It was twelve o'clock at night.
This is a major street located in the city center, bustling and crowded during the day, but cold and silent at night.
Wiggs Supermarket is on this street.
The supermarket had stopped business before ten o'clock, and the exterior shutter doors were closed.
A van drove up to the back door of the supermarket, which was in an even more remote location, where at night not even a stray dog could be seen.
Two men descended from the van's cab, wearing stocking hoods. One of them, a tall Caucasian man, went to the back and opened the van's door, and two more men jumped out.
One of the men asked the tall Caucasian man, "Rocky, do we really have to lock the van's door? Though I don't have claustrophobia, I really don't like it."
"No problem, next time I'll tie you to the roof, then you can enjoy the moonlight while we drive."
"Haha..." the others laughed.
Rocky made a silencing gesture and commanded, "Martin, same old rules, you keep watch.
Kaffit, you pick the lock.
George, you idiot, stop smoking here.
Guys, let's get moving, let's make this quick."
Kaffit took out his tools and began picking the lock, but it was more like he was prying; he was brutally destroying the lock.
Though his lock-picking skills seemed mediocre, the result was quite good.
Rocky snapped his fingers, "Martin, keep watching.
Kaffit, George, come with me on a big haul."
Surrounded by his two underlings, Rocky swaggered into the supermarket, turned on the interior lights, and looking at the fully stocked shelves, he revealed a mischievous grin. He loved this feeling, the supermarket before him was like a maiden in bloom, radiating charm and ripe for the taking.
"Guys, fun time," Rocky spread his arms wide and laughed arrogantly.
The two underlings also laughed, pushing shopping carts and beginning to pick items - cigarettes, red wine, lipstick, soap, infant formula, diapers...
These items weren't necessarily the most expensive, but they were small in size and easy to offload.
The two underlings recklessly used the shopping carts to haul goods as if they were in their own storeroom.
Rocky, on the other hand, was using a long rod to smash the supermarket's cameras.
Though all of them were wearing masks, he still disliked the feeling of being watched.
After Rocky had smashed the cameras and was about to start hauling goods, a voice suddenly rang out at the supermarket entrance, "Hey, boy, are you throwing a party?
This unfamiliar voice startled the three men.
Rocky dropped the cigarette he was holding and turned his head towards the source of the voice, seeing a dark-haired young man standing at the supermarket entrance, picking up a nearby baseball bat and pointing it at Luke, "You idiot, where did you spring from, do you want to die?"
After saying this, he felt something was amiss, "Where's Martin? What have you done to him?"
After Rocky spoke, he froze completely, seeing three more people walk in behind the dark-haired man, each wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying a rifle, with grenades and stun bombs clipped to their belts.
"Oh my god..." Although Rocky had a pistol clipped to his belt, he didn't dare move, the difference in firepower was too great.
He was glad he hadn't drawn his gun immediately; otherwise, he might have already been lying on the ground, bleeding out.
With a clunk, the baseball bat hit the ground, and Rocky asked, "Hey, we just wanted to make some extra cash, no offense meant.
What do you want to do?"
Luke flashed his police badge, "LAPD, you three drop your weapons, hands on your head, kneel on the ground."
Seeing that they were police, Rocky and his two men quickly abandoned any unrealistic hopes and obediently knelt on the ground.
The three bold thieves were subdued on the ground, searched, disarmed, and handcuffed quite compliantly.
Luke removed the Caucasian man's stocking hood, "What's your name?"
Laughing, a fellow officer joked, "Hmm, so your real name actually is Rocky."
Rocky glared at the fellow officer, "Yes, there's a problem?"
"No, but watch your tone, I won't promise I won't hit you."
Luke pulled out a photo of the supermarket owner, "Do you know this man?"
Rocky glanced at the photo, his mouth twitching slightly, "No."
Luke smiled, "My patience has limits, don't get yourself in trouble, understand?"
Rocky remained expressionless.
"Let's try this one more time, the last time." Luke pointed at the photo, "Do you know him?"
Rocky looked at Luke, silences.
David laughed, "I guy; he's interesting."
"You're right, I guy too," Luke said casually, though his expression visibly darkened.
"Marcus, Jackson, take the other two guys to the car, I want to talk to Rocky alone."
Rocky clearly felt something was off; he was familiar with this sensation.
When dealing with gang members like them, these damn PDs were much more ruthless than with ordinary suspects.
As the two underlings were led out of the supermarket, Rocky, no longer restrained, knew the police also had no reservations; he hesitated no more, "I know him, yes, I've seen him."