Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 578 The Price of Making a Mistake
The crime scene was located deep in the wilderness, about thirteen kilometers to the left of a viewing platform in the Wudongshan Scenic Area.

Heaven knows why those two hikers went to such a place, where there wasn't even a basic dirt road for motor vehicles. Even after parking their car at the mountain pass closest to their destination, the group still had more than three kilometers of rugged mountain path to climb.

These paths were created by local villagers who walked up the mountain on a daily basis. The paths are not only difficult to walk on, but they also follow the contours of the mountain. In many places, you have to use your hands and feet to climb and hold onto vines to get up.

However, it must be admitted that the surrounding scenery was quite beautiful. Lush greenery and fresh air, along with various wild plants, made it far more interesting than any man-made landscape. This, however, made things difficult for the police officers carrying the investigation equipment, and caused considerable hardship for the dog handlers of the Baiyan City Police Dog Squadron. Of course, the other officers weren't having an easy time either; the supplies needed for the mountain expedition were quite heavy, and even with everyone sharing the load, they were still drenched in sweat. Unfortunately, to prevent the crime scene from being disturbed, they couldn't ask the local villagers for help with transportation, so they had to rely on themselves, finding humor in the hardship, and in between, constantly cursing the serial killer.

Lin Ge was being held in Li Siyu's arms, taking a break. Li Siyu refused Li Yiduo's help and even carried a box of drone equipment for him.

Li Yiduo himself was carrying a lot of precision equipment in large bags, walking very carefully to avoid bumping or dropping it. He glanced at Nie Guoqiang walking ahead with Liu Yuan, sighed, found a place where he wouldn't get in the way to sit down and rest, and handed Li Siyu a bottle of water.

Li Siyu wiped the sweat from her forehead, then put Lin Ge down to free her hands. Ignoring the cat hair stuck to her clothes, she poured some water into her palm and let Mimi come over and lick it slowly.

Lin Ge didn't complain, after all, it's not easy to force anything in a place like this.

The water had barely flowed through Li Siyu's fingers after only a couple of sips, and Lin Ge shook her head, refusing to let her continue feeding her.

"Why would anyone be so bored as to go to a place like this? Even if they aren't being watched, if they fall or something happens in a place like this, they'll be completely helpless."

Li Siyu took a sip of water, then looked around and complained helplessly.

"It's not like there's no way out! If something really happens, can't we just call 110 for help? With us police officers cleaning up their messes, why would they be afraid?"

Li Yiduo smiled, tightened the cap on his water bottle, and looked up at the mountain road ahead, saying, "There's another important question about this matter: why didn't the victim even have time to call for help? There's a signal on Wudong Mountain, and our cell phones can easily reach the outside world. So now we have a suspicion: did the victim and the perpetrator know each other? There were two of them, and only one perpetrator; if they escaped separately, would they really not even have time to make a phone call?"

“That’s right! Calling the police when something happens is common sense. Anyone with a normal phone would know that. This isn’t like twenty years ago when the crime was first committed. This is indeed a bit strange.”

Li Siyu nodded.

"We'll find out about these things once the case is fully investigated. In short, there are many suspicious points and contradictions in this case, and I estimate that the inside story is more complicated than we imagine."

Li Yiduo checked the equipment in the box, re-secured it, and stood up to stretch.

Seeing his girlfriend and Mimi stand up, Li Yiduo grabbed Li Siyu's hand and pulled her onto the earthen slope before continuing as they walked, saying, "I'm prepared for a long battle with this case. However, all the equipment I'm carrying needs charging, so I'll probably have to go down the mountain every few days. When that happens, you should stick close to Boss Nie and not wander off on your own. After all, nobody can guarantee that the murderer isn't nearby, and nobody knows what else he might do."

"Alright! I'm not a child! You don't need to explain these things to me. Just do your own thing."

Li Siyu winked at Li Yiduo, both enjoying his doting affection and resentful of his distrust. Having already gone through so many cases with Mimi, Li Siyu felt she was already a mature police officer.

Lin Ge also looked at Li Yiduo with disdain.

Does this guy look down on me? With him around, how could Li Siyu possibly be in danger? Forget about murderers, even if there were any wild beasts or wild animals in the mountains, Lin Ge felt confident he could protect Li Siyu safely.

"Hehe... Let's talk about something else."

Li Yiduo smiled and changed the subject.

Seeing that Li Siyu and the cat in her arms were looking over, Li Yiduo turned around and pulled Li Siyu up the hill to help her, before continuing, "The case at our police station, the one about opening the box online, is really making headlines right now. Since our announcement was posted on the city bureau's website, there have been tons of belated reposts and comments. The vast majority are criticizing that girl named Jia Wanlin, saying she's immature, messing around, and committing crimes. If that girl still has the energy to go online, she's probably already seen all sorts of things criticizing her online. Of course, there are also some unreasonable arguments or doubts, but don't take those to heart."

"A response so soon?"

Lin Ge's eyes lit up; he hadn't expected his local police station to be so efficient. Only a few days had passed, and the announcement was already out? It seemed Hu Lijun had given up on mediation, and this outcome was due to the official procedures being followed.

"This is what they call... reaping what you sow! She should have known that she would face this kind of backlash sooner or later when she opened other people's boxes online."

Li Siyu recalled what Sun Chang had told her about the little girl whose belongings had been opened, and she nodded repeatedly in agreement, sharing the same indignation. "Why would someone have to do something like that online, open up other people's belongings, and then slander them?"
"The Jia family did not speak out online, neither in rebuttal nor in request for forgiveness. It is estimated that the comments online were too harsh, and they knew they were in the wrong, so they simply pretended not to hear them."

"No! Right now, Jia Wanlin's parents are still busy with their divorce and have no time to deal with things online or with Jia Wanlin. I just don't know what Jia Wanlin's situation is. After seeing what's online, she probably understands the consequences of opening the box and the mistakes she made. Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you. After this experience, she probably won't dare to do such a thing again. Coupled with being disliked by her parents in real life, who knows if she regrets it! Opening a box has broken up her family and left her in a mess. I wonder what she's thinking now."

Lin Ge knew more than Li Yiduo, so his speculations about Jia Wanlin's current situation were only more negative. This child could never have imagined that her impulsive act would cause such serious consequences. If she could do it all over again, who knows what she would choose? Of course, it's not necessarily true that this lesson will make her a better person; it's just that even if the law cannot punish her sufficiently, society and reality have successfully taught her the price of wrongdoing.

Although it may sound harsh, Jia Wanlin's momentary lapse in judgment has indeed had a significant impact on her life and future.

Perhaps she didn't think that much at the time, but the result was... everything she owned was reduced to fragments, and she didn't know how much time or how many setbacks she would have to go through before she could see the sunlight again.

"The price to pay for doing something wrong is still too terrible."

Lin Ge sighed.

This incident not only ruined Jia Wanlin's family but also left Chen Dan's family in a mess. Thinking of Chen Dayu, who was imprisoned, Lin Ge shook his head regretfully. He felt that if this man had trusted the police even a little, things wouldn't have turned out this way.

Come to think of it... the luckiest person was actually that guy named Hao Junwen, and his slick father.

After the incident, he swiftly and decisively obtained forgiveness. Although he paid some financial compensation, he avoided the chaos seen in the other two families. This guy was undoubtedly a smart man. He didn't even do much; his willingness to admit his mistake and correct it made the Hao family's fate completely different from the other two families. In fact, because Hao Junwen wasn't the mastermind, coupled with his father's good attitude and the Chen family's forgiveness, he didn't even receive the most basic administrative punishment.

Of course, this doesn't mean his family is completely unscathed; at the very least, Hao Junwen's mother is definitely out of work. She can forget about ever working in that industry again. That's a punishment, not insignificant, but certainly.

Lin Ge was lost in thought when Li Yiduo and Li Siyu were also quietly discussing these matters.

With plenty to talk about, the couple found it easy to chat while working without getting tired. Plus, the journey, though arduous, had been quite scenic, and the two enjoyed helping each other climb. So, before they knew it, they hadn't felt tired at all and had arrived at their destination.

Upon arriving at the scene, Lin Ge found that several police officers were already busy at work. Not far from the crime scene, even rest tents had been set up; no wonder they had only brought basic supplies and no large items. The person in charge at the scene was a captain from the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the Baiyan City Public Security Bureau. His hands were covered in mud, and without even washing them, he excitedly approached Liu Yuan, Nie Guoqiang, and Xie Changjun to shake hands.

"Thank you for your support! This case really depends on your help. It's just... sigh! It's so complicated!"

As he spoke, the squadron leader, named Ma Shun, shook his head.

"Any new discoveries?" Liu Yuan secretly rubbed the dirt off his fingers, then rolled it into a ball and smelled it.

"There are so many contradictions!"

Ma Shun sighed and led the group toward the scene, explaining, "There weren't many traces left at the scene, not even the most basic signs of a struggle! That's a bit strange. I even suspect that the murderer and the victim knew each other. Otherwise, why would the murderer be so unguarded when a stranger approached, allowing the other person to come up behind him and then be hit on the back of the head without any warning, resulting in his death?"

As they walked, Ma Shun gestured and said, "Judging from the blood splatter at the scene, the victim didn't struggle much. He probably only moved twice after being slashed. This not only shows that the killer was quick and accurate, but also that the victim had zero guard against the killer."

"There wasn't a single sign of struggle at the scene? What about the second victim who was with him? Did he see his companion being killed but didn't run away? Or was she not even there at the time?"

Nie Guoqiang did not question the on-site investigation team's conclusions, but rather raised questions about them. For the investigators, traces of struggle were merely basic information, and Nie Guoqiang wouldn't waste time on such details.

"That's what's puzzling me!"

Ma Shun turned around and sighed helplessly, saying, "He watched his companion being killed without offering any resistance! He even obeyed the murderer's orders to lift the victim and move him to a cliff two kilometers away to dump the body, and then the murderer chopped him with an axe and pushed him off the cliff. This is a very obvious characteristic of a crime committed by someone he knows. However, we have investigated the victim's interpersonal relationships and online social interactions, and we have not found any suspicious content."

"Wait a moment!"

Nie Guoqiang suddenly interrupted Ma Shun, frowning as he asked, "If I remember correctly, the second victim was a woman, right? She and the victim were in a relationship, and she watched her boyfriend die, yet she actively helped dispose of the body?"

Upon hearing this, Li Siyu looked up at Li Yiduo in astonishment.

Li Yiduo, who attended the meeting, nodded with a wry smile. He couldn't understand this either. Even if he was coerced by the murderer, it was too much to help carry a corpse for more than two kilometers.

"The bloodstains left on the ground were mostly at a constant speed, without much accumulation or flow. In other words, the victim did not rest many times during the disposal of the body. The second victim must have put in a lot of effort along the way, unlike an ordinary woman who would have an emotional breakdown."

Ma Shun didn't answer Nie Guoqiang's question, but his answer seemed quite clear. However, considering the two victims' interpersonal relationships and social interactions, no contact was found between the victims and Baiyan City or even Chu Province. This makes the deduction contradictory. According to common sense, regardless of the theory, there's no reason for the second victim to be so actively involved in disposing of the body, unless she was manipulated by the murderer.

"Could it be that the murderer threatened her, saying that if she didn't work, he would kill her, but if she helped, he would spare her life, and she believed him?"

Li Siyu hesitated before suggesting a possibility.

"Could there really be someone that stupid?"

Ma Shun turned around in confusion.

"There might be... there might be!"

Li Siyu and Li Yiduo exchanged a glance and gave each other an awkward, bitter smile. These days, nothing is surprising, but unfortunately, such deductions are of little use to the police in solving cases; their lack of logic easily wastes valuable police resources.

"Let's not discuss for now why they were so eager to help dispose of the body! The problem now is that, judging from their social circles, the murderer and the victims shouldn't know each other. But why...why would the two victims inexplicably come to this remote mountain area? You know, the nearest village is five or six kilometers away, and transportation is inconvenient with limited food and water; unless it's wilderness survival, I really don't understand why anyone would come here to suffer."

Ma Shun raised another question, which is also the most important thing to understand right now! What are these hikers doing, acting like lunatics, running to the middle of nowhere? The serial murder case is quite well-known in Baiyan City; aren't these people afraid of dying?
"This has already been inferred to some extent."

Xie Changjun, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward and answered with a wry smile: "According to the cyber police's investigation of the two victims' online identities, they discovered that both were adventure enthusiasts, and particularly fond of legendary myths and legends. Well... rather than myths and legends, perhaps it was more like some absurd rumors found in short videos? For example, that a place was haunted by ghosts, or that an emperor's tomb was discovered there. The two were even fans of tomb raiding novels, and they met in a movie theater watching a film called 'The Ghost Blows Out the Light.' Furthermore, both of their short video accounts contained a large number of fake videos about the 'Top Ten Unsolved Mysteries of the Supernatural,' which is a significant difference between them and ordinary hikers. From their WeChat chat history, it was learned that both of them strongly believed in paranormal events and had even made jokes about immortality."

"So...they came to Wudong Mountain to look for immortals?"

Ma Shun's eyes widened.

"Are you crazy?"

Lingo wagged his tail speechlessly, looking left and right but unable to find anything related to gods in this desolate wilderness.

Even though turning into a cat was unbelievable enough, Lin Ge still didn't believe in gods or monsters. Otherwise, why wasn't there another person like him in the world, and why didn't he have any special abilities as a cat?

Besides, Wudong Mountain was already ravaged by tomb raiders, treasure hunters, and people seeking immortals long ago! When Taoism was flourishing in ancient times, there were Taoist temples everywhere here, but no one actually saw any immortals!

"Hehe... We can only speculate on this aspect for now, but the provincial experts suspect there must be other undiscovered secrets involved. Because even if it's outrageous, they wouldn't believe the nonsense in those short videos, would they?"

Liu Yuan gave a wry smile.

It can only be said that people are ultimately different, and the world is full of wonders; it's normal for one or two mentally ill people to appear.

Now, he just hopes the murderer isn't a psychopath like the victim; if that were the case, it would be utterly absurd. But thinking about the rule of killing someone every five years, Liu Yuan feels a pang of heartache, deeply worried that that's actually the case.

"So, how's the evidence collection going? Was this a case of impulsive killing? Have any more obvious traces or evidence been left behind compared to the previous case?"

Liu Yuan skipped over this troublesome topic and shifted the focus back to reality.

"..."

Ma Shun glanced up at Liu Yuan. The white shirt made him a little nervous, but he still shook his head helplessly and said, "He acted very decisively and efficiently. We didn't find much of value at the scene. There were also no signs of the murderer lying in ambush around the scene, which is why I suspect that the murderer and the victim knew each other and arranged to meet here. He walked over without hesitation, and then a conflict broke out shortly afterward, leading to the murder in a fit of rage."

He paused for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "He was as decisive as a professional assassin, showing absolutely no hesitation in the traces at the scene."

"Well!"

Liu Yuan nodded, then looked down at Lin Ge.

"Mimi, why don't you go and help take a look? It would be best if you could identify the killer's scent, but even if you can't, at least you can find some more clues."

(End of this chapter)