Chapter 2: Police Report
Skinny Monkey swallowed hard before saying in a dry voice,
“The wallet’s gone.”
“What?”
Dongzi looked at him suspiciously.
“Senior Brother, you didn’t actually fail to make a score and are just saying that so Master won’t scold you, are you?”
“Bullshit!”
Skinny Monkey shot him a glare.
“Who do you think is as clumsy as you? I did make a score!”
As he spoke, he lowered his head and pulled at his jacket, checking the now-empty pocket.
This is impossible.
He had specifically had this pocket made deeper than normal. No matter how crowded it got, a wallet couldn’t possibly fall out on its own.
So where had it gone?
The gang leader had remained silent the whole time.
He took another puff from his pipe before asking again in his hoarse, muffled voice,
“You’re certain it didn’t fall out?”
“Absolutely!”
Skinny Monkey hurried over and squatted in front of him, pulling the pocket open for his master to inspect.
“Look how deep this pocket is! There’s no way it could’ve fallen out!”
The old gang leader tapped the bowl of his pipe against the side of the train carriage. A sharp glint flashed through his eyes.
“Then someone lifted it off you.”
“No way…”
Dongzi froze before immediately shaking his head.
“Senior Brother’s the best in our crew. How could someone pick his pocket without him noticing?”
“I…”
Skinny Monkey didn’t want to admit it.
But the wallet couldn’t have fallen out.
And it certainly wasn’t still in his pocket.
The only remaining possibility…
…was that someone had stolen it from him.
A veteran pickpocket with over ten years of experience…
…had actually been pickpocketed.
If word of this got out, people would laugh themselves to death.
Skinny Monkey’s face flushed bright red.
Which bastard did this?
He mentally retraced everything that had happened on his way over.
Was it the bald man who deliberately squeezed past me?
The middle-aged guy reading the newspaper when I turned around?
Or those two old farmers chatting in the aisle?
The more he thought about it, the less certain he became.
Every one of them seemed suspicious.
Yet somehow…
…none of them did.
He couldn’t even figure out when the wallet had disappeared.
The more Skinny Monkey thought about it, the more terrifying it became.
Cold sweat slowly trickled down his back.
Damn…
I really ran into a master today.
When no denial came for quite a while, Dongzi sensed something was seriously wrong.
“…Senior Brother?” he asked quietly.
“I was picked clean.”
Skinny Monkey hung his head dejectedly.
“And I still don’t know who did it.”
“Even if I were twenty years younger, I wouldn’t be confident I could lift something from your pocket, Boss.”
The gang leader took another draw from his pipe. Behind the drifting smoke, his expression grew even more serious.
“Whoever did this is more skilled than I am.”
He paused before declaring gravely,
“They’re at least a King of Thieves.”
“A… King of Thieves?!”
Skinny Monkey’s heart skipped a beat.
If it had been someone of that caliber…
…then losing wasn’t shameful at all.
The only problem was that he had no idea which person in that carriage was this legendary thief.
He replayed everyone he had come into contact with.
The image of that strikingly beautiful young woman surfaced in his mind—
—and he immediately dismissed it.
Female thieves certainly existed.
But someone that young?
How could she possibly be a King of Thieves?
What a joke.
“You didn’t even realize someone picked your pocket. Your skills weren’t good enough.”
The gang leader gripped his pipe and spoke in a low voice.
“According to the rules, we don’t work another job on this trip.”
“After we get off the train, find out where this expert came from. Hopefully they’re just passing through.”
“But if they decide to settle down and become the local boss…”
“…then we’re in serious trouble.”
Skinny Monkey hurriedly nodded.
A King of Thieves merely passing through was one thing. They’d probably only cross paths this once.
But if that person stayed and claimed the territory…
With their level of skill, how could they possibly compete?
Silently, Skinny Monkey offered a heartfelt prayer.
Please, heavens… let this be a wandering dragon, not one putting down roots.
…
No sooner had Jiang Xia sat back down than the system chimed again.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, on obtaining the title “King of Thieves.” Reputation +3]
A question mark slowly formed in Jiang Xia’s mind.
King of Thieves?
What the heck is that supposed to be?
With a thought, the pale blue system screen appeared before her.
Her character panel now had a new Title section.
At the top was a bronze crown icon.
Beneath it were the words:
King of Thieves
Next to it was the description:
[While this title is equipped:
Respect from fellow thieves +20%
Police Favorability −30%]
Jiang Xia: …
This damned system is seriously cursed.
Fortunately, titles didn’t have to be equipped.
Otherwise, if all of her coworkers instinctively disliked her, her future career would be a complete disaster.
After studying the system for so long, Jiang Xia was certain of one thing:
It wasn’t intelligent.
It operated like a pre-programmed piece of software. If it suddenly awarded her something, it had to be connected to something she had done.
Thinking back over her recent actions, her thoughts landed on the skinny pickpocket she’d stolen from.
Did he realize he’d been robbed?
One point of Reputation represented one person.
She had gained three.
Did that mean Skinny Monkey and two accomplices had gathered together and said something about her?
A strange expression crept across Jiang Xia’s face.
…Did they imagine something weird?
Don’t tell me they decided I was some kind of King of Thieves, and the system granted me the title because of that?
Her gaze shifted farther down the panel, where the Reputation bar was displayed.
A slight headache came over her.
Reputation wasn’t like Experience.
Experience could be spent to level up skills.
Reputation increased automatically and couldn’t be allocated. It now stood at 47/100.
Looking at the bar, already nearly halfway full, Jiang Xia’s expression became more serious.
Experience clearly had a purpose.
If Reputation maxed out, it would probably unlock something as well.
She just had no idea whether that something would be good… or bad.
On the bright side…
Since titles could be equipped or unequipped at will, whatever reward came from maxing out Reputation would probably also be under her control.
Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too much of a trap.
Mm…
Once I gradually figure out exactly how this system works, I can look for other loopholes to exploit and keep improving my abilities.
Closing the system interface, Jiang Xia’s mood brightened.
“Attention, passengers. The next stop is Changning City. Please gather your belongings and prepare to disembark…”
“We’re arriving! Passengers getting off at Changning City, please wake up and get ready!”
After the announcement came over the loudspeaker, train attendants struggled down the crowded aisle, loudly reminding passengers as they squeezed past the mountain of luggage.
Jiang Xia slung her pack over her shoulder, picked up her cloth travel bag, and, packed among the crowd like a sardine in a can, took what felt like forever to squeeze her way out of the carriage.
A cool breeze rushed toward her, blowing away the stale air she had carried out from the train.
Jiang Xia let out a long breath.
Finally… I’m off the train!
She waited where she was for a moment.
When she spotted a railway police officer getting off the train, his uniform bearing the insignia of the Railway Public Security Bureau, she immediately picked up her bag and walked over.
“Hello, Officer.”
Setting down her cloth bag, Jiang Xia took her sketchbook out of her pocket, tore out the page with the pickpocket’s portrait, and handed it over.
“I saw this man stealing on the train. I was worried he might have accomplices, so I didn’t raise the alarm. Instead, I drew his portrait. Could you see if it’s of any use?”
“Oh?”
The veteran railway officer looked surprised.
He had been working railway security for over thirty years. Plenty of passengers had reported thefts to him after getting off the train.
But this was the first time anyone had simply handed him a portrait of the suspect.
“Let’s have a look.”
He took the paper.
The face on it was even clearer than a black-and-white photograph.
What’s more, it looked vaguely familiar.
He was sure he had seen this man more than once before.
Now that was a lead.
The officer’s expression immediately turned serious.
“Pickpockets are running rampant these days. Quite a few of them carry knives.”
“You did the right thing by not shouting. If you’d provoked him, things could’ve turned dangerous.”
Carefully folding the sketch, he tucked it into the breast pocket of his uniform before asking,
“Comrade, did you study art? Which work unit are you with? Could you leave me an address? Once we catch them, I’d like to send your workplace a letter of commendation.”
Just like a veteran cop, Jiang Xia thought to herself.
Even asking for my personal information sounds so tactful.
After hesitating for two seconds, she answered,
“Zhouying Police Station.”
“A police station?”
The railway officer blinked.
“So we’re colleagues!”
He gave her another careful look, and a smile spread across his face.
“You graduated from the police academy, didn’t you?”
He raised a thumbs-up.
“Your skills are incredible!”
“When we catch these habitual thieves, I’ll personally go congratulate your station chief.”
Figuring that several career pickpockets were about to spend the next few years behind bars, Jiang Xia found herself in an excellent mood.
Carrying her bag, she strolled leisurely out of the railway station.
The lively cries of street hawkers immediately filled her ears.
“The railway station guesthouse is to the south! Head south!”
“The State-Owned Meat Processing Plant Guesthouse! We’ve got a television! Long-distance telephone service! Just a five-minute walk!”
“Passenger tricycles! Only one jiao per kilometer!”
“Motorcycle taxi! Get there fast! Just three minutes per kilometer!”
The area outside the station was crowded with people.
At the front stood employees holding up signs for various guesthouses, calling out to attract customers. Behind them was a row of pedal-powered tricycles, their drivers shouting to newly arrived passengers. A little farther away stood two motorcycles polished so brightly they practically gleamed.
Jiang Xia had quite a bit of luggage.
If she took the bus, she’d have to pay an extra baggage fare and still walk another couple of blocks afterward.
So she spent fifty fen and hired a tricycle to take her home.
Taking out her key, she unlocked the front door.
As expected, no one was home.
It was a little after ten in the morning—normal working hours. It would have been stranger if someone had been there.
After putting down her luggage, Jiang Xia figured there was still plenty of time. She left a note for her family, picked up her employment notice and official assignment letter, and headed straight to the police station to report for duty.
…
Zhouying Police Station
Station Chief Wu Zhenguo walked into the office with a dark expression.
The room had been buzzing with conversation just moments before, but the instant he stepped inside, it fell completely silent.
Someone stole a glance at his thunderous face and immediately lowered their head, afraid of becoming the target of his anger.
Chief Wu had been in a foul mood these past two days.
Zhouying Police Station wasn’t a large one.
Including the household registration clerk, it had only eight police officers.
Unfortunately, the district they covered was densely populated.
In recent years, educated youths had been returning from the countryside to the cities. Many couldn’t find jobs after coming back, so they became idle drifters hanging around the streets, gradually forming gangs and cliques.
On top of that, the government had begun implementing its Reform and Opening-Up policies, allowing individuals to engage in small-scale private business.
And wherever money was involved…
…things became even harder to control.
People fought over territory.
They competed for customers.
The resulting chaos was becoming impossible to manage.
Chief Wu had argued with his superiors for months. He had practically talked himself hoarse—and even developed a huge fever blister on his lip.
At long last, he’d managed to secure approval for two additional officers to handle public security work at the station.
By all rights, this should have been good news.
Yet Chief Wu had a nagging feeling that something wasn’t right.
When he finally asked for the details…
Sure enough.
There was a catch.
Among the two new recruits, one of them was…
…a young woman.
The moment Chief Wu heard the news, he became a thousand times unwilling.
The street hoodlums and bold black-market peddlers in this district were anything but timid. Even young male officers sometimes struggled to keep them in line.
So how was a freshly graduated young policewoman supposed to handle them?
Taking her out on patrol wouldn’t just be of limited help—
He’d have to spend his time protecting her.
Wouldn’t that just slow everyone else down?
As soon as he learned the assignment, Chief Wu had immediately gone to his superiors to request a replacement.
But this time, no matter how much he argued, they refused to budge.
It was infuriating.
Picking up his enamel mug, Chief Wu gulped down the entire cup of water in one go.
Before he could even set it down, a young woman walked into the office.
“Hello. May I ask which one of you is Chief Wu?”
Holding two official documents, Jiang Xia stepped into the station.
“I’m Jiang Xia, a graduate of the Public Security Police School. I’m here to report for duty.”
“So you’re Jiang Xia?”
Chief Wu hadn’t expected her to arrive so quickly.
He looked her up and down, his brow furrowing even more deeply.
She’s fairly tall, he thought.
Looks like she’s had some physical training too—not exactly frail.
But she’s got that scholarly air about her. One look and you can tell she just graduated.
The kind who’d be easy for people to push around.
“That’s right.”
Jiang Xia maintained a polite smile while discreetly observing her new superior.
He looked to be in his early fifties. His temples were beginning to gray, his skin was dark from years spent in the sun, and his sharp eyes missed nothing.
For some reason, though…
There was a faint trace of dissatisfaction in the way he looked at her.
Jiang Xia paused.
What’s going on?
Did I somehow offend my boss on my very first day?
I didn’t even equip the title…
Ring—!
The shrill ringing of the telephone suddenly broke the awkward silence.
Hu Wei, one of the station’s newly assigned public security officers, picked up the receiver.
After murmuring a couple of acknowledgments, his expression instantly sharpened.
“Chief!” he shouted.
“We’ve got a burglary! Dong Aihua’s house on Donghua Road has been broken into!”
“Over nine hundred yuan has been stolen!”
Nine hundred yuan.
That was the equivalent of two full years’ wages for an average factory worker.
“Tell them to protect the crime scene!”
The amount involved was enormous. Chief Wu immediately set aside Jiang Xia’s arrival and began issuing orders.
“Sister Chen, call the Municipal Public Security Bureau right away and have them send investigators.”
“Xiao Hu, Old Lu—you two come with me to the scene.”
After speaking, Chief Wu hesitated.
A case this serious would undoubtedly have drawn a large crowd.
Three officers…
…still weren’t enough.
His gaze landed on the newly arrived Jiang Xia.
Taking a deep breath, he pointed at her.
“You.”
“You’re coming too!”