Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 410 Young Delinquents

Identifying an animal by a single hair is a piece of cake in an agricultural county.

Before even leaving the room, Lu Dingping made a preliminary judgment that the hair that Li Yiduo had found in an inconspicuous corner of the safe was a rabbit hair.

In other words, either the crime was committed by a rabbit breeder, or someone who had been in contact with rabbits or was wearing rabbit fur clothing or a rabbit fur collar had reached into the safe.

There are only a handful of people in the entire county who work with the former, and only two of them are connected to the Finance Bureau. As for the latter... live rabbit fur and processed rabbit fur are still different.

Just to be on the safe side, Lu Dingping led his group to the county animal husbandry station to ask an old veterinarian a few questions.

The veterinarian immediately recognized that the hair had recently fallen naturally from a live rabbit without any treatment. Upon closer inspection with a magnifying glass, the veteran veterinarian determined that the hair had been detached from the animal no more than a week prior.

Got it!
What else is there to say?

A case they considered extremely complex turned out to be solved by the police outside, who narrowed down the suspects to a very narrow range in less than ten minutes.

What about the method?
It was just a single rabbit hair left in the safe, overlooked by their own people!

What's this? Such a simple case! Are all the county police investigators idiots? Damn it! They're all just scrambling around like mummies, a disgraceful bunch of good-for-nothings! What a mess! This has completely humiliated him!
Lu Dingping roared inwardly, his face turning red with anger. Fortunately, he was thick-skinned, and no one noticed.

At Lu Dingping's command, the county police quickly located the person marked Zhou Feng on the list. The county police acted swiftly, with more than a dozen officers surrounding his residence and trapping him inside. They also found his rabbit farm halfway up the hill in his backyard.

The small-scale rabbit farm housed nearly a thousand rabbits of various species. Nuts of rabbit fur were found stuck to Zhou Feng and his clothing. In this respect, it is indeed possible that he accidentally left rabbit fur in the safe.

Unfortunately, the police did not find the three million yuan or the three special boxes in Zhou Feng's home, so they had to take Zhou Feng back to the county bureau for questioning.

When questioned by the police multiple times, Zhou Feng consistently denied breaking into the Finance Bureau and stealing three million yuan in cash.

"Maybe he really didn't do it."

Zheng Mingxing's expression was very serious, and he opposed the county public security bureau's proposal to increase the interrogation workload of Zhou Feng.

Intensified interrogation may indeed uncover flaws, but it may also lead to forced confessions.

Furthermore, on the night of the incident, Zhou Feng did possess some evidence, though not explicitly stated, that was logically plausible. Specifically, he and his wife remained at home throughout the night, a fact his wife can corroborate. He also recounted the content of the legal program broadcast on the provincial television station at 9 PM that evening, a detail that is also difficult to fabricate.

After all, this TV program is not available for online rebroadcast, and it's impossible to hear such details from someone else.

Zheng Mingxing determined that the entire theft occurred before 3:00 AM, the time the finance bureau clerk jumped from the building. Although it's possible that Zhou Feng went out to commit the crime after his wife fell asleep in the early morning, this also lacks concrete evidence.

The county lacks sufficient surveillance equipment, and neither eyewitness testimony nor physical evidence can prove Zhou Feng's criminal acts. Therefore, no one can determine whether he is the perpetrator.

"But no matter what, he's the prime suspect!"

Lu Dingping was furious. He had finally found a suspect, how could he just casually conclude that he was innocent? The rabbit fur at the scene couldn't be faked. At worst, he could just lock him up for a few days and then ask provincial experts to do a trace evidence analysis!
"However, neither trace evidence nor footprint analysis can be accurate to within a few hours. He has admitted that he did go to the vicinity of the scene, but the timing was after the suicide, when the Finance Bureau was negligent in failing to stop it in time. He and many other people in the vicinity went to watch the commotion because of the Finance Bureau's suicide. Later, when the theft was discovered, he went to the scene again with other people who were just there to watch. To be honest, in this situation, the scene is no longer of any value for solving the case, unless there are still his fingerprints in the safe."

Zheng Mingxing spoke slowly and deliberately, refuting Lu Dingping's suggestions one by one.

"Then shall we check your fingerprints?"

Lu Dingping became even more anxious. "Is this the time for you to delay the investigation for the sake of your wife?"

"Be patient, you have to trust the people and cats I brought."

Zheng Mingxing shook his head and smiled to reassure Lu Dingping, "This is only the first suspect, what's the rush? Besides, my people have already followed the clues to find another target, someone even more suspicious than this person who honestly raises rabbits and even watches the legal channel."

"Ok?"

Lu Dingping was taken aback.

"Li Yiduo found a fairly decent computer at Zhou Feng's house, which he had bought for his son. His son, Zhou Zhihai, went to work in Guangdong Province after graduating from junior high school. He hadn't earned a penny in two years and his father had to send him money for train tickets to come back. Currently, he is an unemployed young man who wanders around the county doing nothing."

Zheng Mingxing opened his phone and showed Lu Dingping the photos: "These are screenshots from a game folder on Zhou Zhihai's computer. Four days ago, this game account was in a very poor state, with no costumes or high-level equipment. But the day after the incident, the account was decked out in very expensive game costumes, and the equipment had become very valuable high-level items. According to Li Yiduo's initial estimate, this outfit would cost at least five figures in cash. Heh... Where did Zhou Feng, a rabbit farmer from a poor county, get so much money for his son to play games? And the timing was so coincidental?"

"hiss……"

Lu Dingping's throat ached from inhaling the cold air, and he stared in astonishment, wide-eyed, and said, "You mean, the perpetrator is very likely Zhou Feng's son, Zhou Zhihai? He, he, he's only eighteen years old this year, right? How could he dare to do something like this?"

"But in fact, aren't these the kinds of young people who are usually reckless and audacious? According to Li Yiduo's inquiries with Zhou Feng's neighbors, it has been learned that Zhou Zhihai did not study well in school and was a troublemaker in school. He did not work hard to earn money during his two years in Guangdong Province. Instead, he learned to play online games with a bunch of good-for-nothing young people."

These circumstances are all very easy to investigate. In short, it's about a young man who lacked a good education, was lost and couldn't see a future, and willingly gave in to despair. The night after the incident, Zhou Zhihai and several of his friends went to the city and haven't returned yet. Li Yiduo called the game company and confirmed that the account was still being recharged.

As Zheng Mingxing spoke, he sighed and shook his head, once again confirming that his wife's actions were necessary.

Jixi County needs a good school to provide these children with a proper education, instead of letting one or two incompetent teachers lead them through the day.

Why are poorer areas often more unsafe? One reason is that poverty breeds daring, and another is the lack of educational resources and their effectiveness. Cultivating law-abiding behavior should begin in childhood, rather than relying on laws and punishments to teach people wrongdoing.

"Three million! And a mere... one or a few children, how dare they do such a thing?"

Lu Dingping slumped dejectedly in his chair, unsure how to find peace of mind. He had thought he could accept the outcome calmly, but he still felt utterly hopeless.

However, regardless of the circumstances, the case was indeed committed by this man named Zhou Zhihai. Spending ten or twenty thousand yuan a day on gaming is an extravagant act that no one from Jixi County would do.

"By the way, Director Lu, I have another concern. You mentioned... the finance bureau clerk who committed suicide by jumping off the building, was his suicide also related to Zhou Zhihai and those others?"

"what?"

Lu Dingping was so frightened that he cried out in a hoarse voice.

Why did Shu Cheng commit suicide?

Zheng Mingxing looked up at Lu Dingping and said coldly, "He's young and promising, and he works in the Finance Bureau, a very secure job. Why is he so eager to die? Even if he embezzled, economic crimes don't warrant the death penalty. Assuming he's not colluding with the higher-ups in the Finance Bureau, how much money could he have embezzled? He could only give his daughter 500,000 yuan. Is what he did really worth risking his life for?"

Seeing Lu Dingping's conflicted expression, Zheng Mingxing pulled out another photo.

It was a crumpled piece of paper with ugly, chicken-claw-like handwriting written on it in ballpoint pen. There were even a few typos on it, which had been crossed out and corrected underneath.

“I’ve discovered what you’ve done. You don’t want me to report to the police… I think it should be the police? If you don’t want me to call the police, come to the grain depot, behind the grain station, and we’ll talk about what to do.” Lu Dingping finished reading the note with a puzzled expression, already guessing what was going on. He looked up speechlessly.

"This...is this considered a threatening letter?"

"It was indeed a threatening letter, although it was a draft without a beginning or end, no date, and no signature, but it was still found under Zhou Zhihai's bed."

Zheng Mingxing nodded calmly.

"The road to education in Jixi County is long and arduous! It's shameful that a threatening letter has to be drafted, and even after drafting, there are so many typos. It's really remarkable that such a few words could allow the two of them to contact each other, and it's also rare that Shu Cheng would be driven to the point of suicide by a child."

Lu Dingping sighed.

Zheng Mingxing sympathized with Lu Dingping's plight, but calmly continued his analysis: "Of course, there are still many doubts. For example, if Shu Chengcai compromised, why did he commit suicide? Whether his wife and daughter in America played other roles is also crucial information. Furthermore, there were no signs of being pushed or coerced on his body, so even if we determine that Zhou Zhihai is involved, we still need to find more evidence. However, generally speaking, as long as Zhou Zhihai is caught, most of the truth will be clear. In addition, Director Lu, you need to find out about Zhou Zhihai's accomplices as soon as possible. Who were the children he usually played with, and who were the people he did bad things with? How many people were involved that night? Were there other people at the scene when Shu Chengcai committed suicide? All of these things need to be clarified as soon as possible."

"I understand!"

Lu Dingping nodded heavily.

Even though he was the head of the Jixi County Public Security Bureau, Zheng Mingxing's tone and the ease with which he accomplished the task convinced Lu Dingping. Coupled with his respect for capable individuals, he didn't hesitate to issue the orders as Zheng Mingxing had instructed.

Two police cars sped along, slowly creaking their way into the city. Using the game IP address clue provided by Li Yiduo, they quickly brought Zhou Zhihai and four other boys of similar age back to the county public security bureau.

The five of them were all arrested in an internet cafe.

When the police stormed in, the four were engrossed in an online game. Just as Zheng Mingxing had predicted, the four, who had unexpectedly received a large sum of money, didn't think about hiding it or trying to launder it. After overcoming their initial panic and fear, they then spent two tense hours carefully exchanging the money for game points.

Then... the compliments and exclamations from players in the game, the exhilarating feeling of making a fortune, and the tension and excitement of drawing skins made them instantly forget the case they were carrying and frantically immerse themselves in the wonderful dream of spending money recklessly.

From the day after the incident to the present, a total of three days have passed, and the four people have spent more than 140,000 yuan in the game!
What's even more unbelievable is that the internet cafe owner accepted the cash they gave him time and time again without any hesitation, and repeatedly recharged their game points, without ever considering or refusing to consider the origin of the money.

Perhaps in the eyes of the internet cafe owner, their money was stolen from parents? Anyway, it's impossible for parents to ask them to pay it back, and only he knows how much profit he makes from it.

"I'm a minor! I'm only sixteen! You can't arrest me! I want to go back, I want to go home, I want to find a lawyer!"

After a brief moment of panic, the teenager named Tian Xin started shouting in the police station. He didn't even deny committing the crime, but instead recklessly asserted that minors wouldn't go to jail, and even tried to hire a lawyer to clear his name, just like in the movies.

"Your ID card shows that you are an adult! So don't think you can lie just because you look young. Confess to me honestly right now!"

"That's fake! My dad changed my age when I registered my household registration so it would be easier for me to work in Guangdong Province later! If you don't believe me, ask my dad, or any of my relatives, they all know I changed my age!"

Tian Xin clung desperately to the last straw, unaware that there was little difference between being sixteen and eighteen years old for such a serious crime.

The other four, including Zhou Zhihai, remained silent and did not utter a single word in response to the police's questioning.

When Lu Dingping asked them where the money was hidden, they remained silent. Whether he tried to reason with them or threaten them, these four young men, who had been navigating the underworld for several years, seemed unconcerned and remained remarkably calm even in the face of the handcuffs.

The prospect of a future they could see straight through left these four young men with absolutely no fear of committing crimes.

Even when Lu Dingping brought Zhou Feng to Zhou Zhihai, even when Zhou Feng cried bitterly upon learning that his son had committed such a terrible crime, even when his father knelt and begged him to turn himself in, Zhou Zhihai remained silent with his eyes lowered.

Zhou Feng knelt before the police officers again, pleading that he would definitely return the money Zhou Zhihai had spent and begging the police to forgive his son's crimes. Zhou Zhihai remained indifferent.

Annoyed by the noise, he roared at Zhou Feng to get back, saying that Zhou Feng shouldn't interfere in his affairs and that he wanted to sever their father-son relationship. But when faced with further questioning from the police, and when they advised him that if he was arrested, he would definitely not be able to spend the money anymore, he showed no fear whatsoever.

"So what if you lock me up for twenty years! When I get out, this money will be enough for my retirement for the rest of my life! So don't bother, just send me to jail! As for the money, you won't find a single penny!"

Zhou Zhihai responded in this way.

The other three, Li Yong, Li Jianqiao, and Tian Hao, all shared the same attitude.

It seems that these four individuals had already communicated in detail and prepared themselves mentally before doing this. The rosy prospect of a worry-free future after their release from prison was still supporting them, preventing them from revealing even a single word of the truth.

"So, only by finding the money will these guys behave themselves."

Lu Dingping and Zheng Mingxing exchanged opinions.

"They frequented that internet cafe multiple times, so they probably wouldn't dare to carry such a large sum of money as tens of thousands of yuan on them. Therefore, for easy access, the money must have been hidden somewhere nearby! Moreover, the fact that they were confident they could still live a carefree life with this money after their release from prison shows that they believed the money was very well hidden and wouldn't be found for ten or twenty years. There shouldn't be many places like that, right? In my opinion, the most likely location is a completely safe house."

Zheng Mingxing made a guess.

"They secretly bought the house? But what kind of house can remain unaffected even after being uninhabited for many years?"

Lu Dingping frowned slightly and said, "Perhaps they haven't considered the issues of demolition and community relations? After all, these things might not be part of their common sense. Of course, it's hard to say, but at least the house is definitely not in their name; it's a contract house?"

"Shouldn't the seller also pay for the contracted property? The seller would definitely deposit the money in the bank, but so far the bank has not found the known serial numbers among the stolen funds."

Li Yiduo, who had been operating the computer, looked up at this moment.

"In other words, there's a problem with the house itself. At least in the minds of the five of them, the house is safe and reliable. Hmm... a safe house? Whose? Shu Chengcai's?"

Zheng Mingxing once again linked Zhou Zhihai and the other four with Shu Chengcai.

Lu Dingping stood up with a bitter smile. "Let's investigate first! Damn it! They said they were just delaying the investigation, but now that they've solved the case, they still haven't found the money. The people from the Municipal Finance Bureau are already in Jixi County. It looks like they'll really get what County Chief Fang wants this time and get the second compensation payment. Heh... It's all thanks to these five brats that Jixi County Hope Primary School and Hope Middle School have hope! I hope future children will learn from this and not do anything so foolish again."

Zheng Mingxing nodded noncommittally, then looked around and asked in confusion.

"Where's Mimi?"

"I don't know, did he go out with Li Siyu?"

Li Yiduo discovered his girlfriend was gone and quickly called Li Siyu. To his surprise, Li Siyu's phone was switched off. He quickly called Lin Ge again, but this time the call was immediately disconnected.

"what's the situation?"

Li Yiduo tilted his head, somewhat puzzled. What were this person and cat doing?
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(End of this chapter)