Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 420 Express Delivery

The tent bag in Xu Xiaochong's hand instantly attracted the attention of everyone present.

"He went into the delivery station next door?" The older policeman's expression became very serious.

The video moved slowly, and Xu Xiaochong didn't appear for several minutes. But when the policeman couldn't resist fast-forwarding, Xu Xiaochong finally reappeared in front of the camera, but the tent bag in his hand had disappeared.

"This guy didn't throw away the evidence at all; he just mailed it out via courier?"

Everyone suddenly realized.

Afterwards, no one was interested in watching Xu Xiaochong slowly pack his luggage on the lawn. They instructed the shop owner to copy the video, then hurriedly left the supermarket and entered a nearby shop.

The chaotic yet bustling courier station was constantly filled with people coming and going. The arrival of three police officers didn't surprise those picking up their packages until one of them showed his badge to the station owner. Only then did onlookers realize that there was a case at play.

"Everyone else, please leave here for a moment and don't cause any disturbance."

Another policeman dispersed the curious onlookers and ignored a middle-aged woman's muttering, "I was in line first." Only when the tense and bewildered courier station owner remained at the scene did the middle-aged policeman pull up Xu Xiaochong's photo on his phone.

"Boss, do you remember this person?"

"Huh? He is..."

The shop owner paused for a moment, then nodded after thinking for a moment, saying, "I vaguely remember. He came to my shop a few days ago to send a package, right? He said he was a cycling blogger and was planning to give away a replacement tent to a lucky fan! Hmm... I think that's what he said. I even asked him if he was just going to give up something so expensive? He told me he bought a better one..."

"Given to fans?"

Whether it was Lin Ge, Li Siyu, or the two policemen who were also quite experienced, they were all dumbfounded at this moment.

They considered many ways Xu Xiaochong might have dealt with the tent, even wondering if he would just write down any address and send it out randomly. But they never imagined that this guy would be even more despicable than they thought.

Tents that were used to assault victims or even kill people were given to fans?

What kind of mentality is this?

Or, to put yourself in the shoes of that 'lucky' fan who got the tent, and even when using it later, will they ever think that someone died inside? When that fan is camping in this tent, will they hear mournful cries in the middle of the night?
Li Siyu felt the hairs on her body stand on end!
Just thinking about this scene sends chills down my spine! How unlucky must that poor fan be to have fallen for such a jerk?
"Given to fans?"

Middle-aged policeman Yang Jian felt his teeth ache. The good news was that the tent had been found; the bad news was that it had already been taken and even used by someone else, and who knew if it had been cleaned...

'Jingle Bell……'

The phone rang suddenly. Yang Jian saw that it was the bureau's landline and quickly answered it.

On the other end of the phone, Director Shi's voice rang out: "Yang Jian, are you and Mimi still together? The cyber security team found a clue: Xu Xiaochong once held a giveaway for fans during a live stream, and the prizes were his used camping gear, given to fans as souvenirs! If you're still searching, hurry up and check the courier stations along the route! That tent is very likely already..."

"Chief, we've discovered this. Xu Xiaochong shipped the tent three days ago, and we're currently planning to ask the courier station owner for the contact information of the person who received the tent..."

Yang Jian's voice was very dry.

"found it?"

Shi Zhenkang on the other end of the phone paused for a moment, then quickly reacted and said, "Then hurry up and contact them immediately! The package has most likely reached them within three days. We absolutely cannot let them discard or even destroy the tent! Some people only participate in lotteries for fun and don't care about used prizes! If it gets thrown away, that would be a real problem!"

"I see!"

Yang Jian nodded, then looked at the courier station owner who was standing there dumbfounded.

The boss snapped out of his daze and grabbed the phone from the counter next to him without saying a word.

Fortunately, as long as the specific time is known, it's possible to track what goods the courier station received. Therefore, Xu Xiaochong's package was quickly identified; however, the sender's name was someone else's, and the recipient…

"Holy crap, someone from Zhangzhou?"

Lin Ge couldn't help but swear in disbelief.

"Was it sent to Zhangzhou City?"

Li Siyu also covered her mouth in surprise.

"What a coincidence!"

Yang Jian and another policeman looked at Li Siyu and Lin Ge together.

They both remembered very clearly that both the cat and the policewoman worked at a police station in Zhang City, Chu Province. So… Xu Xiaochong delivered the evidence to the cat's territory, or even directly into the cat's hands?
Without wasting a moment, Lin Ge grabbed the collar around his neck and started spinning it, quickly finding Nie Guoqiang's phone number.

"Hello? Mimi, what happened? Aren't you in Sichuan Province?"

Nie Guoqiang's voice remained the same as always, seemingly filled with weariness. But upon receiving Lin Ge's call, he forced himself to stay alert and said, "Did something happen? Or were you wronged? If someone bullies you, tell me, and I'll stand up for you! People from our police station aren't people outsiders can bully!"

"..."

Yang Jian and the other policeman were both speechless.

Seeing the awkward expressions on their faces, Li Siyu quickly interjected, "Director Nie, no! We asked Mimi to help us with a case, and we found out that the murderer mailed an important piece of evidence to Zhang City! That thing is extremely important, even related to whether we can convict the murderer! So we must retrieve that evidence before it is destroyed!"

"..."

Nie Guoqiang was stunned for a moment, genuinely not expecting that Mimi's call would be about something like this. He also truly didn't expect such a coincidence to exist in this world.

However, knowing the seriousness of the matter, he didn't hesitate and said in a deep voice, "Tell me your name, phone number, or address, as detailed as possible! I'll send people out right now to do everything I can to ensure this evidence isn't damaged. Hu Zhengping! Hu Zhengping! Come here quickly, dispatch the police immediately!"

This decisive attitude relieved everyone present.

Then Li Siyu relayed the recipient information given to her by the courier station owner to the other end of the line before turning back to reassure the two police officers, "I remember this address; it's not too far from the police station. They'll definitely be there in time, so don't worry. Given Chief Nie's style, he should have the results in twenty minutes at most. We can then have the technical center hand over the data and get the analysis results directly from the Zhangzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau."

Yang Jian nodded, his worries easing somewhat. Looking up at Li Siyu's confident demeanor, he couldn't help but sigh, "This time, we were really lucky! If every colleague in every location could be as efficient as you, we'd be laughing in our sleep. Last year, I went to Shanghai for a case..."

Because they needed to check the results from Zhangzhou City to see if there were any issues with the delivery address or the individuals' identities, Lin Ge and his group didn't leave. They stayed at the courier station, patiently waiting, and took the opportunity to discuss the various troubles and grievances they had encountered while handling cases in other locations in the past.

The courier station owner hated these guys who were interfering with his business, but he could only force a smile. Seeing that Li Jian seemed thirsty, he quickly poured him a glass of warm water so he could talk more comfortably.

"I'm sorry to disturb your business."

Li Jian wasn't really being unreasonable. After taking the water cup, he took two steps back to the corner, clearing out the counter for receiving and sending packages, and then thanked the shop owner for his cooperation.

"It should, it should!"

The shop owner chuckled, but then suddenly frowned and cautiously approached Li Jian: "Officer, I overheard someone saying that a murder weapon was hidden in one of the packages I sent out?"

"It's just transferring evidence, not the murder weapon. Don't overthink it or spread rumors!" Li Jian added, "The case we're handling here, and the information you just provided, must be kept confidential! If it gets out, I'll hold you accountable! Please cooperate, understand?"

"understand!"

The courier station owner nodded repeatedly, like a chicken pecking at rice.

But judging from his darting eyes and expression, he didn't seem to intend to do as Li Jian asked.

To be honest, the police can't really force anyone to do something like this. If someone cooperating with the investigation leaks information, are they really going to be arrested for that too?
At most, they'll give a warning afterward. In this day and age, who would take the police's nonsense to heart?

Li Siyu said twenty minutes, and it really only took twenty minutes! Just as Li Jian was about to continue chatting, Li Siyu's phone rang. Taking it out, he saw Nie Guoqiang's name and a long list of call records.

Although they were in Sichuan Province, Nie Guoqiang's worries and daily concern never diminished.

Of course, he rarely called Ringo, because he knew that this willful cat would hold a grudge and seek revenge if he was harassed.

“We arrived just in time; that person had just taken the package home. The package was still unopened, and from what I saw, it was in a satisfactory state of preservation.”

Nie Guoqiang's words brought a sigh of relief to everyone present.

So, regarding this tent, we can now entrust the matter to the Zhangzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau. After all, sending it back to Xizhong City would not only be a waste of time, but also risk altering the valuable evidence inside due to transportation and environmental factors.

And although the tent has been found, the equally important sleeping mat is still missing. It was likely sent by Xu Xiaochong to another lucky person, and now we must find him and retrieve it.

This time, they were lucky; Xu Xiaochong didn't have a third identity. Therefore, through the postal system's network, they quickly discovered that he seemed to have sent the moisture-proof mats from another courier point in the next block.

Because the distance was not far, Lin Ge and his group went directly there and quickly obtained the recipient's information.

"Sent to Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province? Why are so many people collecting junk that others are about to throw away these days? This kind of cyclist's junk probably has no collectible value, right?"

Li Jian simply couldn't understand the point of giving away these worthless things in the live stream lottery.
In summary, based on the current intelligence, Xu Xiaochong should have already sent out all the suspicious items. However, the other courier stations were too far away, so he had to hand them over to other colleagues, who then ended the search and returned to the city bureau with the information.

After receiving the information, Tang Xu, the captain of the criminal investigation team, immediately contacted the Hangzhou police. Upon hearing the details, they immediately agreed to help. However, hearing the bustling scene on the other end, everyone was somewhat worried about whether they could quickly mobilize manpower.

"Hangzhou is a big city, so it's understandable that they're busy. It's just a pity that we're too far away to help them. I just hope they can be more efficient."

Tang Xu sighed helplessly.

"What if they drag their feet? If they're really busy, it's understandable to postpone someone else's case, right? But what if the moisture-proof mat gets washed or just thrown away?"

Lin Ge was a little anxious. He had worked so hard to get to this point, and if something unexpected happened because of those things in other places, it would be too distressing.

But Tang Xu is right, Sichuan Province is too far from Zhejiang Province. Even if we don't trouble them and send people ourselves to handle it, how can we possibly get there in such a short time?
"As the captain of the criminal investigation team, don't you have any connections in Zhejiang Province?"

Lin Ge looked at Tang Xu with disdain. This captain was too incompetent; he didn't even have the ability to find connections or pull strings.

"So we just wait like this? Or do we give up on the results from Hanghai and just wait for Director Nie from Zhangzhou to help analyze the situation in the tent? If the victim's DNA is found in the tent, Xu Xiaochong's defense will be meaningless, right?"

Li Jian was quite open-minded; he figured that with a bit of luck, one side would eventually find solid evidence.

"But obviously, because the sleeping mat is laid under your body, it is more likely to leave physical evidence. Whether it is bodily fluids, semen, blood, skin flakes, hair, or even tears, the probability of it leaving on the mat is definitely higher than if it splashed in the tent."

Tang Xu shook his head somewhat unwillingly.

"What should I do?"

Upon hearing this, Li Siyu also became anxious. She was exhausted from cycling today, and it would be very frustrating if all the clues she had finally found were wasted.
"Hmph! A bunch of useless idiots. As expected, I'm the only one who can handle this kind of thing!"

Suddenly, Lin Ge thought of something and let out a very arrogant howl.

His attitude immediately caught Li Jian's eye.

The tent incident was solved by this cat meowing casually, which led to a local police officer from Zhangzhou City appearing and easily obtaining crucial evidence. And now this cat is meowing again—could it have connections in Zhejiang Province as well?

"Humph!"

Lin Ge didn't explain, but just lowered his head and started fiddling with the collar again.

Li Jian immediately confirmed his guess and stared expectantly at Lin Ge.

But this time, Lin Ge didn't call Nie Guoqiang. He just suddenly remembered that when he was in Nan Province, he had helped a policeman from Jinhua City and had even met one of his gang's sons.

what do you say that is?

Oh right! The son's name is Xie Tailong! And that policeman's name is... Xie Changjun!

Although Xie Changjun is a policeman in Jinhua City, not Hanghai City, they are both in Zhejiang Province, so Xie Changjun might actually know a few police colleagues from Hanghai City. Moreover, he travels all over the country frequently, so he must know a lot of police officers.

Even if asking him for help doesn't directly achieve the goal, it can be a roundabout way to get someone to urge things a little, so that Hanghai City can put some pressure on him and get the package back as soon as possible.

However... Lin Ge didn't remember Xie Changjun's contact information.

But it didn't matter, because Lin Ge knew that Luo Jue definitely had Xie Tailong's contact information! The two of them had spent quite a bit of time together in the Southern Province and were good friends who had exchanged contact information.

"Beep..."

The call to Luo Jue was not answered immediately.

Lin Ge wasn't in a hurry. He patiently squatted there, looking down at the collar around his neck. He noticed that because of his recent busyness, especially the time he had to crawl through the range hood duct the day before yesterday, the collar had become quite dirty. Particularly around the small bow, two blobs of grease had seeped out, making the fabric look very unsightly. For someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder, it was extremely unsightly.

"When we get back, let's ask Yang Xiaotong to help clean it. It'll probably have to be taken apart, or maybe she can help install a few more advanced features."

Lin Ge slowly let his thoughts wander, while the people watching him from the side were somewhat anxious and disappointed.

"Hello? Mimi?"

After a while, Luo Jue finally answered the phone. However, his voice sounded very tired, and he spoke weakly.

Seemingly guessing what Lin Ge was thinking, Luo Jue paused and honestly explained, "I'm sorry, I'm a little tired today. Mainly because my mother had an attack last night, and I stayed with her and took care of her all night. Oh, don't worry, actually, my mother has rarely had attacks recently. Compared to before, she's recovering much faster now! Um... is there something you need? I didn't see you at the police station the other day; I only found out from Uncle Nie that you went on a business trip to Sichuan Province."

"Ai Yun has had another relapse? I thought... she was recovering quite well."

As Luo Jue continued her rambling, Lin Ge was stunned.

He had thought the child's life had returned to normal, but now he realized just how much he had suffered in private. A child had to care for his mother who was having an episode, and one with a mental illness that was difficult to control. Lin Ge couldn't even imagine how exhausted he must have been that night. Lin Ge even felt a pang of regret. Whether it was using being busy or explaining his lack of trust, he had indeed been less attentive and caring towards Luo Jue lately.

This child... taking care of his mother alone must be very hard, right?

Lin Ge even knew that Luo Jue was working hard to learn junior high school knowledge, trying her best to close the gap with normal peers, and might even be able to go to school in the second half of the year.

But... he never told Lin Ge that he couldn't possibly leave his family affairs behind.

"..."

Lin Ge didn't know how to respond to Luo Jue's words. He felt guilty and sad, and his mood became depressed.

"Boss?"

Luo Jue rambled on for a long time, but seeing that Lin Ge didn't respond, her voice became doubtful and cautious.

"Phew! Let's finish this case quickly, then go back and visit this kid! Humph! He didn't even tell me he was in trouble, and he didn't even try to ask for help with something this big. If it weren't for this call, how long were you planning to keep it from me?"

Lin Ge, annoyed, rallied himself and looked at Li Siyu beside him.

Li Siyu quickly came over.

(End of this chapter)