Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 399 The Cat Army
Lin Ge himself did not expect that the cats he sent out would make other discoveries besides finding Hao Qiping, who helped Ma Dongzhi escape.

To be honest, Ringo had high hopes for these cats. He was probably the only one in the world who trusted cats who couldn't understand human language so much. He was also the only one who commanded the cats to search for criminals like animal police.

It was already quite late, but the police station courtyard was still brightly lit.

To help and guide the cats back, Nie Guoqiang installed a large spotlight-like device in the yard, placing it under a tree and shining it upwards to avoid blinding the cats.

By this time, most of the cats had returned, exhausted and lying wearily on the ground, huddling together for warmth. At this point, they didn't care about territory; they squeezed into any available space and lay down quickly. Regardless of whether they knew the unfortunate creature underneath, they just pressed themselves together and pretended to sleep. Some, annoyed by the crowding, scratched without a word, and then the surrounding cats started wrestling.

Lin Ge didn't care about them, as long as they didn't cause any major trouble.

This was probably the most united the cats in Zhangzhou had ever been, and also the largest gathering of their kind. The police station's yard wasn't small, but it wasn't enough for them anymore. Some of the damp areas were unsuitable for the cats to lie in, so Lin Ge arranged for some of the younger ones to rest in the cattery. Money Tree, White Cat, and Little Tortoiseshell were inside taking care of the little ones, while the mother Tortoiseshell and Lin Ge maintained order outside. Lame Cat was in charge of guarding the entrance, while Little Tabby and Snowclaw Tabby diligently ran back and forth between the cattery and the cattery with Li Siyu, providing food for the cats. Of course, the two little rascals were there to cause trouble, and Li Siyu simply couldn't control them.

It was 11 p.m., and most of the cats were already asleep, each one sleeping in a more unsightly position than the last. Under Lin Ge's threatening gaze, Li Siyu had no choice but to follow Li Yiduo, who had been waiting outside the yard for a long time, home.

However, just when Lin Ge thought the search was about to end, a cat that had returned late came running in, meowing loudly.

When Lin Ge saw the tailless black and white cat running over, meowing pitifully, he assumed the creature had been bullied by humans outside. After all, its front legs were limping, clearly indicating it had been assaulted.

But... when Lin Ge approached to comfort it, he unexpectedly discovered a faint, very familiar scent on its body. It was the scent of the culprit, Ma Dongzhi, whom Lin Ge had met once before. Especially on the cat's injured front leg, the wound clearly showed marks left by something that had been used to beat it. That thing was likely something Ma Dongzhi frequently used and carried with him, as its scent lingered strongly on his fur.

Ma Dongzhi was an elderly man in his sixties. His body odor was different from that of ordinary people, carrying a hint of the decaying smell of old age. Therefore, Lin Ge naturally wouldn't overlook a smell that was very similar to Ma Dongzhi's, coupled with the fact that his age matched.

Lin Ge never expected that these little guys would bring more than one surprise. What do you call this? This is called good things coming in pairs!

Seeing the tailless black and white cat still meowing pitifully, Lin Ge quickly comforted it. He then stepped over a group of startled kittens in the cat house and pulled out a box of jelly-like cat treats from a cabinet inside.

Whoever designed this thing, with its thin cardboard seal, it couldn't stop a cat's claws at all. Therefore, to prevent the tabby cats from destroying them all, Li Siyu specifically found a high cabinet to lock them in. Of course, a mere cabinet couldn't stop Lin Ge, but he simply didn't like eating this kind of thing. And now was the perfect time to use it; no human help was needed to tear open the packaging, making it a perfect reward for the tailless black and white cat.

"Meow!"

The tailless black and white cat became excited upon smelling the snacks. As soon as Lingo put the small box down, it buried its head and began to devour them.

The other cats, who had been awakened, saw this scene and let out pitiful cries.

"Go away! Extra snacks are only for those who do good deeds. You all just wait patiently for the banquet tomorrow!"

Lin Ge impatiently chased them away and hurried off to find Nie Guoqiang. The lights were still on in Nie's office, and he could even hear Zheng Mingxing comforting Qian Wei inside.

Without even knocking, Lin Ge jumped onto the doorknob and yanked it open with a creak. Under the speechless gaze of the three people inside, Lin Ge jumped off the doorknob, roared at them rudely, and then turned to face the outside.

"Ok?"

Mimi's movement as she walked out startled Nie Guoqiang and the other two.

"Could it be that……"

Zheng Mingxing was somewhat incredulous. The police station and the city bureau's criminal investigation police had worked hard for almost two days without finding any clues, and now this group of cats had just caught Hao Qiping, and now they had made a new discovery.
Aren't these little devils a bit too amazing?
Nie Guoqiang remained silent, stood up, grabbed his coat from the back of the chair and put it on, then gave orders directly into the walkie-talkie.

His trust in Ringo was unparalleled.

Of course, Zheng Mingxing had also become a cat fanatic by this time. Before Qian Wei could react, he was the first to rush out of the office and follow Lin Ge towards the courtyard.

Qian Wei and Nie Guoqiang followed suit.

In less than half a minute, the police station became noisy. All the police officers on duty, as well as those who were planning to leave but hadn't had time to go yet, hurriedly ran out of the office and into the yard.

Lin Ge was also very excited and led Zheng Mingxing and the other two directly to the tailless cow cat.

"Meow!"

The black and white cat, who had just finished showing off a big box of treats to the other cats, was startled by the sudden appearance of these humans.

It had undoubtedly been harmed by humans in the past; the broken tail clearly showed signs of being violently severed. Therefore, even with Lingo in front of it, it acted very timidly, its four legs trembling, as if it were about to turn and run away at any moment.

"Stop running away! From today onwards, I'll protect you. I'll see who dares to bully you then!"

Excited and arrogant, Lingo quickly let out a howl to comfort the tailless calico cat, then slapped it hard on the head twice with his paw and pushed it away, signaling the guy to lead the way.

"Meow?"

The black and white cat didn't react for a moment.

But when Lingo stared at its still throbbing leg, the black and white cat suddenly realized! This cat boss was going to avenge it? Not only was it taking it in and feeding it, but it was even going to back it up?

The tailless calico cat immediately became excited.

More and more humans followed behind Lingo, but it wasn't afraid anymore. Other awakened cats gathered around, but it wasn't worried about being bullied. It took two steps forward, then looked back to see if Lingo was following. It took two more steps, looked again, and after confirming three times that Lingo was indeed going with it, the black and white cat ignored the pain in its legs and took off running. It meowed incessantly as it ran, its frantic pace and exhilarating feeling as if it were about to take flight.

Six police officers followed behind the cow-and-cow cat and Ringo, and they started running as soon as they took off.

They didn't know where the calico cat was going or how far away it was, so they simply had three auxiliary police officers follow in a car while they and the others, equipped with their gear, took off running.

To be honest, they don't even know what happened yet!

But no matter what, even if it's just catching one person related to the case, just like in the evening, it's still very important at this time. Therefore, even though a group of police officers running around at 11 pm looks like lunatics, they don't care at all.

Before long, the other cats belatedly realized what was happening and quickly followed suit, running after the cats as fast as they could.

What could be more fun than running outside? Running with lots of friends, of course! Forget sleeping, forget being tired! Get up and let's have some fun, everyone!
The bewildered cats ran off at breakneck speed, some even taking unconventional routes, weaving through flowerbeds, the driveway, or over the adjacent walls. Even with this erratic running, they quickly overtook Nie Guoqiang and his group, leaving the foolish humans far behind. Of course, some playful fighting was inevitable, and Lin Ge, mindful of the urgency and the lack of traffic at night, didn't have time to restrain them.

"Phew... Holy crap, that's outrageous!"

Hu Zhengping, exhausted from running, rested on the spot, panting, and leaned on his knees. Looking up at the dense, dark mass ahead, he was visibly shocked. Then, seeing pedestrians still out at night being terrified by them, he was speechless once more.

There were so many cats, it was visually overwhelming! Especially after being left far behind by these cats, the police officers looked speechless as they gazed at the vast swarm of cat heads in the distance.

Seeing a stupid driver speeding in the middle of the night startled by a group of cats in front of him and slamming on the brakes, the screeching sound of the brakes only fueled their anger.

"Damn it! Driving so fast, what if you hurt the police station's precious staff?"

Zhang Ke was panting heavily as he cursed angrily.

"..."

Hu Zhengping glanced at Zhang Ke speechlessly. "Our police station is just a small place. How can we afford to raise so many precious people?"
"Director Nie, Instructor Zheng, shall we get in the car first? If we drive like this, we'll be exhausted by the time we get there."

Feng Yi drove the police car and stopped next to Nie Guoqiang.

The police officers naturally wouldn't refuse, and Nie Guoqiang was already feeling a bit of leg pain. Seeing the cats still running forward, he had no choice but to open the car door and get in. "Tsk!"

Yuan Meijuan's police car stopped beside Hu Lijun. Hu Lijun saw that the other car was already full, so he could only grimac and open the passenger door to get in.

A short while later, Li Yiduo, who had already gone home, hurriedly drove up to catch up. Li Siyu, who was sitting in the passenger seat, had slightly messy hair and swollen lips. Zhang Ke climbed into the back seat and chuckled, making Li Siyu's pretty face instantly turn red.

"Don't think blindly!"

Li Yiduo put on a serious expression, staring straight ahead as he stepped on the gas.

With the help of the police cars, the officers finally caught up with the cats. But they didn't overtake them; they just patiently slowed down and followed behind the cats, watching the lead black and white cat and their own feline companions, as they raced after them along the main road.

"We're almost out of the jurisdiction."

Nie Guoqiang observed his surroundings expressionlessly, gradually forming a plan in his mind.

"It seems that the police operation these past two days has alerted Ma Dongzhi. Although he doesn't know what's going on with these cats, there's no doubt that when Mimi's men found him, he was probably preparing to flee Zhang City."

Zheng Mingxing also provided an analysis.

"This road should be the shortest route out of the city, right? If we go another three or four kilometers, we'll reach the vicinity of Yandun Township. If we let him into the countryside, it won't be easy to find him again."

Nie Guoqiang nodded, sneered, and said, "I really didn't expect that fugitives these days would still use foot. Indeed, walking can help evade police checkpoints, and he also has extra identification. If it weren't for Mimi's men today, he might have actually escaped. Heh... Although I don't think he can escape the city bureau's surveillance and stakeouts on the perimeter, if we're lucky today, the credit for this case will go to my Zhanghe Police Station again!"

"Catching a fugitive and solving a cold case in just two days! I must say, Mimi and her henchmen have truly made a great contribution!"

Cat Fan Zheng Mingxing sighed once again.

"The main thing is that we don't need experts or any high-tech equipment. As long as there's evidence and a scent, and the target is still in Zhangzhou, they can't escape Mimi's animal surveillance network! After a while, we can try another cold case?"

Nie Guoqiang was also excited.

"Ouch~~"

Suddenly, Mimi's piercing and frantic roar came from ahead. Nie Guoqiang and Zheng Mingxing exchanged a glance, and their eyes immediately lit up with excitement.

'Boom! '

The first to get out of the car was Qian Wei, who had been silently suppressing his anger while sitting in the passenger seat.

He had somehow concealed a brick in his hand, slammed the car door shut with a bang, and then turned and strode aggressively toward the group of cats that had stopped running.

"Hey! Stop him!"

Nie Guoqiang tried to grab Qian Wei, but Qian Wei shoved him away. He was about to chase after him when he heard a crisp cracking sound from his leg, leaving him unable to move and clutching his leg.

"Qian Wei!"

Hu Lijun and Zhang Ke quickly got out of the car and ran over.

"Get out of my way! Don't force me to attack my own brothers!"

Qian Wei, holding a brick, turned around and shouted, startling everyone at the police station. Then, he exhaled a puff of white smoke from his nostrils, turned around, and charged through the group of cats with a fierce aura.

Hu Lijun and Zhang Ke exchanged a glance, then shook their heads at Li Yiduo, who was rushing over. The three of them stopped in place and watched Qian Wei's figure gradually walk away.

Why didn't you stop him?!

Nie Guoqiang, supported by Zheng Mingxing, walked over and looked at these useless people with exasperation.

"It's okay, Mimi's here."

Zhang Ke chuckled dryly, continuing to shift the blame onto those who could handle it. Mainly, they firmly believed Qian Wei couldn't possibly have killed anyone; at most, he'd beat the person up and break a bone or something. Compared to the pain he felt, that was already letting the murderer off easy.

Furthermore, in such a heinous crime, the perpetrator is destined for the death penalty. Given this, it's perfectly normal to accidentally injure the perpetrator while trying to stop the crime, right?

Even if we stop Qian Wei now, won't we still have to take action when we arrest him later?
The police officers exchanged glances, each with their own plans.

On the other side, Lin Ge stared in astonishment at the middle-aged man who was blocked on the sidewalk by the tailless cow cat. He looked dazed but had an honest appearance. For a moment, he couldn't connect him with the skinny old man from before.

The only reason the two had similar scents was that Lin Ge would have thought the black and white cat had chosen the wrong target, and that all his efforts with so many cats and police officers had been in vain.

Seeing the man surrounded by a group of cats, with the black and white cats roaring angrily and all the cats making a ruckus, Lingo took the opportunity to quietly approach and, under the cover of a long-haired Persian cat, secretly observed the man.

Compared to the old man he'd seen the day before, the middle-aged man before him seemed broader, but shorter, with more rugged features and a more square face. The only similarity in their faces was their dark, slightly reddish skin tone. Their noses and ears were also similar, but their eyebrows, eyes, mouths, and chins were clearly different. The old man's hair was sparse, while this man's was relatively neat. This wasn't surprising; Lin Ge could smell a distinct glue-like odor emanating from him, indicating that the wig he wore was most likely made of real human hair—the biggest flaw in his elaborate disguise. Even his voice was different from the old man's, noticeably deeper.

"Disguise, voice imitation, even body shape alteration, and joint contortionism? Why was this guy kicked out of the circus troupe? Could he have learned all these skills from a circus troupe in the 90s?"

Lin Ge didn't intend to concern himself with the changes in this person's face and body shape, since a person's body odor is impossible to change. Even shower gel or perfume couldn't drastically alter a person's natural oils, sweat, and body odor in a short period. Therefore, no matter how many transformations this person might undergo, Lin Ge was only concerned with their scent!
But the next moment, seeing Qian Wei, who was walking over aggressively, pause for a moment after seeing the person in front of him, Lin Ge could only let out a helpless howl before exposing himself and stepping forward.

If he were to let these idiots let him go just because of his appearance, wouldn't Lingo be disgusted to death?

"Mimi?"

Lin Ge's attitude surprised Qian Wei once again.

He knew Ringo had seen the murderer with his own eyes, so he couldn't possibly have mistaken him for someone else. Besides, Mimi never joked about serious matters; since it was certain this guy was the target, then in other words, what it saw before its eyes…

"Disguise? No wonder I didn't notice you all these years, so you had this kind of skill!"

Qian Wei had no doubt about Lin Ge's judgment, so he gritted his teeth and stared at the middle-aged man in front of him, even gripping the brick tightly as if he were about to try.

"I don't know what you're talking about. And what's going on here? Are you really a police officer? How can a police officer lay a hand on ordinary citizens?"

The middle-aged man spoke with a familiar southern accent. Undoubtedly, this accent was different from the target's Liaoning province identity, but at this moment, Qian Wei didn't care about any of that nonsense.

"Hehe... You can either put your hands behind your head and let me do whatever I want, or you can resist and I'll choose to run away. You can choose one now!"

Seeing the middle-aged man retreating while speaking, Qian Wei pressed closer. His face wore a ferocious smile, and his bloodshot eyes terrified the cats watching.

"You really have mistaken me for someone else! I'm going to... I'm going to call the police and file a complaint against you!"

The middle-aged man was still making excuses.

"Go to hell!"

Qian Wei threw a brick at it!
(End of this chapter)