You're a US police officer, what are you thinking about going back to the East for?

The Dodge Challenger's muffled engine whirred to a halt in the open-air parking lot of an old apartment building in South Seattle.

The community environment here isn't terrible, but it's definitely not livable.

The air was filled with the smell of marijuana and the stench of stale, fermenting garbage.

This is where PO-II (Police Officer-Second) Leon Vance lives.

Although police officers' salaries look decent on paper, and with overtime pay they can reach the middle class and live quite comfortably, that's only if you don't save any money.

If you want to accumulate a fortune enough to cross global borders in a place like Seattle where prices are skyrocketing, living in a place with a monthly rent of a few hundred dollars is a must.

Leon didn't get out of the car immediately. He habitually glanced around at the shadows to make sure there were no drug addicts waiting to rob him before locking the car and hurrying upstairs.

Pushing open the door, the furnishings inside were very simple.

There are no silly slogans like "Live, Love, Laugh" that Americans like.

The living room contained only a two-seater sofa bought from the IKEA discount section, a TV mounted on the wall, and a gun cabinet in the corner—the most valuable piece of furniture in the house.

Leon tossed the keys into the tray in the entryway, took off the tactical boots that made his feet numb, and went into the kitchen.

Since things have come to this, let's eat first.

He opened the refrigerator, reached for a carton of eggs, and saw the "$9.99" label on it. His lips twitched involuntarily.

"Ten dollars for a dozen eggs... Why not just rob a bank?"

While complaining, Leon carefully took out an egg.

Inflation in the US is outrageous. Cheap protein that was available just two years ago is now skyrocketing in price. Not to mention that damn tipping culture.

This morning he went to get fast food, and the ordering machine screen unexpectedly popped up with tip options of 18%, 20%, and 25%. The server stood next to him, staring at him with a look as if not paying would mean killing her whole family.

Leon shook his head, suppressing the urge to curse.

He skillfully lit the fire and moved the old-looking stainless steel soup pot on the stove to the flame.

Upon lifting the lid, a rich and complex sour aroma wafts out.

The pot contained a pool of dark red, viscous liquid, with clumps of unrecognizable vegetables, scraps of unknown meat, and a few pieces of potato churning inside.

This was a survival skill he learned in America from a student who had studied abroad in his previous life.

No matter what ingredients you buy, as long as they're edible, just chop them up and throw them in. Boil it once a day to sterilize it, and as long as you don't burn through the bottom of the pot, this soup can theoretically be reused indefinitely.

It saves money and time, but the only downside is that it doesn't look very appealing.

Lyon tossed a handful of discounted dried spaghetti into the pot, then cracked in the precious egg, watching the egg white quickly solidify in the red broth.

A police siren sounded outside the window; probably someone in the next block was running around naked after getting high.

Leon sighed, forcibly shutting down his rambling about prices and focusing his attention on the system interface.

"Never mind, let's take care of business first."

The 300 Justice Points gleamed enticingly in the upper right corner of the screen.

According to the system's point allocation rules, in the stage from 11 to 15, each attribute point requires 300 points. However, once you cross 15 and enter the range from 16 to 20, the price per point will directly soar to 400 points.

Most importantly, whenever an attribute reaches a multiple of 5 (such as 15 or 20), the body will experience a so-called "breakthrough enhancement," which is often much more significant than simply accumulating numerical values.

[Attribute Panel:]

Power: 15

Agility: 14

Physical condition: 14

Willpower: 16

"It only takes 300 points to go from Agility 14 to 15, and once you've used them all, you can break through. But..."

Leon's finger paused on the virtual screen for a moment, his gaze falling on the "Constitution" column.

"My constitution is also 14. It will take 300 points to upgrade it to 15."

If he were playing online games in the past, he would definitely pursue the ultimate agility, after all, speed is the ultimate weapon in martial arts.

But now...

"Let's focus on improving physical fitness."

"With this kind of daily diet of mixed stew broth with noodles, if I don't strengthen my digestive system, I'll die of sepsis or some other damn stomach disease sooner or later. Not to mention these damn American medical bills."

For Lyon, the fear of American hospitals was even greater than that of gangsters wielding UZIs.

[Confirmed consumption of 300 Justice Points, Constitution increased from 14 to 15.]

The moment the command was given, Leon's hand, which was holding the soup spoon, suddenly trembled.

A surge of heat suddenly erupted from the depths of my bone marrow, spreading rapidly down my spine to my limbs.

The back muscles that had been aching from wearing the tactical vest all morning were soothed by an invisible hand in that instant. All the fatigue, dryness, and even the lingering excitement from the morning's gunfight were completely washed away by this vitality.

[Physical fitness level reached 15, achieving a breakthrough:]

You will possess exceptional metabolic capacity, recovery speed, and resilience. Your circadian rhythm will also be enhanced, meaning you can maintain peak energy levels throughout the day even with only 4-5 hours of rest. Furthermore, your tolerance for poor-quality food and alcohol will be significantly increased.

Lyon closed his eyes, feeling the surging power within him.

He felt that even if he were hit by a car, he could probably just dust himself off, stand up, and spit on the ground.

However, a few seconds later, he suddenly opened his eyes, his expression becoming extremely interesting.

"Holy crap..."

His initial hunger disappeared.

It has completely disappeared.

Not only that, he now felt like he had just woken up naturally after sleeping for eight hours at the Hilton Hotel and then had a five-star buffet breakfast, his whole body brimming with the explosive power of "I can now take down an entire block with my bare hands".

He looked down at the pot of tomato noodle soup bubbling on the stove.

Looking back now, it just seems like a pot of porridge full of carbohydrates and low-quality protein.

He had no appetite at all; the feeling of fullness in his stomach even made him want to burp.

"Damn it, they added it too early!"

Lyon looked at the pot of noodles he had painstakingly cooked and felt a little disheartened.

"Isn't this the typical game mechanic where leveling up instantly restores full health and mana? And does a constitution breakthrough even have this kind of effect?"

Yes, since Leon's initial physique was already above ten points, this was his first physique breakthrough.

He's bursting with energy, his temples are throbbing, but the problem is—he's on vacation!

He's on paid administrative leave!

"In my current state, can I really stay at home?"

Leon scratched his head in frustration. "I feel like a husky locked in a cage, the kind that's just taken two pounds of stimulants! If I'd known that breaking through to the physique could restore me to full condition, I should have done it before the roll call meeting the day after tomorrow when I go back to work!"

Looking at the pot of boiled food in front of him, Lyon fell into deep self-doubt.

All he wanted now was to find something heavy to lift, or go out and practice his grappling skills on a few unlucky robbers, but Danfoss's instructions were still ringing in his ears:

"Don't go out fooling around, don't get caught doing anything wrong."

"Go to hell, America."