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

Chapter 330 Frightened
"Whoo~"

Tifa walked into the corridor, glanced back at the quiet office, and continued towards the exit without stopping.

In addition to being an experienced psychologist, she is also a criminal profiler.

These two professions brought her far more than just assessing people's conditions.

So now she's figured it out.

The waters of this matter are much deeper and more dangerous than they appear on the surface.

She could sense the undercurrents beneath the surface; it seemed that multiple parties were paying close attention to this matter.

While it could also be because almost an entire platoon of SEALs had died, she sensed there were other factors at play.

Thinking of this, Tifa walked out of the camp building, looked at the military vehicles waiting for her outside, and then at the new recruits training on the beach outside.
His expression darkened considerably.

She thought it was just about helping out, but it seems she herself has been dragged into it.

"I need to get out of this as soon as possible," Tifa thought to herself.

Suddenly, a sound coming from her handbag made her heart skip a beat.

After taking out her phone, Tifa saw the name on the screen, and her previously calm face instantly broke into a smile. She swiped her finger across the screen and answered the call.

"Darling?" Tifa asked, her voice carrying a hint of lightness she herself didn't realize.

"Busy?"

Upon hearing Eric's voice, Tifa's face broke into a mischievous grin.

"Yes, I just finished a meeting and am on my way home."

"Uh, let me know when you get home."

"Okay." Tifa hung up the phone, already imagining Eric's bewildered expression when she suddenly appeared in front of him.

She smiled slightly and walked towards the military vehicle waiting for her.

-

Los Angeles.

"It's 10 o'clock, and you're still so busy?" Eric looked at his silent phone and tilted his head slightly in surprise.

But no matter how he thought about it, he could never have imagined that Tifa was now at Camp Pendleton, on the coast between Los Angeles and San Diego.

“Forget it.” Eric shook his head. He knew Tifa’s personality; the girl was a workaholic who could keep busy with a case.

The most outrageous thing is that while she was with the FBI, she actually went around meeting some deranged killers who were in prison to understand their thoughts when they killed and why they killed, in order to deepen her profiling experience and knowledge.

"It must have been really tough on her."

Eric frowned slightly as he thought of Burroughs Thorne tonight, still feeling uneasy.

In his opinion, this inhuman pervert should be shot and sent to the underworld to suffer the most excruciating pain, to see how long he can remain so perverted.

"Such arrogance is simply because he hasn't experienced real pain." Eric pursed his lips, suppressing the anger in his heart, tossed aside his phone, picked up his pajamas, and went into the bathroom.

As usual, I took a shower to calm down.

Soaking in the warm water, Eric finally relaxed completely, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them again.

Status update complete.

With a thought, a semi-transparent system window silently popped up in my mind.

Unlike before, people are unfamiliar with attribute points now, so they need to be careful when allocating them.

Now he is familiar with the focus of the four major attribute upgrades, and with his strength, every little bit of upgrade is a big step forward.

Therefore, he wouldn't keep the mission rewards overnight.

[Personal attributes]
Spirit: 16 (Peak average for the race is 10)

Strength: 14 (Peak average for the race is 10)

Agility: 15 (Peak average for the race is 10)

Constitution: 14 (Peak average for the race is 10)
Skill:--

Attribute points: +0.5
Completed cases: —

Eric glanced at the skills on his skill panel. Through accumulation and hard work, he had so many skills that he needed to click on them all to see them.

However, he still focused on combat effectiveness.

After all, increasing combat power can save lives, and life is the most important thing; everything else must give way to it.

"Where should we add it this time?" Eric's gaze swept over the area, and he hesitated for a moment.

Previously, the attribute points were added to Spirit, because Spirit allows him to detect danger in advance.

For example, the moment a sniper rifle is aimed, that area will feel a tingling, needle-like sensation. Or, like when leading a raid, you can always sense what heavy weapons the enemy has, and that the danger hasn't left yet.

"Our current combat strength seems sufficient, but it seems that the mental aspect can bring about a qualitative change. Whether it's mental processing, observation, or perception, it can be improved in all aspects. This effect is huge," Eric muttered to himself.

In his view, the spirit also possessed an Observation Haki effect similar to that seen in the One Piece anime from his previous life.

"Then let's continue with the Spirit." Eric didn't hesitate. As long as he didn't encounter a moment of difficulty in combat, he would raise his Spirit to the extreme. He wanted to see what extraordinary effects the Spirit could bring in the end.

By then, the prophet's words will be truly invincible. He hasn't suffered any setbacks yet, but even John Wick has appeared in this world. Who knows what monsters will appear in the future?

Although he hasn't witnessed the emergence of any so-called supernatural powers yet, who knows if they might appear in the future?

[Add points successfully]
[Spirit: 16 to 16.5]
With a whoosh, Eric felt a silent thunderclap explode in the deepest part of his mind.

All the feelings became more intense.

Details about the Burroughs Thorne case, which he had temporarily suppressed, were now flashing through his mind involuntarily, as if he had pressed the high-speed playback button.

Evidence, confessions, on-site photos, and micro-expressions of each person—these fragments of information collided and reassembled at an unprecedented speed.

At the same time, under the intense mental stimulation, Eric could feel his body had become a slightly sluggish machine.

He could feel the water flowing down his body with precision, but subjectively he experienced a very slight sense of separation, a temporary disconnect between his soul and body.

Eric's eyes were vacant.

The whole process lasted for more than ten seconds before the intense impact subsided slowly like a receding tide.

Eric blinked, momentarily stunned. The changes he experienced this time were more intense than before.

Looking down at my hands, a strange feeling lingered: the world had slowed down and there was more information.

"A 0.5 point improvement, and the feeling is so obvious."

Eric frowned, wiped the water droplets from his face, and instinctively recalled the previous state of being separated.

"Could this be a temporary phenomenon where the speed of mental advancement exceeds the speed of physical adaptation?"

Eric glanced at the attribute panel instinctively. He vaguely sensed that the improvement in his mental state also needed to be paired with a good body, otherwise the state of detachment would be even more severe.

"That's strange. Is it because of real-world reasons? Unlike games, where you can blindly focus on one aspect, you have to maintain a balance across all aspects?"

Eric shook his head. He used to allocate points to all aspects of his character, so he never experienced that feeling before.

This separation state, lasting more than ten seconds, is too deadly; it's as if the body can't keep up with the brain.

"It seems we still need to consider the other attribute classes."

"Thank you for bringing me here, sergeant."

Tifa got out of the car and thanked the soldiers inside.

In her observation, this soldier possessed a strong sense of mission, taking orders as his sacred duty.

These people have long been marked by the military, and the meaning of their lives lies in execution and combat. They can hardly leave that world full of order and gunpowder.

This is the influence of habit.

Unless he has strong enough self-control and autonomy.

"You're welcome, ma'am." The soldier simply smiled and nodded, glanced at the heavily secured building, and then drove away.

Tifa watched the taillights of the military vehicle disappear around the street corner before turning around and looking at the building in front of her, a hint of undisguised surprise flashing in her eyes.

Everything has changed.

Although Eric had mentioned some renovations and reinforcements to the house, the impact of hearing about it firsthand was completely different from seeing it with one's own eyes.

Everything outside strongly proclaims: the interior is inviolable.

Tifa walked toward the main gate of the fence, where the access control system appeared remarkably sophisticated and modern compared to the rugged and sturdy fence.

She raised an eyebrow, skillfully lifted the dust cover on the control panel, and lightly tapped the number keys with her fingertips to enter a long string of passwords.

It's a combination of her birthday and Eric's birthday.

beep!

After a soft verification sound, a faint blue light illuminated the top of the panel.

"So advanced? I wonder when you got this, honey." Tifa was surprised. Working for the FBI, she naturally knew what it was. She leaned closer and let the light precisely scan her iris.

Then, she pressed her right thumb on the slightly warm recognition area below.

Upon contact, accompanied by a deeper, more pleasant confirmation sound, a series of smooth mechanical sounds emanated from inside the heavy alloy door lock.

Click.

The door opened.

This incredibly smooth verification process made Tifa's lips unconsciously curl into a smile.

These high-standard safety measures posed no obstacle to her, as she had not yet visited the site after the renovation.

Eric not only kept the password unchanged, but also gave her full access to his biometric information.

This unreserved trust touched her more than anything else.

Tifa pushed open the heavy door, stepped into the courtyard, and closed it behind her.

Looking at the front door in front of me, I walked over with light steps, like a bird returning to its nest.

"What's the noise?"

Eric was in the kitchen, preparing dinner for the evening. He frowned and subconsciously picked up the pistol that was placed under the island counter.

at the same time.

Tifa just opened the door.

The moment the door opened, she was enveloped in the warm glow of the room and the familiar scent of soap wafting from Eric.

She could faintly hear the sound of running water coming from the direction of the kitchen. A sly yet gentle smile spread across Tifa's eyes. She took off her shoes and walked barefoot onto the cool floor, carefully making her way over.

However, before she could walk over, a figure suddenly pounced on her with a sharp gust of wind.

Tifa didn't even see the movement clearly. She only felt a blur before her eyes, and a powerful force instantly restrained her. In the midst of the dizziness, her back was firmly pressed against the cold wall.

A hand gripped her slender neck like an iron clamp. Although it didn't actually exert any force, the absolute sense of oppression and the impending crisis made her gasp for breath.

At the same time, a hard, cold object pressed against her temple.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye, faster than Tifa had anticipated.

"Darling," Tifa called out instinctively, but was so startled by the unfamiliar, sharp killing intent in the eyes of the person in front of her that she swallowed her words back.

"kindness?"

Eric recognized Tifa by her scent and silhouette the moment he made his move, but his body's instincts kicked in faster than his thoughts.

"Tifa?"

Eric's voice was filled with disbelief and astonishment. He instantly released his grip on her throat and immediately moved the gun barrel away from her temple, his movements so fast they were almost hasty.

The oppressive feeling disappeared, and Tifa coughed twice, gasping for air; her heart was still pounding.

Looking up at the lingering surprise and apology on Eric's face, all the prank lines she had prepared vanished, leaving only a little bit of grievance and more of a bewilderment.

“Darling!” Tifa rubbed her slightly sore neck and glared at an embarrassed Eric.

"You're so kind to welcome me!"

Eric quickly switched the safety off his pistol, placed it on the shoe cabinet beside him, stepped forward, and carefully examined her neck by the light from the back doorway.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think it was you. I thought you were still in Quantico. When I heard the noise outside, I thought someone had sneaked in."

"I wanted to give you a surprise!" Tifa said, watching Eric's nervous expression as he checked the items.

She smiled, unconcerned, and picked Eric up, burying herself in his broad chest.

"Looks like we can't play like this next time. It almost turned into a nightmare, the kind that almost gave me a heart attack. But most importantly, I miss you."

Eric took a deep breath, pulled Tifa into a tight embrace, and whispered in her ear.

"Welcome home."

-

As night deepened, the lights of Los Angeles outside the window spread out like a galaxy, while only a few warm yellow wall lamps lit up the room, creating an exceptionally peaceful and cozy atmosphere.

Tifa had just taken a shower and was wearing Eric's T-shirt, which was so big it looked like a skirt on her, and it smelled of the same faint soapy scent as Eric.

She curled up at one end of the sofa, holding a tablet in her hand, her smooth legs naturally raised and unceremoniously placed on Eric's thighs next to her.

Eric's gaze was originally fixed on the news footage on the television, but his right hand naturally rested on her calf, unconsciously stroking it gently.

“So,” Tifa said, gently rubbing her toes against Eric’s abs, her voice relaxed after a shower.

“Honey, what happened to you today? When I came in, you were as nervous as a cat whose tail had been stepped on.”

Eric grabbed Tifa's mischievous white feet, stared at the television, and sighed, "The case we discussed just closed."

Actually, it's because of his heightened sensitivity due to the added mental energy, but it's best if only he knows this.

At the same time, Eric also noticed the drawbacks. He hadn't been so sensitive to them before, but tonight... it seems he'll have to balance his efforts from now on.

Otherwise, the impact would be too great.

Tifa, instead, poked Eric's palm harder with her toe and tilted her head:

"Was the case itself too twisted, touching a nerve with you? Or did something else happen that automatically raised your alert level to a new level?"
Honey, your body and micro-expressions are telling me that things aren't that simple.

(End of this chapter)