When Officer Wang woke up, he was on a public bus. Although the bus was stuffy and hot, he had, surprisingly, fallen into a deep sleep.

However, just a few seconds after opening his eyes, he was stunned by the sight before him.

Being a veteran police officer with 20 years of experience dealing with crime, it was not easy to scare Officer Wang. Especially considering everything on the bus seemed all too normal in others' eyes, with nothing out of the ordinary.

But to Officer Wang, something was off.

The bus was too old.

On such a hot day, there was no air conditioning. It wasn’t that the air conditioning was not turned on, there was simply no air conditioning system on the bus.

In Officer Wang's memory, public buses without air conditioning were phased out at least ten years ago in the border towns he resided in, which had seen rapid economic growth in recent years.

Moreover, Officer Wang distinctly remembered that he hadn't boarded a public bus - he was in a patrol car, heading to the countryside to work on a case. The fatigue from several days without proper rest had sent him to sleep in the patrol car.

But no matter how exhausted he was, falling asleep in a patrol car didn't equate to waking up on a public bus.

It was simply illogical.

As he took a closer look at the passengers nearby, Officer Wang felt something was off — they were too out-of-date!

Their clothing and dressing up were similar to that of twenty years ago, wildly outdated.

Both the elderly and the even by the standards of the young and pretty girls, their attire was equally archaic.

Officer Wang scanned his surroundings, seeking a point of entry to make sense of it.

Everything was far too incongruous.

As a seasoned detective who places special emphasis on logic and order, Wang Wei was innately sensitive to anything illogical, which made him quite uncomfortable.

However, right then, Wang Wei was stunned by a building outside the car.

The building was not tall, with only six floors and an old style, but the glittering sign on the front door was particularly striking – Yundu City's No.1 Department Store!

Wang Wei's eyes almost popped out.

What in the world was this?

He was all too familiar with Yundu City's No.1 Department store. Over twenty years ago, when he was studying at the Tianan Province Police Academy, he had frequent visits to this department store renowned as the largest one in the whole province.

But wait!

Wasn't I working in Biancheng City?

How did I end up suddenly in Yundu City?

Moreover, Yundu City's No.1 Department Store had been demolished a long time ago. Although he wasn’t too clear about the exact time it was demolished, he was certain that it was at least gone for over a decade.

After graduating from the Tianan Police Academy, Wang Wei was assigned to work in his hometown, Biancheng City. In the past twenty years, he had often been sent on trips to the provincial capital, so he was very clear about the transformation of some landmark buildings in Yundu City.

When Wang Wei was utterly bewildered, the bus came to a shaky stop. A multitude of people crowded onto the bus, and the dialect of Yundu City filled the carriage.

Yes, it was the Yundu dialect!

An elderly lady, who appeared to be in her 60s, with white hair, was pushed by the crowd next to Wang Wei. Tightly gripping the railing, she looked at Wang Wei kindly. Right then, the ticket collector came by and said to Wang Wei: "Young man, could you please give up your seat for this elderly lady?"

"Young man?"

Officer Wang almost spat out a mouthful of old blood.

The ticket seller didn't show a specific age, but Officer Wang was 100% certain that she would not be over thirty years old. With twenty years of experience as a cop, his eyes were quite sharp!

However, this young lady had the audacity to call him a youngster.

Officer Wang was born in 1974, making him 42 years old this year.

Yet, nobody around expressed any disagreement with her.

Had all these people gone mad?

Officer Wang swiftly turned his head, and a distinctly youthful face appeared before his eyes.

He barely managed to suppress a shriek!

That was him!

Officer Wang could mistake anyone's face, but he would never mistake his own. How was it so young though?

Twenty?

Eighteen?

Dizzy and confused, Officer Wang stood up, leaving his seat for an old lady. Holding onto the pole, he began to intensely stare at his reflection in the glass, his mind whirring at lightning speed.

Using his seasoned detective-like logic, he quickly traced the cause and effect of the entire situation, coming to a shocking conclusion - he may have been reborn!

The word "rebirth" flashed across his mind, startling him. He then repeatedly went through everything again, only to realise that this seemingly absurd conclusion might be the only correct answer!

Otherwise, he simply couldn't explain everything that was happening before his eyes.

Holding his arm up for a closer look, Wang Wei became even more certain of this fact-- his arm was shining and smooth, full of elasticity, brimming with a sense of strength!

A forty-two year old man could never have such an arm.

Officer Wang finally found undeniable evidence--a newspaper held by an old man not far from him!

It was a copy of the "Tian Nan Daily", the official newspaper of Tian Nan province. Wang Wei's eyesight was excellent, and he saw clearly the publication date beneath the headline-- June 6, 1996.

That year, Wang Wei was twenty-two years old and had just graduated from the Tian Nan Police Academy.

Fine, I am back!

Regardless of how absurd Wang Wei felt, the newspaper made him settle down and start to accept this fact.

So what was I supposed to do now?

Inevitably, Wang Wei began to recall desperately. On June 6th, twenty years ago, he was sitting on a bus. But where was he going?

Nan Lake No.1!

This address instantly popped up in Wang Wei’s mind.

Nan Lake No. 1 was not a house, but a large courtyard, famous throughout the whole Tian Nan province. It was where top officials dwelled. Anyone with a little common sense in official circles knew what Nan Lake No. 1 meant.

Almost all the big shots in the province resided in the No. 1 courtyard.

Wang Wei's grandfather, Wang Hu, also lived there!

Wang Hu was once the top figure on the political and legal front in Tiannan Province, who retired a few years ago.

Today is the old man's birthday.

The old man's birthday is not calculated according to the lunar calendar, but the Gregorian calendar. In fact, it is the day the old man joined the army. On June 6th of that year, the old man joined the People's Army and soon began the magnificent southward campaign, fighting all the way from the northernmost part of the country to the southernmost part, then responded to the call of the upper level, transferred to a civilian job in Yuandu City, and settled down in Tiannan. This tenure lasted several decades until his retirement. He settled in Yuandu and never returned to his hometown in the north.

During his years of study at the police academy, every June 6, Wang Wei would go to wish the old man a happy birthday.

Today is no exception.

Thinking of this, Wang Wei couldn't help but take a deep breath.

He didn't expect that he would see the old man again in this lifetime!

In Wang Wei's memory, the old man's appearance has become somewhat vague, after all, he passed away many years ago.

But now, he is going to wish him a happy birthday.

Just thinking about it makes one feel dizzy.

Fortunately, Wang Wei has a particular characteristic, which is excellent psychological quality. He stays exceptionally calm in any situation, and he can quickly adapt to anything, no matter how incredible it seems to others.

For example, now, if it were someone else, they would probably have to get out of the car immediately, find a place to relax, or else, they might go mad!

Not Officer Wang. Even under such circumstances, he was still able to catch a pickpocket.

Strictly speaking, that pickpocket was extremely reckless, foolishly reaching out to a veteran criminal police!

Actually, that pickpocket can be considered a seasoned thief, not a cowering novice. He was well-dressed, his white shirt neat and pressed, holding a newspaper in his hand, and even wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. He looked scholarly no matter how you look at him.

Among the passengers, probably no one had noticed he was a thief.

Of course, Wang Wei was an exception.

A pickpocket wouldn't get past his keen eyes.

In the late '90s, pickpocketing was rampant in Bian City. The municipal bureau organized several special operations against these criminals, and Wang Wei had served as an anti-theft specialist for several months, cultivating an eagle-eye.

At markets, hospitals, shopping malls, and on buses, wherever Officer Wang turned his gaze, he could easily discern who was a thief and who was an ordinary citizen.

The seemingly refined thief was probably crazy to target Wang Wei. Under the cover of a newspaper, he reached directly into Wang Wei's pocket, pinching a small notebook-like object to pull out.

To be honest, the refined thief targeted Wang Wei just because it was convenient. Passing by Wang Wei, with his distracted look, the thief couldn't resist pocket-dipping him. Generally speaking, such young fellows don't carry much worth stealing.

Especially Wang Wei, who at one glance seemed like a student.

Yet, for a habitual thief, it's almost unbearable not to take advantage of someone behaving foolishly right next to him.

So tempting!

As expected, by the feel of it, the small notebook wasn't a wallet, it could be an identification card or something. But many students like to keep money in their student cards, usually few tens, which is enough for a meal.

But this time, to his shock, he pulled out a police badge!

Well, actually it was a student ID from the police academy.

If you look carefully, there is a big difference between the police academy ID and a real police badge. The problem was, with the sight of the national emblem on it, the refined thief's arm trembled instantly, dare he even take a closer look?

This was beyond bad luck, he just pocket-dipped a cop's wallet!

Sophisticated Thief, deserving of his moniker, stealthily took a deep breath, steadying his mind, and gently placed the student card back in its place.

When his hand emerged from Wang Wei's pocket for the second time, his wrist tightened as though an iron hoop had been clasped around it; in an instant, his entire arm went numb.

Sophisticated Thief sucked in a chilly breath.

This man's grip was incredibly strong!

Wang Wei curved his lips into a smile, revealing a set of pristine white teeth.

This was one of the many inexplicable “miracles” associated with Wang Wei — despite being a heavy smoker until his forties, his teeth were impeccably neat and white.

However, at this moment, to the Sophisticated Thief's eyes, these neat, white teeth had transformed into a terrifying gaping maw, seemingly ready to swallow him whole at any moment.

"Pal, you're quite unlucky,” Wang Wei said, “Of all these years, you're the first to dare to steal from me…"