Caught and Booked

Zhouying Police Station's new officer Jiang Xia really has skills! Impressed, Chen Dong got the gambling den's location from the street loafer and hurried back to the yard.

With the case at the arrest stage, Wu Suo was in a great mood. He smirked. 'I asked Bao Wei Kezhang to go back and call in people.

What about you? Got anything?' 'Wang Qiang's usual gambling den is at Zhibaichang Warehouse. Usually about twenty to thirty people, with lookouts.

Three dealers, the leader's nickname is Lai Zi,' Chen Dong said. 'A gambler who steals money will likely go straight to gamble.

I say, better to bring more people and just bust the whole den.' Wu Suo agreed. He nodded. 'I know this place. I'll lead the arrest.' 'Alright.' Soon, Bao Wei Kezhang arrived with over twenty people.

Jiang Xia looked at them curiously. They carried batons. Three of them wore police green tops but blue pants, looking a bit odd.

They were Economic Police. In the 80s and 90s, there was a special police type called Economic Police, abbreviated as Economic Police.

Economic Police belonged to the public security system, had official positions, but worked in state-owned enterprise security departments, mainly responsible for factory safety. They had law enforcement authority and firearms, and when needed, they assisted police stations.

With the team assembled, Wu Suo told Lü Fusheng to take Dong Aihua back to the station to write records. After emphasizing a few points, he quickly led the team to Zhibaichang.

They rode bicycles and soon arrived. They stopped at a corner. About ten meters ahead was the abandoned Zhibaichang Warehouse.

Outside the warehouse, a young man was vigilantly looking around. Everyone quietly parked their bikes. 'Wei Dong, you and Officer Chen take four people to flank from the left.

Liu Kezhang, take five people to circle around from behind. Move when you hear the whistle in ten minutes.' After the low-voiced orders, Wu Suo turned to Jiang Xia.

'Xiao Jiang, you're new. This time you're here to learn. Stay with Hu Wei. Your main task is to protect yourself. Got it?' Jiang Xia leaned against the wall, her feet pressing into the ground.

She felt her blood surging. Joining an arrest right after starting work felt like a dream. But which cop hasn't dreamed of catching criminals?

Jiang Xia had imagined herself pinning down a criminal, slapping on handcuffs, and coldly saying, 'You're under arrest!' That would be so cool. Now the dream was about to come true.

Jiang Xia couldn't contain her excitement. But Wu Suo's words felt like a bucket of cold water. She instantly wilted like a frostbitten eggplant.

'Oh, got it.' She'd been overthinking. A newbie with no combat experience would just cause trouble if she charged in. Wu Suo would never let her join the arrest.

He only brought her along to learn the process. Forget it. Finding Wang Qiang was the priority. They still couldn't be sure he was the thief.

She hoped her judgment was right. That this guy was the thief and was inside the warehouse, so they could catch him and recover all of Dong Aihua's stolen money.

Jiang Xia silently prayed. Wu Suo glanced at his watch. Seeing it was time, he gestured to the Economic Police who had drawn their guns, put the whistle in his mouth, and charged out the next second.

The Economic Police and security guards quickly followed. 'Police!' 'Nobody move!' The sharp whistle pierced the silence.

The lookout, hearing 'police,' went weak in the knees. Before he could shout 'cops,' he was pinned to the ground. 'Cops are here!

Run!' The gamblers inside heard the commotion and rushed out, frantic like fish released from a dam. But as soon as they came out, they ran into the officers flanking from both sides.

The officers swarmed and pinned all the gamblers to the ground. 'All of you, hands on your heads and squat!' Jiang Xia followed Hu Wei and rushed into the warehouse.

The warehouse was thick with smoke. Before she even stepped in, a heavy smell of cigarettes hit her, mixed with the musty odor of decay.

Wu Suo was handcuffing the gambling boss Lai Zi. The other officers were controlling the gamblers, so no one was paying attention to Wang Qiang yet.

Hu Wei lowered his voice and asked sternly, 'Who is Wang Qiang?!' 'I'll report!' A gambler immediately ratted out his buddy, pointing at a young man in the corner. 'He's Wang Qiang!' Wang Qiang, squatting with his hands on his head, looked pale.

His lips trembled. 'I, I didn't do anything! I didn't do anything!' That was practically a confession. Jiang Xia felt a weight lift off her chest.

She snorted coldly. 'Didn't do anything? Then where did you get the money to gamble? You stole Dong Aihua's money, didn't you!' At the name 'Dong Aihua,' Wang Qiang's legs gave way, and he thudded to the ground.

With Wang Qiang in custody and over twenty gamblers, the group returned to Zhouying Police Station in a grand procession. The others were temporarily detained.

They interrogated Wang Qiang first and found over four hundred yuan in his pocket. He never expected to be caught so fast.

With the money in front of him and other gamblers identifying him, his will crumbled. He quickly confessed to the crime.

After signing and fingerprinting, Jiang Xia counted the money and followed Wu Suo to the reception room. By then, besides Dong Aihua, her second son (who had been watching at the hospital), her younger daughter, and her husband (who had been at work) had all arrived.

When they saw them, all four stood up quickly, their eyes full of hope, staring eagerly but afraid to ask, scared the news they'd heard was false. 'Well,' Wu Suo cleared his throat.

'The case is solved. The money is recovered!' The four Dong family members all let out a huge sigh of relief. 'Aunt Dong, here's your missing 923 yuan.

Count it to see if it's all there,' Jiang Xia said, handing over the money. 'Thank you so much, officer! You've saved our whole family!' Dong Aihua's hands shook violently.

Her son took the money for her, while she grabbed Jiang Xia's hand and shook it up and down. 'Thank you, thank you, officer.

You've saved our lives. If this money hadn't been found, I wouldn't have been able to go on.' In the past, if one out of ten stolen items was recovered, that was good.

Without this young woman, the money would likely never have been found. The latest and most complete novels are at Bashu520.com.

Words were too light to express Dong Aihua's feelings. In her excitement, she started to kneel. 'Thank you so much. I, I'll kowtow to you!' 'Please don't!' Jiang Xia quickly reached out to support her.

'You'll shorten my life!' 'My mother is just too excited,' Dong Aihua's daughter grabbed her mother. She said apologetically, 'If it weren't for you, my brother's family would be finished.

We don't know how to thank you enough.' 'We're police, we serve the people. No need to thank us. You should hurry to the hospital and pay for the surgery.' After much persuasion, Jiang Xia finally sent the grateful family off.

After all that, she was sweating from the heat. A bit tired, but her spirit felt like she'd eaten super sweet honey. Excitement surged through her body.

'Feeling good?' Wu Suo was also beaming. 'Being a cop is hard and tiring, but this is one thing we're better at. When people thank you, there's no better feeling!' 'Yeah, it feels great.' Jiang Xia's face flushed a little.

She had to admit, it felt amazing. She wanted to solve more cases. If she could be like a detective who solved every case...

'Alright, you just got back and haven't even eaten. You've been busy all this time. Go home for now.' Wu Suo looked at Jiang Xia with increasing fondness.

In less than three hours, she'd not only solved a burglary but also busted a gambling den. A double blessing! Such talent shouldn't be overworked.

'Get some good rest. Come back to work tomorrow.' Hearing this, Lü Fusheng, who was still busy filling out records, turned green.

With so many gamblers to interrogate, they were short-handed. How could she go home to rest?! Was there no justice?! * Jiang Xia had no idea someone was resentful.

With a day off, she was happy to rest. She happily cycled home. A sweet meaty aroma came from the hallway. It was the smell of braised pork.

The source was her own home. 'Click.' Before Jiang Xia could take out her keys, the door opened from inside. 'I knew it was you as soon as I heard the sound!' Her mother Zhou Mei looked happy but couldn't help complaining.

'You didn't say you were coming back. And you took so long to report in.' 'There was a case,' Jiang Xia said with a smile.

'I went along and solved it!' 'The great Sherlock Holmes is finally back?' Her sister Jiang Ying came out of the kitchen carrying rice. She urged, 'Go wash your hands.

You're so late, the food's getting cold!' 'Okay.' Jiang Xia quickly went to wash her hands. The original family had four members.

She was the youngest. The family was small and close. Seeing her graduate and return, they immediately prepared a feast.

Drying her hands, Jiang Xia sat down. 'Time flies. In the blink of an eye, you've graduated and started working,' her father Jiang Weiguo said emotionally.

'Now your sister is the head chef at the textile factory cafeteria, and you have a job. Three out of four of us are regular employees.

Life is getting better!' 'Dad, don't worry. Our life will only get better.' Jiang Ying popped open a bottle and poured orange juice for everyone.

'Come on, let's all toast!' Jiang Xia raised her juice in a toast, then picked up a piece of braised pork. Fatty but not greasy, melts in the mouth, so fragrant it makes you dizzy.

The taste was even better than the chefs at the big city restaurants. Her sister's cooking was even more amazing. No, wait, was she finally showing her pre-transmigration level?

That's right. From Jiang Xia's observation, her sister was also a modern person who had taken over the original body before she fell into the water.

She didn't know if it was transmigration or rebirth, but she was probably on a foodie script. She had to admit, she was benefiting from it.

In these times, eating well wasn't easy. With braised pork, sour cabbage fish, and flavored eggplant, Jiang Xia downed two big bowls of rice.

Burping, she went to the bedroom to rest. The Jiang family's home was a newly built employee dormitory from the steel rolling mill.

It had a kitchen and bathroom, but was small, only 45 square meters, two bedrooms and a living room. The two sisters shared a bedroom with a bunk bed.

Jiang Xia slept on the bottom, Jiang Ying on top. As soon as she lay down, Jiang Xia heard the System's notification sound. [Ding, reputation +4] Current reputation: 51/100.

How did reputation increase when she hadn't done anything? Looking at the over-half reputation bar, Jiang Xia rubbed her chin.

Was it the pickpocket gang on the train exchanging info, or had word spread? Couldn't guess. She wondered what would happen when it filled up.

Jiang Xia was both expectant and worried. She was expectant because the System's rewards, though crime-related, were like a knife.

Good or bad depended on how you used it. She could definitely use them to solve cases. But she was also worried because they were crime-related.

Whether skills or Title, using them was suspicious and came with side effects. System, please don't be too troublesome this time!

As she was praying, Jiang Ying quietly entered the bedroom. She closed the door and lowered her voice. 'Xiao Xia, can you do me a favor?' 'What favor?' 'You're at the station, so you know the news.

Help me find a good place to set up a stall where the patrol cops won't catch us,' Jiang Ying said. 'This isn't speculation.

The higher-ups allow small businesses now. Our cousin has been back and hasn't found a job. I thought he could set up a food stall first.

Having some income is better than loafing around at home.' So her sister was on a food entrepreneurship script? Jiang Xia thought for a moment, then patted her chest.

'Sure, leave it to me.' A food stall! She felt she'd be even more blessed with good food in the future! * Early morning.

Jiang Xia cycled to Zhouying Police Station, full of energy. 'Is that Xiao Jiang?' 'Xiao Jiang's here?' 'Morning, Xiao Jiang.' As soon as she entered, the station's patrol officers greeted her warmly.

Hearing the commotion, Wu Suo came out of his office with a teacup. Unlike yesterday's dark face, he now looked at Jiang Xia with great warmth.

But his gaze seemed to see her not as a person, but as a strong young ox in a production team. 'I was so busy yesterday, I forgot you haven't gotten your uniform yet.' Wu Suo turned and called into the room, 'Old Wang, bring the keys.

Open the storeroom and get a uniform.' 'Oh no.' Old Wang came out of the office awkwardly. 'I was in a hurry today. I left the storeroom keys at home.' 'Huh?' Wu Suo frowned.

'What about Chen Jie? She's in charge of household registration. She also has storeroom keys.' 'Sister Chen said yesterday she had to take Xiao Liu to verify household registration today.

She won't be back until tomorrow,' Old Wang said apologetically. 'It'll take me over an hour to bike back and forth. How about we get it tomorrow?' Wu Suo shot him a glare.

'You forget everything except today. This is delaying things!' 'Uh, how about I give it a try?' A uniform! Jiang Xia wanted it now.

It would be a hassle to make someone run back. Since she'd already said yesterday she could pick locks, she might as well open it herself.

'Oh right, you can pick locks.' Wu Suo slapped his forehead. 'That lock is the same as the Dong family's. Try to open it.' With that, Wu Suo led Jiang Xia to the storeroom.

With such a simple lock, if Jiang Xia couldn't open it in three seconds, she'd be unworthy of the System's master-level thievery skill. But just as locksmiths deliberately take longer to make customers feel their money was well spent, Jiang Xia had to open it slowly to seem less skilled.

Open it slowly, make it look like luck, and no one would suspect her! She took a stiff wire from her bracelet, bent the tip, and removed the ear pick hanging from her neck.

She inserted it into the keyhole, using the ear pick as a lever, moving the wire bit by bit, occasionally frowning and pausing. She dragged it out for over three minutes until 'click,' the padlock opened.

The moment the lock opened, Jiang Xia heard the System's notification. [Ding—] [Congratulations, host, for completing a high-difficulty lock pick under police observation without being arrested. Freedom experience +20!]

Wait, that worked?! And such a high reward? One lock pick was worth twenty anti-theft actions! Jiang Xia was overjoyed. Was this a new way to exploit the System's bug?

Suppressing her excitement, she turned to Wu Suo. 'Wu Suo, the padlock is open!' Unexpectedly, Wu Suo didn't look happy about the lock opening.

He stared at Jiang Xia silently, his eyes filled with scrutiny and suspicion. Jiang Xia's heart skipped a beat. Her acting was fine.

She'd even dragged it out for over three minutes. Why was he looking at her like that? Was the time still too short? In her confusion, Wu Suo asked slowly, 'Xiao Jiang, why do you carry a piece of wire on your wrist for no reason?' Jiang Xia broke into a cold sweat.

Damn, she forgot about that. Who carries wire around normally?!