"Give that back to me!"
With Xiao He's sudden movement and shout, the dispersing crowd around them froze in place.
"What are you doing?" The woman in the black dress gasped, startled by Xiao He's actions. She twisted her wrist slightly in panic, her voice trembling. "Are you trying to harass me?!"
Xiao He showed no mercy, maintaining an iron grip on her wrist as he extended his other palm. "My phone. You stole it when you bumped into me just now—"
As if he'd care whether she was a woman or not. If he let her go and she harmed someone else, what then?
"I don't know where your phone is!"
The black-dressed woman shakily raised her other hand, showing her own phone. "See? I'm not even carrying a bag! This is the only phone on me! How could I have stolen yours? Please let me go!"
Xiao He paused, carefully examining the woman from head to toe.
True enough, she carried no bag, and her dress had no pockets—nowhere to hide anything.
But he couldn't be wrong. Among everyone present, he'd only detected that familiar aura from this person.
No scent of blood meant she—no, he—hadn't killed anyone. Perfect for what Xiao He needed.
There was no way the thief could've gotten far after swiping his phone. This person was definitely suspicious.
"Help! Someone help!"
While Xiao He was distracted, the woman began crying for assistance.
The surrounding crowd exchanged uncertain glances, unsure what to make of the situation.
Without explaining further, Xiao He turned to some nearby girls. "Could you call those officers over? I suspect this person is a habitual thief."
The girls—the same ones who'd been gossiping near Xiao He earlier—exchanged glances before decisively going to fetch the police.
Seeing how stubbornly Xiao He clung to his accusation, the black-dressed woman grew desperate. A razor blade slipped from her sleeve, and with a twist of her wrist, she attempted to slash Xiao He's hand to break free.
But Xiao He reacted faster. Sensing her intent, he released her wrist and chopped down hard on her forearm with his palm.
"Ah—!"
The strike landed perfectly on a pressure point. The woman's arm went completely numb as if severed, the blade clattering to the ground.
"Look! She really had a blade!" someone in the crowd shouted upon spotting the weapon.
Immediately, people backed away, calling for the distant officers.
Standing close, Xiao He caught the woman's pained grunt—and froze. His brows furrowed as he stared intently. "You're... a man?"
Despite the surrounding noise, Xiao He knew he hadn't misheard. That had unmistakably been a male voice.
"You damn brat—!"
Seeing his disguise exposed, the "woman" glared venomously at Xiao He. "You'll pay for this!"
He flung his wide-brimmed hat—attached to a wig—directly at Xiao He's face before turning to flee.
The bulky accessory momentarily blocked Xiao He's vision, but he simply shouted to the crowd, "Stop him—!"
The black-dressed "woman" barely made it three steps before being tackled by plainclothes officers.
Most bystanders stared in confusion, but Xiao He just sighed in relief.
No wonder he'd noticed several plainclothes officers earlier—they must've been staking out this very thief.
"Stay still!"
The lead officer, Officer Lü, sternly handcuffed the suspect before hauling him upright.
The "woman"—now visibly deflated—stood meekly before the officers, his hairnet still in place.
"Officer Lü?"
Officer Zhang, summoned by the girls, stepped forward in recognition before noticing Xiao He. "Xiao He? We meet again."
Xiao He: "...Officer Zhang. And Officer Li."
Officer Li tilted his head. "What incredible timing."
What an unusual coincidence.
"You know each other?" Officer Lü studied Xiao He with the same suspicion Officer Zhang had initially shown.
This young man... wasn't ordinary.
To single out this pickpocket at a glance—after they'd staked out for days without success—the contrast was...
Glaring at the black-dressed man, Officer Lü snapped, "You gave us quite the chase."
Who'd have thought their long-sought thief would be a man skilled in crossdressing and voice modulation?
Admittedly, the disguise was impressively androgynous—quite the eye-opener.
Officer Lü unceremoniously yanked the man's collar. "Let's get all those things out of your 'chest.'"
"Better do a full search," Officer Zhang added. "I suspect he's hiding more. At least a dozen people have reported thefts today."
"Where... could he even hide stuff?" a bystander muttered.
Xiao He's eye twitched as he observed the suspect's "voluptuous" chest and "perky" rear, dreading the answer.
His phone... was probably contaminated.
Ugh, his phone was definitely dirty now!
There was no going back—it was permanently tainted!
Xiao He's face fell.
This went beyond just replacing a case or screen protector.
He needed full disinfection... and a new phone.
Speaking of new phones...
Ha. Trying to find humor in misery, huh?
Soon, the thief demonstrated his "professional prowess"—
Sixteen phones, three tablets, countless earphones, five power banks, and even a gaming console.
Plus miscellaneous electronics Xiao He couldn't identify—all leaving him utterly stunned.
What kind of legendary thief was this? How much had this guy stuffed under that dress?
"You stole all this in just hours?"
Officer Lü laughed incredulously.
Zhao Jun glanced sideways. "Just... a little bit."
"Uh-huh—"
Officer Lü turned to Xiao He. "Which one's yours?"
Xiao He pointed to the outermost phone.
"Right."
After confirming Xiao He as the owner, Officer Lü remained stern. "Mind telling us how you spotted him?"
Xiao He: Here we go again—the familiar interrogation.
Zhao Jun also looked up eagerly, frustration plain on his face. "Yeah! How'd you know? My disguises are top-tier! I've wandered right past these cops before! Why'd you single me out?"
This mattered deeply to him. His last arrest resulted from betrayal—not lack of skill. But this time? Caught red-handed. Zhao Jun's confidence in his craft was crumbling.
Facing both officers and thief, Xiao He could only smile awkwardly. "Maybe... just intuition?"
"Huh?!"
Zhao Jun felt his professional pride shatter.