Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 510 Greed is a Sin
Several police officers rushed to the location indicated by the old man.

Meanwhile, Lu Hui and his companions naturally wouldn't completely believe the old man's story, so they searched the old man's house while continuing to question him.

"Why would he give you such a nice e-cigarette? Did you do something to him? Tell me!"

"I...I didn't do anything! I'm just an ordinary old man in the village. I guess he just respected the elderly and cared for the young, so he took pity on me and gave me a little charity."

The old man's eyes darted around, and he seemed to have thought of something before quickly denying it.

Lu Hui laughed in anger.

Even now, you're still trying to hide it! Are you determined to keep quiet until you're locked up in jail?

"come over!"

Suddenly a commotion came from outside the door, and soon, under the escort of two colleagues, another elderly man, dressed in disheveled clothes and seemingly still half asleep, was brought in.

The old man had a dazed look on his face and appeared to be older. He seemed terrified, even struggling to walk. If it weren't for the police officers supporting him on both sides, he might have collapsed to the ground by now.

But even though he was a very old man, when the police caught him, he was still lying in bed, ecstatically smoking an e-cigarette containing etoposide.

His wife is still sitting on the threshold of the front door, crying and shouting that she must not be allowed to take her old man away.

As the police expedited their operation, the small village was quickly searched. Shockingly, the twenty-odd elderly people remaining in the village, especially the majority of the men, had all received gifts from the man named Xiao Wang.

Xiao Wang had two requirements for them.

First, they help keep an eye on the area outside the village and its surroundings, and if any strangers are spotted approaching, they should be called immediately.

Secondly, they were to help smuggle some items out of Yixinda's factory without telling anyone.

These were just two very simple requests, but these elderly people, who had nothing to do all day, agreed readily and completed them very well.

Because of the endless supply of high-end e-cigarettes for free, and the gifts and fruit Xiao Wang brought them every time he visited, sometimes even giving them money or bonuses, these elderly people kept the matter a complete secret. Even though they knew Xiao Wang was stealing from Yixinda, none of them intended to report it to the police or persuade him not to do anything illegal. These elderly people even formed a secret group to keep Xiao Wang's existence a closely guarded secret both inside and outside the village.

After all, if Xiao Wang gets arrested, wouldn't all these free benefits be gone?
And don't let Xiao Wang's always cheerful demeanor fool you; he's a ruthless character! Old Huang from the end of the village borrowed money from Xiao Wang but had no intention of repaying it, threatening to call the police if he dared to ask for it back. Then, the next day, Old Huang mysteriously drowned in the river.

After this incident, everyone who had received favors from Xiao Wang immediately shut their mouths. Since they could get benefits without having to do anything, why bother making things difficult for themselves?

And the cigarettes Xiao Wang brought were really good!
After smoking his cigarettes, all other cigarettes tasted bland. If I didn't smoke for a few days, I felt like my bones were itching! In order to continue enjoying smoking, I had no choice but to obey Xiao Wang's orders.

"We have no choice! We are innocent! He threatened to kill us, what can we do?"

"It's all your fault, you useless cops! Why didn't you arrest him sooner? It's all your fault! If you hadn't failed to catch him, why would we old codgers have been threatened by him?"

"Why are you arresting me! I'm seventy years old, I could kill someone and it wouldn't be illegal!"

"Ouch, I'm having an attack! I need to take my medicine, ouch..."

As the elderly people involved in the case were all brought here, these old guys became increasingly arrogant.

Taking advantage of their numbers and age, they even shifted all the blame onto the police officers who came to arrest them. Some shameless ones even lay down on the ground and started convulsing, acting as if to say, "If you dare arrest me, I'll die right here in front of you."

Adding to the complexity were the elderly women on the periphery who were less involved in the case, or who were simply looking for cheap things and didn't smoke. They were also crying and shouting as they tried to stop the police, grabbing and hitting them, making the situation even more complicated.

When Lin Ge, Zhao Zhigang, and the other three arrived, this was the chaotic scene they witnessed.

The scene was astounding: an elderly woman throwing a tantrum, helpless police officers, and a chaotic cacophony of shouting. One old woman was even banging on a police car and yelling at it. Lin Ge was completely dumbfounded by what he saw.

Meanwhile, in a house across the street, several workers who rented rooms in the village, eager to rest after finishing their night shift, were yawning and watching the commotion with wide eyes. They had been awakened by the police knocking on their door and questioned for a while, and then kept awake by the noise outside, so they stood at the door and windows, peering in. This village was also remarkably secretive; these workers knew absolutely nothing about Yi Tuo Mi Zhi's situation.

Of course, this is also related to their hard work. They work two shifts of twelve hours a day, and besides working, they only sleep. How can they have time to care about anything else?
"So many elderly people, it's a bit difficult to manage!"

Seeing this scene helplessly, Zhao Zhigang felt a bit of a toothache.

Over the years he's been a policeman, what he fears most is dealing with elderly people. There's not much difference between Changshi and Zhangshi in this respect; even if they've committed criminal offenses, the older they are, the more likely they are to die at any moment, and a slight misstep can bring a lifetime of bad luck.

"Captain Fan!"

A middle-aged policeman hurriedly approached Captain Fan, who was in charge of the team, and said in a low voice with a grim expression, "We pried open the lock and found tobacco powder production equipment inside that house. But there was only equipment inside; it seems that the suspects have all fled beforehand."

After ordering his men to control these unruly old men, Captain Fan hurriedly followed the policeman to the house that had been identified as "Xiao Wang's" rented residence.

The house was a mess, with various raw materials, oil drums, smoke powder shells and other things piled up everywhere. Even the kitchen was full of cheap brand smoke cartridges.

The process here involves taking out the raw materials from these e-cigarette cartridges, mixing them with etoposide powder in a certain proportion, and then refilling and sealing them to create brand new toxic e-cigarette powder.

Climbing the stairs from the living room to the second floor, you can indeed see a dirty set of filling and die-casting production equipment. Due to the lack of room space, this equipment has undergone a series of DIY modifications, with some parts even being directly tied together with wire.

Next to this rudimentary equipment was a makeshift laboratory. On the table were funnels, measuring cylinders, plastic gloves, an alcohol stove, a small scale, and even a row of small test tubes and ampoules—it looked quite professional. A small cart sat on the floor, and in the corner was a small grinder, next to which lay half a box of gas-proof pig snouts. Everything was greasy and dirty, completely lacking the cleanliness and tidiness expected of a laboratory. Countless messy footprints littered the floor, which appeared to be coated with a thick layer of grease; an on-site investigation was underway, urgently collecting evidence.

Team Leader Fan didn't rush in. Instead, he turned to look at the room next to the work area. It seemed to be a rest area attached to the warehouse, containing not only some cardboard boxes but also a large amount of household garbage.

Back on the first floor, in the room next to the living room, a cardboard box contained a considerable amount of finished cigarette powder, while several plastic baskets were piled haphazardly on the other side. Besides these, there was a table and a chair against the window, with paper, pens, inkpads, ashtrays, and similar items on it. The table drawers were open, containing only a few blank notebooks, two packs of cigarettes that had been smoked a few times, and several faded supermarket receipts.

According to an elderly villager, this room was where they received their "benefits." Whether it was free e-cigarettes, occasional free fruits, health products, grains, oils, chickens, ducks, or even their "wages" as gatekeepers, they all lined up at this window to collect them.

Of course, after receiving the items, you have to sign a piece of paper as 'proof' of joining.

The elderly people, relying on their age, don't seem to care. Sign whatever you want, do whatever you want with it. But these weekly perks can't stop; if they do, don't blame them for being ruthless!

"So, everyone inside has already run away?"

Although it was somewhat expected, Captain Fan was still disappointed that they only found the suspect's manufacturing equipment but failed to apprehend any of the main suspects. "Also, there's less of the 'Yiyu Mizhi' inside than we anticipated. Our initial estimate is only about half a ton, which is far less than we expected! Considering the production efficiency of the equipment upstairs, more than four tons of goods can't be consumed in just one or two months. So, Captain Fan, I suspect that the suspect called 'Xiao Wang' may have a second hidden location, and what we found here is just a smokescreen."

At this point, the subordinate shook his head and said, "My judgment is that this house is just used to seduce and bribe these greedy old geezers in the village! After all, relying on Mi Zhi, they still need to help smuggle goods, so a little bit of benefit is enough to get rid of them. Using toxic e-cigarettes to control them is indeed a good method. Just look at the situation outside, and you'll know that those old guys are still unrepentant! They say they're too old to care, but this kind of thing is really difficult to deal with."

Team Leader Fan nodded, rubbing his chin, and said, "There's no need to build too much manufacturing equipment. After all, this thing has considerable power, and sales don't seem too high right now. Besides, this house has everything, but there's no dedicated distribution warehouse. So my feeling is that they have another distribution point nearby. Also, like I said, relying on Mizhi isn't considered a drug yet. We really can't take coercive measures against these old fogies. But we'll leave this to Director Wang to figure out. Right now, we just need to keep a close eye on that drug-making group; that's the most important task. But how did this group get the information first? We've arrived fast enough."

"The Yang guy that Zhao Zhigang ran into outside Yixinda?"

A policeman next to him looked up.

"Bring him here!"

Team Leader Fan waved his hand fiercely.

"If it's him, then it proves that the group didn't receive the warning for very long, and they probably didn't go too far. Where's Mimi? We didn't bring a police dog this time. Go and call Mimi, and see if she can help find the group's escape route!"

"Captain Fan!"

Just then, Lu Hui rushed over, "Mimi may have spotted the suspect's escape route, and she's already out with Zhao Zhigang, Sun Hang, and a few others. Do you think we should ask Director Wang to send some more people to deal with these unruly old men and women in the village? Let's hurry and catch the big fish!"

"Hehe, I knew that cat would do it!"

Team Leader Fan's eyes lit up, and he took the lead in walking out. "Tell three people to come with me, the rest of you handle the situation in the village! Sun Hang and the others are on their walkie-talkies, right? Ask them where they've chased them to."

"They said...it's over by the coal mine behind Ziling Village."

Lu Hui grabbed the stun gun at his waist.

Behind Ziling Village, amidst the undulating earthen slopes, lies a small coal factory surrounded by dense bamboo groves, specializing in the production of honeycomb briquettes and various small coal balls.

Before liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and natural gas became widespread, coal stoves were the essential tool for cooking in most households. However, due to the impact of LPG and natural gas, nowadays only restaurants, breakfast shops, and remote areas where LPG is difficult to bottle still rely on coal stoves. Coupled with the soaring price of coal, the coal mine in Ziling Village struggled to survive and was ultimately forced to close down.

The factory owner has now left in disappointment, but the factory building has been preserved.

Although the factory roof and windows were damaged by wind and rain, there were still a few rooms that were habitable.

Following the scent he caught from the back door of that house—the scent of the person who left their mark outside the Yixinda compound—Lin Ge led Zhao Zhigang, Sun Hang, and Xiang Zhiming to the coal mine.

This place was also deserted, but in one of the rooms, they found the last few tons of etoposide hidden inside. Hundreds of white snakeskin bags filled the room; the thought of them being used as drugs was incredibly disturbing.

However, from this perspective, Captain Fan and his group were mistaken. Xiao Wang and his group didn't have a second cave; they simply chose the security measure of separating the storage and cargo.

In another room, Lin Ge discovered a product packaging and sealing machine. Thus, the entire production and packaging equipment for the toxic e-cigarette powder was found.

The suspect chose to produce the goods in the village, then bring them here for packaging and transportation. This ensured that the production was protected and alerted by elderly villagers, while also preventing theft and robbery from occurring in the village.

Outbound, production, warehousing... Although the place is small and the environment is not good, this group of people actually followed a standard process, which is much more professional than ordinary drug manufacturers.

This group seems to operate differently from traditional drug lords, and judging from their equipment, they're probably just newbies. However, they seem quite innovative in their 'business,' and their standardized management is quite in line with modern trends. Whether it's product development or security measures, they're more cautious and professional than ordinary drug dealers. This group even knows how to mobilize the 'masses,' willing to sacrifice a portion of their profits to bring the entire Ziling Village under their control. In this respect, these guys are undoubtedly educated, and even quite ambitious. It's just a pity they chose the wrong industry, a path of crime, a path with no future.

Then, judging from their use of drugs to control the elderly in the village, these people are quite ruthless and not worried at all about the elderly dying from drug addiction.

To be honest, Lin Ge was a little scared at that moment.

Drug dealers themselves aren't scary, but it's when drug dealers are educated that it's truly terrifying.

If we don't catch this group in time, who knows what other crazy tricks they might come up with, and how they could use their knowledge of the law and countermeasures to expand their business even further.

"Mimi, there's no one around!"

Zhao Zhigang ran over, panting heavily, completely exhausted. Unfortunately, the quiet coal mine wasn't hiding any suspects; the other party had decisively abandoned the location and the wealth in the warehouse without hesitation.

Lin Ge wasn't in a hurry to catch up, but instead slowly and meticulously analyzed the coal in the coal mine.

He didn't intend to target just one person, nor did he have time to wait for the Changshi police to arrest and interrogate one person before adding a second and then implicating a third, proceeding slowly.

Lin Ge didn't plan to stay in Changshi for too long. Not only was the city not a good fit for him, but he was also starting to miss home.

Therefore, it is best to memorize the scents of all the suspects in the area at once, and then find them all in one go.

Moreover, although he didn't tell anyone, Lin Ge knew in his heart that his physical condition wasn't very good. Otherwise, in the past, when faced with such a situation, why would he leisurely hand over the bulk of the operation and the opportunity to show his face to the police, instead of personally taking down all the enemies? Therefore, given that his physical condition couldn't afford to delay any longer, Lin Ge had no choice but to act swiftly and decisively, resolve the case quickly, and then get out of there as soon as possible.

"Mimi..."

A hint of heartache flashed in Zhao Zhigang's eyes.

Ever since Zhao Zhigang saw Mimi in Changshi, he had noticed that something was wrong with the cat.

Can you believe it? It doesn't even beat itself anymore.
Normally, if anything displeases it, it will throw a tantrum and scratch people mercilessly! Zhao Zhigang and Qian Wei are the people in the police station who have been disciplined by Mimi the most, so how could he not notice this subtle change?
Combined with what he heard from Jiang Yiyi and Zhu Jun about Mimi's long and arduous journey in Chu City, Zhao Zhigang now clearly understood that Mimi's physical strength and energy had reached their limit, and it needed to rest.

"I want to rest properly too! But there are always these scoundrels in this world who can't live a good life and have to cause me trouble! With this ability to deal in drug-tainted e-cigarette powder, wouldn't it be better to run a legitimate e-cigarette business? The easiest money to make in this world comes from smokers, and this business won't disappear even if the world ends. Sigh! They have a good way out, but they insist on taking the path of crime."

While sighing with emotion, Lin Ge worked hard and soon he was able to identify all the smells in the coal mine.

The traces were quite clear, indicating that five people had been active in the area for an extended period. There were also three others with fainter scents, suggesting they hadn't visited frequently or moved around much. In other words, the drug-making team, referred to as "Little Wang" by the village elders, consisted of at least eight people. This included producers, managers, and thugs responsible for security—all these details were clearly revealed in Lin Ge's assessment.

Not long after they escaped, the group remained together and did not separate. In this respect, their unity was quite remarkable.

(End of this chapter)