"Jimmy, come over." Director James called out to Jimmy by the office door, then returned to his office.
Jimmy felt helpless; he had just planned to take off his gear and go for dinner, but a chat with the director probably meant he would end up starving. With a sense of resignation, Jimmy walked into the director's office.
James: "Jimmy, is everything over with the FBI? Is there any follow-up?"
Jimmy: "No, they've captured their target, which is why Agent Harten let me return."
James: "OK, tell me what you did."
Jimmy: "Not much. First, we got to an FBI stronghold, then the FBI agents installed surveillance cameras. After that, we just waited in the room. Today their target appeared, and I, with three FBI agents, set out and engaged in a gunfight with the target's men. In the end, we captured the target."
James: "That simple? How many were with the target?"
Jimmy: "Nine people, killed seven, captured two alive, the target and one of his men."
James: "OK, so how much did you do?"
Jimmy: "Not many. They were just a disorganized bunch. Only three were clearly ex-soldiers, and even then, they were from a place like India, not much of a challenge at all."
James: "I see. You may leave now, no need to be on duty today, go back and get some rest."
Jimmy: "Goodbye, Chief."
Now Jimmy didn't have to buy fast food; he went straight to the rest area, changed his clothes, and left, picking up something to eat on the way home to shower and change clothes.
As soon as Jimmy left, Director James took out his phone and made a call. Agent Harten, still arranging follow-up tasks at the villa, answered the phone.
James: "Hi, Agent Harten, I hope I'm not disturbing you."
Harten: "Director James, Jimmy has returned. Is there something else?"
James: "Yes, I just met with Jimmy, but I was hoping to hear from you about his performance in the past two days."
Harten: "Very good, I haven't seen such an outstanding young man in a long time."
James: "Oh, could you elaborate?"
Harten: "I can't disclose specifics, but he was the main force this time, practically doing everything."
James: "Oh, thanks, Agent Harten, I have no more questions, goodbye."
After hanging up, Director James reflected on Jimmy's words and compared them with Harten's. Alright, it seemed Jimmy indeed hadn't told the whole truth—the seven men who were killed were most likely taken down by Jimmy himself.
All of a sudden, Director James felt that such a young man might not stay here for long.
Director James took out a cigar box from the cabinet, picked out a cigar and a cigar cutter, and after preparing it, he started puffing away in his office.
After mulling it over for quite some time, Director James picked up the phone again, "Father Royte, do you have time tonight?"
Later, the director organized his office and stepped out of the police station.
Jimmy rested well that night. The operation was in collaboration with the FBI and not much related to the police department, so he didn't have to go through the usual procedures. Of course, administrative leave was definitely out of the question.
Actually, since Jimmy transferred to the Support Team, he has basically never enjoyed any administrative leave.
From the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the Prosecutor's office, all departments that had participated in the investigation of Jimmy's previous cases had completely lost interest in him. As long as the case was confirmed to have no issues, an inquiry meeting would be routinely held and concluded for Jimmy, and the traditional process requiring officers who had fired their weapons to take leave and await an investigation was abruptly halted for Jimmy; no one approved his leave.
In the previous cases, whether Jimmy shot and killed a suspect or injured a suspect for other officers to apprehend, Jimmy's reasons for shooting had always been entirely accepted by the investigative department.
After several months of interaction, departments under the county police down to the SWAT team in Little Rock City had all come to understand the role of tough guy Jimmy. As the cop with the darkest methods, Jimmy had successfully made a name for himself.
Strictly speaking, the Federation departments FBI and DEA, which had cooperated before, were also aware that there was a tough guy at the county police. This time when the FBI needed police support, they directly approached the headquarters of the county police.
The only good news was that, apart from industry insiders, the news about Jimmy hadn't leaked out yet—at least the fact that an officer of Chinese descent had killed more than a dozen criminals in a year hadn't been exposed. Otherwise, those reporters and paparazzi who are always looking for hot news would have turned Jimmy's life upside down by now.
Jimmy returned to the police station where he was waiting for his next assignment from the Support Team, he resumed his learning. He went to the community college for night school on his rest days and studied on his own the rest of the time—a routine he had been following since the second half of the previous year.
A few uneventful days passed, and just as Jimmy was about to start his rest days, Chief James gave him an address and told him to meet him there over the weekend.
Jimmy had great respect for Chief James. Tom once mentioned to him during a conversation that he owed his current life to the chief; otherwise, he might still be just a restaurant server, or even possibly a homeless person again.
On Saturday, Jimmy drove early in the morning to the address given by Chief James, which was a Catholic church in the suburbs.
At the church entrance, Jimmy met Chief James, who had arrived earlier. Beside the chief stood a middle-aged man dressed in black priest's attire.
James: "Jimmy, this is Father Royte. Father Royte, this is the Jimmy I told you about, the best kid in our police station."
"May the Lord bless you," Father Royte said only that much and then fell silent. Chief James gestured to Jimmy, and the two of them walked aside.
James: "Jimmy, you're going to participate in Holy Baptism in there. After it's over, I'll explain everything. Remember, don't say too much."
Jimmy: "Okay, James."
It was the weekend, and outside of the police station, Jimmy didn't continue to address him as Chief but simply called him by his first name.
Jimmy walked over to Father Royte, who turned and went back into the church, and Jimmy followed. Today was Saturday, and normally, congregants would come to the church to pray on Sundays, so the church was empty that day—of course, it was also possible that it had been arranged that way in advance.
Father Royte led Jimmy to the front of the church. He first said a prayer, then sprinkled Holy Water on Jimmy's forehead three times, and made a proclamation, thus completing what could be described as an even more abbreviated version of Holy Baptism. Afterward, all Father Royte had to do was to add Jimmy to the baptismal register, and Jimmy could then publicly claim to be a Catholic believer.
(The procedure of Holy Baptism can be found in videos online, but because it involves religious content, it is summarized in a few sentences here. It is not meant to disrespect the beliefs of some readers. Please forgive me.)
This Holy Baptism had only one spectator, James. When the ceremony was over, Father Royte turned and left the church hall through a side door.
James stood up and signaled for Jimmy. The two of them left the church and stood on the side of the entrance to chat.
James: "Jimmy, I'm sorry I didn't notify you in advance. I know you're an atheist, but you need this."
Jimmy: "I don't understand, James, why do I need to participate in Holy Baptism?"
James: "Jimmy, have you ever reflected on your actions over this past year during your time off? In just over a year, more than a dozen people have died at your hands. Even though you've refused the police station's offer of a psychologist, and you seem normal on the outside, there will always be rumors spreading about you."
James turned slightly and pointed to the church, "This is your best option, the confession booth of the church."
James patted Jimmy on the shoulder, "I know you may not truly believe in God, but without a doubt, the identity of a believer is the best amulet for your current situation. And once your status as a believer gets out, some of the previous issues will be much easier to handle."