Accidental Hero: The Rookie Who Outshines the Force - Chapter 35

The two anti-pickpocket teams exchanged a quick glance before resuming their calm disguises.

Lu Cheng and Lin Wenbin had no idea that fellow officers were also on this bus.

The two young officers from Qingshijing Precinct, however, had already noticed them. Their expressions shifted ever so slightly—were these two on the wrong bus, or were they here to steal their “case”?

Either way, their trip had been for nothing.

Because this ride was clean.

The Qingshijing team had been tailing this bus the whole way. Not a single abnormality.

Five more minutes, and they’d reach the terminal. This trip was destined to be “empty-handed.”

Lin Wenbin stole a glance at Lu Cheng. He had said earlier they’d just try their luck, but as it turned out, another team was already watching this line. They had crossed into someone else’s territory.

Fortunately, the next stop was the last.

Five minutes later, the bus slowed into the terminal with a squeal of brakes.

Hiss—!

The pneumatic doors opened.

Passengers rose from their seats, squeezing into the aisle as they prepared to get off.

Lu Cheng’s eyes were already locked on the “electrician.” Up to this point, the supposed worker hadn’t made a move.

But as the bus neared its final stop, he finally struck.

With a flick of his wrist, a slim blade appeared between his fingers. In the crush of passengers disembarking, the blade slid across pocket seams and bag zippers.

Silent, swift.

Phones and wallets slipped from their owners without so much as a ripple, vanishing neatly into the man’s tool bag.

Lu Cheng clicked his tongue inwardly. Smart bastard. Pick the perfect timing—last stop, blend into the crowd, and vanish. By the time victims realized what happened, he’d be long gone.

The two Qingshijing officers stood as well, giving Lu Cheng and Lin Wenbin a look before stepping off the bus. But they didn’t go far. They lingered nearby, planning to have a word with the two strangers afterward. A little warning to keep to their own line.

“Come on, time to get off,” Lin Wenbin tugged at Lu Cheng’s arm.

But instead of moving, Lu Cheng’s hand slid toward his handcuffs.

Lin Wenbin’s heart skipped.

This guy… he was going to—

He followed Lu Cheng’s gaze. Sure enough, the “electrician” in faded work trousers was shouldering his tool bag, ready to leave.

Could it be… him?

Lin Wenbin glanced back at Lu Cheng. The latter gave him a subtle nod.

A silent understanding clicked into place.

For the first time, the “Lu-Lin duo” moved in sync.

Lin Wenbin strode forward and blocked the “electrician’s” path.

“You. Hold up.”

“?”

The man looked up in confusion.

And in that instant—

Lu Cheng appeared behind him like a shadow. His hand snapped down, twisting the man’s wrist in a fluid motion—pull, lock, press!

The man froze. Metal clamped cold around his wrist.

Crap!

His gut clenched. Handcuffs?!

Lin Wenbin moved at the same time, catching the man’s other hand and wrenching it back. A second cuff clicked shut.

Gasps erupted in the half-empty bus. Passengers shrank back, eyes wide.

The “electrician’s” face twisted into a vicious scowl. There were weapons hidden in his bag, for use in emergencies. But now, bound hand to hand, he was utterly helpless.

A clean capture.

“Let me go!” he snarled, twisting uselessly.

“You think that’s happening?” Lu Cheng rapped him lightly on the head.

The remaining passengers, pale with fear, began frantically checking their belongings. Sure enough—phones and wallets were missing.

Those who had already gotten off the bus also realized too late—pockets slashed open, valuables gone.

“Thief! There’s a thief!”

“My money’s gone!”

The two Qingshijing officers stiffened, sprinting back toward the commotion. But before they could even open their mouths—

Shouts erupted from the bus.

“You damned thief, how shameless!”
“Officer, take him away!”

And then—Lu Cheng and Lin Wenbin emerged from the bus, pressing a man in cuffs between them.

The Qingshijing pair froze in shock.

That… that was the pickpocket!

Caught by Sanliqiao’s rookies?!

And worse—them, who had been tailing the bus the entire way, hadn’t noticed a thing.

The newcomers had boarded only one stop ago—and nailed him instantly.

If this spread, their reputations would be shredded.

As Lu Cheng and Lin Wenbin escorted the thief past, the two Qingshijing officers’ faces twisted as if they’d swallowed dung.

Lu Cheng, however, spoke lightly:

“This one was slippery. Waited until everyone was getting off before making a move. If we hadn’t lagged behind, we’d have missed him too.”

The subtext was clear—this wasn’t the Qingshijing team’s failure. Just bad luck. The thief had acted only after they’d disembarked.

The officers forced stiff smiles. Even so, the humiliation was bitter.

This was their line, yet Sanliqiao’s people had reaped the prize. Like watching someone else pluck fruit from your tree.

Meanwhile, grateful passengers crowded around.

“Officers, you’re amazing!”
“Sharp eyes! You saved my phone!”
“Thank heavens you caught him—I had two thousand cash in my wallet!”

This time, Lin Wenbin basked in the praise too, grinning ear to ear.

The Qingshijing pair, still undercover, could only stand awkwardly aside. To the crowd, the glory was all Lu Cheng’s and Lin Wenbin’s.

After victims reclaimed their belongings, Lu Cheng pulled out his phone and called the Double Bridge Precinct’s anti-pickpocket command again.

The same clerk answered.

“Eh? Officer Lu, you again?!”
“You—you caught another thief?!”
“…Right, right! I’ll send a car immediately!”

Call ended. They waited with the cuffed thief until backup arrived.

The Qingshijing duo slipped onto the next return bus, fleeing the scene of their humiliation.

When news of this “second blood” spread through the operation teams, jaws dropped across the board.

Again? Lu Cheng’s team caught another thief?!

How old is this kid?

Were there really this many thieves riding buses today?

Chen Feng’s face turned dark. That line had been assigned to Qingshijing. Yet his men hadn’t caught a thing, and Lu Cheng had swooped in instead.

Grinding his teeth, he fired off a message, scolding his rookies to keep their eyes open.

As for Luo Yong and Ding Chengzhi, the veteran officers—they were convinced now.

This probationary rookie was monstrous.

One young officer muttered with a bitter laugh, “Looks like us old-timers will need to step up. We can’t really let a trainee outshine us all, can we?”