Accidental Hero: The Rookie Who Outshines the Force - Chapter 42

Chen Weimin sprang up from his chair, swearing under his breath.

Across from him, Su Qingwu widened her beautiful eyes in surprise.

They caught the King Thief?!

Both were stunned for a long moment before slowly regaining their composure.

Chen Weimin now had genuine confidence. He smiled at Su Qingwu and said,

“Xiao Su, what do you think of our precinct’s Lu Cheng?”

…

News of Lu Cheng and his partner catching the King Thief quickly spread to all the anti-pickpocket squads.

Reactions varied.

Those who hadn’t performed well were full of admiration, some even idolizing the trainee officer.

The capable officers, however, were unwilling to admit it—they couldn’t believe they were outshone by a trainee.

But with results staring them in the face, what could they do? Unless they themselves caught that many thieves, there was no contest—the task was too difficult!

Lin Wenbin, upon learning they’d caught the King Thief, had his eyes pop out like light bulbs.

Then he laughed heartily: “The King Thief is nothing special!”

Lu Cheng smiled faintly. No wonder the system gave extra rewards this time—it was because he’d caught the King Thief.

As for the thief himself, he was simply unlucky. He had just passed through Jianghai, hoping to “borrow” some travel money.

And as luck would have it, he ran into Lu Cheng.

Suffolk Province had been hunting him for two months without success, yet he came to Jianghai and was caught by a trainee officer.

Some things were just destined.

It was a reminder to the public: the law’s net is vast, leaving no room for criminals.

Old Train Station.

Luo Yong and his team continued their stakeout, silently hoping the “Yellow Sparrow” would strike soon so they could catch the whole gang at once.

After a full day yesterday with zero results, their patience had worn thin.

Perhaps the big fish was also waiting for them to slip up, seeing who would crack first.

Sometimes, the mind works in strange ways—and what you think can come to life.

Luo Yong happened to notice a suspicious figure in the third row in front of Gate A3.

A young man wearing a baseball cap, his gaze shifting nervously. Once the patrolling officers left, he began to make his move.

He rose casually, trailing a woman carrying a child, occasionally glancing at her handbag.

Luo Yong and Chen Feng were positioned on the first-floor hall, while Ding Chengzhi’s team was on the second floor.

Luo Yong caught Chen Feng’s eye.

Chen Feng had also noticed the young man tailing the woman.

Were they just a petty thief? Or one of the Yellow Sparrow gang?

Uncertain.

So Luo Yong and Chen Feng chose to hold their positions.

The young man began his crime.

He discreetly took an item from the woman’s handbag, slipping it into his own pocket.

Luo Yong and Chen Feng watched silently. If it was a petty thief, they wouldn’t reveal their undercover identities.

After one theft, the young man moved on to another target.

Again, he pilfered something from an older woman’s pocket, pocketing it.

Over and over, he stole.

Convinced he was just a small-time thief, Luo Yong finally couldn’t bear it and called the on-duty officers to detain him.

The officers arrived, quickly identifying the suspect.

As they moved to grab him, the youth bolted.

The officers shouted, “Stop!”

It was useless—the kid ran faster.

Passengers cleared the way, wary of getting involved. What if the thief had a knife?

Two officers tried to encircle him but failed—he was slippery as an eel.

The thief ran toward Luo Yong and Chen Feng. They couldn’t hold back.

Luo Yong tripped him; the boy fell. Chen Feng pinned him down.

“You run fast, huh?”

“What did you steal?”

“Nothing!”

“Nothing? Then why run?”

“You chased me, so I ran!”

“Behave yourself. Stop spouting nonsense.”

Luo Yong frowned. The kid was cunning.

Chen Feng searched his pockets—only a few packs of tissues were inside.

“Huh?”

Chen Feng frowned. Something was off.

The on-duty officers conducted a thorough search. Sure enough, the youth had only tissues and his own phone. Nothing else.

“You only stole tissues?”

“Officer, I didn’t steal. I just borrowed a few packs to use in the restroom. That’s not illegal, right?”

Luo Yong’s expression darkened. He called the two victims to verify—indeed, only tissues were missing.

“Take him away!”

The two officers escorted the youth. Luo Yong and Chen Feng exchanged a glance—they’d been exposed.

Back at the precinct.

After questioning, the tissue-thieving youth was identified as an unemployed local near the old train station. He was uncooperative and no useful information could be extracted.

You couldn’t punish someone for stealing tissues—at most, a stern talk.

But Luo Yong and Chen Feng’s undercover identities had now been revealed after two days of stakeout.

A chilling thought: what if this petty thief was a bait planted by the Yellow Sparrow, designed to expose hidden undercover officers?

Cunning Yellow Sparrow.

This big fish was not easy to catch.

Lü Zhengbo’s expression turned serious. Given the current situation, the Yellow Sparrow was likely hiding among the over twenty thousand passengers at the old station.

They were waiting for the right moment.

Since Luo Yong and Chen Feng were exposed, additional undercover officers were needed.

“Luo Yong, have Lao Ke and Fatty change into plainclothes to cover your gaps,” Lü Zhengbo instructed. “If the Yellow Sparrow is really here, it’ll be a battle of wits and courage.”

“Got it,” Luo Yong nodded, suddenly thinking of something. He suggested, “Director Lü, how about calling in Sanliqiao’s trainee officer Lu Cheng?”

Chen Feng raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Lü Zhengbo considered it. “It’s worth a try. Younger faces are less likely to arouse suspicion.”

Lu Cheng, sunning himself at the pedestrian street, received the summons and returned immediately.

Yuan Jie from Team Two was reassigned to Lin Wenbin’s squad to cover for Lu Cheng.

At Shuangqiao Precinct, Lu Cheng entered the office wearing headphones, a black backpack slung over his shoulder.

Lü Zhengbo and Luo Yong laughed.

“You really do look like a regular passenger.”

Seeing Lu Cheng eased all their minor concerns. Perhaps this trainee would perform even better than the veterans.

Lao Ke and Fatty paired up as a team. Lu Cheng went solo. The three of them entered the hall to stakeout.

Lü Zhengbo, Luo Yong, and Chen Feng monitored the first and second-floor camera feeds.

Due to Lu Cheng’s fame, other officers gathered in the office, eager to witness the “supercatcher” in action.

Chewing gum, Lu Cheng wandered the hall, scrolling his phone casually.

The other two undercover officers positioned themselves on the east and west ends, choosing spots with wide visibility.

It was now peak hours. Waves of passengers surged through the hall, noisy and chaotic.

Luo Yong watched Lu Cheng wandering on the monitors and reminded him:

“Lu Cheng, walking around like that keeps your observation range too small. Find a spot on the south side and observe discreetly.”

Lu Cheng was still too green. Relying on random wandering to find the Yellow Sparrow gang had an extremely low chance of success.