Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 489 Leisure under the Sun
Lin Ge's guilty conscience lasted for less than five minutes.

Before he could properly comfort Jiang Yiyi, the woman who made him feel guilty was quickly disposed of.

Zheng Mingxing stormed into the cat shelter without even greeting Lin Ge, and dragged the still-breathing Jiang Yiyi away. Ignoring Jiang Yiyi's tearful recounting of her hardships in Chu City and her desperate curses, Zheng Shiren offered only a half-hearted promise of future time off before forcing her into a police car to deal with a heated dispute between two middle-aged women in a local neighborhood over drying their blankets.

It's rare to have such good weather, so it's important to air out the blankets. But to make such a fuss over a place to dry them, to the point of calling the police, shows absolutely no sympathy for the hard work of the officers.

"Ha~ whatever, it has nothing to do with me anyway."

Lin Ge yawned lazily, putting aside his guilt towards Jiang Yiyi.

After all, it's Zheng Mingxing who's been exploiting Jiang Yiyi now, so if anyone's wrong, it should be Zheng Mingxing who should reflect on his mistakes.

Stepping out of the cattery, the familiar surroundings made Lin Ge feel somewhat disoriented. Looking back at his own tail, smooth except for the tip covered in down, resembling a little lion's tail, he couldn't help but think back to the hardships and dangers of the past few days.

It all felt a bit anticlimactic; perhaps I really should return to Chu City and continue holding my ground. But... I'm just a cat, after all. Would being too responsible be beneath my feline identity?

Lin Ge tried his best to shake off the urge to rush back to Chu City from his mind, then lazily found a clean cement floor that was warm from the sun and slowly lay down.

The warm sunshine was shining on my body, and the ground felt slightly hot. My whole body was enjoying the feeling of being warmed. At this time, the temperature at noon in spring was just the perfect limit that a cat could tolerate.

Lin Ge stood idly in the police station courtyard, feeling a strange sense of unreality about this blissful state. Was this comfortable, drowsy feeling something he should be enjoying at this moment? He clearly remembered almost dying just a moment ago, so how could he be enjoying himself so suddenly? It was only the antics of the little tabby and the snow-clawed tabby around him that were giving him a headache; otherwise, one would really think that this was just the kind of carefree state he was craving in a dream.

"Yeah! These two little rascals shouldn't be part of this carefree lifestyle!"

Lin Ge glared fiercely at the two cats, then felt sorry for the differential treatment Jiang Yiyi had suffered.

With Nie Guoqiang, Sun Chang, Zhao Zhigang, and Zhu Jun gone, the police station was clearly severely understaffed. The various incidents within their jurisdiction, which hadn't been affected in the slightest, kept everyone at the station working non-stop. Lin Ge even overheard Yan Ziming complaining to Yu Zhengwei that she had worked ten consecutive days without even a half-day off. Yu Zhengwei just chuckled and brushed her off, which only made Yan Ziming more agitated.

Listening to the sounds inside, and considering that he had only rested for less than half an hour, Lin Ge actually felt a little guilty. He, who usually only added fuel to the fire by deliberately loitering around, was now feeling ashamed because he felt sorry for their hard work?
What a joke!
Lin Ge's eyes widened, and he decided to hurry up and get back to the state he was in before going to Chu City. A perfectly normal cat can't be this serious about being a corporate slave; what kind of cat is a cat if it doesn't slack off, act willfully, and misbehave?

Lingo yawned silently and decided to take another nap. Perhaps when he woke up, he wouldn't think about Chu City or the Tiger virus outbreak anymore.

'Squeak~~'

The screeching sound of brakes came from outside the gate. The old Santana police car in the police station struggled to cross the small threshold of the gate, and then arrogantly stopped in the middle of the road.

Sweating profusely, Qian Wei climbed out of the car, and his eyes lit up when he saw Lin Ge in the yard.

"Hey! Mimi, you've finally decided to come back..."

Qian Wei, with a playful expression, was about to greet Lin Ge when he saw Zheng Mingxing waving from the window of the service hall. His expression immediately fell, and he grunted as he hurried over.

"Hey, at least let me sit down and rest for five minutes!"

"..."

Hu Zhengping got out of the passenger seat, rubbed his lower back, and followed silently with his head down.

"Hiss... So busy?"

Lin Ge gasped in surprise, a sudden sense of crisis washing over him.

He inexplicably felt that Zheng Mingxing wouldn't give him much rest time and might take him out on a mission at any time, disregarding his illness. So, forgetting his guilt, he quickly got up from the ground, looked around, lowered his head, and ran away.

"Mimi! You go with Qian Wei... Hey? Where's Mimi?"

Sure enough, not long after he ran out of the yard, Zheng Mingxing's loud voice rang out from inside. Upon discovering Lin Ge wasn't there, the rest of his sentence turned into a question mark.

"Damn, I knew I'd be drafted if I'd been any later! What a close call!"

Lin Ge breathed a sigh of relief, not caring who Zheng Mingxing would grab to work next, and quickened his pace to slip away as far as possible.

He ran straight to the Xiaoguanyuan Garden.

He still couldn't bear to give up the comfort of basking in the sun and decided to continue sleeping in here.

Looking around, he saw many children playing and enjoying the spring scenery on the lawn. Thinking for a moment, he realized it must be the weekend. Shaking his head, Lin Ge lamented how busy he'd been lately that he'd even lost track of the date, and found another spot to lie down.

"Boss?"

Just as he was drifting off to sleep, Lin Ge suddenly smelled a familiar scent and heard a familiar voice.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Luo Jue pushing a wheelchair from the other side of the cement path. Sitting in the wheelchair was his mother, Ai Yun, covered with a thin blanket, enjoying her son's care while curiously looking around.

When Ai Jun saw Ling Ge, she quickly recognized the cat and immediately smiled happily.

"Mimi! Come here, Mimi, slurp slurp~"

She made a sound like she was calling a chick, then leaned down slightly and stretched out her palm towards Lin Ge, as if hoping that Lin Ge would jump into her hand.

"Has Ai Yun's condition not improved yet?"

Lin Ge sighed inwardly, refusing to grant the woman's childish request.

He suddenly realized that he hadn't seen the mother and son for quite some time. However, judging from Ai Yun's complexion, apart from what seemed to be a slight intellectual disability, she looked quite well.

Although there was no one else at home besides her son, her clothes were still neat and clean, and her hair was meticulously styled into a ponytail with bangs. Hmm... perhaps Luo Jue only knows how to wear a ponytail? Although this hairstyle doesn't seem suitable for mature women, and Luo Jue's aesthetic sense seems a bit strange, Lin Ge could tell that Luo Jue had put effort into it; the strands of hair were neatly arranged, and she even wore a small hair clip.

The hair clip with three small yellow flowers side by side is a bit childish, perhaps representing Ai Yun's mental age?
Lin Ge noticed some children pointing and whispering at Ai Yun in the distance, but Luo Jue and Ai Yun seemed to ignore them, as if they were quite satisfied with their current lives.

The two approached each other and met. Lin Ge came to the wheelchair and graciously rubbed Ai Yun's fingers before looking up and carefully examining Luo Jue.

"This kid seems to be doing alright. Apart from looking a bit tired, his expressions and emotions are much richer, and his smile is genuinely heartfelt joy. It's been tough; this guy can finally see hope after all his suffering."

Lin Ge sighed and jumped back to avoid Ai Yun's hands grabbing at him.

"Mimi! Come here!" Unwilling to give up, Ai Yun jumped out of her wheelchair, bending over to grab Lin Ge. This made Lin Ge realize that she only had a slight problem with her mind; her body was actually fine. The wheelchair's main purpose was probably to keep her seated and prevent her from running around, but now, seeing a cat, she couldn't resist.

Ai Yun, like a child, trotted after Lin Ge. Lin Ge didn't fall too far behind, trying to maintain a speed that wouldn't cause her to trip. The two played on the grass, and Luo Jue, pushing the wheelchair behind them, didn't stop them, just quietly watching the most important person to him fool around on the grass.

The sunlight was a little too bright, so Luo Jue folded the blanket that was scattered on the wheelchair, put it away carefully, and then walked over again.

"Mom, take a rest. You're sweating, slow down so you don't catch a cold."

"But, it's a cat!"

Ai Yun was somewhat unwilling and aggrieved as she pointed out Lin Ge to Luo Jue. Actually, she wasn't usually like this. She would see some stray cats passing by in her yard, but Ai Yun would never run around so recklessly.

"I'm really impressed by you!"

Not wanting to put Luo Jue in a difficult position, Lin Ge sighed and returned to Ai Yun's side, nudging her calf with his tail. After nudging her, seeing his uniquely styled tail again, Lin Ge couldn't help but twitch his eye, inwardly wanting to curse.

Damn it! I'm not even used to the way this tail looks to me, but everyone else must be laughing their heads off.

Lin Ge couldn't help but look around, only to find that while some people nearby had indeed noticed the unusual appearance of his tail, few showed any mocking expressions. Only Luo Jue narrowed his eyes upon seeing the tail, his aura becoming somewhat somber.

He knew very well that his boss would never let anyone shave him! Not to mention trimming or styling, he wouldn't even let anyone touch him! There must be a reason why he looked like this now, and he even smelled some safflower oil.

"Boss, has something happened to you these past few days?"

Luo Jue thought to himself, clenching his fists tightly around the wheelchair. He felt guilty for being so busy with his mother's affairs lately and not being able to help his eldest brother. He had received so much care from his brother, yet he couldn't even offer a little in return.

"Don't overthink it, I'm perfectly fine! I'm just doing my job, it's no big deal to suffer a little loss!"

Before Luo Jue could speak, Lin Ge looked up and glared at him.

He knew this kid was prone to overthinking. While gratitude was a virtue, being overly fixated on it was unnecessary. As long as the kid could live well with his mother, Lin Ge was already satisfied and didn't need him to do anything extra.

Even if he really has any intention of repaying a debt of gratitude, let's wait until he grows up and learns some skills! What can a mere little kid like him possibly do now?
"It's rare for you to call me 'boss,' so isn't it only right that I take care of you?"

Lin Ge didn't take Luo Jue's thoughts to heart, and continued to play with Ai Yun for a while like coaxing a child. It was clear that Ai Yun was recovering quite well; at least she no longer needed much help from others in terms of self-care.

After Ai Yun exclaimed "Ouch!" and ran to the public restroom, Luo Jue sat down next to Lin Ge and whispered, looking towards the restroom, "Boss, I'm really happy now! Mom's condition is getting better and better. The doctor said it's only a matter of time before she fully recovers. Of course, I could accept it even if she stayed like this, because she can recognize me and know that I'm her son, and that's enough. And... I'm in school now, at the Oil City Middle School that Uncle Nie arranged for me. I make the most of my time every day to catch up on my studies, and I can even have lunch and dinner with Mom. When it gets dark, I can even take a walk with her, something I never dared to dream of before."

"Oh right, you've already gone to school!"

Lin Ge suddenly remembered that Luo Jue still needed to go to school. But this was a good thing; only through education could he have a bright future, and only after completing his studies could he provide Ai Yun with a better life. This kid was no longer the wandering, wild boy he used to be, like a lost soul with nowhere to turn.

His life and his destiny have been completely changed! Although he still has a long way to go and many hard days to endure and bear alone, compared to another path full of darkness and despair, this kid has obtained tangible happiness, which is worth the wonderful fate that brought him together.

The person and the cat looked at each other, and suddenly lost the desire to continue chatting.

Our lives are all so full of unexpected turns. It's nice to have met like this and sit together quietly. Just like the warmth of spring after winter, simply enjoying the comfort of the sunshine is enough!
Lin Ge pondered this with a sense of感慨, suddenly feeling a sense of fulfillment in his life after becoming a cat. It was just like how he had risked his life and endured so much hardship in Chu City—wasn't it precisely so that he would see peace instead of chaos and sorrow later?

He thought again of the dream he'd had that day while dozing off at the service counter at Tianchi International Airport—a dream of a future he undoubtedly didn't want to see. Even if the most dangerous and dire circumstances could be overcome with the united efforts of the nation and the arduous work of those involved, Lin Ge still hoped it would never happen in the first place. He also hoped that the sacrifices and pain required to overcome that regret would never occur.

Whether as a human or a cat, he dislikes seeing negative things. It's precisely to fill his environment with sunshine that he willingly endures being looked at differently and insists on doing what he can!

"Lao Tzu was truly great!"

Lin Ge chuckled shamelessly, all the repression and confusion in his heart vanishing instantly. But the smile on his cat-like face looked particularly strange.

Luo Jue witnessed this scene, but it didn't arouse any strange thoughts in him. After all, the cat in front of him was his boss, and also an important figure who changed his life. Therefore, he simply pursed his lips and stood up to greet Ai Yun, who was strolling leisurely over there.

Ai Yun, with a simple smile on her face, strolled slowly toward the lawn, looking around curiously. But halfway there, she suddenly paused, blinked, and looked toward the artificial hill beside her.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

Seeing Ai Yun standing still, Luo Jue walked over curiously.

"Birds! Look, birds!"

Ai Yun seemed to have seen something unusual. She cheerfully beckoned Luo Jue over and excitedly shouted in the direction of the artificial hill.

"bird?"

Luo Jue looked in the direction Ai Yun pointed and was astonished to see several cats playing there. But a magpie perched on the head of one of the cats was surprisingly conspicuous and unbelievable. Why would a cat allow a bird to perch on its head?

A question mark popped into Luo Jue's head, and she reflexively turned to look at Lin Ge.

"Damn it, that damn bird!"

Lin Ge was speechless. He hadn't expected the mischievous bird to follow him out. It had only been a month or two since he'd last returned, so how had the bird's relationship with the cats become so harmonious? When he'd left home to help Bei Bei and the others at the training center, wasn't this bird constantly being tormented by the cats that came to the police station compound, especially the lead snow-clawed tabby? He hadn't noticed it earlier in the yard, but now he realized the cats weren't bothering it anymore?
Not only do they not cause any trouble, they even tolerate this wretched bird jumping around on their heads?
Lin Ge looked at the cats with suspicion; they were all familiar underlings who often came to the police station to say hello. It wasn't just the one that tolerated the bird perched on its head; even the other cats were very friendly to this wretched bird, showing no intention of using their claws at all. This was quite absurd.

"What's going on? In such a short time, the rascal and the cats have managed to get along so well? Isn't that a bit too amazing and exaggerated?"

Lin Ge tilted his head and watched the wretched bird squawking and quacking like a leader, while stretching out its wings to direct the stupid cat beneath it. He felt that the wretched bird seemed to be plotting to usurp the throne, and his eyes unconsciously filled with murderous intent.

"Caw~"

The arrogant, smug bird was completely unaware that Lin Ge was about to attack it. It only felt itself incredibly powerful, and when it looked at its two companion magpies nestled in the branches of a large tree atop the hill, it couldn't help but give them a threatening look.

At the bird's command, several cats behind it quickly moved out and cautiously crept towards the two magpies in the tree.

They first crawled forward on the ground, and when they got close to the tree, they didn't climb up directly. Instead, they climbed onto the tree on the ground and moved little by little toward the two magpies who were completely unaware of the approaching danger.

Once they reached a distance close enough to be alerted, the cats lay motionless and began to feign stillness.

Then, the scoundrel flapped its wings and flew toward the two magpies.

(End of this chapter)