America: The Gear-Up Detective

[Achievement Update: First Blood]

[First kill of the murderer, achievement completed, reward (choose three out of five)]

"Achievements? There's such a thing? It seems the system has many more functions waiting for me to discover."

Rhodes sighed and first chose the reward given by the mission.

This reward is essentially a choice between two options: either choose new equipment information or obtain more specific information based on the previous equipment information.

There's not much to say here; getting the equipment first is the most important thing, so Rhodes chose [More detailed information on the old equipment].

[Equipment Location Updated: Inside the UCLA Clark Memorial Library, within the UCLA Library]

Looking at the updated information, the equipment information has changed from a general description of the library to a specific description of the library.

Fortunately, Rhodes had previously searched several libraries within UCLA and had some knowledge of the Clark Memorial Library.

This is a rather special library within UCLA, dedicated to collecting rare and ancient books from the 17th and 18th centuries. Although it is not large (about 10 volumes), it has extremely high research value in the field.

"So, this time the equipment isn't some kind of antique book, is it?"

Rhodes thought that if that were the case, obtaining equipment would be even more difficult.

He shook his head. Things would work themselves out. He should find the equipment first. He had the next 48 hours to himself.

"I'll ask Liu Qingxi out again tomorrow; I have to make it work this time!"

Having finalized his plan, Rhodes then looked at the [Achievement Rewards].

The reward for choosing three out of five is the most generous reward the system has given so far.

[Rewards: 1000 EXP, System Shop Update *1, Equipment Slot *1, Blind Box, Free Attribute Points *0.1]

[Note: You may choose any three of the five rewards above.]

Looking at these rewards, Rhodes thought for a moment and then made his choice.

First, let's rule out "blind boxes." Before you have enough equipment and inventory space, it's best not to consider this kind of luck-based reward.

Then, excluding [System Shop Update *1], the currency in the system shop is experience points. Including the experience points selected this time, I only have 1031 points in total, which is just enough to buy one item in the shop.

The items in the shop currently have the following values: [Equipment slot, 1000 experience points; Random equipment information, 1000 experience points; Cash: 100 experience points = 1 US dollar].

Aside from cash redemption, the other two are core system functions related to the equipment slots. You can refresh the page after you've purchased the slots and equipment information.

The remaining three rewards.

Attribute points are a must-have, needless to say.

The equipment slot is a godsend, especially since I'm planning to go to the Clark Memorial Library tomorrow to find equipment.

As for experience, it can be used to upgrade your skills, such as the commonly used [Pistol Shooting lv3], [Police Grappling lv2], and [Interrogation lv2], or to purchase items from the store, which is a must.

Rhode used his mind to select: [Experience +1000, 1 equipable slot, 0.1 free attribute points]

Sitting in the driver's seat, Rhode immediately added his attribute points to Constitution. [Constitution: 9.1 (+1)]

Another warm current flowed in, and Rhodes felt warm all over his body, as if he were soaking in a hot spring on a cold day.

It didn't feel as intense as last time, probably because last time I broke through from a constitution attribute of 8+ to 9+, which could be considered a qualitative change, so the feeling and change were more profound.

After a moment, Rod touched the muscles on his arm; they seemed to have thickened slightly.

Then I felt the changes in my lower body.

Even now, sitting in the driver's seat, Rod could feel his abdomen tightening even more.

"Almost there! A few more tries and your physique will reach 10+!"

At this moment, Rod was filled with motivation, wishing he could return to the detective agency and solve cases every night to complete his mission.

Actually, besides increasing physique, you could also consider increasing agility, but Rhodes thought about it and realized that his current dynamic vision was sufficient as long as he wasn't engaging in gunfights with people who had received military training.

An improvement in physical fitness directly translates into an improvement in quality of life.

......

Rod drove with the window down, enjoying the Los Angeles evening breeze, which made him feel much more relaxed.

As the vehicle approached a corner, Rod was about to turn when he caught sight of a group of figures on his right.

Thanks to his enhanced dynamic vision, Rhodes was able to see the scene clearly with just a glance.

A group of about four or five people wearing leather jackets surrounded a short figure carrying a red backpack.

Most importantly, Rhodes seemed to have seen that surrounded figure somewhere before. (Chapter 25)

After thinking about it carefully, Rod vaguely remembered that this was the second time he had seen this homeless man.

Rod parked the car on the side of the road.

The last time they met, he was chased away by the police. It was fate that they met again this time. Since he had just received a large reward and was in a good mood, Rod decided to help him out.

Rod got out of the car and, by the light of the street lamps, saw the group of people gathered around him.

Their slightly immature faces and voices still going through puberty proved that these people were not very old. Their taller figures, compared to their peers, surrounded the short homeless man, a typical example of American bullying.

Rod walked straight up to them, whistled, and said sternly, "Do you want to go home now, or do you want to come with me to the police station?"

Rod's badge had been temporarily confiscated, so he quickly showed his driver's license from his wallet and then closed it again.

"Run! The police are coming..."

Several fourteen or fifteen-year-old kids dressed as adults, upon hearing Rod's words, instinctively assumed Rod was a policeman and shoved each other as they ran away quickly.

Rod walked up to the homeless man who was lying on the ground clutching his backpack and asked, "Are you okay?"

The short figure lying on the ground raised its head, glanced at Rhodes, then crawled down again, saying in a muffled voice, "It's nothing, thank you."

Looking up, Rod finally saw his face clearly and was slightly surprised.

This is no homeless person, he's clearly a "street kid"!

He's just a Black child.

How old are you? Where are your parents?

Rod looked somewhat serious. The child looked young, only twelve or thirteen years old, but it seemed he had been wandering for some time.

However, it is important to know that under Section 271 of the California Criminal Code, “abandonment of a child” is a serious criminal offense.

In California, abandoning a child under the age of 14 can result in a maximum sentence of one year in county jail, a fine of up to $1000, or both.

The Black child remained silent.

Rod had no choice but to help him up and ask softly, "What's your name?"

Seemingly sensing Rhodes's goodwill, after a brief silence, he said, "My name is Daniel."

"And your last name?"

"No, Mom said my name is Daniel."

Upon hearing this crucial piece of information, Rod asked, "And what about your mother?"

She's already dead.