nervous.

A hint of apology appeared on Tifa's face: "FBI, could you do me a favor?"

“W-what?” Anli stared blankly at Tifa.

-

Eric, who was on high alert and would instantly go berserk if he detected any unusual activity, glanced at Tifa, who was talking to the female barista.

No one knew what Tifa said, but the female barista's face showed a mixture of surprise and anger. She glanced at him with a complex expression, a mixture of fear and a resolute determination. She gritted her teeth and nodded heavily.

Judging from this, Eric knew that the barista had agreed, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

The kind barista who offered this helpful advice is definitely a good person.

Sure enough, the next second, the female barista started shooing people away. Anli took a deep breath, straightened her back, and forced a look of professional exhaustion and apology on her face. She picked up a small metal bell from the bar and jingled it a few times, the crisp sound particularly jarring in the café.

"Dear customers! I'm so sorry to bother you!" Anli's voice rang out, sounding like she was in a hurry to close up shop, as she addressed the numerous customers.

"We regret to inform everyone that our store will need to close early tonight."

"I'm really sorry, but the supplier is delivering a new batch of coffee beans early tomorrow morning, so we need to check our inventory and organize the warehouse in advance. We're a bit pressed for time."

Anli pointed behind the bar: "So, we'll have to close early today."

"Thank you for your understanding and support! All drinks that were not ordered tonight are on the house! Please take your belongings with you, and we welcome you to visit us again next time!"

Although some customers showed dissatisfaction, they were ultimately law-abiding citizens, and after a few complaints, they could only pack up and leave.

With nowhere to go, the cars parked outside the cafe also drove away.

For a moment, only Eric and Tifa, a nervous Jenny and Steve, and the barista Annie remained in the entire café.

A sense of impending storm settled over the entire café.

All eyes turned to Eric.

Eric glanced at the wall clock, meeting the tense gazes of the others: "We still have a little time."

Eric then looked at the barista, Anri, and said earnestly, "Thank you. If there is any damage during the process, I will compensate you."

Anri managed a weak smile, though she was inwardly filled with trepidation. The pressure stemming from Tifa's FBI credentials was partly the reason she agreed to help.

Seeing this, Eric began to make arrangements, tossing the keys to Steve: "Steve, you drive my car to the back garage."

“Okay.” Steve took it and hurriedly left under Jenny’s worried gaze, driving the RV to the back of the cafe.

Eric then looked at Anri: "'Is the second floor where you usually live?'"

Anli nodded.

Upon hearing this, Eric met Tifa's heavy gaze with a smile and said, "Then you all stay up there for a while. Don't come out without my permission."

“Darling.” Before Tifa could offer to help, Eric shook his head, interrupting her.

"What follows is a man's business. Listen to me, you can't help by staying."

Tifa pursed her lips tightly. Although her face remained calm, Eric could see the turmoil in her heart.

"It's okay, trust me." Eric smiled and waited for Steve to come over.

"Go ahead, take everyone up there..."

Tifa took a deep breath, suppressing all her emotions, and led everyone to hide in a room on the second floor.

Eric followed at a distance, climbing the stairs and watching to make sure Tifa and the others entered the master bedroom deep inside.

Tifa, the last one standing, looked at Eric with worry.
"Be careful." This time, her voice trembled slightly, unlike before.

“Hmm.” Eric smiled. “Go inside. I’ll appear before you unharmed in a moment.”

Tifa gritted her teeth and closed the door.

With a click, Eric stretched his body, and a slight smile suddenly appeared on his lips.

For some reason, he didn't feel scared, but rather excited, as if he had been injected with adrenaline.

However, he couldn't show it in front of Tifa, otherwise his girlfriend, who was well-versed in psychology, would think that her man was a bloodthirsty maniac.

He really had to put on a very difficult act to avoid revealing any flaws in front of Tifa, controlling both his facial expressions and movements. Luckily, he was a psychology major, and his control over his body was becoming increasingly abnormal.

Standing in the corridor, Eric glanced at the night view outside the window and suddenly thought of the FBI behind him. He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "It's been a long time since I've done anything big. This time, a heinous cult has come knocking on my door. It shouldn't be a problem to wipe them all out, right?"

Although he spoke lightly, Eric was not careless at all. He went downstairs as if facing a formidable enemy to observe the layout of the coffee shop.

This cafe is a decent size; it was converted from a two-story house by barista Anli, and the layout is extremely simple.

The front partition walls were all knocked down to create a large open space, leaving only a room and a small storage room at the back.

That's all.

Eric went back through the back door and into the RV parked in the back garage.

The demons imprisoned inside the carriage remained unable to move, only their eyeballs could still move.

“They’re coming to kill you,” Eric said, a statement that made those pairs of eyes tremble.

The reason for bringing the RV here is, of course, to prevent cult members from finding these devils and then silencing them.

After all, the recordings made by these demons could be a powerful tool to overthrow the cult.

Ignoring the fearful eyes of the demons, Eric rummaged through the carriage and pulled out a box under their terrified gazes.

After unpacking, I took out the Benelli M4 tactical shotgun that I had prepared beforehand and checked it quickly and efficiently.

"To cope with the current situation, firepower is indeed a bit tight," Eric thought to himself, taking out ten slugs from the ammunition box and pressing them one by one into the special ammunition holster on his tactical belt.

Next, he loaded five slugs into the bullet belt attached to the side of the shotgun handguard.

"But it's enough."

Thinking of this, Eric casually picked up the two spare magazines of the Staccato 2011 P pistol inside, inserted them into the magazine pouch on his waist, then grabbed a box of 9mm caliber ammunition and a box of fifteen slugs, and got out of the RV.

As he walked, he placed the two ammunition boxes in several tactical positions where they might be needed, then turned off all the lights in the café and closed all the curtains in the windows.

He then took his Benelli M4 shotgun, hid behind the wall by the window, and looked outside.

I looked out the window. It was quiet all around, except for the cars still speeding by on the highway.

He would feel a little disappointed if the cultists didn't come knocking, but it would be the best outcome for him right now, and he would be happy with it.

However, what was bound to happen eventually did happen.

Eric peered through the gap in the curtains at the state trooper patrol car that had suddenly appeared on the highway, its red and blue lights flashing, and shook his head inwardly.

He'd never believe the state trooper in the car was innocent.

Because he saw that, following closely behind the state police car, were two dilapidated Ford F-150 pickup trucks that had also begun to slow down.

(End of this chapter)