Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 324 Trapped in a Cage
Big Brother Yang's footsteps grew closer and closer, and his tone became increasingly impatient.

The slippery mud was what really annoyed him; the near slip had just made him furious, and he was extremely angry at the disobedient cat. It was only because these two creatures were somewhat valuable that he would have grabbed their hind legs and slammed them to their deaths long ago.

Even when he arrived at this small bamboo grove, Brother Yang recalled the events of last year.

About a month before I left the country last year, my money tree's belly inexplicably got bigger. I don't know which bastard cat took advantage of it; I should have been keeping a close eye on it normally.

At the time, I thought that if it gave birth to a leopard cat cub and inherited the money tree's ability, that would be pretty good. In addition, there was really no time to find a more powerful cat, so I didn't do much.

But just as they were setting off for their destination, and Little Ma was clearing away the cumbersome parts along the way, the money tree was unexpectedly startled and prematurely born.

Of course, that wasn't the important thing. What was infuriating was that the four kittens born to the Money Tree all had the same markings and colors as a stray cat! This stupid thing had actually been bred by a worthless stray cat—it was simply outrageous! He was furious and angry at the time. In addition, the Money Tree was severely weakened due to the premature birth. Seeing that the fighting cat wouldn't be able to perform at its best in a few days, yet it was still stubbornly feeding that useless kitten, how could he possibly tolerate it?

So one after another, he smashed and trampled all four newborn kittens to death, leaving none alive.

Brother Yang even wanted to get rid of the money tree, after all, what hope could a mother cat with such a badly injured body possibly have? But who would have thought that the death of the kittens seemed to have provoked the money tree's anger, and more than ten days later it came out and showed its might.

This was an unexpected bonus, and it made Brother Yang a fortune.

The leopard cat, which was originally intended to be disposed of together, officially earned the name 'money tree' and survived by Brother Yang's side.

"That stinky cat, is it still thinking about those brats?"

Yang, the man responsible for burying the kitten's body, suddenly had a bad feeling. If the money tree still remembered the kitten from a year ago, would it also remember what they had done back then? He wasn't sure if the cat held a grudge, but who dared to bet?

"Big brother, the money tree is worthless now. We have a new money tree, so let that guy be buried here like his kitten."

Brother Yang pulled out the long-handled dagger from his waistband, his eyes gleaming with eager anticipation.

"Look first and then talk!"

Brother Yang's face was gloomy.

"Fuck!"

Hearing this, Lin Ge's face turned extremely ugly.

Lin Ge knew that once Brother Yang saw the cat bones, their cash cow would be doomed. There was no time to bury them now. Seeing the silly leopard cat still lying among the kitten carcasses, Lin Ge urged it to run away quickly.
Whether it truly understood Lin Ge's meaning or heard the approaching footsteps and the sound of rustling bamboo leaves, the Money Tree indeed stood up, ran a few steps outside, and then looked back at Lin Ge.

"I have things to do and can't go with you! You run first, and try to find a kind family or get police protection! If fate allows, we'll meet again. Now, run, you idiot, do you want to die?"

Lin Ge rushed over and slapped the money tree on the head, making the bewildered cat stumble.

"Get out!"

Seeing that the money tree still didn't move, Lin Ge angrily kicked it in the rear, sending it flying several meters away.

"Meow!"

The money tree let out a painful scream, stumbled to its feet, and looked at Lin Ge with a wronged expression.

"Damn! It really got dug up! That damn cat, it's asking for it!"

The footsteps of three people approached, appearing three or four meters behind them—the eldest Yang, the youngest Yang, and Jackie Chan. They all saw the bare bones on the ground. The skeletons, licked by the money tree, seemed to still reflect light, their eerie whiteness sending chills down one's spine.

But for Brother Yang, this only meant that the cat had betrayed him!

Just a few wretched kids, and you still remember them a year later?

This kind of cat cannot be kept!
"Jackie Chan, grab it! I'm going to skin it and use its skin as insoles!"

Brother Yang drew the dagger from its sheath.

"Let's go!"

Lin Ge was genuinely anxious. Couldn't that idiot, Yao Qian Shu, see the murderous aura emanating from the three people on the other side?
"Meow!"

The money tree took two steps back in fear, but still turned back to urge Lin Ge to come along.

"go!"

Lin Ge rushed up and slapped him hard across the face.

Seeing that the money tree was bewildered and did not resist, it became anxious and began to slap it repeatedly.

"Meow!"

The money tree was really hurt this time. With Jackie Chan striding towards it, it barked at Ling Ge one last time, then turned and ran away.

The winding bamboo forest provided the cat with the best cover and perfect disguise. In the blink of an eye, the money tree disappeared from the sight of Da Yang, Xiao Yang, and Jackie Chan, leaving only the rustling of the bamboo leaves.

"Ran?"

Jackie Chan, who was a step behind, paused for a moment, then looked down at the silver shaded cat glaring fiercely at him.

"Damn it!"

Brother Yang stomped hard on the bones he had dug out of the money tree, breaking them in two, and then kicked them away, scattering them in all directions.

Ignoring the money tree, Brother Yang stared intently at Lin Ge and said, "There can't be any more accidents. Keep a close eye on this cat! Go and call A Gao over here. From now on, this cat is not allowed to leave his sight even for a moment!"

"whispering sound!"

Lin Ge grunted unhappily.

Of course, he's not afraid, since Zhao Zhigao is in cahoots with him. However, this makes contacting the police even more difficult. Now, he just hopes the money tree will be quick-witted and not foolishly run back, and that they can accurately locate the owner of that thing.

Then we'll descend from the sky with a large force and arrest every single one of them. That's what revenge is all about!

Right, a money tree?

If you want revenge, then keep it up, you money tree!

Lin Ge was thinking to himself when Jackie Chan grabbed him by the back of the neck and lifted him up.

A caged bird certainly wouldn't dare to cause trouble, and Lin Ge lazily remained motionless, not intending to further provoke Brother Yang. In any case, as long as he still had value, this guy would absolutely not harm him.

Just take a few days off!

Anyway, Lin Ge felt that he had done almost everything he could, and now all that was left was to leave it to fate and place his hopes on Zhao Zhigao and the money tree.

As a rare leopard cat, and as a pet known to the police to be belonging to Brother Yang, the Money Tree's striking features would definitely not be overlooked by the police. As long as this guy stays hidden and doesn't get killed by someone inexplicably along the way, it will eventually end up in the hands of the police. At that time, even without specific information such as deductions, as long as the Money Tree's identity and its location are confirmed, finding this compound will be very simple for the police.

Even if Lin Ge looked down on Zhangshi's field investigation capabilities, as long as that old man Wu hadn't retired, he would definitely be able to spot the distinctive bus feature in this courtyard.

But... "Ouch!"

Lin Ge pounded on the iron cage, never expecting that the damned Brother Yang would change his approach.

Didn't we agree to hand them over to Zhao Zhigao for safekeeping? Why are they locked in cages now? How afraid are you that they'll escape? The cages are even locked.

"Hehe...that's how you make sure everything is foolproof!"

Looking at the iron cage and the cat inside, Little Yang clapped his hands and tossed the key to Big Yang. "Let's see how this guy tries to cause trouble! If he's got the guts, he can bite through the cage; if not, he should just stay quiet and stop causing us trouble! Actually, Big Yang, we should have done this a long time ago! If you ask me, you spoil the cat too much and are too concerned about those useless details. What loyalty? Look at cats, are they loyal? If we had done it this way from the beginning, how could our cash cow have caused any trouble?"

Brother Yang frowned as he watched Lin Ge thrashing about in the cage. He said worriedly, "Hmm...isn't this a bit much? Won't this make the guy's condition worse? Look at how much trouble he's causing now, he won't have any energy left when we get to our destination."

"Da Yang, is now the time to be agonizing over this?"

Brother Yang stared speechlessly at his brother, who always seemed to hesitate at crucial moments, and said helplessly, "Once we reach our destination, we'll have more than ten days to fine-tune it. Let's get through this hurdle first; the cops are still chasing us!"

Simba chimed in, "We can just give it some medicine! Wasn't the Money Tree so vigorous last year because it took some medicine?"

Seeing that both of them had the same attitude, Brother Yang nodded and said no more.

Even if Brother Yang were to carry a cage and throw Lin Ge into the luggage compartment of the bus and lock him up, he wouldn't have any objections. Seeing Zhao Zhigao hesitating and wanting to persuade him, he glared at him fiercely and shut Zhao Zhigao up.

“That’s right! Brother Yang is right. We need to teach it a lesson so it will learn to obey.”

Zhao Zhigao immediately changed his tune; now was not the time to provoke these guys. Besides, they were just locked up and their lives weren't in danger. They were even racking their brains to contact their superiors, which was much easier than Zhao Zhigao's own efforts.

"Ah Gao, you and Ah Xin cover these three cars with dust cloths so no one notices them. The rest of you clean up any traces in the yard. Hurry up. Once you're done, get into the cars and rest. We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."

Big Brother Yang gave the order to hand over the surveillance task to Little Ma and Jackie Chan, and then went up to the bus on his own.

Soon after the bus started moving, the air conditioning inside the vehicle was turned on.

Even though Lin Ge was locked in the luggage compartment, and even trapped in an iron cage, he could still feel wisps of heat coming through the gaps into the luggage compartment, which made his cold body temperature rise considerably.

The luggage compartment was dark and very quiet. The only thing that bothered Lin Ge was the hum and vibration of the engine at the rear. It seemed that the comfort of passengers in the luggage compartment had not been taken into account when the thing was designed, which made Lin Ge very unhappy.

But now was not the time to worry about that. Lin Ge focused on studying the rusty iron cage, and even smelled the scent of a dog on it. He wondered where Brother Yang had gotten it from.

The padlock was quite sturdy, practically an unsolvable problem for a cat. Perhaps a human could easily break it with a hammer and screwdriver, but Ringo, trapped in the cage, had no room to maneuver, let alone find any tools.

After several attempts, I found that although the cage was old, it was still sturdy, and I really couldn't open it in a short time.

Of course, Lin Ge wasn't without a chance to escape, but now wasn't the time to cause trouble. Even if he wanted to escape this den of iniquity, he had to wait for a suitable opportunity for revenge, rather than acting rashly and adding variables to the New Year's trip for Da Yang and Xiao Yang.

Therefore, Lingo behaved very well that night.

Even though the engine had been noisy for half the night, Lingo eventually fell asleep as usual. When the luggage compartment was reopened, he was surprised to find himself in another place, a very spacious parking lot with many people waiting.

The person who opened the luggage compartment was a fat man wearing sunglasses, with dark skin that looked like he had been sunbathing for a long time.

He silently stuffed the suitcases next to the car into the cabin, ignoring the iron cages and the cats inside, and showing no surprise whatsoever.

"Dear uncles, aunts, grandpas, and grandmas, please line up and board the bus in an orderly manner. I will be your tour guide and caretaker for the rest of the journey, and I hope to provide you with a satisfying and joyful New Year's trip."

A pleasant female voice was calling out into the microphone and talking to many people on the other side, while at the same time, the laughter and questions of some elderly people could be heard.

This appears to be a Yunnan Province tour group specifically catering to elderly tourists, catering to lonely seniors whose children are not home during the Spring Festival. With increasing cultural openness and economic development, the Spring Festival, a time when it's difficult to reunite with children, has become a very popular peak tourist season. Sending seniors on tours has become a way for many young people to show filial piety. Unable to go home themselves, they are happy to bring joy to their parents in this way.

Brother Yang and his accomplices saw this opportunity and hid themselves among tourists heading to the border.

"Oh! How come there are still a few people like this?"

The old woman who boarded first saw the men sitting in the last two rows of the carriage. She muttered something but was scared away by their fierce eyes. She simply found a seat at the front and never looked back again.

Even though the old man is always meddlesome and likes to cause trouble, he doesn't have the guts to argue with a fierce-looking guy.

Most of the other tourists who came up did the same. In addition, they thought it was better to avoid trouble and not to cause trouble for themselves when traveling. At most, they would complain to the driver and the female tour guide in front of them, and then they would simply ignore Yang and his group.

"Excuse me, uncles, aunts, grandpas, and grandmas, they are employees of a transportation company in Shashi, and they are also having a New Year's team building activity. They are all hardworking people, and it's rare for them to have a few days off, so please understand. Oh, by the way, our first stop is Tianhu Lake in Xiangxi, which, according to legend, was built a thousand years ago..."

The female tour guide apologized sweetly, then quickly shifted the topic to the scenery of the upcoming trip, dispelling everyone's suspicions about the people in the back seats.

"This person under Xiaohua's command is quite capable, he seems competent."

Simba, sitting at the very back, clicked his tongue and said to Big Yang without turning his head, "Hehe, just looking at this kid's professional tour guide skills, who would have thought she's just a con artist? Little Flower has a lot of talented people under her command, much better than you, Big Yang."

Brother Yang grunted and sneered, "Hmph! There are all sorts of shady characters here. Who knows when we'll be exposed? Uncle Xin, you're the same. Recruiting all sorts of scoundrels, aren't you afraid of being betrayed one day?"

The blind man, sitting in the middle of the bus among several middle-aged women, suddenly twitched his ear while chatting and laughing with them, and then revealed a disdainful expression.

Simba wasn't angry, or rather, he'd discussed this topic with Big Yang countless times. Things like the five fingers being of different lengths—it's unclear whether Big Yang had actually listened. Of course, everyone got what they wanted, so it didn't really matter.

"Da Yang, why don't you apologize to Sister Hua?"

Little Yang suddenly interjected, glancing at Zhao Zhigao sitting by the window, and whispered in Big Yang's ear, "What happened back then is in the past, no matter what. This time, we owe a lot to Sister Hua. You should at least thank her."

"Let's talk about it when we get back."

Brother Yang waved his hand, showing great reluctance.

Zhao Zhigao watched this scene quietly, gaining a clearer understanding of the relationships between the gang leaders. Simba and the two Yangs were using each other, while Sister Hua firmly stood by Big Yang. Little Yang was indifferent to affairs, only interested in action, obeying Big Yang's orders but always offering dissenting opinions. Adding to this, Big Yang's indecisive nature, and the apparent conflict with Sister Hua, all contributed to making the entire gang's situation even more complex.

Of course, now is not the time to consider that. Zhao Zhigao hopes to find a way to transmit information about his whereabouts and destination.

However, putting aside Brother Yang's suspicious attitude towards everyone, the blind man chatting and laughing with the aunties alone made Zhao Zhigao wary.

After all, blind people usually have excellent hearing, and Simba wouldn't bring a disabled person on this trip. Therefore, this blind man must have some special hearing ability, and it would be easy for him to discover the problem with a casual action.

In addition, the ruthless and daring Little Ma and the powerful Jackie Chan, along with these two henchmen of Little Yang, posed a significant threat to Zhao Zhigao, making him hesitant to act rashly.

Zhao Zhigao still hadn't found a suitable and safe solution until the bus left Shashi and went straight onto the highway.

He was not even clear about the situation within the Municipal Public Security Bureau, and he had doubts about whether the Bureau would allow this group of people to go abroad, or whether he would be allowed to go abroad with them to infiltrate and gather more intelligence.

Brother Yang's sudden action was too hasty, leaving Zhao Zhigao no time to receive feedback from the Municipal Bureau. Even though yesterday's police cars proved that the police had been dispatched and were making every effort to apprehend the suspect, Zhao Zhigao, who had not received any instructions, still felt nervous.

It would be terrible if a misjudgment affected the comrades' actions or even led to an accident.

"So... what should I do?"

Zhao Zhigao clenched his fist, feeling a hard object on his forearm. It was a miniature dagger he had hidden away, the only thing he could still use to protect himself.

(End of this chapter)