Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 289 The Cats' Gathering

The police officers continued their work, and Ringo also had other things to do.

Qin Suya's case has come to a close, and she has successfully recovered from her critical condition thanks to the active assistance of doctors at the Central Hospital.

The drug smuggling case stemming from Qin Suya and the leak of controlled raw materials from Baike Pharmaceutical Factory are both progressing steadily. In particular, the arrest of Li Fei has provided crucial leads to this drug smuggling case. This key figure, acting as a enforcer and facilitator in the smuggling ring, will play a vital role in cracking the case. Thus, the Zhangzhou City police have made a breakthrough in the case, solving a major problem for their superiors.

Nie Guoqiang's confidence in rebuilding the police station building was based on this reason.

The district may not have money, the city may not have money, and the province may not have money, but the ministries definitely have money! No matter what excuse they use to leak a little bit, building a building for the Zhangshi police station is just a small matter!
Luo Jue pleaded with Nie Guoqiang to visit Qin Suya, but Nie Guoqiang refused.

This kid simply doesn't understand the nature of meeting a key suspect in a case, or rather, in his view, Qin Suya is just a neighbor with whom he has a good relationship, and whether she has committed a crime has no direct connection with his visit to her.

Yes, it means that education still needs to be strengthened.

On this side, Lin Ge painstakingly ran two more laps around Zhangzhou city to gather all his underlings together.

Although they didn't play a crucial role in finding the person, they still helped out. These cats followed his orders and searched all over the city; they deserved some reward even if they didn't achieve great things.

As a boss, you can't expect your underlings to just do the work without getting any benefits, right?
"You're just making things difficult for people!"

Li Siyu followed behind Lin Ge, carrying a large bag. As the only non-police officer with some free time at the Zhangshi Police Station, she was forced to act as Lin Ge's tool, responsible for organizing a party to entertain the cats.

The location is a small park near the Youcheng residential area. There is a small lawn, as well as artificial hills and trees. The location is a bit remote, but it is very good for cats.

Li Siyu cut up all the cat food, cat treats, and chicken pieces that Lin Ge had personally selected and squeezed them into a plate. She then poured a few bottles of mineral water into several other disposable bowls, and that was about it.

There were stone chairs and benches next to the artificial hill, which have now all become the cat's dining table.

After placing all the food and cat toys on the table and chairs, Li Siyu glanced at Lin Ge, who was scolding the tabby cat, and then quietly found a secluded spot to continue reading.

The cats' gathering no longer requires human participation.

This wasn't the little tabby's first time visiting this area; after all, it and its mother, the hawksbill turtle family, used to live in the oil city neighborhood. Now back in its old home, the little tabby was extremely excited, much to Lin Ge's annoyance.

Even after being scolded by Ling Ge, it still wouldn't behave. But knowing that its father was busy, it led the Snowclaw Tabby over there, and the two cats, with their four paws, frantically scratched at a camphor tree.

The sun is shining brightly today. Feeling guilty for working so hard yesterday, I ate a couple of bites of chicken pieces and then found a soft patch of grass to lie down and relax.

The mother hawksbill turtle and her baby cuddled together, licking each other's fur.

Yesterday's experience made the little hawksbill turtle a bit bolder. Now, it's not shy in unfamiliar places. It licks its fur, goes over to drink some water, then comes up to greet Lingo, and then slowly strolls around the enclosure.

Soon, the underlings from the nearby neighborhood arrived first. After smelling Lin Ge's scent and arriving at the open-air venue, they were stunned for a moment when they saw the mother hawksbill turtle, and then cautiously approached.

The various foods placed on the table were very attractive to these stray cats. They all meowed at Lingo and then jumped onto the table and chairs to eat and drink heartily. After eating and drinking, they fought and played around, showing no signs of being strangers.

Soon, his five younger brothers from university arrived on time.

Seeing all the cats there, it was probably frightened. After all, cats are creatures with their own territories and circles, and when they encounter other cats from different circles, they are always wary of whether or not they might fight.

However, since everyone carried Lingo's scent, they quickly rejoined the group after a brief chat.

The Baka cat was the first to negotiate with the carefree cat in the neighborhood. After a few howls, they reached a consensus and each retreated to eat and drink. Meanwhile, the black and white cats from Zhangzhou University and the black and white cats from the Oil City neighborhood were already entangled, fighting and running around. When they got tired, they would invite each other to eat and drink, then find a quiet spot to huddle together for warmth and sunbathing, showing no trace of their previous awkwardness. The tabby cats, being naturally lazy, had already curled up their paws and were squatting together exchanging tips on fattening up. They weren't particularly fond of cat treats, but they weren't picky about cat food at all. After eating a little of each, they began to evaluate the differences in taste between the various cat foods.

"Meow!"

"Wow wow wow..."

A tabby that seemed to be able to talk, for some reason, approached the female hawksbill turtle, seemingly trying to please her before engaging in some daring activities.

However, before it could finish its rambling, the mother hawksbill turtle slapped it with its paw without hesitation, sending the unfortunate creature spinning 360 degrees. It slunk away to hide under a tree, never daring to provoke the mother hawksbill turtle again.

"Tch! Well done!"

Lin Ge caught a glimpse of this scene out of the corner of his eye and scoffed, applauding the female hawksbill turtle. While he wouldn't actually have any romantic feelings for her, she was still nominally his, right? Being fawned over by other cats—that was practically insubordination!

Lin Ge glared fiercely at the oblivious tiger-striped creature, memorizing its scent and appearance.

The cat party wasn't as interesting as I'd imagined.

Aside from the initial greetings, the cats went about their own business, playing, frolicking, sleeping, grooming each other, and chatting. They seemed very familiar with each other, not at all like members of a separate organization from three different places.

Lin Ge was also yawning and slacking off, showing no desire to give a speech. After all, today's trip was just to thank them for their hard work and to strengthen their bonds; everything was spent eating and drinking.

"Grandma! Look, so many cats!"

A little girl, being led by her grandmother, suddenly spotted the group of cats. Seeing a dozen or so cats of various kinds gathered together, she exclaimed with excitement and curiosity.

Wow, so many cats! Are they all from our neighborhood?

The old lady seemed quite surprised; she appeared to be one of those helping to feed the stray cats. Some of the cats even looked familiar. She thought for a moment, then took a small bag of small crucian carp from her cart and placed a few on the clean ground by the roadside.

"You're really generous!"

The elderly lady in our group didn't particularly like cats and was worried that they might not be clean, so she pursed her lips and stood far away without approaching.

"Meow?"

A short-haired mixed-breed ragdoll seemed to recognize the old lady. It came over, raised its head, and barked once. Then it lowered its head, picked up a fish, and began to slowly tear it apart.

The little girl boldly came up and petted its head, and it didn't struggle at all. It even rubbed against the little girl's leg, making the little girl even happier.

"Sniff!"

Smelling the fishy smell, the tabby cat from Zhangzhou University opened its eyes and curiously approached. It had never eaten raw fish before; the fish at the university was all cooked, and the smell was nowhere near as strong and enticing as this.

Since it was Lingo's invitation, it wasn't shy at all. It boldly went over, took a bite, smelled it, and then began to wolf it down.

Wow, this cat is so fat!

The little girl felt as if she had entered a cat paradise, where every cat seemed so cute and obedient. She petted the plush toy and then the tabby cat, and was about to venture further into the lawn when she was finally stopped by an old lady next to her.

Playing with cats is fine, but getting into a group of cats can be dangerous, and the old lady was very sensible.

I dragged the reluctant little girl away, and the park quickly returned to calm. The cats' gathering continued, but it seemed no different from usual—just eating, sleeping, playing, and fighting.

Lin Ge didn't really intend to gather these stray cats together. He would only use them occasionally, and they would still beg for food wherever they wanted. Lin Ge wouldn't interfere.

However, Lin Ge did have his own ideas. After all, if that cat really encountered trouble, he would definitely help. For example, the weather was getting colder and colder, and winter was often a difficult and deadly prospect for stray cats. Lin Ge planned to observe and help them then. Also, there was that fat white cat who was pregnant with kittens; it looked like she was due to give birth in just a few days, and he would need to keep an eye on her then as well.

"Ok?"

Suddenly stunned, Lin Ge stared in disbelief at the white female cat that had crept up to him without his noticing. This thing… didn't seem to be his little brother… little sister!

When did you sneak into the party?

Lin Ge had absolutely no recollection of it.

Perhaps it's one of those strange cats that just naturally blends in?

Lin Ge even caught a whiff of the creature's scent in the vicinity of the park, meaning this place might have originally been its territory! It had just been hiding well before, but now that it saw the food and a group of cats, it couldn't resist coming out.

"Meow?"

Seeing Lingo staring at it, the white cat let out a fawning meow. It could tell who the leader of the cat pack was, so it treated Lingo with great humility and caution.

As a pregnant cat, she is willing to risk her life for food in order to survive and for the sake of her unborn kittens.

Of course, Lin Ge didn't mind.

"Meow!"

Seeing Lin Ge staring intently at the pregnant cat, the mother tortoiseshell walked over, a little jealous, and glared at Lin Ge, about to lose her temper.

However, Lin Ge only patted the mother tortoiseshell on the head with his paw, and the mother's mood immediately improved. She glared at the white female cat, arrogantly circled in front of her like a queen, stared at her belly, and meowed twice.

The white cat was clever; after all, a stray cat that wasn't clever would hardly have survived this long. It meowed ingratiatingly at the mother tortoiseshell cat, then took a moment to go over to the food area and devour it, before continuing to follow the mother tortoiseshell cat around.

This creature quickly gained the mother hawksbill turtle's approval and became affectionate towards her as well.

Cats live such leisurely lives, even gatherings seem quite uneventful. Sun Chang came by briefly, helped refill the cat food and water bowls that were almost empty, chatted with Li Siyu for a bit, and then hurriedly went back to continue working.

The work at the police station is quite busy. Sun Chang's internship is about to end, and his formal job is basically confirmed at Zhanghe Police Station. Therefore, he is also required to participate in more tasks during this period.

Soon it was afternoon, the sun gradually disappeared behind the clouds, and the elementary school students were dismissed from school. A tabby cat was the first to recognize a little boy who often fed it, and immediately followed him, only to be lured further and further away by the boy with a blade of grass.

Soon, the five cats from Zhangzhou University also bid farewell and left one after another.

Not long after, the Snowclaw Tabby, having had a good time playing with its new friends, ran back, ate a couple of bites of cat food, and meowed at Lingo to signal that it was time to go home.

Looking around, Lin Ge saw that the cats in the oil city neighborhood had also had their fill of playing and were stretching and yawning, ready to find new fun. So Lin Ge didn't keep them any longer and decisively announced the end of the party, and everyone dispersed.

"Meow!"

Several cats rubbed against Lingo one by one, as if making a promise or submitting, before slowly walking away with their tails raised, behaving very generously and freely.

Soon, only Lin Ge's family of five remained in the park, along with the pregnant little white dog who had originally used the place as her base.

Lin Ge instructed Li Siyu to leave all the remaining cat food and treats to the pregnant cat who desperately needed nutrition. He then found a dry, sheltered spot to hide the cat food bag before slowly leaving the park with the mother tortoiseshell cat and her three kittens.

"Meow!"

Watching the family of five leave, the little white cat let out a regretful yet touching meow.

In fact, Lin Ge knew that this white cat was not a member of his team, and it had not participated in yesterday's mission.

But so what?

In the world of cats, there aren't many conflicts of interest. Besides, as a cat, Lingo doesn't seem to be short of money. He'll help those in need as much as he can; it's not a particularly troublesome matter.

"Mimi, that little white one will probably give birth in about a week."

Li Siyu had recently learned a lot about cats, so she immediately recognized the white cat's situation. While she felt sorry for the cat, she knew that such cats were countless in the wild, and she couldn't say she could offer much help. Besides, Li Siyu herself relied on the police station and her sister Jiang Yiyi's help to make a living, so she had even less to offer to animals.

Only Lin Ge was known throughout the Zhanghe Police Station as a wealthy man, with more subsidies and bonuses than he could ever spend.

Even though it's just a cat, it's still a cat with an official position! Every time a case is successfully solved, especially when traveling on business or cracking a major case, the reward given to the individual is actually quite substantial, and they can't possibly spend it all.

On a side note, this bonus was exclusively for Lin Ge, an honor no other police dog received. After all, Nie Guoqiang often treated Lin Ge as an equal, and it's unclear what he was really thinking.

On the third day, a sudden downpour poured down like a waterfall.

Winter has arrived, and freezing rain is inevitable. After this heavy rain, the weather will quickly turn cold, and who knows when another heavy snowfall will come, turning the earth into a vast expanse of white.

Lin Ge knew this was unavoidable, but he began to worry about his underlings and the pregnant white cat that had infiltrated the party.

With the rain so heavy, it's not easy to go out and take a look right now.

Looking back at the three little guys fast asleep in the cattery, the three cats huddled together were quite warm. Only the silly lame one still preferred to sleep by the well-ventilated doorway, shivering from the cold, but stubbornly refusing to go any further into the cattery.

Lin Ge ignored it and only glanced up at the mother tortoiseshell cat perched at the very top of the cat tree, her eyes fixed on her three kittens. The maternal love emanating from her moved Lin Ge.

Is that white cat also stubbornly persevering for the sake of the kittens in its belly?
"Meow?"

Noticing Lin Ge's gaze, the female tortoiseshell glanced at him, puzzled. However, this rascal of a male cat didn't accept her attempts at affection and simply ignored her after one look.

Finally, by noon the next day, the rain had lessened. At first, it was a steady drizzle, and then it dragged on for several more hours before finally stopping. The cold wind howling outside and the damp, chilly air made Lin Ge shiver involuntarily.

Even so, he hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head and walked out of the cat house, stepping into the wet puddle.

The slippery ground is not friendly to cats; stepping into puddles easily wets the fur on their bellies. Add to that the whistling cold wind, and they instantly feel chilly, as if their body temperature is rapidly evaporating.

Moreover, the water droplets splashed by pedestrians and vehicles on the road, as well as the prank of accumulating leaves overhead and then being poured down, all annoyed Lin Ge to no end.

Even so, he still made the time to get to the place where the gathering had taken place a few days earlier.

only……

They were unable to find the white cat immediately.

Even the nearly two days of heavy rain had washed away all the surrounding smells, making it difficult for Lin Ge to even smell them. The grass and the mud near the artificial hill added to the stench, making Lin Ge want to give up.

"Meow?"

At that moment, a familiar voice rang out behind Lin Ge.

He turned around and saw that right there, under the rockery where Li Siyu had helped hide the cat food, the silly white cat was quietly lying on top of the cat food bag, its wet body perfectly protecting the bag of cat food.

God knows if it has been stubbornly holding on for the past two whole days.

They're practically risking their lives for food!

(End of this chapter)