Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 23 Strange People

"Dr. Zhu Wentao, is this your client?"

A doctor, also wearing a white coat, pointed at the large cat curled up on the ground, his expression not very pleasant.

"I'm sorry for disturbing everyone. I'll handle this. This happened because of my poor supervision, and I will apologize to everyone at tomorrow's morning meeting."

Zhu Wentao wasn't angry. He gently apologized to his colleagues and quickly calmed everyone down.

"You! Luckily there are no other clients right now, otherwise the reputation of our hospital would be affected. Besides, you're a professional, elite doctor, how could you make such a basic mistake?"

It seemed that someone from the dean's side pointed at Zhu Wentao, glanced at Jiang Yiyi who was awkwardly smiling beside him, and then shook their head and left.

The doctors and nurses quickly dispersed to soothe their clients' cats and dogs and stop them from making any more noise. A few minutes later, the room was quiet again.

"I'm sorry."

Jiang Yiyi approached Zhu Wentao apologetically.

"Nothing, don't worry about it."

Zhu Wentao smiled gently: "This kind of thing actually happens frequently in pet hospitals. After all, pets aren't as sensible and obedient as people. And sometimes they don't even know they've done something wrong, so why should we criticize them for being innocent?"

"I'm glad you understand."

Jiang Yiyi smiled awkwardly, thinking that Dr. Zhu's temperament and manners were indeed quite good.

Zhu Wentao turned around, picked up the medical tray he had just placed on the table, moved it around, and looked down at the cat on the ground: "Forget about what just happened! Hold the kitten for a moment, let's hurry up and finish getting them vaccinated?"

Jiang Yiyi looked at the three little ones who were still curled up and trembling, shook her head and smiled, "How about next time? The little ones are a bit stressed. I'll take them back and comfort them, and they can get their shots when they're better."

A hint of regret flashed in Zhu Wentao's eyes, but his face still held a smile. "How about tomorrow? I'll have more time tomorrow. After the injections, I'll give them a full check-up. As you know, kittens can easily hide some serious illnesses, which need to be ruled out as early as possible."

"I might not have time tomorrow, after all, I have work..."

Jiang Yiyi shook her head.

Zhu Wentao lowered his head, his face and the aura emanating from him visibly darkening. But only Lin Ge saw this; he was very good at concealing his true nature from others.

This guy... is really weird!
Something was definitely wrong.

Lin Ge remained secretly vigilant.

Once Jiang Yiyi made her decision, she didn't hesitate any longer. Ignoring Zhu Wentao's attempts to persuade her to stay, she stuffed the three little ones back into the space bag, politely said goodbye to Zhu Wentao, and then left with Lin Ge.

"Mimi!"

With her hands on her hips, Jiang Yiyi glared angrily at Lin Ge, her cheeks puffed out.

Lin Ge simply ignored Jiang Yiyi, glanced around at the familiar atmosphere of the police station, and felt much more at ease. Even the three little ones had become lively and energetic again, no longer as restrained and fearful as they had been in the hospital.

Once the police station returned, everything was restored, so all the problems were indeed Zhu Wentao's fault, right? It's completely unreasonable for Jiang Yiyi to blame him here.

Ignoring Jiang Yiyi, Lin Ge turned and went to the police station office.

"Stinky cat!"

Jiang Yiyi stomped her feet angrily behind her.

Who cares about you!
Lin Ge pursed his lips.

"Nie Guoqiang isn't here?"

Lin Ge wandered around the office but couldn't find Nie Guoqiang.

Aside from the guardhouse, the archives, and the important supplies storage area—places Lin Ge would never have entered—Nie Guoqiang was nowhere to be found. Not only Nie Guoqiang, but Zhang Yong was also absent from the institute.

Later, overhearing Zhang Ke and another auxiliary police officer chatting, I learned that they had gone to visit Zhao Zhigang. The guy's injuries were more serious than expected, to the point that he needed surgery.

Including the drug trafficking case, Nie Guoqiang has been extremely busy lately; he has even been staying overnight at the police station for several days.

Helpless, Lin Ge had to abandon his idea of ​​asking Nie Guoqiang to investigate Zhu Wentao. But... he couldn't just put the matter out of his mind.

After all, the tortoiseshell cat is still at the Pet Love Hospital, and still under Zhu Wentao's threat. Although it escaped the vaccination today, it will still have to get that shot sooner or later. And if it runs into Zhu Wentao again then, wouldn't the cat's life be in danger?

Vaccines are something you have to get every year; there's no escaping it.

Therefore, Lin Ge was even more eager to find out about Zhu Wentao's situation as soon as possible, and whether he was hiding any secrets. If he found out that Zhu Wentao really had problems, he could send him to jail to keep Zhao Liang company.

Lin Ge didn't stay at the police station for long before slipping away.

He wasn't exactly a police dog on call all the time, and no one at the station had suggested restraining him. Even though he had proven his abilities a second time, and even though he could accurately help the police station apprehend criminals, with Nie Guoqiang protecting him, no one at the station dared to use him as a tool.

Soon, Lin Ge arrived near Pet Love Hospital once again.

Since he was walking this time, he quickly noticed something unusual. There wasn't a single stray cat or dog to be found near the Pet Love Hospital. Not only could he not see them, but he also couldn't smell even the distinctive, slightly fishy, ​​pungent odor that distinguishes them from clean pets.

This is somewhat unbelievable. Are the stray cats deliberately avoiding the vicinity of the hospital? But when Lin Ge passed by a small pet clinic before, he was able to see dirty stray cats next to the trash cans near it.

In other words, the only special thing about this Pet Love Hospital is that it is special.

Lin Ge became more vigilant about the Pet Love Hospital. He quietly climbed up the green trees opposite the hospital and monitored the hospital gate by the streetlights inserted into the branches.

Not long after, as darkness fell slightly, the staff at Chong'ai Hospital closed for the day. Several male and female doctors and nurses greeted each other as they left the hospital and drove away from the adjacent parking lot.

Lin Ge didn't see Zhu Wentao among these people, and was certain that the guy wouldn't be working overtime at the hospital today. So he patiently continued to wait, not in a hurry at all.

Cats are never short of patience, and Lingo was particularly interested in this matter.

About half an hour later, Zhu Wentao finally walked out of the hospital.

Unsure if he would drive away, Lin Ge quickly climbed down from the tree and ran towards the parking lot first.

"Ok?"

Zhu Wentao seemed to sense something. He stopped and looked around, then covered the cardboard box he was holding even more tightly.

What is he holding in his hand?

Lin Ge, hiding in the bushes, only showed his eyes, staring at Zhu Wentao with some confusion.

Lin Ge could sense the tension in Zhu Wentao's hands over the object, and the inexplicable wariness on his face. As the two drew closer, Lin Ge even caught a faint, strange smell. It was very faint, and very odd—the kind of odor he'd never smelled anywhere else.

This discovery made Ringo even more vigilant.

He was certain once again that Zhu Wentao was definitely up to something. Otherwise... why would he avoid his colleagues, lag behind alone, and bring something strange out of the hospital?
Under Lin Ge's watchful eye, Zhu Wentao went to the parking lot and got into a car. But he quickly changed his clothes and got out again, replacing his gold-rimmed glasses with black ones and wearing a baseball cap.

Even so, he still held onto the cardboard box in his hands.

Looking around, Zhu Wentao carried the cardboard box to the other side. His gait was very natural, and the smile on his lips didn't seem strange to passersby. He walked like this for more than ten minutes until he arrived at a small community park nearby.

"Kitten?"

Zhu Wentao arrived at an open space next to a lawn, looked around, and began calling out. He put the box on the ground, took out a plastic bowl, and poured some food into it.

He placed the bowl on the ground, took two steps back, and began to wait.

"This guy... goes to all this trouble just to feed stray cats? Is he that kind-hearted?"

Lin Ge watched from afar, feeling very puzzled.

He didn't think Zhu Wentao was the kind of person who would do such a good deed, nor did he think the guy had that kind of enthusiastic personality. Surely he couldn't possibly say that he felt he wasn't interacting with enough cats every day, that his needs weren't being met at work, and that's why he went to play with cats after get off work?
This kind of thing just doesn't seem normal.

Lin Ge decided to be patient and continue watching to see what Zhu Wentao was up to.

At this moment, the smell of cat food finally attracted the stray cats from the vicinity.

In addition, the strong cat scent on Zhu Wentao made these stray cats completely unguarded. Some of them were even affectionate and came over to rub against Zhu Wentao's trouser legs.

(End of this chapter)