America: The Gear-Up Detective

It was time to leave work, so Rod packed his things and got up to leave.

Everyone is working hard to follow the clues and catch the murderer as soon as possible, so they are all staying to work overtime.

It's not that Rod doesn't want to work overtime, but rather that in his previous life, Rod died of sudden cardiac arrest because he worked overtime all night.

In addition, his constitution, which is 7.8 in his lifetime and only 8.8 with equipment bonuses, immediately eliminated any idea that Rhodes wanted to overexert himself.

Rod arrived at the police station's underground parking lot.

His ride was a black 2022 Ford F250 Raptor. The unparalleled muscularity and bold lines of the American car made Rod, who had traveled through time, fall in love with the car at first sight.

This was a birthday gift that Rhodes' father had given him not long ago.

Rod's father worked as an accountant at HCVT, one of the best accounting firms in Los Angeles.

My mother is an attending physician at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

My maternal grandfather was also very capable.

Overall, the family had a high income, and they provided considerable financial support to Rod before he chose to become a policeman.

However, the LAPD incident was opposed by both parents, so the original Rhodes' relationship with his parents, especially with his mother Laura, was not very harmonious.

Los Angeles police officers earn good salaries, considered high among police officers nationwide. After completing an 18-month probation period, a regular patrol officer can earn an annual salary of approximately $9 to $11.

Rhodes is currently a Level 1 Detective and is still in the "training phase." His authority to operate independently is limited, and his annual salary is approximately $110,000 to $130,000. In addition, Rhodes speaks Chinese, so he receives a bilingual allowance, overtime pay, and other miscellaneous subsidies. At most, he earns less than $150,000 a year.

It seems like a lot, but it's still far less prestigious than other professions like lawyers or doctors. The social status isn't high either, and most importantly, being a police officer in America carries the risk of death.

If it weren't for the awakening of the equipment system, and the fact that his first piece of equipment was the [Detective Badge], Rhode's first action after transmigrating would have been to quit his job.

The original owner of the body, Rhodes, spent money extravagantly. After leaving home, he lived in a high-end apartment in the city center, where the monthly rent was equivalent to half of his salary. In addition, there were high-end consumption places for his private life. It was only thanks to his grandfather's help that he had no debts in the past few years.

Therefore, Rhodes, who had traveled through time, immediately chose to cancel his apartment lease and temporarily stay at his grandfather Edgar's house. However, this was not a long-term solution, so making money and moving out was Rhodes's second goal.

6:30 p.m.

Rod drove back to his grandfather's ranch, the place where Rod grew up.

As soon as Rod got out of the car, he saw a familiar Maserati parked in the garage; it was his mother Laura's car.

Sure enough, as soon as Rod reached the door, he heard his mother Laura's voice from inside.

Push open the door and enter the room.

"Hi, Mom, have you eaten?"

Laura has brown curly hair and is wearing a casual suit. Although she is over forty years old, she has taken good care of herself over the years and exercises regularly, so she looks much younger than her peers.

"What brings you to Grandpa's place today?"

Laura sat on a single sofa in the center of the spacious living room, flipping through medical information on her phone. Turning to Rod, she said, "Your grandfather caught one of those things this morning, how could I not come and see?"

Rod then looked at his grandfather, who was sitting to the side sipping his wine.

Edgar laughed heartily, "Rhodes, something so fun and exciting this morning has to be shown off."

"I haven't felt this adrenaline rush since I came to Los Angeles!"

Edgar finished the last sip of his drink and chuckled. "But don't worry, I just told my family not to post it on TikTok or YouTube, just in case it causes trouble for your investigation."

Rod was about to pour himself a small glass, but when he picked up the glass and saw that it was high-proof whiskey, he remembered his 8.8 constitution attribute and silently put the glass down.

"That's good. This case went very smoothly. Before long, you'll be able to brag about it online."

After saying that, he glanced at his mother, Laura, who was looking down at her phone, and asked, "So, Mom, how have you been lately?"

Laura was taken aback when the topic suddenly turned to her. She paused for a moment and said, "There haven't been any major surgeries lately, and the days have just passed by in a flurry of activity."

It would be even better if one of the disobedient sons could at least listen to his parents' opinions.

Rod pretended not to hear the implication in her words, and the three of them started chatting.

At 8 p.m., Rod finished his dinner and prepared to go to the gym to work out.

Equipment that can improve physical attributes is hard to come by, but fortunately, the passive ability of the [Detective Badge] can increase the forging effect by 20%, so Rhodes' forging effect can be said to be twice as effective with half the effort.

Of course, one should train within one's limits, and Rhodes would start to rest when he felt he had reached his limit.

After all, the initial intention was to improve one's physical fitness, not to participate in bodybuilding competitions.

There were results; after a month of consistent training and abstinence, my physical attributes improved by 0.1.

Constitution: 8.9 (+1)

......

The next morning, Rod parked his car in the parking lot.

The second floor is in front of the Sixth Team of the Murder and Robbery Division.

Rod walked into the office feeling refreshed.

"Good morning, Jackson. Want some coffee as soon as you get here?"

"Shit, man! How come you're so cool?"

Jackson held a sandwich in one hand and a coffee in the other, looking haggard. It was clear he had worked late into the night, but thankfully his dark skin concealed the dark circles under his eyes from staying up all night.

"So, was last night's overtime work productive?"

"Don't even mention it. I should have left much earlier last night."

"What's wrong?"

"We have another suspect."

Rod's well-rested brain was sharp, and he immediately realized what Jackson was saying.

"So, the person who rented the car isn't the same person as the one on the security camera?"

"Yep, we now have at least two suspects."

Rod instinctively reached for the file folder on the table and asked, "Can you confirm that there is indeed suspicion?"

Jackson didn't answer, wolfed down his sandwich, poured himself another cup of coffee, and then said, "You'll find out soon enough. I reckon the prize money is in jeopardy."

"So you worked so hard last night just for this bonus?" Rod said with a smile.

"What else? Because I love my job?"

After a while, everyone arrived, and Connor appeared at the meeting room door at the opportune moment.

"Everyone, get ready, come in for the meeting."

Interestingly, every time Rod met Captain Connor, his opening line was always something like, "Get ready," or "Meeting."

"Evan, tell me what information we have so far."

Evan, with his full head of white hair, finished his coffee and, unusually, projected the documents onto the screen in front of everyone.

Then an Asian male's face appeared on the big screen.

Evan pointed to the suspect, whose eyes were slightly fierce and whose face was fat and big, and said in a deep voice, "This is the suspect who helped Park Yoon-chan out in the bar's surveillance footage, Kim Soong-kwang."

The Korean-American has multiple criminal records, including multiple thefts, simple assault, and drunk driving.