Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 530 Little Hero

"What happened?"

A fire truck sped past, prompting a family of five, who were leisurely continuing their stroll, to quickly move to the side of the road to avoid it. Turning back, they immediately saw thick black smoke rising from the spot where they had just come from.

The men's expressions immediately changed, and they couldn't help but feel a little guilty as they realized something.

They all simultaneously recalled the scene of being taught a lesson by those kids that morning, and knew that the fire had probably started in the area they had passed through.

Is it a coincidence?
"They're gone! What does this have to do with us!"

The old man's face darkened, and without hesitation, he turned and strode forward. Since the fire hadn't started in front of him, he wouldn't admit it regardless of whether it was related to him or not.

"Should we...go and take a look?"

The son-in-law, however, seemed somewhat guilty, worried, and uneasy. He knew very well that his father-in-law hadn't stopped smoking the entire journey. If the fire was indeed caused by his father-in-law, then he couldn't just ignore it, could he?
But when he turned around, he saw his father-in-law walking quickly without turning back, and his wife shaking her head firmly at him. He could only sigh and helplessly follow.

"It shouldn't... have anything to do with me, right?"

The son-in-law prayed silently.

"Ow~"

Suddenly, a piercing, eerie roar came from afar.

The five people paused in surprise, and when they turned around curiously, they saw a small creature, which they couldn't tell was a cat or a wild animal, rushing towards them at an extremely fast speed with a fierce aura.

"what?"

The old man took a step back in a bit of a panic, but quickly regained his footing. He looked around, intending to find a stick for self-defense, but where could he find one in such a short time?
"That was terrifying."

His wife and daughter whispered among themselves and hid behind the three men, watching helplessly as the cat-like creature drew closer.

"These... damned bastards!"

Lin Ge was extremely agitated at this moment, gritting his teeth as he charged towards the group.

At that moment, another fire truck came from the opposite direction. Seeing the group of people blocking the road, it quickly sounded its siren to signal them to make way.

Then, to the driver's astonishment, a gray shadow leaped up and crashed into the old man at the front. Caught off guard, the old man fell instantly. Another man next to him tried to kick it, but was also bitten or scratched by some unknown animal, screaming in pain.

The remaining man seemed terrified and froze, while the two women behind him turned and ran in a panic. Seeing the fire truck come to a stop, the two women quickly ducked behind it.

"What... happened?"

The driver stared blankly ahead, finally recognizing a silver-white cat with gray markings. It looked like a silver shaded cat, but its actions were anything but cat-like. It had single-handedly taken down two adults—wasn't that a bit terrifying?

"You bastard, trying to run away? You'll be in jail for setting the mountain on fire!"

Lingo let out a threatening roar and approached the old man he had knocked over with a single claw step by step.

The old man seemed to have twisted his ankle and was quite frightened; he could barely stand and could only frantically shuffle backward. His son, Daqiang, had only been scratched, drawing blood but was otherwise unharmed. Seeing how ferocious the cat was, like a monster, Daqiang forgot about protecting his father. He looked around for an escape route, then noticed Lin Ge standing directly in front of him, staring down at him.

It was clearly a small cat, only a few dozen centimeters tall, but to Daqiang it seemed like a gigantic, oppressive creature. The cat's murderous aura terrified Daqiang, and he didn't dare turn around and run away; he could only stare at Lin Ge, trembling.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the old man limped to his feet, ran to the fire truck, and banged on the door, cursing and yelling for the people inside to come out and help.

"What's going on here?"

Firefighters filed out from behind, all somewhat surprised by the scene before them. Looking up at the fire and thick smoke not far away, they realized it was under control and didn't rush to make the cat blocking their way move aside.

"Excuse me, we're on a mission. Didn't you see the fire ahead? Hey..."

A firefighter walked over impatiently and frowned when he saw Daqiang blocking the road. But when he saw the snarling cat in front of him, he paused, blinked, and suddenly felt that the cat looked somewhat familiar.

"Hmm? This guy..."

Lin Ge looked up at the man and quickly recognized him. Wasn't that the firefighter he'd seen at the popular pet shop the day before yesterday? His name seemed to be Xiong Han. He never expected to run into him again today.

Xiong Han hadn't expected to see the cat again after only a short time.

"Isn't this cat... a little too aggressive?"

Xiong Han muttered to himself.

The last time I saw it, it had scratched the shop owner until he was covered in blood, and a group of people were trembling outside the door but none of them dared to help.

This time, the cat stopped five adults and beat them so badly they didn't even dare to fight back.

Is this still a cat?
Xiong Han muttered to himself, then suddenly remembered the cat's identity. If he remembered correctly, the police officer who had accompanied him on that call had introduced it as a police cat!
A police cat hitting someone... that can't be for no reason, right?
Having a guess in mind, Xiong Han gestured to his colleagues, telling them to keep an eye on the five people. After his colleagues nodded in understanding, Xiong Han walked towards Lin Ge with a smile.

"Mimi, it's great to see you again!"

"Hey! Lucky me, I have an acquaintance here. I don't have to go through all the trouble of explaining my identity. With this guy around, these bastards shouldn't be able to escape."

Lin Ge saw Xiong Han's gesture to his colleagues and knew that he understood his intention to stop the five people. So when Xiong Han walked past Da Qiang, Lin Ge neither resisted nor was wary, but simply ducked to avoid Xiong Han's large, gloved hand.

"These guys are the arsonists?"

Xiong Han didn't waste any time; he simply squatted down and asked Lin Ge with a smile.

Upon hearing this, the old man who had come over to retaliate against Lin Ge, backed by a group of firefighters, was stunned. Da Qiang, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, also turned pale with astonishment.

Especially when the fierce and intimidating cat in front of them actually nodded as if it were a spiritual being, the two of them stared wide-eyed to the extreme.

Are you kidding me?

This cat can understand human speech, and even knows this firefighter?

An ominous premonition welled up in the old man and Daqiang's hearts. They exchanged a glance and quickly and stealthily backed away. But they hadn't taken two steps before a firefighter grabbed them by the shoulders. The serious expressions on the firefighters' faces made them even more terrified.

"Was the child who called the police with you?"

"Ow."

"You guys are really great, thanks to you brave little heroes. Hehe... With today's weather and wind direction, if this hadn't been discovered in time, who knows how big a wildfire would have started. Damn it!"

In the end, Xiong Han couldn't help but curse.

As a firefighter, his least favorite thing is fire! His favorite job is dealing with all sorts of strange situations that get him stuck.

These incidents are often turned into jokes that make firefighters laugh for a long time. Fire brigades even compete with each other to see whose emergency situation is the most bizarre.

Conversely, every fire represents grief, pain, and irreparable losses and regrets. The saying "fire and water are merciless" is no joke; firefighters, who have the most frequent contact with them, are actually the ones who hate fire the most.

Accidental fires are one thing, since nobody wants them. But arson, or arson committed through deliberate or permissive means, is, in Xiong Han's view, no different from murder—a heinous and deserving act.

"We didn't! Don't slander us!"

"Yeah! Do you have any evidence? What makes you say we started the fire? Show me the evidence! If you don't, let me go!" "I have a leg injury and need to go to the hospital. Are you trying to kill me by stopping me?"

"dad!"

The five of them started shouting, especially the old man and Daqiang. After a moment of panic, they tried their best to deny it.

To be honest, the two of them were a little guilty at this moment, after all, it was possible that they had accidentally set the forest on fire. But after thinking about it more carefully, it was at most an accident, right? They hadn't deliberately started the fire, and these people had no evidence that they had accidentally set the forest on fire. Why should they be blamed just because of a cat?
With a quick glare, Daqiang stared at the firefighter restraining him and said, "Are you a policeman? What right do you have to arrest me! Let me go right now, what right do you have to treat me like a criminal?"

The two young firefighters' expressions changed slightly.

"Firefighters do not have criminal enforcement powers!"

After finishing his conversation with Lin Ge, Xiong Han stood up, supporting himself on his knees, and turned to Da Qiang with a cold smile, saying, "But as firefighters, according to the Fire Protection Law, we have the right to handle emergency situations! Stopping arson and temporarily detaining suspects are our rights. And I'm sorry, we not only have firefighters here, but also professional police officers! So cooperating with the police to arrest and detain suspects is also something we should do!"

Where are the police?

Daqiang's expression changed again!

He looked around but didn't see anyone in a police uniform. Then, following Xiong Han's gaze, he saw a fierce-looking cat behind him, and Daqiang blinked in astonishment.

"This cat..."

"This cat is named Mimi. She is a police cat registered by the Zhanghe Police Station in Zhangzhou City and has full law enforcement powers in a legal sense!"

Xiong Han grinned, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth, and said, "You set fire to it right in front of it, and you're asking me if I have any evidence? That's ridiculous! What do you think Mimi was doing just now? She was preventing the suspect from escaping and controlling him! So don't talk to me about whether she's qualified or not, or whether she's a suspect. You can say those things to the police or the judge! But now... please be honest, okay?"

At this point, Xiong Han looked up at the location of the fire. Judging from the wisps of smoke, he knew the fire had been extinguished or was basically under control.

So he wasn't in a hurry anymore, and Xiong Han stepped forward and slapped Daqiang on the shoulder.

"Stop wasting your time making excuses. Go to the police station and explain yourself to the officers. As for the evidence you were shouting about... what era do you think we live in? Do you think firefighters can only use water hoses to put out fires? If I'm not mistaken, the fire was caused either by a carelessly discarded cigarette butt or by a lack of fire safety precautions during a picnic. And I'm guessing you two are the former, right?"

Daqiang broke out in a cold sweat.

The old man's eyes darted around, and he stealthily slipped his hand into his pocket and reached for the pack of cigarettes. He coughed to attract the attention of the firefighters nearby, then secretly tossed the cigarette pack and lighter into the bushes behind his back.

The next second, Lin Ge leisurely walked up to him, pulled the cigarette and lighter out of the bushes, and then looked up at the old man with disdain.

"..."

The old man was so angry he wanted to kill the cat.

But the firefighter said the cat was a policeman, which made the old man a little scared. He simply turned his head to look at the distant city and ignored all the chaos in front of him.

A group of firefighters couldn't help but chuckle, feeling that the cat was like the old man's nemesis. Picking up the cigarette and lighter from the ground, Xiong Han immediately ordered his men to keep the five men under surveillance and called the local police (110) to handle the situation, which involved arson.

After returning to the TV tower in a fire truck, Lin Ge found that the fire had finally been completely extinguished thanks to the combined efforts of the six kids and the timely arrival of the firefighters.

To prevent any hidden ignition points or reignition caused by the intense heat, firefighters continued to use water cannons to cover the entire burning area with cold water. The six children, finally emerging from the fire, were in increasingly terrible condition, their faces and bodies blackened as if they had just crawled out of a coal mine. Even Zhang Yining and Hu Miao's hair showed signs of being permed. Zheng Jiacheng's synthetic jacket now had several large, grotesque holes melted into his elbows and forearms.

Even in their disheveled state, the six little ones still grinned broadly at the firefighters' praise. Especially when one of the firefighters said he would go to their school to give them certificates, Zheng Jiacheng and Xie Zaiqi couldn't stop smiling. Even Zhang Yining, who was trying hard to remain calm, couldn't contain her emotions; her face flushed red, and she exchanged a glance with Hu Miao. The two sisters held hands, their faces beaming with joy.

Then... Xiong Han played the bad cop, giving a serious reprimand to the six kids for recklessly putting out the fire without regard for their own safety!

Putting out a fire is not wrong, but when there are no adults around, protecting one's own safety is what children should do.

Upon learning that the six children had come to the mountain to play with their parents' consent, Xiong Han said he would contact their parents and criticize them.

Zhang Yining blinked, then pointed to the pavilion and said, "We're not little kids, and it's not like we're in the middle of nowhere. We don't need adults to accompany us. We even helped the firefighters put out the fire. So we've done enough, so let's not call."

"Yes! We don't want the certificate either. Don't tell our parents, that's so disloyal!"

The three boys nodded eagerly.

"Who wants to talk about loyalty with you guys!"

Xiong Han couldn't help but shake his head with a smile, but he still agreed to let the six little ones off this time and not criticize their parents for causing them to be punished.

And so the matter ended; the six boys' hiking trip was unfortunately forced to a halt.

When two police cars from Baimiao Police Station arrived, five or six police officers hurriedly dealt with the fire case and took the five people involved back to the police station in accordance with the law. Zhanghe Police Station finally learned of the situation and quickly sent people to pick up the six children.

Wei Li, visiting the police station for the first time, was fascinated by everything. Even the not-so-large interrogation room seemed like a wonder to her. She especially stared at the several cameras on the table, looking at them with great curiosity. The other five, however, didn't seem to care about the police station at all; coming here felt as natural as coming home. Their equipment was scattered haphazardly in the corner of the room, and the unwashed dishes were particularly jarring.

"I'm so hungry..."

Nie Zhuangzhuang clutched his stomach with a pained expression, feeling it growling loudly. He hadn't felt anything while fighting the fire, but now he suddenly realized he hadn't even eaten much lunch and had just done such strenuous exercise; his stomach was completely empty.

"My chicken leg..."

Zheng Jiacheng was still regretting the chicken leg. After his struggle with Xie Zaiqi was interrupted by the fire, he didn't know who had gotten it. Anyway, when he went back to sit down and rest, the chicken leg was gone!

"..."

Xie Zaiqi secretly wiped the oil off his mouth, deciding to hide the fact that he had secretly eaten the chicken leg first.

On the other side, Zhang Yining and Hu Miao were whispering together. But if you looked closely, you could see that the two girls were secretly eating potato chips! They had originally bought the snacks to eat that evening, but now they were using them to fill their stomachs.

At this moment, the room door opened, and Nie Guoqiang and Zheng Mingxing entered together.

The six little ones quickly sat up straight. Hu Miao, with her cheeks puffed out like a hamster, hurriedly swallowed all the potato chip crumbs in her mouth.

But swallowing it caused her to choke, her eyes bulging as she patted her chest repeatedly. It was only thanks to Zhang Yining's intervention that Hu Miao was able to avoid a humiliating choking death.

Zheng Jiaxiang lowered his head like a mouse before a cat, hiding his tattered sleeve behind his back; Nie Zhuangzhuang gave his father an awkward, dark smile. Xie Zaiqi also didn't dare to be arrogant, Zhang Yining nodded politely to the two, and Wei Li was so reserved that he didn't dare to move.

Nie Guoqiang and Zheng Mingxing watched this scene quietly.

Especially when they saw the six little ones' disheveled appearance, their faces covered in soot, their hair all messy, and their bodies covered in small scratches, the two of them looked at each other and, feeling sorry for them, abandoned their thoughts of criticizing them.

"You did a fantastic job this time! You stopped a forest fire that could have been extremely dangerous and even caused huge damage to Zhangzhou City. You were all excellent! I am proud of you this time!"

Zheng Mingxing spoke with a smile, his expression very gentle, which set the tone for the conversation.

Zheng Jiacheng and Zhang Yining, who understood this best, looked up in surprise, while Xie Zaiqi was somewhat bewildered.

But as Zheng Mingxing continued to offer words of encouragement and praise, the six boys gradually realized that they would definitely not be scolded for what happened today! In fact, if nothing unexpected happened, they would receive some great praise this time!

The six people looked at each other, all revealing expressions of surprise and excitement.

All the anxiety, fear, and panic vanished in that moment!
They did the right thing, so they deserve the praise and encouragement they deserve.

Regardless of whether their choices at the time were correct or whether their own safety should have been the priority, through investigation and reconstruction of the scene, everyone must admit that if it weren't for the six members, the consequences of this fire would have been far more severe!
Qibaoshan lacks water, let alone fire hydrants. When the fire is small, one or two fire trucks are enough to handle it. But if it's discovered too late and the fire has grown large, the firefighters may only face utter despair. They may have little to do besides digging firebreaks and painstakingly transporting water from afar. And no one can estimate how badly the mountain range, stretching for over ten kilometers, will be burned!

So this time, no one can deny that these six children have done something remarkable!

(End of this chapter)