Reborn in 97, I solved a cold case at the Municipal Bureau

Chapter 303 Colorful Woven Bags (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
The pickpocket was unaware that, apart from the bearded man, Zhou Yi hadn't spotted anyone else.

He did follow the bearded man, but it was clear that the group had a more sophisticated code.

Zhou Yi was behind the bearded man, so his eyes and expression were not visible, and it was impossible to determine who he was giving a hint to.

Moreover, the bearded man was very vigilant; he would suddenly stop and look back while walking, clearly on guard.

Although Zhou Yi was more alert and wasn't discovered, he couldn't continue following and had to turn back.

“Let me tell you, we’ve already located all your accomplices. Asking you to confess is giving you a chance to earn merit,” Zhou Yi said righteously.

The two railway police officers beside them were also experienced and immediately chimed in, "That's right. If you confess voluntarily, it's a meritorious service. If you refuse to confess, it's an even more serious crime."

The pickpocket was terrified.

Zhou Yi then said, "Do you want me to tell you their seat numbers one by one?"

The pickpocket instinctively nodded, but then suddenly realized what he was doing and quickly shook his head. "I'll talk, I'll talk."

The train slowly pulled into the station and came to a stop. Passengers carrying large and small bags were already waiting at each door, just waiting for the doors to open.

There were still many people waiting on the platform, and a staff member kept shouting through a megaphone: "Let people get off first, then get on. Don't crowd, and be careful."

With a sudden, violent jolt, the train came to a stop.

The train conductor manually opened the doors one by one, and the passengers rushed out.

When getting on and off the bus, the crowds are at their most congested, providing an excellent opportunity for pickpockets to strike.

The bearded man mingled with the crowd as he walked out, intending to stealthily strike.

Although we can't stay on this train any longer, the old rule is that a thief should never leave empty-handed, so we still have to make a little money.

According to the rules of their line of work, once an accomplice is arrested, the job can no longer be done, and they have to get off the vehicle and disperse immediately, otherwise they may be implicated.

The bearded man got off the bus with the crowd and walked forward with his bag on his back.

As I was walking, someone suddenly bumped into me.

He was furious and was about to curse when he felt a chill on his wrist—one of his hands was already handcuffed.

"This……"

"Did you buy a ticket for this area? Then get off here." A plainclothes railway policeman sneered.

People passing by, unaware of what was happening, glanced over, but only for a moment.

After all, train stations are places where people are in a hurry, not places to watch the excitement.

An elderly man dressed simply stepped off the train through the rear door, carrying a colorful woven bag in his hand, and walked slowly forward.

"Grandpa, it must be heavy, let me help you carry it," a young man said kindly as he ran over.

The old man chuckled and said, "No need, no need, it's not heavy, it's just a few pieces of clothing."

"It's alright, I'll help you," the young man said stubbornly, reaching out to snatch the woven bag from the old man's hand.

"No need."

"How can you be like this?"

"What...what exactly do you want to do?"

The two started tugging at each other, with the young man holding onto the bag tightly and a wide smile on his face.

The old man was so anxious that he was blowing his beard and glaring.

Because of the commotion, the passengers in front turned around, and two station staff members even walked over.

"Let go! If you don't let go, don't blame me for being impolite!" The old man was furious and raised one hand to strike the young man.

The young man pulled the woven bag upwards with a sudden movement, and the bag blocked the old man's slap.

With a "rip," the woven bag suddenly broke, and its contents spilled out, rolling all over the ground.

Wallets, jewelry, and banknotes were scattered all over the floor.

The old man's expression changed drastically upon seeing this. He dropped the woven bag and ran away, displaying incredible agility and showing no signs of his previous old age.

Two men suddenly rushed out from the side and blocked his way.

Zhou Yi said coldly from behind, "Hands up, you're under arrest."

That "kind-hearted" young man was Zhou Yi.

The old man wanted to struggle a bit more, but when he turned his head, he was instantly dumbfounded.

Zhou Yi held the guns in both hands, the dark muzzles pointed at the other party.

Two railway police officers took out handcuffs and stepped forward. Zhou Yi warned them, "Be careful, this old guy has a razor blade between his fingers."

The stronger policeman grabbed the old man's right wrist and twisted it hard. The old man cried out in pain, and his fingers loosened. Half a razor blade fell from between his fingers, its thin edge gleaming coldly.

Just now, when the old man angrily attacked Zhou Yi, Zhou Yi sensed something was wrong.

The old man's hand, which was aimed at him, was at the wrong height; it wasn't aimed at his face, but at his neck.

He instinctively used force in his hands and raised the woven bag to block it.

As a result, the woven bag tore open, and its contents spilled all over the ground.

He had just glanced at the tear in the woven bag; it was a long, smooth tear, the kind of effect only a sharp blade could create.

Two railway police officers pinned the old man to the ground. One restrained him and handcuffed his hands behind his back, while the other searched him to check for any other weapons on his person.

The railway policeman slapped the old man's face and shouted angrily, "You fucking want to kill someone? You've got some nerve!"

Zhou Yi put away his gun and began to examine the wallet on the ground.

Fortunately, the pickpocket in the lounge was intimidated and confessed everything; otherwise, these people would have been like fish out of water as soon as they got off the train. However, due to the short time, there wasn't enough time to make arrangements, and these people were mixed in with the crowd exiting the station, making it impossible to identify them all and catch them all.

The only one Zhou Yi had ever seen was the bearded man, who had a distinct physical appearance.

The remaining person was the leader of this group. The pickpocket said they all called him Uncle Li, and the stolen goods would be handed over to Uncle Li. After getting off the bus safely, Uncle Li would distribute and dispose of them.

The two wallets that were found on his person earlier were the ones he stole but didn't have time to hand over because he had a stomachache and was on the toilet.

He said Uncle Li was a little old man who usually carried an inconspicuous colorful woven bag, just like a migrant worker.

Therefore, Zhou Yi had long been waiting to meet this cunning old fox.

Who would have thought that the leader of a group of pickpockets was actually an old man?

Moreover, all the stolen goods were in the old man's hands, so even if the police suspected him, it would be difficult to suspect him.

Zhou Yi just didn't expect that the old man would be so ruthless.

After searching for a while, Zhou Yi finally found Zhang Xianglan's wallet, which still contained her documents and money.

"Gentlemen, I've found the item. I'll leave the rest to you." Zhou Yi said, holding up the wallet in his hand.

"Okay, you go ahead with your work, leave the rest to us."

Judging from the valuables on the ground, there were quite a few owners, and the cleanup work would take some time. Zhou Yi didn't want to delay things, so finding Zhang Xianglan's wallet was all that mattered.

Zhou Yi boarded the train and walked back through the long train tracks.

It's a pity I didn't ask the names of those two railway police officers. I couldn't ask them in that situation; it would have been too risky and I might have been exposed and retaliated against by the suspect.

Therefore, the three of them tacitly agreed not to reveal their surnames.

Zhang Xianglan was getting restless as Zhou Yi didn't return for a long time, constantly looking around.

Until Zhou Yi walked over and handed her a wallet.

"Check if anything is missing."

Zhang Xianglan took it, opened it, and looked at it. She covered her mouth and shook her head repeatedly.

"As long as nothing is missing, that's fine." Zhou Yi sat down.

"Thank you, Officer Zhou..." Zhang Xianglan said, her voice choked with emotion.

"It's alright, take a rest. It'll be a long time before we get to Anyuan."

The train slowly started moving again and continued forward.

Since what happened occurred on the platform at the rear of the train, only passengers at the back of the train saw it, and the news didn't reach them for a long time, causing a great deal of discussion among the passengers.

Zhou Yi called Chen Yan to tell him that Zhang Xianglan's wallet had been found. After returning to his seat, he closed his eyes to rest, figuring that this commotion would at least quiet down any other pickpockets on the train.

When it was time to eat, Zhou Yi ordered two meals from the train. Zhang Xianglan initially refused, feeling embarrassed, but Zhou Yi said that he couldn't return them and couldn't eat two meals by himself, so she accepted.

The elderly couple opposite them were very talkative. They enthusiastically shared the things they had brought with Zhou Yi and his group and chatted with them.

The old lady is a bit gossipy; she's always trying to find out about their relationship, where they go, what they do, and so on.

This reminded Zhou Yi of her mother; perhaps this is a common hobby among middle-aged and elderly women.

However, since there was such a gossipy middle-aged woman in the family, Zhou Yi certainly knew how to deal with this kind of person.

She pretended not to hear her question and did not answer it.

Then shift the focus of the problem to the other person, using the problem to address the problem.

People who enjoy gossip are usually talkative, so once you ask them a question, they'll naturally start talking at length.

After she finishes speaking, when she turns back to you, ask her another question.

After a few times, the other person will forget what they asked you.

Zhou Yi used this tactic to deal with the old lady with minimal effort.

"Young man, do you have a girlfriend yet?" the old lady asked with a smile.

"..." Zhou Yi thought to himself, the second most popular hobby of middle-aged and elderly women has arrived, and it is indeed the same all over the country.

Zhou Yi said with a smile, "I've got it."

"Oh, I was thinking if you don't have one, your auntie could introduce you to someone. Your auntie is a matchmaker in our area," the old lady said somewhat disappointedly.

"Thank you, Auntie, but you don't need to trouble yourself." Zhou Yi thought to himself, "So she's a professional after all."

According to the schedule, Zhou Yi and his group would arrive in Anyuan in the evening. Zhou Yi's plan was to find a hotel to rest first, and then go to the Anyuan Municipal Public Security Bureau the next day to find out from Pan Hongjie whether Li Youqiang's body still needed to be preserved.

If cremation is possible, then let Zhang Xianglan come to the Municipal Bureau to fill out the application. If Pan Hongjie refuses to budge, then we can only submit the application first and then have them reject it, since it is a case under his jurisdiction.

As for identifying the body, Zhou Yi would try to persuade Zhang Xianglan, since the body was severely decomposed and the face was damaged, and he was afraid that Zhang Xianglan would not be able to bear it.

Around 4 o'clock, an announcement came over the loudspeaker that the train was about to arrive at Yuxi Station.

Upon hearing the broadcast, the old lady hurriedly woke up the drooling old man next to her.

"Old Huang, wake up, we'll be there soon."

The old man woke up groggily, looked out the window, and began to pack his things with the old woman, taking up all the bags and packages, big and small.

The train pulled into the station, and the old lady said goodbye to Zhang Xianglan and Zhou Yi.

Then he urged the old man to walk forward: "Hurry up, stop dawdling, Jinbao will get impatient."

　Double monthly tickets start today! Please give me your tickets, everyone, don't let them expire!

　　Thank you everyone for your monthly votes.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)