It was immediately clear that this item was not standard equipment for the ATM, as it had no wired connection to the machine, was powered independently by a lithium battery, and even came with the tiniest flash memory card.
It was an exquisitely crafted device. Its circuit board was no larger than a one-yuan coin, with highly integrated electronic components. The flash card slot was nestled snugly against one side of the board, while the other side held a lithium battery slightly larger than a fingertip pad. The camera was about five millimeters square, the lens at the front truly no bigger than a pinhole. The entire disguised casing had only one minuscule opening, reserved for this lens.
Wang Zhuo couldn't help but feel curious. This kind of gadget seemed like something only seen in spy thrillers; how had it become common enough to be installed on ordinary ATMs? Who put it there? And what was the purpose of stealing the withdrawal PINs of bank customers?
After a moment’s thought, Wang Zhuo decided he needed to figure out exactly what was going on.
Pretending to stoop and adjust the cuff of his trousers, Wang Zhuo quickly scanned the area. No one was watching the exterior of the ATM booth. He did not touch the small device; instead, he straightened his clothes and pushed the door open, stepping out.
After walking two blocks, Wang Zhuo confirmed he wasn't being followed. The person who installed the camera hadn't trailed him as he suspected to steal his bank card. He analyzed that perhaps the culprit intended to target the elderly or women, or maybe they had other methods in mind.
He paused, then hailed a taxi, asking the driver to pull over across the street from the ATM, stopping under the shadow of a large tree.
“Brother, waiting for someone?” the bearded driver asked.
Wang Zhuo nodded. “Yeah, waiting.”
“If it’s going to take a while, we can’t charge by the meter rate,” the driver explained. “Gas prices are up again. With the AC running, I’ll be losing money.”
Wang Zhuo smiled, took out a twenty-yuan note, and slapped it onto the dashboard. “This is extra for you. How’s that?”
“Heh heh.” The bearded driver’s face broke into a wide grin. “I can tell you’re a reasonable man, brother. Alright! Alright!”
From this vantage point, using his X-ray vision, Wang Zhuo could detect every subtle movement within a thirty-meter radius. He deduced that the lithium battery couldn't last long, and the installer wouldn't dare leave it on the machine indefinitely—they would certainly retrieve it as soon as possible. Therefore, all he had to do was wait here patiently.
Ten minutes passed. During this time, two people went in to withdraw money, but they appeared to be ordinary customers, completely unaware of the hidden device.
Twenty minutes went by, and several more individuals entered the ATM room, still with no sign of anything unusual.
Half an hour elapsed. Wang Zhuo was finally growing impatient. His initial excitement began to fade, and he realized that criminal investigation work was incredibly tedious; simply sitting and waiting was exceedingly dull.
“Brother, maybe you should make a call?” the driver kindly suggested.
Make a call? Summon Fatty Long or Sun Donghao to keep him company? Wang Zhuo was hesitating when suddenly, a person emerged from a couples' coffee shop next to the cab, catching his attention.
The man was slightly over 1.6 meters tall, a bit stout, dressed in full hip-hop street dance attire, with an army-green canvas backpack slung across his shoulder. What was suspicious was that he wore a wide-brimmed flat cap that clashed with the hip-hop style, along with large, amber-tinted sunglasses that completely obscured his features. Moreover, he was leaving a couples' coffee shop entirely alone.
The little fatty seemed visibly nervous. He pressed down on the brim of his cap with his hand, glanced around quickly, hurried across the street, pulled out a bank card, swiped it on the door of the ATM booth, and impatiently pushed the door open, rushing inside.
Wang Zhuo quickly deployed his core skill. His X-ray vision pierced the reflective glass of the ATM room, clearly revealing the scene inside.
He saw the little fatty swiftly pull out a newspaper from his canvas backpack, use it to shield a certain spot on the ATM, and then, with his other hand, yank off the pinhole camera device, quickly shoving it into his backpack.
Wang Zhuo knew that the spot the little fatty shielded with the newspaper was precisely where the ATM's built-in camera was located, meant to record the facial features of the withdrawer to aid police investigations. By blocking it, the camera couldn't record him removing the device.
After retrieving the pinhole equipment, the little fatty lowered his head, turned, and walked quickly toward the exit.
Wang Zhuo hurriedly reached into his pocket and tossed twenty yuan onto the seat. “For the ride, don't bother with change!”
The little fatty exited the ATM booth, turned back, and used his backpack and body to create an angle, seemingly performing some action on the magnetic lock panel of the door.
The process was incredibly brief, perhaps only about two seconds, but it did not escape Wang Zhuo’s keenly perceptive eyes. Through the little fatty’s body, he saw the culprit snap off a section of the magnetic card reader slot on the door and stuff it into his backpack!
After completing his task, the little fatty looked up and immediately saw Wang Zhuo approaching head-on. He visibly froze for a moment, then immediately started walking briskly down the street, glancing back at Wang Zhuo every few steps.
Wang Zhuo pretended to be preparing to withdraw money, walking up to the ATM door. He fumbled in his pockets, acting as if searching for his bank card. While feigning this action, he examined the section of the card reader slot that the little fatty had broken off.
Looking at it, Wang Zhuo had a sudden realization. The original card reader slot on the door was protected by a stainless steel plate and simply couldn't be snapped off. Above the original slot, there was an inconspicuous adhesive mark. The piece the little fatty broke off was stuck right there. It turned out he hadn't just installed a pinhole camera on the ATM; he had installed some unknown device on the door as well!
Wang Zhuo’s mind raced, and a crucial question was instantly solved. This thief had tampered with two spots: the device on the door recorded magnetic card information, and the pinhole camera recorded the PIN. Therefore, he never needed to steal the physical card. He only needed to write the captured magnetic card information onto a blank card to create an identical copy! This meant the little fatty was an expert at cloning bank cards—this was high-tech crime!
Understanding this, Wang Zhuo quickly turned his head. The little fatty was already over twenty meters away, and coincidentally, he was looking back toward Wang Zhuo. Their gazes met unexpectedly. The little fatty’s body visibly flinched, and without hesitation, he bolted into a run.
“Trying to run?” Wang Zhuo let out a cold laugh and stretched out his long legs to pursue!
One fleeing, one chasing, they sprinted rapidly down the street. Wang Zhuo was tall with long legs and had kept himself in shape through consistent exercise; he expected to catch the thief quickly. However, the little fatty erupted with astonishing speed under pressure. His two short legs blurred in rapid succession, maintaining the distance between them.
Wang Zhuo repeatedly increased his pace, but the leather shoes he wore, bought only a day prior, weren't broken in properly. In contrast, the well-prepared little fatty wore running shoes and, driven by desperation, utilized the maximum potential of his body. He was proving unexpectedly difficult to chase.
“Stop right there!”
With a roar, the little fatty seemed wound up tighter, running even faster.
“Stop the thief! Block him!”
The gathering onlookers quickly dispersed to the sides, clearing a path for the thief, minding their own business.
“Damn it…”
Wang Zhuo was so frustrated he nearly choked.
As the chase continued, they approached an intersection. The little fatty took a risk, darting across the street just as the red light turned on. In an instant, the traffic behind him blocked Wang Zhuo’s path.
He actually got away?! Wang Zhuo angrily swung his arm, nearly hitting an elderly woman standing nearby.
Just as he was feeling dejected, a triumphant shout rang out from across the road: “Wang Zhuo, got him!”
The traffic was heavy, so Wang Zhuo quickly used his X-ray vision to look over. He saw the fleeing little fatty sprawled haphazardly on the opposite sidewalk, gasping for breath. Standing next to him was a very large man—it was Fatty Long, Jin Chengyou.
The light turned green, and Wang Zhuo jogged across the street, playfully punching Fatty Long’s arm. “How did you know I was chasing him?”
Fatty Long pointed behind him toward a hair salon. “My cousin owns this shop. I was upstairs on the second floor looking at the scenery just now, saw you chasing someone, and ran out. Just caught the right moment.”
“Looking at the scenery? I bet you were looking at the pretty girls,” Wang Zhuo teased.
“Heh heh, you know me too well!”
Wang Zhuo laughed, nudging the little fatty lying on the ground with his foot. “Hey, get up and talk.”
The little fatty groaned twice but didn't move.
“Not getting up? I’m calling the police,” Wang Zhuo pretended to reach for his phone.
The little fatty scrambled up in one motion, hands braced on his knees, head down, panting heavily. The continuous sprint of several hundred meters had completely exhausted him.
Fatty Long asked, “What happened? Did this kid steal your wallet?”
“It’s a long story.” Wang Zhuo hooked his arm around the back of the little fatty’s neck and said to Fatty Long, “Find us a secluded spot. I have questions for him.”
“A secluded spot? That might be hard to find.” Fatty Long considered for a moment. “Haozi’s place is in the complex up ahead. Want to call and ask him?”
Wang Zhuo shook his head. “No, this kid’s background is unknown; there might be trouble.”
“Then let’s find a hotel,” Fatty Long said, flexing his bicep. “Follow me.”
“Let’s go!” Wang Zhuo kicked the little fatty in the rear and escorted him, following closely behind Fatty Long.
Seeing that the excitement was over, the crowd that had gathered immediately dispersed, and the street returned to its usual calm, as if nothing had happened.
The three walked through alleys and winding paths, quickly arriving at a small hotel tucked deep within a narrow lane. For some unknown reason, the little fatty was unusually compliant—silent, offering no resistance, and making no attempt to flee—as the two men escorted him into a room.
The room was about ten square meters, furnished sparsely with a double bed, a computer, a sofa, and a clothes rack. The manager led the three to the door, collected twenty yuan, and left without mentioning registration formalities.
“How did you know about a place like this?” Wang Zhuo asked with some surprise.
“Heh heh,” Fatty Long chuckled awkwardly, closed and locked the door, and whispered, “I’ve been here twice with others.”
Wang Zhuo grunted and asked no more, turning to the little fatty standing quietly in the center of the room. “Hand over the bag.”
The little fatty timidly unslung his canvas backpack and handed it to Wang Zhuo with both hands.
“Let me see what strange gadgets are in here!” Fatty Long snatched it away.
Wang Zhuo shot him an irritated look, but Fatty Long was unperturbed. He sat on the bed, excitedly fiddling with the bag.
“How long have you been doing this?” Wang Zhuo asked the little fatty, who stood rigidly in the open floor space.
The little fatty stuttered for a long time before finally stammering out, “Th-the first time.”
Fatty Long, busy examining the card reader, interjected casually, “Bullshit. Even a repeat offender claims it’s his first time.”
“See that?” Wang Zhuo pointed at Fatty Long and smiled at the little fatty. “Even an idiot like him knows you’re lying.”
“Don’t talk about people like that,” Fatty Long muttered.
“I’m not lying, it really is the first time,” the little fatty said with a distressed expression. “If you don’t believe me, I can show you the records on the machine.”
Wang Zhuo remained noncommittal and asked again, “Do you have accomplices?”
The little fatty shook his head like a rattle-drum: “Just me.”
“What the heck is this?!” Fatty Long couldn't figure out the card reader’s function and tossed it aside. When he picked up the pinhole camera, he was instantly startled.
Wang Zhuo hastily warned him, “That’s his tool. Be careful not to break it.”
“Holy crap, it’s a pinhole camera!” Fatty Long exclaimed excitedly in a low voice, jumping up and snatching the little fatty’s hat and glasses off. He asked excitedly, “Did you sneak into the women’s restroom? This thing is Japanese, right? High-tech stuff!”
“I didn’t sneak into the women’s restroom, it’s domestic-made…” the little fatty mumbled in defense.
“Ignore him,” Wang Zhuo told the little fatty. “Tell me, how long have you been doing this? Where did you get this set of gear?”
“It really was the first time…” the little fatty said with a pained expression.
Fatty Long paid no mind to Wang Zhuo; he had already removed the flash card from the pinhole camera and inserted it into his own phone, eagerly preparing to view the secretly filmed content!
“Doing this for the first time and already equipped with such professional gear?” Wang Zhuo sneered, pointing to the card reader, the pinhole camera, an electronic device of unknown purpose, and several colorful magnetic cards spread out on the bed by Fatty Long.
“Big brother, I truly wasn’t lying,” the little fatty was nearly in tears from stress. “You can buy this stuff on Baidu; it’s so convenient. If you don’t believe me, I can demonstrate it for you right now?”
This little fatty looked about twenty-two or twenty-three years old, with slightly sallow skin, a high, straight nose bridge, and large double-lidded eyes, possessing a somewhat delicate appearance. Although he was a few years older than Wang Zhuo, he was respectfully addressing Wang Zhuo as ‘big brother.’
“Baidu is that amazing?!” Fatty Long let out a delighted shout; he clearly wanted to buy a set for himself.
“Show us,” Wang Zhuo commanded, pointing at the computer.
The little fatty quickly nodded, sat down at the computer, powered it on, and began operating with practiced ease.