Police in America

Jack never expected to encounter two unconventional brothers like Chris and Braxton. After discovering the truth, they remained unfazed and devoured the entire pot of stew. From that day on, their farm started raising a dozen free-range pigs. To achieve the flavor Jack mentioned, they even taught themselves how to castrate the pigs. Fortunately, their farm was remote enough that they never intended to sell the pork, or they might have attracted the attention of animal rights activists.

After preparing the marinade, Jack couldn't hold back any longer. He jumped on the farm's electric three-wheeler and rushed off to join the Wolf brothers for some shooting practice.

Jack's approach to sniping would seem highly unscientific to most observers. Even a top marksman like Chris would have to start calculating bullet drop at distances beyond 200 yards when using a Barrett. On days with high wind speeds, he'd need to carefully account for wind drift at over 300 yards, and at even greater distances, factors like humidity and temperature had to be included in his calculations. At extreme distances, even the Coriolis effect—the Earth's rotation—would have to be considered.

Jack, however, had a system skill that enhanced his shooting accuracy. He relied entirely on instinct, consistently hitting head-sized targets at 1200 yards with ease. However, beyond 1200 yards, his hit rate would drop, becoming increasingly erratic and unpredictable, regardless of his first-shot accuracy.

On the other hand, Chris could maintain an 80-90% hit rate at a distance of one mile (1760 yards) once he successfully landed his first shot. Even if he missed initially, he could adjust the trajectory and maintain a similar accuracy. However, it would be nearly impossible for Chris to achieve a 100% first-shot hit rate at 1200 yards due to variables like changing wind directions and shooting conditions.

A good sniper, when shooting at extreme distances, still relies partly on luck. Simply put, once the skill is there, the rest is left to chance. But if the skill isn't up to par, no matter how lucky you are, you won't hit the target consistently. Of course, a super lucky shooter might be an exception.

Fortunately, Jack's acting skills were top-notch. By occasionally missing a few shots, he avoided arousing suspicion. Watching him scribble and calculate various data like Chris, he almost looked like a professional.

Of course, the quality of the firearm and ammunition also determined the upper limit of his skill enhancement. If Jack were to swap his current Barrett MK22 for a CheyTac M200, his 100% hit range might increase by another hundred or two hundred yards.

Good times always fly by. When Rossi and Professor Hubble returned with empty buckets, the big boys had no choice but to pack up and head home. After all, they couldn't leave everyone hungry after promising a feast. As night began to fall, Jack rushed back to the Wolf brothers' villa and dove into the kitchen to finish what he had started.

Having cooked European dishes for a long time, Jack decided to prepare Huaiyang cuisine this time. Considering the two older gentlemen's usual lack of appetite, the classic Squirrel Fish was absent from the table. However, the meal still included Huaiyang favorites like Crab Roe Meatballs, Wensi Tofu, and Boiled Dried Bean Curd Strips, along with the Wolf brothers' beloved braised stew.

Jack even went out of his way to order some yellow eel, which cost over $200 per pound, from a Chinese grocery store a week in advance to make an authentic dish called Soft-Shell Eel. Another hard-to-find ingredient was red yeast rice powder, a common seasoning in Ceres but sold as a health product in the U.S.

Jack never quite understood its supposed health benefits. To him, red yeast rice powder was simply an ancient natural food coloring, essential for making a local delicacy from his hometown.

Using the best pork belly, with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, Jack deboned and cut the meat into pieces, soaked it in cold water to remove the blood, then placed the red yeast rice powder in a cloth bag, steeped it in boiling water until fully dissolved, and discarded the cloth and rice residue. He boiled the meat with the red rice water for an hour to give it color, then took it out, cleaned it, and simmered it with spices like cinnamon and star anise, yellow wine, and soy sauce. Finally, he added a generous amount of rock sugar and reduced it over low heat.

This dish, which Jack used to eat every spring in his previous life, was called Soy Sauce Pork. It had a salty-sweet flavor and was rich but not greasy, similar to Cherry Pork but with a stronger aroma.

This was probably the most popular dish at the dinner table that day. The thick sauce was poured over rice, topped with a large piece of fatty yet lean soy sauce pork. When pressed lightly, the fat's oil seeped into the bright red rice, releasing a tantalizing aroma.

Humanity's innate craving for fat and carbohydrates found its ultimate satisfaction in this perfect combination.

Of course, the Wensi Tofu and Boiled Dried Bean Curd Strips, dishes that relied entirely on knife skills, also garnered unanimous praise from everyone.

Jack, worried that the big guys might not appreciate the subtleties of the Wensi Tofu, combined its preparation with the knife technique for Chrysanthemum Tofu and demonstrated it on the spot. Everyone watched as his knife moved swiftly on the cutting board with a rhythmic sound. Then, with great finesse, he placed the whole tofu into a clear broth made from ham and chicken, where it instantly bloomed into a chrysanthemum. Finally, he placed a goji berry in the center of the tofu, leaving everyone's mouths hanging open in an "O" shape.

"Is that magic? How did you do that?" Reid asked incredulously.

In the midst of everyone's amazement, Jack answered smugly, "I just killed the tofu while it wasn't paying attention so that it wouldn't break."

If it weren't for the unexpected twist at the end, this "team-building" dinner organized by Jack could have been considered the most perfect gathering ever.

As everyone was enjoying themselves, discussing whether to play a few rounds of mahjong or try out the novelty of shooting rats with air guns, Alya, the Native American girl, received a call from her hometown.

Seeing Alya burst into tears in Braxton's arms, everyone couldn't help but exchange glances. Although they hadn't known her long, this kind and beautiful Native American girl had left a good impression on them all. Especially Jiejie, who had become close friends with Alya in less than a day, as their personalities were very similar.

Listening to Alya's tearful and choked explanation of the phone call, everyone's mood turned somber.

The call came from Alya's father, Martin, informing his eldest daughter of some tragic news. Alya's younger sister, Natalie, had been found frozen to death in the wild that afternoon by a hunter.

Hearing Alya beg Braxton to take her home as soon as possible, Jack instinctively asked, "Alya, where exactly is your hometown, that reservation?"

"Wind River Ridge, Wind River Valley."

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