Chapter 8

Chapter 8

After finishing his meal, Shen Dongqing didn't head straight home; instead, he took a walk in the nearby park.

Over the past few days, aside from that trip to the police station, he hadn't gone more than a hundred meters from his front door. He could tough it out, but being cooped up inside all day was starting to get to him.

At noon, there were very few people in the park, which actually made Shen Dongqing feel more at ease.

The reason was simple: he hadn't been out much these past two days and had enjoyed two quiet, uneventful days. Who knew if today would bring danger? The more people around, the more alert he had to stay.

Shen Dongqing found a bench by the river and sat. It was nice and cool in the shade of the trees, with only the glinting river surface reflecting a bit of sunlight—just enough to sting the eyes.

A light breeze drifted by, and Shen Dongqing felt a rare moment of ease, deciding to linger a little longer before heading home.

His newly bought security camera happened to be out for delivery. Once it arrived, he could swing by the pickup point on his way home and install it.

He had bought this camera a couple of days ago. Its main function was to snap photos and send alerts if a stranger lingered outside his door—another layer of protection for Shen Dongqing.

Sure, someone determined to wreck it could still do so, but the act itself would be a signal—a heads-up that danger was closing in.

When Shen Dongqing bought it, he'd mentioned it to Luo Meilan. Hearing that, she immediately bought one too—not the cheaper online deal, since online shopping, while cheaper, meant waiting a few days, whereas buying from a store meant she could bring it home that same day.

Luo Meilan installed one camera at her front door and another on the balcony. Their building wasn't very tall, and there had been cases before of thieves climbing onto balconies to break in.

Having just been through a scary ordeal, Luo Meilan felt extremely uneasy and even wanted to put a camera in the living room.

But Shen Dongqing knew those cameras could leak private info and might even be exploited by criminals, so he reminded her of that—only then did Luo Meilan drop the idea of adding more.

...

After savoring a rare moment of peace in the park, Shen Dongqing checked his phone, saw the camera had arrived, and got up to leave.

Spotting someone running ahead of him, Shen Dongqing was a little surprised. Most people ran in the morning or evening—running at high noon? Wasn't that begging for heatstroke?

Hold on—the guy running behind him looked familiar!

Shen Dongqing squinted and recognized the one trailing behind as Xiao Ze. Xiao Ze wasn't in uniform, sticking close behind the man in black.

Could anyone being chased by a cop be up to any good?

Shen Dongqing watched the man in black sprint toward him, casually stuck out his foot, and the guy, caught completely off guard, went sprawling.

Xiao Ze lunged forward in one fluid motion, twisted the guy's arms behind his back, and slapped on the cuffs. Looking up, Xiao Ze spotted Shen Dongqing and raised an eyebrow, a little surprised.

"Officer Xiao, long time no see," Shen Dongqing said on reflex.

"We just saw each other a couple days ago—that's hardly a long time," Xiao Ze chuckled, then added his thanks. "Thanks a lot. If it weren't for you, this guy could've led us on a way longer chase."

Shen Dongqing glanced at the man in black and asked out of nowhere, "Is he a thief?"

"How'd you know?" Xiao Ze asked, taken aback.

"Just a feeling." Shen Dongqing paused, then squeezed out two words. Maybe because he'd caught three thieves before, the second he saw the man in black, Shen Dongqing got the same vibe as he had from those three. That's why he couldn't help asking—to test if his gut was right. And sure enough, he'd nailed it.

"With instincts like that, if you were a cop, you'd catch plenty of thieves." With the thief in custody, Xiao Ze was in a good mood. Figuring Shen Dongqing was joking, he laughed and ribbed him.

Shen Dongqing looked at the thief, then couldn't help scanning the area, wanting to test his hunch. Unfortunately, there weren't many people around—just a passerby standing by an electric scooter not far off, about to ride away.

Wait a second—why did that guy also give him a sense of déjà vu?

Xiao Ze followed Shen Dongqing's gaze and saw only an ordinary passerby, who was pushing an electric scooter out of a parking spot, half his face visible.

Xiao Ze felt the guy looked extremely familiar. He glanced down at the thief in his grip, then it suddenly clicked. He only had time to throw a line at Shen Dongqing: "Watch this thief for me."

Shen Dongqing watched Xiao Ze stride toward the passerby, eyes sharp, like a cat zeroing in on a mouse.

When the passerby saw Xiao Ze coming, he visibly flinched. He'd been trying to play the innocent bystander, but when he realized Xiao Ze was really coming for him, panic hit. He twisted the throttle, gunned it, and bolted straight out.

But he was too slow off the mark. Xiao Ze grabbed the side of the scooter, threw off its balance, and it slammed to the ground.

"Freeze—police!" Xiao Ze barked, shoving the guy down hard.

Bystanders nearby hadn't known what was going on, but at Xiao Ze's sharp command, several exchanged looks and scrambled over to help pin the guy down.

Even with Xiao Ze on him, the guy thrashed desperately, trying to get away. But with several passersby piling on, he was completely stuck.

"Xiao Ze, what's going on..." Several people ran over from a distance, asking as they passed him handcuffs.

"Just caught him. Does this face ring a bell?" Xiao Ze cuffed him, hauled him up, and asked.

"Isn't this the wanted criminal? We were after this thief ring, and we got a bonus catch. Your memory's sharp," the officer said, studying the face closely before exclaiming.

"Not really my doing—I only spotted him because someone tipped me off." Xiao Ze brushed off the praise. If Shen Dongqing hadn't been staring at the guy, he wouldn't have noticed him either, let alone recognized him.

More likely, he'd have kept chasing the thief and completely missed this wanted criminal.

"Who tipped you off?" the curious officer asked. Xiao Ze had been running ahead alone—none of them had kept pace. Who could've clued him in?

Xiao Ze didn't answer, just watched as a colleague went over to Shen Dongqing and took over holding the thief.

Seeing Xiao Ze had everything under control, Shen Dongqing couldn't help edging closer to ask, "Officer Xiao, is this guy a thief too?"

"Yeah, a habitual thief who commits crimes all over the place." Xiao Ze nodded, giving Shen Dongqing a brief introduction, then glanced at the electric scooter. "This scooter probably isn't his either."

After all, a thief who moves around constantly wouldn't bother buying a vehicle—stealing one was far more convenient than buying.

Just as Xiao Ze finished speaking, a man came running over, shouting, "Wrong scooter, wrong scooter—this is my..."

He was about to get angry when he saw the scooter on the ground, but then he spotted Xiao Ze holding down the habitual thief and the handcuffs on the thief's wrists. He immediately fell silent.

"Kid, remember to lock your scooter next time. In the blink of an eye, it could get stolen," the nearby officer reminded him, glancing at the key still in the ignition.

"I just went in to buy something—this thief was way too fast." The young man, carrying a bag of snacks, spoke with lingering fear. He'd only bought this scooter recently; if it had been stolen, the loss would've been huge.

"Thanks, officer, for stopping him for me." The young man expressed his gratitude repeatedly.

Xiao Ze's mouth twitched. Whatever—he was used to it. Ever since becoming a cop, no matter the age of the person speaking, his title automatically upgraded to "uncle."

Having confirmed his instincts were right, Shen Dongqing wanted to chat a bit more, but seeing Xiao Ze's colleagues had all arrived, he knew the officer was on duty and didn't want to disturb him, so he prepared to leave.

"Hold on." Xiao Ze called out to Shen Dongqing.

Shen Dongqing turned back, puzzled. Xiao Ze handed the habitual thief over to his colleague and walked aside with Shen Dongqing. "This wanted criminal has a 500-yuan bounty. Let's exchange contact info—I'll notify you when the reward comes through."

Shen Dongqing waved his hands repeatedly. He'd only felt suspicious about the man, hadn't known he was a wanted criminal, and besides, Xiao Ze was the one who'd caught him. Even if there was a bounty, it should go to Xiao Ze—how could he take it?

But Xiao Ze was equally insistent. In the end, they compromised: Xiao Ze would treat Shen Dongqing to a meal as thanks.

...

After returning home and installing the cameras, Shen Dongqing thought back to his midday guess, but felt it still needed more testing.

If his guess was right, then he wouldn't have to be paranoid anymore, always worrying that someone nearby might suddenly become a threat.

But just as he was about to head out, he glanced at the sky outside and decided against it, choosing to turn in early so he'd be sharp and energized for implementing his plan the next day.

The next day, before heading out, Shen Dongqing hesitated for a moment, then took out a phone strap, hung his phone on his chest, and started a livestream.

"The streamer is so diligent—just streamed yesterday and already streaming again today. Is this the newbie phase work ethic? So touching."

"Can't see the streamer's face, disappointed. Streamer, why not switch to the beauty stream category?"

"This angle—let me think for a second—I'm lying in the streamer's arms, hehe."

Since the phone was hanging on his chest, Shen Dongqing couldn't see the chat messages either, and only thought of his opening lines after walking a few steps.

"Hello everyone, today I'll show you around Ningchuan." Shen Dongqing thought for a moment and found a reason to kick off the stream.

Not far away was a bus stop, and it was rush hour in the morning—many people were standing there waiting for buses. Shen Dongqing walked over, his eyes swept over the crowd.

Shen Dongqing wasn't sure if it was his imagination or if things really were different now—most people he couldn't read, but some...

His eyes landed on a thin, short young man. The guy seemed overly restless, giving Shen Dongqing a feeling very similar to the thief he'd seen yesterday.

An ordinary person wouldn't stare at him for long and would struggle to notice anything off, but Shen Dongqing kept his attention fixed on him, so naturally, he waited until the man slipped up.

Though the man's movements were subtle, Shen Dongqing still caught his gaze lingering on other people's bags, pockets, and phones.

The livestream viewers saw exactly what Shen Dongqing saw.