Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 469 Acquaintances in a Foreign Land
"Something's not right with Mimi and Li Siyu."

At the competition, Yu Rong, who had nothing to do, followed behind Sun Chang, helping her out while cheering her on.

All of her own projects were completed yesterday. She felt her performance was decent, but whether she would receive a prize or not depended on tomorrow's awards ceremony. Yu Rong wasn't particularly concerned about awards; she had time to focus on many other things. The disappearance of Li Siyu and Mimi yesterday afternoon had already puzzled her, and the fact that the two of them didn't even come to the event today surprised her even more.

"Something must have happened. Anyway, I feel that this whole thing is a bit strange from beginning to end. Especially the sudden change in the competition events to be more realistic, there must be a reason why they had to do it."

While tidying up Beibei's numbered vests, Sun Chang answered Yu Rong's questions.

She already had a guess in her mind. After all, Mimi was suddenly summoned the day before the competition, and this haste couldn't be as simple as a special guest. As police officers, the most likely explanation was that some serious incident had occurred, and Chu City needed Mimi, or even more excellent police dogs, for support. If this police dog competition was indeed to select the best batch of police dogs, then she had to give it her all this time, no matter what.

Sun Chang never hid her affection for Mimi; the cat was arguably her biggest asset in ending her internship early and settling down at the Zhanghe Police Station. Besides, they were all part of the Zhanghe Police Station team, having worked together for so long, endured so much hardship, and received so many honors. So, the thought of Mimi being involved in yet another dangerous mission made Sun Chang want to rush to its aid immediately.

"Pay attention, it'll be your turn soon!"

Yu Rong patted Sun Chang on the shoulder, reminding her that there were only two contestants left ahead of her. This time, she and Bei Bei's competition was a drug detection event; the contestant police dogs, led by their handlers, had to quickly search for drugs hidden inside or outside a house within a target area.

The location and container used to hide the drugs are unknown to each contestant. The judges will randomly change the target hiding location and container before the contestants set off, which means that the experience of the previous contestants is not very useful for the later contestants.

This was a pure test of the police dogs' sense of smell, or rather, this competition placed a very high emphasis on testing the police dogs' sense of smell and combat capabilities.

Many clever trainers have already guessed what will happen through this project, and they are all quickly cheering themselves up to try to perform better.

"Don't worry! Beibei is a professional when it comes to drug detection! Didn't you tell me that the first time Beibei met Mimi was during a drug search mission? In this area, Beibei won't lose to any competitor!"

Sun Chang smiled confidently.

"come on!"

Yu Rong watched with envy as Bei Bei eagerly prepared to join the competition, while her own match with An An was already over. To be honest, after more than ten days of training, she only got less than five minutes on the field, and Yu Rong felt somewhat dissatisfied and unwilling. But the end is the end, and dwelling on the past was pointless! Besides, this wasn't the time to be discouraged; the command methods of every trainer and the ways they coordinated with the police dogs were all worth studying diligently.

Time passed slowly, and the bustling arena returned to calm under the cover of night. The daytime clamor made the night seem even more peaceful and serene, while the many trainers were all discussing among themselves.

The last competition, originally scheduled for tomorrow, was surprisingly completed this afternoon. The instructors were caught off guard when they received the notification, and now that the competition is over, they all feel they've fallen short and are filled with regret. Zhou Bo, in particular, kept sighing in his room, lamenting that it was too rushed, that he and Guai Guai weren't prepared, and that their performance was terrible, completely failing to bring out the full potential they had in training.

Sun Chang and the others were not in the mood to comfort him. At this moment, they were all thinking about other things, because Li Siyu and Lin Ge were not in the hotel at the moment.

"How many police dogs have been included in the observation so far?"

In an IT room in the office building, the old leader was carefully watching the video of the police dogs fighting with all their might, while turning around to ask Wei Zhengxun behind him a question.

Wei Zhengxun opened the folder and said calmly and slowly, "Besides Mimi and the six Chu City police dogs that passed the pre-examination, there are another twenty-six police dogs that performed well in terms of smell and obedience. In addition, there are eighteen police dogs that performed very well in actual combat and in subduing suspects, and they have also been included in the assessment team. Hmm... all ten police dogs from Nan Province and Nanjiang Province have been selected, and only nine police dogs from Chu City have been selected, which is much lower than expected."

"Is there exactly fifty police dogs and one police cat in total?"

The old leader nodded, satisfied with the data. After a moment's thought, he looked up and asked, "How did the police dogs from Zhangzhou perform? Were they selected among these fifty police dogs?"

Wei Zhengxun flipped through the document and quickly replied, "Police dog Beibei (number 16), An'an (number 47), Yingying (number 92), and Guaiguai (number 129) all performed exceptionally well in their respective competitions. Beibei, in particular, participated in the hexagram event and has completed all of them with excellent results. In the three key olfactory events, Beibei's scores were all in the top five. Especially in the drug detection event, it surpassed the second-place finisher by a margin of 14 seconds. As for the other three police dogs, An'an and Guaiguai were directly selected, while Yingying's performance was slightly weaker, but considering the overall factors, it was largely due to her trainer, and she was also excellent."

"Hmm... then we'll list them as backups for now. For now, we still have fifty police dogs and one police cat working together to get the next operation going!"

The old leader had no intention of making exceptions; he ignored Wei Zhengxun's hints and excluded police dog Yingying and its handler Yuan Qu. This incident was no joke; it allowed no carelessness or accidents, and no favoritism.

"What are the specific arrangements?"

Wei Zhengxun continued to question.

"Establish the top five police dogs in the six-event all-around competition and their handlers as team leaders, divide the fifty police dogs into five teams, and expedite intensive training. Also, ensure the handlers get to know each other quickly to improve teamwork. Simultaneously, have the Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention send personnel to assist the police dogs and handlers in familiarizing themselves with the characteristics and symptoms of all virus strains. Whether it's a secondary weakened virus or a fourth or fifth generation, we must be extremely vigilant! Furthermore, based on the previous meeting's discussion, let Hado compete with Mimi for the position of head team leader. What a terrible name! What was Ge Hui thinking back then?!"

The former leader couldn't help but laugh and complain at the end, saying he really didn't understand why the star police dog in Chu City had to have a foreign name.

"It is said that Captain Ge's grandson named him, and Hado had the strongest reaction to this name, so he has been called that ever since."

Wei Zhengxun couldn't help but chuckle, then sighed, "Boss, this mission is mainly for Chu City. Do we really have to let Mimi be the team leader? Actually, Hado is doing just as well. She can definitely win over the police dogs and get them to cooperate."

"Didn't I say that Hado and Mimi should compete? Whoever is more capable will be the team leader!"

The old leader glanced at Wei Zhengxun.

Wei Zhengxun didn't refute, but he knew in his heart that his old leader had already made the decision. Of course, he also understood that Mimi was definitely the best choice to be the team leader, after all, that cat's incredible friendliness could avoid a lot of trouble.

Furthermore, with Captain Ge retired, police dog Hado is currently being trained by Officer Geng Yuxiang. Since acquiring Hado, the young officer has become somewhat arrogant, causing dissatisfaction among many in the city police force, and his ability to command respect is still somewhat lacking.

Although it might seem harder for the police cat Mimi's handler to gain public support as an auxiliary police officer, people tend to be more tolerant and understanding towards a girl, as the saying goes, "outsiders are always better at explaining things."

A task may seem complex, but it's actually much more complicated than you imagine. Every aspect needs to be considered, and every detail must be meticulously handled. The behind-the-scenes work is no less demanding than the on-site work.

However, regardless of the circumstances, the police dog competition is essentially over, and the outstanding police dogs have been successfully selected. The upcoming "Tiger Battle" in Chu City will be the true test of these dogs' abilities and results, and a huge challenge for the entire Chu City police system. Whether they can weather the storm or not depends on their performance in the coming days. Good performance will bring everything to a good end; bad performance…

Wei Zhengxun shook his head, not daring to think any further.

Meanwhile, Lin Ge, feeling uneasy, was about to go for a walk when he received an unexpected phone call. Following the directions on the phone, he arrived at the hotel entrance and, sure enough, saw an unfamiliar black SUV parked there. As Lin Ge approached, the car window rolled down, revealing Yang Xiaotong's smiling yet provocative face.

“Mimi, from the moment Zhang Yong called me to say that you had been specially invited to participate in this police dog competition, I knew you would definitely get involved.”

Yang Xiaotong's first words stunned Lin Ge.

At this moment, recalling his meeting with Yang Xiaotong at the hospital some time ago, and Yang Xiaotong's words about coming to Chu City for a meeting and supposedly discovering something very troublesome, Lin Ge finally realized and connected all the details.

So, the meetings and troublesome things Yang Xiaotong mentioned were actually referring to the Tiger virus?
Why would a thoracic surgeon be involved in the prevention and control of this infectious disease? Does this mean the virus has caused such damage that surgery is the only solution?

Lin Ge's perception of the danger posed by the Tiger virus rose to a new level.

"Come on up! Sit down for a bit. Li Siyu and Sun Chang will be down soon. I know there's not much good food in this remote area, and you probably haven't been eating well these past few days, so I specially found a nice place to take you out for a meal. I originally wanted to invite everyone from Zhang City, but I realized I wasn't sure if they were all selected. Due to the confidentiality agreement, we'll have to wait until next time. Hmm... don't look at me like that. Sun Chang and Beibei are definitely selected, after all, Nie Guoqiang personally called me to instruct them. And I need to explain the seriousness and danger of this matter to them properly..."

At this point, Yang Xiaotong sighed with an unreadable expression, and her face was no longer as happy as it had been just moments before.

When the Tiger virus was mentioned, Lin Ge lost all interest in fooling around with Yang Xiaotong.

Just like its name suggests, this thing is ferocious and instills a heavy feeling in one's heart. Although there is no concrete and intuitive data yet to show Lin Ge the horror and harm of this virus, its transmissibility and the fact that even three or four transmissions can cause serious damage to the human body make it impossible not to imagine how terrifying it is. Even comparing it to ancient plagues or the Black Death, which could cause massive disasters resulting in hundreds of thousands or even millions of deaths, is unthinkable. Lin Ge has already considered this mission the most arduous and dangerous since becoming a police cat! It absolutely cannot allow any mistakes; the slightest carelessness would be irresponsible to the entire Chu City, even the entire Chu Province, the entire country, and the entire world—it is something that cannot be neglected.

"Terrorists, they really deserve to die! What did the common people do to provoke them? Why did they have to do such heinous things?"

Lin Ge grumbled inwardly, feeling resentful.

Soon, Li Siyu and Sun Chang came out of the hotel together and greeted Yang Xiaotong with smiles. As a family member of a police officer at Zhanghe Police Station, Yang Xiaotong often kept in touch with the other policewomen. Sometimes, when they got off work a little earlier, the women would go shopping and have meals together quite often. However, this time, the women's expressions were not as relaxed as usual. After getting into the car, they looked at each other, and their faces fell.

"Did Li Siyu tell you what happened?"

Yang Xiaotong could tell from Sun Chang's expression that she was not completely unaware of the whole matter.

"No! I wouldn't dare say that without the leader's permission!"

Li Siyu quickly waved her hand, "Is this something you can joke about?"

Sun Chang was stunned for a moment.

What did Li Siyu mean by that? Although I knew there would definitely be some kind of mission after this grand competition, judging from Li Siyu's attitude, things seemed to be a little different from what I had imagined.
She couldn't help but start to let her mind wander.

Yang Xiaotong didn't say much, but drove the two women and a cat to a lively farmhouse a few kilometers away. She had already booked a room there, and after entering, all the dishes were served, so she waved to the waiter not to come in and disturb them.

After the three women sat down separately, Yang Xiaotong ladled a bowl of steamed egg custard for Lin Ge. "Let's have some wine first, to warm up the atmosphere. As for food, there's no rush. You can eat while you listen to me."

Yang Xiaotong spoke with a calm expression, but her words made Sun Chang and Li Siyu chuckle awkwardly and not dare to reply. However, she ultimately acted like a pillar of support, which made Li Siyu breathe a sigh of relief, and she quickly picked up the wine bottle next to her and poured a glass for each of the three of them.

Sun Chang doesn't actually drink much. He especially remembers Xie Lili's disheveled appearance when he first met her, which makes him regard baijiu (Chinese liquor) as a monstrous threat.

But the atmosphere was a bit off, so Sun Chang could only take a small sip, her face turning slightly red from the spiciness.

"The thing is like this..."

Yang Xiaotong took a small sip of baijiu (Chinese liquor), and then, emboldened by the alcohol, began to recount the story of the Tiger virus to Sun Chang and Li Siyu. She wasn't worried about being overheard, since Mimi was there to keep an eye on their surroundings.

Putting aside other matters, this cat is quite reliable when it comes to serious business.

As Yang Xiaotong continued talking, Sun Chang's face flushed red and then paled, and she grew increasingly nervous. Before she knew it, she had sipped her glass of baijiu (Chinese liquor) in one go, finishing it completely.

"Why are you drinking so fast? This wine is good, but it's also quite potent."

Yang Xiaotong's expression remained normal, indicating that she had a very good tolerance for alcohol. She smiled and poured Sun Chang another glass, then put two pieces of food in her bowl, gesturing for her to quickly eat something.

"The Tiger virus..."

Sun Chang was speechless. Even with her vivid imagination, she hadn't expected things to turn out this way. A virus with terrifyingly high transmission rates was about to threaten Chu City and even the entire country?

"Actually, there's no need to worry too much. Overall, after three generations of transmission, the lethality of the Tiger virus is basically the same as that of the current viral flu. Although it can make people sick, it is not fatal and has no serious sequelae. Based on my research on virus samples and patients sent from the United States over the past month, its main damage is concentrated in the lungs, causing lung inflammation and damage to lung tissue structure. But anyway, it's not an instant-kill disease, right? Given enough time, targeted research and treatment are not too difficult. So the most dangerous period is only the next two months, and we'll get through that."

Yang Xiaotong spoke with a smile, displaying great confidence. Her attitude relieved Li Siyu and Sun Chang; it was truly fortunate that it wasn't an incurable disease.

With the assurance of a professional doctor, the two women finally felt a little relieved.

However, only Lin Ge understood Yang Xiaotong's meaning. The so-called low threat level only referred to the weakened Tiger virus of the third generation and later! The first and most dangerous second-generation Tiger virus was still extremely lethal.

This time, Chu City will face something terrifying that can not only spread but also kill.

"The main transmission route of the Tiger virus is through respiratory droplets. Its only impact on the human body is the respiratory tract; as long as it is not inhaled into the lungs, or even directly touched, there is not much of a problem! The good news is that the Tiger virus has a very short survival time in the air; the bad news is that it can hide in liquids, such as sneezing droplets, nasal mucus, and even drinks and seafood. Therefore, when you are carrying out your missions, you must take special care to protect yourselves! You must wear masks properly and absolutely do not touch your nose and mouth with your hands before disinfection! Of course, you will receive comprehensive training on this later, so I don't need to elaborate too much here. I just want to emphasize one point: no matter what happens, never take off your mask!"

Yang Xiaotong raised a finger and said with a serious expression, "You must understand that the source of this threat is an international terrorist organization! These things will never show you any humanity, so if you find them, don't even think about showing mercy! And Mimi! This time you must protect Sun Chang and Li Siyu and don't let them get into danger! Speaking of which, this virus is actually a bit ridiculous. Its lethality to felines... is actually zero."

(End of this chapter)