Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 26 Beibei
Unfortunately, having boarded the pirate ship and not knowing how to swim, Lin Ge has no way to escape now.

Under Nie Guoqiang's unfriendly and expectant gaze, he could only helplessly watch as the metal boat chugged along for several tens of minutes until it arrived at a very remote island.

The area is surrounded by a vast river, and even the nearest island can only be seen as a blurry outline. Without a dedicated boat for transportation, this place is practically impassable.

It makes sense that the drug dealers chose this place. With no one reporting it and no clues, who would have discovered that there was an illegal place where people were using and selling drugs while also gambling and having fun with cats?

The tin boat arrived at the temporary dock on the island and, sure enough, saw the water police's ship.

Next to it, separated by a cordon, were a fishing boat and three small sightseeing boats. The marine police's small pier couldn't hold too many boats, and since these boats had been inspected and found to be without any problems, they were simply locked up here.

After disembarking, Nie Guoqiang, unsurprisingly, only saw one police officer from the special task force who was supposed to receive them. His other colleagues had already gone to the courtyard where the suspect had committed the crime, leaving him to wait impatiently.

However, he didn't dare to lose his temper with Nie Guoqiang. After a few patient exchanges, he urged the police officers from Zhanghe Police Station to set off immediately.

"The police officers at our station are really only fit to handle minor troubles like neighborhood disputes and fights. People don't trust us with slightly more serious cases."

Zhang Yong made a self-deprecating remark as he hurried along.

He knew that this was true; a mere police station, in terms of equipment and personnel, could never compare to the Public Security Bureau.

However, the entire case, from discovery to arrest and locating Xiangju Island, was handled entirely by the Zhanghe Police Station. Everyone was initially very proud and eager to solve a major case, but the Municipal Public Security Bureau took the credit for it at this point, which inevitably made them feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"Don't overthink it. They just want to solve the case and bring the criminals to justice."

Nie Guoqiang comforted Zhang Yong in a low voice, though he himself wasn't particularly happy. Even though he had voluntarily reassigned himself to the police station due to his injury and chose to serve the people, he still harbored ambitions to achieve something, and his determination should not be underestimated.

Was the police station wrong in their thinking?

No!

How many people are there in a police station? How many of them specialize in criminal investigation? They're busy receiving calls and handling neighborhood disputes on weekdays, so how many of them have time to work on special cases?
Relying on such a team to handle major cases is questionable, not to mention the potential problems. Just considering the time cost, efficiency, and the pursuit of criminals, more professional personnel should be involved! There's absolutely no problem with that.

The police officers at the local police station, despite their reluctance and eagerness, should quickly adjust themselves in the face of the bigger picture.

"Tch! If I had the chance, I'd like to transfer to the criminal investigation team in the bureau too."

Zhang Yong said in a low voice.

"..."

Nie Guoqiang paused for a moment, then remained silent.

People strive for higher positions, just as water flows downhill. It's normal for Zhang Yong to want to improve himself and solve cases, rather than spending his life getting bogged down in trivial disputes. He has no right to stop him.

"Let's handle this case well first, so people will take us seriously and see what we're capable of before we talk about anything else. Besides, if you have a decent resume, it'll be easier for you to get by in the criminal investigation team, and people won't question your abilities."

That was all Nie Guoqiang could say.

Zhang Yong nodded slowly.

The two had no more interest in chatting and were soon led to the gate of a large courtyard on the southern side of Fragrant Orange Island.

The courtyard looked nicely decorated, and the high red brick walls provided good protection from outsiders. A sign for a farmhouse restaurant hung at the entrance, and inside, tables, chairs, and children's play equipment were set up in a proper manner.

With just a little attention, you can see that the swings, climbing ropes, and other play equipment for children have no signs of wear or paint damage whatsoever. Instead, they are visibly rusted, indicating that they have never been used for play.

Lin Ge was held in Zhang Ke's arms, enduring his fidgeting hands while looking around.

Surprisingly, apart from the strong citrus smell, there weren't many other unusual odors on the island. The scene he had imagined—piles of cat carcasses, emitting a pungent stench—was not found at the scene.

Logically, as a cat fighting betting venue, there should be many cats here. However, at the scene, Lin Ge only saw three weak, emaciated sick cats in a cage in the corner, and did not find any other cats.

However, he did not suspect that the police had come to the wrong location, because he did indeed smell a faint scent belonging to Zhao Liang, as well as drug dealer Xie Laosan and Shouhou, at the entrance of the courtyard.

"Woof!" A dog barked, startling Lin Ge.

He looked up and saw a black German Shepherd wearing a police vest barking at him. The dog had a rope around its neck, the other end of which was being held by a young man in a police uniform.

"Damn, what a cool outfit."

Lin Ge ignored the dog and its owner who was squatting down to comfort it, only looking enviously at the black vest with the word "police" printed on it.

No man dislikes police uniforms, and even as a cat, Lin Ge remained fascinated by them. He even fantasized about what it would be like to wear a well-fitting vest with the word "police" on it, finding it quite amusing.

Of course, no rope around his neck! He'll fight anyone who dares to put a rope around his neck!
"Wang Wang!"

Seeing that Lingo was staring at him without blinking, the black-backed wolfhound barked even louder.

"Beibei, don't shout, sit still, and don't move!"

The young policeman quickly tried to calm the police dog, his forehead beaded with sweat, whether from the sun or from anxiety. He seemed even more nervous when the other officers from the station looked over.

"This guy seems to have a bit of social anxiety?"

Lin Ge was surprised to find that this policeman was not used to being the center of attention, or rather, he didn't like interacting with people. The more people around him, the more nervous he became. No wonder that even as a policeman, he preferred to spend all his time with animals.

"Wang?"

When the police dog named Beibei saw that Lingo was ignoring it and noticed the strange behavior of its owner, it tilted its head in confusion, sat up straight, and stopped struggling.

"Shh..."

The young policeman breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing that there was nothing unusual or exciting to see, the others nearby quickly shifted their attention.

On this side, Nie Guoqiang and the person in charge from the city's special task force had a brief handover.

It seemed the two knew each other, so there wasn't much of a dispute, and they quickly explained and handed over the matter.

"Your police dog didn't find a single clue?"

Nie Guoqiang was somewhat surprised. "Xiangju Island is indeed the base for that group's drug trafficking and gambling, there should be no mistake about that. But no matter how skilled they are, even if they can hide the drugs perfectly, they can't possibly eliminate the scent of a cat completely, right?"

"That's right, there's no doubt about it."

Wu Zun nodded, his brow furrowed, and said, "Based on the interrogation of the suspects, it's confirmed that this is indeed the location of their crime. However, even if their confessions are flawless and logically sound, without concrete evidence, it will be difficult to proceed with the investigation. It's expected that no drugs would be found at the scene, but I don't understand the point of even cleaning up the traces of the cat fight. Without considering that these five suspects may have colluded and prepared beforehand, I can only suspect that they have some other motive and must have hidden all traces at the scene to avoid any loopholes. I can't think of any other possibility."

Nie Guoqiang interrupted Wu Zun's rambling thoughts: "It's not like we're in a movie with a bunch of drug dealers. How can it be so mysterious? When I came here last time, I had already confirmed the criminals' whereabouts in the vicinity. And those boats outside are also proof that they frequently come to this island. What's the point of dealing with this yard under these circumstances? Aren't there still three sick cats outside? If you're going to deal with it, why not clean it up properly?"

Seeing Wu Zun frown, Nie Guoqiang raised an eyebrow and said, "Or is it that your people and police dogs are incompetent? Even if the criminals spend time cleaning up the scene or even killing people, it's impossible for them to leave no trace, right?"

"Who knows what they did? Beibei didn't find anything. I didn't even smell the disinfectant."

Wu Chun rubbed his temples.

"It's not like disinfectant is the only thing that can remove traces and odors."

Nie Guoqiang chuckled and changed the subject, saying, "Since your men aren't up to par, let's try my men! Hehe... You've always doubted the abilities of that cat under my command, haven't you? Today, I'll show you."

"You're quite confident, relying on just a cat..."

Wu Zun shook his head, not angry at Nie Guoqiang's rudeness. Or rather, as a leader of the municipal bureau, he had cooperated with Nie Guoqiang many times before, and he also knew how to make the most of his subordinates' abilities.

As long as the case can be solved, he doesn't mind shunning criticism.

(End of this chapter)