Chapter 1: The Asian Police Officer
«This novel is purely fictional. If you're looking for realism and logic, this may not be the story for you. Just sit back, enjoy the ride, and have fun reading.»
Ring... Ring...
At exactly eight o'clock in the morning, the alarm clock rang on schedule.
A hand emerged from beneath the blanket and groped around the nightstand for several seconds before finally finding the noisy plastic device.
Wu Fan squinted and slapped the alarm off.
The date displayed on the screen read:
August 15, 2010.
An ordinary Sunday.
"Time to get up."
He muttered as he turned toward the woman sleeping beside him.
Karen Davies.
The blonde rose of the Atlanta Police Department.
At least, she had been a year ago.
Back then, she was a rookie officer with a model-like figure standing at 1.75 meters tall. Her smile alone was enough to distract every bachelor in the precinct.
Now, however, she lay sprawled across the bed, her blonde curls tangled across the pillow. A slight softness had appeared around her waist and abdomen, making her look more like a young landlady than the department's former beauty.
Out of habit, Wu Fan lightly patted her.
"Hey!"
Karen jolted awake and shot him an annoyed glare.
"What are you doing?"
"Making sure you don't end up late for work."
Wu Fan sat up and began getting dressed.
Karen stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before reluctantly throwing back the blanket.
Barefoot, she walked into the bathroom and turned on the faucet.
The sound of running water soon filled the apartment.
By the time Wu Fan had buttoned his shirt, Karen had already finished washing up and stepped back into the bedroom.
Black stockings.
A fitted office skirt.
Rimless glasses.
The outfit did an admirable job of concealing the changes in her figure.
Standing before the mirror, she skillfully gathered her hair and secured it with a clip.
Throughout the entire process, she never looked at him once.
Only when she was fully prepared to leave did she finally turn around.
Her expression was cold and professional.
"Thank you for staying with me one last night."
Her voice was calm and detached.
"Since we're breaking up, let's leave it at that. Please don't interfere with my life in the future."
With that, she walked toward the door.
The sharp clicking of her heels echoed through the apartment.
Wu Fan opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
In the end, however, he merely nodded.
Karen didn't look back.
She opened the door, stepped outside, and slammed it shut behind her.
Bang.
The apartment fell silent.
Wu Fan stood there for several seconds before letting out a bitter smile.
The same ending.
Again.
Thirty-one years old, yet his life seemed trapped in an endless cycle.
One girlfriend after another.
One breakup after another.
After nearly ten years of work, he was still stuck in an administrative position.
He had applied for citizenship in Xia eight times.
Rejected every single time.
The reasons never changed.
No immediate family.
No urgently needed technical expertise.
No record of major charitable contributions.
Sometimes he wondered what life would have been like if he had been born in Xia.
Unfortunately, there were no second chances.
No "what ifs."
He was simply an Asian man raised in Chinatown.
A Chinese-American who could neither return to the homeland he imagined nor fully belong to the country beneath his feet.
Forget it.
No point dwelling on it.
Wu Fan fastened his belt and gave himself one final glance in the mirror.
The man staring back possessed a lean, athletic build.
Defined muscles stretched beneath his shirt, showing none of the middle-aged weight gain common among many police officers.
Years of daily five-kilometer runs and regular gym sessions had ensured that.
In a profession fueled by donuts and hamburgers, he was an anomaly.
Perhaps that was why wealthy women and attractive young clients frequently left him their phone numbers after filing reports.
Grabbing his car keys, Wu Fan cast one last look around the apartment he had lived in for three years.
By tonight, all of Karen's belongings would be gone.
The place would finally belong to him alone.
That wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Downstairs, in the corner of the garage, sat a silver-gray Mercedes-Benz SLK.
A second-hand soft-top roadster.
Old, but meticulously maintained.
The car had been a gift from a wealthy woman the previous year.
She had called the police after suffering domestic abuse.
Wu Fan had handled her case.
Following her divorce, she insisted on giving him the car as thanks for "saving her life."
He had tried to refuse.
She wouldn't accept no for an answer.
Unfortunately, before he could properly thank her, her ex-husband sent her to meet God the very next night.
The Mercedes rolled out of the garage.
Warm Atlanta sunlight spilled across the windshield.
The weather was beautiful.
Wu Fan parked in the employee lot behind the police station and headed inside.
The moment he stepped through the front doors, he sensed something was wrong.
Phones rang nonstop.
Dispatchers shouted over one another.
Administrative staff who normally moved at a leisurely pace were now running through the hallways.
Files littered the floor.
No one bothered picking them up.
"What's going on?"
Wu Fan stopped a passing colleague.
"I have no idea!"
The young officer looked completely bewildered.
"The emergency calls haven't stopped since dawn! Reports of biting incidents, violent assaults, traffic collisions—everything imaginable! Dispatch is losing its mind. Every available officer has already been sent out!"
Wu Fan frowned.
In ten years of service, he had never witnessed anything like this.
"Hey, Wu!"
A familiar voice called from behind.
Turning around, he spotted Maddie.
She had just finished changing into her uniform.
Car keys dangled from one hand, while her face carried a mixture of irritation and excitement.
"You showed up at the perfect time."
She walked over.
"Head to the armory, grab a weapon, and come with me."
Wu Fan blinked.
"Me?"
He pointed at himself.
"I'm administrative staff."
"Not today."
Maddie shrugged.
"Orders came down from above. Everyone's being deployed. Something big is happening."
She grinned.
"Come on. Unless you'd rather get partnered with Dawn when she finds you."
Wu Fan shuddered.
That old woman was definitely not his type.
"Fine."
Without further argument, he headed toward the basement armory.