Chapter 806: The Thief Lord

A group of black-clad figures suddenly burst in. Without a word, they headed straight for the room with the hidden paintings. Upon seeing the empty shelves and the words on the wall, the lead man turned around and grabbed a police officer by the collar. “Where are the paintings?”

“What are you doing? Assaulting an officer?” Lin Dongxue exclaimed.

The man stared, slowly releasing his grip. “Why was a cop here? Where did the paintings go?”

“Are you under Lieguo Xiao’s command? How did you arrive so promptly? Did someone tip you off?” Chen Shi asked.

Clearly agitated, the man refused to answer questions and continued shouting, “Hand over the paintings! How can the police do such a thing?”

Chen Shi sensed someone was manipulating from the shadows.

As a police officer prepared to explain, Lin Dongxue interrupted, “No need to explain to them. Let’s go back first.”

As the police left the room, the man erupted in fury, smashing things wildly, the noise echoing through the building.

Downstairs, everyone felt disheartened. Lin Dongxue said, “It’s not your fault. The opponent was just too cunning. But…” She looked at Chen Shi. “This confirms our deduction was correct.”

“I just want to say, the killer is audacious and meticulous. He used a clever scheme to steal the paintings, then immediately tipped off Lieguo Xiao. We were trapped inside, making the situation quite awkward,” Chen Shi remarked.

“Now what?” a police officer asked.

“Let’s go back first, regroup, and strategize. We’ll definitely recover the paintings. The thief won’t be able to sell them off quickly. He’ll surely hide them,” Lin Dongxue said.

“Oh, right!” Suddenly, a police officer exclaimed, “Speaking of suspicious individuals, there’s been an old man scavenging bottles around here these past few days, always lingering nearby. Look, there he is!” He pointed in a direction where a “old man” wearing a straw hat was rummaging through a trash bin, his back turned to them.

Chen Shi approached and lifted his hat, revealing KK’s mischievous face. Lin Dongxue explained to her colleagues that he was one of theirs.

Chen Shi told them to head back first while he talked to KK.

Upon hearing the surveillance mission was over, KK discarded his disguise into the trash bin. “You could’ve told me earlier. I would’ve just stolen the stuff and kept it safe.”

“Our goal isn’t to protect those paintings. Actually, it’s to let them be stolen, but to catch the thief in the act. Understand?” Chen Shi explained.

“Oh, I see. Police can be sneaky too.”

“Did you take any photos?”

KK pulled out a digital camera from under his clothes. “They’re all here. You can find the suspects yourself.”

Chen Shi casually browsed through them. He had to admit, KK’s covert photography skills had improved greatly, honed from catching cheaters every day. He patted KK on the shoulder. “Well done. I’ll arrange your reward for this mission later.”

“Oh, when did our relationship become so transactional? Just invite me for a meal instead. Bring along Xiaochong and Miss Gu. It’s been ages since we hung out!” KK suggested.

“Xiaoyue has her monthly exams coming up.”

“So, now you have an excuse not to see us anymore?” KK said with a hint of bitterness.

“Okay, after Xiaoyue finishes her exams, I’ll treat everyone to dinner, alright?”

KK smiled. “That’s more like it.”

Since KK hadn’t driven himself, Chen Shi offered him a ride. KK sniffed the seat lewdly. “Your sister-in-law often sits here, right? Smells nice. ‘Driving your car, listening to your music.’ Chen-ge, you’re living the good life.”

“I don’t even know how to respond to your nonsense. By the way, you used to be in the underworld. How much do you know about Lieguo Xiao?”

“Lieguo Xiao!” KK repeated the name. “That old thief’s rise to power perfectly fits the saying, ‘Stealing a hook leads to execution; stealing a state leads to a dukedom.’ He’s a thief who made his fortune through deception. Back when I was a full-time thief, he was a role model for our kind.”

“Any specific details?”

“I heard, just heard, mind you, that when he was young, he took a broken bowl to a pawn shop and demanded money, claiming it was cursed. If they didn’t pay up, their family would suffer misfortune. The pawnshop was scared, so they paid… Can you believe it? Making money like that back in the 80s and 90s was too easy!”

Unexpectedly, Chen Shi heard the origin story of that little bowl from KK. Whether it was the true origin or another version born of rumor was impossible to verify.

“Then he seemed to disappear for a while, having offended some big shot. Do you know what he did? He kidnapped the big shot’s dog and demanded ransom. And it actually worked. He did it all alone. I can only say, awesome! The big shot wasn’t dumb either. He put up a 600,000 bounty on him, with his picture plastered all over the city. The whole underworld was crazy about it! This old guy hid for many years until the big shot was arrested. Only then did he reappear and start whitewashing himself, doing business, making connections with celebrities. This guy is a bribery maniac. His name appears on the goodwill list of every corrupt official in Long’an. I heard he once gave a golden mahjong set to a corrupt official’s mother on her 80th birthday. So, his business flourished, and his influence grew. Today, he’s practically the number one figure in Long’an… Truly shameless and invincible.”

“Where did you gather all this intel?” Chen Shi couldn’t help but doubt KK’s exaggerated claims.

“It’s the word on the street.”

“Who’s ‘the street’?”

“Um, a certain Smuggler Magazine.”

“Well, that sounds totally reliable!”

After dropping KK off at the office, Chen Shi returned to the bureau. He saw a line of cars parked outside the Public Security Bureau and thought, They move fast! Indeed, Lieguo Xiao himself had come to report a case. He sat in the office, gripping his cane in anger, shaking. “Your police were at the scene. This shows you knew in advance. Why didn’t you inform me!”

Lin Qiupu explained, “It’s not that we didn’t inform you. Our intelligence was limited and we couldn’t confirm anything. But even under these circumstances, I sent someone to monitor the scene.”

Lieguo Xiao pounded his cane on the ground fiercely. “Monitor what? What did you monitor? Where are my paintings! You just found out where I hide my paintings, and this happens immediately! Now I suspect everyone. By the way, I heard one of the policemen who came to my house that day wasn’t really a cop. He was posing as an advisor with you. I demand an investigation into this person!”

“Are you talking about me?” Chen Shi entered the office. “Feel free to investigate. I have a solid alibi.”

In front of Lin Qiupu, Lieguo Xiao couldn’t explode, so he just glared. Chen Shi continued, “Mr. Lie, please trust the police. We’ll definitely recover your paintings, and we’ll catch the person who stole them.”

Lieguo Xiao gritted his teeth silently. “Do you already have a suspect in mind? Tell me their name!”