RBCT Chapter 63: Should I avoid his sharp edge?
Chapter 63: Should I avoid his sharp edge?
The police car departed from Claremont and arrived at the Grand Canyon Expressway in half an hour. The Colorado River was right next to the highway, and the car rushed down from the high ground.
It took another half hour to cross the canyon area, after which came the vast Mojave Desert. Only a few kilometers near the river had abundant green plants, and the deeper you went into the desert, the more desolate it became.
The police car continued driving along the edge of the mountains for half an hour, crossing the only man-made canal in the desert region, and arrived at Lano, a small town on the edge of the Los Angeles River.
At the end of the river lies Lake Los Angeles, more than 20 kilometers away, and beyond that is a desert stretching for hundreds of kilometers without any inhabitants, though there is an air force base in the desert.
Ethan Lee soon arrived in Lano and witnessed the town's scattered houses.
Before he even reached the police station in his area of responsibility, a car suddenly sped past at a speed that definitely exceeded the 80 kilometers per hour limit for desert roads.
"That's interesting, there's something to do right away."
Lee Ethan hurriedly started his Ford police car and gave chase; he might just win the lottery.
Perhaps noticing the police car following them, the speeding vehicle accelerated even faster, reaching 120, 130, until it broke down and came to a stop.
Lee Ethan opened his holster and got out of the car, instantly feeling the difference in climate from the west coast of Los Angeles.
It's 6 degrees colder than the west coast, and it's really windy.
When Li Yisen reached the car window, the driver, who was in his forties, already looked annoyed and asked...
"Hey cop, why are you chasing me?"
"Sir, please turn off the engine and show me your driver's license."
"ha?"
The man asked arrogantly.
"Hey kid, are you new here?"
Li Yisen frowned slightly; this was the first time he had ever seen such an arrogant prisoner.
"I'll say it one more time: show me your ID and then get off the bus."
"As expected, he's new here; otherwise, he wouldn't dare stop me, would he?"
"Is your identity very powerful?"
"You don't even know our Angry Dragon Gang? I'll give you my credentials today and see if you dare to copy their license."
Lee Ethan ignored the other party and issued a ticket directly, which shocked and angered the burly man. How dare he do that?
Just then, a police car pulled up, and a policeman in his fifties arrived.
"Wait a minute, you're the new guy, Ethan Lee, right?"
"I am."
The old policeman hurriedly stepped forward and said.
"My name is Mason Miles. I'm a veteran in the district. You're new here, so you don't know. We in the district will give face to people even for such small things."
"face?"
"certainly."
Amidst the burly man's mocking expression, the old policeman whispered something.
"This man is a gang member in Lake Los Angeles. His gang has hundreds of members. Unlike the city center, there is no police force here that can call for backup at any time. The nearest backup is 20 kilometers away. If we offend them and are retaliated against, everyone's life will be terrible."
Li Yisen was stunned; this was the first time he had ever heard of police officers fearing retaliation.
"Do they even dare to retaliate?"
"Of course they dare. There are hardly any surveillance cameras within a 20-kilometer radius at night, and even if there were, it wouldn't be of any use. Their retaliation would range from smashing the windows of their assigned area to the worst incident five years ago when their assigned police station was burned down, killing one of their colleagues."
"..."
"The burly man shouted."
"Old Mason, are you done yet?"
"Almost there, just a moment."
Mason Miles waved to the burly man and whispered again.
"If you want to live well here, you have to avoid getting close to people. There are gangsters, drug dealers, and some desperate criminals. I don't want to talk about it, but this is a lawless zone."
Li Yisen frowned; it was the first time he had ever heard anyone say to avoid the sharp edge of a criminal.
"You want me to avoid his sharp edge?"
"If you want a good life in the future, you must avoid it."
Lee Ethan patted his pistol.
"Why should I avoid it if I already have this?"
"With this, we don't need to avoid it, as it's in the city."
Lee Ethan pointed to his police badge.
"What about this one?"
It works during the day, but not at night.
Lee Ethan pointed to the police badge and the pistol.
"What about both of them combined?"
"You can be tough during the day, but it will be very painful at night, and you might even lose your life. The former stationmaster and a colleague lost their lives this way."
Lee Ethan almost laughed out of anger. Although it was infuriating, he could understand it, but this kind of police career was not what he wanted.
"No, I want them to avoid me from now on."
"Oh dear, why won't you listen to advice?"
Lee Ethan approached the burly man and handed him the ticket.
"A fine of 500 yuan and a deduction of 3 points."
"you....."
"Shut up, or I'll search your car."
In the end, the burly man didn't retaliate because the other party's body camera was pointed at him.
They have long had rules for dealing with police in desert areas: you absolutely cannot attack police during the day.
"Okay, very good, I recognize you now."
"It's good that you recognize me. My name is James Gray."
The car started and drove away, and Mason Miles, who was standing to the side, shook his head.
"Officer Ethan, you were too impulsive. Be careful these next few nights."
"rest assured."
Two police cars drove through the residential area one after the other, and there were very few young people to be seen. Even the local police station was just a dilapidated two-story building occupying 100 square meters.
Mason Myers explained.
"The police station is 50 years old; it's been there as long as I can remember."
The two men entered the police station, and Mason Myers introduced Lee Ethan to two other colleagues who had rushed back.
"Let me introduce you to my new colleague, Constable Ethan Lee."
"Second-level Constable Edward King, First-level Constable Brandon Clark."
Edward is a melancholic middle-aged man, probably in his thirties, while Brandon is about the same age as Lee Ethan, at most 25.
"Mason Miles said loudly."
"Ethan just gave the Angry Dragons a ticket. Everyone be careful tonight."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Brandon Clark let out a wail.
"No way, I don't want those guys to smash my windows."
Edward King didn't speak, but his expression was rather unpleasant; nobody wants to get entangled with troublesome gangsters.
Now, neither of the two colleagues was in the mood to chat with the new colleague, and they even felt a bit disgusted, so they went about their own business.
Li Yisen looked at the old policeman in front of him. He didn't think much of it, since logically he was the one who had caused trouble for his colleague.
Mason looked disappointed.
"There's nothing we can do about it. By the way, are you going to run for station manager soon?"
"Does the station manager still need to be elected?"
"Of course, if multiple officers recommend you, the higher-ups won't reject it. After all, senior officers generally don't come to this position. If you don't intend to run for office, you can recommend me. As a senior officer, I will definitely take good care of you."
Before fully understanding the situation, Li Yisen did not intend to provoke the other party.
"I'll consider it."
"It will definitely take time. By the way, are you planning to stay at the police station or move out? Actually, the rent for empty houses here is very cheap."
"I've already rented a house."
"Oh, okay, get some rest today and come back to work tomorrow. I'll show you around the town then."
"Thank you for your help."
"Remember, the Angry Dragon Gang might come looking for trouble tonight."
As night fell, a convoy of cars and motorcycles left Lake Los Angeles and headed straight for the town of Lano, 20 kilometers away.
Meanwhile, another vehicle also crossed the desert from the south and headed straight for Lano.