Chapter 184

This is an anti-theft chapter; subscription not enough, little cutie~ Jing Shi Police Station.

Everyone stared at each other; inside the opened plain-colored tote bag, the freshly unearthed gold jewelry and gems still carried the fresh-earth smell, yet could not hide their dazzling brilliance. After police verification, the items in the bag were exactly all the jewelry stolen half a month ago from the Longxiang Jewelry Store in the eastern part of the city.

Seeing this, Zhao Lin's heart finally settled; he excitedly looked at Ling Yue, repeatedly expressing gratitude: "Miss Ling! Thank you, thank you so much for helping me recover these things; these past days I've almost been driven to despair!"

After saying that, he remembered the room full of police, and his tone hesitated: "Of course, I also want to thank the police comrades for their help these past days; without them, how could we have caught the thieves so smoothly?"

Lin Shaoze held a pen, his gaze falling on the transcript, repeatedly hesitating. Everything seemed so coincidental: Ling Yue unintentionally discovered the thieves' burial site, and coincidentally, on the day of digging up the treasure, she was discovered and chased by the thieves, allowing them to catch the culprit.

How could it be so coincidental?

His gaze fell on Ling Yue without a word; his scrutinizing eyes were already sensed by her, scalp tingling. She knew her words were full of errors, yet she couldn't directly say she could understand animal hearts—was she crazy or were they?

At that moment, the situation didn't allow her to hesitate; she felt that if she delayed even a step, the thieves would flee with the goods, and she was too anxious.

Ling Yue gathered her thoughts, tapped her fingertips, and gave him a faint smile: "Captain Lin, do you have any more questions? If not, I'd like to go home and rest."

The other officers blinked, unsure what Captain Lin was up to—the suspect had already confessed, the story had been told several times, and that young lady had carried dozens of pounds of items all the way; she must be exhausted.

"Captain Lin, why not let Miss Ling Yue go first?"

"Wait." Lin Shaoze said softly, under everyone's gaze, he continued: "The reward for this hasn't been cashed yet; although it's only three thousand, and Mr. Zhao..."

Ling Yue burst into laughter, especially bright and radiant, cutting him off: "Three thousand is not little at all." At least it's two hundred more than her salary of 2,800 the month before she quit.

Yes, 2,800, in a first-tier city.

She ought to be grateful she still has a place to stay; otherwise, she would have long been forced to flee far away.

Beside him, Zhao Lin chimed in: "And our Longxiang, Miss Ling, you've solved a major problem for us; once verified, the 500,000 reward will be deposited into your card immediately—no later than three days!"

Ling Yue naturally had no reason to doubt his sincerity; after all her hard work had been rewarded, her eyes sparkled with little stars as she spoke.

Five hundred thousand and three thousand!

Fifty thick stacks of red bills, stacked they could fill a suitcase!

As she left, wind seemed to stir at her feet, her heart fluttering like a startled deer, thumping wildly.

Ling Yue smiled happily, eyes curved; after all, she was just a recent college graduate—don't believe those Zhihu posts claiming average monthly incomes over ten thousand and six-figure savings. In reality, 500,000 is enough to buy a home of her own in a third-tier county town, and having one 500,000, will the next be far off?

Outside the police station, Ling Yue finally stopped debating between shared bike and walking—what choice, hailing a cab isn't fragrant!

While waiting for the car, she suddenly remembered something, ran into the neighboring supermarket, and came out with Ling Yue carrying a large bag clearly filled with many items.

Inside the police station, several officers hid behind the door, watching the boss's back, shoving each other; the simple-minded Old Zhu was just then pushed out by his companions.

His staggering steps instantly drew Lin Shaoze, who looked astonished at the few people winking and gesturing, his tone stern yet slightly lenient: "What are you guys doing? Not one of you going to train? Have you finished today's mission?"

"No, Captain! Tell us, are you looking at… that… Miss Ling?"

"Mm."

The teammates, who hadn't expected an answer, froze instantly, looking incredulously at their captain: "You admitted it? After all, Miss Ling is so beautiful, her smile sweet as honey—no wonder it's got our captain's heart fluttering…"

"Cheng Ziming." Lin Shaoze glanced at him flatly; in an instant, Cheng Ziming looked like a poor little creature stared at by a terrifying demon king—weak, pitiful, helpless.

"Captain, I was wrong!" He dropped to his knees in a lightning-fast slide.

Lin Shaoze couldn't possibly not know what this lot were thinking; he just couldn't figure it out, his handsome brows rippling slightly: "I always feel things aren't that simple."

"Does the world really have such coincidences?"

The team members stared at each other; after a moment, Cheng Ziming scratched his head: "Isn't it said no coincidence, no story? Besides, I think Miss Ling is beautiful—uh, her observational skills are very sharp. Earlier, who would have guessed that guy would pose as a scavenger? If Miss Ling hadn't pointed it out, after several rounds of interrogation we might have really let him go."

"Besides, before we even reacted, the young lady had already swung her bag and smashed someone—her move was so clean and swift, totally awesome!"

Those with keen insight excel at pulling threads from any trifle to trace a trail; moreover, weren't Ling Yue's earlier actions just like that? Her strange gesture before striking the suspect might have been because she heard the other's footsteps.

Lin Shaoze tried to convince himself, the light in his eyes rising and falling.

Ling Yue, "wearing" an astonishing halo of insight: ……

If she knew his speculation, her head would surely sprout a row of ellipses like in a manga—really overthinking; what footsteps? Purely just listening to the crows' chatter, the crows telling her the thieves' whereabouts, allowing Ling Yue to time things perfectly.

Outside the police station, Ling Yue lifted her gaze to the sky; after a while, she finally saw several sneaky black shadows behind a utility pole, the corner of her lips lifting imperceptibly into a smile.

"Wait——"

Zhao Lin, wiping sweat, ran and shouted: "Miss Ling, wait—are you heading home? Let me give you a ride."

Ling Yue didn't have time to refuse; he already smiled kindly and said: "Under the sun who knows how long you'd have to wait; besides, you're my benefactor, Zhao Lin—if I couldn't find these things, I wouldn't know what punishment I'd face."

Ling Yue's phone rang as well; she answered, and the driver's voice came through: "Sorry, customer, I got stuck in traffic—I can't take this order."

Ling Yue glanced at Zhao Lin, then at the asphalt road devoid of even a person's shadow, let alone a ghost's, and immediately decided, beaming: "Well then, I'll thank you first."

Her bearing was relaxed and generous.

Zhao Lin was overjoyed, laughing heartily: "No, no, it's clearly I who should be thanking you!"

Zhao Lin, as befitting a branch store manager overseeing a dozen or so staff, was pleasant in dealing with people and things, like spring rain; he casually dropped a few tidbits of jewelry trivia, the stories lively and fun, unconsciously drawing them closer.

Ling Yue put away the business card in her hand and slipped it into her pocket.

The enthusiastic Zhao Lin just now seemed touched; he sighed, carrying the particular weariness of a middle-aged man: "To be frank, this isn't the first troubling matter."

"I roughly recall it started with the theft of the store's treasure, the butterfly-knot diamond necklace; the name may sound ordinary, but its origins are far from trivial."

"It was four years ago; our boss bought it at Sotheby's autumn auction for eight million US dollars, a possession of the greatest emperor of Snow Country during his lifetime."

He lowered his voice, speaking in a tone only the two could hear; Ling Yue momentarily forgot the dollar-to-renminbi exchange rate, her mind holding only that name.

"Have you found it since?" Ling Yue felt light as she listened, shifting her feet, stepping on the car's carpet as if treading on a soft cloud.

Sigh, while she was smug about her 500,000, they were already dealing in dollars.

Zhao Lin gave a wry smile and shook his head: "It's like it grew legs and flew away; to this day it's still unfound."

He rested his hand on his forehead, also puzzled: "That day was just bad luck—the store's CCTV happened to be broken, so it didn't capture the culprit. But nothing else happened on the day of the theft; the staff were working normally, and in the blink of an eye the items vanished. I recall that day there were hardly any customers, and no one even went near where the treasure was kept—simply……" He paused: "It's nothing short of seeing a ghost in broad daylight!"

Ling Yue's breath caught, and involuntarily a thought arose: if not a person, could it be……

Zhao Lin didn't want to dwell on it; having recovered the jewelry already made him pleased, he was about to change the subject when he suddenly heard the girl's low voice: "Maybe…… I have a way."

Ling Yue frowned; that voice grew clearer: "Wu wu wu wu I don't want to die…… who will come save me……"

Weak, like a candle flickering in the wind, on its last breath; one can also tell the speaker's condition is poor, near despair, or perhaps merely clinging to life by a thread.

At that moment, Ling Yue felt a chill down her back—kidnapping? imprisonment?

Ling Yue, who had originally planned to buy a car and look at a house, suddenly changed her mind; the voice sounded too miserable, she tried to search, the street was full of bright and splendid pedestrians—where could he be?

""Tap tap tap——""

The light brown curly-haired little Teddy eagerly pulled its owner Xiao Sui as they ran; behind them, the female owner hurried along painfully, her high heels striking the pavement, producing a crisp tap-tap sound.

High heels—how beautiful they look, how painful they feel to wear; even moving a little faster will rub the skin raw. And the female owner of the little Teddy, in pursuit of sexiness, has heels five centimeters high.

Within a few seconds, the female owner couldn't help begging: "Mei Mei Bao Bei, slow down, Mom can't keep up! Slow down, my Mei Mei Bao Bei!"

The little Teddy, tail tucked between its legs, screamed in fright: "Ah ah ah, I don't want to slow down! I'm about to be scared to death—what kind of place is this?!"

""What's making that ghostly wail? Save me, save me!""

""Wuu wuu wuu, we need to get out of here fast—there's a strange sound, it's scared the living daylights out of me, dog!"" Even some large breeds, like Alasijia, tuck their tails and run outward.

Only then did Ling Yue notice that many pets on the street were hurrying back and forth, as if frightened by something, and dared not linger.

The cries for help she heard grew weaker and weaker; the voice's owner seemed to realize they were dying, yet even so, they only sobbed softly: "Save me…… I so want to live…… I'll eat less…… Don't throw me away…… wuu wuu wuu……"

Ling Yue thought it was quite stupid.

If it were the former Ling Yue, she might truly have been at a loss, but now, with the help of those crows, Ling Yue effectively had countless bright eyes and keen ears.

""I heard the owner; it's not far from here at all."" The little crow led her all the way out of the commercial street. Who could have known that just beyond that wall lay such a shabby, filthy alley—Ling Yue could still hear the bustling voices outside the wall, but here——

Several large green trash cans stood crookedly in the corner of the wall, flies buzzing around the garbage, the ground covered with sour-smelling garbage wastewater that almost pooled into a deep green 'small stream'.

It makes people want to keep their distance and stay far away!

Ling Yue stood still, the most agile crow flapping its wings: "It reeks, but I hear it—the sound is right here, owner."

Ling Yue: "I heard it too."

""Is anyone there?" she tried shouting, while calmly putting on a mask; the faint cry for help suddenly stalled, as if infused with endless energy: "Save me save me save me! I don't want to die—wuu wuu wuu……

The trash cans emitted a pounding bang-bang impact sound that made one's teeth ache, while being buried under piles of garbage, making it impossible to see anything; the violent impact of the sound echoed in the secluded little alley, as if hiding a ferocious beast!

Ling Yue is no hotheaded novice; even when she rescued people at the zoo, she had a detailed plan, rather than charging about like a hotheaded novice.

""Crows, in a moment I'll kick over the trash cans; you and the little sisters stay up there and watch—if anything seems off, give me a shout.

She grabbed an iron rod from the side, kicked it over, and the trash cans, clattering bang-bang, collapsed with a roar; piles of various garbage spilled out, and the stench of who-knows-how-long-fermented waste surged up, almost like a poison gas bomb!

Ling Yue herself was momentarily dazed.

Her eyes turned red, and she was almost smoked to tears!

At that moment, something caught her attention.

It was a crude burlap sack, tightly bound with wide tape—more secure than a courier guy at a delivery station, wrapped tight and ruthless! One could only tell that whatever was inside was large, as tall as her knee; given that Ling Yue is over 1.7 meters tall and quite slender, that's significant.

A tear appeared in the corner of the gray burlap sack, and that was indeed the source of the cries for help—it turned out to be——the mouth of a light yellowish‑black dog!

The crows up above saw it more clearly: "Owner, it looks like a dog in there!" Even as it looked, it felt pitiful; though the creature was fairly large, it had been stuffed into a burlap sack and tossed into the trash can, not even qualifying as a stray dog.

Ling Yue lowered her gaze; if she hadn't found it, it would die—not today, then tomorrow.

Perhaps it had landed; the big dog's condition improved a little, huff huff, panting heavily—this is its interface with the outside world.,,.