Chapter 13: Killing Two Birds with One Stone

Lu Chuan is a native of Haizhou City. His home is only about three kilometers away from the Criminal Investigation Detachment, a distance that costs only the base fare for a taxi.

Therefore, Lu Chuan is accustomed to commuting by shared bike.

Aside from the exercise, the air quality in Haizhou is quite good, and Lu Chuan, who often sits in an office, likes to breathe in the fresh outdoor air.

It is currently the peak of rush hour. The main roads are filled with weaving traffic and heavy exhaust fumes, so Lu Chuan avoids the main roads every day, choosing instead to take a pedestrian street.

Although it is a bit of a detour, there are many people and few cars, making it perfect for a leisurely bike ride.

On a cool summer day during rush hour, the streets are filled with young women dressed in light, breezy clothing. The pedestrian street, in particular, is very popular with women due to its many specialty snacks.

Of course, Lu Chuan doesn't think he takes this slightly longer route for the sake of those long legs; it really is just suitable for cycling.

And he can enjoy the scenery while he’s at it.

"Stop the thief! Catch him, hurry, catch the thief!"

A piercing female voice caught everyone's attention, including Lu Chuan's.

The voice was a bit unique; even the shouting had a slightly affected, cutesy tone. One could tell immediately that she wasn't a local from Haizhou.

Lu Chuan is exceptionally tall. He stopped his bike and saw a figure sprinting ahead, followed by a fashionable woman in high heels.

Needless to say, the distance between the two was only growing.

Without any special circumstances, the sprinting young man would disappear within a few breaths.

In fact, based on Lu Chuan's experience, the other party was likely a novice; otherwise, he wouldn't have been spotted by that beautiful woman.

This was evident from the man's sinister and impatient expression—clearly, his skills were lacking.

But precisely because of that, the people around him were afraid to intervene. And it made sense; most people on this pedestrian street were fashionable women, and catching thieves was clearly not their forte...

Setting aside Lu Chuan's profession, given his personality, he wouldn't just stand by and watch.

He dropped the shared bike and took off running.

The thief noticed Lu Chuan lunging toward him immediately, his sinister expression turning even more vicious. "Don't you f*cking meddle in other people's business!"

As he shouted, his left hand pulled out a switchblade.

The gleaming blade made the surrounding crowd scramble to the side, but Lu Chuan had no choice but to press forward.

A criminal investigator—if he were to be scared off by a switchblade...

Lu Chuan felt his four years at the Public Security University would have been a total waste.

The man was clearly familiar with the terrain. Just as the two were about to collide, he made a sharp left turn into an alley.

Lu Chuan pursued him relentlessly.

The alley grew deeper and more deserted.

In less than a minute, the two reached a dead end.

*Huff, huff, huff!*

Lu Chuan panted heavily, watching the man bent over, gasping for air. "Keep running, why don't you?"

"Huff... hehe... huff." The man brandished the switchblade in his hand. "You little brat... are you tired of living? Are you looking for death?"

"Come on out, all of you!"

As soon as the man finished speaking, a door at the other end of the dead-end alley opened, and two young men emerged, forming a pincer movement against Lu Chuan.

*Huff...*

Frowning deeply, Lu Chuan realized he was still inexperienced and had been careless; the other party was clearly a small gang.

The situation was becoming dangerous...

Hm?

The moment Lu Chuan turned his head, the light screen above these people's heads, visible through his "Eye of Truth," suddenly changed.

The light screen above a slightly hunched man to his left suddenly turned bright red.

"Zhang Hui, suspect in the Wang Jian burglary case, currently under internal investigation by the Haizhou Criminal Investigation Detachment. Feature similarity: 92%!"

Wang Jian...

Lu Chuan was all too familiar with that name; he had just finished studying the case file.

The father-in-law of Bureau Chief Song.

Had he stepped in dog shit today?

However, looking at the switchblade in the man's hand, Lu Chuan felt he might have truly stepped in it.

As for the suspect's physical characteristics, they matched Lu Chuan's analysis.

Slightly hunched, over 1.7 meters tall, thin build, looking to be around 60 kilograms.

It’s just that he didn't look like he was in his twenties; he looked more like he was in his thirties. Did he just look old for his age?

While Lu Chuan was in a standoff with the three men, Qin Yong, who had just returned home, received a call from Song Jianguo.

"Qin Yong! Has your brain been squeezed in a door frame? If you don't want to work, just say so!"

*Huh?*

Qin Yong had assumed Song Jianguo was calling to praise him for solving the murder case and clearing a robbery cold case from last year.

Why was he being berated right out of the gate?

"Bureau Chief Song... which matter are you referring to?"

Song Jianguo was currently fuming. He had just been reporting the progress of the Zhang Wen murder case to his superiors, expecting praise, only for the leader to receive a phone call.

It was said that the secretary to the general manager of a group from Hong Kong investing in Haizhou had her wallet stolen while shopping on the Outlets pedestrian street, and the thief had escaped after being discovered.

Song Jianguo was given a deadline: he had to catch the suspect within one day.

"Qin Yong, if I recall correctly, the Outlets pedestrian street is right next to your Criminal Investigation Detachment building, isn't it? I’m giving you one day to catch the suspect, otherwise, you can figure out what to do yourself!"

Song Jianguo was currently most sensitive to the word "theft." His own father-in-law had been robbed two years ago, and the case remained unsolved to this day.

Song Jianguo felt too embarrassed to even visit his father-in-law for the New Year.

And now, it was even worse—the thief had targeted the secretary of an investor.

You might as well have just stolen from the general manager.

Besides, couldn't these thieves practice their craft a bit more? Getting caught while stealing someone's things...

Qin Yong, who hadn't even managed to eat a hot meal, immediately turned around and headed back to the Criminal Investigation Detachment.

With a few phone calls, he summoned all the heads of the action teams.

"One day!"

Qin Yong looked at his subordinates with a grim expression. "I don't care what method you use, catch that thief for me within one day!"

"Otherwise, you can go stand outside Bureau Chief Song's office yourselves!"

Standing there would be useless anyway; the case of the Bureau Chief's father-in-law hadn't been solved, and if there was no progress on this one...

But from the perspective of solving cases, petty theft was truly difficult to handle.

Because there was no motive—they just stole from whoever caught their eye.

Unless caught in the act or captured on surveillance footage, even if you caught them, they wouldn't confess.

Of course, if it were a novice, a bit of bluffing might work, but if it were a career thief...

*Buzz, buzz...*

Just as he finished assigning tasks, Qin Yong's phone rang again.

He checked the caller ID; it was Liu Guodong.

Qin Yong's mood improved slightly. The crime scene investigation team had given him too many surprises over the past two days.

Especially that newcomer, Lu Chuan, who had been racking up merits—he was a good seed.

Otherwise, if the Zhang Wen murder case hadn't been solved, and with this incident on top of it, Qin Yong felt he could go straight to the Bureau Chief and hand in his resignation.

But, as they say, it never rains but it pours.

"Old Liu, what is it?"

*Huh?*

"What? You said Lu Chuan is injured?!"