Reborn: The Rookie Detective

"I suddenly understand why Tim was so content with his patrol job," Angela said softly. Jack could only offer a bitter smile. As the saying goes, there's no perfect solution. Sometimes this isn't limited to matters of the heart; police officers also face difficult choices when the suspect and victim are switched places.

From the moment he discovered the case stemmed from illegal drugs, driven by the morbid vengeance of a drug addict from his past life, Jack had lost all sympathy and pity for the so-called victim. Now, he realized he had completely ignored the feelings of the deceased's parents.

Whether it was Mrs. Christine's tragic fate or Matt Christine's efforts to save her son, these poor parents were innocent victims in the entire case.

Even if Matt concealed his son's drug addiction from the police, it now seemed to be motivated by revenge; as a father, he had done everything in his power.

At that moment, Commander Grey's voice came from behind them.

"How's your investigation going?"

"We're pretty sure Matt was behind Bruno's attack, but we don't know if he recognized Bruno's other accomplice."

"Keep a close eye on him. Here are Bruno's phone call logs; check them, they should yield some results."

Angela nodded. "I had the intelligence department install a tracker on Matt's car. Nyla and Nolan will be responsible for tracking and reporting his movements."

Jack took the files from Commander Grey.

"I'll investigate these phone numbers."

There weren't many numbers on the logs, and Jack quickly made a discovery.

"Tony Craig, that should be Bruno's accomplice. The two had frequent contact before the burglary, and he has a bunch of minor offenses, mostly related to illegal drugs."

"The address?" Angela asked quickly.

"An apartment near Century City."

"Damn it." Angela looked extremely annoyed. "Nyla and the others just reported to command that they'd lost track of Matt. He abandoned his car in the underground parking garage of a shopping mall near Century City, and he's nowhere to be found."

"I'll send them the address and tell them to go directly there. We'll go talk to Mrs. Christine."

Jack hurriedly got up, and he and Angela drove to Christine's villa.

"Do you think we should stop Matt's revenge?"

The atmosphere in the car was somewhat heavy, and Angela finally broke the silence after a long while.

Jack remained silent for a long time before saying in a muffled voice, "I've thought about it for a long time. If we let Matt take revenge, it might be an even bigger mistake."

Angela looked puzzled, waiting for him to continue.

"Mrs. Christine — she was assaulted and lost her son. What if she loses her husband too…"

"Matt is only guilty of second-degree murder at most. They're wealthy. If they hire a good lawyer and get the jury's sympathy, they'll likely get a light sentence. He'll still have a chance to care for his wife and let time heal everything."

Angela's eyes lit up: "You mean we have to stop him!"

Jack nodded. "Although I'm reluctant to admit I'm being hypocritical, I think this family's ordeal is tragic enough. If it were me, I might choose perfect revenge, but this family might have a better option."

Angela wasn't one to mince words: "Okay, let's do our best for Mrs. Christine's sake, and leave the rest to God."

The two quickly arrived at the villa from yesterday, ringing the doorbell repeatedly but receiving no answer.

Jack was alarmed and dialed Mrs. Christine's number on his phone, but after a few rings, it went to voicemail.

Both of them looked rather grim. Jack hesitated for a moment and asked, "Go in and check? I suspect Mrs. Christine's life is threatened."

Angela rolled her eyes in annoyance. Although there was no search warrant, now was not the time to hesitate.

The two drew their pistols and went back to the small door from yesterday. Jack kicked it open and entered the villa with practiced ease.

"Damn it!"

The two found Mrs. Christine lying in the bathtub in the bathroom on the first floor. She was soaking in the warm water, with a deep wound on her wrist, the blood staining the entire tub.

"She's still breathing! Call 911."

Jack quickly cast a healing spell to maintain her vital signs. Fortunately, they found her in time, and the blood loss was not fatal.

"Wait, check her phone."

Angela picked up the phone on the bathroom cabinet, unlocked it with Mrs. Christine's fingerprint, and looked through the contents.

"Matt said he caught someone and is taking them to the factory to carry out his revenge. Mrs. Christine replied that she will go to hell to wait for them first."

"Them? Matt wants to die with Tony Craig!"

Jack was anxious and quickly took out his phone to contact Commander Grey.

"Does Matt own any factories? He might have taken the suspect there."

While putting Mrs. Christine in the ambulance, Commander Grey sent over the factory address he had found.

"We're closest; it'll only take us less than ten minutes."

Jack got into the car, turned on the siren, and floored the accelerator. The police car's tires screeched against the pavement as it turned and headed towards its destination.

Matt owned a medium-sized construction company; the so-called factory was a huge steel-beam structure filled with transport trucks and various construction vehicles.

When the two arrived, they saw Matt Christine standing on the hood of a large truck, pulling hard on a steel cable with a loop at one end.

"Matt, where's Craig?"

Angela raised her Glock, hesitated, and then pointed the gun back at the ground.

"He deserves to die. It's all over now, or about to be over."

Matt completely ignored the weapons in their hands, pulling the looped end of the cable to head height. His eyes, now mostly white, held only a death wish.

"Marilyn is alright. We arrived at your house in time to save her. She's receiving treatment at the Central Hospital now. Believe me, she needs you!"

Angela holstered her pistol. Not seeing Tony Craig around, she could only try to persuade Matt.

"That beast killed my son!" Matt trembled, securing the steel cable and gripping the noose.

Jack, standing nearby, also put away his Glock, but pulled out his Python revolver from under his arm. If he hadn't only had one system coin left, he would have leveled his pistol shooting skill to Master on the spot.

"The moment we saw my son's body in the bedroom, Marilyn and I died. The only motivation that kept us alive was revenge. Now that revenge has been taken, it should all end."

"The evidence is conclusive. Tony Craig will pay for his actions. You still have a family. Think of Marilyn; she needs you now!"

Angela watched helplessly as Matt put the steel cable around his neck, then turned around to see Jack holding the Python revolver, pointing it steadily at him.