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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 88: Sharp Eyes, Clumsy Hands
"Excuse me, where is this bus going to park?" A clueless chubby man approached the Conductor who was helping passengers with their luggage.
"Oh, Dongming Square," the Conductor replied, glancing at the ticket stub. Just as he heard a noise and turned around, the chubby man pulled him back, causing him to look warily at him. "What do you want?"
"Can I borrow a light?" The chubby man offered him a cigarette. The Conductor hesitated before lighting it, but the chubby man didn’t say anything further and walked away.
He glanced back and caught sight of another chubby man at the ticket window, muttering under his breath, "What an idiot."
At the bus door, a Black Fatty had somehow boarded without anyone noticing. The driver assumed he was just another passenger and didn’t pay him any mind. After a while, the driver asked, "Hey, why are you standing at the door?"
"I'm waiting for someone. What if I miss them?"
"Where's your ticket?"
"Isn't it being bought right now?"
"Go find a seat in the back. Why are you just standing there?"
"It's so hot; I just want to catch some breeze."
The chubby man rolled up his sleeves to reveal a tattoo on his arm. The driver decided not to press further. After a moment of hesitation, the chubby man stepped down from the bus, but in the blink of an eye, he was back on board again. The passengers tensed up, even a Female Passenger adjusted her bag closer to herself, clearly sensing that this Black Fatty was trouble.
Outside, another clueless young man tugged at his companion and asked, "Excuse me, where is this bus going to park?"
“Dongming Square,” the driver said casually.
The man tugged at him and asked, “Where is Dongming Square? Is it far from the city government?”
“That’s not on the same route,” the driver replied.
The man pulled at him again and asked, “Then which bus goes to the city government? I’ll pay you to take me there, okay?”
“Get lost! We can’t drive into the city center with this bus!” The driver was annoyed; he had encountered a fool and wanted to get rid of him.
After a while, someone else got on the bus and asked the driver, “Excuse me, do you stop at Dongming Square?”
“We stop right at the square,” the driver said.
“Can you stop somewhere else? I need to go to the city government to file a complaint. Can you take me there?”
“This bus can’t do that. Call 110 and have a police car take you.”
“Oh, that’s a good idea! You’re so clever, what kind of car do you drive? Can you fly a plane too…”
The driver’s response made everyone in the bus laugh. The clueless young man’s comment only fueled their amusement, and the driver, blushing with embarrassment, shouted at him to get off.
While everyone was wary of bad people getting on the bus, no one noticed that several suitcases had already disappeared from the large luggage compartment on the side of the bus. The person chatting with the driver was merely trying to block his view to prevent him from noticing anything suspicious in the rearview mirror.
No one noticed, at least the Driver was standing under the vehicle, so it was impossible for anything to be thrown away.
After a moment, the Driver got into the vehicle, checked tickets, counted heads, and closed the doors. At that moment, he saw the two unfriendly-looking fat men approaching the door again, urging the driver to hurry up and leave.
The two fat men positioned themselves right next to the vehicle on the right side, looking quite unappealing, and no one paid them any attention.
The bus roared to life and slowly pulled away. At that moment, Fat Gourd laughed; as the bus passed by, three suitcases—two black and one red—were left behind, too late to be taken but just in time to be shoved underneath the vehicle.
The three who had been waiting eagerly grabbed them, pulling on the handles and walking away as if nothing had happened.
When the second bus arrived at that spot, all that could be seen was a large Umbrella. Once the crowd parted, the umbrella was folded away.
It was Xiao Mu, who had just closed the last umbrella that had been blocking their view, concealing the moment when several items were picked up and taken away.
Damn... it was too perfect.
Xiao Mu glanced at the orderly driver and then looked back at the flowing crowd of passengers, still busy with their own affairs. He felt an inexplicable thrill rising within him.
So stealing things feels better than losing them? Why hadn’t he realized this before?
He suppressed the rush of excitement building inside him; it was a strong sensation that far surpassed any discomfort he had felt from crossing moral boundaries as a thief.
"Could it be that I’m just naturally suited to being a bad person? Otherwise, why does doing this feel so effortless?"
He walked briskly, thinking to himself that even though he had studied psychology, he couldn't quite grasp his own mindset at this moment. It was so damn amusing—the tension, the thrill, the fear of being discovered, and then that climactic moment when he struck successfully... Oh, this feeling of being a thief was just like the first time. He knew it was harmful, yet he still wanted to indulge in it recklessly.
...
However, these reckless actions truly surprised Panzi.
He was almost at the airport when he received a call. It was likely that idiot who had gotten into trouble. Who would have thought? They had succeeded and had already made their escape.
If it were those two fools, he definitely wouldn't believe it. But since it was Xiao Mu who said so, he couldn't afford to doubt it. They hadn't known each other for long, but Xiao Mu's impression was quite good. This little rascal mingling with the Ruffians had already made several of his old buddies sigh in exasperation.
Hurrying back, an hour later, he returned to Cangji Village, to the shabby place where Gourd Brother and his companion rented. As soon as he stepped inside, he saw two black and one red suitcase placed in the center of the room. The Gourd Brothers stood proudly with their arms crossed, waiting for him to inspect their haul.
Were they real or fake? Panzi wondered. In a place like the airport, even he would have to think twice before making a move; there was no way these two idiots could pull it off.
Look at Big Gourd—his belly protruded, and his eyes were slightly bulging. Erhu Lu had a bump on his forehead that looked like it had been kicked by a donkey more than once. Whenever something caught his attention, he drooled like an idiot. No matter how you looked at them, they didn’t seem capable of such a feat.
"You two brats didn’t buy three suitcases just to fool me, did you?" Panzi joked.
"Of course not! Do we look like guys who would spend money on something?" Big Gourd grinned.
Absolutely not, Panzi understood: "Did you steal them?"
"That's even less likely. Do I look like someone who would do something so lowbrow?" Erhu Lu scoffed.
Panzi paused for a moment, glancing at Xiao Mu, who was smiling. Growing impatient, he asked directly, "If I didn't see it with my own eyes, it doesn't count. Who knows how you guys pulled it off?"
"Heh heh, we were well prepared," Big Gourd chuckled.
"We were just ready for you to pull a fast one," Erhu Lu said, raising his phone. "Take a good look; don't always think of us as fools."
"We must be the bad guys, not the fools," Big Gourd declared.
Panzi took the phone and pressed play on the recorded video, ignoring the two idiots for now. However, what those two had done quickly captured his attention. The video clearly documented their antics:
Big Gourd and Erhu Lu took turns harassing the driver. One of them blocked the driver's view while the other snuck to the side of the vehicle, quickly tossing something underneath... After another round of harassment, another item was tossed... It was clear they couldn't steal anything right in front of him, but placing it under the car was undoubtedly the best way to create a distraction... Harassment, blocking views, and stealing all happened in a seamless flow, waiting for the car to drive away while those standing on the platform casually grabbed their luggage and left.
As he watched, Panzi's gaze turned sharp as he shot a glance at Big Gourd, startling him into taking an involuntary step back.
That wasn't a threat; it was surprise. Clearly, this wasn't a plan that these idiots could come up with. Erhu Lu was taken aback and quickly said, "Panzi, we really didn't cheat. If you don't believe us, Brothers can go steal a few more for you."
"Yeah, that definitely looks like an airport," Big Gourd added.
Panzi turned off the video and looked at the stolen luggage for a moment before glancing back at the Gourd Brothers. His gaze then fixed on Xiao Mu's face, his eyes piercing like electricity—intangible yet substantial—as if trying to see through Xiao Mu's cheerful facade.
"Oh, I understand now; someone skilled must have guided you," Panzi said slowly with a smile.
"That's not against the rules; you never said we couldn't bring someone," Big Gourd reminded.
"Anyway, we've stolen it back. Brother Pan, it's up to you now; if you don't take us in, we'll just stick to you," Erhu Lu added.
Xiao Mu couldn't stay silent any longer and chuckled, "Brother Pan, there's no helping it. These two brothers admire you too much. Why not reluctantly teach them a thing or two?"
Panzi laughed, tossed his phone back, and kept his eyes on Xiao Mu, curiously asking, "Mu, have you done this before?"
"Nope, I've had my share of affairs, but stealing is a first for me," Xiao Mu replied.
The Gourd Brothers burst into laughter. Erhu Lu chimed in, "What kind of affair? That girl would be more than happy to spread her legs for you." Panzi shot him a glare and cursed him to shut up, scaring him into silence. Xiao Mu quickly smoothed things over, saying, "These two are just like that; they won't change."
"You've given me a tough problem," Panzi said, struggling to make sense of it all. It was clear that these two were incredibly foolish, yet under Xiao Mu's guidance, they seemed surprisingly adept. From his perspective, the moves they had just pulled off were akin to those of seasoned pros. This kind of talent was rare; he began to suspect that Xiao Mu was hiding something.
"Brother Pan, why are you so puzzled? It's really a first for us. Pulling a suitcase is just like pimping... Pimping requires you to focus on those who are fidgety, nervous-looking, and occasionally glancing around nervously... When pulling a suitcase, as long as you wait for the driver and the other drivers to be distracted, it's entirely doable. This is called... misdirection," Xiao Mu fabricated an explanation that resembled the wheel effect. The three stared at him blankly as he elaborated:
"It's quite simple. For instance, why do we use dim lighting in KTV? It's to create an ambiguous atmosphere. And why do those girls who sell themselves always have big chests and leave a lot of skin exposed? It's to attract your attention. Once your attention is drawn in, you might overlook what the woman actually looks like."
"Oh, I get it! No wonder those old ladies stuff their chests so much; I've touched them several times and all I felt was sponge," Erhu Lu exclaimed with sudden realization. His usual encounters with women finally found a theoretical basis.
Panzi laughed—first with a smile, then with a hearty laugh—before bursting into full laughter while looking at the three with great interest. Big Gourd flatteringly asked, "Brother Pan, what do you think of our brothers?"
"Not bad," Panzi nodded.
"Then we..." Erhu Lu asked expectantly.
"Follow me and see just how much you can handle... Mu, you come too."
Panzi turned around, speaking with undeniable authority. The Gourd Brothers celebrated with a high five, one on each side of Xiao Mu, and they all followed Panzi downstairs...
...
...
A man's whim can lead to irrational actions, much like a woman's monthly cycle.
This time it was Panzi's turn. He abandoned the gradual training approach and pulled four selected newcomers, along with Xiao Mu and a pair of silly gourds, directly into the rehearsal phase.
They took Bus 21 and got off at Century Square. Panzi walked briskly, the group of novices trailing behind. As they walked, Panzi instructed, "Next, I want to test your observational skills. Pay attention and observe. A person's visual recognition limit allows them to perceive thousands of different characteristics in just one second... Remember this: face, hands, attire... stop."
Suddenly he called for a halt and asked, "Without turning around, what color bag did the woman who just passed by have?"
Stunned, none of the novices could answer. Panzi turned back with a glare, while Xiao Mu questioned, "She didn't have a bag; she was on the phone."
"Look back," Panzi said. Everyone turned around and saw the woman placing her phone into her bag.
"Not bad. Continuously honing your visual memory will be invaluable to you in the future," Panzi remarked, directing his words at Xiao Mu. He was increasingly aware of this person's uniqueness.
Without being polite to those rookies, he scolded in a harsh voice, "Are you all stupid? Stop staring at me... Pay attention to your surroundings and remember everything... Let's go."
Leading a group of inexperienced Rascal members, Panzi walked a large circle around the square. He remained silent while the others looked around. When they stopped again, Panzi turned back and asked, "How many police officers are there in the security booth?"
"Three," Big Gourd answered readily. He often got chased by the police and paid close attention to this.
"How many cameras can you see around the security booth and the square?" Panzi asked again.
Who knew? But strangely, Xiao Mu answered, "There are about 26 to 28 cameras. In such public places, there are almost no blind spots; they all use wide-angle lenses."
It seemed that what he had learned from Baldy was indeed useful. Erhu Lu, feeling confused, whispered, "What’s a wide-angle?"
Thud! Panzi slapped him and continued asking, "Did you see any patrol teams on the street?"
"No," Liu Yang replied, and everyone else agreed; it was obvious they hadn't seen any.
"Not seeing them doesn't mean they're not there," Xiao Mu said. "The sanitation here is excellent; there are no vendors, and even the small ads are sparse... To keep it this clean, street patrols must be quite frequent."
Upon hearing this, Panzi's eyes widened slightly in surprise. He suppressed the urge to give a thumbs-up to the newcomer and waited in silence for a moment before reminding them, "Look back... Your eyes should be able to see beyond your line of sight."
They turned around, and everyone was stunned as a team of street patrol officers emerged from another intersection.
Panzi wasted no time; Thud! Thud! He slapped each of them except for Big Gourd and Xiao Mu, who managed to avoid it.
This is not just a slap; it's a lesson to remember.
...
At the next stop, they took bus 232 to another station, got off, and walked two more stops to reach the pedestrian shopping street. In this vibrant commercial area, where neon lights and billboard advertisements shone brightly, Panzi stood at the street corner with the group. He instructed everyone to pay attention and then had them turn around. After a moment, he asked directly, "Where did the woman in the white dress go, who was in front of the Chanel store just now?"
This tested their instant memory and judgment. The group behind him stared intently, while Panzi was already getting impatient, slapping his hands together. Erhu Lu, feeling anxious, said, "She seems to have gone into the store."
"Exactly." Panzi smiled but still gave Erhu Lu a slap and scolded him, "Using 'seems'—that's just guessing."
He didn't hit Xiao Mu; instead, he smiled and suddenly called for everyone to turn back again. In the blink of an eye, he looked forward and first asked Xiao Mu. Unexpectedly, Xiao Mu spoke up first, saying, "Brother Pan, there was a striking red BMW that just parked. You must be asking about the woman who came out of it; she went into that store... The answer is simple; she should be heading towards the Seven Guugi specialty store."
Hearing this made Panzi's expression freeze; it was exactly what he had been thinking. He stared at Xiao Mu in disbelief and asked, "Mu, you’re scaring me. How did you see that?"
"If it's too far away, you can't see it; if it's too close, it doesn't matter. Only something striking stands out enough to test newcomers," Xiao Mu explained.
His thoughts aligned perfectly with Panzi's. Panzi slapped his hands together and scolded, "Look at that! I haven't even asked yet, and you all answered before me. Are you just going to stand there looking dumb? Did you learn anything? That's how you observe."
After teaching a few tricks, they truly began to grasp the basics. However, Panzi's slaps were too hard; even the guys felt a bit overwhelmed by them. When no one could answer again, Big Gourd quickly shrank back and pleaded with Panzi, "Brother Pan, let me handle this... You don't need to bother."
Clearly afraid of being slapped again, he pretended to slap himself a few times.
But his natural talent was lacking; he couldn't keep it up for long and didn't make much progress. In contrast, Liu Yang and a few others were improving rapidly. After walking a few kilometers along the street, they gradually grasped the key points. Xiao Mu quietly taught them that using comparison to remember different features would help them recall many details in an instant—like the woman's legs, hairstyle, clothing, as well as pairing characteristics of men and women—using distinctive traits to identify people would lead to remembering more and faster.
This was a practical experience. When selecting a karaoke partner, Young Master Mu could glance at a group and immediately identify their measurements without any issue.
With the right approach, they moved quickly. After a few kilometers, even the Gourd Brothers had made some progress, while Panzi's expression grew more complex.
Damn it, who is teaching these people? They were all gathered around Xiao Mu, listening intently.
At the next stop, Fuwangduo Supermarket, they wandered around for a while but bought nothing. The questions changed again; instead of asking about the cameras or security, Panzi asked how many people in line at the checkout were wearing watches.
They were dumbfounded. The questions couldn't keep changing like this. Erhu Lu and his group had taken a slap to the face and felt a bit wronged. Big Gourd slapped himself and voiced his opinion: "Pan Brother, are you deliberately making things difficult for us?"
"Are we living or just messing around? Why don't you just go die?" Panzi cursed, then looked at Xiao Mu. Xiao Mu held up four fingers and said, "Four people—one man and three women. One with a right arm and three with left arms. There were eight people in total at the checkout: six women and two men, one couple."
This time, not only did it shock Panzi but everyone else as well. They stared at Xiao Mu as if he were a monster. They had all entered the supermarket together; how could he remember everything? Did none of the brothers have any impression at all?
"You... seem to know I was going to test here?" Panzi hesitantly asked; this person was too strange.
"Yes, actually I wasn't observing my surroundings; I was observing you... You casually glanced at the supermarket shelves and cameras. When you exited, you looked at the checkout area twice. I thought that was probably where you would be testing, so I paid attention," Xiao Mu replied with a smile.
It wasn't just an extraordinary memory; it was an extraordinary insight into the examiner's psychology.
Now Panzi was stumped; he couldn't judge who was better or worse. This method tested how sensitive newcomers were to valuable items—money, bags, watches, phones—should be something they subconsciously noticed. But it hadn't been interpreted this way before. After pondering for a long time, facing the smiling Xiao Mu left him speechless. He could only vent his frustration on those rookies, slapping himself around while cursing:
"Look at this! Ignorance is truly terrifying! Teaching you all to be thieves is such a hassle... Just look at Young Master Mu! A genius! He doesn't even need to be taught."
In the admiring gazes of the crowd, Xiao Mu bit his lower lip, feeling an overwhelming sense of embarrassment, as if a thousand horses were galloping through his mind. How could everyone here in the Underworld be such geniuses?
The brilliance of these talents continued to shine as they moved to another location, the World Hotel. In this familiar place, Xiao Mu could accurately identify the backgrounds of the guests coming and going, primarily their wealth.
A seemingly unremarkable middle-aged man hurried past, clutching a valuable bag under his arm.
Several well-dressed individuals entered and exited; they were not to be underestimated. Their flashy appearance often concealed a lack of substance, and their high spirits suggested they were likely in business.
The crowd commented on those who looked like easy targets for theft, while Panzi corrected them. Their narrow-mindedness was evident as they only focused on those dressed flamboyantly, exposing skin. When a woman appeared, Big Gourd remarked that these women were easy to rob. Erhu Lu chimed in, as if no one had ever done such a thing before.
Xiao Mu smiled and educated the two with simple language: wealthy individuals didn’t need to flaunt their money; those who did wouldn’t carry much cash. Do you know why you remain at the level of ruffians? It’s because your vision is limited to superficial things.
The small-time thieves seemed to understand but Panzi was even more confused. He felt that the countless experiences he had accumulated over time seemed pale in comparison to Xiao Mu's insights. Could it be that this guy had been a thief in his past life? How could he see things more clearly than himself?
An elderly man strolled out leisurely, unnoticed by anyone, including Panzi. However, Xiao Mu pointed him out as the most valuable target—a rich man on vacation. Didn’t anyone see anything valuable? Were they blind? The real treasure was his relaxed demeanor; his attire was understated yet luxurious, definitely not cheap knock-offs from local factories. The crowd was skeptical, even Panzi began to doubt it. But soon enough, it was proven true when the old man reached the parking lot and drove away in an imported Audi A8—a stark contrast to his appearance that left the group of thieves dumbfounded.
This time, no one got hit; only Panzi looked dejected and slapped himself twice in frustration.
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