Chapter 34

The narrow alleys of the ancient city are deep and ancient, weathered and secluded.

A flock of birds returning at dusk, carrying the colors of the day, flew back into the alleys. They, like the residents who have lived here for generations, have continued to thrive and live here.

Occasionally, someone would walk by, the sound of high heels tapping on the cobblestones, "tap tap," growing from distant to near. Listening quietly, accompanied by the twilight, it always brought a sense of peace and tranquility.

A woman in high heels saw a young boy standing in the middle of the alley with a small dog, smiled, and hurried away, completely devoid of the coldness, estrangement, and wariness found in big cities.

If it weren't for Xiao Ma's message, who would have thought that a terrifying robber was hiding in this ancient and peaceful alley?

The people here are kind; they haven't picked up the bad habits of city dwellers. They live their lives according to the traditions passed down by their ancestors. Outsiders find it hard to integrate into their lives.

What a great hiding place, Xiao Hai thought.

As the sky gradually darkened, Xiao Ma appeared again with a subordinate, the sparrow that had discovered the robber's hiding place.

The sparrow told Xiao Hai that from the time of its great-great-grandfather, its family had lived here. They coexisted peacefully with humans, never causing any destruction, and the residents were willing to accept their presence. Therefore, the sparrow was very familiar with every face in the alley.

A few nights ago, a stranger quietly slipped into an old house that had long been abandoned, carrying a large suitcase. He never came out after entering.

After receiving orders from Xiao Ma, the sparrow had been observing this person. A few hours ago, it saw the person take out a lot of money from the suitcase, seemingly admiring it alone.

It's him, Xiao Hai quickly confirmed.

The sparrow led the leader to an old house, and Xiao Hai easily climbed over the low wall. On the ground were several empty beer bottles. Fortunately, Xiao Hai had good luck and didn't step on them. He opened the door and let Xiao Qi in.

It seemed that no one had lived here for a long time. The garden, which was originally used for growing vegetables, was now overgrown with weeds. The grape trellis was leaning, and one could imagine that the original owner, after dinner, would bring a reclining chair, brew a pot of tea, and sit under the grape trellis to enjoy the cool evening—a very pleasant experience.

In the farthest room, a dim light flickered, probably from an old-fashioned incandescent bulb.

Just as Xiao Hai was about to step forward, Xiao Qi's consciousness suddenly warned, "Be careful."

Looking down, he saw many pieces of broken glass scattered on the ground. Stepping on them would definitely make a sound. Looking ahead, he saw that many empty bottles had been deliberately placed in hidden spots. The robber had put a lot of effort into setting traps for intruders. A slight misstep would land him in one of these "traps." The robber had likely planned an escape route, ready to leave quickly if disturbed.

Xiao Hai didn't know how many more "sentries" there were between him and the house. After some thought, he summoned the sparrow, asked for the direction of the back door, and sent a thought to Xiao Qi, "In five minutes, scare the robber away."

After saying that, he quietly left the yard through the front gate...

Calculating the time, Xiao Qi kicked an empty bottle with his foot and rolled it toward another bottle.

With a "clink," the two bottles collided, and the light in the room went out. Then came a sound of panic...

Xiao Hai wiped an apple he had brought from the competition and took a bite. It was really sweet.

The back door opened, and a figure darted out, but unexpectedly stumbled and fell to the ground.

The robber, dazed and disoriented, took a long time to get up and found that a stone bar had been placed at the back door.

Looking up, he was startled to see a young boy munching on an apple, grinning at him.

The robber immediately pulled out a knife, the blade glinting, and shouted, "Get out of the way!"

After saying that, he looked back fearfully, but no one was chasing him.

Xiao Hai sized up the robber, who was about the same height and build as himself. No wonder the police had mistaken him for the robber.

"Get out of the way, or I'll kill you!" Seeing that Xiao Hai wasn't moving, the robber shouted, trying to sound intimidating.

"Come on, if you have the guts, come and kill me!" Xiao Hai suddenly flew into a rage and threw the half-eaten apple at the robber.

The robber quickly dodged, avoiding the apple, but a fist much larger than the apple landed squarely on his nose.

The robber screamed in pain, the knife fell from his hand, and he clutched his face, falling to the ground.

Xiao Hai's punch was so powerful that even a bag lion would be afraid, let alone a small-time robber. This punch left the robber with a bloody face, but he was still lucky; Xiao Hai had only used a third of his strength.

Xiao Hai, still angry, straddled the robber, punching him left and right, cursing, "Damn you, Ai Shao is so handsome and charming, and you look like a loser. Who were you trying to impersonate, Ai Shao?"

The poor robber was beaten so badly that he couldn't speak. Who was Ai Shao? He had never intended to impersonate anyone.

After beating the robber until he couldn't move, Xiao Hai stopped, "Answer Ai Shao's questions honestly, got it?"

The robber, with a bruised nose and bleeding face, had clearly had a bad day. Encountering Xiao Hai was like meeting a demon. He nodded at every word Xiao Hai said, all thoughts of resistance long gone.

Upon questioning, it turned out to be the robber who had robbed the wages. He was originally from Huyan Naxi, and this was his ancestral home. His family had long gone to work elsewhere, leaving the ancestral home empty. After committing the crime in Halke City, he had secretly returned to his ancestral home to wait out the storm.

Xiao Hai checked the bag the robber had with him and found it full of money. He then took out his phone and called Yin Yunuo, "Hey, are you off work? What, still working overtime? The robber hasn't been caught yet? Forget it, don't bother. I'll treat you to some late-night snacks... Ah, no time? You see, it's all because of that damn robber. Fine, I'll do a good deed and catch the robber for you... Joking? When have you ever seen me joke? I really caught the robber..."

A scream came from the other end of the phone, almost bursting Xiao Hai's eardrums. He covered his ear, "I injured the robber, so he can't run. I'm in the west part of the city..."

After telling Yin Yunuo his location, he hung up the phone and said to the robber with a grin, "Don't blame me, all my good deeds fall on you. Think about it, if a beautiful policewoman catches you herself, won't she be grateful to me? If she's grateful enough, she might even offer herself to me..."

He kept talking, and the robber wanted to die. Who had he offended? He was just hiding in his ancestral home, and this hateful young man had caught him for the sake of pursuing a policewoman.

Heaven, are you playing with me...

...

Several police cars stopped nearby, and a group of police officers were busy.

Captain Du, Captain Ding, and Officer Zhao couldn't believe it. At first, when Yin Yunuo reported to them, they thought Xiao Hai was joking, but the case was serious, and no clue could be overlooked.

When they arrived, they found that the robber had indeed been caught by Xiao Hai!

And all the money was still there!

Such a major case had been solved by a teenager who had once been a suspect?

"How did you catch the robber?" Captain Du still found it hard to believe when they returned to the station.

"I, I saw the guy acting suspiciously when I went back, so I chased him..." Xiao Hai made up an excuse.

"Have you trained before?" Captain Ding looked at Xiao Hai differently, "You really beat the robber up badly."

"He tried to resist and run, so I had no choice," Xiao Hai continued to lie.

The police were thrilled. With the successful capture of the robber, everyone could finally relax and rest. After taking Xiao Hai's statement, they said they would report to the bureau and the city, and give him a "Good Citizen for Bravery" award.

But Xiao Hai didn't care about these things. He said he was tired and wanted to rest.

Captain Du and Captain Ding were busy rushing the robber to the hospital for interrogation, while Officer Zhao was responsible for escorting Xiao Hai. When they arrived at the hotel, Xiao Hai suddenly asked, "Where's Officer Yin? Why isn't she here?"

"Oh, there's a night market for the tourism festival today, and she's in charge of that area."

Xiao Hai nodded and asked Officer Zhao to wait a moment. He went into his room and came out with a thick package wrapped in newspaper, "Officer Zhao, this is something for Officer Yin. Please give it to her."

"Why don't you give it to her yourself?"

"I have some urgent matters and might not be able to see her."

...

"From Xiao Hai?"

Yin Yunuo was stunned, opened the newspaper, and found a thick stack of money inside. There was also a note:

"Ten thousand yuan in prize money, everyone gets a share. You get five thousand, I get five thousand. Not a bribe, right? No need to pay me back. I'm leaving. Xiao Hai. P.S.: Hope to see you again in Xinan. P.P.S.: The bank account I gave you is fake, no need to transfer money. P.P.P.S.: You owe me a late-night snack."

Yin Yunuo didn't know what to do. The words on the note were so sharp to her:

"I'm leaving."

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