Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 360 Good Kidneys
It is actually quite rare for a criminal suspect to return to the scene of the crime, or to a place that has been sealed off by the police.

In ordinary illegal cases, offenders might deliberately cause trouble and confront the police due to insufficient punishment. However, in criminal cases, suspects rarely linger near the crime scene. This is because such behavior only increases the likelihood of arrest, and it's counterproductive for any reason.

Thinking about it more deeply, unless one is reckless or has something to rely on, there is no other reason to take such a risk.

"So...which category does Xu Yinghui fall into? Reckless? Foolish? Or does he simply not realize he's going to be arrested by the police?"

Lin Ge couldn't guess what Xu Yinghui was thinking.

But since this guy dared to show up, Lin Ge didn't mind seizing this opening. He flicked his tail, turned around, and barked at Cao Chen and the other two, then took the lead in following the scent left by Xu Yinghui.

"What has Mimi discovered?"

Zhu Xiubo's eyes lit up, and he clenched his fist excitedly.

"Be careful! Carelessness is one of the worst mistakes a police officer can make. The worst thing you can do when you find a clue is to act impulsively. Besides, how could it be such a coincidence and so easy that Mimi found Xu Yinghui so soon after arriving?"

Xu Xiangjie frowned and patiently instructed his former colleagues.

However, what he said next was a bit unpleasant, and when Lin Ge looked back at him, he felt that this guy was looking down on him.

Since he mastered his sense of smell, he has never made a mistake in finding people!

While it might be difficult for humans to distinguish the unique scents of each individual, this was no challenge for a well-trained police cat. Lin Ge could even deduce from experience that Xu Yinghui had likely arrived at the location around dawn. He lingered at the scene for a long time, even attempting to tear off the seal several times, but ultimately chose to give up and retreat helplessly.

"There may still be Xu Yinghui's fingerprints on the seal, but there are more of his fingerprints in the shop, so this might not be of much use in this case."

Lin Ge patiently analyzed the situation while calmly moving forward. He was even able to maintain the same pace as Xu Yinghui, who had been walking just hours before, by observing the changes in smell. He didn't stop for a moment, just as Xu Yinghui hadn't hesitated or made any attempt to take a detour.

It took more than ten minutes to walk like this, and we got further and further away from the health product store.

As time passed, more and more people appeared on the street. They saw four or five people staring at a cat and following behind it, all with curious and strange expressions.

The fact that two of them were wearing police uniforms made passersby even more curious, turning around and pointing. Now Jiang Zhong and Zhu Xiubo finally understood why Cao Chen and his men were in plainclothes; they really did feel embarrassed.

Even Zhuang Tao, who had been serious and vigilant the whole way, was starting to lose patience.

In her imagination, capturing a criminal involved precisely finding clues, appearing like a divine intervention, making a swift and decisive arrest, and receiving a reward in the public eye. But in reality, she was constantly on guard against a non-existent imaginary enemy, and even strolled slowly through the streets on foot.

It was only because the cat didn't stop the whole way that Zhuang Tao wanted to call her best friend to buy her another milk tea. Shopping with a bunch of weirdos is nowhere near as fun as having a best friend by your side.
"Tao'er, have you ever had a boyfriend?"

Cao Chen smiled and moved closer to Zhuang Tao, but Zhuang Tao turned her face away and ignored him without expression.

She doesn't like this kind of man who is smooth and has no sense of distance, and even feels that this guy is a bit wretched. It means that he is the old man's subordinate, otherwise if anyone else dares to talk to her like this, they will inevitably be punched twice by her.

Cao Chen wanted to say something more, but this time Xu Xiangjie grabbed his collar.

Xu Xiangjie glared helplessly at Cao Chen, then gestured with his eyes to those behind him. "Didn't you see Zhu Xiubo was scared by your stupid words? Don't embarrass the Municipal Bureau and the Economic Investigation Detachment."

Lin Ge looked back at Cao Chen, who seemed surprisingly relaxed.

Even compared to Zhu Xiubo, both Cao Chen and Xu Xiangjie were much calmer. There was no trace of tension on their faces, as if today was just an ordinary routine patrol.

Cao Chen shrugged. "There's nothing to be too nervous about. He's just an ordinary person. As people age, they have to make do with what they have. Xu Yinghui is just a fraudster, not a murderer. We don't need to be so tense. And to be honest, I'd love for him to show up soon. Playing hide-and-seek is the last thing a police officer wants to face. If he's really determined to hide, what can a few of us plus a cat possibly do? What we're doing now is less about arresting him and more about alerting him. We're not afraid of him running around, we're afraid of him staying put. If he gets under any of the cameras, we'll have a much easier time."

Cao Chen never took Xu Yinghui seriously, not because he didn't value him, but because he didn't think Xu could cause any trouble.

This guy's face is already registered in the surveillance system; he'll have no chance of escaping Zhangzhou City now. While Zhangzhou City isn't small, it's actually quite small; mobilizing the community and the masses, catching a criminal is just a matter of time.

At the same time, although time is tight, it's not to the point of forcing them to work themselves to the bone. Sharpening the axe won't delay the work; the more urgent the situation, the more patient one needs to be, and calmness is more important than impulsiveness.

"The reason I called you two over is actually this. Xu Yinghui has seen you two before, or at least remembers you. In this situation where he's being chased by the police, if he sees you two, he'll definitely become suspicious and worried, and then he'll run away from his hiding place."

Xu Xiangjie helped explain to Zhu Xiubo and guided him in his growth.

As for Jiang Zhong, that old fox, he's been able to stay at the Longquan Police Station for years, so he doesn't need any extra reminders in this regard. Besides, because he'd gone too far, he'd been assigned to go back and drive the police car, and wouldn't be able to catch up again for a while.

"I didn't know there was such a way to do it! I always thought that the police sometimes wasted a lot of manpower when they did things like searching, I didn't know it could be used in this way."

Zhuang Tao felt she had learned something and turned to thank Xu Xiangjie.

Reality is indeed different from detective novels. The kind of catching and arresting a criminal based on just a few details is simply a matter of criminals having extra legs. To put it bluntly, a criminal could easily hide in an empty house for half a month, enough to leave a detective scratching their head.

And that's the reality. Even with the Skynet system, if a suspect is patient and has prepared a safe house, the probability of him evading the first wave of police investigation is actually very high.

However, the police have limited resources and are very busy. Often, if they completely lose track of the perpetrator within a short period of time, the case will gradually become a cold case, and eventually only one or two people will be left to handle it in vain.

Of course, this "short time" is also determined by the nature of the case. In the case of murder or other serious crimes, the police can also seek help from higher authorities to launch a second, more extensive and detailed special investigation.

So seriously, never kill anyone these days!
Human life is a matter of life and death, and it is never a joke in the police system. No matter how complicated the case is or how long the escape is, they will eventually be arrested and brought to justice.

"So, this is it?"

Lin Ge stopped and looked up at the seemingly newly built building in front of him.

The development is small, consisting of only one building with two units, totaling thirty to forty floors. Perhaps due to the developer's lack of resources, the building deliberately uses the same color scheme as the upscale residential complex next door, attempting to blend in and become part of the upscale community.

"You can't really expect too much from the management of this kind of neighborhood. Mimi, is that guy really hiding here?"

Although Cao Chen acted very casually the whole way, he quickly became serious when Lin Ge stopped.

Lin Ge nodded without saying a word.

He had discovered another troublesome aspect: this development lacked its own perimeter wall, instead relying on the fences of the surrounding residential areas. Through gaps in the fences, he could see that behind the development lay numerous old, dilapidated houses—the kind that had been abandoned due to high development costs. Therefore, it was undoubtedly a mixed bag of people. Even if Lin Ge was certain Xu Yinghui had entered Building One, he couldn't guarantee he didn't have other escape routes.

"Let's go in and ask first."

Xu Xiangjie made his decision and walked towards the property management office on the first floor. Both apartments on the first floor of unit one were occupied; one was used as a supermarket, and the other as a courier station. The property management office for this building was a converted bedroom.

There was no one at the property management reception desk, but the sound of people playing games could be heard inside. Lin Ge was too short to see him, but Cao Chen saw a young woman in work clothes sitting in the doorway leading to the back door of the courier station, secretly playing on her phone.

From here, you can see the courier station is quite busy. Two women are squatting on the ground scanning and sorting packages, while a man in his fifties is struggling to drag a particularly large burlap sack in from the back. Another woman is chatting and playing games with the property management staff, discussing mundane topics. None of them seem unusual, so Zhuang Tao gives up observing and stands on tiptoe to look for a resident register at the property management counter. "Who are you?"

Finally, the woman at the courier station noticed the presence of the four people. She quickly alerted the property management staff and her boss, who immediately stood up impatiently and started yelling at them.

"police."

Cao Chen gave Zhu Xiubo a wink, and he immediately stepped to the front.

The sight of a police uniform immediately startled the woman who wasn't doing her job properly. She quickly stuffed her game into her pocket and hesitantly walked towards them. The woman next to her, referred to as the boss, also put away her phone and looked over.

"Mimi, where are you going?"

At this moment, Zhuang Tao noticed that after staring at the courier station for a while, Lin Ge walked straight past the property management counter, brushed past the property management staff, and came to the courier station owner, looking up at him intently.

"Ok?"

The expressions of the group immediately froze.

Recalling Zhao Yanxia's identity, the group couldn't help but have some guesses. In particular, the fact that this female owner of the courier station was in her thirties and looked quite pretty made them even more suspicious and difficult to understand.

"Could it be that this courier station is also owned by Xu Yinghui?"

Xu Xiangjie rubbed his chin, suddenly finding it both amusing and absurd. If Xu Yinghui actually had other businesses besides his health product store, what was he after all this trouble to commit fraud?

Seeing the four police officers walk straight past the property management office, the people at the courier station became tense. At this moment, Cao Chen and his group also realized that business at this courier station wasn't actually very good. Generally, mornings are when people go to the logistics park to pick up goods, and the number of packages picked up in the morning is a good indicator of a courier station's business. Although this shop had several people helping out, most of the shelves were empty.

"The health supplement store isn't doing well, so they resort to fraud to cover their losses. Meanwhile, this courier station, which is also doing poorly, still employs three people. Is Xu Yinghui also subsidizing it? Hmm… Is this guy a womanizer?"

Cao Chen couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Lin Ge could already smell Xu Yinghui's scent on this female boss. Or to put it another way, the two of them probably shared a bed last night.

Hearing Cao Chen's mutterings, Lin Ge turned to look at him and said, "You're probably right. Xu Yinghui might really be a romantic. And a romantic can't become a criminal leader. This case is indeed the work of the 'Kan Ke Brothers'."

"I am Xu Xiangjie, a police officer from the Economic Crime Investigation Division of the Zhangzhou Public Security Bureau."

After making his judgment, Xu Xiangjie showed the female boss his identification without hesitation and asked for her name, Fei Yuling.

After confirming Fei Yuling's identity through the police information system, Xu Xiangjie continued, "When the police investigate, please cooperate honestly. Fei Yuling, do you know someone named Xu Yinghui? What is his connection to this shop?"

"Old Xu?"

Fei Yuling's reflexive way of addressing him made the others instantly understand. Then, Fei Yuling looked at them with a panicked expression, anxiously asking, "What happened? Is my husband...is he..."

"your home?"

Cao Chen frowned; he didn't remember Xu Yinghui's wife being this one.

"I...we're not married, but we're practically husband and wife. So...sigh! That's not important right now! Officer, what happened to my husband, Lao Xu? Has something happened to him?"

Pei Yuling seemed to have little understanding of the significance of the various departments within the Public Security Bureau, and she didn't even consider that Xu Yinghui might have committed a crime. The police's arrival made her nervous, and her first reaction was to worry that something had happened to Xu Yinghui himself.

Cao Chen and Xu Xiangjie exchanged a glance, their expressions puzzled.

"Is Xu Yinghui not home?"

"He's not here. He went out early this morning. Old Xu is usually quite busy; he has the company and business partners to take care of. He usually doesn't come back until late at night, sometimes... Officers, why are you looking for him..."

Slowly, Pei Yuling realized that these policemen seemed to have ill intentions.

"We need his assistance in investigating a case. Please follow our orders and do not act rashly."

Cao Chen's lips curled slightly, his attitude still quite amiable. But when his eyes caught sight of an employee at the courier station secretly using his phone, his eyes widened and he roared, "Can't you hear what I'm saying? Hand over your phone!"

"Bring it!"

Zhuang Tao was quick as well, and soon rushed into the courier station to snatch the phone from the woman's hand.

When I took it back, it was indeed a WeChat message that hadn't been sent yet.

"You all better behave yourselves!"

Zhu Xiubo quickly stepped forward to work, ordering the property staff, two courier station subcontractors, and a deliveryman who saw the group to stand still in the open space, and forbidding anyone from moving around.

By this time, Cao Chen's questioning of Pei Yuling was almost over. This woman didn't know much about Xu Yinghui's identity or whereabouts; the only thing she knew was that Xu Yinghui loved her very much and had even funded the opening of this shop for her near her home. He even felt sorry for her having to work while running the shop, hiring three helpers specifically for her and paying their wages separately. In other words, Pei Yuling enjoyed all the income from the courier station, which was quite good to her.

"What exactly happened to Old Xu?"

Fei Yuling gradually calmed down, but she didn't know what to do in front of the police. She just kept asking Xu Yinghui if he had broken the law, and then questioned whether Xu Yinghui was a good person and that the police had definitely misunderstood him.

Cao Chen remained noncommittal, his eyes questioning Xu Xiangjie whether he intended to lure Xu Yinghui over, but Xu Xiangjie shook his head in refusal.

Not long after, Lin Ge, who had followed Zhuang Tao to Pei Yuling's residence on the third floor, also failed to find any clues inside. He could clearly smell Xu Yinghui's scent outside the building, but after entering, Xu Yinghui seemed to have vanished.

Of course, it's also possible that Xu Yinghui owns apartments on other floors of this building. But when Cao Chen asked Pei Yuling, she shook her head and denied it.

She seemed about to say something, but hesitated and kept quiet.

Cao Chen's eyes lit up. "Do you know something, Fei Yuling? You must understand that concealing something is also a crime. And no matter what Xu Yinghui did, only if he turns himself in in time, plus your help, can he be given a chance to be forgiven. So by helping him cover it up, you are actually harming him! And to be honest, you should also think about yourself! If you don't do anything, what if this shop is taken back as stolen goods?"

"There's a whore living on the sixteenth floor who's always bothering Lao Xu! She's different from me; she's only after Lao Xu's money! I don't know if Lao Xu is with her, but you can go and arrest her and ask her!"

Pei Yuling spoke without hesitation.

Whether it was to help Xu Yinghui or for their own shop, it no longer mattered. What mattered was that none of them had expected Xu Yinghui to have a third mistress!
Cao Chen was completely dumbfounded.

Is there a third one?
This is absolutely ridiculous!
What was Xu Yinghui thinking? What's it like to be the husband of four women? On another note, how strong must his kidneys be to withstand the pressure from at least three women?
Cao Chen suddenly felt a little envious.

(End of this chapter)