Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 341 The Rumors (Please Subscribe)

The lock-picking skills of Zhangzhou's No. 1 Locksmith are truly eye-opening.

Li Yiduo had seen the security door of this pet store in an advertisement before, which boasted that it was more powerful than ordinary security doors.

But in the hands of this old locksmith, it only took less than a minute, and while he was even distracted bragging to the police, the lock was opened. The old locksmith solved the problem of not being able to get in without a key using only a steel plate.

"Heh... a security door that costs six thousand yuan is just so-so!"

Old Du clapped his hands and smiled smugly. Before anyone could see how he did it, the steel sheet in his hand vanished.

Everyone around stared in disbelief at the scene, and Jin Zeping and Li Yiduo looked at Lao Du with even greater wariness. If this old guy were to return to his old ways, how many security doors on the market could stop him?

"Hehe... Don't look at me like that! I stopped stealing a long time ago. After all, these days nobody has much cash at home, and the risk of theft is too great. I'd rather take on a few commissions from security door manufacturers to do their security tests. I get paid more each time, and it's not a hot potato. Seriously, Officer Jin, when you buy a security door in the future, don't just look at the brand or anything like that. The materials of a security door are all irrelevant. Who uses a hammer to smash it these days, right? Just look at the lock! A six-thousand-yuan door with a five-thousand-yuan lock, that's a good security door! All that fancy features are useless! They just tarnish the word 'security'!"

Old Du, with an air of mastery, boasted to the group, and casually took fifty yuan from Jin Zeping for the locksmith's fee. This was a discounted price because of the police; otherwise, he definitely wouldn't have gone out during the Spring Festival without at least two hundred yuan.

"So you can open all the electronic locks, fingerprint locks, especially those without interlocking mechanisms?"

Ji Yao couldn't help but speak up.

"Those things are all just fancy tricks!"

Old Du waved his hand dismissively, saying, "What password lock or fingerprint lock? Isn't their only purpose to help lazy people who don't carry keys? The front door is for preventing thieves, not for you to be lazy! If you're too lazy to even carry keys, you might as well not lock the door at all! Besides, anything with an LCD screen is inherently vulnerable, and a short circuit device is its nemesis. I'll take a small tool, a magnet, and an iron skewer, and disassemble that thing on a lighter; I can take care of it in no time. Of course... I can't say exactly how, hehe..."

"Is it really that incredible? Didn't the advertisement say that even the most skilled thief in Beijing couldn't open the electronic lock?"

Zhong Xianxian swallowed hard.

"Heh... If it really can't be opened, does that mean it'll be completely impossible to get in one day if it gets locked out?"

Old Du sneered.

"..."

The group was completely speechless, and there was really no way to refute them.

Old Du walked away smugly, and Jin Zeping opened the door to the pet shop. But as soon as the door opened, a nauseating stench almost made them vomit.

Hu Yezhong has been missing for five days, meaning the cattery's excrement and urine haven't been cleaned for at least five days. The amount excreted by dozens of cats is considerable; with the power outage and ventilation system shut down, the stench is unimaginable.

Lin Ge stayed outside and didn't plan to go in. He was even getting impatient with the two of them's dawdling. He closed his eyes and began to carefully smell the faint scent of Hu Yezhong around him.

The snow that fell on the 29th of the lunar year continued to fall until the next day. The scents left by pedestrians were covered and diluted by the snowflakes, and then washed away by the melting snow. With the north wind howling all the time, there was really nothing of any use left to smell.

Lin Ge had no idea what was going on with this guy named Hu Yezhong, whether he was dead or trapped, or anything like that.

But his life or death was related to the fate of these pet cats and the destiny of these unfortunate creatures, so Lin Ge couldn't help but worry about it.

Before, he had considered asking acquaintances to help them find homes. But after learning about the value of these cats, especially the Welsh cat, even Ringo didn't dare to make a decision for them on his own.

Sixty-six thousand! That's so much money, who has the authority to handle it for someone else?
"Meow?"

A cute Ragdoll cat came closer, its light blue eyes sparkling.

Lin Ge remembered that its price tag in the store was 16,600, so he casually named it 16,000. The other equally expensive plush toy was proud and didn't come closer, so Lin Ge named it 'Princess'.

Li Yiduo and his group of five had been there for quite some time without showing any threatening behavior. The cats gradually grew bolder, some approaching Lin Ge's side, and some even curiously touching the four model airplanes that Li Yiduo had left on the ground.

The brightly colored airplane is quite large, and it would be a good toy for a cat.

The fact that it would move when you touched its upturned wings amazed and intrigued the cats even more. A yellow and white stray cat curiously touched the tail of the airplane, causing its wings to sway from side to side, attracting other cats to quickly gather around.

One person tugs at the airplane wing, another grabs the nose of the plane, they're having a great time.

The Welsh cat, worth 66,000 yuan, kept its distance, seemingly very wary of humans. It meowed at Ringo from afar, urging him to come over, but Ringo ignored it, making it even more anxious and pacing around in circles.

Meanwhile, the other leader cat, Big Yellow, remained completely oblivious to all the humans. It kept its eyes glued to the cat food bag protected by a tabby cat, but no amount of threats or intimidation could make the tabby roll off the bag. Seeing the tabby cat obediently perching on the bag as ordered by Ringo, even sneaking its paws into the gaps to steal a few kibble, Big Yellow grew increasingly anxious. But the tabby cat, which had once been its underling, had betrayed it, leaving Big Yellow utterly helpless.

It dared not use force, for the cat would meow if it did. When the cat meowed, Lingo would turn to look. As soon as Lingo turned, Dahuang would pretend nothing was wrong and look elsewhere. This foolish and greedy appearance made Lingo chuckle.

Holy crap! My plane!

Ye Ming, holding his nose as he came out of the house, immediately saw a large orange cat perched on his biplane. The cat's heavy body bent the wings and caused the support bars on the upper and lower wings to fly off. He quickly ran over in alarm to chase it away.

Seeing the fat ball running like an earthquake, the cats immediately scattered.

But then there was this greedy big blue cat who, for some reason, grabbed Zhong Xianxian's Zero fighter's tail fin and ran off with it. The poor Zero was dragged along the ground, bouncing and hopping, while the blue cat also stumbled along, both of them looking rather pathetic.

My Kamikaze!

Zhong Xianxian screamed and hurriedly ran over to intercept him.

Having finally managed to seize the plane, all three looked like they were on the verge of tears. Only Li Yiduo remained indifferent, frowning as he continued to ponder, then took out his phone, dialed a number, and waited quietly by his ear.

Shortly afterward, the park's management staff came running over, panting, and were shocked after hearing Jin Zeping's words.

"I...I don't know either! Our tenants do pay for their own water and electricity, but that's company policy, and it helps prevent embezzlement. Besides, even if the card is broken, they can just call me, why do they need to go out themselves?"

"So, you're saying that Hu Yezhong's matter has nothing to do with you? You don't know where he went?"

Jin Zeping neither confirmed nor denied the allegations.

“It’s already the Lunar New Year, and the management company is on holiday. We usually don’t come over to bother people during the holidays unless someone calls. Although we do have some arguments with Lao Hu, they’re just minor things like the cats being noisy and cleaning. We’re just employees; we wouldn’t go so far as to make someone disappear!”

The managers tried desperately to explain themselves, but to no avail.

Do you know who Hu Yezhong usually has conflicts with?

"This...isn't it?"

The manager blinked, his answer somewhat hesitant.

"Ok?"

Jin Zeping's eyes widened immediately.

The manager, no longer daring to conceal the truth, quickly shouted, "It's just... a slight conflict with the surrounding shops! After all, he keeps too many cats, and some people aren't used to the smell! Plus, he's from out of town, and he seems easy to bully. He sells expensive cats and makes a lot of money, so Old Chen, who sells sporting goods next door, always likes to cause him trouble! A few days ago, Old Chen's son ran into his shop to play with the cats and got caught, and even extorted five thousand yuan from Old Hu! Clearly... clearly it was the child who was being naughty and pulled the cat's tail, but Old Chen insists it's Old Hu's fault! This... this shop window was smashed by Old Chen with a hammer, and since it's the New Year, it's hard to find someone to repair it, so Old Hu covered it up with a board."

After he finished speaking, Ye Ming and the other two who were walking over with model airplanes were immediately filled with righteous indignation.

Zhong Xianxian shouted angrily, "I think this sporting goods store owner is very, very suspicious! Since he dared to extort five thousand yuan, it's possible that he'd go further and become greedy for money, right? Besides, he does business next door, so he knows whether Hu Yezhong has any money."

The three of them looked at Li Yiduo together.

Li Yiduo glanced at Jin Zeping and helped answer, "In this kind of case, there's no such thing as whether someone is a suspect or not. As long as the person hasn't been found, we have to search for every single person who has even the slightest connection. Even if there's a 99% chance that someone is completely unrelated, the police can't let it go. So, brothers, read fewer mystery comics! When the police are investigating a case, they don't just look for the most likely suspects and ignore those with alibis."

“That must be so hard! Li Yiduo, to be honest, I really think that with your qualifications and abilities, it’s really not worth it for you to be a policeman.”

Ji Yao sighed. "Heh... If I don't do it, other police officers will. There's no question of whether it's worth it or not; it's all for the sake of protecting the peace of the area, so it's only right to work a little harder."

Li Yiduo smiled and looked at Jin Zeping: "Contact your police station to find this old Chen? If the Baimiao Police Station is short-handed, you can also ask our Zhanghe Police Station for help. After all, a life is at stake. Finding Hu Yezhong a minute earlier might increase his chances of survival."

"Hehe, no need!"

Suddenly another voice came from behind; it was Liu Shengyou who had finally arrived with his men after receiving the news.

Just then, he overheard Li Yiduo's words. He curled his lip, recalling Nie Guoqiang's insatiable greed, and waved his hand as he walked over, saying, "Hehe... It's the New Year, there's no need to trouble you! Your Zhanghe Police Station is already working hard enough. I heard there was another big case yesterday? Hehe... This kind of finding someone is just a matter of running around. Don't worry, let me call back those on leave first."

Liu Shengyou didn't want to be looked down upon by Nie Guoqiang, nor did he want to trouble his brother unit during the Spring Festival, so he decided to get his own resting cops to do the extra work first. As long as they don't die from overwork, they'll work themselves to the bone—isn't that how all police officers are?

Seeing his attitude, Li Yiduo didn't know what to say. After all, it was a matter within his jurisdiction, and he, an auxiliary police officer who hadn't yet been officially promoted, had no right to interfere.

"Hey! Mimi, long time no see!"

After listening to Jin Zeping recount the details, Liu Shengyou turned around and saw Lin Ge squatting to the side, listening intently. His eyes lit up when he saw Lin Ge, and he reached out with his icy hand to grab Lin Ge's ear.

"court death!"

Without hesitation, Lingo swung his claws.

"Haha... Just kidding, just kidding!"

Liu Shengyou knew Lin Ge's temper all along, so he dodged ahead of Lin Ge before Lin Ge could make a move. Seeing that Lin Ge was still relentlessly pursuing him, he quickly changed the subject, saying, "Mimi, with such a big thing happening today, why didn't you say a word? Before, you couldn't wait to be the center of attention over even the smallest things, why are you so quiet now? And this whole thing was your doing, so why don't you hurry up and show us your skills?"

"..."

Lin Ge ignored him.

And whether it was just his imagination or not, just as Liu Shengyou arrived in the police car, Lin Ge vaguely heard a very indistinct human voice amidst the sound of the siren.

The sound was carried by the north wind, so faint it was almost indistinguishable. If Lin Ge hadn't been confident in his sharp hearing, he would have almost thought it was just his imagination. But when he listened more closely, the sound disappeared again.

"Meow?"

For some reason, several pet cats also started to get restless.

"Could it be that they also heard the sound? And because they've spent so much time together, they even managed to identify that the voice belonged to Hu Yezhong?"

Lin Ge had this question.

In any case, the attitude of these pet cats indicates that such a possibility certainly exists. Just as Li Yiduo said earlier, for the police, there is no such thing as possible or impossible. Even if it's only a one percent chance, as police officers, we must investigate it thoroughly. Especially when this matter concerns a person's precious life, we absolutely cannot be lazy and abandon it just because we feel the possibility is too small.

Ignoring Liu Shengyou's rambling, Lin Ge squinted and walked toward the direction from which the sound came.

"Ok?"

Liu Shengyou was stunned for a moment.

But when he saw several of his pet cats, who had been hiding far away, emerge from their hiding places and follow Mimi forward, he looked serious.

Liu Shengyou took out his phone to send a message, beckoned to Jin Zeping, and followed silently with several police officers at the back.

"I guess... this is the direction?"

Lin Ge didn't actually know where the sound was coming from; the only thing he could estimate was that it shouldn't be far away.

But strangely, if the distance was so close, why couldn't I smell Hu Yezhong's scent? The north wind could carry his voice, so it should be able to carry his scent as well!

Since the sound was so faint, Lin Ge could only rely on his senses and memory to keep going. As he walked, he came to the vicinity of an artificial river deep in the sports park, but after looking around, he didn't find anything suspicious.

"Meow?"

The Welsh cat appeared beside Ringo at some point, mimicking his mannerisms by looking around, then sniffing and making puzzled noises.

"Did you find something?"

Lin Ge looked at the creature expectantly. Given the time it had spent with Hu Yezhong, it should know better than him whether there was that creature's scent nearby.

Unfortunately, after sniffing for a while, the Welsh cat looked very disappointed.

It's just an ordinary cat after all. Even Lin Ge's supposedly strongest sense of smell can't detect it. Expecting anything from this guy is wishful thinking.

"Meow!"

But at that moment, the 16,000 Welsh cats suddenly started meowing all at once.

As they cried out, a very weak cry for help trembled and entered Lingo's ears.

Lin Ge stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

Seeing the two cats frantically pacing around but unable to find the direction from which the sound came, Lin Ge took off running straight towards the stone arch bridge ahead.

"Follow!"

Liu Shengyou's eyes lit up.

Lin Ge ran very fast and soon arrived at the stone arch bridge. Looking up from below, the bridge was wet, and there were even signs of people slipping and falling. But this was not Lin Ge's focus. He simply walked cautiously to the edge of the stone bridge and peered down from the bridge pillar.

A very obvious scratch appeared in Lin Ge's line of sight, and he even saw the marks of fingers gripping the dry water plants next to him.

However, the aquatic plants are ultimately fragile and simply not enough to support the weight of an adult who has lost their balance. Thus, some unfortunate soul fell headfirst into the artificial lake in the heavy snow, becoming trapped by the mud and ice.

"Ouch!"

Seeing the pale-faced man with his eyes closed, lying face up in the mud with half his body submerged in the lake water, Lin Ge showed a nervous yet excited expression.

He could see it clearly: the man's chest was still rising and falling slightly. In other words, this man, who had been immersed in the icy lake for four or five days, had miraculously survived and was still managing to hold on to his life.

What an incredible thing this is!

Anyone in this situation would not be able to endure it. Even if they could, the human body is not strong enough to withstand five days of hunger, and the pain would be compounded by the biting cold.

But incredibly...

Hu Yezhong is still alive; he can even blink slightly, but that's all he can do.

"Meow!"

"Meow!"

Upon seeing Hu Yezhong, the Welsh cat and 16,000 people exclaimed excitedly together.

(End of this chapter)