Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 318 The Lonely Warrior

A few repairmen who were still chatting idly with their tools in the distance were surprised to find Zhao Zhigao sitting and asleep by the fire pit, cuddling a cat.

He remained seated, leaning against the back of the chair with his head down, a cat perched on his lap, its eyes closed, fast asleep.

The cat was also obedient and didn't move, letting Zhao Zhigao place his hand on it. The cat occasionally yawned but didn't make much noise, just staring blankly at the flickering flames with its big eyes.

The two of them looked strangely harmonious, yet also carried a strange, indescribable sense of loneliness and vulnerability.

The group exchanged glances and lowered their voices.

Soon after, guests arrived and were led to a more remote area.

A little while later, the various cats that Little Yang had brought over, one by one, curious and bored, trudged over through the snow. Seeing the leader perched on a human's lap, they were eager to start barking, but Lin Ge glared at them and they quickly shut their mouths.

So the group of cats slowly frolicked around the two fire pits, deliberately making no noise. The black cat, being mischievous, tried to rub against the metal bucket, got burned, and its fur stood on end in fright, but under Lin Ge's angry glare, it didn't dare to make a sound.

It came to Zhao Zhigao's feet with a wronged expression, rubbed against his legs and lay down, resting its head on his shoes.

"Gululu..."

The bald yellow cat looked a little cold, but it was irresistibly drawn to the warm brazier. It huddled together with the equally bald black and white cat, letting the black and white cat play with its stiff tail, only making gurgling sounds from its throat.

The leopard cat, Money Tree, was furthest away, still maintaining its aloof demeanor. But soon a cold wind blew by, causing its fur to flutter, and it immediately revealed its true form, baring its teeth and quickly hiding on the other side of the fire pit.

……

Zhao Zhigao felt he hadn't had such a comfortable sleep in a long time.

Since becoming an undercover agent, I haven't been able to truly relax for even a single day. I even sleep at night in fear, afraid that I'll say something I shouldn't in my sleep and that Brother Yang and his gang will find out.

No one is unafraid of death, and being in the enemy's lair, he was constantly on edge. Even when he was drunk with Brother Yang, he desperately tried to calm himself down and stay focused, afraid of revealing the slightest weakness.

I'm so tired after the whole trip.

Even if everything was for justice, even if the goal was for the people, to completely eradicate this drug gang, Zhao Zhigao was still just an ordinary person, made of flesh and blood, not made of iron. Coupled with the threat of drug addiction and the pain of being forced to use drugs, he was already physically and mentally exhausted after persisting for so many days.

This time, however, he slept soundly.

Even if you remain seated and motionless from beginning to end, and feel like your muscles are as hard as ice when you wake up, your spirits will always be restored and your emotions will calm down.

The craving I had in the morning had also vanished, as if I had driven it away with sheer willpower.

But Zhao Zhigao knew that all of this was thanks to the cat in front of him, or rather, to the group of cats. They brought him comfort, and gave him the power to dispel evil spirits and scatter all the dark clouds with their little paws.

so good.

"Are you alright?"

Lin Ge jumped off Zhao Zhigao, shook off his fur, and stretched to relieve the fatigue from not moving for so long.

"Thank you, I feel much better."

Zhao Zhigao smiled and stood up to stretch. His joints cracked and popped, leaving the playful cats nearby speechless. They couldn't believe a human could make such sounds; it was simply unbelievable!

The cats curiously looked up at Zhao Zhigao, hoping he would do it again. But Zhao Zhigao's attention was already on the parking area. A BMW and a Nissan had driven up sometime earlier, the Nissan's front end completely wrecked.

It looks like the repair shop was already open for business while he was sleeping. It appears to be a rear-end collision; poor Nissan ultimately couldn't beat BMW.

"Hey, are you awake?"

Several mechanics were using tools to remove the Nissan's bumper, while the Nissan owner stood nearby looking helpless. When Zhao Zhigao walked over, the middle-aged man Zhao Xin greeted him with a smile, as if the previous argument had been forgotten.

"Huh! What's going on?"

Zhao Zhigao took out cigarettes from his pocket, carefully examined them, and handed one to each of the drivers, as well as to the grumbling car owner next to him.

His hand trembled slightly as he smoked, but he quickly regained his composure. The Nissan owner next to him, on the verge of tears, cursed the damn weather and pulled Zhao Zhigao aside, insisting that he replace the parts with genuine ones. Zhao Zhigao nodded dismissively.

Another 'beep' sounded, and a Toyota SUV slowly drove into the parking lot, followed by a BYD owner with a frustrated look on his face.

As expected, due to the delayed braking in the snow, BYD crashed headfirst into the large metal hook at the rear of the Toyota, smashing the front plastic parts and some internal components to pieces.

As Zhao Xin said, there are many traffic accidents on snowy days, which is also a good time for repair shops to make money.

Zhao Zhigao helped a few workers for a while, handing them wrenches and helping them lift things, and he worked up a sweat and his clothes were sticky.

He went back to his room and washed up again. He picked up the toothbrush, clothes, towel and everything else he had left on the floor, cleaned up the wet floor and wiped the toilet. It looked much better after that.

After all that busy work, I felt much better. Both my mind and body returned to normal, and a smile returned to my face.

That evening, Da Yang and Xiao Yang finally came over, but their purpose was still only for Lin Ge, not Zhao Zhigao.

Zhao Zhigao didn't seem to mind, and just chuckled as he offered cigarettes to the two men. Younger Yang accepted, while Older Yang waved his hand, indicating he didn't need any. He glanced at the composed Zhao Zhigao with surprise, secretly wondering if he had forgotten to leave some goods behind.

As for Zhao Zhigao overcoming drug addiction through sheer willpower, Brother Yang would never believe that!
If drug addiction were so easy to overcome, why did he end up like this? To be honest, with his repair shop and several other small shops, he could earn a considerable amount a year. If drug addiction weren't a bottomless pit, why would he need to risk his life?

The more you inhale, the more you absorb; the purer the inhale, the more you can't live without it. Brother Yang has a deep understanding of that feeling of his mind and will being controlled by his body.

However, Zhao Zhigao was still useful after all. Giving him a taste of his own medicine to show him what withdrawal felt like was enough for Brother Yang. At this point, his subordinates were unlikely to betray him; the agony of withdrawal was no joke.

With firsthand experience as a guarantee, Brother Yang is not worried that Zhao Zhigao might cause any more trouble.

He resumed his attitude towards Zhao Zhigao, chatting casually for a few moments before inviting Zhao Zhigao to the villa for the gathering that evening. He had been at that villa for the past few days preparing for his trip, especially making sure he had adequate self-defense supplies, as there was no shortage of thieves and double-crossers there.

"Brother Yang, isn't this enough?"

Zhao Zhigao pulled out a large blade tightly wrapped in a black cloth strip. It was gleaming and had blood grooves; it could easily take a life with a single stab.

However, for drug traffickers, this kind of equipment is still too rudimentary. Whether domestically or internationally, drug lords are figures shrouded in darkness, never hesitant to take risks for their goods. Leaving aside the question of whether they possess any real weapons, a few knives and the skills of a petty thug are certainly insufficient.

"I was prepared, don't worry."

Brother Yang spoke confidently, with the last special cigarette dangling from his mouth. He ended up smoking all of these cigarettes himself, except for the one he gave to Zhao Zhigao as a test; he couldn't bear to give the rest to anyone else.

Looking at Zhao Zhigao patiently testing the knife, and then at the few bastards smoking nearby, Brother Yang felt somewhat fortunate.

Fortunately, Xiao Yang found a thug like Zhao Zhigao; otherwise, with just a few useless guys around, things might have been really bad. It would have been fine if he had just taken some loose goods like last year, but this year, Brother Yang has bigger ambitions.

Big Brother Yang looked at Little Brother Yang, who nodded expressionlessly.

Zhao Zhigao seemed oblivious to their exchange of glances, and breathed a sigh of relief after inspecting the knives. He sat back down on the sofa, took the water bottle from Brother Yang, and casually asked, "So, Brother Yang, where are we going this time? Domestic or international? Honestly, I still can't believe what you said about cat fighting and all that. How could there be guys in the world who don't value money? Giving away such precious things so casually, they really don't take the drug market seriously!"

"Heh... What drug market! For real drug lords, these things are like wheat harvested from the field, a business with no cost. Whether it's opium or hyroxine, it's essentially crops in the field; as long as there's a harvest, it's profitable."

Da Yang ignored Zhao Zhigao's question and said disdainfully, "Although our country cracks down hard, look at the Golden Triangle and South America, they're growing more lushly than weeds. Chemical drugs are even more ridiculous; they can make tons from just a little raw material! What you're selling by the ton is worthless to them! It's only because our country is stupid that we're producing and selling this stuff legally, otherwise why would we be worrying about foreign exchange?"

"Hehe... After all, it's a big country, where would it get involved in this kind of business?"

Zhao Zhigao chuckled dryly twice.

Before he could continue asking questions, Brother Yang suddenly coughed and said, "Ahem! Ah Gao, have you heard? All e-cigarettes in China have been removed from stores and online. This is outrageous! What were Aowei International and that bitch Li Xiang thinking? Making such a big fuss and causing such a stir, weren't they just walking into the hands of the police? Now look what happened, the entire Aowei International has been wiped out, and hundreds of people have been arrested!"

Zhao Zhigao was taken aback.

Although he knew that drug dealers and companies were a joke in the face of state-sanctioned violence, the fact that Aowei International appeared and disappeared so quickly made it seem like a dream. Were they really drug dealers? It seemed like they were deliberately courting the police.

"That woman was arrested too?"

"Cough! They're on the run!"

Simba, standing in a distant corner, coughed, a sleek e-cigarette in each hand. He took a puff from the one in his left hand, then quickly followed with a puff from the one in his right, enjoying the simultaneous cloud of vapor from both.

What exactly is her purpose in doing this?

Zhao Zhigao became curious as well. He blew a puff of water from the kettle, squinted his eyes to enjoy it, and the image of Lin Ge flashed through his mind.

"Hehe... You'd never guess, this woman did it on purpose. The boss of Aowei International used to be one of her father's men. It was his betrayal back then that led to Li Xiang's father being punished. Then this woman came for revenge, deliberately using low-production products to lure that idiot into turning his e-cigarette into poisonous smoke. Hehe... Then Li Xiang, under the guise of selling the product, spread the word everywhere, and that idiot was doomed."

Simba laughed as he spoke, staring intently at Zhao Zhigao for a moment when he said the word 'betrayal'.

When he recounted the whole story like a TV drama, everyone, from the Yang brothers to Zhao Zhigao, and even the few guys who were just having fun and didn't care, all looked speechless and incredulous.

"What does that bitch want?"

Brother Jian couldn't understand how such a big business could be ruined over a dead person. Was Li Xiang crazy?

"It's said that Li Xiang has other people behind her. It's thanks to their help that she was able to escape from the police's wanted list. Tsk tsk... It seems that e-cigarettes are just a cover; that bitch definitely has something even more powerful up her sleeve."

Brother Yang squinted as he spoke, but his mind was already wandering to other things.

He didn't care much about Li Xiang or the past, since he was a traditional drug user and wouldn't associate with those fancy drug addicts.

But the drug market is only so big. If e-cigarettes are just a front, what does Li Xiang actually plan to use to replace them? He's about to become a wealthy drug lord, so will there still be conflicts with her?

Brother Yang felt a sense of urgency, realizing that business was really tough these days!

Whether it's drugs or something else, being a boss is always a headache. No matter how much money you make, there are still so many things to worry about, so you can only calm down by smoking.

In the end, Zhao Zhigao still couldn't find out where Brother Yang and his group were going in a few days.

Although he has now infiltrated the drug trafficking gang, he hasn't even found out the exact number of members. Just like Sister Hua, who remains hidden in the shadows, Zhao Zhigao still doesn't know who she is.

Perhaps his other colleagues have already found a lot of information he didn't know about through various channels. However, the lack of communication between the two sides still leaves Zhao Zhigao with insufficient understanding of the current situation.

He was well aware that this was a very important juncture.

The Yangs and their gang had decided to go out to pick up the goods in a few days, and now was the time when they were most vigilant. Even though the channel through which they were sending messages via Mimi hadn't been exposed yet, Zhao Zhigao still didn't dare to risk arousing their suspicion.

The journey of a hundred miles is only half complete at ninety. Having finally gone undercover until now, enduring so much pressure and harm, if something trivial were to cause an accident now, Zhao Zhigao might just want to kill himself.

The more critical the moment, the more calm one must remain and the better one must lie low. Zhao Zhigao understood this very well.

So even though communicating good news to his superiors at this moment could make his actions safer and guarantee his life, Zhao Zhigao still preferred to bear the risks himself and act silently for the ultimate goal.

"Ok?"

Zhao Zhigao was stunned for a moment when he saw the cat suddenly barging into the bathroom.

Holding his breath, Lin Ge glared at Zhao Zhigao with disgust and impatience, then raised his right paw to reveal a small buckle hidden in his elbow.

When did you go out again?

Zhao Zhigao stared in disbelief, quickly snatching the clip away and disappearing it into his palm. He looked around warily, fearing that there might be a hidden camera in the bathroom, ruining all his and the silly cat's plans.

"Idiot, I definitely checked it. I'm not unfamiliar with searching for cameras and stuff."

Lin Ge stared at Zhao Zhigao with disdain, speechless at the guy's slow-wittedness.

Having been at this repair shop for so many days, Lin Ge had already used his cat identity to check every room. Apart from the third floor where Brother Yang lived and the smoky second-floor entertainment room, Lin Ge knew exactly where the hidden cameras were.

He even knew that there were a total of twenty cameras, and Simba himself controlled the monitoring system.

Originally, Brother Yang should have been in charge of his own territory, but his lack of sensitivity to electronic devices and his unfamiliarity with using mobile phones made him even worse than that old guy, Brother Simba, in this regard, so he had no choice but to hand over the authority.

This drug dealer wasn't a professional electronics expert either. He mostly used cameras for deterrence and only checked them after the fact, rather than having professionals who could monitor them in real time.

This was something that Lin Ge overheard clearly yesterday when Brother Yang and Brother Simba were whispering in the office, debating Zhao Zhigao's credibility.

Therefore, unless they do anything suspicious, this group of people will have no chance of noticing their abnormality.

And suspicious?
For a cat, doing anything is perfectly normal. Let alone barging into this stinky bathroom, even if it removed the security camera right in front of them, these guys would only curse the cat for being nosy, and that would be it.

By this point, he had become these guys' cash cow.
Lin Ge was well aware of his importance to Yang, Simba, and their group, which made him even more reckless. They were all counting on Lin Ge to help them make big money and acquire large quantities of goods, so why would they dare to do anything to him at this time?

Compared to their suspicion of Zhao Zhigao, their trust and expectations of Lin Ge were far greater than the sky.

"Hiss... They've found someone who might be Sister Hua? Besides... I can just back out now? Are you kidding me? This is the crucial moment that will decide the outcome! How could I possibly give up halfway through!"

Zhao Zhigao muttered a curse under his breath.

With Mimi outside helping with security, he felt a little less worried. Although he didn't know exactly when or how this guy had contacted the police, this timely communication still made Zhao Zhigao both excited and helpless.

How could I possibly quit!

We've gone through so much trouble for this case, and he almost died from drug addiction. How could we possibly give up now?

Those idiots sitting in the office are so hypocritical! They just pat their butts and think it's out of concern for me, huh? If we retreat now, we'll only get a second-class merit at most, but I've worked so hard to get to this point, how can I be satisfied without getting a first-class merit?
Ignoring the concerns and greetings in the card holder, Zhao Zhigao modified the contents of the memory on his phone before pretending to have watched enough short videos and came out of the bathroom.

(End of this chapter)