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

Chapter 333 Invasion
evening.

The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the front yard in a warm golden hue.

"It's over, Eric!"

Bauer's voice rang out from the front yard. He was snapping the last toolbox shut and looked up at Eric, who was observing the lichens.

"The entire system, from hummingbirds to lichens, to thermal imaging PTZ cameras to the main control AI, has been fully launched."

In this place, let alone a grown person, even if a well-trained military dog ​​flips over, the system will send a push notification to your phone three seconds before it lands, and automatically assign a hummingbird to take a close-up photo of it.

Eric looked at the newly installed lichen sensors, perfectly concealed in the shadows of bushes and corners, barely visible to the naked eye, and a satisfied smile played on his lips.

"Not bad, how's the coverage?"

“No blind spots,” Bauer replied. “I’ve put in a lot of effort to ensure your security.”

Eric chuckled, "Okay, should I say thank you?"

Bauer rolled his eyes, took out his tablet, brought up the 3D model, and showed it to Eric.

On the screen, the 3D model of the building is marked with dense green dots and blue coverage areas, representing sensors and monitoring ranges, leaving no blind spots at all.

"According to the previous design, the perimeter of the wall was to be covered with lichen at a density of one per five meters."

All doors and windows, including those on the second floor that you thought were safe, have been equipped with both vibration and infrared sensors.

The hummingbird's nest on the roof offers a panoramic view of the entire courtyard, and you can even see what's happening on the next street.

The controlling AI will also coordinate all units to form a tiered defense system.

Eric nodded, increasingly satisfied with what he saw; the surveillance system still preserved his private areas.

Bauer put away the tablet and glanced around the room: "You two have installed the mobile app, right? Remote monitoring, one-click arming and disarming, and viewing history are all in there."

Even if you get completely drunk at a bar at night, you can still check on your home from the comfort of your bed to make sure everything is normal.

He had long heard of Tifa's legendary ice beauty reputation, but he never expected that Eric would win her over.

Eric chuckled, "Hopefully, there won't be a day when I need to lie on the bar floor and check my home security camera footage."

Upon hearing this, Bauer pursed his lips, picked up his toolbox, and walked towards his van parked outside.

"I'm leaving now. If there are any problems with the system, just call me anytime."

“Okay, I’ll find you sometime to grab some donuts.” Eric followed and watched Bauer get into the car.

Bauer simply waved. Eric had a mistress at home, and he didn't want to linger and eat dog food any longer, lest he end up pulling out a gun out of envy, jealousy, and hatred, only to be shot dead by Eric. He then drove away.

As he watched Bauer's taillights disappear around the corner, Eric turned and went back inside.

Upon entering the living room, Tifa was sitting on the sofa, holding a tablet computer and browsing the interface of the newly installed security system, a hint of curiosity on her face.

Hearing footsteps, Tifa looked up: "Bauer's gone?"

“Yeah, he just left.” Eric sat down next to her and naturally put his arm around her shoulder.

"Are you familiar with the system?"

“Working on.” Tifa tilted the tablet slightly, pointing to an icon that showed the rooftop hummingbird drone in standby status.

"Can this thing really fly out and patrol on its own?"

“That’s what Bauer said. In theory, as long as the program is set up correctly,” Eric said.

After spending some more time with Tifa and getting to know her better, Eric glanced at his watch; it was getting late.

"I should probably get ready to leave."

Tifa put down her tablet, turned to face Eric, and reached out to straighten his collar, which wasn't actually messy, her face only showing a supportive smile:

"Go on, don't be late for your first group activity. I'll be waiting for you at home." After saying that, she gave Eric a kiss on the lips.

Eric smiled slightly. "I'll be back as soon as possible."

“No need to rush back, have fun, darling, you deserve to relax.” Tifa shook her head.

"However, remember to keep your phone accessible. If you've had too much to drink, call me. Don't try to drive home on your own."

“OK!” Eric didn’t delay any longer. Under Tifa’s watchful gaze, he got up, picked up his car keys, and headed to the appointment.

-

Terminal Bar.

When Eric arrived, he thought the place was quite nice, just as Joyna had said, not at all conspicuous.

The neighborhood was peaceful, without flashing neon lights or noisy crowds, only warm yellow streetlights illuminating the neatly paved cobblestone streets.

This is quite different from the stereotypical image of a typical bar street.

The bar is located in the middle of the street, with an unassuming facade.

Eric got out of the car, his gaze habitually sweeping over the sparse crowd on both sides of the street and at the entrance of the bar.

After confirming that there was nothing unusual, he slowly walked over.

As soon as Eric's hand touched the brass doorknob, he could faintly hear melodious jazz music coming from behind the door.

“A phonograph? That’s classy.” Eric raised an eyebrow and pushed open the door to enter.

After passing through a corridor lined with mottled walls on both sides, the true interior of the bar comes into view.

The decor is full of retro charm, with the walls covered with all kinds of old photos, posters, and antique decorations.
Eric quickly scanned the space. Several customers sat alone at the bar, and a group of young people were gathered around a pool table in the distance. The person he was looking for...
Without even looking, Eric's gaze immediately fell on the semi-open booth at the very back.

White's imposing figure stood there, gesturing, while Joyna and Penia sat opposite him, smiling.

Costa sat in the corner with his back against the wall, holding a glass of wine in his hand.

Hear White's signature loud voice.

Eric shook his head and stepped across a few tables. He could feel some subtle glances sweeping over him, but he didn't care. After all, unfamiliar faces always stand out in this familiar place.

"Hey! Look who it is! Our late-arriving newbie!" White was the first to spot him and called out loudly.

Eric shrugged and walked to the booth. Joyna moved over to make room for him, right across from Costa.

"Was the journey smooth?" Joyna asked with a smile.

"Hmm," Eric responded and sat down.

“You’ve come at the perfect time; we’ve just begun,” Peña said with a smile.

"Luckily I wasn't late." Eric smiled, his gaze briefly meeting Costa's across from him. Costa nodded slightly, as if to say hello.

However, no sooner had he sat down than White slammed a glass of ice-cold beer, overflowing, onto the coaster in front of him.

“Come on,” White shouted, raising his glass to Eric.

"To the new blood in our Fourth Squadron, to the successful conclusion of the case, and to the boss's rare treat, cheers!"

— 10:30 p.m.

A yawn sounded as Tifa yawned. She was sitting cross-legged on the soft carpet in the living room, dressed in comfortable loungewear, with the documents she had brought back from Camp Pendleton, her personal laptop, and tablet spread out in front of her.

Tifa glanced at the news report on her laptop, her eyes flickering slightly.

The above is a news report about James Rees's seals; the level of attention is neither high nor low, but it's something that interests her.

"It is understood that the squad led by Lieutenant James Reese was ambushed during a classified mission last week. Unofficial reports from military channel listeners and local sources indicate that the firefight was extremely fierce, and the rest of the squad, except for Lieutenant Reese and Sergeant Weeks, are feared to have been killed."

So much time has passed since a disastrous military operation that nearly wiped out an elite SEAL team.

As of press time, the U.S. Department of Defense and the Naval Special Operations Command have remained unusually silent and have not issued any official statements.

This information vacuum is exacerbating the anxiety and anger of the families of the fallen, their comrades, and congressional oversight officials.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant James Reese and Sergeant Weeks have been evacuated to the United States and are undergoing evaluation and questioning at a military medical facility.

However, information about the two individuals and their descriptions of the incident remains strictly confidential, so what exactly are they hiding?

This article was written in considerable detail, and Tifa could tell from it that the reporter was capable. She glanced at the byline subconsciously.

"Katie Evans."

Tifa reached out and began searching for the female reporter's name; the search results appeared quickly.

"Walter News. Specializing in SEALs. An independent news organization known for its in-depth investigations and occasional forays into sensitive military topics."

Tifa stopped what she was doing and began to look up the female journalist's past articles.

"The strategic risks and lack of accountability regarding over-reliance on special forces."

Tifa remained silent; the more she investigated, the more she felt that the waters ran deep.

She always had a feeling that there was a giant hand controlling everything the seals were doing.

Thinking of this, Tifa shook her head, glanced at the documents beside her, then placed her hands on the keyboard to begin writing the final report, which she then sent to Samuel Kingston of the Naval Crime Investigation Service.

However, what Tifa didn't know was that a dark-colored van without any markings was slowly driving up outside, even turning off all its lights, and using the shadows of the street trees as cover, it slowly glided to a stop in the shadows on the roadside diagonally opposite the wall.

"Fake!"

In the driver's seat, a scarred man squinted at the house ahead. When he saw the thick wall, which was far beyond the standard size and topped with cold, sharp spikes, he couldn't help but mutter a curse.

"What the hell is this? A private residence or a small fortress?"

A burly man with sinister eyes in the passenger seat also frowned. He rolled down the window and leaned out to observe carefully.

In the back seat, a tall but thin man spoke in a low voice.

"It's a bit tricky to make a move; they didn't say the target lived in the fortress."

There was a moment of silence in the car before the sinister-looking man spoke:

"Drive the car over there!"

It's obvious that the three people in the car have clearly defined roles, with the sinister-looking man clearly being the leader.

As soon as he finished speaking, the scarred man nodded and drove the car over, parking it diagonally directly below the tall wall.

Unbeknownst to the three, the car's weight and vibrations had already been detected by lichen sensors buried at the base of the wall.

-

inside the house.

A pop-up notification appeared on the screen indicating that the message had been successfully sent, and Tifa breathed a sigh of relief.

Regardless, once the final report was sent, her assistance mission was complete, and any subsequent turmoil was none of her concern.

She instinctively picked up the mug next to her, just about to take a sip of water.

Suddenly! Beep beep, beep beep! A short but clear beep sounded in the room, breaking the silence.

Tifa's hand suddenly paused, the warm water swirling in the glass. She frowned slightly and looked at the tablet placed next to the laptop.

At this moment, the tablet's screen automatically lit up, turning into a glaring red warning interface, with a motion sensor icon representing the front yard perimeter flashing wildly.

"Thief?" Tifa immediately put down her mug and grabbed the tablet.

At the same time, the thermal imaging PTZ camera covering the front yard silently and quickly rotated its angle based on the coordinates provided by the sensors, focusing both the high-definition lens and the thermal imager on the vehicle and the three people who got out of the vehicle.

As soon as Tifa turned on the tablet, she could see everything outside. The screen also displayed target counts, behavior analysis, threat level assessments, and more.

She saw a dark-colored van close to the wall, and then three burly men wearing balaclavas that could completely cover their faces got out of the van.

Upon seeing this image, the AI ​​immediately upgraded the threat level from "monitoring" to "high," identifying it as a malicious intrusion attempt.

At the same time, a sound came from the tablet.

"Get on the roof!"

Tifa frowned as she watched the three men climb onto the roof of the car like well-trained soldiers.

Then, one after another, they took a running start, leaped upwards, and precisely grabbed the narrow gap between the two spikes with both hands. With their feet braced against the wall, they began to climb upwards like monkeys.

The piercing alarm began to sound.

Although she didn't understand what was going on, whether these three people came because of her or Eric, Tifa knew now was not the time to think about that. She decisively grabbed her phone and swiped her finger across the tablet to activate the Fortress Protocol.

The next second, all the lights inside and outside the house went out instantly.

Tifa did nothing unnecessary; she simply got up and, by the moonlight, walked barefoot quickly into the safe house Eric had mentioned.

That is, the room next to the master bedroom, which is emitting guiding light.

Tifa pressed hard on a specific pattern on the wooden relief on the side of the bookshelf on the wall.

An alloy panel requiring multiple biometric verifications slid open, revealing the scanning interface below.

Tifa pressed down with her right thumb.
Beep! A soft sound indicates that fingerprint verification has been successful.

Immediately afterwards, she leaned forward slightly and aimed her right eye at the iris scanning lens that popped up above.

A soft red light flashed across her pupils.

Beep! The second confirmation sound.

Click! A deep, heavy metallic clanging sound came from inside the wall. The wall panel, which seemed no different from the bookshelf next to it, slowly opened inward from the middle seam, revealing a passage behind it that emitted a faint emergency light.

Tifa slipped inside, and the heavy door behind her began to close silently and rapidly the moment she entered, extinguishing the guiding light instantly.

"Discovered!"

The three men—the scarred man, the thin man, and the sinister man—who had just struggled to climb down the wall, exchanged a glance with dark expressions.

He pulled out a black pistol from his waist and slowly screwed on the silencer.

(End of this chapter)