Chapter 161 "Martial Arts Master"

Just then, he heard an impatient voice from a customer behind him: "Boss! Boss! Snap out of it! The pancake! The pancake is burnt! What are you grinning about? Hurry up and make more pancakes!"

The pancake vendor, as if waking from a dream, glanced back at the "failed work" on the griddle, its edges already blackened, scratched his head awkwardly, and quickly replied, "Coming, coming! Almost done!"

He gave Su Xiaonuan one last "well done" look before hurriedly returning to his battle with the batter and griddle.

Su Xiaonuan was stunned for a moment by the completely unexpected scene, the exclamations and discussions around her, and the overly enthusiastic affirmation from the pancake vendor.

This reaction... isn't something a little off?

She looked down at Zhang Qiang, who was being held down and looked utterly defeated and desperate, then looked up at the excited "spectators" outside. Suddenly, she felt that her "plainclothes arrest operation" this time might have been... a bit over the top.

The sirens grew louder as they approached. Su Xiaonuan sighed inwardly, already imagining the expression on Qin Haoran's face when he arrived.

All of this happened so fast, and it had an almost absurd and eerie feel to it.

Only when the familiar sound of police sirens grew louder and Qin Haoran's face, tinged with a mocking smile, appeared on the outskirts of the crowd did Su Xiaonuan finally escape the embarrassment of being treated like a "martial arts master" and having her scalp tingling.

Qin Haoran and Lu Zheng arrived together.

The two were clearly not expecting Su Xiaonuan to appear in this secret mission area filled with plainclothes officers, let alone that she would not only set up a stall here, but also... or rather, deliberately, catch a criminal marked by the system who was connected to "Crescent Moon".

With his signature, slightly roguish smile on his face, Qin Haoran first greeted the imposing chef in his apron politely. The two exchanged a few words in hushed tones, seemingly explaining the situation and making a handover.

Lu Zheng walked straight up to Su Xiaonuan.

His gaze first swept quickly over Su Xiaonuan's entire body, making sure she wasn't missing a single hair, before finally landing on Zhang Qiang, who was handcuffed in the corner of the stall and looked utterly defeated.

He crouched down, carefully examined the handcuffs, and checked Zhang Qiang's facial features, which matched the internal wanted list. His brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, but he said nothing, only signaling the officers who followed to take the man away.

Seeing this, Su Xiaonuan quickly said, "Officer Lu, shall I go back to the station with you? I..." She wanted to get involved in the follow-up and wanted to know as soon as possible what she could get out of this man.

Just then, Qin Haochu, who had just parked his car and walked over, saw his younger brother Qin Haoran dressed in a police uniform, looking very businesslike.

He stopped in his tracks, stood on the periphery of the crowd, and stared at Qin Haoran with a complex expression for a long while.

When he saw Su Xiaonuan stand naturally next to Lu Zheng, and the invisible, unspoken understanding between them made him realize that Su Xiaonuan would definitely be going to the police station to "report" again later.

He sighed silently, turned around and went back to Su Xiaonuan's stall. He quickly began to help pack up, carefully storing the chicken feet that hadn't been sold yet and putting the tools back in their place.

Then he walked over to An Ran, who was still somewhat dazed, and asked in a low voice, "It looks like they won't be done anytime soon. Shall we go back?"

An Ran looked at Su Xiaonuan, who was surrounded by the police, and then at Qin Haochu, who remained calm. She sighed helplessly and nodded, "Okay."

The two walked up to Su Xiaonuan and greeted her.

"Nuan Nuan, shall we help you drive your car back first?" An Ran asked softly.

Su Xiaonuan felt a little guilty under Lu Zheng's silent scrutiny, so she quickly nodded and said, "Okay, thank you for your help. The keys are in the car."

"Be careful." Qin Haochu unusually added a word, his gaze lingering on Lu Zheng for a moment before he and An Ran left the still bustling night market.

As soon as they left, the man in the apron strolled over to Lu Zheng, his sharp gaze scrutinizing Su Xiaonuan as he asked, "Captain Lu, who is this...?" The probing tone in his voice was quite obvious.

Su Xiaonuan's heart tightened, fearing that her unauthorized actions might disrupt the security measures here or cause trouble for Lu Zheng.

She subconsciously reached out and gently tugged at the corner of Lu Zheng's sleeve, the movement so small it was almost invisible. At the same time, she tiptoed and leaned close to his ear, explaining the cause and effect in a very fast and low voice—locking onto the target, borrowing the handcuffs, and worrying about the scheme involving "Half Moon" and Fu Lilian.

Lu Zheng felt a faint force from his sleeve and a warm breath near his ear, and his body stiffened almost imperceptibly.

He lowered his eyes, listening to Su Xiaonuan's explanation, his brows furrowing more and more, his face full of "nonsense" and "disapproval".

But when he looked up and met the probing gaze of the apron-wearing man, all his emotions vanished instantly, replaced by his usual coldness and businesslike demeanor.

His tone was calm and even, revealing no emotion, as he introduced the man in the apron to the officer: "Captain Li, this is Comrade Su Xiaonuan, an important collaborator with our Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Detachment. She has assisted us in solving numerous cases. Her actions here today were approved by us, and her target is a suspect we have been tracking who is linked to a certain criminal organization. I apologize for disrupting your operation."

His words were official and his logic was clear. He positioned Su Xiaonuan as a "collaborator," which explained her abilities while obscuring the specific details, leaving no room for doubt.

The apron-wearing uncle, known as Captain Li, glanced between Lu Zheng and Su Xiaonuan, clearly still harboring doubts.

A "key collaborator" who looks like a minor? And causing such a commotion in their heavily monitored area?

But he knew Lu Zheng's reputation and capabilities within the Municipal Public Security Bureau. Since the other party had said so, he couldn't delve any further. He simply nodded, his tone softening, "I see. Take the person away. If you need any further cooperation, contact me directly." This was a gesture of relenting.

Su Xiaonuan kept her head down the whole time, not daring to look at Lu Zheng, let alone Captain Li. She could only silently fiddle with her fingers, her heart pounding with anxiety.

After successfully leaving the night market and getting into Lu Zheng's black SUV, Su Xiaonuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The car drove smoothly toward the municipal bureau, and the atmosphere inside was somewhat somber as no one spoke.

Su Xiaonuan could feel the oppressive atmosphere emanating from Lu Zheng in the driver's seat next to her.

The car came to a stop in front of the police station.