Chapter 3 The Battery Thief
[Please stop the criminal activity as soon as possible. Assisting in the arrest will earn you merit points!] the system urged.
How do you stop him? Should you just rush over and shout "Stop thief!"? No, that's too obvious, and it might alert him and let him escape.
Su Xiaonuan's mind raced.
The man had already cut the first thread...
Got it!
Just then, another customer came over: "Boss, a pancake, with sausage."
"Okay! Almost done!" Su Xiaonuan replied sweetly, speeding up her work.
Soon, a hot and fragrant jianbing guozi was ready.
She packed it up, but instead of handing it to the customer immediately, she picked up the QR code sign next to her, raised her voice slightly, and softly called out:
"The pancake with sausage that anyone ordered is ready! Please come and pick it up! Scan here to pay!"
This sound successfully attracted the attention of several people nearby, including the man who was stealing the battery.
Feeling guilty, he paused for a moment and looked up warily.
Su Xiaonuan seemed to only then notice him, her face showing just the right amount of surprise and a hint of "recognizing an acquaintance" enthusiasm, as she waved the pancake in her hand in the direction of the thief:
"Hey? Big brother! You're the one who ordered the sausage, right? Come on, it's ready!"
The thief was startled, looked around, and pointed to himself: "Me?"
"Yes, yes! It's you!" Su Xiaonuan smiled innocently, holding the pancake as she walked towards him. "Didn't you just say you wanted sausage? Here, take it and eat it while it's hot!"
She walked quickly and reached the thief in just a few steps.
The thief was completely stunned. He instinctively stood up, unsure whether to accept the offer or not.
He even had his copywriting tools in his hand!
"I...I didn't order..." he tried to explain.
"Oh, don't be shy! It's eight yuan plus sausage, ten yuan in total. Just scan the code!" Su Xiaonuan seemed not to hear his explanation and very "naturally" tried to stuff the pancake into his empty hand.
Just as their hands were about to touch—
Su Xiaonuan suddenly flipped her wrist, no longer limp, but like an iron clamp, precisely gripping the thief's wrist pulse point and squeezing hard!
"Ouch!" The thief felt a soreness and numbness in half of his arm, and instantly lost all strength. The pliers fell to the ground with a "clatter".
He was terrified and tried to break free, but found that the seemingly small and delicate hand contained terrifying power, and he couldn't break free at all!
"What are you doing?!" he exclaimed, both shocked and furious.
"What are you doing?" Su Xiaonuan's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a cold glint in her eyes. "Police officer! Catch the thief! He's stealing batteries!!"
Her voice was clear and bright, instantly carrying across half the intersection.
Everyone looked over!
The thief panicked completely and lunged at Su Xiaonuan with a screwdriver in his other hand!
Su Xiaonuan's eyes sharpened. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him towards her, simultaneously dodging the screwdriver with ease and silently tripping him.
"Bang!"
A standard wrist grab, arm twist, and tripping throw – the movements are as fast as lightning!
Before the thief could even comprehend what was happening, he was slammed to the ground by a tremendous force, leaving him dazed and disoriented. His arms were twisted behind his back, causing him to howl in pain.
Su Xiaonuan knelt on one knee on his back, firmly restraining him. Then she raised her head, her panicked and pitiful expression returning, and shouted to the stunned crowd around her:
"Quick! Call the police for me! I've caught him!"
The entire scene was quiet for a time.
From smiling as she served the pancakes, to instantly leaping up and subduing the assailant, to her current "change of expression," it all took less than ten seconds.
Everyone was stunned.
What... what's this young girl doing? Is she a retired special forces soldier experiencing life here?
"Drip-drip-drip-"
The sound of sirens grew louder as they approached.
It was quite a coincidence that it was the same two patrol officers from before. They hadn't even gotten out of their car long when they received another call and returned.
They were stunned when they saw this scene as soon as they got out of the car.
A man was lying on the ground, groaning and moaning, with pliers and a screwdriver lying next to him.
Meanwhile, the petite and adorable stall owner was "struggling" to press down on the other person, her little face flushed red (pretending). When she saw the police arrive, her big eyes immediately filled with tears of "fear".
"Police officers! You've finally arrived! He... he stole the battery! He even tried to stab me with something! I was so scared!" Her voice was full of grievance.
Police officer: "..."
They glanced at the man's miserable state on the ground, then at the "terrified" Su Xiaonuan, and with mixed expressions, they stepped forward to handcuff him.
"It's you again, Lao Pi! You've finally been caught!" A policeman recognized the thief. "Get up! Come with us!"
The thief was pulled up, pointing at Su Xiaonuan with tears in his eyes: "Officer! She...she hit me! She was so ruthless! I demand a medical examination!"
Su Xiaonuan immediately shrank back, like a frightened deer, and stammered softly, "I... I was defending myself... He lost his balance and fell..."
The police officer glared at the thief speechlessly: "Stop talking nonsense! What can a little girl like her do to you? Take her away!"
Watching the thief being stuffed into the police car, Su Xiaonuan mentally gave a thumbs-up.
[Ding! Daily task (10/10) completed! Reward: 100 Merit Points. 'Supreme Jianbing Guozi' recipe permanently unlocked.]
[Ding! Successfully assisted in the capture of a habitual thief. Sin value: 37. Merit points reward: +50. Current merit points: 150.]
The Merit Shop is now open; you can browse and redeem rewards at any time.
Done! Mission accomplished! I won't get fat anymore!
Su Xiaonuan's mood instantly brightened, and she smiled so broadly that her eyes disappeared from her grin.
She turned around and found the customer who had asked for extra sausage still standing there, stunned.
"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, your pancake is ready. I'll make you another one!" she apologized quickly.
"No, no, no... this is fine..." The customer pointed to the pancake she had just used as a prop, which was now slightly deformed from being dropped, his eyes filled with awe. "Um... lady, can we take a picture together?"
Su Xiaonuan: "..."
After seeing off the last customer who insisted on taking a photo with her, Su Xiaonuan was finally able to catch her breath.
She leaned against the tricycle, drinking the boiled water she had brought with her, while eagerly opening the newly opened [Merit Shop] in her mind.
The light screen unfolded, revealing a dazzling array of goods that overwhelmed her, followed by a pang of financial pain.
[Cooking Skill Tier 2: 50 Merit Points] (Current Tier 1)
[Body Enhancement Tier 2: 100 Merit Points] (Current Tier 1)
[Street vendor upgrade to Tier 2: 200 Merit Points] (Current Tier 1)
There are also all sorts of mouthwatering high-end recipes, all costing 100 merit points – how luxurious!
Su Xiaonuan was eager to try it out, so she immediately upgraded her cooking skills and bought a recipe called "Linglong Fruit Milkshake".
[Cooking skill has reached level two, recipe has been issued, current merit points: 0.]
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