Huaihai Criminal Investigation Squad parking lot.
As Xu Changsheng walked toward his private car, he explained the upcoming arrest operation.
"This arrest is targeting a deal involving No. 4 narcotics, commonly known as heroin."
"The intel came from an informant. It's highly reliable, and the transaction volume is significant."
"According to the informant, the buyer plans to purchase five units of No. 4 narcotics, with each unit being five grams, making it a total of twenty-five grams."
"As for the seller, he's a repeat offender. If he gets caught trafficking drugs again, even if he doesn't face the death penalty, he'll be locked away for life."
"This is the first time the buyer and seller are conducting a transaction, so they're not familiar with each other."
"They've arranged the deal at Zhongshan Road Pedestrian Street, which is crowded with tourists and has a high volume of foot traffic, making it easy for them to blend in."
"This is classic behavior from an experienced dealer."
As Xu Changsheng said, seasoned drug traffickers often choose bustling urban areas for deals instead of remote corners. Crowded areas are the perfect camouflage. Especially for first-time transactions, neither party wants to risk a police sting.
"To avoid tipping them off and having the deal canceled, we're going in undercover."
"Besides the three of us, there will be more than ten others involved in this operation, stationed at different vantage points."
"You two stick with me to avoid any mistakes that might alert them."
"Oh, and by the way, Director Lin just mentioned that you two will be working with me from now on. But no need to call me 'master'; it makes me feel old. Just call me 'brother.' I'm about ten years older than you both anyway, so it's fair."
After listening to the briefing and the follow-up arrangements, both Su Ming and Wang Hu nodded in agreement.
"Understood!"
The three of them walked side by side.
When they reached Xu Changsheng's car, he patted his pockets, suddenly froze, and then turned them inside out, but there were no keys to be found.
Xu Changsheng pressed his face against the car window and saw the keys lying on the seat. He slapped his thigh in frustration.
"Dammit!"
"I locked the keys in the car! This is a problem—we need to call a locksmith immediately!"
"We need to hurry, or the arrest could be compromised!"
After saying that, Xu Changsheng looked at Su Ming and Wang Hu beside him and sighed, a little embarrassed.
"I'm good at many things, but I tend to forget little details. This is the third time I've locked my keys in the car."
"Alright, let me call the locksmith. I've gotten pretty good at this by now."
To avoid making things awkward for Xu Changsheng, the quick-thinking Wang Hu spotted a vending machine nearby and tried to lighten the mood.
"Brother Sheng, Brother Ming, do you want something to drink?"
"Since we'll be waiting for the locksmith anyway, we might as well grab some water. We'll probably be on stakeout for quite a while."
Xu Changsheng wasn't paying attention and waved dismissively.
"Whatever."
"Just grab something."
He then slammed his fist on the car roof again.
"Damn it! Why isn't the locksmith picking up?!"
While standing to the side, Su Ming scanned the area briefly. He quickly walked over to a nearby metal fence, pulled off a piece of thin wire used for binding, and approached the car door.
"Brother Sheng, step aside."
"Let me see if I can unlock it myself."
Xu Changsheng, about to dial another locksmith, saw the wire in Su Ming's hand. Without much hope, he moved out of the way and said, "Alright, give it a shot. I'll keep looking for another locksmith."
He then turned his attention back to searching for a nearby locksmith service.
But three seconds later...
Click!
The sound of the lock disengaging was crisp and clear.
Su Ming nonchalantly opened the car door and said, "It's done, Brother Sheng."
"We should get going and prepare for the arrest."
Staring at the now-open door, Xu Changsheng was stunned, his phone still pressed against his ear. From the other end of the call, the locksmith's voice echoed.
"Hello?"
"Hello? Who is this?"
"Say something! Stupid prank caller."
The call was cut off abruptly.
Realizing what had just happened, Xu Changsheng quickly snapped out of it, gave Su Ming a long look, then grabbed the keys and started the car.
"Alright, hop in!"
Su Ming pocketed the wire, opened the front passenger door, and called out to Wang Hu, who was still by the vending machine.
"Huzi, let's go!"
Seeing the car already running, Wang Hu was briefly confused, then hurried over, his arms full of water bottles and drinks.
Chapter 2: Unlocking a Car in Three Seconds (2/2)
Wang Hu ran over.
"Damn, I'm coming, I'm coming! Wait for me!"
...
The car started and drove toward Zhongshan Road Pedestrian Street.
Xu Changsheng glanced at the resolute-looking Su Ming beside him and casually asked, "Who taught you that?"
"Your unlocking speed is faster than most professional locksmiths."
Su Ming didn't answer immediately. Instead, his mind replayed the countless crime simulations he had gone through. Many of those required lockpicking skills for theft or home invasion cases.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that Su Ming's lockpicking skills were now nearly on par with someone who had dedicated their entire life to the craft. As for other skills, they were similarly advanced, all thanks to simulating crimes 100,000 times.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Su Ming shrugged and replied casually, "I learned it online."
"At least it's not that difficult overall; anyone can master it with enough practice."
Xu Changsheng wasn't surprised by this somewhat dismissive answer and didn't press further. With a smile on his face, he looked ahead and said, "You really live up to being the first in years to score full marks on the police exam. Learning lockpicking from the internet is quite impressive."
"By the way, if you weren't a detective, I would have insisted on getting you registered just now."
Su Ming turned to look out the window, his eyes flickering as he silently complained, "If I weren't a detective, the world would have no idea how many unsolved cases would exist."
"After simulating 100,000 times, I could easily pull off the perfect crime."
While Xu Changsheng and Su Ming chatted, Wang Hu in the back seat was holding a bunch of water bottles, looking completely bewildered. He alternated between glancing at Su Ming and then at Xu Changsheng, confused.
What the hell?
Do they really need to exaggerate like this?!
It was just a few bottles of water, and why was he feeling so out of the loop in their conversation?