Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 506 Critical Situation

To the disappointment of the three police officers, those around them shook their heads, indicating that they had not seen anything like it.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that they were not wearing police uniforms and were just conducting a routine inquiry.

We asked our way through the market, but found no clues. However, just as we were about to reach the very back, a kind passerby gave us a tip: there was a shop next to the market that made advertising signs and had something like laminating equipment.

However, Pu Lingyu and her two companions rushed over to check, only to find that the shop wasn't particularly suspicious. While they had sealing equipment, they lacked other tools and equipment for processing etoposide into cigarette powder, and no related raw materials were found in the back warehouse. Furthermore, the shop, including its workshop, was equipped with security cameras, and the computer contained video recordings accurate to a month prior, sufficient to prove their work was unrelated to the drug case.

In this way, the trip to this hardware market turned out to be a complete waste of time and money.
The shop owner, who seemed somewhat nervous when Pu Lingyu showed her police ID, stood quietly to the side as the three police officers reviewed the surveillance footage. She would occasionally steal a glance outside, and only after Pu Lingyu finished her inspection and apologized did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"It's nothing! Cooperating with the police is what we should do. That..."

'Squeak! '

Before he could finish speaking, the glass door at the entrance was suddenly pushed open. A cat strolled in with elegant steps, followed by a servant who held the door open.

Pu Lingyu ignored the person and the cat, focusing instead on asking the female shop owner if she had ever seen this kind of cigarette powder packaging, while simultaneously asking searchers in other directions via her phone group if they had found any clues. She even secretly took a few steps back to keep a slight distance when Lin Ge approached.

"Does this woman really hate cats that much?"

Lin Ge looked up at Pu Lingyu, but she had already turned her head to the side.

"Brother Zhao, have you found anything over there?"

The policeman named Lu Hui had a completely different attitude towards Lin Ge and Zhao Zhigang, greeting them with a smile and saying, "You've come all this way for nothing, we didn't find anything wrong with this shop."

Zhao Zhigang shook his head, then looked down at Lin Ge, and remained silent.

His serious expression startled Lu Hui for a moment, then his eyes darted around and he immediately guessed what was going on. It was just like that day when Mimi had leisurely and casually searched around Yixinda and found that place that everyone had overlooked.

So Lu Hui and another policeman named Ma Xian stopped talking and, while keeping an eye on Lin Ge's movements, turned around and subtly took control of the female shop owner and the two employees inside.

Zhao Zhigang nodded approvingly and followed Lin Ge into the shop.

Entering the back room of this advertising shop, the not-so-large room was filled with various miscellaneous materials, and several thick stacks of acrylic sheets were piled up against the wall. A little further in, there was a large industrial-grade inkjet printer. This printer could print two meters of paper at a time, and several large rolls of rough white packaging paper leaned against the back wall. In addition, there were many scraps of paper on the floor, the kind of corner pieces that needed to be trimmed from folded packaging boxes.

To be honest, at first glance, this place really doesn't seem to have anything to do with tobacco powder, and Lin Ge didn't smell anything similar to etomidate.

But just staring at the large printer, a mocking smile appeared on Lingo's lips.

Zhao Zhigang also suddenly realized what was going on. He nodded and looked at the female shop owner standing nervously beside him, saying, "Turn on the computer connected to this printer. I need to check all the templates you've printed recently. By the way, don't try to hide anything from me. If I find anything illegal in your shop and you haven't confessed... then you'll have to go to the interrogation room and explain why you've been hiding it."

The already nervous female shop owner's face immediately turned even more unpleasant.

However, under Zhao Zhigang's smiling gaze, and with Pu Lingyu suddenly realizing what was happening and quickly approaching, the female shop owner had no choice but to obediently turn on her computer and open the folder containing the templates and samples.

Pu Lingyu used the mouse to open the image inside, and then... a packaging box template with the words 'Etomidazol Emulsion Injection' on it came into view of the four of them.

This is a rectangular medicine box template with a white background, black lettering, and a narrow blue banner underneath. The front features the brand name and the national drug approval number in English in the upper left corner, and the product specifications (ml:mg) in the upper right corner. The center displays the words "Estradiol Emulsion Injection" in large characters, along with its English translation. The lower right corner shows the name of a domestic pharmaceutical company, also arranged in both Chinese and English. The back includes a brief product instruction manual and barcode information, while the two long side panels display the product specifications, usage, contraindications, and other details. This box can be easily folded and assembled into a complete medicine box.

However, it was clear that an advertising shop wasn't qualified to print and produce medicine boxes. Moreover, the prominent words "Yituimizhi" on the box had already alarmed the four police officers.

"Hehe... Just as I thought! We followed the smoke powder here, and by sheer accident, we stumbled upon another buyer secretly purchasing Yixinda Yitomizhi! Unlike that group who deals in drugs, this group is probably selling counterfeit medicine! Awesome!"

In the end, Zhao Zhigang couldn't help but swear.

"Isn't this a bit too outrageous?"

Lu Hui's lips twitched slightly; he hadn't expected to encounter something so eye-opening today. While emetine was indeed a medicine, could just anyone produce it by obtaining some raw materials and creating fake packaging?
However, given the packaging blueprints for Etomidazol emulsion injection in front of him, and the printer capable of mass-producing packaging boxes, he couldn't think of any other use for the print shop to keep such things besides making counterfeit packaging.

The evidence was right in front of him; although not conclusive, it was enough to prove a lot. Lu Hui still couldn't believe that someone was bolder than drug dealers, plotting to openly sell Mizhi.

He looked at the female shop owner next to him, surnamed Huang, who kept her head down and remained silent.

But that doesn't matter. No matter how stubborn someone is, they'll confess when they're in jail. Besides, these kinds of things aren't actually that difficult to uncover the whole truth once you find a clue.

Lu Hui thought excitedly, and couldn't help but look at Zhao Zhigang again.

"Brother Zhao, how did you and Mimi find out this information?"

He was very curious, mainly because Zhao Zhigang and Mimi went straight towards the printer as soon as they entered, clearly having already identified their target before even arriving. But how did they manage that? Did they discover something else outside?

"Because over there, Mimi found traces of pharmaceutical glass bottle production in a glass workshop. Then, next door, in a plastics store, Mimi also found recycled glass bottle stoppers. Next, in the tin shop directly opposite, she found equipment for sealing bottle caps with aluminum foil and a large quantity of aluminum foil gaskets! Then, in the corner shop, there's a laser printer that can print graduations and anti-counterfeiting marks on glass bottles… When Mimi and I came to find you, Mimi discovered a back door to this market, and hidden in an alleyway inside was a small bottling workshop! Hehe… You see, the equipment and materials for making counterfeit medicine are all there, aren't they?"

As Zhao Zhigang spoke slowly, the female shop owner trembled even more violently, leaving Lu Hui and the other two dumbfounded.

They never imagined that such a localized, collaborative effort to produce counterfeit drugs existed! Some manufactured the packaging and instructions, some the bottles, some the seals, some the anti-counterfeiting labels, and there was even a secret bottling plant! In other words, without relying on anyone else, these few small shops hidden in the hardware market courtyard had fulfilled all the needs for producing counterfeit drugs.

More importantly, if even the filling equipment is exposed, isn't that the same as catching the perpetrators red-handed? There will be 100% traces of etomidate left on the filling equipment. If you send it for testing, it will be clear as day.

"Mimi and I didn't alert them over there, we just called your bureau. You need to hurry and urge them to send people to apprehend everyone here and take control of the evidence." Seeing Mimi yawning repeatedly while squatting on a chair, Zhao Zhigang quickly instructed Lu Hui to get things done. To be honest, the situation was no longer just about one or two people; Zhao Zhigang even suspected that many people in this hardware market were involved. After all, while counterfeiting sounds simple, it requires a lot of materials and attention to detail. Furthermore, in terms of production volume, a few small workshops probably couldn't supply the needs of that small-scale bottling production line. And for such a 'win-win' business to go unreported in broad daylight, it's highly likely that everyone in the vicinity has been implicated.

In short, this is no longer a case that can be handled by four police officers and a police cat. In fact, if the opponent is more ruthless, there is a possibility that they could be murdered to cover up the crime if the situation is exposed.

Therefore, Zhao Zhigang instructed Ma Xian to keep an eye on the people in the store to prevent them from sending out alarm signals, while urging Lu Hui to quickly seek help from the Municipal Bureau.

Since the group arrived in plainclothes, but after asking many questions, Zhao Zhigang couldn't be sure if they had alerted the enemy. The only thing he could guarantee was that Mimi had made all the discoveries alone, and at least that aspect shouldn't have been detected yet. But honestly, when infiltrating enemy territory, one must consider the worst-case scenario; if someone tried to silence them, they had to resist until reinforcements arrived.

Thinking of this, Zhao Zhigang opened a window a crack, picked up Lin Ge, and stuffed it outside.

"Mimi, go find a safe place to hide."

Zhao Zhigang's heart was pounding, and he felt inexplicably uneasy. Especially when he looked out the window and saw two men in dirty work clothes with messy hair walking towards him, his legs trembled with nervousness.

Because in his line of sight, there were two other people sneaking along the wall to his right.

Overall, it gives the impression that... the advertising store has been completely surrounded.

"Too late, you idiot!"

Lin Ge yawned again and pulled away from Zhao Zhigang's grasp. He squinted and squatted on the windowsill, listening quietly to the footsteps coming from behind the wall. There were seven people in total, who had completely surrounded the advertising shop.

"What do you want to do!"

Seeing two dirty-clothed men push open the door and walk in without any politeness, staring straight at her, Pu Lingyu felt goosebumps all over her body and quickly shouted at them.

"Officer, why make things difficult for us poor people?"

The person standing on the left spoke slowly.

The person next to him quickly chimed in, "We work so hard to earn money to support our families, it's really not easy! We had no choice but to do something a little out of line! After all, it's for survival, right? We can't just sit here and wait to die in that dead-end shop. So... could you give us a way out and pretend we didn't know anything? We only made a tiny mistake, right? If you're lenient, we promise we won't do it again."

Two more people walked in from outside, but this time they stood outside the shop and blocked the door.

Seeing that the encirclement had been formed, Pu Lingyu's fingertips turned white from clenching them.

They were out searching for clues, and being plainclothes officers, they weren't carrying any equipment. Furthermore, being civilian police officers, she could only shout in this situation: "I don't know what you're trying to do! But you need to understand, you're threatening the police! Do you understand? I'm warning you, get out of the way now, don't make things worse! Threatening or assaulting a police officer is a very serious crime, don't ruin your lives!"

"Heh... I've searched online. Based on what we did, we'd get at least seven years in prison. That won't do! What will happen to my family if I go to jail for seven years? Aren't you forcing me to die?"

The man in front of me chuckled, his eyes gradually turning sinister: "Officer, I know we ordinary folks are doomed once you've got our hands on us! But if you really don't give me any face, don't blame me for going all out and taking someone down with me! With you here, more than a dozen shops in the market are out of business. You're practically forcing us to our deaths, aren't you? To be honest, rather than obediently going to jail, I'd rather fight to the death! If I'm going to die, I'll die a valiant death!"

"That's right! If we have no other way to survive, we're not afraid to die together with you!"

A young man stood by the window, holding a large wrench, threateningly saying, "We haven't done anything serious, why are you targeting us? You ignore those who commit murder and arson, and just think we're easy to bully, right?"

"Officer, I'm begging you, please just pretend you didn't see anything, okay?"

Standing next to him was an older woman in a floral-patterned jacket, pleading pitifully, "We ordinary folks don't earn money easily. When business is bad, after paying rent and utilities, we can't even afford meat, and we can't even afford new clothes for the New Year. You're all saints, can't you just pretend you didn't see anything? Huh? I'll kowtow to you, please? I know what we did was wrong, but it's to support our families, isn't it? Are you going to let us starve to death, and leave my eight-year-old son an orphan? If you arrest us, what will happen to our families? You're trying to force them to their deaths!"

"..."

People were standing at the door and windows, so Zhao Zhigang and his three companions were essentially trapped inside the print shop.

Although the distress call has been sent out and backup police are on their way, the current situation is far beyond what can be resolved simply by police assistance! The situation could easily escalate into a dangerous violent incident if not handled carefully.

A group of lawbreakers, using their pitifulness and poverty as excuses and the idea that earning money to support their families is a matter of course, inexplicably placed themselves on a moral high ground and even took it for granted to threaten the police.

"How to do?"

Pu Lingyu was somewhat at a loss, mainly because what these people said seemed to make some sense. What would happen to the elderly and children if the family lost its breadwinner?
"Haven't you memorized the Police Law and the Criminal Procedure Law?"

Zhao Zhigang turned back to look at Pu Lingyu with some surprise. Why was this woman suddenly feeling sympathy? Was this the time to sympathize with others? If the police sympathize with criminals or even turn a blind eye, then who the hell would sympathize with the victims?

“I’ve memorized it! But given the current situation… we definitely can’t confront them head-on! In this situation, we must at least balance legal responsibility with humanitarian concern. Law enforcement can’t be too rigid, right? How about we try to communicate again?”

Pu Lingyu spoke with some hesitation, yet she clearly understood that theory and reality should not be confused. In school, her teachers had said that when encountering such problems, one needed to patiently communicate with the suspect and find solutions, but when faced with a real situation, Pu Lingyu felt a little timid.

"No need! I'm open to communication and mediation if they have a valid point! But how can we expect them to open a door to threatening the police and the law by taking advantage of personal family issues?"

Lu Hui waved his hand, interrupting Pu Lingyu without hesitation.

He even glanced at the three shop staff members who were being stared at by Ma Xian, then shouted loudly towards the door without hesitation: "The police have surrounded us outside. None of you are going to escape! If you have the guts, come in and kill us. Otherwise, you'd better cooperate with the investigation and interrogation and confess everything you've done! Hmph! Do you think the law is a joke? Do you think you can do whatever you want just because you're selfish? Even if you're really in trouble, you should resolve it through legal channels, not by obstructing the police or even threatening to assault them! You've broken the law and want to escape punishment and refuse to take responsibility? You're dreaming! Now, come on in!"

Lu Hui's final roar startled the people outside the door.

The group exchanged glances, their expressions even more conflicted than Pu Lingyu's inside the room. They certainly wouldn't dare kill anyone; this was just a bluff.
(End of this chapter)