"Yesterday Nancheng's Thief King was caught, and today we've already received this many reports. They must be choosing a new Thief King."
Political instructor Liu Yongnian spoke with certainty.
Even thieves had their own form of organization.
Small-time crooks acting alone didn't last long.
Only those criminal dens with discipline and structure could endure over time.
That's also why Yang Guoming had always been powerless against the Thief King.
"Everyone, move out!"
Knowing time was of the essence, Yang Guoming issued orders without hesitation:
"From now on, thoroughly check every street, every residential area the cameras can't reach!"
"This is the best opportunity we've got—catch as many thieves as you can!"
"Once the Thief King Selection ends, it'll be a lot harder to catch them!"
"Yes, sir!"
Everyone shouted in unison and rushed outside.
It wasn't just about results anymore—they had to win back some pride for Nancheng!
Once the crowd had cleared, Liu Yongnian sighed.
"A single night is enough to crown a new Thief King."
"At this point, even if we catch a few, they'll only be bottom feeders."
Thieves weren't stupid.
After a whole night of looting, they'd definitely go into hiding early.
"What else can we do?"
"Catching a few is better than none. At least give us something to save face—otherwise we've got nothing left."
Lighting a cigarette, Yang Guoming shook his head in frustration.
As for competing with Xicheng? That ship had sailed.
All he could hope for now was to avoid total humiliation.
Ring ring ring!
The phone rang again, and Yang Guoming's face darkened once more.
Every call this morning had been bad news.
"If you've got something to say, say it! Are you done laughing at my misfortune yet?!"
Seeing the caller ID, Yang Guoming answered the phone and immediately exploded.
"The hell's wrong with you, Yang Guoming?! You got shot or something?"
The voice on the other end was momentarily stunned but then started cursing.
"Su Dahai, it's one thing for others to laugh at Nancheng—
But your Criminal Investigation Division isn't doing any better, is it?"
"That recent shooting case—have you caught the guy yet?"
"If not, why the hell are you calling me this early? Got too much time on your hands?"
Yang Guoming let loose with zero restraint.
Right now, the only people he could still talk down to were those from Criminal Investigation.
And guess what—they still hadn't solved that murder case.
"Damn it!"
Su Dahai shouted in fury,
"I just wanted to ask about that new guy starting today!"
"Who the hell has time to laugh at your disaster?!"
His mood completely collapsed after getting chewed out for no reason.
"New guy?"
Yang Guoming paused, then checked the time. He frowned.
"It's already 8:30 and he's still not here? That little punk's got guts—showing up late on day one!"
Already in a foul mood, this news only made Yang Guoming worse.
But over on the other end, Su Dahai sounded even more furious.
"What?! Late on his first day?"
"What kind of cop is he supposed to be?! Might as well go farm the fields!"
"Yang Guoming, give him a demerit! No—file a disciplinary action! Teach him a lesson!"
"That kind of attitude, no discipline at all—"
Click.
Before Su Dahai could finish, Yang Guoming hung up.
"Is he nuts?"
"Late once and he wants a formal punishment?"
"Besides, since when does the Criminal Investigation Division get to tell me how to manage my people?"
"And he claims he's not here to gloat? No one's gloating harder than Su Dahai right now!"
Yang Guoming fumed as he hung up.
This morning's endless string of phone calls was going to kill him.
Meanwhile…
Su Dahai stared at his hung-up phone in rage.
"Late on his first day of duty?!"
"What the hell did you even learn at the academy—how to be useless?!"
Fuming, Su Dahai found Su Mo's number and dialed.
"Sorry, the number you dialed is powered off…"
"You little bastard…"
Su Dahai clenched his teeth and growled,
"Just you wait. When you get home tonight, I'm breaking your legs!"
Nancheng District, inside a run-down alley.
"Brother Su Mo, don't forget to turn off your phone. Someone will check in advance."
The young man looked at Su Mo with admiration, speaking with flattery.
He had thought his day was over—
But to his surprise, he'd run into a true master!
That godlike technique had left him completely awestruck.
A guy like this? Absolutely Thief King material!
He made up his mind right there and then: he had to cling to this man's leg for dear life!
"Xiao Liu, is this Thief King Selection thing always so casual?"
"If a cop sneaks in, won't they arrest the whole lot of you?"
After switching off his phone, Su Mo casually looked around and asked.
From the moment he heard about the Thief King Selection, an idea had sparked in his mind.
After all, if there was one thing he could claim mastery over, it was theft.
And as a new face at the precinct, no one would recognize him yet.
That meant—wasn't he perfectly positioned to compete for the Thief King title?
Sure enough.
After he'd shown off some carefully chosen techniques, this Xiao Liu had been utterly convinced.
No matter what, he insisted on bringing Su Mo into the fold.
Still, Su Mo couldn't help but feel things were going a little too smoothly.
"Relax, Brother Su Mo. There's no way the cops could sneak in!"
Xiao Liu spoke with confidence and pride:
"Newcomers have to be vouched for by someone.
Plus, you need real skills to even get close to the inner circle."
He smiled and added,
"Sure, what we do isn't exactly... honorable.
But the skills we rely on take years to master."
"At least a year or two. Maybe even three to five.
What kind of cop in their right mind would waste time learning this stuff?"
"So don't worry, Brother Su Mo—no cops are getting in."
Why was Xiao Liu so completely trusting of Su Mo, without a single doubt?
Simple—because of that inhuman pickpocketing skill he displayed.
A guy like that? If he turned out to be a cop, Xiao Liu swore he'd stand on his head and crap backwards.
Hearing that, Su Mo nodded.
What Xiao Liu said made perfect sense.
What kind of police officer would be crazy enough to study pickpocketing in-depth?
Then again, as he thought about it…
Su Mo's mouth twitched.
He was that crazy cop.
"Hmm? Wait a sec…"
Su Mo looked at Xiao Liu suspiciously.
"With skills like yours, you really made it into the inner circle?"
Xiao Liu chuckled sheepishly.
"I'm a special case. Today's actually my first time in the field."
"The former Thief King of Nancheng was my mentor.
Even though he got caught, my identity's totally legit."
Su Mo nodded in understanding.
Just then, the two of them arrived at the end of a narrow alley.
Waiting there—
Was a man, standing in silence.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。