Chapter 70

Going to the toilet was just a ruse. Chen Meng spoke in a hoarse voice, pretending to be very sleepy.

First, he identified the tall thief with distinctive features, and through him, found the short and thin one. He yawned widely as he passed by the two thieves, squeezed past two passengers standing in the aisle, and stretched his right hand as if stretching.

"Move."

Han Bo grunted, and Xiao Ren got up and walked towards the two thieves together with him.

The thieves thought they hadn't been discovered. They often operated on this train, and even if they were discovered, few people dared to intervene. They were very bold, swaying with the other passengers who had no seats, acting as if nothing was wrong, looking very calm.

The tall one was more dangerous, so the two of them dealt with him.

Xiao Ren held a pack of cigarettes, pretending to go to the smoking room between the two carriages to satisfy his craving. He squeezed next to the thief, suddenly threw the cigarettes, and with lightning speed, grabbed the thief's hair with his left hand and quickly and accurately grabbed his right wrist, twisting it behind his back.

"Police, don't move!"

Han Bo acted simultaneously, firmly gripping the thief's left arm and pressing him into the gap between several passengers with Xiao Ren.

The short thief regained his senses and tried to run, but his right wrist was suddenly grabbed. Chen Meng grabbed his wrist, pinched his neck, and pressed him down into the gap between the passengers' feet.

It was done cleanly and swiftly, taking less than ten seconds.

The passengers, not knowing what was happening, saw the fight and immediately fell into chaos, screaming and fleeing.

"What... what are you doing, I... I... am a good person..." The tall thief was lying on the aisle, with Xiao Ren, who weighed over 150 pounds, pressing down on him, making it hard for him to breathe. His face was pressed against the floor, and his mouth was deformed.

After confirming that the short thief was under Chen Meng's control, Han Bo took out handcuffs from his waist and first cuffed the tall thief. Then he took another pair of handcuffs from Xiao Ren's waist and went over to cuff the short thief.

No one knew if there were any accomplices in the carriage. Han Bo straightened up, stepped on the left seat, held the luggage rack with one hand, and lifted his shirt to reveal his gun.

"Don't panic, everyone, we are the police! Comrades in the PLA, the young man in the jacket, please help us guard the toilet door. Gentlemen over here, please help us guard the water heater room and call the conductor. No one is allowed to move without permission. We are conducting an investigation, it will be over soon, please cooperate."

The passengers breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the police catching the thieves. Those who should move, moved, and those who should help, helped.

A few young men were very proactive, helping to guard the door, and those nearby squatted down to help control the suspects. The young PLA soldier stood in the middle of the aisle, blocking the way.

With help, Chen Meng could free his hands. He searched the short thief's coat pocket and found two wallets. Opening them, he saw IDs, but they weren't the thief's. Searching his pants pocket, he found a razor blade and asked coldly, "Whose wallet is this, and what is this blade for?"

Caught red-handed, the short thief, lying on the floor, remained silent.

Xiao Ren, pressing the tall thief's neck, shouted to an older passenger, "Sir, please wake up the person next to you. He has a big cut on his body and doesn't even know his wallet is missing."

"Oh."

The old man poked the passenger whose wallet was stolen. The middle-aged passenger lifted his arm, looked at his coat, and felt his pockets, suddenly turning pale. "That's my wallet!"

If it weren't for Xiao Ren's vigilance, you probably wouldn't have known until dawn.

Only two wallets were found, but who knew if there was a third victim. Han Bo clapped his hands. "Comrades, check your belongings, remind each other, and wake up everyone around you. The next station is coming up, check quickly!"

With such a commotion, all the passengers woke up.

Seeing the two thieves caught by the police, they spontaneously applauded. A little child, who had been held earlier, shouted excitedly, "Mom, mom, the uncle is a police officer, the uncle is a police officer, the uncle caught two big bad guys!"

It turned out they were police officers, and the woman smiled with relief.

The tall thief was anxious, gasping for breath. "I... I'm not a thief, he... he stole... why did he catch me, it has nothing to do with me..."

"Whether it's related or not, you'll have to explain to the train police. Conductor, what are you waiting for? Use the radio to call the train police."

"Okay, right away."

The conductor had been dozing in his small duty room and knew nothing about what was happening in the carriage. It wasn't until he saw the person standing on the seat with a gun that he realized what was happening and called the train police on the radio.

Two thieves were caught in this carriage. Passengers from the front and back carriages all came to see the commotion but were blocked by a few "public security activists" at both ends of the aisle. The aisle was even more congested, and it took the train police chief and a young train police officer several minutes to squeeze through, sweating profusely.

"I am Han Bo from Sigan County Public Security Bureau, on a business trip. These two guys were just caught by us."

"I am Chen Daoping from the First Brigade of the Train Police of Donghai Railway Public Security Bureau. I didn't do my job well, and I had to trouble you to take action. I'm sorry."

"It's no big deal, just a small effort. You have a lot of pressure with so many passengers and carriages, it's hard to cover everything."

"Understanding is everything."

After showing their credentials, saluting, and shaking hands, they introduced themselves and began the formal procedures.

They needed to confirm how many passengers had lost their belongings. Only two wallets were found, but four passengers had lost their belongings. The stolen items were either moved or hidden somewhere, and there might be accomplices on the train.

There were only two train police officers, and there were only twenty minutes left until the next station. They had to interrogate the suspects as quickly as possible.

The search for possible hidden suspects and the search for the missing belongings of the other two passengers could only be assisted by local police officers like Han Bo.

The train conductor and several train attendants came and immediately divided the tasks. One team searched the blind spots, and another team checked tickets and IDs.

The identities and tickets of the two suspects were confirmed. Anyone from the same place and with the same train ticket was suspicious. Han Bo, Chen Meng, and Xiao Ren didn't need to check each person individually; just showing their guns and handcuffs was enough to intimidate.

"Train conductor, Officer Han, we found it, hidden in this woven bag!"

Under a row of seats near the door, there was an unclaimed woven bag. It had to be opened for inspection. Sure enough, the black briefcase and wallet of the other two victims were inside. The train attendant held them up high, smiling broadly.

...

The thieves were caught, and all the stolen items were found. The train conductor and the train police chief were very happy and invited the four to sleep in the train attendants' car without paying extra for a berth.

The next morning, the train police chief treated them to breakfast.

Not having bought a berth but getting one to sleep, being treated to a meal, and feeling the satisfaction of upholding justice made the journey very pleasant.

Meritorious service?

What a joke. What do the police do? If catching two petty thieves required an award, the Political Department would be overwhelmed.

It was just a small incident, not worth mentioning.

At 3 PM, the train arrived at Jinmen Railway Station, 40 minutes late.

One of the three major municipalities, the most important port in the north, and very close to the capital. Before becoming a municipality, it belonged to Beihé Province. From here, it was closer to Linfang City, where Gu Xinguai was last seen, than from the provincial capital.

"Chief of Staff Chang, we've arrived, we're just leaving the station. Sorry to trouble you to come in person, that's fine, I'll look for the sign for picking up relatives and friends..."

Having a mobile phone was convenient, but long-distance and roaming charges were not cheap.

Cutting to the chase, he hung up the phone, shouldered his luggage, and followed the crowd to the exit. From a distance, he saw a volunteer soldier holding a sign with "Sigan Han Bo" written on it. Next to him stood a tall and imposing Army Colonel, with a square face, thick eyebrows, and large eyes. Even without his uniform, one could tell he was a soldier.

"Hello, Chief, I'm Han Bo."

"Countrymen meeting countrymen, tears well up in our eyes. Here, there are only countrymen, no chiefs."

Chang Yuanjian, the Chief of Staff of a regiment in the BJ Military Region, a regimental-level leader from Liuzhong Village, Liangzhuang Township.

Hearing the familiar accent and seeing so many fellow countrymen, Chief of Staff Chang was very happy, showing no airs, and shook hands with everyone. More remarkably, he recognized Old Mi, and their relationship seemed close. He even held his hand and asked with a smile, "How old is your second child? Is he in primary school yet?"

"He will start primary school in the second half of the year, now he's in kindergarten."

Old classmates, with the other person being a leader in the military and himself in such a state, Mi Jinlong felt very awkward.

The village party secretary leading the way in having a second child had a bad influence, and it even reached the county level. Because of him, the main township leaders, including Old Lu, received a reprimand. Chang Yuanjian visited his hometown every two years on average and always invited Old Lu to have a drink. It was impossible not to know about this.

"Having both a son and a daughter is great. Why do we work so hard? Isn't it for our children?"

Chang Yuanjian patted his arm and turned to smile. "Xiao Han, Secretary Lu said that when you arrive, I will be responsible for arranging everything. First, we'll go to Linfang. The commander of the military district is a distant relative of yours, both surnamed Han. He has arranged a dinner with the leaders of the city's Public Security Bureau tonight. I can't help much in Jinmen, but in Linfang, it's easier. We have a good relationship with the local party and government leaders."

The commander of the military district is a member of the city's Party Committee. Bringing out such a high-ranking official, Han Bo didn't know how to thank him.

Worried that there wouldn't be enough seats, they brought two military vehicles.

A Mitsubishi Pajero and a Chery Tiggo, both in camouflage.

Among the officers from Liangzhuang, he wasn't the highest-ranking. One was already the political commissar of the provincial military district, promoted to major general last year.

He knew that Liangzhuang produced talented people, but he didn't know what kind of talent. Living in Liangzhuang every day, he didn't feel it. It wasn't until this moment, facing such a generous Chief of Staff Chang, that he truly realized what it meant for Liangzhuang to produce talented people and why the people of Liangzhuang valued education so much.

...

PS: Thank you to "Uncle Kai," "Longmenshan Youyu," "Feng Mi," "Qing Cheng Lei," "Shu Cuocuoshu," "Haoshujiuzhui," "Woshishibing01," "Muren818," "Jiatangdebaijiu," "Fengshuangpo," "Langlangdehei," and "A$「卐」Sha Zhi Zhou「Xian Kong」" for your continuous support!

Thank you to all the brothers and sisters who have collected, recommended, evaluated, and given suggestions.

Here is the second chapter, and I'm asking for all kinds of support!

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