Chapter 16: Are you the King of Thieves?
A chill ran down Jiang Xia’s spine.
When did Chief Wu get here?
Did he see what I just did?
She had no idea.
Instinct told her that something about Chief Wu’s gaze was off.
Don’t make eye contact.
There was no time to think.
Without missing a beat, Jiang Xia calmly lowered her head as though nothing had happened and continued searching the pickpocket’s hidden pockets.
She pulled out several dozen banknotes, food ration coupons, more than a dozen coins, and two razor blades, laying everything neatly on the ground.
At the sight of it all, the pickpocket, who had been struggling moments earlier, went completely limp.
Face pressed against the ground, his eyes lost all hope, his expression ashen.
It’s over.
They found all the money.
Caught red-handed… There’s no getting out of this now.
Hu Wei loosened his grip, keeping the man pinned with only one knee.
Looking at the pile of recovered items, he couldn’t help but marvel.
“Wow… Jiang Xia, you’re incredible. You even found all of this!”
Jiang Xia could feel a pair of eyes lingering on her.
Her scalp prickled.
Forcing out a dry laugh, she replied,
“Experience. It’s… all techniques they taught us at the police academy.”
“It must’ve been great going to school.”
Hu Wei sighed wistfully.
“If I’d known, I wouldn’t have enlisted back then. Going to the police academy would’ve been so much better.”
“They both have their advantages.”
Jiang Xia answered absentmindedly.
She knew she couldn’t keep pretending not to notice.
After mentally bracing herself, she looked up at Chief Wu.
“Master… what should we do with this pickpocket?”
Chief Wu looked at her for a long moment.
The warmth and kindness that usually filled his eyes were gone.
In their place was naked scrutiny.
At first, even he hadn’t realized what he’d just seen.
It took him a second or two before it truly registered.
Something isn’t right.
What kind of police officer returned a victim’s wallet…
…by slipping it directly back into the victim’s pocket?
And the movement had been unbelievably smooth.
When Jiang Xia tucked the wallet into the man’s pocket, the hem of his jacket hadn’t even shifted.
No matter how he looked at it…
That was the kind of finesse someone developed only after practicing the move thousands upon thousands of times.
Chief Wu didn’t want to be suspicious.
He wanted to convince himself it was just a coincidence—that sometimes people simply had a lucky, effortless moment.
Like the kid he’d once seen downstairs who had never practiced basketball. The boy had casually tossed a ball from outside the court, and it had gone straight through the hoop.
But Jiang Xia hadn’t reacted with the slightest surprise or delight.
She’d only frozen for an instant…
…then immediately pretended nothing had happened.
At that point, Chief Wu could no longer pretend he hadn’t seen it either.
Other details he’d previously overlooked began surfacing one after another.
Her uncanny skill—and enthusiasm—for picking locks.
The way she’d tracked down Bald He…
His thoughts tangled together, but instead of questioning her immediately, he answered in a perfectly normal tone.
“Let’s take him to the park security office first. They can keep an eye on him for us.”
It’s over.
Master’s definitely suspicious now!
The moment Jiang Xia saw that look in his eyes, she knew there was no point lying to herself anymore.
She couldn’t help wailing inwardly.
Serves you right.
You wanted to show off… and instead you let something slip!
“That’s good.”
Hu Wei hadn’t noticed anything unusual. He was still riding the high of successfully catching a pickpocket.
“I was just wondering whether we had enough people.”
After hearing Chief Wu’s instructions, he immediately hauled the pickpocket to his feet and gave him a shove forward.
“Move. We’re going to the security office.”
“Xiao Hu, you take him over yourself,” Chief Wu said unhurriedly. “Once you’re done, come back and regroup with your mentor.”
“The two of us won’t be going.”
“Got it!”
Hu Wei answered loudly before escorting the handcuffed pickpocket away.
“I should get going too. Thanks again, Officers.”
The victim expressed his gratitude one last time before leaving, still shaken by the experience.
Now…
Only Jiang Xia and Chief Wu remained.
It was the perfect setting for a private conversation.
Or an interrogation.
Jiang Xia’s heart climbed into her throat.
I’m doomed.
When Master starts asking questions… how am I supposed to answer?
Come on, brain! Think!
Just as cold sweat began forming on her back, Chief Wu spoke in the same casual tone as before.
“Let’s go.”
“We should head back and meet up with Old Wang.”
“Huh?”
Why didn’t he ask?
That somehow felt even worse.
Over the past several days, Jiang Xia had come to understand quite a bit about her mentor’s interrogation style.
His favorite tactic was to wait until someone had completely relaxed, lowered their guard…
…then suddenly hit them with a difficult question.
“Sure.”
Jiang Xia quickened her pace to catch up with him.
She deliberately steadied her breathing, but inwardly she remained on high alert. Her mind raced as she casually asked,
“So we’re going back to catch the other three pickpockets?”
“That’s right.”
Chief Wu answered naturally before asking, just as casually,
“By the way, Xiao Xia, why is your sister running a street stall? Is your family having financial difficulties?”
Here it comes.
He’s started interrogating me.
“Not at all.”
Jiang Xia kept her composure.
“My sister already has a job at the textile factory. She’s the head cook there and earns fifty-six yuan a month—more than I do. The stall actually belongs to my cousin. He came back after being sent to the countryside and still hasn’t found work. He’s a healthy young man. He can’t exactly keep living off the family forever.”
“I see.”
Chief Wu nodded thoughtfully.
“So your family is quite close with your cousin’s.”
“We are.”
Jiang Xia nodded.
“When we were little, my mom was always busy. My aunt and my cousin practically helped raise us. They quietly supported our family quite a bit back then.”
“No wonder you’re helping him with the stall now.”
Chief Wu’s tone remained relaxed.
Then, without warning, he changed the subject.
“By the way… that little move of yours just now was pretty slick.”
“You slipped the wallet right back into the man’s pocket.”
There it is.
He was waiting for this.
Jiang Xia opened her mouth to answer.
Then she froze.
She had unknowingly cornered herself.
If she claimed it was pure coincidence…
…then why hadn’t she shown the slightest surprise herself?
If she admitted it wasn’t a coincidence…
…that would raise an entirely different set of questions.
Her head started to ache.
You useless system!
Why does the Theft skill pack come with pickpocketing experience but nothing on counter-surveillance or resisting interrogation?!
Unable to come up with a better explanation, Jiang Xia steeled herself and blurted out,
“I… thought it was a pretty amazing coincidence too.”
Chief Wu glanced sideways at her.
The faint smile on his face wasn’t quite a smile.
“Really?”
Jiang Xia forced herself to answer.
“I… I think so.”
Chief Wu gave her a long, meaningful look.
But he didn’t ask another question.
That only made Jiang Xia’s scalp tingle even more.
What does that look even mean, Master?!
By then, they had reached the pond.
Shen Huoda had been waiting there the whole time. A cigarette hung between his fingers. Seeing them return, he asked,
“Well? Did you get him?”
“We did.”
Chief Wu nodded.
“We’ll keep going once Xiao Hu gets back.”
Jiang Xia was on the verge of a breakdown.
She was almost certain she wasn’t getting out of this one.
Fine.
If I’m doomed anyway, I might as well stop pretending.
She immediately switched into full “King of Hell taking attendance” mode, rooting out every single pickpocket in the entire park.
Who cares what happens to me afterward?
You lot are going down first!
Hu Wei became more and more excited with each successful arrest.
Even Shen Huoda eventually joined in.
Only Jiang Xia remained miserable the entire time.
Despite arresting pickpocket after pickpocket, Chief Wu never questioned her again.
…
That afternoon, the four officers escorted more than a dozen pickpockets back to the station.
The entire way, Jiang Xia remained on edge.
She had no idea what her mentor was planning.
But she was certain of one thing.
He was bottling up something big.
Sure enough, the moment they arrived at the station, Chief Wu headed straight for the holding cells.
A moment later, he emerged with Bald He in tow and led him directly into the interrogation room.
Watching them disappear down the hallway, Jiang Xia’s heart sank to rock bottom.
Hah…
Now I’m really finished.
The sight of more than a dozen captured pickpockets thrilled everyone at the station.
“How’d you catch so many? It’s not even Lunar New Year!”
“We’ve got Xiao Jiang to thank for that. She’s got eagle eyes—every suspect she pointed out was spot on!”
Shen Huoda was grinning even wider than usual.
“The arrests today alone have already completed half of next month’s quota!”
“Oh? Then Xiao Jiang’s practically the station’s biggest hero!”
Deputy Chief Xu waved them over.
“Looks like you’ve all had a tiring day. Go inside and get some rest.”
Jiang Xia nodded absentmindedly and drifted over to her desk.
With the axe practically hanging over her head…
She found herself strangely calm.
So what if Chief Wu found out I’m unusually good at lifting wallets?
It’s not like I’ve actually committed any crimes.
What am I so scared of?
The real problem was explaining how she had acquired such incredible skill.
Calming herself down, Jiang Xia began seriously thinking of an excuse.
She absolutely couldn’t mention the system.
Nor could she claim that some mysterious old master had secretly taught her as a child. If Chief Wu investigated, that lie would fall apart immediately.
That left only one explanation that made any sense.
She was self-taught.
She had simply been fascinated by it…
…and happened to be extraordinarily talented. A little practice had been all it took.
Jiang Xia lowered her eyes to her hands.
The greatest pickpockets were like master magicians.
Both required extraordinary control over the muscles of the hands and incredibly fast neural reflexes.
Those weren’t abilities you could simply acquire by practicing thousands or even tens of thousands of times.
They depended on genuine, innate physical talent.
It was like elite professional gamers.
The best players could pick up a game after only a handful of attempts and execute frame-perfect combos timed to within fractions of a millisecond, constantly pushing the limits of what was possible.
Meanwhile, an average player could spend ten thousand matches practicing the same combo and still drop it the moment an actual game started.
The system’s top-tier Theft skill hadn’t merely granted her experience and muscle memory.
It had also dramatically enhanced her muscular control and neural reaction speed—to an astonishing degree.
Simply put…
If she switched careers and became a machinist, then worked at it long enough, she might not become a nationally certified Grade 8 master machinist…
…but she’d almost certainly reach Grade 7.
She was, in every sense of the word…
…a genuine prodigy.
Jiang Xia made up her mind.
That’s the explanation I’ll use.
A genius having a few unusual hobbies… isn’t that perfectly normal?
…
Interrogation Room
Chief Wu sat down across from Bald He and tapped the table.
He skipped the small talk and went straight for a bluff.
“We just brought in another batch of thieves.”
“So…”
He fixed Bald He with a steady gaze.
“Tell me—did a young woman come to your place a couple of days ago to buy bed sheets and pillowcases?”
They caught someone already?!
Sitting on the interrogation chair, Bald He swallowed nervously.
Sis…
It’s not that your big brother here doesn’t want to keep your secret.
But if you’ve already been exposed…
There’s no way I can hold out.
Without the slightest hesitation, Bald He answered,
“Yeah. She was pretty young, around twenty years old. Sounded like she was from the north. Wore a faded black jacket that had been washed so many times the color was almost gone. She called herself Xiao Liu.”
He paused before adding with heartfelt admiration,
“But those skills… absolutely incredible. She was a seasoned master thief, no question about it. I didn’t even realize what had happened before the keys in my pocket were already in her hand!”
Although Chief Wu had already suspected as much, hearing it confirmed still sent a tidal wave crashing through his mind.
Good grief…
My own apprentice can actually do that?!
Unable to help himself, he asked again,
“This was the morning of the twenty-sixth?”
“Yep.”
Bald He nodded.
“The morning of the twenty-sixth. Around ten or so.”
“That’s when I usually eat breakfast.”
That settled it.
There was no longer any doubt.
The person Bald He had met…
…was Jiang Xia.
Chief Wu could feel his heart beating faster.
His outstanding apprentice.
A top graduate from the police academy.
Actually possessed the skills of a master pickpocket and lockpicker.
And according to Bald He—a veteran criminal himself—her abilities were on par with an experienced laorong.
It was completely absurd.
“Heh…”
A strange laugh escaped Chief Wu.
No wonder I’d always felt something was off.
That little brat has never been normal.
When she picked the warehouse lock back then, she was definitely putting on an act for me.
He rubbed at his throbbing temple.
More importantly…
Where on earth did she learn all of this?
What else has she been hiding from me?
The image of Jiang Xia smoothly slipping the wallet back into the victim’s pocket surfaced once more.
Suddenly, Chief Wu remembered something the old railway police officer had mentioned when he’d come to visit.
He froze.
The thieves had been looking for the King of Thieves…
Could they have been looking for Jiang Xia?
…No way.
Right?!
Jiang Xia finally managed to calm herself down.
Picking up a pencil, she idly twirled it between her fingers.
Just then, the familiar system notification rang beside her ear.
[Ding~ Reputation +1]
Another point of Reputation?
Jiang Xia’s heart skipped a beat.
Ever since getting off the train, she’d been hearing Reputation notifications every single day.
If she remembered correctly, her Reputation had already reached 99 yesterday.
Adding one more meant…
It had just hit 100.
Jiang Xia immediately opened the system.
Boom!
The sound of fireworks exploded in her ears.
Even the system’s normally stiff mechanical voice carried a hint of cheerfulness.
[Congratulations! Your Reputation has reached the maximum value!]
[Drawing skill reward…]
[Congratulations! You have obtained: 『Counterfeit Currency Manufacturing』!]
…
Huh?
Wait a second!
Before Jiang Xia even had a chance to refuse, an overwhelming flood of knowledge poured straight into her mind.
Paper manufacturing.
Redrawing banknote designs.
Engraving printing plates.
Mixing specialized inks.
How to build an intaglio printing press from ordinary tools.
How to add anti-counterfeiting features and embossed textures.
How to use nothing more than a steel ruler and a paper knife to cut sheets to the exact dimensions of genuine banknotes in only four cuts.
Even aging techniques—mixing water and vinegar in precise proportions, spraying and kneading the paper to give it the appearance of circulation…
In the blink of an eye, Jiang Xia had mastered the entire process of producing counterfeit money.
At this point…
The only thing standing between her and becoming a millionaire was actually putting the knowledge into practice.
This is way too criminal…
Jiang Xia slapped a hand over her forehead.
Well…
At least she finally understood what Reputation was for.
It awarded skills.
Not bad, really. Even if some of them were… questionable… they still broadened her experience.
After all, even garbage could be burned to generate electricity.
Surely Counterfeit Currency Manufacturing would be useful somehow.
At the very least…
She could now identify fake banknotes with near-perfect accuracy.
Her mother would never have to worry about her being tricked with counterfeit cash while grocery shopping again.
Jiang Xia seriously began evaluating her newest skill.
The anti-counterfeiting techniques and security textures weren’t useful to her at the moment.
But…
Redrawing designs.
Wasn’t that closely related to the drawing skills she already had?
Her fingers started itching.
Seeing that neither Chief Wu nor Deputy Chief Xu was nearby, and everyone else was busy with their own work, Jiang Xia quietly pulled out a two-yuan banknote.
She tore a sheet from the notebook Chief Wu had given her.
Taking a wooden ruler and a craft knife, she effortlessly trimmed the paper to exactly the same size as the banknote.
Then she began to draw.
The moment her pencil touched the paper…
She immediately felt the difference.
Her proportions were more accurate.
She had always been able to draw people freehand, but never with absolute precision. As she sketched, she could usually feel certain lines drifting ever so slightly off course. The finished drawing looked convincing enough that most people couldn’t tell the difference…
But now, that sensation had completely disappeared.
Now, however, Jiang Xia felt as though her hands had become precision instruments.
Every stroke.
Every movement of the pencil.
Matched the banknote perfectly.
The coordination between her eyes and the muscles in her hands had improved yet again.
Jiang Xia blinked.
Suddenly remembering something, she opened the system.
Sure enough.
The experience bar for Trace Recognition had also increased by more than twenty points.
Well…
The system was actually pretty decent after all.
Jiang Xia happily spent the entire afternoon drawing.
She had to admit…
Slacking off at work was surprisingly enjoyable.
“Time to call it a day!”
With fifteen minutes still left before quitting time, Lu Fusheng had already screwed the cap back onto his ink bottle.
Closing his files, he stood up.
“I’ve got something to take care of at home, so I’m heading out first.”
His words were like a signal.
The others immediately began packing up as well.
Jiang Xia closed her notebook and reached for her things.
Just then, she saw Chief Wu appear in the doorway.
“Xiao Jiang, stay behind.”
His expression was solemn.
“I need to ask you something.”
Well…
The moment has finally arrived.
Jiang Xia quietly set her belongings back down and calmly remained in her seat.
One by one, the officers left the station.
Chief Wu refilled his familiar enamel mug with tea.
Thunk.
He set it heavily on the desk, pulled over a chair, and sat directly across from Jiang Xia.
His expression was serious.
“So.”
“Explain something to me.”
“How did you become the King of Thieves?”
“…What?!”
The question hit Jiang Xia like a bolt from the blue.
What do you mean, how did I become the King of Thieves?
Wait…
How did that identity get exposed too?!
**TN
Laorong (老荣): Underworld slang referring to a veteran professional thief or pickpocket.