Twenty minutes later.
Jiāng Hào and the other members of the anti-pickpocketing team arrived at South Station.
Clad in undershirts, if they hunched their backs slightly, they looked no different from ordinary pedestrians. This lesson in plainclothes disguise was a mandatory skill for police academy students, and they all handled it naturally!
Xiao Hei, seeing Jiāng Hào was alone, still felt worried. "Brother Hao, why don't you just stick with us and move as a group?"
"It's not convenient for you to act alone, we..."
"Xiao Hei, just do as the captain said!"
Jiāng Hào was the first to scan the entrance of South Station.
He actually preferred acting alone! It was more convenient.
The entrance to South Station had a 90s vibe, very old. The people coming and going were mostly farmers and elderly folks in their forties and fifties; it was rare to see young people in their twenties or thirties. No wonder so many thieves gathered here. These uneducated migrant workers were the easiest targets.
He reached up and tested the disguised walkie-talkie hidden in his collar. "Don't worry, let's split up. We can use the walkie-talkie to contact each other if anything comes up."
"This..."
Xiao Hei still wanted to persuade Jiāng Hào.
But Jiāng Hào was already walking away, not even looking back.
Although the others were surprised and sympathetic that Jiāng Hào was acting alone, this was a crucial moment for executing the mission and earning performance points. They couldn't afford to waste any more time and set off!
At this very moment, Jiāng Hào had already entered South Station.
All he could see were uncles and aunties carrying duffel bags and large, bright red luggage bags. The ticket counter had quite a crowd, a dense mass of people. The ATMs set up inside the station also had lines.
Jiāng Hào immediately locked onto two locations! The pickpockets in the station would either target those buying tickets or those using the ATMs.
He walked a few steps closer.
Just then, the Evil Sweeping Radar pinged!
Several square boxes moved within the crowd. But due to the extremely high foot traffic, these individuals were hidden within the throng, making it impossible for Jiāng Hào to immediately discern who was carrying a box.
[Criminal: Chen Da Zui!]
[Crime: Theft, amount up to 50,000 yuan!]
[Points: 300!]
[Criminal: Li Ming Cheng!]
[Crime: Theft, amount up to 80,000 yuan!]
[Points: 350!]
[Criminal: ...]
These criminal identification boxes floated in mid-air, appearing above one person's head one moment and another's the next. Jiāng Hào knew this was because the criminals moved around, making the box positions inaccurate! He could only approach step by step, using the shortening distance to identify who these criminals were!
However, Jiāng Hào hadn't expected to find so many people the moment he entered. No wonder they called this place a paradise for thieves!
'I need to get closer immediately…'
Jiāng Hào steeled himself and continued walking forward as if nothing was the matter. He couldn't act rashly now. Without identifying the opponent and confirming they were carrying stolen goods, he absolutely couldn't make a move to arrest them.
"Brother, are there still tickets to Anshan? I see this line is quite long."
Jiāng Hào deliberately acted confused and pulled over a slightly older middle-aged man to ask.
At that moment, he noticed a woman standing in line ahead of them deliberately inching forward. She was wearing a mask and kept lowering her head. Although she pretended to be looking at her phone, Jiāng Hào saw a dialogue box above her head. He'd found a thief!
The woman seemed to sense someone was watching her and glanced back. Too late. Jiāng Hào quickly averted his gaze, waiting for the middle-aged man's response.
"Young man, the train to Anshan now only has soft sleepers. If you're willing to spend the money, you can wait in line."
"I..."
Jiāng Hào's eyes narrowed. In the time it took to speak, he noticed the female pickpocket he'd been watching had already targeted the elderly person in front of her. Swiftly and without notice, she smoothly pulled a bag of something out of the elder's bag. Judging by its square shape, it was likely money!
Jiāng Hào immediately changed his tune, feigning difficulty. "A sleeper... that seems a bit expensive. With the money for a soft sleeper, I might as well take the high-speed rail."
He scratched the back of his head and gave the middle-aged man a sheepish grin. "Thanks, uncle. I'll take a look around!"
As the woman backed away, Jiāng Hào also discreetly stepped back.
After successfully stealing the item, the woman calmly walked away with her 'luggage,' even heading towards the security check.
Jiāng Hào followed her at a safe distance.
The station was large, with many entrances. After following her for about ten minutes, Jiāng Hào saw the woman deliberately bump into a middle-aged man.
"Ah!"
"You... how can you walk without looking?"
The female pickpocket deliberately frowned and chided him, her neckline swaying. The middle-aged man seemed to have just withdrawn money and bought a ticket. He held the train ticket in his hand, but his wallet was only partially tucked into his pocket.
He quickly apologized, his gaze involuntarily drawn to the pickpocket's chest. "Young lady, I'm so sorry. I was in a hurry just now."
"Here, let me help you up."
The middle-aged man quickly reached out to help the female pickpocket.
The woman's eyes were filled with disdain. As he helped her up, her hand had already skillfully moved into the middle-aged man's pocket. Her fingers spread apart, and just as they were about to grasp the man's black wallet, a cold sensation touched her wrist!
*Slap!*
The pickpocket froze for a few seconds, then immediately turned to look at the person who had suddenly appeared. The middle-aged man was also stunned, completely taken aback by the sudden turn of events. He looked at Jiāng Hào in surprise.
The pickpocket stared intently at Jiāng Hào. She had been operating in South Station for so long! This was the first time she'd been caught!
And... she hadn't even noticed Jiāng Hào?
Impressive! She steals in front, and he catches her from behind? What kind of weirdo is this!
The woman glared, immediately questioning, "Who are you?"
"When you put your hand into someone else's pocket, you should have known who I was."
"What?!"
The middle-aged man, hearing this, immediately came to his senses and looked down at his pocket. Sure enough! Most of his wallet was sticking out. If it wasn't for this person's appearance, his wallet would have been gone by now...!
The pickpocket's face darkened, and she said nothing further. Realizing she was caught by this person, she felt a surge of anger and resentment!
Jiāng Hào reached out and took the bag she had just stolen, and began escorting the woman back to where they were before. However, after only a few steps, they ran into the elderly person who had been robbed.
As soon as they met, the elder's eyes were drawn to the bag in Jiāng Hào's hand. He looked surprised. "Young man, are you guys wrapping money in paper these days? It looks exactly like mine!"