New York City is a city with distinct seasons, but even with spring just beginning, temperatures are still a bit chilly, barely staying above freezing at night and usually not exceeding 10 degrees Celsius during the day.
Those who are sensitive to the cold might still be wearing long johns, but most trees have already sprouted tiny green buds. Some of the more ardent trees, such as the cherry blossoms in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Central Park, are already eagerly filling their branches.
Hannah happily changed into her red and white witch costume and took a group of her friends to Silver Lake Park on Staten Island. The cherry blossoms there were also quite beautiful, perfect for photographing.
In the afternoon, they went to the Staten Island Botanic Garden's small Su-style garden for a cup of green tea. Jack said he had no regrets in life.
He had just been to Washington, D.C. a few days ago, and perhaps because of the warmth of a short absence, Zoe and Maureen were particularly welcoming, which had caused him to feel particularly "sage" these past few days.
As soon as Jack returned to the city, Jason Hayes and his entire family arrived in New York, accompanied by Clay Spencer, still recovering from his injuries, and his pregnant new wife, Stella. They were currently house-hunting on Staten Island.
With two previous windfalls, combined with a generous retirement and disability benefits, Clay could afford to settle in the New York area. Having prepared, Jack immediately recommended a neighborhood near Danny's home.
After all, the newlyweds were new to the city, especially Stella, who was still heavily pregnant. Danny's wife, Linda, enthusiastically offered to help in any way she could.
Jack only later learned that Linda wasn't actually a full-time housewife. She was a hospital nurse, but previously, due to her busy schedule with their two sons, she often only worked a few half-days a week.
Danny's family was a typical middle-class American family, but these days, life is tight. Of course, Linda didn't really need the income; she simply couldn't afford to be idle, possessing a stubborn, life-saving spirit.
This reminded Jack of the days during and after World War II, when American housewives scrambled to get jobs screwing screws in factories. Sadly, the golden age was long gone.
He'd considered trying to help out before; it was unbelievable that the son of a police chief would even feel bad about eating lobster, but there hadn't been a particularly good opportunity.
Danny was an NYPD detective, after all, and it was a bit much for Jack to drag him into this turf war. Frankly, if he really wanted to, he'd have plenty of opportunities; why would he let an FBI agent from Los Angeles drag him down?
Going somewhere else, or even abroad, like Mexico, would involve some risk and require the right opportunity. If that didn't work out, Jack planned to wait for Chris's company to go public and then give him some insider information so he could profit from the stock.
Clay's leg injury wasn't a big deal; the scar was impressive, but he'd been classified as disabled, and he still needed a cane to walk. However, the tough special forces soldier was actively undergoing rehabilitation, and his recovery was going very well, just as everyone had expected.
Jack had already arranged everything at Quantico through Rossi. Clay only had to report in a week, so he could transfer mid-term and become a full-fledged FBI field agent in three months.
Neither Jack nor Clay had ever considered the possibility of failing the FBI assessment.
Even though the guys on Team B often joked about Clay being the new guy, he was just the latest recruit, and despite his somewhat volatile personality, everyone knew he was the perfect candidate to succeed Jason.
And don't underestimate these SEALs as just muscled-up, simple-minded soldiers. Besides their exceptional physical prowess, their brains were equally exceptional. Those
who made it to the T1 level of special forces were no fools. They had to learn to operate various land, sea, and air vehicles, operate communications equipment, master various tactical theories, and be proficient in at least one foreign language.
Furthermore, they had to possess at least one technical specialty, whether it was weapons, engineering, communications, or medicine. For example, Clay's expertise lay in demolition and bomb disposal, but that didn't mean he was weak in other areas.
If measured by Jack's system skills, the difference between proficiency and mastery is simple. For people like Clay, their so-called non-specialty areas are themselves the equivalent of an elite soldier's expertise.
Such talent is naturally highly sought after by the FBI. Furthermore, Quantico training is primarily academic in the latter half, with tactical courses like physical fitness and marksmanship training taking place in the early stages. Therefore, Clay's inclusion in the program is primarily for the benefit of the others. His ability to teach the instructors at such a high level could easily undermine the confidence of other trainees.
Of course, according to Jack's requirements, after becoming a trainee agent, Clay must also take 560 hours of behavioral analysis theory courses to become a psychological behavior analyst.
That way, if the Most Wanted Unit ever disbanded or reorganized again, Jack could just bring Clay to the BAU. He'd be held responsible for getting someone into the FBI, unless Clay ever voluntarily quit. That was his motto.
After a busy and fulfilling weekend, Clay and Stella finally settled down. They bought a house on the same street as Danny's, halfway up the street, theirs at the end.
The house was less than five years old, barely new, and had barely been lived in since it was built and renovated. All they needed to do was buy some furniture and appliances and they could move right in. That was the benefit of having a local tycoon as a friend.
The NYPD was New York's biggest tycoon, their computers easily accessing a management system that registered all of New York's real estate. With a simple act of personal gain, Danny had solved a problem that would have been a headache for ordinary people.
Seeing how Jack and his friends had handled everything so well, Jason Hayes finally said goodbye. He still felt a certain amount of guilt towards Clay, but now he could finally put his mind at ease.
The night before his departure, the veteran, half drunk by Jack and Clay, confided in his heartfelt thoughts: he was considering retirement.
The U.S. military's officer and noncommissioned officer ranks are two separate promotion systems. For Jason, the veteran sergeant major, promotion through the officer ranks is now virtually impossible. In the
noncommissioned officer ranks, while his seniority is acceptable, it seems a bit lacking in connections. Five-star General McHather famously said in his retirement speech, "Old soldiers never die, they fade away."
This sentiment is also portrayed in literary works: veterans, accustomed to the ravages of battle, find the ultimate fate to fall to the last bullet before the battle ends, seemingly the ultimate romantic ending.
Considering that the five-star general personally orchestrated the "Washington Massacre" while serving as Army Chief of Staff, ordering tanks to crush the flesh and blood of veterans, the famous quote can be dismissed as nonsense. Not every veteran dreams of the kind of extreme romance depicted in literary works.
Therefore, Jason's worries about his future are understandable. He's financially secure, but starting to "enjoy" retirement in his early forties seems premature.
How veterans, accustomed to military life, relearn and adapt to ordinary life after leaving the military is a serious sociological issue.
The difficulty for American veterans reintegrating into society isn't solely due to substance abuse; the system governing veterans' transition to a full-time job isn't the only factor.
Jack can only offer some advice in the future, but strongly advises against Jason continuing with a PMC-style job after retirement. He could instead offer Jason a position like security supervisor.
After all, everyone wants to enjoy life. When society fails to provide veterans with adequate social status and respect, the best solution is to provide them with money and, at the same time, a position at a major corporation, thereby indirectly elevating their social status.
Jack is confident in Chris's company plan, which remains largely on paper. The only thing he lacks now is time.
He couldn't say he could build a Microsoft or Google if he could complete his plan before the big investors reacted, but he had a good chance of replicating the success of Tik Tok, and that wasn't an exaggeration.
After sending Jason Hayes away, Jack began preparing his deception plan again. Clay's left leg problem would have to be resolved sooner or later, but for now, at least a partial solution was needed to avoid significantly impacting his upcoming training at Quantico.
After a long debate between acupuncture and massage, Jack finally decided on acupuncture. Giving two mature women a massage in Washington was one thing, but giving a massage to a 200-pound man was just too much.
Everything went smoothly. That evening, Jack and Hannah said goodbye to Clay's new home and had just driven past Danny's when they received a call from Jubal. A homicide had just occurred in the Bronx; a traffic officer had been killed, and the NYPD had requested assistance from the FBI.
Just as the call ended, Danny's plainclothes police car, lights flashing and sirens blaring, roared past the middle of the road, crossing the yellow line. Jack followed suit, sirens blaring.
(End of Chapter)