Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 348 A Day of Being Watched

Tang Li led the way, while Lin Ge led the leopard slowly behind.

The zoo staff, who had been called to work overtime, scattered and watched this scene from a distance. Looking around at the people directing the evacuation and the police following behind the crowd, they felt that this was the first time they had ever seen anything like this in all the time they had worked at the zoo.

Even the zoo director, the kind woman who intended to introduce giant pandas, stood quietly beside the lynx enclosure. She smiled as she watched Lin Ge lead the leopard, maintaining the same rhythm of shaking its fur and wagging its tail, step by step towards them.

"Guoqiang, you brought these two lynxes back. If anything happens to them, you'll be responsible."

While joking with Nie Guoqiang, the zoo director gestured for Tang Li to open the gate to the lynx enclosure. After hearing the story of Lin Ge, the lynx, and the leopard, she took it upon herself to decide to turn the two lynxes into "tool babies" to restrain the leopard and exhaust its excess energy.

"Aren't you afraid that this leopard might run away with two lynxes next time? To be honest, I have some doubts about whether the case at the zoo last time was really as the suspect said, that the leopard ran out and attacked him."

Nie Guoqiang rubbed his temples, feeling that none of these people or animals could give him any peace of mind.

"Ah……"

The headmistress smiled but didn't say anything. As for what she was thinking, Nie Guoqiang couldn't guess.

"Woo?"

As Lingo led the leopard past its own cage, it tilted its head and made a puzzled sound as Lingo continued walking forward.

"Idiot, do you think they'll let you stay here and sneak out again next time?"

Lin Ge turned back with disdain, gesturing for the guy to come with him. To be honest, Lin Ge wasn't too keen on having the leopard live with the two lynx cubs. The two little guys were so well-behaved; it wouldn't be good if this rascal corrupted them.

But the two little ones do need to learn some skills, instead of continuing to waste their time playing all day.

Just like this leopard, it can roam freely throughout the zoo—that's its skill. Even when faced with threats or malicious attacks from humans, it can use various means to evade and escape, which is quite remarkable. As a wild animal capable of escaping gunfire, this creature's ability is something Lin Ge acknowledges. And the two lynx cubs, having lost their mother's guidance, certainly need a capable teacher like this to give them sufficient skills to protect themselves.

"Whoa!"

Upon seeing Lin Ge leading Teacher Leopard over, the two lynx cubs were incredibly excited. But even with the cage door open, they didn't run out; instead, they anxiously circled and howled near the entrance.

Clearly, after these days, they have become accustomed to life in the zoo.

"Ow!"

Lin Ge stopped at the entrance of the lynx enclosure, gesturing for the leopard to hurry inside and stop causing trouble for others.

No one expected that the leopard would suddenly lower its head, nudge its nose, and knock Lin Ge over, shoving him into the garden. Before Lin Ge could get up and retaliate, it turned around, gave the surrounding crowd a mocking and disdainful smile, and followed him in, swishing its tail.

"Close the door quickly!"

Fearing further conflict, the zoo management quickly ordered Tang Li to close the gate. Lin Ge, who had gotten up, was then dismayed to find himself locked up in the lynx enclosure along with the leopard, unable to leave.

"Holy crap, let me out!"

Enraged, Lin Ge clung to the glass wall and roared furiously at the outside.

But who would open the door now?
"Ugh~~"

Behind him, the bastard leopard was laughing heartily, its voice practically echoing. Seeing Lin Ge jumping around and cursing, it smugly approached and licked Lin Ge's head. Even after being slapped by Lin Ge, it wasn't angry and continued its affectionate advances.

"You bastard, why did you bring me in here!"

Lin Ge cursed and unleashed a flurry of slaps, but the bastard nimbly dodged them with a backflip. Seeing the creature's tail held high like a question mark, hopping around restlessly, Lin Ge turned away and decided to ignore it.

"Mimi, you can stay inside for a while. I'll have them release you once the leopard calms down."

聂国强忍俊不禁的看着两只小猞猁还有一只大豹子围着自家咪咪胡闹，偏偏猫只有两只前爪实在应付不过来。好不容易抓住拽它尾巴的猞猁一顿胖揍，就又被金钱豹舔了耳朵。暴怒的林戈转头再去找金钱豹的麻烦，却被它敏捷的躲开。林戈又不依不饶的直追过去，追着金钱豹爬上树再跳到另一棵树上，一猫一豹就这么跑酷一样追逐起来，让人眼花缭乱。

Seeing Lingo run away, the two lynx cubs quickly chased after him, meowing as they went. Unfortunately, they had recently become quite obese and couldn't keep up with the cat and leopard at all, so they could only watch from behind, meowing pitifully.

"Is this thing really a cat?"

Yuan Qu stared in astonishment as the cat and leopard darted among the branches, playfully wrestling. He had never seen anything like this, not even in his dreams; not even Disney would dare to film something like this! Yet, right before his eyes, this scene was truly unfolding.

"So, Nie Guoqiang really struck gold. This guy's abilities are even more impressive than we imagined. If we get him into the Municipal Public Security Bureau..."

Zhai Xiaojun pinched his chin, secretly hatching a wicked plan.

"Hehe... You can give it a try. I'll support you from behind. As long as you can get this cat from Nie Guoqiang, from now on your Second Squadron will be the main force in solving cases for the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Brigade. How about it, are you in?"

Yang Ye was instigating maliciously from behind.

"hey-hey……"

Zhai Xiaojun chuckled twice and then fell silent.

Meanwhile, the zoo director also had her eye on Lin Ge. Seeing Nie Guoqiang pursing his lips as he looked at the panting cat in its cage, she walked over and said with a smile, "Guoqiang, why don't we just keep this cat at our zoo? I think its abilities are definitely more than what it is now. Maybe from today onwards, our zoo will be able to raise a beast king! Then, if anything happens again, these kids will have someone to rely on..."

"Don't joke with me. Besides, Mimi has a formal position at the police station! It's fine if you need to borrow her sometimes, but if you really leave her at the zoo... that guy is willful, I'm afraid she'll find my bedside one night and kill me."

Nie Guoqiang gave a wry smile and shook his head, rejecting the zoo director's seemingly joking remark.

"So you knew about this too!"

Exhausted and lying there resigned, Lin Ge endured the harassment from the three bastards while glaring fiercely at Nie Guoqiang through the glass fence.

He was covered in mud, splattered all over by that bastard leopard, a filthy mess that reeked of crocodile stench. Feeling extremely uncomfortable and disgusted, Lin Ge decided to find a haystack and slowly rub the mud onto the leaves.

Seeing Lin Ge's actions, the leopard's eyes lit up. Although the mud made its camouflage even more perfect, it was still uncomfortable to have the mud sticking to its skin. So it found a tree and started rubbing itself against it, just like Lin Ge.

The cat and the leopard, their similar movements, made onlookers chuckle.

Especially when the two little lynxes, unaware of what was happening, started rolling around on the grass like Lingo, everyone finally couldn't help but burst into laughter, completely easing the tense atmosphere.

"Captain Zhai, we've caught him!"

Pan Yingxi walked quietly to Zhai Xiaojun's side, bowed, and whispered, "He is indeed a worker who renovates the zoo. He's still sleeping in the shed by the main gate! We found an air rifle under his bed, which he said he had custom-made a few years ago. He used to only use it to shoot birds, catch stray dogs, and make hot pot. The reason he targeted the leopard is because the night before last, when he was strolling around the zoo, he saw the leopard crawl out of its cage."

"So he's so audacious as to target a leopard? Even if he's stupid, he should know that leopards are protected animals, right? Hah, he even shot a bird? These days, besides sparrows and crows, what bird isn't a protected animal?"

Zhai Xiaojun gave a cold laugh.

Pan Yingxi also laughed and said, "He said he was just joking, and kept saying things like he didn't catch any, and that he wasn't planning to catch the leopard, he was just following along to take a look, which was nonsense. But when we got his phone, we saw in his browser history that he had searched for how to sell leopard bones and skins. This guy was even bragging to a group of coworkers in a WeChat group about how to eat leopard meat, which is undoubtedly a deliberate act of poaching with both the person and the evidence."

The thought that this idiot didn't even know how to handle browser history made Pan Yingxi happy about this easy success. He had been worried about not being able to get evidence after the failed hunt, but now it was all happening so conveniently that he didn't even need to bother with any investigation.

"Heh... Illegal possession and use of prohibited firearms, illegal hunting of protected birds, illegal hunting of national first-class protected animals, plus illegal theft of zoo property—this guy's crimes are countless. You don't need to explain so much to this kind of person. There's no need to be polite to this arrogant bastard who doesn't respect the law. Take him directly to the station for questioning. I want to see what else he's done!" Zhai Xiaojun had no interest in dealing with this idiot; he only secretly resented that in this day and age, so many people still didn't take the national law seriously.

Many people always use excuses like being uneducated or ignorant to justify their actions, but they don't understand that the bottom line of the law is actually lower than that of morality. As long as you don't do anything morally wrong, how can you break the law? Saying you don't understand the law or something, but shouldn't everyone have some sense of shame? Shameless people are bound to break the law sooner or later; at most, it's just a matter of breaking the law or committing a crime, and sooner or later they'll all end up in the hands of the police.

In short, this matter initially caused quite a stir, even nearly alarming the municipal party committee. Fortunately, the bigger the storm, the smaller the danger, and the matter was resolved quickly without escalating into major consequences.

After giving the zoo a reprimand and informing the relevant administrative authorities, the police officers took the suspect and several coworkers who knew about the incident but failed to report it back to the city bureau.

Nie Guoqiang also wanted to leave, but faced with Lin Ge's expression that threatened to kill him if he dared to leave, he could only sigh helplessly and follow the principal to the office.

Even after the main group left, the number of onlookers didn't decrease much. A few police officers who had been urgently called in for overtime and were given a day off afterward, zoo employees, and a few nearby residents who had somehow slipped in, all remained curiously gathered around the lynx enclosure. They chatted and laughed as they watched the lynxes, leopards, and cats interact. Some even pulled out handfuls of sunflower seeds, cracking them open and distributing them to those around them.

These bastards seem to think this scene is a lively moment in the increasingly boring Chinese New Year atmosphere; they're just short of setting up tables and chairs and getting two tables full of candy, snacks, drinks, and mahjong.

As for those taking random photos with their phones, Lin Ge had no interest in paying attention to them.

See? You're making a fool of me! Anyway, I'm all dirty right now and you can't even tell what I look like. And silver shaded cats are pretty common. Once I'm cleaned up and go out again, you won't even know who I am!

Lin Ge lay on the withered grass, looking dejected, ignoring the two lynxes that pawed at him.

The leopard went to its room to eat. The poor fellow had been hiding in the mud for half a day and was already exhausted. When it saw Tang Li bring in a poached chicken, it didn't stand on ceremony, just brushed Tang Li's leg with its tail before burying its head and gobbling it down.

With this troublemaker gone, Lin Ge was finally able to relax a bit.

He pulled Little Timid and Little Confused in front of him and slowly examined the two lynx cubs. They couldn't even be called lynx cubs anymore; these two had grown to be even bigger and stronger than Lingo.

"Whoa!"

Little Timid was being examined by Lingo for parasites. After a while, it got impatient and tried to get up, but Lingo pressed it back down with a paw.

"If we can't handle that leopard, we can certainly handle you!"

Lin Ge snorted coldly, and only let Little Timid go after confirming that it had no external injuries and its fur was still relatively shiny. He treated Little Fool in the same way; after all, he had brought them back from the Southern Province, and he wanted to see if they were doing well.

"Gululu..."

Little Hutu was a lazybones. It even felt comfortable being rubbed by Lin Ge, so it simply rolled over, exposed its belly, curled up its limbs, closed its eyes, and lazily let Lin Ge massage it.

"Woo?"

Just then, a bloody, foul-smelling mouth loomed behind Lin Ge, startling him so much that he almost jumped up.

Turning over, he saw that the leopard had already eaten its fill. A few chicken feathers were even stuck between its teeth, making it look bloody and ferocious. Only then did Lin Ge realize that this creature was actually a beast!

Especially after it had just finished eating, the bloody smell of raw meat emanating from its mouth made Lin Ge feel physically uncomfortable.

My tiny size isn't even enough for this big cat to eat in one bite.

So Lin Ge glared fiercely at the leopard, gritting his teeth and threatening, "You bastard, don't always show up behind me like that! I'm warning you, if you ever lose your mind and dare to lay a hand on me, I'll definitely kill you, you believe me!"

"Ouch!"

The leopard roared loudly, its majestic appearance eliciting gasps from the onlookers outside the cage. Its size was vastly different from the kitten in front of it; if it were to bite, where could the kitten run?
"Quick! Go save the cat!"

An older woman quickly ordered around the zoo staff who were watching the commotion.

"I...I'm in charge of the swans and partridges, I don't have the key to the lynx enclosure! Hey, where's Tang Li?"

The unfortunate employee quickly turned around to look for someone.

But just then, the leopard in the cage suddenly turned over and lay down on its back. To everyone's astonishment, the leopard mimicked Little Hutu's actions, rolling over to expose its belly, then curling up its limbs and turning to look at Lin Ge with a silly expression.

"Woo?"

Is it my turn? That bastard definitely means that!
Lin Ge gritted his teeth as he watched.

You think I'm a massage therapist?

But upon seeing this, Lin Ge was taken aback.

Wow! It's a female leopard!
Cough, cough!

"Don't look at what you shouldn't see," Lin Ge said sullenly, placing his paws on the leopard's belly and slowly massaging it to help it digest.

Lin Ge felt a little sorry for the guy when he saw that tiny bit of the tip of his ear was missing. It was just lucky; otherwise, if the air gun had hit it a little more accurately, it would have blown its head off.
The rarer the animal, the more likely someone is to be tempted to buy it. Leopard bones and pelts—frankly, if they're available, someone will definitely take the risk. This is what led to it being targeted. Also, the suspect, a seasoned bird hunter, must have been quite accurate. Overall, aside from luck, this creature was clever enough to use the terrain and its fur to hide where the suspect couldn't find it. Otherwise, with even the slightest mishap, it would be a pile of mangled flesh by now.

If it really comes to that, who can it turn to for redress?

"Hey! You'd better behave yourself from now on!"

Lin Ge sighed and gently patted its belly.

这个蠢货也就是运气好住在漳市动物园，换作其他地方这么撒野，早就被教训了。动物园的动物再宝贵，那也只是动物而已。真调皮犯贱再遇到脾气不好的饲养员，被教训甚至被揍也并非是不可能的事情。也就是唐梨小姑娘年轻又喜欢动物，否则真要给它个教训饿它几天，难道谁还能说唐梨做的不对？
"Woo~"

The leopard was hurt by Lin Ge's slap, but it didn't care. It looked up at the wire mesh ceiling of the lynx enclosure, its eyes darting around.

Without anyone noticing, this thing had already pinpointed a relatively loose clip. To be honest, it had studied this thing quite a bit over the past few days, knowing exactly which ones could be easily pried open and which ones required patience.

"Hey! The cat is giving the leopard a massage!"

The onlookers had no intention of leaving; when they saw Lin Ge rubbing the leopard's belly, they all quickly took out their phones to take pictures.

The flashing lights were annoying, but both Lin Ge and the leopard were used to it. The leopard, feeling comfortable from being pressed, lazily opened its mouth wide and yawned, actually dozing off with its belly exposed in full view of everyone.

It's obvious that it's really tired.

Hu Yezhong fell into the pond and was half-frozen to death. Does this guy think it's comfortable hiding in the mud? Even though it acted relatively normally, Lin Ge knew that it had still suffered a lot.

Lin Ge glanced at it speechlessly, then turned to signal the two lynx cubs to stop making a fuss and let the leopard sleep a little longer.

"Hmm~"

Suddenly, a huge snot bubble popped out from the leopard's nose.

Thank you to reader 20220502210839579 for the 100-coin reward. As usual, I'd like to ask for your monthly votes.

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(End of this chapter)