Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 308 Cat Fighting (Part 1)

When Lin Ge and Zhao Zhigao arrived at the backyard of the auto repair shop, they found that not only were Brother Yang's henchmen present, but even several ordinary employees of the auto repair shop were mixed in with the crowd.

In the middle of the group was a cylindrical iron cage, only a little over two meters in size and a little over one meter in diameter and height. The cage had very dense mesh, and the iron bars around it were welded with iron spikes that had been soaked in blood red. The cage exuded a deathly aura that made Lin Ge's hair stand on end.

Lin Ge had only ever smelled this odor before, in front of the incinerator at Zhu Wentao's company.

I never imagined that after so much time, I would witness this killing of cats again.

This time, unlike the last, Zhu Wentao was personally involved, so his malice was at least simple. But the scene before us was clearly two cats, or even more, fighting each other in a cage, which was far more cruel and inhumane.

"Ow..."

Lin Ge took a step back and assumed an attack stance; the thing in front of him was truly unsettling.

"Wow! What a fierce cat! Shall we go in and give it a try?"

Young Yang, sitting at the back of the crowd with a cigarette dangling from his lips and legs crossed, lit up when he saw Lin Ge. He loved this kind of unruly and fierce cat; the fights were more brutal, more bloody, and more exhilarating for him.

"Brother Yang, this is my pet cat, not a fighting cat."

Zhao Zhigao quickly stepped in front of Lin Ge and blocked Xiao Yang's view, saying, "It's just an ordinary stray cat, not worth Xiao Yang's attention. The cats you play with are probably all fierce breeds, right? There's no need to compete."

"Heh... breeds are all bullshit, they've all been spoiled by being raised as pets! Only when wild cats fight each other is it exciting enough, and only then is it worth me setting up this place."

Young Yang was no longer the amiable man he had been when chatting with Zhao Zhigao. Now, his eyes were bloodshot, and he grinned maniacally, driven by drug addiction, saying, "Ah Gao, don't be stingy with a worthless cat! Let me have my fun, and you'll get your share. I heard you want to make a name for yourself? Heh... If you want to make a name for yourself, you have to be ruthless! Why should I trust someone who can't even part with a cat? Come on! Come on! Enough with the nonsense, hurry up and put it in the cage! We don't have many good cats today, let it have a lucky break."

"..."

Zhao Zhigao remained silent, standing motionless in place.

Brother Yang's eyebrows immediately furrowed.

"Ah Gao, Brother Yang thinks so highly of you, don't waste this opportunity. Besides, your cat looks amazing. We can all bet on it to cheer him on, and it'll help you make some money, right?"

The green-haired monkey quickly whispered words of persuasion behind Zhao Zhigao.

Several repair shop workers also looked at Lin Ge expectantly, after all, this was a rare opportunity for them to earn extra money. Even if they usually thought Zhao Zhigao was pretty good, if he spoiled everyone's fun now, they would still think that this guy was quite tactless.

"Brother Yang, this is different."

Zhao Zhigao shook his head again. He knew very well the importance of the cat behind him. Putting aside its undercover role, when he faced the corruption of drugs, it was the only thing that could help him.

It's not just a cat, it's also my companion and comrade-in-arms, how can I just throw it out to sacrifice?
So even if it angered Brother Yang, Zhao Zhigao refused to budge.

This attitude immediately darkened Brother Yang's expression.

He had been feeling down lately, and the pressure from Li Xiang and her group made not only Da Yang but also him feel uncomfortable.

Unlike Big Yang, who was obsessed with drug trafficking, Little Yang preferred the feeling of being fawned over. Being a big brother was great; he would never allow himself to become someone's underling. Even this trip to the repair shop was to try and win back the hearts of his wavering subordinates.

But if he doesn't respond when he's humiliated from the start, won't others look down on him? If his subordinates lack respect for hierarchy, wouldn't he be acting like an idiot as a boss?
Thinking this, Brother Yang's eyes began to gleam with malice. He slowly pulled a dagger from the pocket on his outside thigh, the sharp blade scraping against the sharkskin scabbard, producing a sound that was unsettling and seemed to evoke a sense of bloodlust.

"..."

The people around didn't dare to breathe.

Even the ordinary employees of the repair shop who weren't involved in organized crime were extremely nervous at this moment.

They knew, of course, that Brother Yang was involved in the underworld, and they hadn't initially thought that what the boss's brother did was none of their business. But if this underworld boss were to kill someone right in front of them, should they join him or call the police?

This factory pays well and has a lot of extra income, so offending the two bosses is really not worth it.

"Ah Gao, how about we just forget about it? It's just a cat, and you've only had it for a few days. Let's just pretend we've never seen it, and let Brother Yang have some fun."

The middle-aged man who had previously been quite kind to Zhao Zhigao couldn't help but come over and offer some advice.

Finally, he glanced furtively at the menacing-looking Young Master Yang and continued in a low voice, "We can't afford to mess with this kind of person. This time, we should just go along with him and avoid him in the future. Take my advice, you should know when to back down..."

"No need to say anything more, I'm not doing it!"

Zhao Zhigao remained steadfast; when unaffected by drugs, he was always the trustworthy and unwavering outstanding police officer.

"Tsk tsk, idiot! What kind of undercover agent is this?"

Lin Ge chuckled instead, his mood having calmed down.

Ultimately, in his soul, he still found it difficult to see himself as a true cat. The lingering scent of death and blood in his nostrils was unsettling, stirring within him a sense of shared sorrow. But if he could capture and wipe out this group, it would be avenge for the innocent cats, making the risk worthwhile. Besides, he could at least maintain control of the situation; letting other fighting cats fight each other might result in the deaths of many.

If we offend the sensitive Brother Yang this time, wouldn't all our previous efforts be in vain?
"Ow!"

Having made his decision, Lin Ge glared at the group of malicious guys in front of him, called out, and walked past Zhao Zhigao toward Brother Yang and the cat cage next to him.

"Huh? It actually dared to go into the cage on its own? It really is a good cat!"

Brother Yang's eyes lit up; it was the first time he'd ever seen a cat so intelligent and audacious. Most cats would bristle at the sight of him and either become stubborn and court death or run away in terror. He'd never seen one as calm as this one before.

Oh, the second time! That idiot my brother raised isn't afraid of me either.

Little Yang ignored Zhao Zhigao and stared expectantly at Lin Ge. He even stood up and opened the cage door beside him, eager to know if the cat would really go into the cage by itself, or if it was just clueless…

Holy crap, they really got in?
What a stupid cat!
Brother Yang watched in surprise as Lin Ge voluntarily walked into the cage and stood still in the center. Although he wasn't like that idiot from his older brother's family who licked his ass in a cage, his courage and composure were astounding…

Thinking of something, Brother Yang became excited.

"Hehe... Everyone's having a good time here! Xiao Yang, if you keep playing like this, it'll affect my business. Believe me, next time I won't even open the door for you!"

Big Brother Yang's voice rang out from the outside.

The people behind quickly made way, and the group watched respectfully as Brother Yang led his beloved leopard cat slowly toward them.

That leopard cat was quite bold, showing no fear whatsoever in the face of the bloody cage. Its eyes even gleamed with anticipation, and after Brother Yang stopped, it crouched down and began licking its paws, as if preparing to hone its weapon.

This was the first time Lin Ge and Zhao Zhigao had seen this leopard cat up close.

Its appearance was indeed quite good; he had only ever seen it on the third-floor balcony from downstairs before. But then Zhao Zhigao was shocked to discover a deep scar, at least twenty centimeters long, running from the right side of the leopard cat's body to its abdomen. The scar was now bald, revealing a dense network of stitches resembling a centipede.

Normally, a cat would not survive such an injury. But this cat not only survived, but the scar even makes it look more majestic and fierce.

"Big brother!"

Little Yang didn't even stand up when facing Big Yang, but just crossed his legs and said, "Good news, we have company for the Spring Festival activities. A Gao's cat doesn't look weak either. If it's really capable, let's bring it along for the Spring Festival."

Brother Yang paused for a moment, then quickly shook his head and said, "Heh... We haven't even fought yet, and you already know it's capable? Last year, even my cash cow suffered a huge loss. What chance does a stray cat have?"

"I've seen far more cats than you have. Besides, this is my responsibility anyway, so you don't need to worry about it."

Brother Yang waved his hand dismissively, "You know that bitch is a big shot from out of town, our business won't be good next year. But if we can make a name for ourselves over there and get better quality goods, we won't care about that bitch's nonsense. You understand this better than I do." "..."

Brother Yang fell silent.

Looking down at his money tree, he stopped arguing with his brother.

Those who knew the ropes naturally lowered their heads and remained silent. The ordinary employees at the repair shop also knew a little, and seeing Zhao Zhigao's bewildered expression, the middle-aged man leaned over and said, "The boss has a channel to get cheaper parts. But the big boss there is into cat fighting; if you want to get the parts, you have to let him have his fun. Last year, the 'money tree' really made the boss a star and earned him a fortune. But it's injured now, so it's hard to say what will happen this year… Plus, the boss also told us that a woman from out of town is coming to Zhangzhou to open a chain of auto repair shops. Heh… We're just a small workshop; we can't compete with big companies unless we can lower our costs…"

Channels, parts, sourcing...

The middle-aged man spoke fluently, assuming he was talking about car parts. But Zhao Zhigao instantly realized that the two Yangs were discussing the source of the drugs they possessed.

Unexpectedly, he managed to find out one of the key targets of this undercover operation at this time, and Zhao Zhigao's eyes lit up. He even thought of something more: if this undercover operation could also uncover the superiors of the two Yangs, that would be a truly great achievement!
Komi...

Zhao Zhigao was both excited and hesitant. He didn't want to see Mimi take risks, but he also hoped to find out more valuable information.

Lin Ge, inside the cage, also understood what the two Yangs meant. The thought that this cat fighting wasn't just Xiao Yang's personal hobby, but a despicable activity involving many people from top to bottom, filled him with even greater anger.

What do these guys think cats are?

Damn it, I wish I could just kill them all!

Lin Ge thought angrily.

"What a fierce look in your eyes."

Big Brother Yang suddenly spoke up, sitting down in the chair that Brother Jian had brought over. He patted Money Tree's head, making it jump onto his lap, before saying to Little Brother Yang, "Having another cat certainly gives us another chance. It's a pity that Da Liang isn't here, otherwise, with his skills, he could really tell the cat's level. Oh well! There's no use saying anything now. Let's have a fight first and pick out a few that are usable. Sigh! This mess is really worrying."

"Hmph! What's there to worry about? We'll deal with whatever comes our way."

Brother Yang grunted, a dark glint in his eyes. If Zhao Liang hadn't gotten into trouble, why would he need to take charge of all this mess?

"Brother Ma, bring out the cats I brought."

Brother Yang turned to look at his men, one born in the Year of the Horse and the other in the Year of the Dragon. These two were his trusted subordinates, whom he jokingly called "Brother Ma" and "Brother Jackie Chan," a play on words to wish them invincibility.

The man known as "Little Ma" was a bald man in his twenties. He had five strings of colorful metal rings hanging from his right ear, a silver ring on his right nostril, and even a gold ring on the right corner of his mouth, making him look quite frivolous.

But in the underworld, this kind of attire is precisely what makes people more frightened.

Faced with Brother Yang's order, Brother Ma smiled lightly. He patted the shoulder of the seemingly honest but very burly man next to him, who looked like a country bumpkin, and the two of them left together, soon pushing out an iron cage on a small cart.

The iron cage had eight layers, similar to the cages used to sell kittens and puppies at the night market. But right now, each of the eight small cages was crammed with an adult cat, all of them looking panicked and unable to move.

Upon seeing so many people outside, several of them let out piercing howls, seemingly both to intimidate and to bolster their courage.

Several others huddled together, trembling and silent. Only a black cat in the bottommost cage looked calm, staring intently at the terrifying humans around it with its large eyes.

"Ok?"

Lin Ge and the black cat exchanged a glance, and Lin Ge was inexplicably struck by a sense of boredom in the cat's eyes.

I have no idea how this guy got captured, but he doesn't seem afraid at all in this situation. He's quite big, and the narrow cage is even a bit constricting his flesh. But he remains motionless, his attitude of giving up is very obvious.

"As expected, cats are all strange creatures."

Lin Ge muttered to himself.

"Is its name Mimi?"

Brother Yang glanced back at Zhao Zhigao, and seeing Zhao Zhigao nod expressionlessly, he smiled and said, "Let's start with Mimi! If she wins, we'll continue; if she dies, we'll throw her in the trash. We'll keep going, and see which one is the fiercest cat! Hehe... Ah Gao, don't feel sorry for her. If this cat is really fierce enough, you'll have made it big! Even if you only serve this cat from now on, you'll still be my right-hand man. You might even be able to stand on equal footing with me when we go south and things go well."

The subordinates gasped in envy, never expecting to hear such a grand promise—like one person's success bringing prosperity to their entire family—at this moment.

Everyone looked at Zhao Zhigao, eager to know if he would be the lucky one.

With things having come to this, Zhao Zhigao's lips twitched, and he forced a smile: "Then... thank you very much, Brother Yang. But Brother Yang, don't have too high expectations. After all, it's just a stray cat we picked up. It might be defeated easily."

"Then kick him to death and throw him away. I don't want any trash here!"

Brother Yang waved his hand dismissively.

The menacing voice silenced everyone around, preventing them from uttering a single word.

Little Yang was pleased with the fear the crowd had shown him. He glanced back at Big Yang, then casually lit a cigarette: "Let's begin, from top to bottom. Jackie Chan, you're in charge of catching the cat. Little Ma, you're in charge of guarding the cage. The rest of you can place your bets."

"Bet on Mimi with 100,000 as the bottom line and she'll win!"

Brother Yang clapped his hands with a laugh and placed a cigarette pack on the left side of the table in front of him. "If you choose the black and white one on the other side, and you win, you'll split my 100,000 yuan and everyone else's bets. If you choose Mimi, and you win, you'll only split the money with the other side. Let's begin now. No betting is allowed once the cat is in its cage."

Everyone suddenly became excited.

Nobody cared about what they'd said or what had happened before. It wasn't their problem anyway, and it was just another of Brother Yang's threats and outbursts; there was no need to embarrass themselves. They just pretended not to hear it.

In short, what we need to do next is the truly important thing. Winning or losing, it's all about the real, enviable sums of money! Of course, more importantly, we must win back the 100,000 that Brother Yang has bet on, so that he'll keep betting. If we just follow Brother Yang's bets every time, it'll only be a small amount of money, a little over 100,000 each time! But if we let Brother Yang lose a few times… how much did he bet on last time?

"Four hundred thousand!"

Jian licked his lips, his eyes slightly red. Without hesitation, he placed ten red bills on the right side of the table, not even caring whether doing so meant going against Brother Yang.

"Alright! Ah Jian will place the first bet!"

A hint of displeasure flashed in Brother Yang's eyes, mainly because he disliked Brother Jian's lack of regard for hierarchy when money was mentioned. If Brother Jian was willing to stand against him for a few tens of thousands of yuan today, wouldn't he be easily bribed tomorrow?
"Hehe... There are no fathers and sons in casinos! Brother Yang, I apologize for my rudeness. Once I win this time, I'll treat you to a whole course!"

Brother Jian wasn't really stupid. After the excitement of betting subsided, he quickly looked up and tried to salvage the situation from Brother Yang.

"It was just for fun, why would I be angry?"

Brother Yang waved his hand and quietly watched as his remaining subordinates and a few workers placed varying amounts of money on the gambling table.

The subordinates make money quickly and gamble large sums. Even hardworking laborers who like gambling are only willing to bet two or three times.

The main point is that Brother Yang also claims that 30% of the initial bet is regardless of the chip size, and if they win, they can split the winnings equally. In other words, even if they only bet one cent, Brother Yang can still get several thousand dollars if they win.

Coming like this every one or two months is almost equivalent to double the salary.

So it was very easy for Brother Yang to win these people over. They didn't even think they were committing a crime. They thought it was just having some fun with the boss, right?
"Ah Gao, you're the only one left!"

After everyone had placed their bets, only Zhao Zhigao, who was standing quietly next to the cage, seemed uninterested.

But if everyone else is playing and you're not, it'll be too obvious that you're not joining in. Seeing the resentful expressions on everyone's faces, Zhao Zhigao thought for a moment, nodded, turned around, went upstairs, and took down all the tens of thousands of yuan he had received in the previous rounds.

(End of this chapter)