However unbelievable, however coincidental, it had happened all the same.
"Xiaoshen, are you very fond of small animals?" Yao Wensheng asked offhandedly.
Shen Xin's heart sank.
'Everyone else is busy looking for the suspects, but I'm over here helping a stray cat find her kittens. Doesn't that count as goofing off on the job?'
"Yao Suo, I was wrong." Shen Xin was quick to own up to it.
"Huh?"
Yao Wensheng was taken aback. "Who said you did anything wrong?" he asked, puzzled. "You're doing great. Liking cats and dogs is perfectly normal. It just means you have a good heart. See? You helped a stray cat, and in turn, it helped us."
As he spoke, he reached out with a grin, wanting to pet Da Mei.
'I have to admit, this is a beautiful cat.'
But as soon as he got close, Da Mei hissed at him.
Yao Wensheng snatched his hand back in alarm, embarrassed.
At that moment, Zhang Jian returned from questioning Tian Yongjun. "No wonder we couldn't nab them on the stakeout," he said, his tone laced with frustration. "Yao Suo, you won't believe how they've been operating."
He slapped the side of the cargo van. "They've got a division of labor. Some guys specialize in stealing the bikes, others are the support team. The thief snags a bike and immediately transfers it to this truck."
"They do the handoff in a surveillance blind spot. We were just focused on the person riding the e-bike, so we never imagined the bike was being transferred. And they specifically use these commercial cargo trucks. They just park somewhere, looking like they're making a delivery. Who would ever suspect a stolen e-bike is inside?"
"And this big box—it's a custom-made lead container. It's designed to block the e-bikes' tracking signals."
"Honestly, I have to hand it to these guys. With brains like that, why not do something legitimate?"
Zhang Jian had been racking his brain over it. This crew had stolen over a dozen e-bikes, specifically targeting smart bikes with tracking systems, yet they'd somehow left no trace at all.
Now he knew. This was how they did it.
If Shen Xin hadn't stumbled upon it while looking for that cat, they could have worked themselves to death and never figured out these trucks were the key.
Yao Wensheng's expression grew serious as he listened.
He had seen it all: the custom-made lead container, the mobile ramp—they had everything prepared.
He could picture the entire handoff process.
It was just like with the suspect Shen Xin lost track of at the east gate.
They probably parked the cargo van inside the complex and waited. The thief would steal a bike, ride it straight over—without even braking—and right up the ramp into the lead container.
Then they'd lock the container, shut the van door… the whole thing wouldn't even take thirty seconds.
Since it was a cargo truck to begin with, parking by the road to load something wouldn't arouse any suspicion. The whole process was quick. Plus, after the transfer, they weren't in a rush to leave. They'd just park inside the complex and wait for the coast to be clear the next day before moving the e-bikes out.
A theft method like this… if not completely flawless, it was damn close.
"Shen Xin, nice work. You really came through for us this time, kid."
Yao Wensheng patted Shen Xin's shoulder.
If Shen Xin hadn't stumbled upon the issue with the truck, this case would've been really hard to crack.
"I just got lucky. And… I couldn't have done it without my master's guidance." Shen Xin's eyes flicked over to Li Dongsheng, who was standing nearby.
Li Dongsheng gave him a light smack on the shoulder. "You little brat," he said with a laugh. "You think I'm gonna try and steal your credit?"
Yao Wensheng laughed too.
We organized such a large-scale operation today. If it had ended in failure, it would have looked bad for the entire station.
Shen Xin had basically saved face for the Yunlin Police Station.
"Lao Li, you taught him well." Yao Wensheng gave Li Dongsheng a thumbs-up. "Sure, Xiaoshen was just trying to find a cat, but if he hadn't been sharp, he never would've noticed something was off with this truck."
Li Dongsheng quickly interjected, "Yao Suo, don't praise him so much. Anymore and this kid's ego will be sky-high."
That's what he said, but his eyes were curved into smiling crescents.
"Alright, we can talk about commendations later. Let's get down to business," Yao Wensheng said, his smile disappearing. 'The bike thieves still haven't been caught.'
Zhang Jian nodded. Tian Yongjun had spilled everything.
They took turns moving the e-bikes, so he knew everyone involved—who stole the bikes and which truck drivers were responsible for moving them.
As the saying goes, speed is paramount. Zhang Jian and Yao Wensheng immediately huddled together to plan the arrests.
They weren't just targeting the low-level thieves and drivers, but also their boss—the ringleader of the whole operation.
After stealing the e-bikes, they would move them to a central location to remove the tracking systems before fencing them all at once.
That meant there was a main hideout.
The arrests were a major operation, so Shen Xin's role was just to watch the action and wait for instructions.
During the lull, Shen Xin went looking for a cardboard box to make a temporary home for Da Mei and her litter.
'They'd only just opened their eyes and were still wobbly on their feet.'
Li Dongsheng saw what he was doing, got a milk carton from an older woman in the crowd of onlookers, and handed it to him.
"So, during your community rotation, all you did was feed cats, is that it?" Li Dongsheng asked, a smirk playing on his lips.
"No way."
Shen Xin quickly denied it, then lowered his voice. "Master, does this really count as a major contribution? Think I can get my status confirmed early?"
'Only after your status is confirmed are you a real police officer.' Shen Xin had been looking forward to it for a long time.
Li Dongsheng grunted, but then a smile touched his lips as he gave a slight nod.
It was possible to get your status confirmed early if you performed exceptionally well during your probation.
But, he added, Shen Xin was only a month away from that anyway, so getting it confirmed early didn't make much of a difference.
"It's not the same," Shen Xin said, shaking his head.
'Once you're confirmed, you're a real cop. And besides anything else, you get issued a gun, right?'
"Forget it. A gun is more trouble than it's worth." Li Dongsheng shot Shen Xin a look, then told him to hurry up and settle the cats before coming back for instructions.
Shen Xin took Da Mei and her kittens back to the community police post.
By the time he returned, the plan had been settled.
They would split into two teams. A smaller group would be in charge of arresting the low-level thieves.
They had names and addresses for all of them; they weren't going anywhere anytime soon.
The main target was the hideout.
Yao Wensheng would personally lead the raid.
Yao Wensheng specifically requested Shen Xin to join the team raiding the hideout.
The team piled into their vehicles and headed north on Chunxin Road, just outside the residential complex. They crossed East Yang Road and arrived at the Xinzhou Industrial Park on the other side.
The hideout was extremely close—right inside the industrial park.
The area was packed with factories large and small, which was a major reason why Spring Tide Home had such a large population of migrant workers—the factories were right across the street, making for an easy commute.
Following the address Tian Yongjun had provided, their vehicle quickly reached its destination.
"This is it."
The vehicle slowed to a stop on the roadside. Zhang Jian peered out, getting his bearings.
To the left was a mold factory; to the right, a door and window manufacturer.
Sandwiched between them was a workshop with a gray, corrugated metal roof and no sign out front.
There were many small, workshop-style buildings like this one in the area.
"Do a lap," Yao Wensheng ordered, his voice full of experience.
The van drove on. As they passed the building, they could just make out a faint light filtering through a window on the side facing the road.
'Someone's in there.'
They also spotted a security camera above the roll-up door.
'That wasn't a huge problem; it was unlikely someone was watching the feed 24/7.'
So the conditions were right for a surprise raid. The only risk was startling them too early and giving them a chance to escape through another exit.
After circling the block, they discovered that the back of the hideout abutted the courtyard of another factory.
In other words, the suspects could potentially escape by climbing the back wall.
Having surveyed the area, Yao Wensheng had a clear plan. He posted men to cover the potential escape routes, then led the main group to the front of the building, ready to move in.
'It was already nearly midnight. A direct raid should be fine.'
The group of six used the cover of night to approach the main entrance swiftly.
Zhang Jian had already drawn his collapsible baton.
Just then, Yao Wensheng, who was at the head of the group, stopped dead in his tracks. He urgently signaled for the others to halt.
"A dog!"
He pointed ahead.
Only then did the others see it: a head peeking out from the main entrance a short distance away.
It was a German Shepherd, looking majestic with its ears pricked, staring fixedly in their direction.
It had clearly spotted them.
But it didn't bark.
But if they charged, it would surely start barking its head off.
"Shit, why is there a dog?" Zhang Jian swore, then looked to Yao Wensheng for what to do next.
A guard dog like this could be more effective than a security camera.
Yao Wensheng felt a headache coming on.
If the dog barked, the suspects would be alerted, and they would lose the element of surprise.
Just then, Shen Xin sidled up to him. "Yao Suo," he whispered, "how about you let me give it a try?"
Yao Wensheng was taken aback and asked what he meant.
"Like this."
Shen Xin crouched down and called out "Tsk, tsk, tsk" to the German Shepherd in the distance.
'The universal dog-calling method.'
His sudden action startled the others.
But, incredibly, upon hearing the "tsk, tsk, tsk" sounds, the German Shepherd paused for a second and then actually trotted right over to them.
It came right up to Shen Xin and started wagging its tail.
Yao Wensheng and the others stared, dumbfounded.
'Wait, you can do that?'