Hughes nodded, and Ruiz seemed reluctant to let Jimmy go; these people were all the same, of course, they didn't want to let go of someone useful.

Hughes: "Yeah, I understand. Let's leave it at that for now."

Ruiz nodded, stood up to leave, but stopped at the door, turned around and asked, "Hughes, how's the OPR investigation going?"

Hughes: "No problems, the source of funds is normal; we've already verified it. However, they still have some different opinions, you know, Jimmy has killed too many people, and now OPR is considering whether to have a psychological expert get involved, to assess whether he is suitable to stay in the elite squad."

Ruiz frowned, "They want to send him to the support team?"

Hughes nodded and said nothing more. Ruiz turned his head and left Hughes' office, headed downstairs to go home.

Jimmy was completely unaware of the conversation between Hughes and the others; he had always thought the OPR was investigating him because of the killings, but in fact, it was his case that initially attracted OPR's attention. However, killing was not unacceptable; the FBI had a high degree of freedom when handling cases, and it was normal for them to kill suspects when danger arose in order to protect themselves or their colleagues.

Nevertheless, while examining Jimmy's file, OPR unexpectedly found an abnormally large amount of funds in Jimmy's account. For a trainee officer, an orphan with no relatives, having several hundred thousand US dollars in his account was already very suspicious. Coupled with the fact that he had just started working at the FBI, it inevitably led them to suspect something was wrong with the funds.

Taking this as a reason, OPR persuaded Hughes to use Jimmy's killing spree as a pretext to put him on administrative leave, facilitating their further investigation. Of course, to make the whole process seem legitimate, they still inquired with Ruiz, Peter, and the others in the team.

Through its connections, OPR successfully traced Jimmy's company and his patents. Although the company was now controlled by a firm registered in the Cayman Islands, this was a normal situation, as many such American companies use this method to evade taxes and handle funds.

Most importantly, they found the timing of Jimmy's early patent applications and the schedule for the Plaskey County Police Department's tender for the new police lights. Although they didn't find out how many companies Jimmy's firm had specifically licensed to manufacture these lights, and since his company was not publicly traded, there was no need to disclose such information. But based on the information they had obtained, the funds in Jimmy's account were completely legitimate income.

However, for OPR, conducting such a high-profile investigation of an officer, only to find this result, made their report look awkward, hence the earlier statement by Hughes. They also had Jimmy's complete file and had people assess Jimmy, judging that he was more suited for a different position rather than staying with the elite squad.

After resting for a night, Jimmy received a call from Ruiz first thing the next morning. Hughes had asked him to inform Jimmy that the OPR investigation had not yet concluded and that Jimmy should continue his leave.

Jimmy was completely stunned; an investigation on a mere trainee officer had lasted for nearly a week and it still hadn't ended? What big issue had occurred?

Jimmy had an appointment with the real estate agent today. Depending on the bureau's contacts, the agent was very attentive, finding several nice properties within Jimmy's budget. After Jimmy looked over the photos and information, they would go and verify the details of the houses Jimmy selected, as these properties hadn't been prepared in advance but were obtained through connections, so the specific content was unclear, and it wouldn't be possible to proceed with the house buying payment process without confirmation.

As this was Jimmy's first time buying a house, he was completely following the agent's instructions. Other than confirming the house and waiting for the arrangement of a site inspection, he had no idea what else needed to be done—it was like being a puppet on strings.

After sorting out these personal affairs, Jimmy suddenly found himself with free time. He should have been able to return to work after a week's vacation, but now he'd been told to extend his leave. The purchasing upgrade plan had also been put on hold due to the house buying, and although the anomaly at the Romany villa hadn't been dealt with, the scene had been cordoned off by the police, so he couldn't continue the investigation. The knowledge of the supernatural he had acquired from Evan was also of no use at the moment, especially since he was still unsure whether his gun could be used.

Is it time to go look for Roland? Roland is the real expert in the paranormal that Jimmy knows. Maybe he could clear up some of Jimmy's confusion, and also ask Roland how he uses guns to kill demons.

Jimmy didn't have Roland's phone number, although he had visited a few times, he wasn't actually that familiar with Roland. Up to now, apart from face-to-face conversations, he didn't even have any contact information. That's why he had to connect with Priest Royte before when he wanted to learn about the paranormal. Moreover, New York is in the Northeast of the United States, while Texas is in the Southwest; the distance was simply too great, so he didn't consider seeking out Roland at that time.

Now that he himself was under investigation, he should have enough time to make the trip. After all, Ruiz hadn't mentioned how long he needed to take a vacation.

And so, off he went. Jimmy quickly packed a bag at home, changed into casual wear, left the house, hailed a cab, and headed straight to John F. Kennedy Airport.

Jimmy's spur-of-the-moment trips meant there was no need to buy tickets in advance. As an FBI agent carrying a weapon, he had to check in at the counter, and could just buy a ticket for the next available flight. He didn't need to be picky.

As mentioned before, FBI agents, whether on official business or vacation travel, always carry weapons. TSA also preferred that they keep their guns on flights or other transport to prevent crime when unexpected situations arose, which could be challenging without firearms. This regulation applied only to federal agents. For local police officers, they needed to declare and await approval depending on whether it was official business or not.

Upon arriving at the airport, Jimmy successfully checked in and waited for a flight that was one and a half hours away. There was no helping it; the next few flights were fully booked. Nearly a year had passed, and people's fear of flying had dissipated. It was normal for flights to be full, and sometimes there would even be multiple passengers assigned the same seat, which would be resolved by adjusting flights or upgrading tickets.

Jimmy was not in the mood to be cramped and purchased a first-class ticket. The crowded experience in economy class was something he really didn't want to go through again.

Jimmy didn't head directly to the waiting area, but instead stepped out of the airport to smoke and pass the time. Before he could finish his cigarette, it seemed like something had happened inside. Jimmy turned to look; many people were running—it was definitely an incident.

Jimmy didn't rush inside. With airport police and security at hand, they would handle any trouble. If the situation really escalated, he could go in later. Since he had a long wait for his flight, he treated it like watching a movie.

After about fifteen minutes, from outside, order seemed to have been restored. The earlier scattered crowd started heading back in. Jimmy tossed his second cigarette butt, turned, and re-entered the airport to board the flight to Dallas.

After spending a night in Dallas, Jimmy rented a car and drove to Roland's house.

Jimmy was lucky today; it seemed Roland was home. Before reaching the cabin, he saw that Roland's front door was open. Jimmy parked the car, and Roland had already come out from inside the cabin.

Roland, "Jimmy, what brings you here?"

Jimmy, "Hey, Roland, long time no see." Jimmy came into the house with a bag and handed it to Roland, "I've started working in New York, I haven't seen you for a while and just wanted to visit."

The bag contained a bottle of Hennessy XO Cognac. Although Jimmy wasn't sure if Roland would like it, he didn't know what else to bring and just followed convention. The idea to bring liquor only came to him last night at the hotel, and he bought a bottle from a nearby wine shop when he rented the car in the morning.

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