American Zombie Detective

The next two days were a holiday for Qin Jin and Alessa.

Qin Jin drove his old Dodge, with Alessa in tow, and drove around almost the entire area around their residence.

Qin Jin would slow down in key areas and explain to Alessa that these were the areas most likely to be involved in living in Los Angeles.

The slightly old gray building at the Canyon Police Department is likely where Qin Jin works.

Several large supermarkets and warehouse stores, with shelves piled high with supplies, are places to restock and buy necessities in daily life;

The three adjacent flea markets exude the scent of time and dust;

Auto repair shops, hardware stores, cafes, steakhouses, clothing stores... are places we often encounter in daily life.

Most importantly, it's the public elementary school that's closest to Qingcao Community.

As the Dodge slowly drove past the school building covered in childlike graffiti, the air seemed to freeze instantly.

The cheerful sound of the school bell could be faintly heard, and the figures of children running and playing swayed behind the fence.

Almost simultaneously, Alessa's body suddenly tensed up.

She abruptly turned her face to the other side of the car window, her beautifully sculpted jawline taut, her lips pressed into a bloodless line, as if the vibrant scene outside the window were some kind of man-eating monster.

She even hugged the doll in her arms tighter, the Frankenstein monster's head completely dented and deformed under the pressure, that silent resistance clearly conveying her extreme aversion to going to school.

Qin Jin didn't turn to look at her, but silently stepped on the gas, causing the car to speed away from that area filled with the atmosphere of a "normal childhood".

The car fell silent again, but the cold tension caused by the school took a while to dissipate.

For her, engaging in such familiar activities with Qin Jin, even under the sunlight she didn't like, brought a sense of satisfaction that came with family.

As long as it's not at school, and it happens only once in a while, deep down she's actually... happy.

Finally, the day of the assessment arrived.

The testing site at the Los Angeles Police Academy was packed with people, and the air was thick with the smell of sweat, tension, and ambition.

The police assessment has always been extremely competitive, and this year is no exception.

More than 12,000 people applied, and after competition and computer screening, the number of successful applicants was still as high as 6,000. They will then participate in physical fitness and skills tests, psychological assessments, and a final interview.

In the end, a maximum of two hundred people remained, which is the average level over the years.

Qin Jin had already made preparations. He reviewed the assessment data from previous years, including the highest and average scores for admission, and formulated a general strategy:

He needs to perform exceptionally well and rank among the top, but he can't attract too much attention. Therefore, his score will be the midpoint between the highest and average scores, which will allow him to pass smoothly while ensuring he remains low-key.

In the 50-meter shuttle run, Qin Jin got off to a steady start and took first place in his group of 40. However, he estimated that this result would be enough to place him in the top 100-150.

The same was true for the 3000-meter race; Qin Jin finished the run without even being out of breath.

When the recorder from the key county saw Qin Jin's Chinese-American face, he couldn't help but smile and nod to his colleague next to him:

"Hey, this kid's not bad!"

The recorder next to him leaned over for a look and nodded in agreement.

"Hmm, Chinese... I like Chinese people! They cook well, and they're even smarter. You'll never make a mistake when you go shopping with them... As long as their shooting is good enough, there won't be any problems."

For the remaining push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups... Qin Jin maintained a steady output rhythm, keeping himself in the top 200 for each exercise, thus preserving his persona.

During the subsequent shooting assessment, Qin Jin gave it a good performance.

He knew very well that while physical strength was important, shooting was even more important. Good shooting scores would allow him to be assigned to a better position and avoid tedious and uninteresting jobs such as community police officer or traffic police officer.

The firearms assessment mainly consists of three parts:

Firearms operation: This includes quick magazine loading and unloading, firearm inspection, troubleshooting simple malfunctions, and switching between different positions, etc.

Qin Jin performed exceptionally well. In this kind of assessment, he must ensure that he is in the top fifty, or even the top thirty.

Precision shooting: fixed target, an easy testing method.

Qin Jin had barely aimed before firing five bullets, and the target teller's voice was filled with disbelief:

"Ten rings...nine rings...ten rings...ten rings...nine rings...48 rings in total! 96% accuracy!"

Finally, there's scenario-based shooting practice, primarily involving moving targets and simulated street scenes, where the goal is to quickly identify and eliminate both threatening and non-threatening targets.

Qin Jin perfectly avoided all civilian targets and accurately hit every human-shaped target marked with a bandit symbol.

These three assessments are enough to raise his overall score to around 50th place, which is more than enough to qualify him as a rookie police officer.

Just as Qin Jin was going to participate in the psychological assessment, a figure appeared at the edge of the assessment site.

Logan Miller, the deputy commissioner of the Los Angeles Police Department, who is in charge of the work of the entire detective department, and also the chief examiner for this assessment, strolled to the recording table seemingly unintentionally.

"Sir!" The officer in charge of taking notes immediately stood up and saluted.

"Hmm," Logan nodded casually, picked up the preliminary list of outstanding candidates on the table, and pointed precisely at Qin Jin's name:

"How is the little one doing?"

The way the officer addressed the child immediately made him understand something, and a smile spread across his face.

"Sir, this candidate is outstanding! He excels in shooting, ranking in the top 20, only his physical fitness is slightly lacking... However, his overall score will definitely be in the first half."

"Only halfway through?" Logan frowned. After reviewing all the ratings, he slammed the list on the table, somewhat displeased.

"That brat! His dad's so amazing, how did he end up like this? He'll be at best 50th!"

"...Yes, sir," the officer explained nervously, "His physical fitness isn't that great. Based on the overall assessment, it would be around 70-90."

"How can someone with this ranking get into the detective agency?" Logan muttered under his breath, turning and walking towards the building while whispering instructions to his assistant behind him:

"Go! Keep an eye on him, and call me during the interview!"

"Yes!" The officer next to him, who had accompanied him to Qin Jin's house, immediately strode into the interview room.

As Qin Jin sat down in the interview chair and answered his questions about his application number, name, and other basic information, the door was pushed open just after the three interviewers had finished asking the question about "handling racial discrimination."

Logan's tall figure appeared in the doorway, his face displaying just the right amount of surprise and friendliness:

"Oh? You're conducting an interview? I hope I'm not disturbing you?" His gaze fell directly on Qin Jin, and he greeted him with a smile.

"Qin! What a coincidence!"

The three interviewers immediately stood up in unison, saluted, and stood at attention:

"Chief Logan!"

"Sit, sit, everyone sit." Logan waved casually, walked naturally to the empty seat next to the interviewer, pulled up a chair and sat down, as if he were just there to listen in.

"You guys carry on, don't mind me. I just happened to be passing by and came in to take a look."

He pointed at Qin Jin, his tone affectionate:

"This kid's dad was my old partner in Chicago, a top-notch fighter and marksman! Now he's a sheriff in Texas. This kid knows our business inside and out..."

As he spoke, his fingers tapped unconsciously on the table, landing precisely on a line of interview terms:

"Special skills and background bonuses!"

The interviewer in front of him, feeling a surge of good fortune, immediately pulled over his form and filled in the first special bonus point item:

1. My father was a serious crimes detective in Chicago and is currently the sheriff of a small town in Texas. +10 points

The interview process was still ongoing, but the atmosphere had changed drastically and was slowly deviating from Qin Jin's expectations...