Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 269 The Cicada in the Back (Bonus Chapter for a Generous Donation from the Boss Xiaozhou Manyao)
"Actually, your First Squadron has done a very good job!"

While waiting for good news, Zhai Xiaojun, who had his men conduct a thorough search of the factory, reassured Shao Yongkang, saying, "You only had about twenty people come out, yet you successfully arrested fourteen suspects who resisted arrest. That's already quite remarkable. Let's not even mention the Yangdian New District's obstruction. Just consider that you managed to trap the suspects in this factory and arrest one of them with only a dozen people, even when you needed eight people to guard the prison van. Who dares to say that you, Shao Yongkang, did a bad job?"

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Zhai Xiaojun's gloating consolation did not appease Shao Yongkang. Glaring at his lifelong rival, Shao Yongkang gritted his teeth and said, "Zhou Guangjun was caught by Mimi and the police dog squad. I have no right to accept this credit! As for catching a dozen or so henchmen, that might be a rare achievement for your Second Squad, but that's what my First Squad does. I don't see anything glorious about it! Anyway, I, Shao Yongkang, have already lost enough face today. I don't need your hypocritical consolation."

"Then forget it!"

Zhai Xiaojun laughed, finally letting his teeth loose and grinning, "You've worked hard, I'll take the credit! Hehe... Lao Shao, this is just luck! Like a thousand-year-old tortoise, or a ten-thousand-year-old turtle, I really don't mind you calling the Second Squadron that! We're just slow! We take it one step at a time with patience! But as long as we don't make any mistakes, we'll eventually reap the rewards. And you, Lao Shao, leading a bunch of burly guys, how many years do you go without making a couple of mistakes? Yes! Your First Squadron has indeed arrested a lot of criminals, and your reputation in the province is certainly impressive! Whether it's robbery, rioting, or organized crime, your First Squadron handles it all with ease, racking up merits left and right. But... your First Squadron also gets the most subsidies deducted every year!"

Zhai Xiaojun no longer concealed his gloating, and Shao Yongkang's face gradually turned ashen.

He glared fiercely at his mortal enemy, but couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

Lin Ge watched the two company commanders with curiosity, suddenly finding them quite interesting. The first company commander was named Yongkang, but he had a quick-tempered and hot-tempered personality. The second company commander's name contained the character "Jun," but he was the type to use his brain before speaking, and he wouldn't even get angry when called a turtle.

An old enemy, right?

Completely opposite methods of handling cases, completely opposite emotions and verbal sparring. Shao Yongkang had no way to refute Zhai Xiaojun's verbal attacks. But Zhai Xiaojun probably couldn't withstand even a single punch from Shao Yongkang.

Besides solving cases and being busy on weekdays, the rivalry between these two criminal investigation team leaders must be quite interesting.

It's unclear whether this was a deliberate act by several leaders of the Municipal Bureau, or if it was all just a coincidence of fate that brought these two arch-enemies together.

This time, it seems Zhai Xiaojun has won against Shao Yongkang.

Yes, that's how it seems on the surface.

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

"Captain, no suspects have been found."

Zhai Xiaojun, who had just been smug, froze upon hearing his subordinate's response. His first reaction was to question the police dog squad's judgment, but when he looked down and saw the fierce-looking Lin Ge, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to voice his doubts.

This cat has already proven its strength with irrefutable facts.

Moreover, unlike Shao Yongkang, who, though brainless, at least knows not to punch his companions, this cat… is known to all the police in the city. The person scratched the most by it is its beloved owner, Nie Guoqiang.

Therefore, Zhai Xiaojun would never argue with Lin Ge. If he won, he would get beaten up; if he lost... damn it, you can't even win an argument with a cat, and you still have the nerve to complain outside?
His face turned as gloomy as Shao Yongkang's. Zhai Xiaojun adjusted his glasses and stared at his useless subordinate, saying, "Have you checked every place thoroughly? Have you poked every possible hiding place, every possible opening for a rat, with a steel pipe?"

"The search is complete. To continue searching, we'd have to go back to the station to get the thermal imaging camera, or..."

Pan Yingxi glanced at the cat crouching beside him out of the corner of his eye. The cat's ambiguous smile made him even more embarrassed. He hadn't even gotten the credit he was about to receive, and if he were to give the suspect to the police dog squad, both squads would lose face completely.

"What kind of thermal imaging camera are you using? Haven't you made a fool of yourself enough?"

Zhai Xiaojun was disappointed in him.

Even with ongoing conflicts, at least on the surface everyone is united and focused on solving the case, acting like a close-knit family. If there are capable people available but they are not used, and instead, idiots run back to the technical investigation department, Captain Song Guoren would absolutely not mind sending both teams of scum to clean toilets.

"Looks like he didn't get to eat the mutton he was looking for, and he's gotten himself into a mess instead!"

With a sigh, Zhai Xiaojun knew he definitely wouldn't get the top credit. Both major suspects in secret cases had been arrested by the police dog unit; even though the second unit would certainly get a share of the spoils later, this most conspicuous achievement…

"Damn, how come Li Mei is so lucky!"

Shaking his head and cursing, Zhai Xiaojun squatted down with a smile, staring at Lin Ge and said, "Mimi, can you do me a favor? Help me find that guy, and I'll buy you premium cat food! You like pretty girls, oh, pretty cats? How many do you want? Just name your number?"

"Shut up! You're the one who likes pretty cats!"

Lin Ge, who hadn't originally intended to help the police dog squad gain any credit, suddenly flew into a rage upon hearing Zhai Xiaojun's sarcastic remarks.

He turned around and faced away from Zhai Xiaojun, completely ignoring the guy's attempts to seduce him.

After Zhai Xiaojun stood up helplessly, Lin Ge whistled to gather his six underlings. He then glanced at Zhou Bo, the only one who looked somewhat pleasing to the eye, and decided to make this guy his glorious cat scooper.

"Ow!"

Lin Ge barked at Zhou Bo, then turned and walked towards the six-story factory building. "Woof!"

The police dogs quickly followed, completely oblivious to the fact that acknowledging a boss who was infinitely younger than themselves was nothing to be ashamed of.

"It's still inside!"

Standing to the side, Zhai Xiaojun gritted his teeth and glared angrily at his incompetent subordinates.

Even the cat knew the suspect was still hiding inside, and you even got to make the first move, yet you still can't find him? Fine, if you can't find him, keep searching. We need to find him alive or dead. And you actually dare to come and surrender?
Zhai Xiaojun made up his mind that Pan Yingxi needed to be taught a lesson. This case happened to involve Inner Mongolia, requiring someone to make contact. He'd send this guy on the trip, and he wasn't allowed to come back until he'd eaten his fill of sand!

Upon entering the chemical plant, Lin Ge looked up and saw police officers everywhere.

These guys with wooden sticks and iron bars really went around poking at any hole they saw and smashing any can they found. Even a sludge drain hole and a dilapidated iron chimney were thoroughly searched. With that kind of effort, not even a mouse would have nowhere to hide, let alone a person. The Second Squad truly lived up to their reputation as the men of Old Turtle Zhai Xiaojun; their meticulousness was undeniable, even to the point of being speechless like Lin Ge.

But then... Lin Ge looked towards the main entrance and saw a sewage pool dug between the vacuum pool and the factory building, emitting a pungent smell of hydrochloric acid.

Walking slowly to the edge of the hydrochloric acid pool, Lin Ge peeked down and quickly pulled back, but remained standing on the large precast slab covering the pool.

The six police dogs behind him quickly came over and squatted in a neat row.

"Do you think someone could hide inside this acid?"

Zhai Xiaojun, who had followed, wiped his glasses and slowly questioned, "Who knows how long these hydrochloric acid waste residues have been here? Who knows what kind of rubbish is inside? Suspects are also made of flesh and blood, how could they possibly hide inside?"

It was precisely because of this flawless reasoning that the Second Squadron did not conduct a detailed search of the hydrochloric acid pool.

I can't search!
Even if someone could hide in that pool, they'd need professional protective gear to get in. Two guys who rushed over in just a few minutes—where would they get such equipment? This is clearly illogical, isn't it?
"logic?"

Lin Ge gave Zhai Xiaojun a strange look. "Once I've confirmed there's something wrong with this place, shouldn't you trust me and dig deep inside? How can you doubt my logic? What kind of absurd idea is that?"
Also, do you know what it means to be too clever for your own good?

"Wang!"

A ripple suddenly appeared in the hydrochloric acid pool, and Yingying, as if sensing something, barked at the pool.

Zhai Xiaojun's expression changed slightly.

"Huh? When did this place become a hydrochloric acid pool?"

The old gatekeeper, whose eyesight was failing, saw a crowd and curiously walked over. He slowly rubbed his eyes and said, "If I remember correctly, this should be an isolation pool, right? Where did this hydrochloric acid foam come from? Could it be that the acid pool next door has a hole again?"

"Isolation pool?"

Zhai Xiaojun's voice had changed.

"Look, isn't it written over there?"

The old gatekeeper pointed to the barely legible notice board on the wall next to him about the chemical treatment tank and said slowly, "How could we leave hydrochloric acid at the entrance? Who would be responsible if someone fell in? This is a vacuum-sealed wastewater isolation tank, filled with dirty water. Don't be fooled by the strong smell of this hydrochloric acid; it's probably just a little bit that flowed over from the sewage ditch next door. Hmm... could someone really be hiding here? Where could they possibly be hiding? It's not like they're a giant spider."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at the spot where Lin Ge was standing, the heavy precast slab that covered most of the large pool.

Could it really be a giant spider?
Zhai Xiaojun smiled!
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he strode over to Lin Ge and stomped his foot hard.

"Get out of here!"

‘Poof! ’

Amidst the splashing water, the sound of a heavy object falling into the water came from below.

Those around watched in disbelief, and soon screams came from the pool below.

"Aaaaaah! Help me...help me..."

A man, reeking of hydrochloric acid and covered in liquid from head to toe, surfaced in the pool. He struggled desperately, shouting with his eyes closed, "I'll confess! I'll confess! Help me! The police can't just stand by and watch me die..."

(End of this chapter)