Plainclothes Pickpocket Bust

☆ — Time to go plainclothes and catch a pickpocket!

Sunday. Early morning.

Day off, but neither of the Jiang sisters slept in — both were up at the crack of dawn.

Zhouying Police Station never closes, so someone always has to be on duty even on Sundays. The beat cops rotate days off, and Jiang Xia's turn fell on next Wednesday — meaning this Sunday she had to show up like any other workday.

Jiang Ying did have Sunday off, but she was planning to set up her stall, so she had to be up even earlier.

'Xiao Xia, you're up?'

Cousin Zhou Guangtao, who'd come over to help, was quietly hauling boxes. He spotted Jiang Xia pushing open her door and gave a good-natured grin, dropping his voice: 'Your sis said there's rice steaming in the pot, and she left you some dried veggie jerky in the cabinet — don't forget to eat.'

'Got it, got it.'

Jiang Xia was still half-asleep, her feet carrying her body on autopilot toward the bathroom. She waved a hand: 'I won't see you off — good luck out there, sell a ton!'

'Thanks for the good words!'

She brushed her teeth, then splashed cold water on her face. The shock snapped her fully awake.

She finished washing up fast, slipped into the kitchen, grabbed a piece of dried veggie jerky, and tossed it straight into her mouth.

This was Jiang Ying's product: dried veggie jerky.

It was a soy-based thing — basically pressed tofu — with a flavor somewhere between spicy strips and savory-sweet jerky, and a chewy texture that actually passed for meat. Seriously addictive.

Jiang Xia was already rooting hard for her big sis to sell out, open a workshop ASAP, and start vacuum-sealing the stuff for sale — then she'd finally have a snack for late-night shifts.

Breakfast sorted, she glanced at the clock — almost late. She grabbed her bag and bolted, but couldn't resist snagging one more piece of jerky to chew on the way downstairs.

She pedaled like she was being chased, flying toward the station.

The more days she clocked in, the more the novelty wore off — Jiang Xia was evolving into a seasoned slacker, fully committed to the art of arriving at the last possible second.

She tore down the road.

Scrrrch —

One hard brake, and she brought the bike to a clean stop right in front of the office door. She spotted Shen Huoda ambling out of the main entrance at that exact moment, and the corners of her mouth shot up.

'Yes! Nailed it again today!'

'Am I your alarm clock or something?'

Shen Huoda also cut it down to the wire every single day — he knew exactly what was going on. He shook his head with a helpless laugh: 'Xiao Jiang, if you're that scared of being late, just buy a watch. Way easier to check the time.'

'Pass. One watch costs me two months' salary.'

Jiang Xia shook her head repeatedly: 'Can't afford it, can't afford it.'

That thing would be dirt cheap in a few years anyway — no rush. For now, the smarter move was to spend the paycheck on food.

'Ahem!'

Wu Suo cleared his throat. This time he wasn't holding his signature enamel mug.

He stood in the doorway, eyes sweeping over Jiang Xia and Shen Huoda — both in civilian clothes — and then over Hu Wei, who was coming out of the storage room carrying a rope. He spoke: 'Everyone's here. Get ready to move out. Before we go, let me stress a couple of things — today's plainclothes pickpocket operation is mainly a learning exercise. Xiao Jiang, Xiao Hu, pay attention and take notes.'

Right — Jiang Xia had field duty today. Main objective: learn how to catch pickpockets.

She wasn't sure what exactly she needed to learn, but she had a feeling she'd be pulling her weight just fine.

Thank you, System, for that massive experience-point bonus package — she knew pickpockets inside and out.

'Don't worry, Shifu. I'll study hard.'

Jiang Xia cracked her knuckles, ready to show Wu Suo exactly what she was made of.

'Then let's move.'

Wu Suo waved a hand. 'Let's go — People's Park!'

Wait, seriously?

Jiang Xia froze mid-turn with her bike.

That was exactly where her big sis was selling jerky.

She had no idea which spot Jiang Ying had set up at — would they run into each other?

*

The four of them cycled to the city's People's Park.

People's Park wasn't in Zhouying Police Station's jurisdiction — it was actually pretty far away — and that was exactly why Wu Suo had picked it.

Pickpockets in their own district all knew their faces. Plainclothes wouldn't fool anyone; they'd bolt the second they spotted them. You had to work somewhere unfamiliar.

Early summer was rolling in, and the breeze was warm and lazy. The locust trees at the park entrance were thick with leaves, clusters of white flowers hanging heavy from every branch. The lower ones had already been picked for soup, but plenty still clung to the upper boughs — when the wind blew, a wave of sweet fragrance drifted over.

It was Sunday, so plenty of families had brought their kids out to play. A couple stood half a meter apart in the ticket line, shuffling forward with shy, nervous energy.

Lots of visitors, but the open space by the entrance only had a handful of vendors — three or four at most. One sold candied hawthorn skewers, another had sunflower seeds and peanuts, and one guy was running a foot-pedal cotton candy machine that had already drawn a crowd of kids.

Jiang Xia found the whole setup weirdly retro and kind of fascinating — she couldn't stop sneaking glances.

'Veggie jerky — delicious veggie jerky, tastes just like real meat —'

A vendor's call floated over.

Huh?

Jiang Xia looked up and spotted, just past the ticket booth, a stall surrounded by a small crowd. She squinted — and there, right in the middle, were her big sis and her cousin.

Of all the places.

And her sis was smart about it too — set up outside the gate, so she didn't even have to pay for a ticket.

Too many people around, and Jiang Xia was technically on the clock, so she didn't plan to go over and make a scene. She lined up normally with Wu Suo to buy tickets. While they waited, Hu Wei sniffed the air.

'Damn, that veggie jerky smells incredible.'

He looked toward the source of the smell. 'Hey — Jiang Xia, that woman running the stall looks a lot like you...'

His voice trailed off as something clicked.

Jiang Xia said it straight: 'Of course she does. That's my sis.'

'She's selling at a stall?'

Wu Suo turned his head, brow faintly creased. 'Xiao Jiang, why is your family doing this kind of thing?'

Back then, everyone figured a proper job was the only respectable path — street vending was looked down on as something decent people didn't do. Wu Suo was no exception.

'Hey, Wu Suo, selling food to make ends meet is perfectly fine, isn't it?' Before Jiang Xia could respond, Shen Huoda jumped in to smooth things over. 'Smells pretty good too — I might grab some on the way back.'

'No need to spend your own money, big bro.'

Jiang Xia wasn't fazed by anyone's opinion. She kept her tone easy and breezy: 'I'll treat everyone to a taste when we're done.'

'Now that's what I'm talking about!'

Shen Huoda kept his cheerful expression and steered the conversation: 'No wonder it's a Sunday — this park is packed...'

Wu Suo's brow twitched, then relaxed.

He didn't say anything more.

Tickets checked, the four of them entered the park.

Jiang Xia walked beside Wu Suo, eyes scanning left and right.

It was peak bloom season — huge swaths of magnolia flowers were open in full force, drawing a steady stream of admirers. The crowd was thick.

With this many people, pickpockets were guaranteed to show up. Jiang Xia's professional radar kicked on immediately — she'd already clocked someone who didn't look right.

She studied the person carefully, locking in their face.

Four people walking in a tight cluster was too conspicuous. Shen Huoda naturally drifted back a few steps, hands clasped behind him, strolling along as if he didn't know any of them.

The front three walked at a normal pace — Wu Suo in the lead, Jiang Xia and Hu Wei flanking him on either side. They looked like a dad out for a walk with his daughter and son.

'Alright, let me go over the basics of plainclothes surveillance.'

Wu Suo steered them slightly away from the crowd's center, cleared his throat, and lowered his voice. 'First: look natural. Don't tense up. If a pickpocket makes you as a cop, they're gone.'

'Xiao Jiang's doing great on that front — she looks just like any other visitor. Xiao Hu, you need to loosen up. Stop walking with your chest out and your chin up — you look like you just got out of the military.'

'Force of habit.' Hu Wei scratched the back of his head. 'I didn't realize it was that obvious.'

'It's fine — right now we look like a family outing, so it's not too noticeable. Just work on it going forward.'

Wu Suo kept talking while his eyes swept the crowd. After a moment, he said: 'You two have both studied surveillance techniques. Let's test it — who in this crowd is a pickpocket?'

Jiang Xia had already been scanning ahead of time. Wu Suo's question didn't rattle her at all — she just did one more casual sweep.

Sure enough, it was always fastest when a pro spots another pro. She could pick a thief out of a crowd in one glance now.

All those years of experience paying off.

Hu Wei, on the other hand, went rigid the moment Wu Suo asked. His eyes went wide and he started methodically scanning the crowd, back and forth, over and over.

Several minutes later, he said with a slightly awkward look:

'Wu Suo, there are too many people — I can't spot any pickpockets. I can't tell who looks suspicious...'

Hmm.

Wu Suo's expression didn't shift at all.

Exactly what he'd expected.

Hu Wei was fresh out of the gate — he'd studied surveillance, sure, but not this specific discipline, and his time in the military had been short. Not being able to pick anyone out of a crowd this size was completely normal.

Only a seasoned veteran cop with decades of practice could ID a thief at a glance.

Wu Suo looked over at Jiang Xia. 'What about you, Xiao Jiang?'

He ran through his estimate.

Police academy training was more relevant, but school always leaned heavy on theory and light on practice — when it actually counted, that gap showed. Still, Jiang Xia had a natural talent for this and had learned well. She should do better than Hu Wei.

He'd spotted three himself with all his years of experience. With Jiang Xia's ability, she should at least get one, right?

He was still thinking it through when he heard Jiang Xia click her tongue.

'Shifu, the pickpockets here are seriously bold.'

Jiang Xia shook her head. 'This area isn't even that crowded, and there are four of them.'

Wu Suo blinked. He looked at her with genuine surprise.

Four?

One more than he'd counted?

Was she just guessing?

'Xiao Jiang.'

Wu Suo's brow furrowed slightly. 'Walk me through it — which four?'

He was definitely suspicious she was throwing out random numbers.

Jiang Xia smiled and went straight into it:

'Over by the magnolia grove — middle-aged guy in a blue top with a newsboy cap, that's one. The one in grey to the left, eyes like slits, that's two — those two are probably working together. The one smoking under the locust tree is three. And four is the one by the pond with his jacket draped over his arm.'

Wu Suo went quiet.

Because three of the four matched his confirmed picks exactly — and she'd caught one he'd missed.

That was sharper than a veteran cop with years on the job.

How on earth were her eyes calibrated like that?!

Wu Suo's brain stalled. He paused for a long moment before asking: 'The others I'll give you, but the grey-jacket one — how did you spot him? And you're sure he and the newsboy cap are partners?'

Jiang Xia heard that and knew immediately: Wu Suo hadn't caught that one.

The corner of her mouth curved up.

Step aside — it's flex time.

'Mostly instinct, but also eye movement and habit.'

Jiang Xia kept a small smile: 'Newsboy cap is standing still, constantly scanning people's pockets left and right — dead giveaway.'

'Grey jacket looks normal at first — he's a good distance from newsboy cap, walking along with the flower-viewing crowd. But his eyes aren't on the flowers at all. Every few seconds he glances at newsboy cap, and he keeps drifting between those two trees — that's not normal behavior. Looks like he's waiting for a signal. So I'm guessing he's newsboy cap's partner.'

'Hm...'

Wu Suo looked back at grey jacket a few more times, then shook his head: 'Alright, you don't need me to teach you how to catch pickpockets — you're already past that stage.'

He felt a little deflated.

A student who's too slow gives you a headache, but a student who's too sharp leaves you with nothing to teach. Aside from mediation and people skills, there wasn't a single trick he could pass on.

That stung a little.

But then he glanced over at Hu Wei, who was still pulling at his own hair in frustration, and Wu Suo decided — yeah, a sharp apprentice was still better.

'Come on, Shifu, that's not true.'

Jiang Xia grinned, satisfied with herself, and spread her hands: 'I can spot them, sure, but I'm useless at the actual takedown. My restraint techniques were dead last in class.'

Wu Suo snorted: 'Slippery little thing.'

What was the difference between what Jiang Xia just said and a kid who won first place in a math competition claiming they only got ninety in Chinese and were just terrible at studying?

A police station was an organization — there was no shortage of people to make arrests. What was actually rare was someone who could identify who to arrest in the first place.

While they were talking, the smoking pickpocket suddenly made a move.

He ground the cigarette butt under his foot, walked straight toward a well-dressed man, slammed into his shoulder with a thud, then launched into a string of apologies before heading briskly down a side path with fewer people.

'Someone's moving!'

Wu Suo's eyes sharpened instantly, then lit up with satisfaction. 'And he's heading down a quiet path — he's basically walking into our hands. Let's go, move in now!'

There were four pickpockets here and not enough of them to cover all four — the moment they grabbed one, the rest would scatter.

But a pickpocket voluntarily heading somewhere with fewer people? Why wait?

Wu Suo left Shen Huoda behind to keep watch, then directed Jiang Xia and Hu Wei to tail the pickpocket from behind while he looped around to cut him off from the front.

Hu Wei perked up the second he heard the plan.

Finally — his moment to shine.

The path was quiet. The smoking pickpocket hadn't realized he was being followed. He casually tossed a crumpled cloth coin pouch into the bushes, hummed a little tune, and kept walking, eyes darting around as he drifted toward another well-dressed passerby.

Thud!

The moment the pickpocket bumped into the passerby and started his apology routine to slip away, Hu Wei — two or three meters back — exploded forward, launching himself like a tiger pouncing on prey, and slammed the man face-first into the ground.

'Police! Don't move!'

The passerby froze for two seconds before it clicked — he frantically patted his pockets.

'My wallet's gone!'

'You've got the wrong guy, you've got the wrong guy!'

The pickpocket, face pressed to the ground, thrashed and yelled: 'I didn't do anything!'

'Shut it — I watched you do it with my own eyes!'

Hu Wei didn't need any help. He dropped to one knee, one leg pinning the pickpocket's back, pulled a cloth strip from his pocket, and efficiently bound the man's hands behind him. Then he undid the guy's belt for good measure before patting down his jacket, searching for the wallet he'd just stolen.

But after a full sweep, he came up empty.

'Huh? Where's the wallet?'

'He hid it inside.'

Pickpockets don't always get away clean — the experienced ones rig themselves with hidden inner pockets. The second they're grabbed, they stash the goods inside, then let anyone check their outer pockets and find nothing. Clean hands, no evidence.

That trick might fool most people, but it didn't fool Jiang Xia. She crouched down, yanked open the pickpocket's jacket, and found the inner lining without any trouble — pulled out the passerby's wallet like it was nothing.

'Here — this is yours. Watch yourself out there.'

With that, Jiang Xia raised her hand and smoothly slipped the wallet back into the passerby's pocket, then went back to checking the pickpocket's other hidden compartments.

She'd barely reached in when she stopped cold.

Hold on — what did I just do?!

Jiang Xia screamed internally.

Oh no. Muscle memory.

She snapped her head up to check.

Hu Wei was still pinning down the pickpocket, who was squirming and fighting it — he hadn't seen a thing.

The passerby was still dazed. He'd been about to take the wallet, but it was already back in his pocket before he could react. His hand hovered in the air for a second or two before he caught up, fished the wallet out, gave it a quick look, and let out a long breath: 'That's my wallet, thank goodness it's not gone — thank you, officer!'

It had all happened so fast that the passerby was still rattled, and it never crossed his mind what it meant that the wallet had landed back in his pocket so precisely. He just thought — wow, those hands are quick.

Phew.

Jiang Xia quietly let out a breath of relief.

Close call. Nobody noticed.

She turned back around, ready to keep digging through the hidden compartments, and found Wu Suo standing right in front of her — she had no idea when he'd gotten there — staring straight at her.

Oh, crap.