Chapter 68.2: A Soft Persimmon? No, a Tough Nut to Crack
Wu conceded defeat. He accepted the cigarettes and asked, “What brought you back to visit me all of a sudden?”
“I came across a case that involves Cai Tou.”
Jiang Xia briefly explained the situation in Gao Family Village and Matun Village, along with what Feng Yongqiang had told her. Then she continued, “There are quite a few vegetable vendors setting up stalls on the streets in our jurisdiction, so I figured you’d probably know something about Cai Tou. That’s why I came to ask you. I had no idea the community police officer who got beaten up was Hu Wei from our own station.”
“So that’s what happened.”
Chief Wu sighed and recalled the details. “I don’t actually know that much about this. The main thing is, these people are all unfamiliar faces. They only showed up in the past few months. They drove away the people who used to collect legitimate sanitation fees and keep the streets clean, then started forcibly extorting money from the vegetable vendors themselves. If anyone refused to pay, they’d smash things up, rob them, and beat them until the vendors had no choice but to hand over the money.”
“Still, after watching them for a while, I’ve managed to figure out a few things. These people have someone backing them, but at the same time, they don’t seem to have a single clear leader. Besides those few street thugs, there was another fellow who came around earlier. They called him Brother Long. He brought two enforcers with him to beat up some vegetable vendors who refused to submit. After beating them, he left. Later, I heard people say he’d gotten into a fight with another group and accused them of breaking the rules first by encroaching on his territory.”
Jiang Xia carefully considered what Wu had said, then remarked thoughtfully, “In other words, these Cai Tou gangs aren’t like the old Green Gang, with a clear structure and distinct levels of authority. Instead, they’re made up of separate groups. Each group has a great deal of autonomy, but because of one particular person—or perhaps several people—they’ve reached certain agreements. And this person has considerable influence over the leaders of these groups, with the kind of authority to rally them that a gang boss might have?”
Wu nodded. “That sounds about right.”
Jiang Xia furrowed her brows slightly. “Then it’ll be even more troublesome to figure out who these people are.”
Uh-oh. Why does it sound like Jiang Xia is getting more and more interested in this case?
Wu hurriedly warned her, “Don’t even think about using that trick of yours to infiltrate them and investigate! These gangs are filthy. Sure, you might be able to get inside easily enough, but what if they order you to hurt someone? How would your colleagues look at you when you came back? You’re doing perfectly well drawing portraits. Don’t do anything stupid!”
Huh?
Hearing her mentor say that, Jiang Xia was instantly left with a question mark hanging over her head.
That was quite a leap!
She’d only been thinking about conducting surveillance from the outside. How had her mentor jumped straight to undercover work and playing a double agent?
“Master, you’re overthinking it.”
Jiang Xia explained, “At most, I’ll stake the place out for a few days so I can get a good look at these people, memorize their features, and draw their portraits. I’m not going undercover.”
Jiang Xia was dying of laughter on the inside. If she told Section Chief Liao she wanted to go undercover, he would let out an ear-piercing shriek on the spot, then do everything in his power to pin her down in the office and forbid her from going anywhere.
He’d have to be out of his mind to send such a valuable talent undercover! What if she got hurt or something happened to her?
“Your words just don’t sound convincing.”
Wu eyed Jiang Xia suspiciously. “I reckon that even if you don’t infiltrate the vegetable vendors’ extortion gangs, you’ll still find your way into a pickpocket gang to ask around.”
Jiang Xia: “…”
Master, we’re supposed to be master and apprentice! How can you make such malicious assumptions about me? Where’s the trust between people?
All right, fine. He’d guessed spot-on.
“Ahem.”
Jiang Xia stubbornly defended herself. “How does asking pickpockets for information count as going undercover?!”
Wu knew it! He’d been right all along.
He knew what Jiang Xia was capable of. How could he possibly guess wrong?
With a dry chuckle, Wu said, “Right, it doesn’t count as going undercover. It’s more like the return of the King of Thieves, isn’t it?”
Jiang Xia immediately felt goosebumps rise along her arms.
That title was way too over-the-top and chuunibyo.
“Those are just exaggerated rumors. I’m not that capable,” Jiang Xia said. “I’ll just pretend to be some clueless novice who’s only just entered the trade.”
What would really do the trick was the system’s intelligence-lowering aura. She didn’t actually need to demonstrate any real skills. By playing a clueless thief who didn’t know how to steal, she could even ask the “veterans” for pointers.
And once she’d finished learning from them, she could invite them back to the station for a nice cup of tea—and conveniently take care of their food and lodging while she was at it.
Ah, what a thoughtful student she was!
These gangs really did act as though they were above the law. If they were allowed to keep running wild, something truly terrible would happen sooner or later. Wu genuinely wanted to see them dealt with as soon as possible, too.
After hesitating for a moment, he said, “You know your own limits, so I won’t lecture you any further. If you really want to do this, I know the pickpockets who hang around the street where the vegetable vendors sell their goods. The one leading them is…”
He began carefully explaining the pickpockets’ identities and backgrounds to her.
The most important part of reconnaissance was knowing your target. The better you understood the other side, the easier it would be to bluff your way through. As soon as Jiang Xia heard her mentor sharing this information, she immediately focused. She took out the notebook she always carried with her and began taking notes as she listened.
＊
Outside the police station.
While Jiang Xia was busy taking notes, a man came strolling down the road outside the station, smoking a cigarette with a lackey trailing behind him. His steps were loose and swaggering, his shoes scraping lazily against the ground.
The two street thugs keeping watch spotted him and immediately jumped to their feet.
The taller thug hurried forward, bending at the waist in a deferential greeting. “Hey, Brother Wang! What brings you here?”
“I came to see how those cops are doing.”
Brother Wang exhaled a puff of smoke and glanced at the police station across the road, a hint of contempt in his eyes. “How are things with them? Have they learned their lesson yet?”
“Those three are still holding out.”
The tall thug curled his lip. “None of them have left yet.”
“Heh.”
Brother Wang sneered. “They’ve held out this long? They’ve got some backbone, I’ll give them that. Tougher than the last station.”
“Still, nobody’s tougher than you, Brother Wang.”
The tall thug hurried to flatter him. “I reckon they’ll release the men in custody in just a few days.”
“A few days is still too long. Our brothers inside are having a hard time.”
Brother Wang waved a hand. “We’d better turn up the pressure a little more.”
As he spoke, Brother Wang considered what methods they could use against the three men. His gaze swept across the police station courtyard, where he suddenly noticed a bicycle that hadn’t been there before.
There was a cover on its saddle, and it clearly didn’t belong to any of the officers.
Brother Wang furrowed his brows and continued questioning the thug. “Has someone new joined them inside?”
“Oh, right. A police officer went in just now.”
The tall thug instinctively bent forward again, answering cautiously. “Just a female officer. She went in alone, too. I didn’t think she was anything to worry about…”
“A police officer? Which unit is she from?”
As soon as Brother Wang asked, he realized he’d just asked a stupid question.
If those two idiots had known, they would’ve told him already. Would he really have needed to ask?
“She came here all by herself. She’s got some nerve, I’ll give her that.”
Brother Wang took another drag on his cigarette. After thinking it over, he made up his mind.
“Then let’s teach her a lesson.”
He turned to the lackey behind him and said, “Dongzi, you take care of this one. Bring someone along and give her a beating. Draw a little blood, too. She dares to show up at a place we’re keeping an eye on? She’s asking for trouble!”
“Got it, Brother Wang.”
Dongzi immediately agreed.
＊
After gathering the information she needed, Jiang Xia didn’t linger. She said goodbye to her mentor and prepared to leave.
When Wang Xuguang saw her come out to retrieve her bicycle, he hurried outside as well. Glancing across the road, he said, “Jiang Xia, it’s not safe for you to go alone. How about I escort you home?”
Jiang Xia put on the straw hat she had bought that morning. Its broad brim concealed most of her face completely. She glanced across the road, too. The two men keeping watch were sitting on the ground, and neither had a bicycle beside him.
“No need, Brother Wang. I’ll just ride home by myself. Even if they try to chase me, they won’t be able to catch up.”
Besides, after the train accident, she’d become more conscious of how vulnerable she was. That morning, she’d specifically brought a self-defense tool from home before going to work.
Thinking of this, Jiang Xia touched the single-shoulder bag hanging at her side. It felt considerably heavier than usual.
“That’s true.”
Wang Xuguang glanced at her again, and he seemed considerably more reassured by her appearance.
“That’s a good hat. It covers your whole face, so they won’t know who you are.”
As luck would have it, Jiang Xia hadn’t expected the hat she bought that morning to come in so handy. Sitting astride her bicycle, she waved at him.
“Then I’m off!”
“All right.”
Wang Xuguang nodded and watched her leave.
Jiang Xia rode out past the police station.
As a precaution, she didn’t head straight home. Instead, she retraced her route.
She planned to take a detour before going home.
Dongzi was sitting on his bicycle at the end of the street, smoking a cigarette. The moment he saw Jiang Xia emerge, he unhesitatingly tossed the cigarette he had just lit onto the ground.
“Mouse, get on!” he shouted to his accomplice before pushing down on the pedals and chasing after her.
Jiang Xia soon noticed someone following her.
There were two young men. Both the one riding the bicycle and the one sitting on the back seemed to have their eyes on her.
A sense of danger surged through her in an instant. When she reached the upcoming intersection, Jiang Xia didn’t turn toward home at all. Instead, she turned left and rode straight toward the municipal bureau.
It was rush hour, and people were just getting off work.
She was on a main road surrounded by workers heading home, so for the time being, she was relatively safe.
But Jiang Xia wasn’t going to gamble on the assumption that they wouldn’t make a move. She conserved her energy and didn’t recklessly speed up, while rapidly thinking through which intersections along her usual route to work might have traffic police stationed nearby.
This is troublesome. Those two are only following me for now. As long as they don’t actually make a move, I have no grounds to arrest them!
Just as she was worrying about what to do, Jiang Xia suddenly spotted Lu Yixing riding his bicycle toward her from the opposite direction.
Huh? What’s he doing here?
Jiang Xia had no idea, but she was certain he had seen her.
After all, amid a sea of black, white, blue, and gray clothing, she was the only one wearing a green police uniform and a straw hat.
Sure enough, Lu Yixing rode straight toward her.
From a short distance away, he called out, “Jiang Xia!”
“Heading home from work, Comrade Lu?”
Jiang Xia slowed down but didn’t stop. She blinked at him and waved as though she’d simply run into an acquaintance.
“You’re getting off work pretty early today!”
As she spoke, she pointed behind herself, extending her index finger while keeping the other fingers slightly curled inward. She held the gesture for two seconds before casually lowering her hand.
Hmm?
Lu Yixing immediately sensed that something was wrong. He followed the direction Jiang Xia had pointed and looked behind her, instantly spotting a young man on a bicycle not far away who was staring at him.
The man wore a sleeveless undershirt, and tattoos covered his exposed arms. At a glance, he looked like trouble.
She’s in danger.
Lu Yixing realized this in an instant.
What is Jiang Xia planning?
When Jiang Xia didn’t stop to ask for help, Lu Yixing quickly figured out what she was trying to do.
This is way too risky.
He took a deep breath and played along, answering casually, “Yeah, I’m getting off pretty early. You heading home too?”
The two bicycles passed each other and continued in opposite directions, leaving them no time for any further conversation. Seeing that Lu Yixing was cooperating, Jiang Xia smiled. With her hand held in front of her, she pointed to the right, then formed the number three with her fingers before replying, “That’s right.”
Then she drew out her words, calling back in the same casual tone people used when saying goodbye to an acquaintance.
“See you laaater!”
Lu Yixing tightened his grip on the handlebars and continued riding forward, making it look as though he really had just been passing by.
Jiang Xia maintained her leisurely pace.
Mouse, the accomplice riding on the back of Dongzi’s bicycle, kept glancing at Lu Yixing. Only after confirming that he had gone some distance away did he turn back and say, “He’s gone.”
“Mm.” Dongzi nodded. “Then let’s keep looking for a chance to make our move.”
Jiang Xia counted the alley entrances as she rode along.
She wanted to see whether these two intended to follow her all the way home or had something else in mind.
The first alley. The second. The third.
Jiang Xia turned right and rode into an alley.
After going another twenty or thirty meters, she casually stopped in front of a house with its door open and got off her bicycle. She slipped her right hand into her shoulder bag and warily watched the men following her.
“Who are you? Why have you been following me?”
Dongzi rode his bicycle to a stop just two or three meters in front of her.
He braked, and Mouse immediately jumped down from the back seat. The two men approached her from the front and behind.
“Blame yourself! Who told you to go poking around places you had no business being?”
Mouse rubbed his palms together, a crooked grin spreading across his face.
Teaching a woman a lesson would be far too easy.
What a shame, though. She was such a pretty young woman that he almost felt bad about hitting her.
“Our boss told me to teach you a lesson. Next time, try using your brain!”
As he spoke, Mouse had already approached Jiang Xia. He clenched his right hand into a fist, drawing his arm back to build momentum before aiming a punch straight at her abdomen.
Jiang Xia’s pupils contracted instantly.
So these two weren’t just following her after all?
She was still wearing her police uniform, and they were actually going to ass*ult a police officer in broad daylight? They were completely out of their minds!
The man’s fist was already flying toward her. With no time to think any further, Jiang Xia pulled a short hammer from her shoulder bag, stepped back, and swung it straight at his arm!
Mouse had been certain he had the upper hand. But the moment he saw her pull out an iron hammer, his eyes widened.
Wait a damn minute! What kind of police officer brings a hammer to work?!
The hammer wasn’t particularly large, measuring only around thirty centimeters long. The metal head was about the size of a walnut, making it look almost cute and compact at first glance.
But Mouse was an experienced brawler. He wouldn’t dare underestimate the thing. A hammer like that was every bit as dangerous as a knife. One solid hit, and he’d have a broken bone!
He desperately tried to yank his right arm back, pushing off with both feet as he scrambled to get out of the way, terrified of being struck even once.
Good grief! I thought she’d be an easy target, but I’ve picked a fight with someone I really shouldn’t have messed with!
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