Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 415 Mystery
Li Yiduo called Zheng Mingxing and informed him that the Xizhong City Public Security Bureau had requested Mimi's assistance in a case.

That damned Zheng Mingxing, after hearing about the case, actually nodded in agreement without hesitation. He didn't even ask Lin Ge's opinion, directly making the decision on Lin Ge's behalf, and even told Li Yiduo and Li Siyu to stay in Xizhong City with Lin Ge until things were settled here before returning.

Zheng Mingxing himself is also unable to get away from the situation for the time being.

Although five suspects have been apprehended in the Jixi County case, the detailed circumstances still require careful investigation. In particular, this theft case is linked to Shu Chengcai's corruption case, and there are many details that Zheng Mingxing needs to uncover to the fullest extent. For example, how did Shu Chengcai embezzle funds, where did so much money come from, and what is the relationship between Shu Chengcai and the other four individuals, including Zhou Zhihai?

"The things you brought back have changed the case once again. More than 20 million yuan! Shu Cheng could never earn that much in Jixi County in his entire life. There must be something else in there. After I finish investigating, I'll go to Xizhong City to arrest the people with you."

Zheng Mingxing also wanted to help, but his wife's situation was actually quite serious. The existence of 20 million yuan put even more pressure on the county government from the discipline inspection commission members who remained in Jixi County, and Fang Yun was so busy that she was losing her hair.

"Leave this to us, we promise we won't let them down!"

Li Yiduo readily agreed, hung up the phone, and sent a message to Li Siyu before turning to Lin Ge and saying, "Mimi, don't be impulsive! You should know how serious the nature of this serial murder case is. Whether it's to seek justice for the victims or to stop the perpetrators from harming more people, we must do everything we can to help. As for the previous confrontation between the two sides, just treat it as a joke! To be honest, the police in Xizhong City are pretty good, aren't they?"

"Not bad, not bad, but what does that have to do with me? My fur isn't even dry yet, and I'm already being asked to go back to work? Seriously, you're really exploiting me!"

Lin Ge sighed helplessly.

Ultimately, however, such things cannot be ignored.

At Captain Ji's persistent and shameless invitation, Lin Ge and Li Yiduo got into the police car. They made a detour halfway to pick up Li Siyu, and then the group went together to the Criminal Investigation Center of Xizhong City Public Security Bureau.

Four days had passed in Xizhong City with no results in this series of murders. So they set up a special task force to launch a relentless investigation. The task force was personally led by the city police chief, Shi Zhenkang, and comprised entirely of elite officers from the bureau and various local police stations. But frustratingly, despite the combined efforts of so many excellent police officers, the case remained completely unsolved.

"How exactly did she disappear? The ride-hailing driver said the girl placed the order herself and didn't change the route midway! In other words, she went to the Dahongshan Reservoir on her own initiative, but why? What would she be doing at the reservoir so late at night?"

Shi Zhenkang slammed his fist on the table in a fit of rage. Such a serious incident had occurred in Xizhong City, and as the director of the Public Security Bureau, he was undoubtedly responsible.

The people gathered in the meeting room were all silent. No one dared to utter a sound until the case was solved. The special task force was established; no one was going home until the case was solved or they shamelessly admitted defeat!

"Where is the victim's phone? Have you found it?"

Shi Zhenkang took a deep breath to calm himself down, since losing his temper wouldn't solve anything.

A member of the task force stood up with his head down.

"The telecommunications company's last known location was near the entrance to the national highway west of Dahongshan Reservoir in Chongqing, not far from the drop-off point mentioned by the ride-hailing driver. However, after multiple searches at the site, no phone or phone debris was found."

Shi Zhenkang glared at him and said, "Keep searching if you haven't found it yet! Move all the extra manpower over there! Have you sent any police dogs?"

"We sent people, but it was no use. We've already walked a kilometer into the affected area and haven't found anything of value. In addition, Dahongshan Reservoir is a well-known fishing spot in Xizhong City, and many people drive here to fish. The tire tracks at the scene are quite messy, so we can't determine the specific situation. However, based on our judgment, the murderer is most likely not a resident near Dahongshan Reservoir. Because the community cooperated with our investigation, and there were basically no abnormalities on the night of the incident."

The task force member clenched his fist, growing increasingly angry as he spoke. Based on current clues, the perpetrator is highly likely a transient criminal. Now, four days have passed, making a quick resolution to this case extremely difficult.

"What about the forensic team?"

Shi Zhenkang then looked at the head of the technology center next to him.

The head of the forensic department, wearing a white coat, stood up and, head bowed, said, “Based on the examination and analysis of the victim, she was assaulted before her death. The cause of death was physical asphyxiation of the throat, and this was a brutal act committed simultaneously during the assault. The victim had multiple abrasions and contusions, but no fatal external injuries were found, suggesting she was likely strangled to death. After the victim died, the perpetrator committed cruel acts of destructive acts on the body and dumped it in the water. Due to severe damage to the victim's perineum, we were unable to collect any effective bodily fluid data. The only thing we can determine is that the perpetrator was a single person, between 1.65 and 1.75 meters tall. He had thick knuckles, long fingernails, and a slight left-handed tendency. I'm sorry, this is all the clues we can obtain for now. Before the victim was found, she had been eaten by fish and shrimp in the reservoir, and some things…”

At this point, the forensic expert in charge shook his head with a mix of sadness and regret.

"brute!"

The people in the conference room couldn't help but let out a low growl.

"The killer's methods have evolved since last year. Although it's still the same case of assault, murder, and body disposal, this time he's learned to destroy evidence, making him more cruel and cunning!"

Shi Zhenkang pursed his lips.

"Was it not done by the same person?"

Sitting opposite him, Criminal Investigation Captain Tang Xu looked up and raised his point of view: "If it's just a case of violating the law by disposing of a body, could it also be a copycat crime? Although last year's incident didn't cause much of a stir, some people still know about it. In addition, this type of crime is not difficult to imitate. Could it be that the suspects last year and this year are not the same person? If so, our investigation direction must be changed. We cannot be misled by the similarities between the two cases."

"That's why I told you guys to hurry up and find clues! What's the use of just talking nonsense and being suspicious? Whether it's serial killings or copycat crimes, it's all the same, two people have already died! Do you need two more to die before you can make a judgment?"

Shi Zhenkang roared loudly, leaving Tang Xu speechless with just one sentence.

No one else dared to say anything more. After all, Director Shi was right; there was no point in saying anything more when no clues could be found.

"Director!"

Captain Ji gently pushed open the conference room door and cautiously peeked out, saying, "That guy from Chu Province, the one I mentioned to you before, I brought him with me."

"Hmm? Director Shi invited an expert?"

Everyone in the conference room looked up curiously.

"Please come in quickly!"

Shi Zhenkang didn't explain to the others, because it would be embarrassing to say it out loud. Anyway, it doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat! As long as the case can be solved quickly, even if it's just a cat as our last hope, he's willing to stay here!
"So young?"

As Li Yiduo walked into the conference room expressionlessly, the crowd murmured among themselves. "How old is this kid? He's actually the expert Director Shi trusted and specifically sought out?"

Then Lin Ge and Li Siyu walked into the conference room together, and the discussion among the group grew louder.

"They even bring pets? What is this? Are they filming an idol drama? Or are young experts just different, with some kind of special fetish or something?"

"Nonsense!"

Several police officers showed obvious displeasure.

"Please take a seat!"

Shi Zhenkang was aware of the specifics, but he didn't explain to his subordinates' doubts. Only after Li Yiduo bowed to him did he stand up to return the bow, and then signaled them not to waste time and to get back to work.

"sorry for disturbance."

Li Yiduo found an empty seat, nodded apologetically to his colleagues on both sides, and then dragged out a chair. But to everyone's surprise, he didn't sit down. Instead, he stood behind the chair and let the cat leap onto it and sit down.

The cat's fur was all puffed up, looking messy and disheveled. But how could such a cat sit with these police officers? Wasn't this young man's hobby a bit too much? The surrounding police officers raised their eyebrows and glared fiercely at Li Yiduo.

Li Yiduo's expression remained unchanged, while Li Siyu beside him timidly tugged at his sleeve. Lin Ge, who was squatting casually on the chair, lazily yawned and then looked around to observe these so-called elites of the Xizhong City Special Task Force.

So-so! Compared to the police he met in Yongshi, Nan Province last time, they seemed a little more assertive, but it wasn't anything to make him nervous.

"This is Mimi, the famous police cat from Zhangzhou City, Chu Province. She has solved many heinous cases! For example, the infamous dismemberment case in Nan Province last year, and the major drug case in Zhangzhou City, Mimi made irreplaceable contributions in both cases! This time, I specially invited her from the Zhangzhou City Public Security Bureau, and it wasn't easy to get her to help us solve this case. Don't underestimate her just because she's a cat. If a cat finds clues or even catches the murderer before you, then you guys are really not even as good as a cat! At that time, you can stop calling yourselves excellent police officers and just go home and raise cats!"

Shi Zhenkang's words praised Lin Ge and also made everyone present blush with righteous indignation.

Everyone knows about the dismemberment case in Nan Province. At the end of last year, during a training session, experts were invited to use this case as a case study and provide a detailed analysis. Regarding the cat involved in the case, some people cared, while others forgot about it. But now, that legendary police cat has unbelievably appeared before everyone's eyes, leaving them staring at each other, feeling as if a fantasy had suddenly come true.

But Director Shi has already spoken, what else can we do? Although this case is indeed complicated, if a cat really outshines so many of us, all the police officers in Xizhong City will lose face completely.

"Mimi, huh? We'll see!"

Some police officers were secretly cheering themselves on from below.

That's the situation!

Shi Zhenkang then recounted the basic facts of the case to Lin Ge and Li Yiduo. Hearing the cruel truth, Li Siyu turned pale and angry. She secretly touched Lin Ge's back, signaling that Mimi absolutely had to help.

"This kind of beast must be caught!"

Lin Ge nodded, his complaints and laziness long gone. If he had known the case was this serious, he wouldn't have lingered on the way. If he had come sooner, he might have been able to get the perpetrators punished sooner.

"Officer Li, shall we hurry up and take Mimi to the scene? To be honest, I've heard about Mimi's abilities. Her sense of smell is even better than a machine. Maybe she can find some crucial clues that we haven't discovered yet."

Shi Zhenkang looked at Li Yiduo, seeking the opinion of this young man who was in charge of cleaning up cats.

He didn't think the cat was qualified to make independent judgments or take charge; at most, it just had a better sense of smell. If it really needed to do any work, it would still need to be taken along by someone.

"Mimi?"

Li Yiduo understood Lin Ge and, instead of making the decision himself, consulted Lin Ge for his opinion.

"Ow!"

Lin Ge looked up and called out, then jumped off the chair without responding and walked patiently and urgently toward the conference room door.

Captain Ji, who was standing at the door, quickly opened it for him. Seeing Li Yiduo and Li Siyu following him over, he deduced what the cat meant and hurriedly led the way to get the car.

He wasn't originally qualified to join the task force, nor did he have the right to interfere in this case. But this time was different; by being the cat's driver, he might be able to join and demonstrate his deductive abilities.

"Heh, that's decisive!"

Shi Zhenkang watched with satisfaction as the two people and the cat left without saying goodbye, then turned to his useless subordinates inside: "What are you all standing there for? Even the experts know to get going without wasting time, and you're still standing here in a daze?"

"oh oh!"

"Yes!"

The group of police officers went from being completely bewildered to suddenly realizing that the cat wasn't just running around aimlessly. They quickly stood up and prepared to head to the scene.

“The case from last year is basically the same as this one. The time, the location of the crime, and even the way the victim got to Dahongshan Reservoir are almost identical. Through the chat history between the victim and his friends in WeChat messages, we determined that the victim and the perpetrator met in a game. In short, they developed from online friends to meeting in person, and then the victim was lured to this deserted place to commit the crime.”

As Captain Ji drove, he explained the details he knew to Lin Ge and Li Yiduo.

He didn't know much about this year's case, but regarding the murder case that hadn't been solved since last year, there was practically no concealment of information or intelligence. What if they accidentally arrested the culprit over something trivial? Right? So the municipal police bureau had actually distributed suspect sketches and basic case information to all its officers. Of course, this internal police information was kept confidential; no one would be foolish enough to divulge it to unrelated people.

"Victims of online games?"

Lin Ge suddenly thought of Lin Jia. Wasn't that girl almost caught in the same trap? She was fooled by a drug addict and almost got into serious trouble.

If Lin Ge and Nie Guoqiang hadn't arrived in time, her fate might not have been much better than the two victims in Xizhong City. Even more cruelly for Lin Jia was the fact that she was still a young, innocent underage girl!

"Shouldn't you be able to find out which online game it was? Doesn't the game company have any records? And the identities of the people who communicated with the victim multiple times should also be traceable, right?"

Li Yiduo suddenly spoke up.

"A low-quality mobile game that advertises on WeChat never included chat history in its database, neither the game operation nor the development team did. Even the players themselves don't have a way to search their chat history by pulling up the chat box. Plus, this game doesn't even require registration or login, so ultimately, no valuable clues were found in this regard. Heh... Damn, now they're not asking for player information?"

Captain Ji cursed angrily.

"No record? That's a bit troublesome!"

Li Yiduo frowned, feeling slightly disappointed that his skills could not be fully utilized.

"What about transportation?"

Li Siyu also wanted to do her part, so she pondered and said, "After the case last year, you couldn't possibly not take any precautions for unsolved cases, could you? Didn't you add a few cameras to the Dahongshan Reservoir? And what about the roads leading in and out? Didn't you ask the traffic police to monitor them? The victim arrived at the scene by ride-hailing service, so where is the murderer? He couldn't have walked there, could he? If there's a car, shouldn't you check it?"

Sitting in the passenger seat was Xu Zhen, a police officer from the special task force who was participating in the meeting and was specifically responsible for handling the case involving the liaison officer, Cat Mimi. Hearing Li Siyu's words, he said in a deep voice, "We've investigated, but haven't found any suspect vehicles. At least for now, we haven't found any vehicles that arrived at Dahongshan Reservoir at the same time last year and this year. And frankly, the road into Dahongshan Reservoir is right next to the national highway, with too many vehicles passing by. We investigated vehicles that lingered between the two cameras for more than half an hour or never left the monitoring range, filtering out seventeen targets, but all were eliminated. Now there's another possibility, which is..."

"Electric vehicle or bicycle!"

Li Yiduo's eyes lit up and he spoke first.

Xu Zhen looked up, glanced at Li Yiduo through the rearview mirror, and nodded, saying, "That includes motorcycles too! There are a lot of motorcycles in Xizhong City, or even in the whole of Sichuan Province. Due to the terrain and past urban planning oversights, the number of motorcycles here once exceeded that of private cars. Most of them don't have license plates, or the license plates have expired or have been resold multiple times. It's impossible to find the owner information for such vehicles. Even though the traffic police intercept and confiscate these unlicensed motorcycles many times a year, they still can't stop them from being taken to the suburbs or surrounding areas for continued use. With the emergence of electric bicycles, this situation has become even more serious."

"These are all potential problems!"

Li Yiduo sighed, finally understanding why this case had put his elite colleagues in Xizhong City in such a difficult position.

It's a consequence of urban development; in fact, there are quite a few similar cases in Zhangzhou.

(End of this chapter)