Chapter 2

Police Station Check-In. Shou Houn swallowed hard, voice dry: 'My wallet's gone.' 'What?' Dong Zi's eyes narrowed. 'Big bro, you didn't sign any slips — trying to dodge the old man's scolding, right?' 'Bullshit!

I'm not clumsy like you. I signed mine!' Shou Houn shot him a look, then dropped his head, pulling at his empty pockets.

Weird. His pockets were custom-deepened. No wallet just falls out of those. So where'd it go? Zhei Tou had been listening in silence the whole time.

He took a drag on his pipe, voice raspy: 'It didn't just fall out, did it?' 'Definitely not!' Shou Houn crouched, pulling his pocket open for the boss to see. 'This deep?

No way it fell!' Zhei Tou tapped his pipe on the train car, eyes flashing. 'Then someone picked you clean.' 'No way.' Dong Zi froze, then shook his head.

'Big bro's the best. How could he not even notice?' 'I...' Shou Houn didn't want to admit it, but the wallet didn't fall — it's not in his pocket — which meant only one thing: someone took it.

A ten-year veteran pickpocket, out-picked by someone else?! If this got out, he'd be a laughingstock. Shou Houn's face flushed red.

Which bastard did this? He replayed the journey in his head. The bald guy who bumped him on purpose? The middle-aged man reading the paper when he turned around?

The two old farmers chatting? Maybe all of them. Maybe none. He didn't even know when his wallet had vanished. The more he thought about it, the scarier it got.

Cold sweat crept down his back. Damn. He'd run into a real pro. Silence stretched. Dong Zi sensed something was wrong. 'Big bro?' 'Someone picked me clean.' Shou Houn's head dropped.

'Don't even know who.' 'Even if I were twenty years younger, I couldn't pick your pocket, boss.' Zhei Tou took another drag, face grave through the haze. 'This person's better than me.

Has to be a Zhe Wang.' 'A Zhe Wang?!' Shou Houn's heart skipped a beat. Losing to a legend like that? No shame in it. He just didn't know which passenger in that car was the Zhe Wang.

He scanned everyone in his memory again. A pretty girl's face flashed up — and was immediately dismissed. Female thieves existed, sure, but one that young?

A Zhe Wang? Give him a break. 'Got picked and didn't notice — we're outclassed. By the rules, we stop here.' Zhei Tou gripped his pipe, voice low.

'When we get off, find out who this pro is. Hopefully just passing through. If they've settled here, we're in deep trouble.' Shou Houn nodded fast.

A Zhe Wang just passing through? Fine, one encounter and done. But if they'd put down roots? With their skills, there was no competing.

Shou Houn prayed silently. Please, just let them be passing through. Jiang Xia had just sat back down when the System chimed again. [Ding!

Congratulations, host. Title 'Zhe Wang' acquired. Reputation +3.] Jiang Xia slowly formed a question mark in her mind. Zhe Wang?

What on earth? She willed the screen open, and a pale blue panel floated into view. Her personal panel now had a Title slot.

A bronze crown icon sat at the top, 'Zhe Wang' written beneath it, with a description beside it. [Equip this Title: Peer respect +20%, Police favor -30%.] Jiang Xia: ...

This broken System was genuinely unhinged. Good thing Titles could be unequipped. Otherwise her coworkers would hate her on sight and work would be impossible.

But after studying it this long, Jiang Xia was certain: this System had no real intelligence. It ran like a preset program.

Sudden rewards meant she'd done something to trigger them. Thinking back over what she'd just done, she suspected the skinny pickpocket she'd counter-robbed.

He'd noticed his wallet was gone? One reputation point per person — three points meant the skinny guy and his crew had gotten together and talked about something.

Jiang Xia's expression turned a little odd. Had they cooked up some wild story in their heads? Did they decide she was a Zhe Wang, and the System just ran with it?

She glanced at her reputation bar below. Slight headache. Reputation wasn't like XP — it couldn't boost skills, it just accumulated on its own.

Now sitting at 47/100. The bar was nearly half full. Jiang Xia's gaze sharpened. XP upgraded skills. A full reputation bar should do something too.

Just didn't know yet if it'd be good or bad. Since Titles could be toggled freely, the reward for maxing reputation was probably also under her control.

Shouldn't be too much of a trap. Hmm... Once she mapped out the System's mechanics, she could find ways to exploit bugs and grind points, keep pushing her abilities up.

Closing the System, Jiang Xia's mood lifted. 'Passengers, next stop: Changning City. Please gather your belongings and prepare to disembark...' 'Changning City!

Wake up, everyone getting off here!' The train was pulling in. After the announcement, the conductor squeezed through the packed aisle, shouting reminders as she went.

Jiang Xia shouldered her bag, grabbed her cloth sack, and squeezed out of the car like a sardine fighting its way out of a tin. Fresh air hit her face, sweeping away the stale warmth from inside.

She let out a long breath. Finally off! She waited a moment, then spotted a uniformed train police officer stepping down from the car, badge and unit insignia visible.

She grabbed her bag and walked over. 'Comrade, hello.' Jiang Xia set down her cloth sack, pulled out her sketchbook, tore off the page with the pickpocket's face, and handed it over.

'I saw this man stealing on the train. I was worried he had accomplices, so I didn't shout — I just drew him. Is this any use?' 'Oh?' Lao Chengan was surprised.

Thirty-plus years as a train cop. Plenty of passengers had reported thefts after getting off. But handing him a portrait?

First time. 'Let me see.' He took the paper. The face on it was sharper than a black-and-white photo, and it looked familiar — like he'd seen it more than once.

That meant real trouble. Lao Chengan's expression went serious. 'Pickpockets are bold these days. A lot of them carry knives.

You were right not to shout — provoking them would've made things worse.' He folded the paper carefully and tucked it into his breast pocket, then turned to Jiang Xia. 'Comrade, do you study art?

Which work unit are you with? Can I get an address? When we catch them, I'd like to send a thank-you letter to your workplace.' Classic veteran cop — even running a background check sounds perfectly polite.

Jiang Xia was quietly impressed. She hesitated two seconds, then said: 'Zhouying Police Station.' Police station? A fellow officer!

Lao Chengan blinked, looked her over again, and a smile spread across his face. 'Police academy grad? You're something else!' He gave her a thumbs-up.

'When we catch these pros, I'll go congratulate your chief in person!' Knowing she'd probably helped put a few career criminals away for years, Jiang Xia felt pretty good. She strolled out of the station, bag in hand.

Loud hawking hit her ears all at once. 'Station guesthouse, just south — head south!' 'State meat factory guesthouse! TV!

Long-distance phone! Five minutes on foot!' 'Tricycle rides! One mao per kilometer!' 'Motorcycle taxi! Three minutes per kilometer!' A crowd packed the station exit.

Up front, staff held guesthouse signs and called out to passengers. Behind them, a row of pedicabs waited, drivers hollering at the new arrivals.

A little further back, two motorcycles gleamed in the light. Too much luggage for the bus — she'd need extra tickets and extra walking.

She spent five mao on a pedicab and rode home. She unlocked her door. Nobody home. Just past ten — everyone was at work.

Of course no one was home. She dropped her bags, left a note, grabbed her assignment notice and introduction letter, and headed to the station to report in.

Zhouying Police Station. Old Chief Wu Zhenguo walked in with a dark face. The office had been noisy. The moment Wu Zhenguo stepped through the door, it went dead quiet.

Someone caught a glimpse of his expression and ducked their head lower, not wanting to be the one who set him off. Wu Suo had been in a foul mood for days.

Zhouying Police Station was small — including the household registration clerk, only eight officers total. But the area was densely populated.

In recent years, sent-down youth had flooded back to the city with no jobs waiting. Many had become street loafers, forming gangs and cliques.

On top of that, reform and opening up had come along, allowing private trading. Some people started small businesses. Once money entered the picture, things got out of hand fast — territory disputes, business rivalries, all tangled together into chaos he couldn't keep up with.

He'd argued with leadership for months, wore a blister on his lip, and finally squeezed out approval for two new officers. Should've been good news.

But Wu Suo had a bad feeling. He asked around. Sure enough, there was a catch. One of the new hires was a woman! Wu Suo instantly had a thousand objections.

These street punks and bold-as-hell vendors — even young male cops had trouble keeping them in line. A fresh female graduate?

Not a chance. Taking her out on calls wouldn't help much, and he'd have to spend energy keeping her safe on top of everything else.

Pure dead weight. Wu Suo went straight to leadership to get her swapped out. But this time, no matter how hard he pushed, they wouldn't budge.

Infuriating! Wu Suo grabbed his enamel mug and downed the whole thing in one go. Before he could even set it down, a young woman walked in.

'Hello — who's Chief Wu?' Jiang Xia walked in holding two letters. 'I'm Jiang Xia, police academy graduate. Reporting in.' 'You're Jiang Xia?' Wu Suo hadn't expected her this fast.

He looked her up and down, frown deepening. Tall, looked like she'd trained — not frail. But she had a bookish air about her.

Fresh out of school. The kind that gets pushed around. 'Yes.' Jiang Xia kept her smile steady, quietly sizing up her new boss.

Around fifty, temples going gray, face tanned dark, eyes sharp. For some reason, the look he gave her carried a faint edge of displeasure.

Jiang Xia paused internally. What was that about? She'd offended her boss on day one? She hadn't even equipped the Title!

'Ring ring—' A phone cut through the tension. New officer Hu Wei picked up. 'Mm, mm.' His face shifted. He called out immediately: 'Chief!

Dong Aihua's place on Donghua Road was robbed — over nine hundred yuan gone!' Nine hundred yuan. Two full years of wages for an ordinary worker.

'Tell them to secure the scene!' Big number. Wu Suo dropped the Jiang Xia situation instantly and started assigning tasks.

'Chen, call the bureau, get backup. Hu Wei, Lü Fusheng — you two come with me to the scene—' He stopped. Case this big, who knew how many people had already crowded the scene.

Three officers wasn't enough. He looked at Jiang Xia, took a breath, and pointed at her. 'You too!'