Chapter 22: Caught as Soon as I Got on the Train

Liu Jian'an has been here for a month; as soon as he looks up, the Train Police will definitely recognize him.

Lu Cheng is different; he's only on his third day, and he took leave the first two days, so apart from the Police Chief, the other Train Police aren't familiar with him.

So, he plans to make a clean getaway.

But just as he gets up, the Train Police shouts, "Comrade, where's your ticket?"

Lu Cheng thinks quickly and steps on Liu Jian'an's foot.

Liu Jian'an winces, lifts his head and says, "Ouch."

"Hey, Jian'an? What are you doing here? Weren't you on duty at the Platform? How did you get on the train?"

"Ah, well…"

Liu Jian'an glances at Lu Cheng, who shakes his head slightly.

He immediately realizes this is a secret operation; he must not tell anyone, not even under threat of death.

"Oh, I'm off duty today, just wanted to take the train out for a ride."

"Is that so? Then you can't just sit here; there isn't even a seat. Come, I'll take you to the Dining Car."

"No need, no need, I'm fine here, don't want to cause trouble…"

"No need for politeness, we're comrades, let's go…"

While they talk, Lu Cheng has already slipped away, squeezing into the carriage behind.

Comrade Jian'an, you'll have to be the sacrifice.

When I catch this gang of thieves and earn merit, half of the service medal will be yours.

"Move aside, move aside, there's oil on me, don't get it on you."

The carriage aisle is packed; Lu Cheng shouts like this, and indeed many people instinctively make way for him.

He's not just pushing randomly; seizing the gaps as he moves toward the rear carriage, he scans the women, recalling the image of the female theft leader in his mind.

If someone clearly doesn't match, he gives a quick glance and moves on to the next woman.

If someone looks somewhat similar, he lingers a few more looks.

When he spots a woman feeding a child, his gaze inevitably pauses.

He vaguely recalls that the female theft leader was also fair‑skinned.

Noticing Lu Cheng's stare, the woman quickly turns away, muttering, "Thug."

The train clatters on, and Lu Cheng moves through several carriages, still not finding the female theft leader.

Moreover, the carriage is peaceful; not even a single person drops anything. Could the gang of thieves have called it a day today?

When the thieves don't appear, after a while, the Police Chief shows up instead.

His shoulder is suddenly tapped: "Comrade Lu Cheng."

Lu Cheng turns and sees it's Meng Li, which shows that Liu Jian'an abandoned him.

This guy's Revolutionary Will spirit is far too wavering.

"Comrade Train Police, you've got the wrong person," Lu Cheng says, turning to leave.

"Lu Cheng, stop right there. I've already contacted the Platform; still a secret operation? You've got some nerve, do you know this violates regulations?"

Seeing the situation can't be covered up, Lu Cheng can only hold his ground; after all, he's already on the train and has left the Capital City, and Meng Li can't let him disembark midway, right.

"Police Chief Meng, I want to improve."

A comrade who doesn't aspire to be a minister isn't a good comrade.

Always on duty at the Platform—when will we ever get into the department?

"You!" Meng Li inhales, looks around at the crowd, and gestures, "Come with me to the Dining Car first."

Inside the Dining Car, Liu Jian'an sits with his head down; seeing Lu Cheng, he wears a resentful expression.

He hadn't intended to reveal it, insisting all along that he was off duty today, but the Police Chief showed up.

Whether he was off duty or not, Meng Li, as Police Chief, knows best; reluctantly, she has to disclose the "secret operation."

However, after Meng Li contacts the train station, she learns there was no secret operation at all; everything was Lu Cheng's fabrication.

Lu Cheng walks over with a smile, pats his shoulder in consolation; after all, he was the one who lured Liu Jian'an onto the train, and even if it fell apart, he can't blame him.

"Jian'an, I don't blame you…"

Liu Jian'an turns his head, sniffs, thinking, "This guy really has thick skin, and he doesn't blame me? If he doesn't blame me, that's fine."

Team Captain Zhou is pounding the table in the squad; going back will surely earn a scolding.

"Yo, crying? It's not a big deal, stop crying; later I'll treat you to a meal."

Clearly they've never been through anything; their heart is too fragile. Lu Cheng is about to continue comforting when Meng Li suddenly slaps the table.

"Both of you stand still. Your audacity is too great; without my and Team Captain Zhou's permission, who allowed you onto the train?"

"Totally disorganized and undisciplined. Later, I'll have to deal with both of you."

At the mention of being dealt with, Liu Jian'an bursts into tears.

He barely managed to enter the Railway system, and after just a month, he's already facing punishment.

Lu Cheng shakes his head helplessly, stands and says, "Police Chief Meng, he's still a kid; don't scare him. Besides, we're just trying to do our part. Both Jian'an and I are Train Police; we can't spend our whole lives on Platform duty."

Meng Li glares, "Revolution doesn't have a hierarchy, work isn't ranked by prestige; you two don't even have any experience riding the train. Just doing your duty well on the Platform is already doing your best."

Lu Cheng retorts, "Police Chief Meng, precisely because we lack experience, we want to ride the train to learn more."

"Nonsense, you think experience is that easy to pick up. You need seasoned Train Police to guide you. It took me years to become Police Chief, and people like you who don't keep their feet on the ground and want to jump straight to the top—if I gave you a rank, could you handle it?"

"Give it a try; it's not impossible."

"You!" Meng Li huffs, taking a few breaths: "I don't bother arguing with you. At the next stop, both of you will ride the return train back."

Going back now means they'll get a reprimand. Still, we have to catch this gang of thieves and bring back the credit; even if Team Captain Zhou scolds us twice, that's still commendation.

"Police Chief Meng, I have a plan that will definitely catch this gang of thieves."

Meng Li gave a cold glance: "You still have a plan? We have so many experienced veteran train police, taking turns on duty day after day, we're practically living on the train as caretakers, yet we still haven't caught the thief—shows how cunning this gang of habitual criminals is."

You can't catch them—that's incompetence.

For every day you fail to catch them, the public suffers another day of property loss.

Of course, Lu Cheng couldn't say that; otherwise this menopausal woman would surely blow up.

"Police Chief Meng, I think the reason you can't catch them is that you're using the wrong method."

Being criticized by a greenhorn kid, Meng Li immediately became unhappy: "Nonsense, we've deployed how many police, conducting nonstop 24-hour patrols, and the Broadcaster makes announcements every half hour telling the public to protect their belongings."

Doing this, they have indeed done their utmost; you can't say they're derelict in duty.

If it were an ordinary thief, under such high-intensity duty they would certainly be caught.

But who let this gang of thieves be a family-passed-down expert in knife use?

When they steal, they do so without a trace; often by the time the public notices, they've already slipped away with the crowd.

"Police Chief Meng, you've indeed done everything thoroughly, but you still haven't caught the thief; why not change your approach and try a different method?"