NOVEL NEXT Chapter 94 - 94: Well, It Seems Like We've Stumbled Upon the Thief King's Lair!
Chapter 94: Well, It Seems Like We’ve Stumbled Upon the Thief King’s Lair!
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“Old Zhou, why did you suddenly come to Xiangjiang City? Weren’t you doing well up north? Your sudden appearance is quite surprising, haha!”
“Could it be that you thought you couldn’t make it up there and decided to come find us for shelter?”
“Oh, well, if you put it that way, it’s not impossible. We’ve got some money for you…”
Inside the hotpot chicken restaurant, there were only two occupied tables—one where Su Xuan and Zheng Wenjie sat and the other at the round table where the criminal Zhou Qiang was seated.
Several burly men entered the restaurant one by one. They approached Zhou Qiang, chatting as they took their seats at the round table, clearly showing a very familiar demeanor with him.
Su Xuan sighed involuntarily when he heard their conversation.
Why did this criminal have to be named Zhou Qiang? It reminded him of the Zhou Qiang back at the Jiangcheng Police Station. Fortunately, the person by his side wasn’t Zhou Qiang; otherwise, it would be Zhou Qiang arresting Zhou Qiang, which would be quite comical.
Ahem.
“Su Xuan, what are you doing? Aren’t you going to eat?”
Just as Su Xuan was lost in thought, Zheng Wenjie picked up two pieces of chicken from the hotpot and looked at him with a puzzled expression.
“Well, what we’re doing now isn’t great…”
“How about we eat quickly and get back to work? Otherwise, if the captain finds out, we’re both done for…”
“What are you looking at?”
“Hurry up and eat!”
Zheng Wenjie took a bite of the chicken and turned to see Su Xuan’s gaze wandering toward the lively group of people.
“What are you looking at over there? Is there something going on?”
As a seasoned member of the Anti-Pickpocketing Team, Zheng Wenjie’s first instinct when faced with a situation was to consider whether there might be a criminal involved.
He subconsciously looked in that direction but was promptly pulled back by Su Xuan.
“Oh…”
Zheng Wenjie was about to say something when he heard Su Xuan’s words.
“Brother Zheng, don’t look over there.”
“I suspect there are criminals there, and quite a few of them.”
“We’re only two people right now, and we can’t afford to have them discover our identities.”
“I’ve already notified Captain Liao. Let’s see what they do. They’re eating and drinking, so they won’t leave in the short term…”
“We’ll keep an eye on them here…”
Upon hearing this, Zheng Wenjie was taken aback. However, he subconsciously picked up a piece of meat from the hotpot and regained a calm demeanor on his face.
If it weren’t for Su Xuan watching him closely, it would have been hard to tell that he had just been checking whether there were any criminals over there.
Though he had these thoughts in mind, Su Xuan soon changed his expression.
They ate meat, chatted, and occasionally clinked glasses, looking no different from ordinary diners.
However, only Su Xuan knew the truth. Under his radar detection, everyone at that table was highlighted in red!
Initially, there was only one criminal, Zhou Qiang. When Su Xuan saw him ordering food, he suspected that he might be calling other criminals over. That’s why Su Xuan didn’t take action right away.
But now, as the criminals who had been eating meat and drinking at Zhou Qiang’s table approached, Su Xuan was even more excited.
The reason was simple: all the people at Zhou Qiang’s table had high sin values according to his radar.
What was strange, though, was that all of them had the same crime listed: theft!
With such high sin values and all of them being thieves…
Su Xuan took a sip of his drink, and his eyes suddenly lit up.
Wasn’t it obvious?
They had stumbled upon the Thief King’s lair!
Su Xuan’s excitement grew as he contemplated this. Based on his past experience, when so many criminals gathered together, spoke as equals, and even laughed together, there was only one possibility.
Their status was equal, yet their sin values were so high, all related to theft. This could only mean one thing – they were all Thief Kings!
“Damn!”
“This is like stumbling upon the Thief King’s lair for real!”
With these thoughts racing through his mind, Su Xuan couldn’t help but want to burst into laughter.
These criminals probably hadn’t realized that they were sitting next to two police officers, did they?
Thinking this way, Su Xuan maintained an indifferent facade, casually eating while continuously complaining about his “unscrupulous boss” to Zheng Wenjie.
This monologue left Zheng Wenjie’s mouth twitching.
No wonder Su Xuan could catch criminals…
He was practically a master at this.
Pretending to be helpless, Zheng Wenjie began encouraging Su Xuan to eat and drink, maintaining the demeanor of an ordinary person.
On the other side, the few Thief Kings, who had initially been suspicious about the two diners, quickly dismissed their concerns upon seeing their nonchalant behavior.
Seizing this opportunity, Su Xuan picked up his phone and began tapping on the screen. He had initially contacted Captain Liao for assistance because he was part of the Anti-Pickpocketing Team.
If it was just a regular thief, even one with a high sin value, their squad could handle it.
But now, with so many criminals around – he had counted five so far – and no certainty of whether more would arrive, Su Xuan felt that the
Anti-Pickpocketing Team might not be enough.
So, Su Xuan directly messaged Captain Liao, sending a series of shocking messages. Afterward, he casually placed his phone face down on the table and pretended to be disinterested while picking up a pan-fried dumpling and taking a bite.
Meanwhile, Captain Liao, who had been busy organizing personnel at the police station, felt his phone vibrate.
Originally, Captain Liao was ready to initiate the operation and, at the moment he felt the vibration, he almost ignored it, intending to proceed with the mission. However, as if he remembered something important, he pulled out his phone and glanced at it.
In case it was a message from Su Xuan…
The next second, Captain Liao’s expression darkened.
He was immensely grateful that he had checked his phone. Without hesitation, he shouted loudly, “Everyone! Assemble in the lobby!”
“Leave two officers on duty, and the rest of you, change into plainclothes and get ready to go with me!”
“You have three minutes to change, three minutes, then gather in the lobby!”
“Move fast!”
Captain Liao immediately issued the orders!
At this moment, he didn’t doubt for a second whether Su Xuan might send false information. He believed that an officer like Su Xuan understood the importance of accuracy, especially during a major operation.
He trusted that Su Xuan wouldn’t play tricks, especially in a situation involving numerous criminals gathering together.
Simultaneously, Captain Liao was deeply concerned about the safety of Su Xuan and Zheng Wenjie.
With so many criminals coming together, their audacity in following them so closely and tracking the criminals at close range was undeniably risky.
It was a dangerous endeavor that could cost them their lives.
Su Xuan’s abilities over the past few days have been evident to everyone, and Captain Liao had considered bringing Su Xuan to their squad even before.
At this moment, the level of concern Captain Liao had for Su Xuan was beyond measure.
He didn’t want to see such a promising talent get into trouble under his watch…
Before long, the entire anti-pickpocketing team was ready to move out.
Captain Liao and his team drove in regular cars, heading towards the terminal subway station Su Xuan had mentioned….