Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 446 Chase Across Water (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Under the threat of sirens, the workers in the workshop surrendered one after another. Zhang Yong's team encountered almost no resistance and subdued them all, taking them to the yard away from the crime scene.

The twelve workers involved in the incident, both men and women, were all ordered to squat down in a corner and were then supervised by two police officers and two food and drug administration staff.

At this point, everyone suddenly realized that most of the workers in this workshop were elderly people over sixty years old. They often had a weak sense of law and were somewhat selfish; therefore, even if they knew that what they were doing was wrong, even if their wages were only less than two thousand yuan or even without social security, they still worked enthusiastically.

On the other hand, due to their advanced age, they couldn't escape like ordinary criminal suspects by climbing over walls or breaking through windows, so they were all easily apprehended. One by one, they were obediently ordered to squat down, handing over their phones with mournful faces, and exchanging glances with each other.

Several elderly women who had tried to slip away also became obedient after Beibei's roar, squeezing into the crowd with long faces.

This scene brought a sigh of relief to everyone, who were glad that things hadn't taken any unexpected turns.

However… Dai Hongbing and Hao Kai were not among these people. Even though they learned from on-site inquiries that 'Boss Dai' had just been in the workshop, he had vanished in just a few short minutes.

"Find him right now!"

Zhang Yong was furious, unable to understand how Dai Hongbing could possibly escape from such an encirclement. The group's attack had been swift enough; where did he find the time to react and an escape route?

"Um...it seems to be a problem on my end!"

Captain Yang suddenly walked over and said awkwardly, "We found a door leading to the next room, but my men couldn't knock it open, so they couldn't plug the gap. I'm sorry, we've held everyone back. I'll send someone to chase after it right away!"

"It's alright, it's not your fault. It was my carelessness; we should have sent professional police to block the route."

Zhang Yong waved his hand, taking the blame upon himself. Even though he knew very well that the police station's limited manpower couldn't possibly ensure a flawless outcome, and that the Food and Drug Administration would ultimately be needed to help, the mistake had already been made, and now was not the time to pass the buck.

"Where's Mimi?"

Sun Chang suddenly asked in confusion, realizing that Lin Ge had also disappeared.

"They must have spotted Dai Hongbing's trail and followed him! Well done, now let's see how Dai Hongbing runs! Hmm... let me see..."

Zhang Yong's eyes lit up, and his frustration vanished instantly. He quickly pulled out his phone to check the location of the collar around Lin Ge's neck, only to find that it was already two or three kilometers away and was still speeding away.

"This is... Mimi hiding in a car?"

Zhang Yong was stunned. He hadn't noticed any vehicles leaving from the vicinity. How did Dai Hongbing and Mimi manage to get the car and slip away from the police's sight?

"Of course it's because this side of the river has been overlooked!"

Lingo curled up in the back of the pickup truck, carefully shaking his body and kicking his legs, trying to dry his wet fur a little.

He followed Dai Hongbing across the river and drove away from the other side.

No one expected that there was a stone bridge submerged beneath the slowly flowing river.

The river was over ten meters wide, and the surrounding area was open and unobstructed. Common sense dictates that it would be impossible for a suspect to escape from this side without being discovered.

But... who would have thought that Dai Hongbing would sneak into the next room and then decisively crawl into the sewage pipe?
The thick pipe, over half a meter in diameter, was large enough for a person to squeeze through. Combined with its downward sloping shape, it became a perfect shallow water slide. The moment the siren sounded, Dai Hongbing reacted and escaped into the pipe, reaching the river in less than a minute.

At this time, the police station and the food and drug administration personnel who were supposed to surround the area had not even arrived yet.

Dai Hongbing took only a few minutes to cross the river via the hidden underwater steps, then quickly went ashore and hid in the reeds on the other side.

This guy's actions were very slippery; he'd probably rehearsed them countless times. After all, he knew perfectly well that what he was doing was a crime, and he'd be in serious trouble if he got caught.

In short, apart from Lin Ge, no one noticed that Dai Hongbing had slipped out of the encirclement.

After discovering Dai Hongbing's actions, Lin Ge initially didn't intend to wade across the river; he only planned to warn everyone to stop him. However, Dai Hongbing's speed exceeded expectations, leaving Lin Ge with no extra time. Left with no other option, Lin Ge could only follow him down the pipe, hesitating for a few seconds only when facing the raging river.

After all, he had heard the story of the little horse crossing the river. Dai Hongbing's ability to wade across smoothly and quickly did not mean that he, a cat only a few dozen centimeters tall, could swim across the river in the exact same way.

But seeing Dai Hongbing quickly climb the slope and run straight towards an old pickup truck parked by the roadside, Lin Ge couldn't help but grit his teeth and rush into the river.

The icy river water of early spring made him shiver, and the current and slippery surface made it almost impossible for him to stand. But even so, Lin Ge kept his eyes fixed on the stone platform underwater, jumped up and onto the second stone pillar, and sank in with a 'plop', his whole body submerged in the water.

After five or six attempts, Lingo was exhausted and freezing. But he finally reached the other side of the river. He slipped and fell on the muddy bank, getting a lot of wet mud stuck to his stomach.

Seeing that Dai Hongbing had already climbed into the pickup truck, and the engine was humming, Lin Ge abandoned the straight-line pursuit and instead plunged into the nearby vegetable garden, choosing to rush in the direction the pickup truck had gone.

Rushing along like a pig, he trampled many of the cabbages in the field before finally reaching the main road, panting heavily. But this was no time to rest; a pickup truck was about to pass by. In a few quick movements, Lin Ge climbed up a willow tree on the embankment, pushed off with his hind legs, and landed steadily in the truck bed.

Panicked, exhausted, and reeking of foul odor, Dai Hongbing was completely unaware of the crashing sounds coming from the truck bed behind him. Lin Ge, on the other hand, lost his footing, slipped, and hit his head on the side panel. He was dazed for a while before shaking his head to regain his senses.

The speeding pickup truck brought a whistling cold wind, and the chill seeped into his body through the gaps in his damp hair, making Lin Ge shiver from the cold.

Having exhausted himself on this arduous journey, Lin Ge glanced down at the collar around his neck and chose to lie motionless in the truck bed, acting as a mobile GPS while resting. He then handed over the remaining tasks and the arrest operation to Zhang Yong and his team.

"Phew... Damn, it's so cold! It wasn't even this cold when it snowed a while ago! You idiot Dai Hongbing, couldn't you have driven slower? Or do you think you can get away like this? Why don't you just surrender obediently?"

Lin Ge lazily tilted his head back, watching the branches of the locust trees on both sides of the road stretch out from mid-air and intertwine with each other, like arches formed by withered branches.

Unbeknownst to them, the pickup truck had already driven out of the jurisdiction of Zhanghe Police Station. Dai Hongbing seemed very familiar with the surrounding roads, turning right several times when he encountered a red light, then using alleys to get back onto the main road. This guy's driving skills were comparable to those of taxi drivers in Zhangzhou; traffic lights posed almost no obstacle to him.

As Lin Ge slowly regained his strength, he could hear Dai Hongbing cursing and making phone calls in the carriage ahead.

"Hey! Hao Kai, something's happened! The cops have tracked me down, and I barely managed to escape! You need to grab your stuff and head to our usual spot right now. We'll meet up and leave Zhang City immediately. Don't worry, you won't be shortchanged! Besides, you know how much a small workshop like this can earn in a year! Once we get to the new place, we'll partner up and split the profits 50/50!"

After a pause, Dai Hongbing laughed and cursed again: "Damn it, even 20 million can't shut you up, what more do you want? Stop talking about saving my life! Without me, where would you get the chance to make money in the future? Yes! It's illegal, but so what? We're just hit-and-run operators. This time, the Zhangzhou police came suddenly, and that bastard surnamed Liu delayed paying me, making me two days late. Otherwise, I would have already fled long ago!"

The person on the other end of the phone seemed to scold him a couple of times, but Dai Hongbing didn't seem to care and said, "Yes! I almost got caught this time, I admit it! But as long as I learn from this, I won't fall for it again! Not every police force is so idle. Next time, let's go to Guangdong Province! There are many migrant workers there, and the food delivery business is good. The police definitely can't handle it all and have no interest in it! Don't worry about whether I'm serious or not, just tell me if you're willing to do it or not?"

"Haha...that's more like it!"

Dai Hongbing laughed arrogantly, his wet pants unable to extinguish his arrogance. It was just a setback, what did it matter? Last year in Haishi, he almost got caught by the Food and Drug Administration, but so what?

The food and drug administration officials were satisfied with destroying the workshop! They returned to Zhangzhou City unharmed and resumed their jobs in just half a month, developing rapidly and filling their pockets even more in a few days?
As long as the food delivery industry exists, as long as people are greedy for cheap deals, and as long as there are dead pigs, diseased pigs, and rotten vegetables in the world, this industry will never disappear!
I could never earn all the money in the world!
Dai Hongbing was feeling smug when he suddenly felt a dryness in his mouth, so he turned to the passenger seat to find a cigarette.

"Whoosh~" Suddenly, the sound of a police car siren came from ahead. He quickly looked up and saw a police car making a U-turn from the opposite lane and blocking his way. Just as Dai Hongbing was about to turn the steering wheel, he noticed two more police cars appearing behind him, blocking both lanes completely.

These police cars had a very clear target in mind, seemingly convinced that they were inside the pickup truck. But why? The vehicle wasn't registered in their name, and they'd never driven it before. Why were they spotted?
Dai Hongbing was completely baffled, but the encirclement of three police cars forced him to slow down, and his face turned ashen.

"What... exactly is going on?"

"Ah!"

Lin Ge lay lazily in the truck bed, the surrounding sirens giving him a greater sense of security. However, although the pickup truck had slowed down, he was still inexplicably cold, his muscles were trembling uncontrollably, and his head was feeling a little dizzy.

"Could I have really caught a cold? But I've only been in the water for a few minutes, it shouldn't have gotten chilled this quickly. Could it be because I'm still wet? Oh crap, can I really be that unlucky?"

Feeling his strength waning, Lin Ge felt dizzy. He suspected that the fever was caused by his immune system weakening or something else being unable to keep up after wading through the water and running so hard, plus sitting in the truck bed with the wind blowing for too long.

"Can cats...get fevers? I think they can, right?"

He opened his mouth to yawn, but couldn't regain his senses. Lin Ge was dizzy and his mind was wandering. He didn't notice that the pickup truck had been forced to a complete stop, and a policeman ran over and smashed the car window, ordering Dai Hongbing to get out.

"Mimi? Mimi?"

Sun Chang's voice came through, but Lin Ge didn't have the strength to respond. He realized for the first time how fragile a cat's body could be; just a few minutes of wading through water and being exposed to cold wind could instantly cause the cat to react uncomfortably.

No wonder stray cats have a tough life; such a life, full of unexpected events, is indeed too dangerous. Add to that their unclean diet, and something could happen in an instant…

"Mimi!"

Sun Chang finally spotted Lin Ge, but the sight of the cat lying soaking wet in the truck bed made her expression change drastically. It was the first time she had ever seen Mimi in such a terrible state, and she was immediately panicked and at a loss for what to do.

"what happened?"

Zhang Yong, who had just successfully arrested Dai Hongbing, was startled by Sun Chang's exclamation before he could even celebrate for two minutes. He rushed over, then stopped abruptly.

The cat was soaking wet, and water was dripping from the truck bed. Its once healthy and vibrant silver-gray fur was now plastered to its body, making it look small and thin. Mimi even had its eyes closed, but thankfully its belly was rising and falling rapidly, indicating that its vital signs were not in serious danger for the time being.

"Damn it! It's all my fault!"

Zhang Yong scolded himself, then jumped onto the truck bed and picked up Lin Ge, ignoring the fact that the icy water on the cat had soaked his clothes and sleeves.

"I'll call Huang Qi right now!"

Once she calmed down, Sun Chang quickly took out her phone. She knew what Mimi needed most right now; any extra manipulation or improper care would be pointless.

"Well!"

Zhang Yong nodded noncommittally, then looked down and saw the bell on Lin Ge's collar. There should have been two bells there, but one had been used to save Qian Wei. Without hesitation, Zhang Yong grabbed the bell and pulled it off the collar.

Lin Ge opened his eyes at Zhang Yong's movements and saw him open the bell and remove the wax seal inside. He quickly and laboriously raised his front paw: "Hey! This thing is for saving lives! I'm just feeling a little unwell right now, there's no need to waste such a precious thing!"

"If you're sick, then stop causing trouble!"

Zhang Yong pulled Lin Ge's paw back and quickly crushed the wax seal. He knew the value of the pill, of course, but Mimi's life was equally important! Such a serious incident had occurred after only a dozen minutes apart; who could say a doctor could handle it in time?
Zhang Yong took the dark pill out of the wax seal and, without hesitation, pried open Lin Ge's mouth and stuffed the pill into it.

"Fine! Since it's already like this, let's just let it go to waste."

Helpless, Lin Ge could only hold the pill in his mouth and slowly swallow it.

He was initially weak and had difficulty swallowing, but for some reason, after holding it in his mouth for about ten seconds, his body miraculously regained some strength, and his mind became much clearer. Although he was still very cold, Lin Ge tilted his head back slightly and used a little effort to swallow the thumb-sized pill.

Visibly, Lin Ge felt his body warming up slightly, and his energy and strength were quickly returning. Even though he could still feel the fever, it seemed to be only on the surface of his body and did not affect his internal organs. Lin Ge slowly climbed out of Zhang Yong's arms, shook his fur and splashed the dirty water all over Zhang Yong's face and body before jumping down.

"You bastard!"

Zhang Yong chuckled and cursed, wiping the dirty water from his face, then breathed a sigh of relief. Judging from the little rascal's appearance, he was probably out of danger.

Ignoring Lin Ge, who was looking around, Zhang Yong handed him over to Sun Chang to take care of before returning to Dai Hongbing's side.

"Is Mimi alright?"

After arresting Dai Hongbing and taking photos of the scene, Qian Wei handed the car keys to Zhu Jun, indicating that he should drive back. Only then did he have time to check on Zhang Yong and Mimi.

He had already seen Zhang Yong feed the precious medicine to Mimi and had personally experienced its effects. Therefore, although he was still worried about Mimi's health, he was at least not panicked and was able to finish the case.

"We'll know the specifics of Mimi's condition once Huang Qi arrives. But for now, it seems she's out of danger. Hmm... what did Dai Hongbing say?"

"Hehe... As soon as he opened the door, he took the initiative to tell us about Hao Kai's situation and where he was hiding. He also told us the place where the other two agreed to meet. I just notified Zhang Ke and Feng Yi to set up an ambush and bring Hao Kai back as well."

"That's good!"

Zhang Yong breathed a sigh of relief; at least the case hadn't ended in disappointment. Now, it remained to be seen whether Dai Hongbing had any deeper connections hidden behind him, since this guy was only running a small workshop in Zhangzhou.

There are probably many people like him across the country, and now we can only hope that they don't have any common connection. Otherwise, if this is a criminal group specializing in harmful pre-prepared food, things will become very complicated.

Qian Wei nodded, his expression serious as he reminded them, "To be honest, we need to be mentally prepared. There's a high probability that none of them are real groups or gangs, but they are definitely connected, sharing the same goals and interests. If we can't sever this hidden connection in time, it's only a matter of time before this industry resurges, and it will become a protracted war."

"Yes! In fact, the more trouble they cause, the more cunning they will inevitably become. When they learn about the law and change from a criminal activity to a gray area, things will become even more difficult to resolve."

Zhang Yong sighed, his mind inevitably filled with pessimism.

"But to ensure that the people can eat with peace of mind, we can never turn a blind eye to this kind of thing! So what if it's a gray area? Unless we find a loophole, we'll still crack down on it!"

Qian Wei spoke with absolute certainty, which made Zhang Yong burst into laughter.

A dozen minutes later, a taxi sped up and stopped by the roadside. Before the car had even come to a complete stop, a panicked and anxious Meimei grabbed a helpless-looking Huang Qi and hurriedly crawled out.

(End of this chapter)