Accidental Hero: The Rookie Who Outshines the Force - Chapter 33

The old Shuangqiao Railway Station.

Veteran officers Luo Yong, Ding Chengzhi, Chen Feng, and several others had formed a special anti-pickpocket squad. Their target: a big fish.

According to reliable intel, the notorious “Yellow Sparrow” theft gang had recently been spotted operating around Shuangqiao Station. Judging from the latest reports, they hadn’t made a move yet.

This gang was extremely cunning, with strong counter-surveillance skills. They never struck without first scoping out the terrain.

So far, the only thing the squad could confirm was that the gang hadn’t acted yet.

Once they did, they’d finish their business in just over an hour, vanish without a trace, and switch locations. Catching them was like trying to grab smoke.

Since no one knew when they would act, Luo Yong and his team could only disguise themselves as passengers, lurking among the crowds, waiting for the thieves to show.

Luo Yong and Chen Feng sat side by side, speaking in low voices.

“Old Luo, I heard you wanted that rookie, Lu Cheng, to join us for catching Yellow Sparrow. Isn’t that a little reckless?”

“It’s not like I’ve actually brought the kid in yet,” Luo Yong said, glancing at him. “Let him prove himself first. If he’s really as good as they say, then I’ll bring him on board.”

He smirked. “Aren’t the ones at your station all top graduates too? I heard they’ve been deployed to the rural bus lines. Why not compare results?”

Chen Feng’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t believe for a second that Lu Cheng is better than our people. Our chief even called up higher-ups the other day, saying we should trade him out for our elites. I say it’s totally unnecessary.”

“Necessary or not—we’ll see after this operation,” Luo Yong replied calmly. “When the mule and the horse are both led out, we’ll know which runs faster.”

Luo Yong had high hopes for Lu Cheng, but Chen Feng was convinced his own men were superior.

On the 701 Rural Bus Line.

Lu Cheng and Lin Wenbin boarded and headed straight for the back row.

Both rookies were short on experience, but they knew at least one rule: sit at the very back, where you could see the whole bus.

This was only the third stop of the route, a two-hour journey. The bus was still fairly empty, but it would gradually pack to the brim, like it did every day.

Lin Wenbin leaned in and whispered, “Control your eyes. Don’t look around like a searchlight. Pickpockets have sharp eyes—they’ll spot you right away.”

Then he hunched down, pulled a newspaper from his pocket, and pretended to read.

Lu Cheng shook his head, pressing the paper down over Lin’s face.

“What the hell are you doing?” Lin mumbled, pulling it off.

“Who reads the paper on a crowded bus? At least pretend to nap with it over your face.”

Lin blinked. “…Actually, that makes sense.” He obediently covered his face and started fake-dozing.

Lu Cheng nearly laughed out loud.

But then Lin jolted. “Wait—if my face is covered, how do I watch the thieves?”

“You can cut two holes for your eyes,” Lu Cheng said with a straight face.

Lin almost spat blood. Cut holes? Might as well carry a sign saying: I’m a cop watching you.

The bus hissed to a stop. Seven or eight passengers got on.

Lu Cheng slipped smoothly into his role as just another commuter—glancing briefly at each new passenger, then lowering his head to fiddle with his phone. Completely natural.

Lin Wenbin, on the other hand, kept up his act—squinting awakes every time someone boarded, then fake-dozing again. The problem was, like this, he could hardly track anyone’s movements.

He wanted to cry. Why didn’t I just play with my phone like Lu Cheng?

Half an hour passed. Passengers came and went. Nothing suspicious.

Lu Cheng was certain—because his system skill, Flycatcher, hadn’t triggered.

Twenty minutes later, the bus was nearly full. Every seat was taken, with more standing.

Lin yawned and cracked one eye open. Everyone looks innocent enough. Where are the thieves?

He sighed. His vision wasn’t sharp enough yet. He stole a glance at Lu Cheng—only to see the guy completely absorbed in a mobile game called Catch the Goose.

Are you kidding me? He’s seriously gaming right now?!

The bus stopped again. A middle-aged man in a straw hat and cloth shoes boarded, lugging a snakeskin bag of potatoes.

“Excuse me, excuse me, I’ve got a few stops to go, let me squeeze in,” he said, shuffling forward.

The bus grew more crowded, voices rising.

“Hey, watch my foot!”
“Sorry, sorry!”
“Give the old man a seat!”

In the midst of the jostling, Lu Cheng’s heart gave a sudden thump.

[Flycatcher] triggered.

A faint green glow lit up a fly clinging to the straw-hat man’s trouser leg.

Target locked.

Heh. Thieves these days really step up their game—dressed like a farmer straight from the fields.

Behind the hat brim, the man’s sharp eyes darted left and right, already sizing up his prey.

As the crowd pressed tighter, he struck.

Two fingers—middle and index—darted like pincers, plucking wallets and phones with surgical precision.

The rocking of the bus only made it easier, the friction between bodies masking his touch.

In five minutes, flat, he’d cleaned out everyone near him, even lifting phones from dozing passengers. Every stolen item went straight into the snakeskin bag—hidden beneath the potatoes. Seamless.

The bus pulled to a halt.

“Next stop: Daniu Village Pond,” the driver called.

The man hefted his bag. “Young man, let me through, I’m getting off.”

He edged toward the door, face full of smug satisfaction—until a figure blocked his way.

A young man in a gaudy floral shirt.

Lu Cheng.

The pickpocket’s heart sank. “Hehe… little brother, let me by?”

Lu Cheng’s smile was calm, almost lazy. “Put the cuffs on yourself, or should I help you?”

As he spoke, he dangled a pair of shining handcuffs from his finger.

Gasps rippled through the passengers. A cop?!

The driver killed the engine.

The thief cursed inwardly. He hurled the snakeskin bag forward—but before it even left his hand, Lu Cheng moved.

A blur of strikes—crisp, efficient.

Click!

The cuffs snapped shut.

The man froze; his arms twisted behind him.

Lin Wenbin’s jaw dropped. That smooth takedown—like a veteran who’d been busting criminals for years, not a rookie on his first case.

The thief tried to resist, but Lu Cheng’s grip clamped like iron. A sharp pinch on his pressure point made him yelp, instantly subdued.

“Stay still.”

Around them, passengers erupted.

“He’s a thief? I never noticed!”
“Damn, they disguise themselves this well now?!”
“My phone’s gone!”
“My wallet too!”

Lu Cheng had Lin Wenbin open the snakeskin bag. Beneath the potatoes lay a pile of stolen wallets and phones—worth easily over twenty thousand yuan.

Eight victims in total. Not one of them had even noticed when it happened.

Now they stared at Lu Cheng like he was a hero descended from the heavens.

“Officer, thank you! My son just bought me that phone, I’d be heartbroken if it was gone.”
“My wallet too—there’s two thousand yuan inside! You saved me.”

Meanwhile, Lin Wenbin sat off to the side, staring gloomily.

Nobody thanked him. Nobody even looked his way.

He was a cop too, damn it! But compared to Lu Cheng, he hadn’t done a thing—not even as much as a soy sauce bottle in the background.

With the thief caught red-handed and confessing, the stolen goods were returned on the spot, with victims leaving names and numbers for later follow-up.

Lu Cheng and Lin Wenbin escorted the handcuffed man off the bus, reporting into the Shuangqiao station’s anti-pickpocket team.