Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 182 Nie Guoqiang's Trouble
"That child, is he the one who caused this case?"

Hou Wen saw Luo Jue standing on the third floor and turned to ask the municipal bureau cadre next to him, "What's the deal with the cat next to him? Is it with this kid too?"

"Hehe, that's him. He came to Yongshi to look for his relatives, and ended up uncovering such a huge mess."

A director from the municipal bureau chuckled dryly and looked at Lin Ge, saying, "As for that cat, it was brought by the head of a police station in Zhangzhou City, Chu Province, which is next door. It's supposedly a famous police cat. Isn't that a joke? What use can a cat be?"

Hou Wen shook his head, smiled faintly, and said nothing more.

If it really is that cat, then it can't be said to be useless. This director in charge of internal affairs may not know, but he has heard about it from others and knows just how incredible this cat and its owner are.

This nationwide crackdown on pornography and illegal publications might have originated from that one person and one cat. Even if it's just a cat, something capable of causing such a stir shouldn't be underestimated.

However, this is not the time to discuss this. Hou Wen changed the subject, saying, "What is the Municipal Bureau's opinion on this matter? Are the actions of the villagers in Tuqiao Village suspected of being illegal or even criminal? And is there any relevant legal basis for such actions?"

"This one……"

The city bureau chief wore a bitter expression, swallowed hard, and said, "There are certainly relevant laws, and it wouldn't be difficult to convict him. However... if we also consider external factors and the victim's identity, this case might not be so easy to handle."

"Is it because the victims lack full civil capacity and cannot reasonably express their own wishes? And as their family members, the criminal suspects are more likely to influence their attitudes?"

Hou Wen was well aware of the troublesome aspects of this case and why it had alarmed the Municipal Party Committee. Leaving aside the nature of the matter, the potential consequences and the resulting public outcry would certainly make the Municipal Public Security Bureau hesitant and cautious.

"Even an upright official finds it difficult to settle family disputes, let alone such a complex case that easily garners public sympathy."

A secretary standing nearby nodded in agreement.

"So, the municipal party committee's meaning is..."

The director of the municipal bureau looked expectantly at Hou Wen, the newly appointed deputy secretary of the municipal party committee, a man who was said to have a lot of influence behind him.

Hou Wen shook his head, not readily revealing the municipal party committee's opinion. Besides, regardless of the circumstances, this case ultimately fell under the jurisdiction of the municipal public security bureau. The municipal party committee could offer suggestions and help clean up messes, but it couldn't overstep its bounds.

The group filed into the annex building, but Lin Ge and Luo Jue were no longer seen on the third floor.

As guests, Nie Guoqiang and his two companions naturally wouldn't go out and cause trouble at this time. Therefore, when Luo Jue pushed open the door and let Lin Ge in, the three of them remained silent.

Nie Guoqiang was frowning and pounding his thigh, Sun Chang was idly flipping through a Party magazine, and Qian Wei was grinning lewdly while scrolling through pictures of pretty girls on his phone.

He turned his phone up incredibly loud, drawing angry glares from Nie Guoqiang and Sun Chang. But the guy acted as if he didn't see them, simply switching to a quieter young lady with a clip on his phone, showing no intention of putting it away.

"Fuck!"

Suddenly, Lin Ge jumped over Qian Wei, causing Qian Wei to stare wide-eyed, clutch his stomach, and scream in pain.

"here you go!"

Sun Chang gave him an approving look.

Lin Ge ignored her and quickly walked up to Nie Guoqiang, staring at Nie Guoqiang's legs, which were clearly twitching slightly. Had this guy's condition gotten that serious?

"It's okay, it doesn't hurt anymore. Once things are settled here, I can go back and rest for a few days and I'll be fine."

Nie Guoqiang reached out to touch Lin Ge's head, but Lin Ge dodged to the side.

Normally, he could easily regain control of Lingo with the slightest movement. But at this moment, his legs were in such a serious condition that even moving his buttocks to get closer had become extremely difficult.

"Chief, let's go to the hospital to have a checkup."

Sun Chang was also very worried about Nie Guoqiang's condition. Just today, she saw Nie Guoqiang secretly taking painkillers more than once.

"Wait a minute, there's no rush. It's only half an hour or a whole day."

Nie Guoqiang waved his hand and looked at Luo Jue again, saying, "Luo Jue, what have you thought about it? I just contacted one of my junior brothers, and he can help find a psychiatrist. Maybe that can help your mother get better sooner."

"Then I'll go back to Zhangzhou and take her with me!"

Luo Jue changed his mind without hesitation; he was never the type to suffer for the sake of saving face.

Nie Guoqiang was satisfied and nodded, giving Lin Ge an approving look.

He knew that leaving this kind of thing to Mimi was definitely the right choice. This cat had an inexplicable affinity for kittens, whether human or animal, making them willingly follow its lead—a natural-born doting dad. "Don't think I won't hit you just because you're sick!"

Lin Ge glared back fiercely at Nie Guoqiang's seemingly malicious gaze.

‘Bang bang! ’

Just then, a knock came at the door.

Nie Guoqiang quickly sat up straight, his expression becoming serious and solemn. He gestured for Lin Ge to get off the sofa before speaking.

"Please come in."

The door opened gently, and the city bureau chief smiled broadly. But he didn't come in; instead, he stepped aside to welcome a middle-aged man in his forties.

Upon seeing this person, Lin Ge was taken aback; it was the same high-ranking official he had seen earlier.

He looked quite young, with a neat appearance, hairstyle, and clothes. He didn't have many wrinkles on his face, and probably looked to be in his early forties at most.

"Ah! Secretary Hou!"

Nie Guoqiang unconsciously called out, instinctively trying to stand up to greet him. However, his physical condition was so poor that he swayed and was about to fall as soon as he stood up.

"Hey, don't move! If you're not feeling well, just sit still."

Hou Wen looked younger than he actually was. He quickly took two steps to support Nie Guoqiang and said with concern, "Director Nie, what's going on? You've come all this way to help solve the case in our southern province. If you get sick or tired because we can't take good care of you, we, your hosts, will feel terrible."

"Hehe, it's an old problem of mine. I hope Secretary Hou won't laugh at me."

Nie Guoqiang didn't stand on ceremony, as humility had never been in his nature. Helped to sit down by Hou Wen, Nie Guoqiang said apologetically, "My health is fine, nothing to worry about. On the contrary, since Secretary Hou came so suddenly, please don't hesitate to help if there's anything we can. Because of this child, I might know a little more about the situation in Tuqiao Village than most people. If my colleagues need my help, I'll do my best."

"It's alright, we don't have the habit of having guests work while they're sick in Yongshi."

Hou Wen smiled politely and sat down next to Nie Guoqiang, saying, "However, I did come to see Director Nie this time because I really need your help with something. It's about Zhuzhou City. They're quite overwhelmed by that tomb raiding murder case, and they hope Director Nie can go over there again to help. Of course... given your current situation, it would be too much to ask of you to go through all that trouble. How about this, how about a video conference? You can give them some feedback, and that would be a favor to me."

"That tomb raiding case?"

Lin Ge, who was hiding to the side trying to avoid being noticed, was stunned. Was the case that complicated? Wasn't it said that once the victim's identity was found, solving the case was only a matter of time?

Nie Guoqiang was also taken aback.

In his view, the case was no longer difficult. To be honest, tomb raiding always involves local strongmen. In Yexian County and even Zhuzhou City, as long as you go around to the local strongmen who are involved in antiques, you will definitely find clues.

Even if the victim's identity cannot be found out, the police are not useless. They can find a lot of information from the remnants of daily necessities left on the ground at that time.

Hou Wen was still smiling, but he shook his head.

Nie Guoqiang immediately understood that Yexian was indeed stumped. Either the case was more complicated than expected, or the local police were truly incompetent.

Most likely... it should be the former.

"I will get to Yexian as soon as possible!"

Nie Guoqiang agreed without hesitation, planning to go to the hospital for a nerve block injection as soon as Wen left. He didn't care about anything else; he just wanted to solve that strange case first.

"Director!"

Sun Chang couldn't help but speak up. She didn't think that given Nie Guoqiang's current situation, he should continue to work so hard and travel around.

Qian Wei also sat up seriously, staring intently at Nie Guoqiang.

Even when Hou Wen came to his door, he didn't adopt a proper attitude. But seeing Nie Guoqiang's reckless attitude, even Qian Wei had to call him a hero.

"No need, no need, let's start a video conference first."

Hou Wen spoke softly as if bathed in a spring breeze. He patted Nie Guoqiang on the shoulder and stood up: "If Zhuzhou City goes too far, then I will stand up for Director Nie and directly refuse their unreasonable demands."

(End of this chapter)