Jimmy wasn't a native-born American and had never attended such a barbecue gathering before. He arrived much too early. Normally, if no specific time is given, the host would prepare the ingredients and grill in the afternoon, and the guests would come around evening. However, Jimmy arrived just after 1 PM, so Frank could only chat with him while continuing his preparations.

Jimmy insisted Frank go about his business, and he lay down under the parasol, soon falling asleep. Being a police officer was actually very exhausting, especially because one needed to be on high alert during duty. It was all too common for accidents to occur while on duty in the United States, leading to injuries or even death if one wasn't careful.

Once Frank noticed Jimmy was asleep, he didn't bother him anymore. He went back to the kitchen to start organizing the materials for the barbecue.

When Jimmy woke up, it was already two hours later. It was still spring, and the temperature was moderate. Half-awake, Jimmy opened his eyes and took in his surroundings before he remembered he wasn't at home, but visiting at Frank's.

Only someone like Jimmy could be so carefree as to fall asleep while visiting someone else's home. It was quite impolite. Jimmy got up just in time to see Frank carrying ingredients to the backyard. He walked over to help and placed some next to the grill.

"Sorry about that, Frank. I've been a bit overworked lately," Jimmy said.

"No problem. It looks like being a police officer isn't an easy job, huh?"

"Yeah, with twelve hours of patrol every day, it does get tiring. But there's no helping it. The county police department is short-staffed, so we can't arrange many shifts. Have your friends arrived?"

"They should be here soon. I'll go check out front."

Frank walked into the house and went to the front. After a while, he came back with an old man.

Jimmy recognized him immediately. Ah, that ranger he'd met on the road a few days ago in the park.

"Hi, Jimmy. This is Pat, Pat Bright. Pat, this is Jimmy, Jimmy Yang, from Plaskey County police," introduced Frank.

"Hi, Pat. Nice to meet you. Hope the cargo I transported the other day was all good," Jimmy said.

"Of course, and thanks for the heads-up. Much appreciated," Pat replied.

As Frank returned to the house, Jimmy and Pat sorted the ingredients, getting ready to start grilling.

"So, Pat, is Dieci Mountain fun? I've never been there," Jimmy made small talk with Pat.

"Sure is. Whether you're camping or hiking, it's great. Just be careful of the wild boars in the depths of the woods," Pat answered.

"How long have you been a ranger?" Jimmy asked.

"Been a while. I'm getting on in years, couldn't keep doing my old job, so had to find something less demanding," Pat explained.

"Are there many of you? I mean, rangers," inquired Jimmy.

"No, funding's tight. There are only a few of us rangers managing tens of square kilometers of forest. Really, it's mostly about giving directions to people and the occasional patrol," Pat explained.

"That's not bad, quite relaxing," Jimmy remarked, uncertain of what to say next. They chatted sporadically while they arranged the meat and vegetables, skewering them on rods. Frank had already marinated everything, so they just needed to get things ready for later.

Frank brought over four or five people.

"Jimmy, these guys are my neighbors, they all came over," said Frank.

Jimmy glanced at them. Right, the surrounding neighbors, he had visited once or twice before, and he had some memories of these people. Everyone greeted each other.

It was normal for these people to remember Jimmy—as the county police officer responsible for this area, there were only four officers in total, and recently it had always been this Asian guy. As long as they had seen him once, they were likely not to forget him quickly.

For these rural areas in the United States, where people seldom see many others, a village might only have a couple of hundred residents; everyone was familiar due to the constant contact.

Everyone was busy lending a hand as they started the barbecue, chatting with beers in hand while flipping the food. People in the South are generally warm, and they didn't show any bias against Jimmy Yang, who they had only met a few times, quickly pulling him into the conversation.

Frank was in the midst of everything when suddenly his phone rang. After answering the call, he stepped outside, returning with an additional person.

Jimmy looked up and was stunned for a moment—Stallone. He definitely recognized him; Stallone was the epitome of a tough guy in the movies he had grown up watching. The Stallone in front of him looked to be around 50, much younger compared to his appearance in "The Expendables" that came later.

Without any introductions, Frank took Stallone aside, grabbed two beers, and started chatting. There were many people in the backyard, and it was hard to make out what they were discussing.

Jimmy nudged Pat Bright and gestured towards Frank and the other man's location. Pat took a look and said to Jimmy, "That's Barney, an old friend of Frank's. I haven't seen him in a long time either. Come on, let's keep drinking."

Jimmy clinked his beer bottle with Pat's and took a sip. That's when his phone also began to ring.

"Chief James, what's the matter?"

"Jimmy, come to the station immediately, bring your gear, there's an urgent task."

"What about the others?"

"I've already notified Cage and the rest, they are on their way back."

"Okay, I'll head to the station right now."

Jimmy ended the call, not bothering about Frank's conversation, and walked straight over.

"Hi, Frank, there's something at the station, I need to rush back, sorry, I can only stay until here today."

"Alright, go ahead if there's an issue. We'll call you for the next event."

Jimmy waved goodbye and then left to drive back to the station.

Half an hour later, Jimmy returned to the station, where his squad had already arrived, and he saw a man wearing an FBI bullet-proof vest.

"Now let's have the FBI agent explain the situation."

The FBI agent took out two photos, one of a young Mexican-American who was a bit overweight with black, slightly curly hair—the height was not discernible. The other photo showed a white Ford F150 pickup truck.

"Three days ago, a murder occurred in Memphis, Tennessee. 18-year-old Johnny Santiago killed his biological father and fled in a Ford F150.

The last footage Memphis's surveillance cameras captured of him showed he was fleeing westward. From investigations along his route, we believe Johnny has not yet left Little Rock.

LRPD has already been notified, and I am now requesting county police to patrol around Little Rock, look out for this suspect, and report immediately if spotted.

Be advised, the suspect is armed with at least one handgun and an M14 rifle, both of which belonged to his father and are missing from his home. We suspect he is carrying them.

The suspect's father was a police officer who served for ten years. According to testimonies, the suspect has been practicing shooting with his father since childhood. Treat him as a high-risk suspect; he may be very accurate with a firearm. Everyone, be careful."

The FBI agent took out several pictures from a bag and distributed them to Jimmy and his colleagues, then pulled out a map to start assigning areas.

Chief James looked around after everyone had received their photos, "Ladies and gentlemen, you are dealing with an armed murder suspect. Your safety is paramount. Report immediately upon spotting the suspect. There's a large number of our brothers around the city, ready to provide backup swiftly. Everyone must retrieve an M16 for protection; a shotgun is no match for an M14. Especially you, Jimmy, you know what I'm saying."

"Yes, sir!"

Jimmy headed to the locker room to change into his uniform and gear, picked up the patrol equipment, and left. The others dispersed to their respective assigned areas.