Darkstone Code
Chapter 207: The Untouchable Thieves

Chapter 207: The Untouchable Thieves

"Do you think they’ll expect us to come back again?"

Under the dim light in the warehouse, two young men were swiftly ransacking valuable goods, having deliberately obtained two leaflets from street kids and studied the list of the most profitable items to steal.

In terms of sheer value, the second-hand cars parked in another lot are undoubtedly more valuable.

However, those are hard to steal, as they didn’t master the ignition technique that doesn’t require keys.

Even if they managed to get the cars, fencing them was extremely dangerous.

In Bail Federal, car theft gangs are organized crime and have formed an industry chain. If the car-thieves in Sabin City were found, Lynch’s car’s appearance and information would surely be on their list.

They hold not only this list but similar album-like lists in other cities as well.

When someone places an order, they will steal the designated car or motorcycle for delivery.

This ensures only one gang in a region. They wouldn’t want clients or their upstream and downstream contacts to be disappointed. If any wandering theft gang entered Sabin City, the first to hassle them would be the local car-theft group, not the police.

The other person laughed and shook his head, pretending to be clever, "They certainly won’t expect us to come back again so soon!"

The duo was not afraid; theft wasn’t a felony in the Federation. According to Federation law, even if caught, their sentence would not exceed three years and could even be just two or three months plus around six months of community service. The low cost of crime made them unconcerned about being caught.

The two quickly searched for portable yet high-priced goods while outside, a Blue Vest smoked in the shadows.

He didn’t think anyone would notice him at this time. As a Blue Vest in the Warehouse District, he knew how deep the water ran there.

It’s normal for some warehouses to lose items, so long as the losses aren’t too big, no one would pursue it.

This has become a tacit rule, everyone partakes in it, which is why even though being a Blue Strap is strenuous work, many still opt for it because reporting to the police wouldn’t change anything.

With around one to two thousand permanent workers in the Warehouse District, finding suspects isn’t easy, making investigation costs high and rewards minimal, eventually resulting in unresolved cases.

But this time, they were bound to face trouble because Lynch wasn’t the average person, nor was he willing to abide by some rules others might.

After nearly finishing his cigarette, the Blue Vest took out the pocket watch from his grandfather and checked the time under a streetlight. Ten minutes had passed.

Perhaps it was because the cigarette was over, or maybe his attention began to waver, making the flow of time seem slower in his perception, and his impatience grew.

He wanted to urge those two idiots but decided against it, opting to wait quietly.

Meanwhile, Senior Soldier and his five members, a total of six people, had already neared this warehouse under Lynch’s instructions and had observed the Blue Straps for a while.

Holding the policy of catching a thief with stolen goods, they didn’t act immediately but waited quietly.

Born from biological fear towards nature, the Blue Strap didn’t know he was under scrutiny but felt more and more restless and anxious, as those two fools had been inside too long.

Though the warehouse district’s security doesn’t strictly patrol at night, this adds unpredictability to risks. It’s more dangerous than regular patrols, as one never knows when security might suddenly decide to roam.

Seven or eight minutes later, the two came out from the pried-open door. They could’ve come out minutes prior but decided to pocket what they deemed most valuable, not intending to share.

While friends with the Blue Strap, at this moment, they weren’t completely on the same team. The major risk they took to gain funds was shared with Blue Strap who did nothing but open a door, making them less joyful.

Thus hiding some valuable items seemed justified.

Under the night sky, Blue Strap couldn’t see if they concealed anything, he just muttered, "Why are you out only now," before gently closing the pried-open door and leading them into the darkness.

At their departure through the side door from the warehouse district, Senior Soldier acted.

Soon, all three were caught red-handed. They phoned the police, who quickly arrived at the scene, taking custody of the trio.

Seeing their pale, trembling faces, Senior Soldier reported the situation to Lynch, which pleased Lynch greatly.

He didn’t intend to administer private justice. In the Federation, private justice breaches the law, and he believed the Police Station would teach them crime carries consequences.

Lynch thought the matter was settled until the next day when he received an unbelievable result.

"You mean... those three were released?" Lynch’s voice carried a tone of inexplicable absurdity as the Police Station contacted the response number left after their report last night, informing them of the case’s outcome.

The unexpected result caused Lynch to call the Police Station for confirmation, his tone calm but hiding displeasure, "Last night, thieves broke into my warehouse, and after their arrest, you were notified, but now you tell me they’ve been released. I need an explanation."

On the other end, the operator, a young woman, asked Lynch to wait as she checked, which took seven or eight minutes before informing Lynch that the three were indeed released.

"Mr. Lynch, I apologize for your experience. The case was processed swiftly by Sabin City’s local court, and given it was their first recorded crime, they received sympathy from the Judge, avoiding criminal charges, which turned into community service not less than twenty hours weekly, enduring..." the operator paused, flipping through pages audibly, "for nine months."

The call ended quickly, leaving Lynch feeling this outcome was absurdly ridiculous.

He immediately called Ferrari, his intention post-trial was to display the crime and punishment visibly around his warehouse so people know where they couldn’t trespass.

Unexpectedly, the trio was sentenced only to community service, practically equating to no punishment.

Everyone knows community service firms won’t offend residents, unless ordered by administration or supervised by the court. Otherwise, they timely report to judicial authorities that those people completed community service, even if they did nothing.

This wasn’t the outcome Lynch wanted; it only emboldens those people’s daring further. He needed to know what went wrong.

Ferrari offered Lynch some comfort, explaining the local Sabin City prisons no longer accepted lightweight crime inmates.

In other words, the prison doors were closed, partly due to worsening law and order in Sabin City filling the prisons.

Another issue was many found themselves unemployed and struggling, even finding meals difficult.

But in prison, they could get work without worrying about meals, and the prison hospital would somewhat cover medical costs—only for minor ailments.

Judging minor ailments mainly depends on treatment costs compared to autopsy and cremation fees, as well as whether it’s contagious.

Many people began willingly committing crimes and surrendering, ensuring their sentences wouldn’t be long, allowing them comfort with food and work.

These people became not quality resources but a burden to prisons, with no marketability for their products, stopping inmate intake.

With prisons rejecting inmates, courts lack authority to detain them, and police stations can’t hold them either. Ferrari mentioned Sabin City’s Police Station and several precincts faced serious manpower shortages, resulting in community service sentences unless for major offenses.

This isn’t targeting anyone; it’s simply an unavoidable solution.

Meanwhile, the three released men felt something indescribable churning inside them, having committed crimes but judged innocent.

At least they regarded community service as akin to an innocence verdict, never hearing of crime without jail time, deciding after brief rest to give the Warehouse District and those who captured them some trouble, to teach them a lesson.

To show some people are untouchable.

Driven by this idea, they grew bolder. This time not intending to steal, of course not rob either as robbery carries major offense stature, they just planned to move.

Taking some items from one place and moving them elsewhere!