Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 336 The Most Evil Person
"Hey! Yining, what's up with calling me?"

Hu Lijun's voice came from the other end of the phone, tinged with anxiety and impatience. Lin Ge even heard police sirens; clearly, this guy was frantically searching for someone somewhere in a police car!
"Ow!"

Without wasting any time, Lin Ge roared loudly.

"Fuck!"

A scream came from the other end of the phone; clearly, Hu Lijun's ear was too close to the receiver, and he was caught off guard and hit.

"whee……"

The kids chuckled, and even Hu Miao looked incredibly amused. Even though it was her own father who was the one suffering, she was still thoroughly entertained by Lin Ge's sudden attack.

"Hiss... Ha! Mimi, how did you run into Yi Ning and my Hu Miao? Where are you? I've been looking for you for ages."

Hu Lijun rubbed his ears and temples, his head aching from the mischief of the stinky cat and the other little guys. But now wasn't the time for idle chatter. He sighed and said, "Yining, tell me where you are, I'll be right there. And Mimi, don't wander off, there's important work for you. Sigh! The hunter has been outsmarted; that guy who almost killed someone escaped from the hospital, we have to catch him quickly."

"Escape?"

Upon hearing this, several children nearby covered their mouths in surprise and stared wide-eyed.

"I knew it! I told you something was off. Hmm, looks like I need to be more careful! A guy who just escaped from the police and immediately went on to kill an entire family, isn't that a bit too terrifying?"

Lin Ge suddenly realized what was happening and didn't have time to wait for Hu Lijun to arrive.

After returning the phone to Zhang Yining, he yelled to signal the kids not to follow, then took a deep breath and continued chasing after Li Sanwei in the direction he had left.

"Hey! Mimi!"

"Don't go over there! Didn't you hear what my dad said? That person is dangerous!"

The kids were about to give chase, but were stopped by the calm Hu Miao.

"Komi-mi..."

Nie Zhuangzhuang was still somewhat unwilling. Why couldn't the Junior Detective Club participate in such a fun activity?
“Mimi is a police cat, and we’re just elementary school students. Let’s not cause trouble for the police station. If we really want to watch the show, let’s wait until Hu Miao’s dad comes over and ask him if we can go with him.”

Zhang Yining pursed her lips, looked around, and found a clean spot to squat down.

Seeing that both female leaders had this attitude, the three boys could only sigh helplessly, move their car from the side of the road to an open space to avoid obstructing pedestrians, and then move closer to the two girls, waiting idly for Hu Lijun to arrive.

To their surprise, less than half a minute later, they saw Lin Ge running back, panting heavily.

"That guy can really run; he disappeared in the blink of an eye. Phew... Fatty, give me a ride!"

While complaining, Lin Ge jumped in front of Nie Zhuangzhuang's bicycle and squatted down on the basket.

Of the five children's bicycles, only Nie Zhuangzhuang's had a basket attached to the front, demonstrating Nie Guoqiang's more pragmatic attitude compared to the other parents. It was also fortunate that there was a basket where the cat could perch; otherwise, Lin Ge would have had to perch on the fat boy's head.

"Hey? Can we help?"

Nie Zhuangzhuang stared wide-eyed in disbelief, never expecting that he would one day not be disliked.

"Ow!"

Lin Ge urged him impatiently.

"Mimi is chasing the criminal, let's hurry! First, let's all be careful and pay attention to safety. Then, Zhuangzhuang, ride hard, we'll follow behind you to protect you!"

Hu Miao quickly made a decision and excitedly hopped on her bicycle to set off. Normally, they rarely had a chance to get involved in a case, despite their usual antics; unexpectedly, this time they had a chance to prove themselves, and even gained Mimi's approval.

"GOGOGOGO!"

Xie Zaiqi and Zheng Jiacheng also got excited and urged Nie Zhuangzhuang to use all his strength without saying a word.

"Come on!"

Nie Zhuangzhuang lived up to expectations, pressing hard on the pedals to make the wheels spin rapidly.

"Phew... This is much easier. At this speed, it's faster than running away by myself. Once I catch up with Li Sanwei, I'll have these kids stop and stay away. They'll be in charge of contacting Hu Lijun, and I'll handle the rest myself."

Lin Ge squinted as he squatted in the basket, feeling the cold wind blowing in his face, which made his beard stand up.

But finally, he didn't have to exert himself anymore, his strength was restored, and he had time to consider more details. Of course, he certainly wouldn't let the five kids get into danger; once they were close to their destination, their mission would be complete.

"Daddy! Mimi gave us directions, and we're driving Mimi along! Hmm, it's around Nanjing Road, hurry up! I don't know where Mimi is taking us, but I'll be careful. My phone still has battery, don't worry."

Hu Miao was able to make a phone call to Hu Lijun while riding her bike. It was clear that the children were all quite skilled at cycling; the little guys were very strong and healthy, unlike Lin Ge, who would run out of energy after only one or two kilometers.

"Mimi, this area is no longer under the jurisdiction of Zhanghe!"

Zhang Yining suddenly spoke up, and after passing two traffic lights and a river bridge, the five of them arrived at the territory of Baimiao Police Station.

"Well."

Lin Ge remained noncommittal. When facing a murderer, what's the point of talking about jurisdiction? Just stop him first.

At that moment, he suddenly noticed that Li Sanwei's scent had become stronger.

That unique scent, a mixture of Li Sanwei's personal body odor, the smell of blood, the odor of iodine, and the scent of Lin Ge, was absolutely unique to Li Sanwei and could not be mistaken.

Lin Ge could tell from his sense of smell that the guy had reached the vicinity of his destination and stopped moving forward. The slower the movement, the stronger the scent remained in the air. Lin Ge even noticed that Li Sanwei had gotten off the electric scooter and was walking. An unremarkable electric scooter was quietly parked on a large tree by the roadside; all the luggage on it, including Li Sanwei himself, had left.

"Sniff."

Lin Ge jumped off Nie Zhuangzhuang's bicycle, ran to the electric scooter, sniffed it, and confirmed that his judgment was correct.

He then gestured to the five kids not to stay there, to keep their distance in case they got bored and acted impulsively, and to keep an eye on the two electric bikes. Lin Ge, alone, looked around and walked into a self-built housing community inside a nearby supermarket.

He was slightly surprised that the woman he had assumed was very wealthy and dressed in designer brands, and the drunk driver who had readily handed over 20,000 yuan, actually lived in such a place.

He had assumed this family would live in a nice, large apartment complex or villa, but it turned out to be just an ordinary house. In other words, the arrogant, talkative woman who had brought this upon herself and created this situation actually came from a very ordinary family. She could never have imagined that trying to appear wealthy in public would lead to such a fatal disaster. A careless remark without knowing how to be discreet could result in the annihilation of an entire family. Of course, Lin Ge wouldn't allow himself to stand by and watch this happen.

This kind of well-planned cluster of self-built houses provides countless hiding places for a cat. Lin Ge only needs to use the various haphazardly built yards and illegal huts to easily avoid the sight of anyone with ulterior motives and quickly approach Li Sanwei's location.

Thanks to Nie Zhuangzhuang, he's had enough rest in these past ten minutes. Now that his energy has returned, dealing with an ordinary person shouldn't be a problem.

Then, Lin Ge saw Li Sanwei.

He was still wearing his down jacket with the hood up, but over it he wore a long, cheap blue overcoat printed with advertisements. Coupled with his slightly hunched posture and the canvas bag slung over one shoulder, he looked like an ordinary temporary laborer. So much so that he walked casually through the alley without arousing suspicion. He even seemed very familiar with the surrounding area, walking straight ahead and making clean turns without hesitation.

Then... Lin Ge smelled the scent of the drunk middle-aged man who had caused all of this.

Without even needing to sniff carefully, Lin Ge looked up and spotted his slightly chubby figure. While his wife was still in the hospital under observation, this guy had set up two tables by the door and was playing mahjong with the neighbors and relatives who had previously helped him out!
Besides the sound of mahjong tiles, Lin Ge could even hear from afar what this guy had been saying before the fact. He was furiously cursing Li Sanwei and his son, using extremely foul language.

The three people at the table were annoyed by him, but since this guy and his family were shameless community scoundrels who loved to cause trouble and were not easy to offend, they could only patiently turn a deaf ear and treat his nonsense as farts.

"I'm going to find someone to kill him!"

Song Yuan couldn't help but touch his neck, still shaken and gritting his teeth. Seeing the three people beside him looking expressionless and indifferent, he glared and said, "Don't you believe me! My cousin is a gangster, he knows several big shots in Zhangzhou! Don't even mention a mere poor wretch like him, even the big bosses in Zhangzhou would have to greet him with a smile, right? I have a very good relationship with him, and if I ask him for help, he'll agree to it with just a word."

"Then why did you obediently pay 20,000 yuan to admit your drunk driving offense?"

The woman sitting at the table, annoyed by this boasting, rolled her eyes and said sarcastically, "If we had just called your cousin back then, none of this would have happened. Didn't you say he killed someone last time? One phone call and he'd have hacked people to pieces. There'd be no way Xiao Cui would have suffered any losses."

"..."

Song Yuan's lips twitched twice, and after a long while, he stubbornly said, "That's because I'm soft-hearted and spared his dog's life! To be honest, 20,000 yuan is nothing to me. I do investments with a friend, and we make hundreds of thousands a month like water! But I'm not happy about it, you know? I can give him money, but he can't treat me like an idiot! You agree, right? If you kneel down and call me 'brother' or 'father,' what's a few tens of millions of yuan to me? Right?"

"When are you going to pay back the 800 yuan you lost to me while playing cards last time?"

The neighbor sitting opposite suddenly looked up and spoke. Seeing Song Yuan's expression stiffen and he haphazardly play a card to explain, his eyes suddenly lit up: "Hey! Don't touch the 80,000, you've won! Even with a single 80,000, someone still let you win. Good luck, you'll make another profit today!"

"..."

Song Yuan was completely speechless, and the group continued chatting and slowly shuffling the cards.

No one noticed the gazes behind them. Li Sanwei, after glancing over from afar and confirming Song Yuan's presence, lowered his head and slowly walked away. As he passed a courtyard at the alley entrance, he paused briefly, drawn by the barking of a dog inside, but finding nothing amiss, he continued on his way.

"Didn't do anything?"

Lin Ge poked his head out of the yard.

He didn't believe Li Sanwei had made a special trip just to see Song Yuan. Therefore, as Li Sanwei continued towards the next alleyway, Lin Ge cautiously followed.

Then, he saw Li Sanwei knock on the door of the house next to Song Yuan's, the one facing right next to him.

The two houses had their back doors facing each other, separated only by a courtyard wall. In other words, it was easy to enter Song Yuan's house from the back door of one of the houses. When Lin Ge saw an old man open the door and be let in by Li Sanwei under the pretext of a gas inspection, his heart tightened.

He quickly ran over and listened intently at the door, but there was no sound inside. Looking around, he noticed that he could climb over the security bars on the second floor of the neighboring house's wall. Lin Ge quickly jumped up the wall using a tree as a stepping stone and then climbed up to the second floor.

As he climbed the forest, he cursed inwardly, thinking how incredibly slow Hu Lijun had been!
Perhaps it was because he was unaware of Li Sanwei's impending murder, or perhaps he was preoccupied with other matters. But ultimately, now was a time when his help was urgently needed, and Lin Ge alone was not confident he could completely stop Li Sanwei.

After all, if this guy really had a history of murder, and was wielding an axe, Lin Ge really couldn't say he could take him down unscathed.

Upon reaching the second floor, a small gap was opened in the window for ventilation.

Lin Ge carefully pried open the window and slipped inside, making no sound and alerting no one. Once inside, he could tell that the house was inhabited by the elderly couple; two simple cotton-padded jackets were spread on the bed. The house smelled only of the two elderly people; there was no sign of their children returning, at least not in the short term. Even on the first day of the Lunar New Year, no relatives had come home, leaving the elderly couple alone to celebrate the holiday.

Unfortunately, even in such companionship, a vile pest barged in unreasonably.

"What bad luck during the Lunar New Year!"

Lin Ge squinted and pricked up his ears as he carefully descended the stairs. By then, he could hear weak groans and pleas for mercy coming from the first floor, along with the old man's cough and the sound of Li Sanwei casually swinging his axe through the air.

"The last time I played with an axe was twenty years ago."

Feeling somewhat dissatisfied with the axe's grip, Li Sanwei slowly walked over to the elderly couple who had fallen to the ground and carefully raised the axe high into the air.

"Back then, we were a couple, and it was also Chinese New Year like this. My family was poor, his family was rich. I was at home eating cold steamed buns, while his little kid across the street was eating sweets and drinking glutinous rice balls. I was wearing old clothes, and he was showing off his little police uniform to me..."

"Spare...spare my life..."

The old man had some blood on his face, but thankfully his condition wasn't serious. Seeing Li Sanwei's cold gaze as he slowly searched for the right rhythm to chop with the axe, the old man said softly, "I...I still have some money upstairs...Spare me, you can have all the money..."

"It's alright, don't worry. I won't kill you now, let's wait until tonight."

Li Sanwei suddenly placed the axe on the table beside him, then squatted down and stared at the old man, saying, "Old man, let's see how you behave. It's alright, just behave yourself and wait for me to finish this, and I'll spare your lives. By the way, if the police come, you'd better be smart and know what you're supposed to do. Do you understand what I mean? I'll be gone in three or four hours at most. After that, you can pretend nothing happened and continue living your peaceful life, okay?"

The old man could only nod frantically, and looking at his wife who was so frightened that she had lost control of her bladder, he dared not resist any longer.

"Hehe... If those two old geezers back then had been as reasonable as you, that would have been great."

Li Sanwei stood up, looked around, and saw a table full of dishes. They all looked rather simple. He was a little disgusted, but still picked up a few peanuts and put them in his mouth. "Why bother? So what if he threw his son off the second floor? What's the big deal! I thought he invited me out to play to give me something good to eat, but it turns out he just wanted to show off in front of me. So... he's courting death, right? And those two, they can't let it go! They actually said they'd call the police and make me pay with my life! How can that be? I'm only twenty years old, I still have a long life ahead of me, how can I die? So if I don't die, then they'll have to die! On New Year's Day, I'll burn them all to ashes."

The two elderly people immediately began to tremble like leaves.

Even Lin Ge, hiding in the shadows, couldn't believe his eyes. He never imagined that Li Sanwei would do something so insane twenty years ago! He didn't spare a whole family of three, and then set them on fire...

How can such a wicked creature continue to live in this world?!

"Actually, I even helped put out the fire that day! The villagers were so kind; they all worked together to help, splashing water and moving things. By the time the police arrived, I had already run away. Later, I heard they found my DNA or something at the scene, but it didn't really matter, right? After two years of wandering, I came to Zhangzhou City, where I worked honestly, got married, and had children. That was the end of that. Sometimes when I dream about it, I feel quite regretful. I wish I hadn't started that fire; it seems like I could have handled it better in another way. I occasionally think about how I could handle something like this even better if it happened again, but I've never had a chance to put it into practice..."

Li Sanwei sat at the dining table eating while recounting his past.

This story, buried deep in his heart for twenty years, seemed to have suppressed him for far too long. Perhaps it was the evil in his nature, or perhaps it was the depravity that followed his involvement in human life. Even though he hadn't done anything wrong for twenty years, he suddenly awoke with a start when he grabbed the woman by the neck.

Furthermore, Hu Lijun's insistence on taking him to the hospital for blood tests and DNA analysis forced Li Sanwei to flee.

(End of this chapter)