Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 418 The Free Man
"Reinvestigate!"

With a livid face, Xu Zhen gave the order directly, ignoring any further explanations from the policeman.

This case almost went wrong because of this bastard's momentary laziness, and could have even turned the efforts of more than 20 police officers over nearly 100 hours into a joke! After all that, how dare he still ramble on here?
The police officer at the technology center dared not speak anymore, and everyone else felt a sense of unease.

Everyone turned their attention to Lin Ge again, realizing that it was really thanks to the cat; otherwise, no one would have thought that there would have been a overlooked flaw during the investigation over the past few days.

About an hour later, the cycling enthusiast who had been excluded earlier hurriedly drove to Dahongshan Reservoir. He was still confused when he arrived, not understanding why he had to make such a long trip again after everything had been agreed upon at the police station.

Which of these two tire tracks was yours?

This man, Zhao Dafa, who was not only a cycling enthusiast but also the owner of a mountain bike shop, was brought to the unusual tire tracks that Lin Ge had discovered. Xu Zhen didn't stand on ceremony and directly asked him to identify which track he had left during his ride.

"This... how would I know! I can't be staring at my feet the whole time I'm riding a bike, can I? To be honest, how would the average person tell the difference?"

Zhao Dafa was completely baffled, having no idea what these police officers were up to.

I was summoned to the police station early the day before yesterday. They pointed to tire tracks in a photo and asked me if I owned a car with those tracks. That was already bizarre enough. But now, just looking at a photo isn't enough, right? I also have to tell them which road the car drove on and which patch of mud it was on?

Isn't this nonsense?

Who can remember which direction the pattern on their rice bowl was facing when they ate? Who can remember how far their bike wheel was from the curb when they were riding? Asking these kinds of questions is just plain difficult. We ordinary citizens can't just keep doing whatever the police want, can we? Who has that kind of free time?
Zhao Dafa was very dissatisfied.

"Then let me rephrase the question: On what day did you ride your mountain bike to this place?"

Ji Wenjie spoke up for Zhao Dafa, staring at him and asking, "There's another question: how many of these tires have you sold? Do you have the buyers' contact information recorded?"

"I rode my bike here last Friday, which was about eight days ago!"

Zhao Dafa inwardly scoffed but dared not truly confront the police. After a moment's thought, he continued, "As for these tires, to be honest, I don't sell many in my shop. After all, these widened tires are generally used on professional heavy-duty cycling bikes; ordinary people don't need them at all. But if you ask me who I sold them to, I really don't remember. Because the vast majority of heavy-duty cyclists are going to travel the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, and they're not locals, so how would I know who they are?"

As Zhao Dafa spoke, he secretly regretted it. If he had known that making these kinds of professional bikes would cause trouble, he would have just honestly sold ordinary mountain bikes for his children!

Parents these days are wealthy; they can afford bicycles costing several thousand yuan. Selling this kind of equipment would be more profitable than selling specialized gear, and it wouldn't easily lead to any trouble. Instead, they were driven to the brink of despair by the police.

"These kinds of tires are only used on heavy-duty bicycles?"

Ji Wenjie suddenly grasped a key point.

He and Xu Zhen exchanged a glance, knowing that they had obtained a crucial clue.

Why would people cycling the Sichuan-Tibet Highway suddenly head towards the Dahongshan Reservoir? And what a coincidence that the timing is?

While they may not be suspects, they represent a neglected area of ​​investigation. Everyone is focused on investigating locals and vehicles, forgetting that these heavily armed bicycles can also carry a significant amount of criminal tools and evidence. They can easily evade various cameras and traffic monitoring equipment along the way, and their agile movements allow them to easily disappear into remote mountain valleys, leaving the police stumped.

Even now, thinking about it again, people who are homeless and have no fixed workplace do indeed have the potential to commit crimes.

If people don't treat cycling livestreaming as a legitimate profession, then apart from a few genuine cycling enthusiasts, the rest can be considered unemployed people looking to make quick money. And they are often a hidden danger.

They might not dare to commit murder, but they certainly have the guts to steal and cheat.

"How many shops in Nishi-Shige City sell professional cycling equipment? These things must be expensive, right?"

"To be honest, I'm the only legitimate shop here! After all, there's very little market demand for this stuff. If I weren't also a cycling enthusiast, I wouldn't even consider selling it. As for the price, it's not actually that expensive... Cyclists rarely stay in one city. They often ask for parts to be shipped to their next destination. So, to be honest, my physical store isn't doing very well. I usually get orders online and have them shipped to the designated location."

The serious expressions on everyone's faces frightened Zhao Dafa, and he dared not hide anything when questioned by the police. He had already guessed that it was definitely some idiot who went cycling and committed a major crime in Xizhong City.

Damn it, I've dragged myself into this mess.

"Do you have security cameras in your shop?"

Xu Zhen didn't refute Zhao Dafa's words, but simply instructed him to lead a policeman to the store to retrieve the surveillance footage. Regardless of whether the tire tracks on the ground were from an online purchase or from his store, the priority was to screen out any suspected cyclists there first!

"If he really is into cycling, then by the time we've wasted these past few days, he's probably been away from Nishi-Shige City for quite some time now. Given the convenience of bicycles, he has so many roads to choose from once he leaves the city."

Ji Wenjie's expression was somewhat grim; he now understood the full extent of the technician's negligence. The anomaly was discovered three days too late; even if the suspect hadn't fled but had continued riding normally, he would have already been at least several hundred kilometers away.

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhen glared once again at the police officer from the technical center who was looking down with a face full of shame.

Soon, the analysis results of the tire tracks on both sides also came out.

The tire tracks Lin Ge discovered were left six days ago, while the first tire tracks he found were eight days old. In other words, those were indeed left by Zhao Dafa while he was riding, while the unusual tire tracks Lin Ge found belonged to someone else. Even the depth of the tires pressing into the soil confirmed that the two tracks were not made by the same rider. The one further away from the crime scene is likely the suspect.

"But it's also possible that it's just another cyclist who happens to be doing heavy-duty cycling and happens to be passing through Xizhong City on their way to Tibet. Dahongshan Reservoir is quite famous in the cycling community, so maybe they just happen to be here for a ride?"

Li Yiduo couldn't help but speak up, saying that a single tire track could not serve as valid evidence for a case.

Ji Wenjie laughed and said, "But this is at least a direction for the investigation! And... thanks to your police cat, we now have evidence to identify the suspect. So what we need to do now is to filter it, fill the sieve first, and then slowly eliminate the invalid options one by one."

"The results from the technology center are out?"

Li Yiduo spoke in surprise, and the eyes of the surrounding police officers lit up.

"The urine analysis results are in. By screening the suspects one by one, we can confirm their identities. Although we were unable to collect a sample of the semen, the urine contained trace amounts of the victim's blood, which is definitely not a trace that could be left by a passerby."

Xu Zhen smiled excitedly and waved to Lin Ge, saying, "Well done, Mimi! You found the DNA sample, and you also narrowed down the suspects! You've achieved more in one go than all of us in the city bureau worked for four or five days. You truly deserve to be called the nationally renowned super police cat!"

"Okay!"

All the police officers got excited!

With the DNA confirmed, how far are we from catching the killer? At worst, we can conduct a city-wide large-scale blood sampling and screening. There's no way we'll let the killer slip through our fingers.

"I'm already famous nationwide? What did I do? Why are you suddenly making such a big fuss?"

Lin Ge was surprised by Xu Zhen's words and completely confused, not knowing what had happened. He hadn't done anything particularly unusual, so why were police officers all over the country so bored that they were targeting him?
"Now we just hope the tire tracks really were left by the murderer. If it was just an accident, then the workload won't be much less!"

One of the policemen, who was already exhausted, couldn't help but mutter something under his breath.

Upon hearing this, Ji Wenjie smiled confidently and said, "Don't worry, it's basically that guy. Don't forget our previous investigation direction and the search results at the crime scene. The suspect didn't leave any skin flakes or fingerprints, and coupled with the several unusual holes at the scene, my judgment is that the murderer pitched a tent on this grass. And most people wouldn't have that; it would require a means of transportation to carry it. But now there's a coincidence: cyclists traveling all over the country with heavy gear might not carry other things, but a tent is definitely an essential item!" "A tent? Those holes in the ground, were they left from fixing the tent? At first, we thought it was fishing equipment used by anglers, right?"

Xu Zhen raised an eyebrow. Why didn't that bastard Ji Wenjie mention the tent earlier?

"The words 'heavy-packed cycling' reminded me of that thing. Only that thing could carry all the traces and evidence with us, leaving us with nothing of value here!"

Ji Wenjie sighed helplessly.

Portable items are certainly convenient for life, but damn it, they also make it easier for criminals to take away evidence! I used to only think about picnic blankets, never imagining that something as big as a tent could be carried around on a bicycle.
"Another point is that we can connect this to last year's case to see if any cyclists have returned to Nishi-Jung City for a second trip after a year's absence!"

Li Yiduo suddenly spoke up.

"Those who are interested in repetitive scenery and have the perseverance to travel through Tibet multiple times are most likely video bloggers or live streamers!"

Ji Wenjie blurted out in a flash.

"The connection between the victim and the perpetrator may not have been through online games, but rather through online videos or live streams! Was the victim a fan of related videos? Or perhaps an admirer who felt respect for such brave individuals who fought against nature and enjoyed a free life?"

Li Yiduo also spoke up.

"Then she made contact with the killer, perhaps by offering him supplies or gifts, or perhaps she simply wanted to meet and chat? In any case, she walked right into his trap, showing no surprise at the tent on the ground, which led to her tragic end?"

Ji Wenjie became more and more excited as he spoke, and for some reason, he found Li Yiduo increasingly pleasing to the eye. The two of them worked together really well; with each word and phrase, they meticulously deduced the possible truth.

"Contact several major domestic live streaming and short video platforms to inquire about the victim's browsing history and whether they made any in-game purchases, tipping, or chatted in the live streaming rooms!"

Xu Zhen felt that there were few flaws in the two people's words, so he did not hesitate to send people to investigate in this direction.

To be honest, cyclists who can leave Nishige City without any ties at any time do indeed have more criminal audacity than locals. Furthermore, if they are also internet celebrities, then committing a crime while being fawned over by their fans is a logically plausible explanation.

In short, as a heavy-duty cycling blogger, the presence of the tent answers all the questions posed on-site. Whether these inferences are correct or not is irrelevant now; even if they are wrong, it's still part of the elimination process, filtering out incorrect options—it's a win-win situation.

"Holy crap, am I reading a mystery novel?"

Lin Ge stared in disbelief as Li Yiduo and Ji Wenjie pieced together the entire case's outline.

Whether it's the truth or not, we don't know, but these two people's simulation was incredibly smooth! If there really is a video blogger who is the murderer, then his way of acting is very likely to be exactly the same as the image constructed by these two people.

Lin Ge turned to look at the others and found that most of them were stunned, while a few were excited. No one quite understood how the situation had turned around, how the suspect had been almost completely identified, or what clues they were unaware of had been discovered.
And... cycling enthusiasts, are they really this terrifying? Carrying their tools for committing crimes, and even having the opportunity to 'seduce' girls like big stars and internet celebrities? They even travel all over the country, enjoying the scenery while seducing girls from all over?

What's going on?! I'm suddenly a little envious of these guys, what should I do?
"Don't overthink it! People who do heavy-duty cycling are exposed to the wind and sun all day long, and they all look like they're in their fifties or sixties even though they're only in their twenties or thirties. Especially those who go to Tibet, Xinjiang, or even uninhabited areas for the sake of traffic, not to mention altitude sickness, just the various dangers and difficulties of rescue along the way have claimed the lives of countless reckless hikers! Have you forgotten what happened in Emei City before the Lunar New Year? Two idiots climbed Mount Emei in the middle of the night in the dead of winter, and when they encountered danger and called for help, eleven firefighters in Emei City were injured in one night!"

Xu Zhen shouted sharply, waking up all the idle guys.

"Contact the cybersecurity department."

Ji Wenjie then offered another suggestion.

"Also check the supermarkets near the victim's school to see if she bought any cycling consumables such as water and gas canisters."

Li Yiduo then spoke up.

The way the two of them were singing in harmony made Li Siyu frown. She always felt that Li Yiduo and Ji Wenjie looked like a perfect match.

"This is what true male friendship is all about."

Lin Ge gave Li Siyu a teasing look.

But Li Siyu picked him up and rubbed his head vigorously, making Lin Ge dizzy and disoriented, so he quickly surrendered.

After assigning tasks, Xu Zhen didn't let everyone sit idle.

After all, reasoning is just reasoning, and there is no completely conclusive evidence yet. Therefore, everyone should continue searching the scene; perhaps new clues will suddenly emerge.

He also specially arranged for two police dog handlers to follow behind Lingo, hoping that Lingo could wander around and discover something important.

So Lin Ge resumed his usual arrogant and domineering demeanor, just like when he was solving cases, with four police dogs strutting around.

Unfortunately, in the following hour or so, Lin Ge found nothing of value. The footprints on the ground had already been clearly analyzed by the technical center, and the convenience of the tent meant that Lin Ge gained nothing from the site.

Just before lunchtime, news came back from the cybersecurity department. A travel blogger named "Wandering the World" was found to have accepted donations from the victim.

Then, news came from the traffic police that Langji Tianya and nine other cyclists had indeed been active in Xizhong City recently and were preparing supplies for their journey to Tibet. Five of them had even left Xizhong City yesterday and the day before, heading towards Ganzi County.

"Has Wandering the World not left Xizhong City yet?"

Xu Zhen stared wide-eyed in surprise.

"It's hard to say, but we can confirm that they didn't take the main road. Also, according to the surveillance results from Zhao Dafa's side, the suspect, whose online name is 'Wandering the World' and whose real name is Xu Xiaochong, did indeed purchase two sets of heavy-duty cycling tires and related repair parts from Zhao Dafa seven days ago."

"That's him! We can't let him get away, we have to arrest him first!"

Xu Zhen made a decision.

After he reported the investigation results to the task force, the entire police force of Xizhong City sprang into action. Given Xu Xiaochong's identity as a cyclist, all major and minor roads leading to the Sichuan-Tibet Highway were placed under comprehensive surveillance to ensure that even if he tried to sneak along side roads, he would not escape the police encirclement.

In addition, the cyber police at the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Information Center monitored Xu Xiaochong's video accounts on various platforms and located his IP address. They also analyzed his past videos to determine his movements and conducted a comprehensive analysis of his personality and behavior.

Once the power of the state is mobilized, ordinary people have no chance to resist. Xu Xiaochong's whereabouts were soon discovered; he was hiding in an abandoned, dilapidated house on a provincial highway leading to Ganzi County.

When the police arrived like a whirlwind, the guy was hiding inside, lazily lying on the dusty floor playing video games. The heavy-duty motorcycle, crucial evidence, was carelessly tossed aside by the door, its handlebars and racks overflowing with all sorts of luggage and odds and ends.

"Don't move! Police!"

(End of this chapter)