Chapter 220: "Miss, you wouldn't want..." "What bad luck, even buying a gift gets it stolen."
Watching Susie, that golden retriever, get into the carriage, Luo En turned back, his gaze once again fixed on the villa across the street.
"Do you want me to go?" Bodyguard Miss's voice came from behind.
Luo En shook his head, his eyes still on the house: "No need. The people in this house are either rich or noble. Acting rashly might cause trouble."
"I won't be discovered." Sharon's voice was flat, as if stating a fact.
Luo En fell into a brief contemplation. He stroked his chin, weighing the pros and cons. Directly having Bodyguard Miss go in and retrieve the item was the simplest method, but he always felt it wasn't that simple.
"Forget it," he finally rejected the suggestion, "Let's find a way to catch them in the act."
"There's less than two days left in your protection period."
Bodyguard Miss's meaning was clear: if you want my help, do it now.
"A bodyguard's job doesn't include these things." Luo En replied in a low voice, not knowing if he was speaking to her or to himself.
He looked up, and the crimson moonlight filtered through the leaves, casting shadows on his face.
Am I—not ruthless enough?
This thought emerged without warning.
"If I were a ruthless person, some things might not have happened." He couldn't help but start re-evaluating. If he hadn't helped Danitz at sea back then, would he not have provoked the Rose School of Thought? If he hadn't meddled after the shipwreck and saved Tracy, would he not have been inexplicably put on a bounty by that Pirate General?
Each choice, each time adhering to the moral principles he held before transmigrating, resulted in him being pushed into more dangerous situations.
Time passed minute by minute until midnight, when an agile figure finally climbed over the wall from the second floor of the villa, landed silently, then skillfully came to a manhole cover in the middle of the street, pried it open, and slipped down.
"Click."
A soft sound. Luo En hid in the shadows, holding the 200-pound camera he had bought from the gift shop. The moment the figure appeared, he secretly took a photo.
He looked down, a little surprised.
"Not bad, this camera."
Although there were only dim gas streetlights around, the photos taken were exceptionally clear, with a slight night vision effect built-in. And there was no need to adjust the focus; just point at the target and press the shutter. It felt exactly like a point-and-shoot camera from before his transmigration.
"Not bad—this camera is indeed worth 200 pounds." Luo En felt a tingle of curiosity, wanting to take it apart to see how it worked.
"What do we do now?" Sharon's ethereal voice interrupted his urge to research.
"Let's wait a bit longer—" Luo En stroked his chin, narrowing his eyes, "The person just now seemed to have climbed down from a window on the second floor. Servant quarters are basically impossible to be in such a good location."
He quickly came to a conclusion: "This indicates that one of the owners of this household has kleptomania."
This was troublesome.
"Ordinary servants are easy to deal with; we're in the right, so even if we teach them a lesson and get discovered, it won't be a big deal. But, for a high-status master like this, acting rashly might cause big trouble. People of such high status certainly have connections with the Church."
Bodyguard Miss didn't speak, and Luo En also fell into thought.
A few minutes later, he suddenly let out a "hmph" and chuckled.
"Heh, it seems I'll have to be a bad guy this time."
However, the identity of Luo En couldn't have any more accidents.
Listen—that's right! I have an alias, isn't this what an alias is for? A plan quickly formed in his mind.
He turned to look at the shadow beside him, adopting a relaxed tone: "Before the bodyguard mission ends, can you help me with one more small favor, catching a thief?"
..
"If you don't speak, I'll take that as a 'yes'~"
The next day, Luo En, who had once again transformed into James Scott with the aid of the Disguise Cufflinks, returned to Backlund Street.
He held a copy of the "Backlund Post" in his left hand, and in his right, he toyed with a sapphire blue crystal. This was a spiritual material he had previously traded with the captain, a raw material for making talismans. Setting aside its mystical uses, its intrinsic value was also very high.
If the other party was a Beyonder thief, they would definitely be interested in this item.
That manhole cover showed signs of frequent movement, indicating that the thief went back and forth often, and the divination results also confirmed this.
"But—a councilor?" Luo En's gaze seemingly inadvertently swept over the villa.
He had already inquired; the owner of this villa was named Mori Macht, a Member of Parliament in the Lower House, and a member of the New Party.
"This councilor's family education is actually so poor. Having a thief in the family is a huge scandal! Politicians care a lot about their reputation."
"If this matter gets out, it might affect the other party's political career."
Luo En's thoughts began to wander.
If I want to open a factory and do business later, I'll inevitably have to deal with these politicians. If I can make good use of this information... maybe, hehe.
"No!" Luo En, immersed in his fantasy, was suddenly startled, "I'm clearly acting like a hypocrite, but I feel like I'm actually becoming one—"
He shook his head, "But, I've been a good person for so long, it's okay to be bad once in a while."
"Besides, this is passive retaliation! Who told you to steal my things?"
"The target has appeared." Bodyguard Miss's voice sounded in his ear.
"Thank you for your trouble."
Wraith has a certain ability to influence thoughts. A person who already engages in theft will definitely be affected.
Luo En put the crystal into his open jacket pocket, waiting for the target to approach.
A moment later, he noticed someone came up behind him, then he picked up the newspaper, pretending to walk and read, completely oblivious to his surroundings.
As he got closer, Luo En sensed that the person had already pressed close to him.
Just as that hand reached into his pocket and took out the crystal!
"Don't move!"
Luo En suddenly turned, his left hand shot out like lightning, firmly grasping the other party's wrist, catching them red-handed! At the same time, his other hand, hidden in his embrace, had already pulled out the camera and started a continuous burst of shots at that stunned face.
"Click, click, click!"
"Oh, it's a beautiful young lady." Luo En looked at the face under the other party's hood, a little surprised. It was a young lady with wavy dark green hair and bright deep-brown eyes, her expression slightly agape at the moment, seemingly unable to accept reality.
"Looks like she's intimidated by me. Let me help you face reality—"
Looking at her stunned appearance, Luo En's face slowly bloomed into an extremely "kind" smile.
"Miss, you wouldn't want me to spread this matter, would you?"