Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 444 The Criminal Investigation Team's First Battle
However, after Zhang Yong and his men searched the area several times, they only found two family-run workshops.

Compared to the city's total consumption of pre-cooked meals, the output of these two workshops is negligible.

Because of the purely handmade process, these two workshops could only slightly process and marinate the meat before skewering it into pre-made dishes like chicken strips, pork tenderloin, and hot dogs. In terms of production methods, it only falls under the category of material processing and doesn't constitute a crime. Therefore, a serious warning and a requirement for rectification were issued, along with labeling the production date and shelf life. Ultimately, this didn't fall within the scope of Zhang Yong's team's enforcement target this time and was handed over to the Food and Drug Administration.

Further interrogation of several arrested individuals working at illegal restaurants revealed that they purchased ingredients by phone, with the ingredients delivered directly to their door. The delivery vehicles were ordinary minivans with ordinary Zhangzhou city license plates. However, checking the license plate in the traffic police system revealed that the vehicle model was completely different from the target vehicle, clearly indicating a counterfeit plate. This undoubtedly complicated matters further, making the case appear more serious.

"The phone number is a virtual number, so we can't find the real contact person right away. However, by investigating the surveillance footage of the neighborhood where the shady restaurant is located, we've found the suspect driving the delivery vehicle. His name is Dai Hongbing, a local from Zhangzhou City, and his registered residence is in a village called Shiqiao Village in Beiqiao Township. I called the local police station there and learned that Dai Hongbing's house has been uninhabited for more than two years. However, there are still a few of Dai Hongbing's relatives and friends in that village, so they might have his contact information. In addition, the Beiqiao Township police station also informed us that Dai Hongbing had recruited people for work in the township around the middle of last year, which may also be related to this case."

Zhang Ke brought back the intelligence he had obtained and then said to Zhang Yong, "In addition, we also discovered through surveillance that a man named Hao Kai has ridden in Dai Hongbing's minivan multiple times. There is no doubt that the two are very close. Hao Kai is an unemployed vagrant who was once cracked down on by the Baimiao Police Station for distributing prostitution-related cards. Therefore, we suspect that Hao Kai is most likely one of Dai Hongbing's men responsible for developing business."

Hearing this, Li Yiduo looked up and added, "Wu and Liu obtained the purchase method for unregistered pre-made food through the cards delivered to their door, which gave them the idea to open a pre-made food delivery shop. Wu originally ran a legitimate restaurant, but business hadn't been good in the last two years, so he was looking to transform it. Dai Hongbing's prohibited ingredients and seasonings were cheap, which undoubtedly suited Wu's needs perfectly. He quickly changed his restaurant's business strategy, until this time when our joint operation cracked down on him. In this sense, it was Dai Hongbing's toxic and harmful pre-made food that appeared first, followed by the increasing number of pre-made food restaurants in Zhangzhou. Dai Hongbing is the deepest scourge in this whole case."

"In other words, as long as Dai Hongbing is caught, or Hao Kai is caught first and then Dai Hongbing is arrested based on the information he knows, the truth of this case can be truly revealed, and the harmful pre-cooked food products that are flooding Zhangzhou City will be stopped."

Zhang Yong's eyes lit up. Wasn't this case quite simple?

The perpetrator is already identified, and the freight route and target vehicle are clearly identified. All that's left is finding and arresting the suspect – isn't that the easiest task for the police?

Zhang Yong was eager to tell Nie Guoqiang the good news, but at that moment, Zhu Jun and Feng Yi rushed to the special case office.

"Old Zhang, good news! Following the investigation into the gutter oil channels, we've discovered an unlicensed oil refinery hidden in Wumi Township! With the cooperation of the local police station, the refinery's manager and two other responsible persons have been successfully arrested. They confessed to their crimes and were well aware that the gutter oil they purchased was illegally sourced. However, because the purchase price was low, they knowingly continued to do so despite knowing it was illegal."

Zhu Jun spoke excitedly, never expecting that this extra investigation would also dismantle an illegal underground oil refinery.

Regardless of the reliability of their products or where they are sold, these oil refineries present extremely dangerous safety hazards simply because of their production processes, fire safety facilities, personnel training, and lack of professionalism. These plants either don't have accidents, or when they do, it's a major incident resulting in the deaths of many workers. Whether it's an industrial oil fire or a storage tank explosion, it's a major issue that directly alarms the central government. And given their unreliable production processes, the probability of such accidents is actually very high.

Zhu Jun couldn't find a single fire hydrant or fire-prevention device in the factory area. The only fire extinguishing tool in the factory was a portable dry powder fire extinguisher. What good would it be against an explosion or a large oil fire?

"I haven't even finished preparing for the opening, and I've already made a fortune?"

Zhang Yong was overjoyed. What incredible luck he had today! An underground oil refinery like this would normally be a highlight to report to his superiors at the end of the year! And now, with the year just over, he had already secured this noteworthy achievement?

Zhu Jun continued with a smile, "The credit should go to the Wumi Township Police Station, though I doubt they want any credit for this case at all."

"Yes! Such a dangerous underground workshop, and they didn't even discover it in time. It was only after we sent a warning that it was dealt with. If we think about it this way, we can't escape responsibility for negligence and laziness; even if the matter is over, we will definitely get a lot of criticism."

Zhang Yong laughed gleefully.

With the grand opening, everyone in the office was overjoyed. With such a positive momentum, they might be able to catch Dai Hongbing and his gang on this side of the case in one fell swoop.

"Speaking of underground workshops, shouldn't we also consider using Shiqiao Village and the surrounding areas of Zhangzhou City as a base to search for Dai Hongbing's illegal pre-made food and seasoning workshops? Based on what we know, his daily output in Zhangzhou City was definitely not something that could be produced by just one or two rooms and three or five people. This underground workshop must have a mature site, smooth transportation, a sufficient number of workers, and a large consumption of water and electricity. As for sewage disposal, that can also be taken into consideration. However, if the location is in the countryside, it will be difficult to find a sewage disposal route. The extensive network of waterways in the Zhanghe River tributaries is enough to cover up all traces."

Zhang Ke then made another suggestion.

"This requires the cooperation of the surrounding police stations in our search, and then Mimi, along with Beibei and a few other clever and capable cats, will have to work together. Of course, before that, we need to find a way to narrow down the search area."

Sun Chang raised his hand to accept the task, confidently saying, "No problem! Beibei has been itching to get some exercise for ages! As for Mimi, I'll persuade her to behave!"

Zhang Yong nodded, then looked at Zhu Jun: "Zhu Jun, have Feng Yi go to the traffic police detachment. Investigate where Dai Hongbing's mini-truck enters and leaves the city in the morning and evening, and also check if there are any similar trucks. Given the consumption of pre-cooked vegetables in Zhangzhou, a mini-truck needs to be busy delivering goods from morning till night. But we know that Dai Hongbing's delivery frequency is not high, so in terms of efficiency, they must have other trucks using fake license plates."

Li Yiduo also said, "We also need to consider the area around the farmers' market. After all, no matter how much technology and skill are involved in pre-cooked food and seasonings, they still need raw materials. People who buy vegetables, meat, seasonings, etc. in large quantities and regularly should be very noticeable."

"That means there are three directions! Dai Hongbing and Hao Kai, the underground factories hidden in Shiqiao Village, the area around Zhangshi, and the suburban farmers' market, plus the special circumstances of purchasing large quantities of meat and vegetables, all need to be thoroughly investigated."

Zhang Yong held up three fingers, stood up, and looked around at his colleagues, saying, "With a three-pronged approach, I don't believe we can't find a breakthrough in this case. Brothers, this is our first successful case as a criminal investigation team, so we have to get it off to a satisfactory conclusion. My demands aren't high. Regardless of whether Dai Hongbing has connections, at least we need to nip the case in the bud! Don't try to get rich quick; take it slow and gradually gather everything in our hands. Arrest people, interrogate them, and relentlessly pursue them until all the criminals who committed this heinous act are imprisoned. Let's clean this case up completely, how about that?"

"Yes!"

Zhang Ke, Zhu Jun, Li Yiduo, and Sun Chang all stood up and bowed.

This was everyone's first battle, and also the first independent mission for the Zhanghe Police Station's Criminal Investigation Team!
Without help from superiors or support from the municipal bureau, they were on their own to bring down this unethical and criminal gang that manufactured toxic and harmful pre-made food and seasonings, along with all its members.

To be honest, it could be very simple, or it could be very complicated. But either way, since I've taken on the case, I have to do it well!

Everyone is confident about this.

After all... there's Mimi to help! It has proven countless times with its sense of smell that as long as there is even the slightest scent clue, no matter where the suspect is hiding, they will not escape its tracking and arrest.

however……

"Really do not have?"

Zhang Yong frowned as he looked at Zhu Jun, who appeared exhausted.

Zhu Jun, too exhausted to deal with Zhang Yong's formalities, simply waved his hand and slumped down to rest, panting as he said, "We've already done a cursory inspection of several towns around Zhang City, and with the cooperation of the local police station, we still haven't found any underground workshops run by Dai Hongbing. In these five days, we've uncovered two unlicensed fireworks production workshops, one unlicensed stinky tofu production workshop, and another hand-made metallurgical workshop—the kind that recycles broken aluminum kettles and thermos flasks, melting them down to recast new ones. These workshops look simple, but the kettles they recast have dangerously high levels of harmful metals. They may seem inconspicuous, but their nature is egregious. Country folks are tempted to exchange old kettles for new ones for a small fee, but the long-term health risks of using these kettles for boiling water are unimaginable..."

Zhang Yong nodded and sighed, "So, the only thing that hasn't been discovered is Dai Hongbing and his underground workshop?" Zhu Jun smiled awkwardly and remained silent.

Zhang Yong pulled a pack of cigarettes from the drawer, tossed it to Zhu Jun without even opening it, and then frowned, saying, "Zhang Ke's team followed the trail, but they couldn't find Dai Hongbing and Hao Kai. It's highly likely that our joint operation alerted them, and they fled beforehand. You haven't found any clues either. This is really strange! Could such a large workshop just vanish?"

Zhu Jun tore open the cigarette pack, took out a cigarette and tossed it to Zhang Yong, then said helplessly, "Most likely, there's a problem with our target area. Or even with the cooperation of the local police station, we might have missed some overlooked areas."

"Damn it! The police station is still too weak. There are many details that the city bureau can't control as well. The city bureau can directly give orders to its subordinate police stations, but we can only discuss and decide."

Zhang Yong chuckled and cursed, lit a cigarette, and continued, "Looks like we'll have to get Mimi's help again. That rascal has had enough rest these past few days, hasn't he? I heard he even went to that Lin Jia girl's house for dinner yesterday? Damn! I don't even know how a cat can get on the table and eat with people. Anyway, given the current situation, let it work hard and go through the search with you again! This time, we'll start from several farmers' markets in the city; the source of the goods is also the key."

Zhu Jun raised an eyebrow. "You want to investigate several farmers' markets in the city? That shouldn't be necessary. If the workshops are located in the city, they would have been discovered and reported by the surrounding neighbors long ago."

"Let's start with the three farmers' markets in the jurisdiction of my Zhanghe Police Station!"

Zhang Yong nodded affirmatively.

"So... it's another errand-running job?"

Lin Ge looked up at Zhu Jun speechlessly. He hadn't expected that after less than a week of rest, he would be running around doing work again. Of course, the work itself wasn't the most important thing, but to be honest, the smell at the farmers' market was a bit tough for him.

Especially the stalls selling chickens and ducks; the stench of the poultry was unbearable for passersby. And since a cat's sense of smell is hundreds of times stronger than a human's, this odor was even more torturous for Lingo.

Seeing the dark circles under Zhu Jun's eyes, now resembling silver gradient circles, and the unconcealable weariness on his face, Lin Ge couldn't bring himself to refuse. Even setting aside Zhu Jun, just considering Jiang Yiyi's usual care for him, Lin Ge felt obligated to help Jiang Yiyi's boyfriend with this favor. In the blink of an eye, Zhu Jun and Jiang Yiyi had been together for several months. Coupled with their considerable time working together and their growing age, they were practically at the point of discussing marriage.

So... for the sake of the bride-to-be, let's help this guy out!
Lin Ge stretched, yawned, and stood up.

"Hehe... Mimi, you've worked hard! I'll treat you to a big meal after this case is finished."

Zhu Jun grinned, then winked and said, "This time we'll be working with Beibei. If you feel tired, Beibei can carry you. Anyway, we'll be in a police car from start to finish, and then we'll rely on the dogs when we get to our destination, so it definitely won't be too hard on you."

"Pah! Am I the kind of cat who craves comfort and hates hard work?"

Lin Ge glared at Zhu Jun with disdain.

then……

Lin Ge hadn't been able to lie on Bei Bei's back for a while, and he was starting to miss it. Mainly because Bei Bei was gentle, walked steadily, and the hollow between its shoulder blades was just the right spot for Lin Ge to curl up and lie down.

As Beibei slowly moved around, Lin Ge, who was lying on her, felt like he was sitting in a rocking chair, swaying back and forth quite comfortably. Moreover, with Beibei walking in front, Lin Ge didn't have to worry about being blocked or disturbed, and he could ignore the sewage on the ground and just focus on using his sense of smell.

"As expected... it still smells pretty bad!"

Passing by the poultry market, Lin Ge couldn't help but cover his nose with his paw. The smell of chicken droppings and that indescribable, raw, pungent smell of slaughter made him feel nauseous. Adding to the discomfort, two large geese in a nearby cage started honking loudly for no apparent reason, which then triggered a chorus of quacking from the other ducks and geese, giving Lin Ge a headache. People often compare women to five hundred ducks, which shows how powerful the quacking of ducks can be.

However, Lin Ge still couldn't find any clues in the farmers' market. Apart from a few elderly people picking up rotten vegetable leaves from the ground, but dressed quite cleanly, who gave him a little something to watch out for, there was nothing else unusual.

"Li Ma, are you picking up these rotten lettuce leaves again? These are the rotten leaves that they don't want from the wholesale market. What are you going to do with so many of them?"

"Hehe... I'm not afraid to tell you. Even though they're rotten leaves, they can still sell for two cents a pound! And people don't pick and choose, they'll buy any vegetable leaves as long as they're not completely rotten. I can easily make several tens of dollars a day just by picking them up, that's not bad!"

"You're retired, why would you care about such a small amount of money? Besides, who would want these rotten leaves?"

"Anyway, I'm just sitting here! As for who wants it... that's none of my business. It'll probably be taken back to feed the pigs, two cents a pound is cheaper than pig feed."

"That's true, shall I pick some too?"

"Just pick them up, there are so many! You know, these vegetable wholesalers, how can they just throw away such good leaves?"

"What's so good about it? It's mostly rotten."

The conversation between the two old men suddenly caught Lin Ge's attention, especially since one of the old men was carrying a snakeskin bag and holding a pair of fire tongs in his other hand, picking up rotten vegetable leaves from the dirty water on the ground and putting them into the bag. This made him quite curious.

Coupled with their conversation, Lin Ge couldn't help but wonder what use these vegetable leaves could possibly have. Were they really going to feed them to the pigs? But wouldn't the pigs get sick from eating such dirty, rotten leaves?
For some reason, although Lin Ge didn't smell anything strange on the old man surnamed Li, he just felt that something was off about what the old woman was saying.

They buy rotten vegetable leaves for two cents a pound, but what are they going to do with them?

"What's wrong, Mimi? Did you find something?"

Sun Chang had been watching Lin Ge closely, and at this moment he noticed that Lin Ge's gaze was fixed on two elderly people in the vegetable section. One of the elderly people was picking up vegetable leaves and had already gone to the trash can, where he actually picked up the dirty leaves from the trash can and put them into a snakeskin bag.

"Hmm~"

This scene made Sun Chang feel nauseous. Could those leaves even be eaten? And this old man was dressed quite well, so why was he short of money?
Happy New Year, brothers! Thank you all for your support in 2024, and I've tried my best to repay you with enough updates. Let's keep up the good work in 2025! Whether it's this book or the next one, I hope you'll continue to support me! Your support is my only motivation to keep writing!
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(End of this chapter)