Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 327 Action
The bus traveled for more than three hours before finally stopping for a rest at a highway service area near the end of the province.

The elderly people couldn't wait to get off the bus to breathe in the fresh air, use the restroom, take photos, chat, and complain. Yang and his group also got off and lazily stretched their legs in the rest area.

"Is no one following behind?"

Brother Yang came over to the driver and handed him a cigarette.

“There’s no way any car could be following us! Our buses are limited to 100 km/h. If any car slows down and follows us, it’s immediately noticeable.”

The driver accepted the cigarette from Brother Yang, and his attitude was fairly humble.

He was one of Sister Hua's men. Besides organizing "legitimate" tour groups and taking people to luxury stores, he would occasionally take Sister Hua's gang of fraudsters around.

Unlike the Yangs, who focused on the drug market around Zhangzhou City, Sister Hua's business had a much wider reach. Coupled with the inherent anonymity and high profitability of the telecom fraud system, they even expanded their operations to most of Hubei Province. This month they'd be in Zhangzhou, next month in Xiangyang, and the following month in Taoyuan, relying on randomness to keep the police from catching them. Furthermore, they rarely committed large-scale crimes; economic crimes involving tens or hundreds of thousands of yuan were unlikely to trigger a provincial-level task force. Therefore, they remained active and efficient for so long. Even if one or two unlucky individuals were arrested, their ignorance of their superiors prevented them from revealing the true identities of the core team.

Unlike Da Yang and Xiao Yang, who had only been in the area for two or three years, Sister Hua's fraud gang had been operating in Chu Province for seven years. They knew the situation in Chu Province very well, and it was Sister Hua who recommended Brother Da Yang to settle down in Zhang City, allowing the gang's business scope to expand more and more.

Even Zhao Zhigao was handpicked by Sister Hua from among her team members. Every year, she would provide Brother Yang with two or three such talents as disposable resources, while also weeding out those in her own team who were not suited for eloquence.

Brother Yang took the driver's light while holding his cigarette, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't hesitate to ask if you need any help. I see you're a driver and you're working pretty hard. Why doesn't Sister Hua send someone else to take turns driving?"

"Hehe...Isn't it because you guys rushed things too much? For your safety, we didn't dare call the drivers outside to help. So I'll have to do the hard work. I'll find a parking spot tonight and take a nap for a couple of hours, that should be about right."

The driver chuckled as he spoke, not seeming to think that driving while fatigued was anything difficult.

As for those elderly folks, since you've chosen a bus tour, shut up. Even if it's a three-day trip with only one day to play, so what? We're giving you a free tour, what more do you want? If you're so capable, get off the bus and go home!

"Brother Yang, shouldn't we let Mimi out for a stroll? She's been cooped up down there for too long; what if something happens to her?"

Zhao Zhigao moved closer to Brother Yang.

"Then take it out for a ten-minute walk."

After thinking it over, Brother Yang couldn't bear to see his new cash cow get into trouble. He was counting on this cat to make him a fortune, and now that the leopard cat had unexpectedly escaped, he had no other choice.

"Thank you so much, Brother Yang!"

Zhao Zhigao hurriedly went to the front of the bus, opened the luggage compartment, and looked up to see the dead cat squatting outside the cage, tearing apart a dried duck that some unlucky old lady had bought.

Lin Ge had already heard Zhao Zhigao's voice, so he wasn't surprised that he was coming. The O-Black Duck he pulled out from a nearby plastic bag had a strong smell, but it was still barely edible. Lin Ge just kept his head down and chewed vigorously, flicking his tail at Zhao Zhigao as a greeting.

"You actually managed to get out?"

Zhao Zhigao stared in astonishment at the iron cage next to Lin Ge. The lock was intact, and there was no sign of damage to the cage itself. How could this cat have so inexplicably escaped and even stolen food from passengers?

"What do you think cats are? They can squeeze into ventilation ducts, let alone cages!"

Lin Ge glanced at Zhao Zhigao with disdain.

To be honest, I was overthinking things at first, genuinely believing I was going to be trapped in a cage or something. But after observing closely, I realized that the gaps in the cage couldn't hold him at all. Despite his large size, he can squeeze into anywhere with a little effort.

"You be careful, don't get caught doing this! The Yangs are on high alert right now."

Zhao Zhigao gave a speechless twitch at the corner of his mouth.

"What are you afraid of? I can run away anytime I want. If it weren't for taking care of you, do you think those few guys could catch me? You're the one who's really causing trouble. Don't give me any openings and drag me down with you, you idiot."

Lin Ge gave a disdainful snort, swallowed the duck meat in his mouth, and then jumped out of the luggage compartment.

Looking around, he realized it was an unfamiliar service area, and he couldn't smell any familiar scents, so he knew the police hadn't arrived yet, or rather, their countermeasures. But thinking about that was pointless at this point, because everything that could be done had been done. Lin Ge believed that Nie Guoqiang and his group would definitely find their cash cow, and he also believed that the police must already have a grasp on the movements of Da Yang and Xiao Yang's group. The only question was how to arrest them.

'Didi! '

A light blue Mercedes-Benz four-door coupe drove into the service area and was blocked by a haphazardly parked out-of-town car, which honked its horn impatiently to urge it to move.

"Oh, it's a license plate from Zhangzhou!"

Zhao Zhigao casually remarked and then put the cage key into his pocket. He didn't see Lin Ge's astonished expression; he only saw a couple get out of the Mercedes and cuddle and laugh as they rested and joked in the parking area.

"It's those two again! Is the rich kid disguise really that effective? Or do they think the police would never drive a luxury car? That makes sense! It costs over a million, even a lousy cop couldn't afford that in a lifetime."

Lin Ge muttered to himself, ignoring the two rookie agents who were fooling around but whose eyes were darting around like thieves.

The service area was crowded with people and cars, making it inconvenient for Lin Ge to wander around. He lazily stretched his limbs, then slowly strolled to a relatively sunny open space, where he closed his eyes to evaporate the damp heat from his body.

"Zhang Ke, can you take a picture of me? This angle is perfect, just snap a quick shot of me in action! Oh wait, let me get a partner."

Sun Chang struck a cute pose, then stopped Zhang Ke and went to the car to bring out a small tortoiseshell kitten. The kitten, still sleepy-eyed, was taken out of the car, opened its eyes groggily, and rushed over as soon as it saw Lin Ge.

"Don't move! We'll let you down after we take the photos!"

Sun Chang held the little hawksbill turtle tightly. The little creature struggled pitifully but was no match for Sun Chang's incredible strength. This woman was a formidable woman who could drag a sheep back to its pen by its horns, leaving the little hawksbill turtle to droop its ears and meow pitifully at Lin Ge.

"Rich people actually keep this kind of cat?"

Brother Yang glanced at Sun Chang and then ignored him. Sister Hua might be interested, but he was a drug addict and never really gravitated towards wealthy people like that.

Seeing the kitten struggle free from the young girl's arms and stumble towards his cash cow, Brother Yang didn't care. He was busy contacting Sister Hua, humbly trying to please her, hoping she would help prevent his assets from being seized by the police.

"No seizure?"

Sister Hua's reply made Brother Yang raise an eyebrow. Could it just be a false alarm?
He thought about it and then called Brother Jian again.

The call finally connected after a while, and Jian Ge's groggy, still-sleepy voice came through. Just from that impatient "hello," Brother Yang knew what it meant to be "when the tiger's away, the monkeys reign supreme"—it seemed Jian Ge had been having a pretty good time these past few days.

"It's nothing, just a routine inspection during the Chinese New Year holiday, checking fire safety and stuff. The police didn't really look at it carefully, just glanced at it, posted a rectification notice, and left."

Jian Ge yawned and barely recovered, then patted the bulge next to the blanket and told the people around him to get lost.

"Where are you?"

Hearing a woman's voice nearby, Brother Yang frowned.

"Don't worry about the hotel, Brother Yang. I know what I'm doing and won't mess things up."

Jian yawned again, his rationality quickly returning, and said, "I'll be watching over the house, nothing will happen. I guarantee I won't cause any problems, and besides, Sister Hua is there to help take care of things, so you can rest assured!"

"Are you sure nothing's wrong?"

Brother Yang still felt uneasy. Could it all have been a false alarm?
"I'll go to the repair shop right away and keep an eye on it for you. Is that alright?"

Jian Ge was unaware that he was practically all alone, and continued to chatter with Da Yang while slowly getting dressed. The woman finished cleaning up in the bathroom, blew Jian Ge a kiss, and left without a sound.

"Hmm... I remember, Brother Yang seems to have some good stuff hidden in his room?"

After hanging up the phone, Jian felt a slight urge to crave. The main problem was that the usual stuff he used was getting a bit boring; if he didn't want to sneak in something good to enjoy, when would he ever get another chance?
As for whether Brother Yang will be angry when he comes back, who cares?

Jian Ge thought lazily.

'Boom! '

Just as he stepped out of the guest room, his thoughts still wandering, Jian suddenly felt someone press down on his shoulder, and then, with a dizzying spin, he was slammed to the ground.

"Police, don't move!"

A sharp shout brought Jian Ge back to his senses. He stared in astonishment, only to see a series of large feet. The back of his head was being pressed down hard, and he couldn't even lift his head, let alone struggle.

There was a faint smell of urine; I wondered which idiot had done it. "Damn, he actually wet his pants? Is this the backbone of that gang?"

One of the policemen, who was holding down Jian Ge's thigh, cursed loudly in disgust. The main problem was that he couldn't let go at the moment, and could only watch helplessly as the wet stains spread up Jian Ge's gray pants and gradually reached his hand.

"Hand over your phone! Are you hiding anything else? Don't resist now!"

On the other side, Quan Chenghai swiftly and fiercely rummaged through Jian Ge's pockets while issuing a stern threat. This operation couldn't afford any mishaps; any leak of information would turn their hard-earned credit into a joke.

"Am I... arrested? Did I... wet my pants?"

It was only then that Brother Jian realized what was going on.

The main issues were physical sluggishness and mental fog, which made it difficult for him to distinguish between reality and illusion. He had probably imagined and even worried about being caught by the police before, but when it actually happened, his mind went completely blank.

‘Crack! ’

Cold handcuffs were fastened to his wrists, and Jian was forcefully pulled up. He felt his legs trembling, his crotch both warm and cold. He didn't know if what he was seeing was a hallucination, and stared in astonishment at a bald man in front of him who had taken out a cigarette and lit it.

The bald man had dark skin and an oily sheen; he looked more like a mob boss than a policeman.

"Captain, we found this thing in the room."

Two police officers entered the room and took out two packets of powder and a stack of brand-new tin foil.

"Oh, you're playing for free now?"

Shao Yongkang's eyes lit up; this guy was indeed a big fish! To be honest, as a member of the criminal investigation team, he often encountered drug addicts. But most of them were people using things like ketamine, nitrous oxide, and laughing gas; pure, unadulterated drugs were quite rare for Shao Yongkang.

"..."

Jian Ge kept his head down and didn't say a word.

Shao Yongkang weighed the two packets of powder in his hand, a grin spreading across his face. "They're quite heavy, aren't they? Are they even a hundred grams? This kind of packaging isn't for personal use, is it? Two packets are enough to exchange for a single peanut. Anything you want to say?"

Jian Ge suddenly raised his head.

The peanuts touched a nerve with him. Even though this trip was just him doing his own side job, stealing Brother Yang's goods to earn some extra money for himself, Brother Jian still understood the principle of sharing hardships.

In addition, there's the propaganda that all criminals know: "Confess and you'll be treated leniently, redeem yourself through meritorious service." Without hesitation, Brother Jian changed his approach and said with a firm look in his eyes, "Officer, I confess, I want to redeem myself through meritorious service!"

"Confess? Perform meritorious service?"

Shao Yongkang's lips curled into a smirk. This guy was actually a first-time offender who had never been to prison before? Anyone who had been to jail would be saying something like, "Reporting to the government, I want to surrender, I will voluntarily expose others, and I want to get a reduced sentence for meritorious service," right?

It seems that the crackdown on these criminals in China is still not strong enough, and such big fish have escaped the net.

On the other hand, the fact that Da Yang and his gang could cause such a ruckus without any prison training is quite impressive. They managed to dominate the drug trade in a city entirely through ruthlessness and luck; they are truly gifted.

"If you have something to say, go to the police station and think it over slowly, then say it slowly."

Shao Yongkang patted Jian Ge on the shoulder with a smile, like a tiger spotting a delicious prey.

Incidentally, Shao Yongkang also ordered his men to handcuff the woman squatting nearby with her hands behind her head. Regardless of the relationship between the two, the woman's identity, or whether she would be groped by his seasoned subordinates, being arrested for drug-related offenses meant she was doomed.

"Haha... I actually got the first job! Zhai Xiaojun, you've been following the anti-drug squad around like dirt, but you didn't expect the credit to go to me!"

Shao Yongkang laughed heartily.

Good luck... I wish you good luck...

Suddenly, the phone that Quan Chenghai was holding, which belonged to Brother Jian, rang.

The ringtone for "Good Luck" was rather amusing, and the label "Sister Hua" displayed on the phone made Shao Yongkang's brows furrow suddenly.

His eyes were like sharp swords, fixed intently on Brother Jian.

Jian Ge nodded quickly, instantly understanding Shao Yongkang's meaning.

"You've been arrested! If you want to live, you'd better behave yourself! Understand? Even if you're incredibly loyal and let others escape, you won't get anything out of it. In fact, your punishment might be compounded, and you can weigh the consequences yourself!"

Shao Yongkang took the phone from Quan Chenghai and handed it to Jian Ge.

Huang Yizhong, standing nearby, also helped Jian Ge hold onto the handcuff chains to prevent the clanging of metal from being noticed by the other side.

No one dared to breathe loudly. Even the woman's mouth was rudely and unceremoniously covered, and she was almost suffocating before her nose was finally exposed.

"Hey……"

Jian Ge pressed the answer button with trembling hands.

He even tried to turn the speakerphone on without permission, but Shao Yongkang blocked it with his finger. Shao Yongkang simply moved closer and listened carefully to the sound coming from the microphone.

"Ah Jian, you're still not up? You're so lazy while Da Yang isn't here. Be careful he doesn't come back and cause you trouble."

The voice on the other end of the phone was a woman's, calm, with the noise of a TV drama playing in the background.

“I…I’m up! What’s with the rush! Sister Hua, why are you staring at me like that? As long as we don’t do anything here, what could possibly happen? Everyone’s gone, those poisoners won’t even have a way to buy anything.”

Jian Ge was trembling at first, but he quickly regained his composure and his speech returned to normal.

The moment she flinched, Sister Hua on the other end became suspicious.

The sound of the TV drama abruptly stopped, and Sister Hua's voice turned serious: "Ah Jian, what are you doing? Why do you sound a little strange? Is there something you're hiding from me?"

"What could be wrong? I was in the bathroom! You suddenly called and I spilled my pants."

Under Shao Yongkang's encouraging gaze, Jian Ge gave a humble smile, then rallied his spirits and continued, "Seriously, if you need anything, just say so. It's really embarrassing that I'm on the phone while I'm peeing. I can't even pee anymore! If something happens, I'll come to you!"

"Heh... I'll have Da Yang chop it up for you, that'll settle things once and for all!"

Sister Hua is not averse to anything, after all, she is a woman who commits crimes, so a little bit of crude talk is not enough to embarrass her.

With a chuckle, Sister Hua steered the conversation back on track: "Ah Jian, I'm not kidding anymore. Go back to the repair shop now and check if there's anything unusual. I have a strange feeling that's not right; I feel a chill down my spine for no reason."

"Okay, I'm going right now! Sister Hua, what are you afraid of? You're a true heroine, what can stop you? If you ask me, you're overthinking it. Don't worry, nothing will happen, I'm perfectly safe here!"

After a few laughs and words of comfort, Sister Hua hung up the phone.

"Officer, am I right?"

Seeing the serious expressions on the faces of the police officers, Quan Chenghai put his phone away again, and Jian Ge humbly gave a fawning smile.

"call……"

Shao Yongkang exhaled a long puff of smoke, which enveloped his face.

After hesitating for a moment, he took out his phone and called Yang Ye: "Director Yang, Sister Hua's side may have been alerted. Hmm, she suddenly called. I was being an idiot and said too much. Make the arrest immediately, I'll go back to provide support right away."

I had a perfect attendance record in November, posting over 10,000 words every day without fail.

I will continue to work hard in December, and I hope everyone will continue to support me.

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(End of this chapter)