"Come on, Ian, let's go report to Captain Sean!"
Leon Liu grabbed Ian Song by the arm and headed straight for Captain Sean Xiao's office.
"This kid's something else! Just arrived and already spotted a flaw in the case!" Lin Xia said sourly.
"Yeah!" Another Seventh Squad SWAT officer nodded, jealousy flickering in his eyes.
"Captain Sean, we've got a new lead on the case!"
Leon Liu dragged Ian Song, bursting into Captain Sean Xiao's office in a rush.
"What new lead?"
Both Captain Sean Xiao and Ryan Zhou perked up instantly.
Ian, hurry up and tell Captain Sean and Deputy Ryan what you've figured out!" Leon Liu urged.
"Captain Sean, Deputy Ryan—here's what I think..."
Ian Song repeated his deductions for them.
After hearing him out, both Captain Sean Xiao and Ryan Zhou were pleasantly surprised. Although these deductions couldn't solve the case outright, they had at least uncovered the One-Eyed Thief's infiltration method. If they could dig deeper in this direction, maybe they'd catch him.
"I've got a few more ideas," Ian Song said hesitantly.
"If you've got something to say, spit it out! Don't mumble like some old lady!" Captain Sean Xiao snapped.
Ian Song rolled his eyes and said, "According to the records, the One-Eyed Thief's first job was in March five years ago, the second in April, but the third wasn't until July. After that, every job was at least three months apart. Judging from his timeline, that ancient shuttle he uses probably has a usage limit—maybe it needs three months to recharge after each use!
If his shuttle can't be used continuously, then our chances of catching him go way up!"
Hearing this, both Captain Sean Xiao and Ryan Zhou pulled up the One-Eyed Thief's records for review. Sure enough, just as Ian Song said, starting from the third job, every heist was three months apart. This deduction might hold water!
Landon, anything else?" Ryan Zhou pressed.
Ian Song ran through all the possibilities in his mind and said, "Earlier I guessed that the One-Eyed Thief caused chaos to cover his tracks, but it could also be to buy time for his own escape. If that's the case, maybe a thorough search nearby could turn up some clues!"
Captain Sean Xiao declared loudly, "Good! Well said! We'll head out and canvass the area around Christie's Auction House right away!"
"Wait a second," Ian Song called out.
"You got something else to say?" Captain Sean Xiao asked.
"Is the One-Eyed Thief really one-eyed?" Ian Song asked.
"Seems like it?" Captain Sean Xiao replied uncertainly.
Ian Song continued, "I checked the records—his first job, he wore an eye patch, but that doesn't prove he's actually one-eyed. Every time after, he just left the 'One-Eyed Thief' name at the scene. If he can distract us with chaos, why not mislead us with a fake disability? So when we canvass, don't just look for one-eyed guys; check normal ones too. Plus, his two helpers are young and pretty women, which means he's probably not old. We should focus on young trios—one guy, two girls. Maybe SkyGrid can dig up some clues!"
Hearing Ian Song's analysis, the three of them nodded in agreement. Captain Sean Xiao said, "Good, no time to waste—let's split up. Ryan, you take Ian to SkyGrid and check the city surveillance from the last few days. I'll take a team to canvas around Christie's!"
Next, the entire Fifth Battalion sprang into action.
Five minutes later, a SWAT hovercar landed at the SkyGrid Bureau.
The SkyGrid Bureau oversees all of Plumridge City's surveillance and works closely with SWAT. Usually, when a case pops up, SkyGrid spots it first, then notifies city SWAT to respond.
Ryan Zhou and Ian Song got out of the SWAT hovercar and headed straight for the central control room.
The control room wasn't big, and there weren't many staff—just three, all looking pretty relaxed.
SkyGrid is a smart network that automatically monitors the whole city every day—no need for constant human oversight.
"Officer Chen."
"Deputy Ryan!" A chubby young man greeted him with a smile.
"Officer Chen, I need your help with something," Ryan Zhou said bluntly.
"Just say the word, Deputy Zhou!"
Ryan Zhou said, "I need all photos from the last ten days where SkyGrid caught a young man with two young women together."
"No problem!"
Officer Chen agreed readily and started working.
In less than a minute, the projector flooded with tens of thousands of photos—all featuring one guy and two girls.
"Turn them into a slideshow—show each photo one by one!" Ian Song said.
"Got it!" Officer Chen glanced at Ian Song, then agreed.
In under three minutes, the slideshow was ready and started cycling through tens of thousands of photos.
As the slideshow played, Ian Song stared intently at the photos. Ryan Zhou watched too, but he wasn't very hopeful—picking a suspect out of tens of thousands of pictures wouldn't be easy.
Time passed slowly. Ian Song didn't blink once, and most of the slideshow had already played.
"Stop!"
Ian Song suddenly shouted.
The photo showed a young man with an aristocratic air, flanked on both sides by two curvy, stunning women clinging to his arms.
"Where was this photo taken?" Ian Song asked.
"Goldwalk Pedestrian Street," Officer Chen replied.
"Pull up all their videos and ID info," Ian Song added.
Landon, you suspect them?" Ryan Zhou asked.
Ian Song nodded. "Yeah, I've got my doubts. But once we see their info, we might be able to confirm it!"
"Info's up!"
Soon, the screen displayed the trio's profiles.
Brian Li, male, 28, from Luoshui City, unemployed drifter, Body Arts cultivation: fifth-level Warrior, home address...
Yvonne Chen, female, 23, from Tanghai City, served prison time for theft...
Shelley Ji, female, 24, from Bohai City...
The moment Ian Song saw Brian Li's info, his eyes narrowed, a sharp glint flashing—he declared, "He's very likely the One-Eyed Thief! Pull up Brian Li's travel records for the past five years!"
Soon, Brian Li's five-year travel history was fully retrieved.
Seeing the itinerary, Ryan Zhou couldn't help but look delighted—the travel matched up perfectly with the One-Eyed Thief's crime scenes. Before Ian Song could say more, he ordered, "Check where Brian Li is right now!"
"Got it!"
Thanks to SkyGrid, they quickly found Brian Li's current location: he was now in the presidential suite of the Four Seasons Grand Hotel, the city's largest and most luxurious seven-star hotel, together with Yvonne Chen and Shelley Ji.
Seeing this, Ryan Zhou quickly called Captain Sean Xiao and said gravely, "Sean, we might've found the One-Eyed Thief. Take your team to the Four Seasons Grand Hotel right now and arrest Brian Li, plus Yvonne Chen and Shelley Ji—they're all in the presidential suite!"