After passing two more villages, the bus came to a stop in a town. The reason was simple: four people had waved the vehicle down.
These kinds of buses were just like that; they weren't much different from the public buses of later generations. If someone wanted a ride, the bus stopped to pick them up; if someone wanted to get off, they just shouted, and the driver would pull over.
The only difference, perhaps, was that these buses ran long-distance routes, while public buses ran within city limits.
Once the four people boarded and saw there were no available seats, they stood there, leaning against the backs of the seats.
Wang An glanced at the four of them, his brow furrowing slightly, though he didn't think much of it.
Mainly, as a former street thug and drifter, Wang An could tell at a glance that these four boys weren't anything good. They were either petty thieves or the kind who specialized in "technical robberies."
Regardless of whether they were good people or not, they had bought tickets to ride the bus. Who would dare tell them they couldn't ride?
Sure enough, once the bus started moving, the four boys began glancing around. Their primary focus was on the backpacks, gunny sacks, leather suitcases, and silk bags on the luggage rack, as well as the shoulder bags and small bundles people carried with them, and the pockets on the passengers' clothing.
Wang An knew these four were casing the joint—or rather, observing whose bags or pockets contained money.
He had to admit that while these people's character was trash and they spent their days doing things worse than animals, their eyes were truly impressive.
Because if a normal person tried to observe who on the bus had money and who didn't, it would actually be quite difficult; at most, one could make a rough guess based on their dress.
But these people were different. They didn't care who was rich or poor; they only cared about who was currently carrying cash, and they could judge it extremely quickly.
This was something an ordinary person truly could not do.
In his previous life, while traveling far and wide, Wang An had encountered many such people, and after entering the "fence" (prison), he had even conversed with them.
According to them, the key was to observe the passengers' facial expressions and body movements. Someone carrying money or valuables would always pretend to be nonchalant, but they would subconsciously feel for the part of their body where the money was kept.
In the trade of "small-lifting"—or pickpocketing—this behavior was called "pointing the door."
For example, if someone kept their money in an upper chest pocket, there was a high probability they would frequently raise their arm, using the excuse of scratching their face or chin to brush their forearm against the location of the money on their chest.
Or, if someone kept their money in a trouser pocket near the groin—the lower abdomen area—they would frequently tug at their belt or adjust their pants.
As for the lower pockets of a jacket or the side pockets of trousers, there was no need for "pointing the door." Pickpockets could get a general idea with a single glance, or by the time they walked past you, the items in your pocket would already be in their hands.
Although Wang An knew all these stealing techniques, he had never mastered the actual rapid-fire sleight of hand.
There was no helping it; stealing required innate talent combined with diligent practice. Wang An had no interest in stealing, and since he had been serving a life sentence in the fence, he had been too lazy to practice the technique.
As for "technical robbery," the reason the word "technical" was added was that they didn't use knives or guns to rob people directly. Instead, they waited for the right moment to snatch a passenger's backpack or belongings, and when the driver stopped to open the doors, they would either run off with the goods and the person, or simply toss the items out of the bus for an accomplice waiting outside to collect.
The primary goal of this method of robbery was to avoid direct conflict, leaving the victim powerless to do anything about it.
Soon, the eyes of the four men locked onto the backpacks that Wang Li and Mu Xueli had placed on the luggage rack. Of course, they didn't overlook Wang An's backpack either.
The main reason was that the backpacks of these three were new. In this era, backpacks like these weren't something just anyone could afford. So, even if there was no money inside, a brand-new backpack itself was not cheap.
One had to remember that when the three of them bought their backpacks yesterday, each had spent a full 18 yuan, which was equivalent to half a month's salary for a formal employee.
However, he had to admit that while the backpacks looked quite ugly to Wang An, the quality was truly excellent—top-notch.
Thick canvas, dense stitching, wide straps; speaking only of the canvas material, even a razor blade would at most leave a scratch.
After observing the three backpacks and two exquisite-looking leather suitcases, the four men's gaze shifted simultaneously toward several other passengers.
Among them was a woman around 30 years old leading a child of seven or eight, a young man in his twenties who was very thin and small, an old woman in her fifties or sixties, and a middle-aged man who looked honest but appeared nervous.
The reason Wang An knew these four thieves were targeting these passengers was that the thieves were already closing in on them.
Seeing the thieves' intent, Wang An said to Han Xiaomin
"Sister Han, right? Let's swap places first."
Wang An wanted to move, not because he intended to be a Good Samaritan, but because he knew his, Wang Li's, and Mu Xueli's backpacks had been targeted. He knew that there was a significant amount of money in their bags.
Setting aside the 10,000-plus in cash in Wang An's bag, even Wang Li and Mu Xueli had three or four thousand in cash in theirs.
Unexpectedly, after Wang An spoke, Han Xiaomin lowered her head and whispered
"Those four are not people to be messed with. They have a whole gang of accomplices."
After whispering this, Han Xiaomin stole a fearful glance at the four thieves, appearing very afraid of being targeted by them.
Wang An was momentarily stunned. Not only was Han Xiaomin's analytical ability strong, but her observational skills were also impressive; she could even guess what Wang An was planning to do.
This woman was truly not a simple character!
Wang An opened his overcoat, showed Han Xiaomin the Type 54 pistol hanging on the inside, and said with a face full of smiles
"Then tell me, am I someone to be messed with?"
The moment Han Xiaomin saw the gun, her eyes widened instantly. She looked at Wang An in total shock and swallowed hard.
Then, Han Xiaomin stammered
"You... you... what... what do you do for a living?"