C11 Snatching a Thief!

"Savior?" Zhang Ming was instantly dumbfounded.

Lee Xing and the others were equally stunned.

This unassuming student turned out to be the savior of the Anewood municipal public security bureau director's daughter!

"It's over..." Zhang Ming moaned, his face a picture of despair as he slumped to the ground.

Wu Ren was the middle-aged man.

His icy gaze swept over the group as he said, "Zhang Ming, you, Lee Xing, and the others beat Zhou Wen on the street. How dare you claim that Zhou Wen was the one who attacked them!"

"As a police station chief, to be colluding with criminals is a disgrace to our police force!" Wu Ren exclaimed in anger.

Zhang Ming's gaze was vacant as he pleaded, "Commissioner Wu, I was wrong. Please, give me another chance!"

In his desperation, he clung to Wu Ren's legs, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Take him away!" Wu Ren commanded with authority.

At his command, several police officers rushed in and pinned Zhang Ming to the ground.

"And the three of them, for beating someone on the street, lock them up too!" Wu Ren ordered sternly.

Lee Xing's face went pale. Who could have imagined that a minor scuffle would escalate to involve the director of the municipal public security bureau?

The officers immediately subdued the three men. Lee Xing glared menacingly but didn't dare to fight back. To do so would mean assaulting an officer!

Within moments, all four were apprehended!

Qin Yi, leading Zhou Wen from the inside, said, "Zhou Wen, you've endured a lot."

As Zhou Wen stepped out of the cell, Lee Xing and his companions glared at him with venom. They were not about to let this go. They thought, don't assume that just because you have the police chief on your side, we'll be scared of you.

"Lock them up and process them according to the law!" Wu Ren instructed the officers.

Afterward, he approached Zhou Wen.

"Zhou Wen, I'm sorry for what you've been through," Wu Ren said gently, a stark contrast to his earlier severity.

Up close, Wu Ren's skin was slightly dark, marked with small scars, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were pronounced.

"Ms. Qin told me about Zipei. I was away on a mission at the time. If it hadn't been for you, my daughter..." Wu Ren's voice trailed off, filled with emotion.

"Alright, let's not talk here. We should get going," Qin Yi expressed with care.

As they were about to leave, Wu Ren turned to Lin Jing, the young policewoman, and inquired, "What's your name?"

Lin Jing's face brightened with delight. "I'm Lin Jing."

Wu Ren gave a nod of approval. "You've done well. I'm entrusting you with full responsibility for this case. Report back to me when it's concluded."

"Yes, Commissioner!" Lin Jing was ecstatic and saluted Wu Ren respectfully.

Zhou Wen approached and whispered, "Lin, thank you for looking out for me earlier."

"It's all part of the job," Lin Jing replied with a smile.

She made a mental note of the student named Zhou Wen, hoping for another encounter in the future, a thought she kept to herself.

As she watched the trio depart, Lin Jing was brimming with determination. This was her first significant assignment, and she was intent on excelling.

Clutching her fists, she bolstered herself with an internal cheer: "Come on, Lin! You've got this, or else it's back home to take over the family business!"

...

"Zhou Wen, how did you get mixed up with these people?" Wu Ren asked with a furrowed brow in the hotel room.

The room was immaculate, centered around an elegantly simple round table adorned with an array of delicate dishes.

Qin Yi and Wu Ren were seated together, with Zhou Wen beside them. Initially, Qin Yi had invited Zhou Wen to dine at her home, but due to the current situation, that was no longer possible.

Instead, Wu Ren and Qin Yi had brought Zhou Wen to the Bronze Bay Hotel in Anewood for a meal, a venue frequently used by their bureau for hosting guests.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Wen began, "Last time I was at the internet café, one of my classmates..."

"Wait, minors aren't allowed in internet cafés. Uncle Wu, you're not going to arrest me, are you?" Zhou Wen asked anxiously.

"Of course not," Wu Ren replied with a chuckle, seeing the worry on Zhou Wen's face.

Zhou Wen breathed a sigh of relief. "That's a relief."

"However, I will have to notify your parents," Wu Ren added.

"What?" Zhou Wen's face fell in shock.

Seeing his reaction, both Qin Yi and Wu Ren couldn't help but laugh.

"Go on, Zhou Wen," Qin Yi encouraged, placing a generous slice of meat onto Zhou Wen's plate.

"Last time at the internet cafe, Hao Qiang accused my classmate of bumping into him and demanded money for medical expenses. But in reality, he was fine; he just wanted to extort money from us. That's when the conflict started," Zhou Wen explained calmly.

He omitted the part where he had taken down Hao Qiang and his crew, as it was quite an astonishing feat.

"So Hao Qiang brought in his big brother, Lee Xing, to take you on," Wu Ren mused.

"That's right," Zhou Wen confirmed with a nod.

"You little rascal, you're not being completely honest. You think I'm unaware?" Wu Ren set down his chopsticks and continued, "You gave Hao Qiang and his buddies a thrashing at the internet cafe, knocked down Hao Qiang and Zhao Qing on the street, and even sparred with Lee Xing."

Wu Ren chuckled, "You call that a conflict, but it sounds more like you were the one doing the beating."

Zhou Wen sheepishly scratched his head, "Well, I was acting in self-defense."

"In my opinion, Zhou Wen did great. You've got to deal with those types firmly," Qin Yi said, her voice tinged with reproach as she firmly supported Zhou Wen.

"As police officers, we must adhere to the evidence. Without it, we can't just do as we please," Wu Ren responded.

"Still, Lee Xing is Chen Yao's enforcer, and he's skilled in martial arts. The fact that you held your own against him is impressive," Wu Ren complimented.

Zhou Wen, puzzled, inquired, "You keep mentioning Chen Yao. What exactly does he do?"

Zhou Wen was aware that Chen Yao was Chen Yu's father, but he didn't know much about the man himself.

"Chen Yao is the owner of Lumina Real Estate. He's clearly not one of the good guys," Qin Yi remarked with disdain.

Taking a sip of tea, Wu Ren added, "He's amassed a considerable fortune in just a few years, and his operations aren't exactly clean. The bureau has been keeping an eye on him for a while, but we lack the evidence. Maybe this time, we can use Lee Xing as an entry point."

With that, Wu Ren fell into contemplation.

"Let's not discuss work during dinner," Qin Yi said as she served more food onto Zhou Wen's plate.

"Zhou Wen, are you considering applying to the Police Training School after college?" Wu Ren inquired as he collected his thoughts.

"I'd like to see what my parents think," Zhou Wen responded with a smile.

In the past, Zhou Wen wouldn't even dare to dream about college, but now he could actually contemplate which university to attend. It was a genuinely nice feeling.

"You're such a good kid. If only Zipei's sister had been as considerate," Qin Yi said with a wistful smile.

Their conversation came to a close as the meal ended.

"Zhou Wen, if you ever need any help in the future, feel free to reach out to us," Wu Ren said warmly, handing Zhou Wen his private number before departing.

After exiting the hotel, Zhou Wen bid farewell to Wu Ren, Qin Yi, and her husband. Declining their offer to drive him home, Zhou Wen set off alone.

From the Bronze Bay Hotel, there was a bus that headed towards the chemical plant family member courtyard. Zhou Wen pulled out a dollar, ready to take the bus home.

Anewood's buses were small, with just one door for boarding and alighting, and tickets were sold by hand.

It was Saturday, and the city was bustling with people. The bus was crowded to capacity.

At the next stop, an elderly man dressed in a white linen robe stepped aboard, closely followed by a young man in black.

Unbeknownst to Zhou Wen, the elderly man was the proprietor of the Ancient Bookstore.

The man's hair was jet-black, and he exuded vitality. Despite offers to give up their seat, he preferred to stand.

Zhou Wen kept an eye on the old man, who was carrying a black canvas bag slung across his waist.

Noticing Zhou Wen's gaze, the old man turned and offered him a friendly smile.

The young man in black who had boarded just after the old man seemed tense, constantly scanning the area and shifting his position.

Given the cramped space on the bus, his movements were disruptive.

"Stop moving around! Can't you see how crowded it is?" someone barked.

The young man in black just grunted in response, continuing to dart his eyes around.

Zhou Wen, observing from a short distance, felt that something was off. The young man's demeanor was distinctly different from the other passengers.

Everyone on the bus was on edge, eagerly awaiting their stop. In contrast, a young man surveyed his fellow passengers with a sly gaze.

After several stops, the young man changed positions, standing close behind an elderly man dressed in white. Zhou Wen subtly moved closer to the young man.

"We've arrived at the mall! If you're getting off, do it quickly!" the ticket seller called out impatiently.

Prompted by the announcement, the old man in white made his way toward the exit. It was then that the young man in black stealthily lifted his hand and slipped it into the old man's bag, unnoticed.

Zhou Wen had been watching the young man intently. As soon as he saw the young man's hand move, he knew what was happening. The young man was a pickpocket, and Zhou Wen was the only one on the bus who had spotted the act.

"Thieves must be caught!" Zhou Wen resolved.

The thief was adept, swiftly extracting a small cloth pouch from the old man's bag, the outline of money barely visible within.

"Catch the thief!" Zhou Wen bellowed, bursting through the crowd.

Caught off guard by Zhou Wen's shout, the young man grabbed the pouch and dashed off the bus.

The passengers were momentarily dumbfounded.

Zhou Wen leaped off the bus and, emulating the technique Lee Xing had shown him, splayed his fingers and seized the thief's shoulder, giving his wrist a flick. Although Zhou Wen lacked Lee Xing's expertise in applying force, he drew on the enhanced strength of his underwear to bring the thief crashing to the ground.

Only then did the old man in white realize what had happened. He opened his bag and, seeing it empty, cried out in alarm, "My money's been stolen!"

The thief still clutched the small cloth pouch pilfered from the old man's bag.

"That's my money in his hand!" the old man exclaimed, pointing at the thief.

"People, help catch the thief!" he called out.

Seeing the old man's outcry, the thief's face twisted into a snarl. He brandished a knife, threatening Zhou Wen, "Back off! Let me go, or I swear I'll stab you!"

The gleaming knife blade before him sent a chill down Zhou Wen's spine.

It was indeed a real knife!

Zhou Wen was taken by surprise when the thief brandished the knife.

"Someone help! Catch the thief!" the old man continued to shout, his gaze flickering toward Zhou Wen from time to time.

The bus remained stationary, yet none of its passengers seemed inclined to disembark. A crowd had gathered around, but no one was brave enough to intervene.

That was unmistakably a real knife!

Zhou Wen's grip on the thief's arm was unyielding.

At that moment, his only concern was the confrontation at hand. With resolute eyes, he demanded, "Drop the wallet, or you're not going anywhere!"