Chapter 19: When a Date Meets a Thief

Huang Jiehao saw Du Long off at the building's entrance, handed him half a bag of lemons, and instructed, "Du Long, these lemons are not for eating, but for soaking in water to take a bath. The smell can't be washed off with soap or shower gel; you need lemon juice."

Du Long smiled and said, "I understand. Thank you, Captain Huang. I was worried about where to buy lemons at midnight, but I didn't expect you to have them ready for me."

Huang Jiehao laughed and said, "I got them from Old Geng. By the way, is your father also a detective? Where does he work?"

Du Long shook his head and said, "I don't know. He's always mysterious, and I've hardly ever seen him in his police uniform. My mother told me that we moved several times because of his job."

Huang Jiehao laughed and said, "I see... Well, I'll be off. You have work tomorrow, right? Get some rest early."

Du Long returned home, used the lemons to wash off the smell, but he didn't go to bed immediately. After locking the door, he took out the photos again and carefully examined them this time.

He was certain that the person in the photos was definitely the right one. From the room's background and decor, it wasn't a hotel room. The woman's age difference was too large to be the original wife. After analysis, Du Long suspected that the woman in the photos was the mistress the man was secretly keeping, and the location was their secret hideout.

Du Long carefully put the photos away, thinking, "This has nothing to do with me. It's best to find a time to get rid of the photos. Whatever Shen Yujie and that old Zhang want to do, it's none of my business. I mustn't get myself into trouble!"

Du Long lay in bed and took out the 'yellow book' again, reading it seriously... The next day, Du Long went to work the day shift. Saturdays were high-risk days for public security cases, and all on-duty police officers had to be on standby and patrol the streets. The day passed quietly, and when he got off work, Du Long received a call from his mother, asking him to bring the young nurse home for dinner to finalize things.

Du Long thought for a moment and finally called Ji Yunsan. That day, he had acted on impulse, and afterward, he felt quite guilty towards the girl, so he hadn't considered calling her.

Ji Yunsan answered the call, and Du Long said, "Yunsan, I just got off work. Are you free? I'd like to take you out for dinner and take a walk and chat, how about it?"

There was no response from the other end, and Du Long quickly added, "If it's inconvenient, never mind."

Ji Yunsan was silent for a moment and finally replied softly, "Sure, I'm free now. Where should we meet?"

Du Long was delighted and said, "How about meeting at the main entrance of Cuihu Park at six o'clock?"

After Ji Yunsan agreed, Du Long immediately went to Huancheng West Road to wait for the bus. When he arrived at the main entrance of Cuihu Park, Ji Yunsan hadn't arrived yet, so Du Long squatted by the roadside and waited.

Cuihu Park is located in the center of Yuming City, with beautiful scenery and numerous historical sites, attracting many visitors. Du Long had caught many thieves while squatting in the square. Out of professional sensitivity, his eyes constantly scanned the passersby.

Suddenly, someone patted Du Long on the shoulder. A middle-aged man squatted next to him, smiling and offering him a cigarette, saying, "Brother, which district are you from? I've never seen you before."

Du Long looked at the man with caution and said, "Who are you? I don't know you."

The middle-aged man chuckled and said, "Don't be nervous. I'm an undercover officer from the Baihua District Anti-Theft Squad. My name is Peng Hui."

The man showed his police ID without any expression, and Du Long relaxed after a quick glance. "I'm Du Long, a regular police officer from Xishan District. I'm here waiting for my girlfriend. How did you know I'm a police officer?"

Peng Hui said, "The most important skill for catching thieves is to observe people. I'm not boasting, but I can recognize ninety-nine out of a hundred thieves just by looking at them. Thieves and us anti-theft undercover officers have one thing in common: we both keep our eyes on people! You don't look like a thief, so you must be a police officer."

Du Long laughed and said, "I see. I've just caught a few thieves by chance. I didn't expect..."

Just as Du Long said this, he heard someone shouting, "Catch the thief!" Then a few young men ran down the road. Far away, an elderly man with gray hair was panting and chasing after them.

"Damn it, those little bastards again!" Peng Hui threw away his cigarette and intercepted the young men. The young men's expressions changed when they saw him, and they cursed and pulled out fruit knives and other weapons, viciously surrounding Peng Hui.

Du Long saw the situation and rushed to Peng Hui's side, shouting, "What are you doing! I'm a police officer! Drop your weapons! Otherwise, you'll be responsible for the consequences!"

The young men cursed, "We'll kill you, you meddling cops! Everyone, attack! Stab them to death!"

A few of them rushed over. Peng Hui urgently warned, "Be careful of their weapons. These guys are under eighteen and don't know the consequences..."

As the surrounding crowd shouted in alarm and scattered, Du Long charged forward. He didn't take the four young men seriously. One with a spiky hairstyle held a half-meter-long fruit knife and lunged at him. Du Long kicked him in the elbow, and the young man screamed in pain, the knife flying several meters away.

Seeing Du Long take down one of the targets, Peng Hui was invigorated. A young man with yellow hair stabbed at his chest, but Peng Hui grabbed his wrist and twisted it, making the young man drop the knife and kneel on the ground. When Peng Hui looked at the other two, they had already been cleanly taken down by Du Long.

"My hand... it's broken! Ow..." The spiky-haired young man cried out, and the other two also held their hands and wailed. After cuffing the young man he had caught, Peng Hui cuffed the other three. Seeing their injuries, Peng Hui frowned. Du Long had hit them too hard, and their hands might not recover for half a year, or even become disabled.

"I'll sue you! You used excessive force! Ow, everyone saw it, he kicked my hand until it broke!" The spiky-haired young man shouted at Du Long with venom.

"You deserve it!" Du Long sneered. "I'm not on duty now and don't have my equipment. When facing armed assailants, I had no choice. This is self-defense, and I might even get a commendation for bravery!"

"Good for you!" The crowd gathered around, clapping and cheering. A middle-aged woman even cursed, "Last month, they stole my wallet. These thieves deserve to be crippled, and it would be better if they were killed!"

Others chimed in, "Exactly, the law is too lenient on these thieves. They should be locked up for at least a year each time they're caught. It would be best if they had their hands cut off like in Saudi Arabia, to see if they dare steal again!"

"I'm a nurse, let me check their injuries..." Du Long suddenly heard a familiar voice. He turned around and saw Ji Yunsan step out of the crowd and approach the four young men who were wailing in pain.

As Ji Yunsan squatted down to examine the four young men, the elderly man who had been robbed finally ran over, panting and holding Du Long's hand. "Thank you, thank you, officer..."

Du Long replied, "It's nothing, it's my duty."

The elderly man took a few breaths and pointed at one of the young men. "It's him! He stole my bag. When I caught him, the other three attacked me... Uh... Uh..."

The elderly man's hand suddenly trembled, and he didn't finish his sentence. He made a choking sound and collapsed to the ground.

"Old man! Old man! Yunsan, come over quickly, this old man seems to be having a heart attack!" Du Long quickly caught the elderly man before he hit the ground, and Ji Yunsan rushed over to the old man after hearing the call.

Ji Yunsan first observed the old man's condition. He was pale, and his hands and feet were twitching. Du Long's suspicion that the old man was having a heart attack was correct.