Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 413 Tacit understanding
Using the shared exhaust pipe, Lingo quickly found the exhaust vent of the next room.

The entrance here is blocked by a check valve, but how could it stop a magical creature whose body is like liquid?

Plus, there wasn't much grease around, so Lin Ge quickly crawled into the aluminum foil-lined indoor duct. Finding that the range hood had a mesh opening that he couldn't squeeze through, he simply tore open the foil and jumped down.

"Ok?"

Upon going downstairs, they discovered that no one had lived here for a long time. A thin layer of dust covered the tiled floor, and Lin Ge's every step left several obvious cat paw prints.

Taking a couple of steps forward, I found that there were few signs of habitation here. The living room was very spacious, and the beds in both rooms were covered with newspapers to keep out the dust.

Lin Ge didn't have time to observe further and quickly went to the room next door, which was separated by only one wall.

Upon entering, it was discovered that the hidden door wasn't concealed by the bedside, but by a heavy, old-fashioned wooden computer desk. The dark red desk was pressed against the wall, also covered in dust. Even the computer case, mouse, and keyboard, placed directly on the desk, were covered in a thick layer of dust, showing almost no signs of use.

Lin Ge squeezed through the gap in the desk and found that the entrance to the secret room was right next to a computer desk drawer. The four drawers stacked on top of each other were about the same size as the entrance, so this might be the direction Shu Chengcai usually used for the secret room.

Lin Ge pulled out all four drawers. By then, he could hear the locksmith arrive outside and repeatedly asking if he would take responsibility for the incident.

Knowing that time was of the essence, Lin Ge quickly jumped into the top drawer and then crawled into the spacious area created by moving the drawer aside. Sure enough, there was no back panel on this side of the drawer. The door to the secret room was also slightly smaller than the drawer; pushing it inward caused the disguised door to open outward.

"Should we transfer the money here, or hide it in a secret room?"

Lin Ge suddenly hesitated for a moment.

However, this period of hesitation was short, mainly because once the secret room was discovered, it didn't really matter where the money was hidden. Therefore, after successfully determining that the two secret rooms were connected, Lin Ge took two steps back and closed the door again.

Just then, something resembling a deposit slip quietly slipped out from under the drawer. Lin Ge caught it instinctively, opened it, and was stunned for a moment.

What the hell?

The number two is followed by one zero, two zeros... Holy crap! So many zeros!
"Twenty million?"

After verifying it twice, Lin Ge finally confirmed the amount on the document, which he wasn't sure was any kind of document.

Now it all makes sense. This guy is indeed a corrupt official, and the amount he embezzled is much larger than we imagined.

The 500,000 yuan he transferred to his daughter might not have been for his wife and daughter's future living expenses, but rather for the expenses incurred during their journey back to China and Xizhong City to take the huge sum of money hidden in this house with them...

"Damn it! Jixi County is so poor, yet there are still corrupt officials? There might be more than one such receipt. Just how much has this damned bastard embezzled or pocketed?"

Lin Ge thought angrily.

With this huge sum of money in hand, Lin Ge was even more determined not to expose this secret room to the Xizhong City police. A loss of tens of millions in Xizhong City's finances was insignificant, but if Jixi County could obtain this money, it might bring about a dramatic transformation under Fang Yun's leadership.

Economy, people's livelihood, education, transportation—so many things need development, and without money, nothing can be done. Often, the future hope of an impoverished county may be thwarted by a mere fraction of a penny's worth of funding, forcing it to swallow its pride and despair.

"Yes, we absolutely cannot let Xizhong City take it! Even if this is Xizhong City's territory, the case occurred in Jixi County, so Jixi County should be responsible for it, instead of all the time-wasting buck-passing and shirking."

Lingo made up his mind again, carefully stuffed the receipts back into the secret room, closed the door, and crawled out of the computer desk drawer.

Then, he went to the front door and listened intently, pressing his ear against the security door.

The locksmith has already opened the door across the street, and it seems like he didn't encounter any difficulties. I wonder if those advertised high-security doors ever consider the challenges of dealing with professionals.

As usual, Captain Ji left one person to guard the door while the others went into the house across the street. Soon, exclamations of surprise could be heard, and Lin Ge even heard someone on the other side making a phone call, reporting to their superiors that the target had been found.

It seems they've already discovered the burned cash left in the trash can. That makes sense; the situation there couldn't possibly hide it from professionals.

“Someone got here before us and even took the cash! There were new banknotes left on the bed sheets in the bathroom, and several boxes were completely empty!”

Captain Ji's angry voice rang out at the same time, and Lin Ge was also taken aback by the missing information found in the bed sheet. But thinking about it, it made sense; in the chaos, how could there be time to check if everything had been collected?

Around three million, which is about 30,000 banknotes! Even with bed sheets covering them, it's inevitable that some might slip through.

"However, Captain Ji's judgment that the cash transfer was deliberate? Didn't he suspect me?"

Lin Ge paused for a moment, then suddenly realized.

Indeed, how could an ordinary person possibly think of an animal? The more focused a person is on reasoning, the less they can accept situations outside of logic. Whether the cat moved the money or escaped through the chimney, it's not within the context of such a person's on-site judgment and analysis.

All windows at the scene had security bars, and the front door was tightly closed. Given that no one was hiding inside, the conclusion that someone had initiated the operation beforehand is a common-sense and unquestionable conclusion.

However, there was a cat here that defied all common sense, a creature that Captain Ji had never even considered.

"Check the surrounding surveillance footage! See if any strangers have come in recently, or if anyone has left with a suitcase. Also, check all vehicles leaving the area, including long-term residents!"

Captain Ji quickly issued the order, while inwardly regretting that he hadn't been just a little faster.

The suspect must have just left, otherwise he wouldn't have been in such a hurry, or even had time to clean up the scene! If I had been just a little faster, I would have had a chance to corner the suspect in this house and catch him red-handed! But now, all my efforts have been in vain!
"Phew... You almost cornered me. If it weren't for the corrupt official's secret room, you would have solved this case perfectly."

Lin Ge, hiding behind the door, sighed inwardly, thinking that there were indeed formidable people all over the country. Captain Ji's plan seemed to have failed at the last minute, but if it weren't for a special cat, his operation would have been almost flawless.

Even now, Lin Ge doesn't know how Captain Ji located the State Grid community, since they shouldn't have had any leads here.

"He was a capable person, but unfortunately, one wrong step led to another."

Upon receiving Captain Ji's order, two police officers were ordered to remain on standby and secure the scene. Lin Ge himself hurriedly led the others to check the surveillance footage at the entrance of the residential area. Lin Ge knew that the first major problem had been successfully overcome.

However, they still couldn't let their guard down, because the existence of the secret room couldn't possibly have escaped the notice of the Xizhong City police. It was only because they suspected the suspect hadn't gone far that Captain Ji hurriedly went out to give chase. Once he was certain the pursuit had failed, he would definitely lead a team to conduct a thorough investigation and evidence collection of the house.

By then, the cat hair and traces inevitably left behind by the locked room and Lin Ge's hasty actions will be exposed again under the noses of the Xizhong City police, who will then be able to deduce the general details.

Therefore, the time Captain Ji was away from here was the best opportunity that Lin Ge had worked so hard to obtain.

If the cash and huge sums of stolen money cannot be transferred back to Jixi County during this opportunity, everything will be meaningless once the Xizhong City police react.

"So, Zheng Mingxing, it's all up to you now. The collar has my location information, so you know exactly where I am. In that case, hurry up and get moving, you idiot! This isn't just three million anymore, it's tens of millions, you moron!"

Lingo could do no more, so he could only place his hopes on his other companions.

Of course, Lin Ge also believed that these people wouldn't let him down. After all, they were all determined not to lose to the elite police officers of Xizhong City Public Security Bureau!

"Hmm... it feels a bit strange that a national police officer would become a villain opposing the Xizhong City Public Security Bureau. Oh well, it's all for the children in impoverished areas..."

Lin Ge muttered something under his breath, then impatiently tried to pull his head out with his hind legs. The filth from climbing the oily pipes made him extremely uncomfortable; it was black, greasy, sticky, and smelly, and every hair on his body seemed to be screaming in agony. He wished he could jump into hot water and boil himself to make himself feel better.

"Hey? What brings you guys here?"

Suddenly, the sound of several footsteps came from outside, and Officer Wang, who was guarding the door, also spoke with a smile.

Lin Ge froze as he lay on his back on the ground pulling at his head, then quickly scrambled to his feet.

He didn't expect the Xizhong City police to arrive so quickly; this completely denied Zheng Mingxing any chance to resort to underhanded tactics.

"Haha, the case has been solved. With the help of Instructor Zheng from Zhangzhou City, those kids have all confessed. So I'm here to receive the evidence. I don't think I need to notify you about my case in Jixi County, do I?"

The loud voice that rang out from outside the door was actually Lu Dingping's. His excited voice and agitated emotions put Lin Ge at ease.

Quickly refocusing, Lin Ge recognized that besides Lu Dingping, there were also Li Yiduo and three other policemen from Jixi County outside the door. In other words, the support from Jixi County had arrived earlier than that from Xizhong City, and he could finally breathe a sigh of relief and hand over the trouble. "Tsk tsk! Congratulations, such a heinous case was solved so quickly. Old Lu, your Jixi County Public Security Bureau is probably going to be in the province tonight."

Officer Wang and Lu Dingping actually knew each other, and he congratulated them with smiles. But then he changed the subject and said slyly, "But you can't go into this house. I have a case in Xizhong City that I need to find evidence in there, and it won't do if you disturb the crime scene. So, you have to wait in line! Or tell me what you're looking for, and I'll look through it for you?"

"..."

Lu Dingping remained silent.

Now that you've found it, how can Jixi County expect to take that money with them?

Although Lu Dingping didn't know why the Xizhong City police, who seemed blind to Zhou Zhihai's claims, hadn't noticed the money Zhou Zhihai had left on the bed, he knew it must be thanks to that magical police cat from the Zhanghe Police Station.

That's impressive. In Xizhong City, a den of thieves, they managed to evade so many police officers, arriving at the scene first and hiding the money. Is this even a cat? This is the level of a professional agent!

While pondering to himself, Lu Dingping laughed and argued with Officer Wang.

He knew the cat had its limits, and if they were all too incompetent and the mission failed, they couldn't blame the cat. After all, a cat could complete the mission; why should they, grown men, be a hindrance?

So Lu Dingping started rambling on and on, determined to rush in and find out what was going on first.

But Officer Wang refused to budge an inch.

The matter has escalated beyond simply helping the Finance Bureau recover three million yuan in embezzled funds. It has become a battle of pride between the Xizhong City Public Security Bureau and the Jixi County Public Security Bureau. How can we allow Jixi County to ride on Xizhong City's neck and take away our spoils?

Now that the case is solved, there's no harm in continuing the legal battle. However, where that money went is still a question that needs careful consideration.

Hiss... Lu Dingping rushed over and explained that the money was right here, as the interrogation results showed!

But now so much money has vanished without a trace. Could it be that something unexpected happened along the way?
Officer Wang quickly looked at Lu Dingping: "Old Lu, did those guys say anything? Do they have any accomplices? Is there anything else they're hiding from them?"

Lu Dingping knew what was going on, but he pretended to be honest and simple, and slowly shook his head with a serious expression.

"Could it be that someone really intercepted the win? It's like you were planning to call for a winning hand, but the player before you took a winning hand first? This has ruined your chances of winning."

Officer Wang stroked his chin, his expression serious.

It's no wonder he thought that way; after all, who would have imagined a cat could be so capable? Following conventional wisdom, the money must have been stolen. The scenario of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, is not uncommon in Officer Wang's experience solving cases.

"People from Sichuan Province, are they really that addicted to cards? All your examples are mahjong?"

Li Yiduo muttered something behind Lu Dingping.

Seeing that the two policemen from Nishige City hadn't noticed him, he quietly took a key out of his pocket, turned around, and opened the door to the house next door.

"Ok?"

Upon hearing the door open, Lin Ge, who was the first to react, hurriedly hid in the bedroom. Thinking that the bedroom wasn't safe, he jumped up, pulled open the top drawer of the desk, and ducked inside.

With a tug on its head, the drawer obediently closed.

"Hey, what are you going to do?"

Officer Wang remained vigilant; he noticed Li Yiduo had just taken out his keys. With a shout, he stepped forward and grabbed Li Yiduo.

"go home."

Li Yiduo calmly showed the key in his hand to Officer Wang.

"Is this your home?"

Officer Wang glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

Does this guy really think I didn't recognize him? Isn't he one of the three policemen from Chu Province?

So, you're planning to settle down in Nishige City and stay by my side? Do you really think you're a good-for-nothing who can be used anywhere? But the police department in Nishige City isn't something you can just transfer to whenever you want.

Knowing that the police from Chu Province were about to cause trouble again, Officer Wang was extremely annoyed. If it weren't for these people causing trouble, none of this would have happened today.

Oh! Of course, the cat they brought was quite good; it was capable. The men from the Second Brigade still haven't found out where the cat hid.

"Is this your house?"

Suddenly, Captain Ji's voice came from behind. His voice was very calm, and no emotion could be detected.

"Yes, it's mine. I just bought it three hours ago."

Li Yiduo nodded casually, but said the most arrogant thing.

Captain Ji raised an eyebrow: "Shu Cheng is already dead, how can you buy it? Find the owner listed on the property certificate? As a police officer, you should know that this house is illegally obtained, cannot be bought or sold, and will definitely be confiscated, right?"

Li Yiduo remained calm and nodded vaguely, saying, "Well, the Jixi County Court and the Discipline Inspection Commission helped with the procedures. In short, this house has been notarized by the court's auction office, and it definitely belongs to me now and in the future."

"Alright! I get it, you've got money! Jixi County, united. Plus... hehe, this loss wasn't unjustified."

Captain Ji nodded in realization.

Seeing Lu Dingping and Li Yiduo looking at him with some concern, Captain Ji suddenly pointed to the door, "A bet's a bet, the Xizhong Municipal Bureau admits defeat! We didn't expect you to bring in such a formidable figure; our loss is understandable. So, the Municipal Bureau is no longer involved! As you wish, you can argue with the Finance Bureau yourselves. But let that cat inside come out; I really want to see what kind of three-headed, six-armed creature it is!"

"Old Ji, how did you know?"

Lu Dingping blurted it out.

"Hehe, don't underestimate the four-dimensional sky network system of Xizhong City! In addition to cameras in various places, there are also drones flying in the sky! It's just that some people are being lax, otherwise, how could a cat really slip away from our sharp eyes? I just went out to check and saw it. That cat was ten minutes faster than me!"

Captain Ji was both angry and helpless.

If he had known the cat had arrived earlier, why would he have bothered investigating the suspect? There's definitely something fishy about the cat's disappearance. If he had just blocked off the building and found the cat, the money would have been exposed anyway.

Now, people from Jixi County have also arrived.

The police officers on both sides got into a fight over three million yuan. It was so disgusting!
If relations really break down, the police system itself will also lose face.

So, it's unnecessary!
It's too late, so be it!
Anyway, it was originally a case in Jixi County; this was just something the Municipal Finance Bureau asked us to do. Now that the case is solved, why bother interfering?
Captain Ji's thinking was very thorough.

As for whether the higher-ups are afraid of the Finance Bureau interfering, what does that have to do with a squadron leader like him?
It was nothing more than a competition among police officers; if you lost, you lost, you just got a free meal and that was it.

In fact, he and Lu Dingping both had this tacit understanding.

"Oh, by the way, Old Li is coming over soon too. Your cat really gave him a hard time today."

Captain Ji chuckled and added another sentence.

Thank you to Cold Fish for the 100-coin reward, and thank you everyone for your support.



(End of this chapter)