Writing this chapter, the dull ache in my appendix kept interrupting my train of thought—damn it all.

Cheng Tiankun’s face was etched with embarrassment, his smile a strained grimace. “I’m still a virgin…”

“Bro, I stopped being one last year!” Fatty Long burst out laughing, triumphant. “Wang Zhuo, how are things going with that girl? If it’s time, take the plunge quickly, don't let things drag on!”

Wang Zhuo couldn't be bothered with him.

Cheng Tiankun pleaded with Wang Zhuo, his voice desperate. “Big Brother, look, I’m truly a first offender. I know I was wrong. Just treat me like a fart and let me go, okay?”

Wang Zhuo glanced at him. “Let you go, so you can go steal other people’s money again?”

Cheng Tiankun quickly assured him, “I’ll never steal again! I don’t want this stuff anymore, it’s all yours!”

Fatty Long’s eyes lit up at the words. He snatched up the pinhole camera, holding it tightly, unwilling to let it go.

Wang Zhuo glared at Fatty Long, then turned back to Cheng Tiankun. “Give me the goods, and then you’ll go buy a whole new set? Do you take me for an idiot?”

Cheng Tiankun’s face fell, but after a moment of thought, his eyes suddenly brightened, and he spoke with excitement, “You can hand this stuff over to the police. Let them negotiate with the bank to change the door lock! As long as they cancel the card-swipe door system, it will stop crimes like mine. I won’t even be able to steal if I want to in the future!”

Wang Zhuo considered it. What Cheng Tiankun said was true; canceling the card reader on the door would prevent this type of crime, so releasing him wouldn’t exactly be letting a tiger return to the mountains. He shook his head with resignation. “You’re smart enough, kid, too bad you’re directing it in the wrong direction.”

Cheng stammered, “When I was in high school, I was weak in certain subjects. My Chinese and English scores were failing, so I dropped out.”

“Another talent buried by a deformed education system,” Fatty Long sighed from the side.

“If I let you go, what about the firearms trafficking case?” Wang Zhuo asked. “Are you planning to keep hiding, or run?”

Cheng Tiankun looked dejected. “I haven’t thought about that yet.”

“How about this: I’ll call the officer in charge of your case first, try to feel out the situation for you.”

Wang Zhuo took out his phone, scrolled through his contacts until he found the number for Sergeant An Qi, and dialed.

Cheng Tiankun watched him with palpable anxiety, not daring to utter a sound.

“Hello, who is this?” An Qi’s voice was clear, bright, and sharp with competence.

“Officer An, this is Wang Zhuo, the student you questioned a few days ago about a fight.”

An Qi made an acknowledging sound and smiled faintly. “It’s you. What can I do for you?”

“I wanted to ask how that case turned out. Was the gun recovered?”

“It was found that same day,” An Qi replied patiently. “The gun was picked up by three security guards from a residential complex next to where you were fighting. They took it to the antique street and sold it for five thousand yuan. We followed the lead and found both the gun and the people involved.”

“Sold it?” Wang Zhuo feigned surprise. “Trafficking firearms is illegal, right? Were those three guards sentenced?”

“It’s not that easy to hand out sentences,” An Qi explained. “There’s a whole series of procedures—prosecution, trial—it’s complicated. Plus, one of the three men managed to escape; we’re still pursuing him.”

“Then what kind of sentence will they get?” Wang Zhuo asked the question that concerned both him and Cheng Tiankun the most.

“The primary offender will get three years; that’s a certainty. The two accomplices have less severe involvement. The one we caught might get probation. The fugitive is giving us quite a headache; if we catch him, he’ll get at least a year.”

“Is the one who fled on a wanted list?”

“Not officially wanted, but he is in the capture process.”

“I see. Well, I won’t take up any more of your time. Goodbye.”

“Alright, call if you need anything. Bye-bye.”

Hanging up, Cheng Tiankun grimaced miserably. “Da Yang was the one who picked up and sold the gun. Xiao Huang and I didn't do anything; we’ve been wrongly implicated.”

Fatty Long nodded sympathetically. “It really is unfair. A man sitting at home, and disaster falls from the sky.”

Wang Zhuo also felt that handing Cheng Tiankun over to the police just like that was improper. It wasn't entirely out of sympathy, but because he understood the darkness of the prison system—bad people might not reform inside, and good people could easily be corrupted. Given Cheng Tiankun’s skills and intelligence, he might cause greater harm to society after release. This was Wang Zhuo’s greatest worry.

“What are you good at?” Wang Zhuo asked.

Cheng Zi saw a glimmer of hope and quickly replied, “I have an electrician’s license. I can fix computers, repair phones, and modify electronics. I get along great with anything that uses electricity!”

“I’ll make a call and see if I can help you out,” Wang Zhuo sighed wryly. Catching a thief, only to end up helping him clean up his mess—what kind of situation was this?

The call connected quickly, and Ding Ren’s deep voice answered. “Hello, Wang Zhuo?”

“Uncle Daozi, I need to ask you for a favor.”

“Go ahead, what is it?”

Wang Zhuo carefully chose his words. “I have a person here. His colleague found a gun and sold it for five thousand yuan, giving him five hundred. Later, his colleague was implicated in a crime, and he fled. The police are looking for him now, threatening him with over a year in prison as an accomplice. Can you help him?”

Ding Ren paused for a moment, considering, then asked, “Is he with you now?”

Wang Zhuo glanced at Cheng Tiankun and nodded.

“Let’s meet in person. Come to the company. Don't use the front door; use the corridor by the back entrance to come upstairs,” Ding Ren said calmly. “And don’t bring too many people—just the two of you.”

“Alright, we’ll be there shortly.”

As soon as he hung up, Cheng Tiankun eagerly asked, “Who did you call? Can he help me?”

“An uncle who deals in high-interest loans; he has a lot of connections. Whether he can help you is still uncertain,” Wang Zhuo said, standing up. “He asked me to bring you over. We’ll discuss it when we meet.”

Cheng Tiankun was tense but nodded excitedly. “Good, good. As long as I don’t have to go to jail, I’ll agree to anything.”

Wang Zhuo shot him a look. “Even doing illegal things?”

“No, no, never,” Cheng Tiankun quickly waved his hands, a sheepish smile plastered on his face.

“I can’t believe it!” Fatty Long exclaimed. “Wang Zhuo, you’re not actually going to start collecting high-interest debts from people, are you? I thought you were just joking when you were fighting Liu Guoyang that day!”

Wang Zhuo gave him an exasperated glare. “Collect debt my ass, I’m going for a degree!”

Wang Zhuo was utterly speechless when it came to this fat pig. If he spent all his time with him, Wang Zhuo was sure his eyeballs would turn completely white.

After tidying up **’s belongings, Wang Zhuo realized one item was missing and held out his hand towards Fatty Long. “Where’s the camera? Hand it over!”

Fatty Long fawned, “Wang Zhuo, you only really need those two items to give to the police. Can you let me have this pinhole camera?”

Wang Zhuo stared, then pushed his hand slightly further into Fatty Long’s space.

Fatty Long reluctantly pulled out the camera, pouting. “Fine, don’t give it then. I’ll just buy one myself.”

Cheng Tiankun kindly offered a reminder, “If you’re going to buy one, don’t look on Baidu; it’s too expensive. Taobao has cheaper ones.”

Wang Zhuo delivered a swift kick. “Too much talking!”

Cheng Tiankun didn’t dare dodge and stood there to take the kick, shutting his mouth and not inviting trouble again.

Wang Zhuo fixed Fatty Long with a stare. “What are you buying this for?”

Fatty Long hummed a carefree tune, a sly smile on his face, offering no answer.