Jimmy had to attend night school now, so his work hours were temporarily adjusted. He mostly worked day shifts for a while, which, of course, had a cost. His hours would be slightly extended.
The coursework at the community college was relatively simple, which wasn't too much of a problem for Jimmy. Because it was credit-based, there was no restriction on when he had to graduate.
This period was an excellent opportunity for Jimmy to recharge. Although his ID showed that Jimmy was 24 years old, he was actually only 20. For someone his age, memory and comprehension abilities were at their peak. The traditional Chinese emphasis on intensive study was also evident in Jimmy.
Among his classmates, none learned faster or better than Jimmy. Of course, the level of the community college night school was apparent to all, and being a head taller among dwarfs wasn't particularly glorious.
While working, Jimmy still needed to be fully equipped. If a dispatch call came in, he had to respond to emergencies immediately. This was serious business and couldn't be delayed.
For instance, Jimmy had already set off toward the north of North Little Rock. His patrol area used to be in the west of Little Rock. Across the Arkansas River, the city on the opposite side was called North Little Rock, which, along with Little Rock, was part of Plaskey County.
Jimmy hardly ever went to that area before, but now that his role had changed, his responsibilities extended over a much larger scope.
The case this time was again related to firearms. According to the dispatch center's report, two black youths were walking around a residential area brandishing guns. After the county police arrived, not only did the youths refuse to cooperate, but they also fired at the police and then fled.
The police arrived at the scene at different times. The suspects had already fired and run away when the first patrol car reached the scene. Later officers could barely manage to set up roadblocks around the area, but it wasn't enough—there were too few officers, and the residential area was too large.
Now, calling for backup was more like locking the barn door after the horse had bolted, and it was also hoping for the slim chance they might stumble upon the suspects.
The number of police cars at the scene kept increasing. A few officers from NLRPD also came over to help. The area was near the suburbs of Sherwood in North Little Rock, surrounded by various logistics warehouses and other buildings. If the two youths had escaped the encirclement, there was virtually no chance of finding them.
By the time Jimmy arrived, it was already half an hour later, and the officers on the scene had tightened the cordon. The targets were supposed to be within the two rows of houses between Roberta Ann Street and Dyson Street.
Jimmy got out of his car and joined in the search. There weren't many houses in this block, just a dozen or so in a row. Most of the houses here had front lawns without fences like wooden palisades, which was advantageous for the police search. (I've taken a couple of screenshots of similar environmental scenes from a map, for reference.)
Jimmy had also activated his Heart Eye early on, observing the situation inside the houses. As he used it more and more, the Heart Eye seemed to have upgraded. Not only had the distance increased slightly, but the detail of the lines had also improved. Large black blotches, which were common before, were now outlined more precisely, significantly enhancing the recognition rate.
Because the area wasn't large, they only divided a few officers to knock on doors and communicate with residents, making sure the two youths hadn't entered their homes before moving on to the next house.
Jimmy had it easier. He simply observed these houses along the roadside. Even though the Heart Eye could only see the front half of the houses, it was enough. With so many police outside, the residents were curious, and many watched from their doorways or windows.
Jimmy simply observed these people inside their homes. The way people gather for excitement compared to suspects watching the outside situation is entirely different in their movements and postures. Jimmy was looking for this kind of behavior—someone leaning and peeking around a door or window, acting sneakily—was most likely suspect.
Jimmy observed that there were no people in front of two houses, so he didn't exclude the possibility that the houses were empty. He didn't continue forward to search but waited there for the police following behind to knock on the doors and ask.
He was here for support, or to put it simply, he was the muscle. The task of knocking on doors and inquiring was something Jimmy was too lazy to do and he wouldn't compete for that kind of work.
Normally, the police wouldn't knock on doors and inquire like this, but the reason for such a commotion this time was entirely because those two black guys had opened fire directly at a police car.
Indeed, no one came out when the police knocked on the doors of these two houses. The police simply marked them and moved on to check the rest, and Jimmy followed suit. The marked houses would be double-checked after all the other houses had been searched; they wouldn't be abandoned outright.
The search continued forward, and after completing the whole street, there were only two houses without anyone inside, while the others appeared very normal. Then, they moved to the back street where a row of houses also needed to be checked.
Jimmy and the other officers were conducting the search when suddenly two black men ran out from one of the houses in the middle. They dashed across the street and into the back of a house in the opposite block. The officers spotted their targets, abandoned the street search, and charged after them.
During regular patrols and responses, officers always carried their Duty Belts and full gear, which weighed at least 7 kilograms. After an initial sprint, their pace would inevitably slow down. Just like that, they watched the two suspects disappear behind a house.
Fortunately, through the radio, they had already contacted nearby police and ascertained that the suspects had not escaped the cordon. All they had to do was continue the pursuit.
At this time, Jimmy's advantage was significant. Following the suspects' trail, he climbed over the fence and needed only to walk through the backyards to essentially check on both sides.
Jimmy began his search from the backyards along the route he had seen the suspects take. The backyards here were mostly open aside from some houses that had sheds or similar structures, with large expanses of lawns and flowers.
As he walked, he observed the surroundings and finally spotted the two men. They were hiding behind a pile of junk, which seemed to be a homeowner's old equipment and some discarded furniture piled up together, invisible from his angle.
Jimmy looked around at the environment, advanced a few meters, then turned around, raised his gun, and shouted, "Plaskey County Police, don't move, drop the weapons!"
When the other officers heard the shout, they quickly ran towards Jimmy's location.
One of the black suspects had his hands empty while the other was holding a black pistol. As Jimmy shouted, the man instantly raised the pistol towards Jimmy. With his quick reflexes and pre-aiming, Jimmy shot the suspect in the shoulder. The suspect's arm flailed, dropping the gun to the ground.
"Don't move, raise your hands. Don't move, raise your hands."
Jimmy shouted a few times, and the two suspects wisely raised their hands, though the injured one could only raise one arm.
The other officers arrived, aiming their guns at the two men, and then went over to handcuff them. They also took out evidence bags to collect the handgun and brought it onto the street.