America: The Gear-Up Detective

When the body was discovered, none of them examined it closely.

Now we see several agents from the technical department completely opening the suitcases and cutting open the two bodies that were wrapped in layers of plastic bags and cling film.

The body was carefully removed and placed on a large, cleaned evidence bag.

A foul stench hit us.

Several people, wearing masks, stood not far from the evidence bag, observing the two corpses.

Most of the body's muscle and fat had turned into a foul-smelling liquid paste, and the white bones were visible at the joints. White maggots crawled around on the body, devouring the little soft tissue that remained.

Rhodes thought he was almost used to this kind of scene, but seeing this still made him feel nauseous.

Having barely managed to suppress her urge to vomit, Lucy, bursting with curiosity but with questionable mental fortitude, glanced at the scene and couldn't help but gag again before running out of the cordon.

To distract himself, Rhodes began to analyze the condition of the two corpses.

"The weather near the port is hot and humid, and it's even more stifling inside the containers. The two bodies are in a much worse state of decomposition than we thought."

Beside him, Hank nodded after hearing what Rhodes said. "Let's send it to the forensic doctor for an autopsy. We don't even know the identity of the body yet, so we'll probably be busy for a while."

The clothes worn by the two corpses appeared to be pajamas, but they were now completely decomposed.

Apart from that, there were no other obvious signs, let alone any identification documents.

Next, the officers in charge preserved the cut plastic bags, cling film, and the two suitcases containing the body, sealing them to ensure their safekeeping, as they might contain fingerprints or other evidence.

Rhodes shook his head, stopped looking, and turned to leave.

Once inside the car, Rod slumped into the driver's seat, rubbing his throbbing temples.

These past few hours have undoubtedly been the most intense and exciting half-day that Rod has experienced in months.

From Jackson's disappearance to the discovery of clues and his rescue, only four hours had passed.

My physical condition is fine, but I've been mentally tense the whole time. I only feel tired now that I've relaxed a little.

Rod shook his head, forcibly banishing the image of the corpse from his mind, and then remembered that he had shot and killed another criminal today.

According to police regulations, he will now be subject to an investigation by the FID.

Fortunately, there was clear body camera footage this time, and Jackson fired his gun not only with the authorization of Captain Connor, but also because he was in a dangerous situation at the time, so the investigation is not in much trouble.

The key issue is administrative leave; I wonder how many days I'll get this time?

Generally, police officers who fire shots will take one to two weeks of leave.

But the Murder and Robbery Division is arguably one of the busiest departments in the police department. Now that Jackson is gone from Team Six, Connor probably wouldn't agree to take another week or two off.

Sure enough, just as Rod was thinking about it, Connor's message came through.

"Regarding the shooting incident, it's not a big problem. I'll report it to the chief. You're on leave today. Remember to come to work on Monday."

Then he added, "The team is short-staffed, so you'll have to work overtime next week."

Rhodes objected, saying, "If administrative leave doesn't allow people to take leave, then what was the point of firing that gun?"

Originally, Rhodes wanted to refuse Connor outright, but for some reason, the image of those two short, thin corpses resurfaced in his mind.

Rhodes sighed. "Fine, I'll just consider it working overtime to complete the system task. The sooner I finish, the sooner I can get the reward!"

Reply to Connor, "ok..."

I glanced at the time; it was almost one o'clock.

Rod has been up since early morning and hasn't had a drink of water except for a simple breakfast. Now that he's calmed down, his hunger is becoming more and more obvious.

But recalling the scene from earlier, I lost my appetite.

After sitting for a while, Rhode silently said to himself, "Activate [Equipment Information]".

[Equipment information is now available...]

Congratulations, you have received equipment information.

[This information pertains to equipment appearance: semi-transparent protective film.]

"?"

"What does it mean?

You better open the equipment for me!

What does this information count as?

Looking at the utterly nonsensical equipment information, Rhodes said angrily, "A semi-transparent protective film? Why isn't it the shroud from before?!"

The information provided is too broad; it's almost impossible to find the equipment based on just this one piece of information.

"It seems we'll have to rely on the equipment information from subsequent quests to synthesize more specific information."

Fortunately, this information came from a blind box, so Rhodes treated it as a reward for a new equipment slot, so it wasn't a loss.

After being distracted by the system, Rhodes regained his appetite. After thinking for a moment, Rhodes drove directly to Enzo's hot dog stand and bought two hot dogs.

At the hot dog stand, Rod unexpectedly spotted Daniel, the homeless child he had helped a few weeks earlier. (Chapter 35)

Daniel was helping to pack up the ingredients and utensils at Enzo's hot dog stand.

Seeing Daniel, who was sweating profusely but had a happy smile on his face, Rod's mood improved considerably.

"That night, he came to me with your business card to buy a hot dog." Enzo, who was wearing gloves and stirring onions, followed Rod's gaze and said with a smile, "I chatted with him for a bit, and after learning about his situation, I kept him here."

With meals and accommodation provided, at least I have a place to go.

From what I've observed over this period, he's quite good; a diligent and hardworking young man.

Rhodes jokingly reminded Enzo, "Be careful someone reports you for employing child laborers."

Enzo laughed heartily, understanding Rhodes's meaning, and jokingly replied, "I don't pay him a salary, so what kind of employee am I?"

The two looked at each other and smiled.

......

After eating two incredibly calorie hot dogs, Rod was momentarily at a loss for what to do next.

Connor gave himself an extra half-day off, and Rod didn't want to go back to the police station either.

I just finished eating, but I don't feel like going to the gym to work out.

After thinking it over, Rod still contacted Liu Qingxi.

These past few days, Liu Qingxi said that UCLA is organizing a concert, and she is in charge of performing one of the violin pieces. She has been rehearsing recently, and even the frequency of contacting Rhodes has decreased.

Fortunately, this time, after Rod contacted her, she had just finished rehearsals.

The two are currently in a stage where both are interested in each other, but neither of them is the first to make the first move.

Rhodes felt that the atmosphere between the two was pretty good right now, and at least in the short term, he wouldn't take the initiative to break the ice.

Not long after, Luo De received Liu Qingxi, who had just finished rehearsing.

The two first returned to Liu Qingxi's apartment at the Plaza La Reina Hotel.

Liu Qingxi doesn't plan to go back to her old dormitory at school. Living there always reminds her of Evelyn, who has passed away, and stirs up sad emotions.

Fortunately, I had a good time living here during that period, so I decided to stay for a longer period and paid six months' rent upfront.

The rent for this hotel apartment wasn't cheap. Although Rod had known for a long time that Liu Qingxi's family was well-off, he was still surprised.

Back at the hotel, Liu Qingxi wanted to take a shower and change her clothes.

Rhodes stood in the living room, sitting on the sofa. A faint fragrance wafted into his nostrils, and Rhodes inexplicably remembered his equipment information: [Appearance Information: Semi-transparent protective film].

The last time I obtained that [Clown Card] equipment, it was when I went to the library with Liu Qingxi that she helped me find it, and the equipment skill [Bewitchment] is currently the best equipment skill for Rhodes.

I wonder if she'll bring herself good luck again this time?