US police: outlaws

Chapter 68: Promotion to Acting Station Manager

Heavy rain blanketed much of California, with even desert regions experiencing torrential downpours, creating the illusion of a curtain of water hanging between heaven and earth.

Lee Ethan sat in the only office at the Lano police station, looking out the window. The desert weather was cold and windy; it was truly bizarre.

Suddenly, a figure knocked on the door; it was Officer Edward, Level 2.

"Come in."

"Station manager, a lawyer came to see you, claiming that the truck involved in the shootout the night before last was stolen by a biker gang, and the owner has evidence to prove it, demanding compensation from us."

"ha?"

Li Yisen was stunned for a moment. He felt that the lawyer who came was definitely a novice, or even a greenhorn.

According to the criminal activity exemption clause, any vehicle that is associated with criminal activity is exempt from liability.

Even if it really was stolen, it can be used as long as it appears at the scene of a gunfight. Neither insurance nor the government will compensate for it, which is why he was speechless when the lawyer appeared. It would be foolish to pay attention to such a person.

"Let him go and claim compensation from the insurance company, don't bother us."

"Yes."

Edward wasn't surprised; after being a policeman for so long, he'd seen all sorts of people.

The door closed, and Li Yisen looked at his old desk and couldn't help but sigh.

He got promoted. Although his bastard superiors wouldn't let him transfer back to the city, they gave him the position of acting station chief, until a police inspector, whose existence was still unknown, took office.

Logically speaking, a local law enforcement agency, regardless of its size, should have a police superintendent in charge. This is to ensure the legality of law enforcement procedures and the authority for cross-agency cooperation. A police inspector of a lower level is not allowed to lead such an agency.

Because only with the signature of a police commissioner can a helicopter be legally deployed and the National Guard contacted.

Don't underestimate the power of a police station with only four officers compared to a police superintendent managing hundreds of officers; in terms of promotion, superintendents in harsher areas have an easier time getting promoted.

The former station chief (patrol supervisor) was a police inspector who voluntarily transferred here with the intention of making great strides in cracking down on drug dealers, but ended up being cracked down on by the drug dealers themselves.

As the acting officer, Lee Ethan did not have these powers. He remained a second-level police officer and had to report any incidents or actions to the Clermont Police Department. Even when calling for other support, he had to notify the police department first and let them contact him.

Such temporary security positions are becoming increasingly common in today's society where public security funding is insufficient.

While Li Yisen was lost in thought, the phone suddenly rang. He picked it up and heard that it was the Emergency Management Bureau calling.

"The weather bureau has issued an orange alert (level 2), which may be upgraded to a red alert (level 1) in the future. Please inform residents to take precautions against possible flooding and stay away from the river."

"Rano Police Station received."

(Weather Bureau → Emergency Management Bureau → Local Police Station → Community Residents)

Ethan summoned three subordinates and ordered them to notify the residents. Edward and Brandon obeyed without hesitation, while only the old policeman Mason Miles looked listless.

Lee Esen waved.

"Mason, wait a minute."

"Station manager, did you need something?"

Li Yisen flashed a bright smile. He was very humble when he first arrived a few days ago, but now it's different; he's the stationmaster.

"You seem listless. Is there something wrong with your health? If you're really not feeling well, I can report it to my superiors, and they might allow you to retire early."

"..."

Mason Miles felt as if he had swallowed a can of surströmming, but he still answered anyway.

"Thank you for your concern, stationmaster. However, I am perfectly healthy and in high spirits, and can carry out the mission immediately."

The old policeman left quickly. If Li Yisen were to report that his health was failing, early retirement was unlikely; dismissal was the most probable outcome, and then Li Yisen's ways of making extra money would be gone.

Lee Ethan also patrolled the town in his car. Visibility was extremely low due to the heavy rain, and the Los Angeles River, which used to be so dry that its riverbed was exposed, had changed drastically.

What was once just a few branches a few meters wide has now become over a hundred meters wide, with the surging waters even overflowing the riverbed and rushing into the depths of the desert. Although the water is not deep, it is indeed very wide.

Such a contrasting scene made Lee Ethan experience the power of nature in the desert. The upper reaches of the Los Angeles River are the Los Angeles National Forest and Mount San Anthony, which stretch for hundreds of kilometers and receive abundant rainfall.

Li Yisen looked at the sky and decided that since the torrential rain was not going to stop anytime soon, he would schedule it for today.

...

As night fell, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle cut through the rain and headed west; it was Ethan Lee himself.

This time, he didn't choose the highway he came by, since it would pass through the small town of Feren, which has a population of 10,000 and is under surveillance.

Following the Los Angeles River to the Colorado River, and then rushing into the San Antonio Mountains, I saw very few people, let alone vehicles, along the way.

As they ventured deeper into the high-altitude mountains, the torrential rain gradually turned into heavy snow, and Li Yisen's mode of transportation changed to a Hummer. In this kind of weather, there were absolutely no tourists in the mountains.

Ethan Lee knew the way around San Antonio Mountain very well. The only thing to be careful of was landslides. Unfortunately, what he feared came to pass. As he passed the mountainside, a series of loud noises came from behind him.

"Rumble rumble rumble"

Ethan Lee could easily pinpoint the direction of the sound; it came from the mountain.

"Damn it, could it be an avalanche?"

In the heavy snow, he couldn't see his surroundings clearly, so he could only press the accelerator as hard as he could and move forward quickly.

"Rumble rumble rumble rumble"

The sound grew closer, and Li Yisen's car sped up, but even so, it was eventually hit by the quicksand, and the car involuntarily headed down the mountain.

Fortunately, the avalanche was already at its last gasp, and the vehicle eventually came to a stop with the snow just covering the windows.

At this moment, Lee Ethan's heart was pounding. He was more worried about the natural disaster than the gunfight. This was a disaster that no ordinary person could withstand. Fortunately, he was safe.

Lee Ethan retrieved the Hummer and climbed out of the avalanche area before summoning the Hummer again to continue on his way.

The damage to the car pained him; it was a luxury car worth 30 yuan.

It took Lee Ethan a full three hours to get from his doorstep to Clermont.

.

At midnight, Li Yisen switched back to his Harley-Davidson motorcycle and drove to the exit of the mountain, where the surging river water rushed into the city's sewers.

To the east is the research institute that Lee Ethan once attacked, which is now closed. To the west, on the hills, lies the Padua Hills, Clermont's most exclusive and affluent neighborhood.

The hillside community is the residential location that Li Yisen has always dreamed of. It not only has a high elevation and view, but also has scarce natural resources, such as private trails and forest landscapes, and the security is also very good.

However, today this community received an uninvited guest, and their disaster began.

Lee Ethan found a hilltop overlooking the community and took out the drone. He knew that Eric Frederick had activities in the city these days and would not usually leave, but he still wanted to confirm, even if it meant losing the drone.

The military drone staggered into the community in the pouring rain. Fortunately, security personnel were less patrolling due to the downpour, and both the community radar and the anti-drone radio frequency detectors were severely interfered with.

Soon, a familiar vehicle appeared in the blurry image; it was the target vehicle.

A clap of thunder sounded, and the rain poured down even harder.

Li Yisen took out some cloth from his backpack and built a simple rain shelter. Then, an M116 75mm howitzer appeared in the rain, its muzzle pointing down at the villa 600 meters away.

After fiddling with the angle for a while, Li Yisen then inserted the shell that had appeared out of nowhere into the cannon barrel.

"Eric Frederick, Serena misses you down there."

A fire rope device.

"Bang"

The sound of a cannon shot was masked by the rain, but the subsequent explosion could not be concealed, and the huge blast woke up the sleeping wealthy people around them.