Since the moment of catching him red-handed was within reach, there was naturally no reason for me to let him escape.
With this thought, I immediately pulled out two more steel plates from my pocket, throwing them with both hands simultaneously towards the thief's upper and lower body.
Before he could completely break free, after aiming for his ankle, I directly followed up with another steel plate.
The force and speed of this last plate were perfectly controlled.
It would injure, but not cripple.
*Whoosh!*
The third steel plate, glinting with a chilling cold light, shot through the air like a cloud chasing the moon.
"Ah!!!"
The instant the cry of pain erupted, the thief, who was running at full speed, stumbled and fell to the ground.
Giving him no chance whatsoever, the moment the thief fell, I quickly advanced.
Lifting the thief from the ground, I pressed the steel plate in my right hand firmly against his throat.
Seeing my ferocious expression, as if I were about to kill him, the thief, enduring the pain from his ankle, quickly pleaded, "No, no, no!"
"Brother, looking at you, I can tell you're definitely a wealthy patron who's not short on cash!"
"It's just ten thousand or so yuan, right? We don't need to go this far, absolutely not!"
"Heh heh!"
With a strained chuckle, I asked in a deep voice, "Is this about money?"
"When you picked my pocket in the night market, I gave you a chance, but you… did you take it seriously in the end?"
"Honestly, I've never seen a thief as shameless as you!"
"Caught red-handed picking pockets, I kindly gave you a chance, and you actually bit me back!?"
Sensing the stinging sensation at his throat, knowing I was truly angry, the thief dared not speak further. Instead, he immediately conceded, "Brother, I admit it! I wasn't very decent before."
"But I can guarantee that there was a reason for my actions! As for what that reason is, it's a rule of the trade, and I beg your pardon for not being able to disclose it!"
"So, if you want to hit, scold, or punish me, just go ahead! Just make sure to leave me a breath!"
"How about it? Am I showing enough sincerity this time, brother?"
Regardless of whether his earlier words were true or false, at least the last two sentences sounded like those of a righteous man of the underworld.
However, at this moment, I wouldn't easily believe anyone's words.
So, I decided to test him first.
With this thought, I immediately let go.
Regaining his freedom, the thief didn't immediately bolt away. Instead, he stood still, scrutinizing me with uncertain eyes.
After he finished his assessment, I asked, "What's your name?"
"Mingwen." The thief replied curtly.
Mingwen? Reversed, it's Wenming (civilized).
Clearly, this was a false name.
But I didn't dwell on it and continued to press, "Why were you following me?"
The answer to this question was crucial.
If Mingwen chose to be honest, it would mean that his earlier claim of having a reason was all nonsense, intended to make me lower my guard.
Upon hearing my question, Mingwen seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then quickly recovered and stammered, "Uh, well..."
"It's nothing really! It's just that in front of thieves, you should never flaunt your wealth."
"This is all I can reveal to you. As for anything else, I cannot say."
To be honest, Mingwen's demeanor now felt completely different from how he was in the night market earlier.
In the night market, Mingwen was arrogant, refused to admit fault, and was sharp-edged.
Now, however, his words were veiled, and he seemed to be holding back.
It seemed there was something more to this!
Either he was deliberately being evasive, or it was genuinely inconvenient to speak.
From my perspective, the former was more likely.
Combining his earlier scrutiny of me, I suddenly realized... this guy was playing games with me!
He must have recognized me through the steel plates, knowing I was also involved in illicit dealings.
Now that he was caught by me, fearing that I wouldn't let him off easily if he admitted to acting out of greed, he was trying to lie his way out.
In reality, he didn't need to do this.
Because no matter how he spun his tale, I had no intention of letting him off easily.
As I said before, if others don't offend me, I don't offend them. If they offend me... I eradicate them!
Whatever his reasons, showing mercy to an enemy is cruelty to oneself!
Therefore, I decided to use his own methods against him!
With that, I took out my phone and decisively pressed the numbers "110" on the keypad.
Seeing this, before I could press the call button, Mingwen reached out to stop me, his eyes wide, and said, "Brother, this is... a bit too unreasonable, isn't it?"
"I already told you that what happened in the night market had a reason. You didn't even ask me what the reason was before you decided to send me straight to the police station?"
"Heh heh! Reason?"
Mingwen's words made me laugh. "Is it your father's gambling, your mother's serious illness, or perhaps your younger siblings waiting for you to earn their tuition fees?"
"What the hell! You, how did you know I was going to say that?"
Hearing my words, Mingwen froze completely.
How did I know? That's obvious!
Any customer who frequented the seafood market, if you went often enough and felt you had developed a rapport with a seafood vendor, they would invariably pull out this line to deceive you!
Although I hadn't been there, I had heard about it from Uncle Tuo and Han Jinlun!
So, I ignored Mingwen's question and made as if to dial 110.
At the critical moment, Mingwen suddenly shouted, "Brother, wait a moment!"
Hearing this, I slightly raised my head to look at him.
Mingwen clasped his fists and bowed his head to me, saying, "I surrender! I truly surrender!"
"May I ask, brother, how can you show me leniency? If you spare my life, I will be at your service, ready to face any danger, day or night!"
This scoundrel, Mingwen, had finally become honest.
How many people who operate in the underworld are honest from the first word they speak?
If you've made a mistake, admit it; if you're going to be punished, stand firm!
Stealing is stealing. If you're caught and don't admit it, that's one thing, but to turn around and blame the victim like Pigsy is truly outrageous!
Then, after coveting the wallet and failing, fearing that others would hold him accountable, he tried his best to lie and fabricate reasons to mislead me.
Cleverness backfired!
People like Mingwen are typical examples of thinking others are too stupid and themselves too clever.
If it weren't for his uncanny ability to dodge based on sound and his skill in identifying locations, which made me think of capturing and utilizing him first, my last steel plate could have been aimed directly at severing his Achilles tendon!