Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 511 Hide and Seek

Team leader Fan and his team rushed over and were overjoyed to find that most of the people relying on Mi Zhi had been successfully located.

Although none of the drug manufacturing gang members have been apprehended yet, at least the spread of these drug-tainted e-cigarettes has been halted, which has brought a sigh of relief to everyone.

Once they are apprehended, this case will essentially be closed. The subsequent recovery of the drug-tainted e-cigarettes will be a long and tedious process, but since they are consumables, there's little concern about the harm expanding.

In addition, the anti-drug squad has other personnel handling the recovery of e-cigarettes, so there's no need to worry too much about additional issues.

So he quickly called to inform Director Wang of the latest situation.

“Mimi has already led a team to pursue them, and I've also contacted the traffic police to check roadside surveillance footage to see if we can identify the vehicle involved. Now that this has happened, these people definitely won't dare to stay in Changshi any longer; there's a high probability they'll flee. So we must hurry and arrest them before they escape Changshi. Otherwise, if they go to a new place, given their extensive experience in producing opium, it's only a matter of time before they start up again. As for the problem in Ziling Village, I'll handle that! I'll contact the drug rehabilitation center and the local community to work together to find a way to solve this headache. You all focus on catching them; don't worry about anything else.”

Director Wang, who was in charge of the central command, urged his subordinates to get to work quickly while reiterating the seriousness of the matter.

Although the case had been fraught with embarrassment and embarrassing moments, it had become simple at this stage. It was merely a matter of following the clues, sealing off the trail, and making arrests. These drug manufacturers had left too many traces in Ziling Village; even if Mimi and her men failed to catch them this time, Director Wang was confident he could arrest them all before they could escape.

The person who took over from Pu Lingyu in helping to collect information was a middle-aged policewoman, who placed a timely copy of the information in front of Director Wang.

"This group of drug dealers hid in the village and bribed almost all the villagers. In this respect, they were cunning, but also foolish. The mastermind, Xiao Wang, has now been identified as a guy named Wang Guoliang! This guy is from Huangshi City, Chu Province, and has a prior drug trafficking conviction. He was sentenced to three years and six months in prison for conspiring with others to sell Class II drugs. After his release, he didn't rush back to his old ways. Instead, he joined forces with several friends he met in prison to work in the online short video industry, and then lost everything in six months. However, through some of the content in the short videos, he learned a lot of unreliable but practical things."

"For example, this time they're bribing the elderly to produce drugs in a village with no young people? Haha... Xiao Wang, Xiao Wang! You really know how to create a buzz!"

Director Wang smiled and shook his head, knowing that with the development of the times and the openness of the internet, both ordinary people and criminals could indeed learn more from it. Some learned good things, some learned bad things, but ultimately the police had to keep up with the times, otherwise they would fall behind the pace of criminal evolution. For example, who could have imagined that Wang Guoliang would dare to play the "blind spot" game? His drug manufacturing plant was less than a kilometer away from Yixinda.

Moreover, he also learned this method of bribing elderly people who love to take advantage of others, so that all the elderly people in the village would cover for him!
If it weren't for Mimi and Zhao Zhigang discovering the clues by chance, he might have really gone into hiding.

Thinking of Lin Ge, Director Wang looked up and said, "Any new information about Mimi and Zhao Zhigang? They are conducting a capture operation, so I can't just disturb them or give them random orders."

"These guys are really cunning!"

At first, Lin Ge was worried that the group would be alerted and drive away from Changshi. However, as the tracking route changed, he discovered that the group had blended into a large area of ​​villages behind Ziling Village.

The van they were in was abandoned at an open intersection, but everyone inside had vanished without a trace, seemingly still hoping to get civilians to cover for them.

Lin Ge sniffed the air and noticed that this time, the people had scattered. People were hurriedly leaving both in front of and to the left and right of the crossroads. The one Lin Ge was most concerned about, who had left many traces in Ziling Village and the coal mine, was most likely 'Little Wang's' man; he had escaped from the left. That side was a large, dense commercial forest, with various trees completely obscuring the view. Further in was a small village, flanked by fields of various flowers.

Lin Ge originally intended to chase after him directly, since he didn't believe that a mere human could outrun a cat on foot.

But after thinking about it, Lin Ge hesitated again.

Is this Xiao Wang really the mastermind behind this team? Logically speaking, someone with such strong execution skills should be the one running errands! How could the real mastermind risk showing up so frequently?
Based solely on his sense of smell, Lin Ge couldn't determine who among these people was the most important, or whether the real leader was among them.

Thinking it over, Lin Ge once again memorized the scents of the scattered people at the crossroads, chose the most complex direction directly ahead, with villages on both sides, and sprinted towards it. This was the easiest place to escape, so he would definitely prioritize pursuing them.

"Mimi!"

Zhao Zhigang was still considering which way to chase after him when he saw Lin Ge choose a direction and run out.

"What should we do?"

Sun Hang and the others who got off the bus looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Two to the left, two to the right, the rest of you follow Mimi! Since Mimi is running this way, she must have found something!"

Lu Hui made a decision quickly.

He placed the utmost trust in Ling Ge, after all, Mimi had already shown its special and trustworthy side in Changshi during this period.

On the other hand, Lu Hui didn't expect to catch all the suspects in one fell swoop. Right now, it was enough to catch a few key figures; the rest would be dealt with after the interrogations, and none of them would be able to escape.

Led by Lin Ge, the group soon arrived at a village about 200 meters ahead.

The village had only a dozen or so scattered households, and all of them were now closed, not a soul in sight. The commotion of the approaching group caused a dog in one of the houses to bark frantically, even though the dog hadn't made a sound before they arrived. If the suspects had really run this way, the dog should have alerted them! Could it be that they'd taken the wrong route? Or had the suspects somehow evaded Mimi's sense of smell?
Lu Hui really wanted to go back the way he came, but seeing the cat wagging its tail and ignoring the dog's barking as it continued walking forward, he could only put aside his worries for the time being.

Then... Lu Hui saw Lin Ge stop directly in front of the house where the dog was barking.

"The suspect... is the dog's owner? Is that why it didn't bark before?"

Lu Hui's eyes lit up.

"Police! Is anyone home? Open the door now!"

Seeing that Zhao Zhigang, who was slightly out of breath, had already stepped forward to knock on the door, Lu Hui immediately signaled the brothers behind him to scatter and monitor all possible escape routes in the three-story building.

"..."

The knocking went unanswered, but the dog barked even more angrily than before, as if cursing these people for encroaching on its territory.

Lin Ge was somewhat curious. This dog didn't choose to submit to him, the king of beasts. This was the first dog in a long time that dared to keep barking at him. In the past, even if the dogs he encountered barked a couple of times, they would quickly come over and fawn over him.

"Wangwu?"

Suddenly, a puppy's head popped out of the drain in the yard. The fluffy puppy was a little dirty, but its big, black bean-like eyes were adorable. Ignoring its mother's increasingly urgent calls from inside the yard, it just stared at Lin Ge with curiosity.

Then, just as Zhao Zhigang impatiently knocked on the door twice more, the little mongrel squeezed its way out of the drain, its tail wagging wildly as it ran towards Lin Ge on its short legs.

Lin Ge watched expressionlessly as the little guy twisted his ankle halfway there, but ignored it and ran over. It barked and wagged its tail, jumping and hopping around Lin Ge, looking incredibly excited.

After that, the barking in the yard subsided. It seemed that the puppies' excitement had relieved the mother dog inside, and she had let her guard down.

A moment later, the door in front of Zhao Zhigang was being pried open from the inside, as if the big dog wanted to come out but couldn't open it. After trying for a while, it gave up. Lin Ge listened intently as its paws clattered on the stairs, and it quickly went up to the second floor.

Half a minute later, a dog barked from the room directly above them. This clever dog even knew to go find its owner, barking and urging them to open the door quickly.

Lin Ge even heard someone cursing from upstairs, and another person muttering curses.

"I told you to kill this stupid thing and eat it, but you always hesitated! Now look what's happened, it's even helping the police urge you to go down and open the door! Hurry up and chase this guy away! If the police hear any noise, we're all doomed!"

"Ha ha……"

Lin Ge couldn't help but laugh.

Even without the dog's interference, he would have already deduced that the person was still hiding inside. Is it wishful thinking to think that pretending no one is home will make the police give up and leave?
"Woo~"

The dog seemed to have been hit, and it ran downstairs yelping and whimpering.

"Heh... Still playing dead? I'm warning you! I'll count to three, and if you don't come out, I'm going to break down the door! There's no other way out of this house, you're already trapped, you know that? One!" Lu Hui roared angrily, his voice even attracting the attention of two households next door, who curiously opened their doors and peeked out.

When they saw that it was the police, one of the households, a woman, quickly shrank back in fright. The man of the other household, smoking a cigarette, watched the police surround his neighbor's house, unsure whether he should come to help.

"two!"

Lu Hui shouted again, signaling to Lu Hui and the others that they could prepare to break down the door.

However, in Lin Ge's view, it was no longer necessary. He had already heard people running downstairs, and the person hiding inside finally dared not pretend to be ignorant any longer.

With a creak, the door opened, and a sleepy-eyed man poked his head out.

"What is it! I was sleeping so soundly, and you're making such a racket!"

"police!"

Lu Hui showed the man his police ID, then followed Lin Ge and Zhao Zhigang into the house. Sun Hang and Xiang Zhiming flanked the man, blocking his escape route.

"Will you honestly confess and try to turn yourself in, or will we have to take action, find evidence, and handcuff you?"

"I...I don't know what you're talking about, I've been sleeping..."

"Heh... Sleeping, huh? You can't even pretend! You think faking sleep is that simple? The difference between the eyes of someone who just woke up and the eyes of someone who hasn't slept at all is huge, you know? I can tell you're lying as soon as I see you, and you still dare to argue?"

"..."

The man fell silent.

Thinking about it, it did seem to make some sense, but he still clung to a sliver of hope.

But the next second, screams came from the second floor.

How could the accomplice hiding in the closet possibly escape Lin Ge's pursuit? When the closet door was opened, the guy tried to resist, but Zhao Zhigang grabbed his wrist and dragged him out of the closet. Lin Ge then slapped him in the face with a claw, and Lu Hui pressed him firmly to the ground.

As the man was led away in handcuffs, the man at the door felt utterly dejected. He tried to argue or confess, but Sun Hang gave him no chance, shoving him against the wall and handcuffing him behind his back.

The person brought down from upstairs was a young man with dyed blond hair. His face was covered in blood, and he was groaning and struggling. The sight terrified the neighbor who had been watching the commotion, and he quickly ran home and locked the door.

Xiang Zhiming wanted to ask about the situation, but Lin Ge ignored him and returned the way he came. There were only these two people on this road, and it was lucky that they caught them all at once.

Back at the intersection, the two were shoved into a police car. Two officers were assigned to guard them, while the others followed Ringo down the right-hand road.

At this point, no one questioned Lin Ge's judgment anymore. The group followed Lin Ge excitedly, eager to try and ready to fight.

Then... Lingo jumped into the flowerbed on the edge of the field.

The group fleeing this way was more cunning. They knew they couldn't escape the police on the main road, so they chose to take the back roads that the police couldn't reach. Moreover, the paths along the field ridges were more interconnected, and they could even disappear into the woods, giving them more opportunities to escape.

No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't escape Lin Ge's keen senses.

Soon, Lin Ge spotted a suspect hiding in a tree branch, concealed among the lush green leaves. Zhao Zhigang and the others didn't need to climb the tree; Lin Ge scrambled up in a few quick movements and easily subdued him with a couple of swipes.

The commotion alerted another suspect hiding in the pine forest not far away, who then turned tail and ran away without a second thought.

Sun Hang and Xiang Zhiming grinned and quickly gave chase. The two groups ran down the slope one after the other and soon disappeared from sight.

Lu Hui wanted to call two more people to help Sun Hang and his team, but who knew how many suspects were left? Spreading the police out would only give the enemy an opening. So, Lu Hui signaled to Sun Hang and the other man to keep their walkie-talkies on while informing Director Wang of the situation, asking him to send reinforcements immediately. Meanwhile, the remaining officers continued playing hide-and-seek with Lin Ge, quickly apprehending another suspect, soaking wet, who was hiding under a ditch step.

They caught them every time, one by one. At this moment, all the police officers were playing a game of hide-and-seek with great enthusiasm. They didn't even consider why these people abandoned their cars and ran away; they just felt that catching them was particularly interesting.

Of course, not everyone was oblivious to this. At least Zhao Zhigang and Lu Hui realized that these people were being used as expendable pawns to buy time.

The police's efforts to catch them were, to some extent, giving the gang's ringleader time to escape.

Through interrogation, it became clear that these people didn't want to escape by car; rather, someone had manipulated the van, causing it to stall. They had become bait to lure the police, and were now forced to hide in this unfamiliar place.

"That guy confessed that there were eight people in the van. We've caught five so far, and the other three bastards probably escaped down the road to the right."

Covered in mud, Sun Hang angrily escorted the escaped man back, only to find three other policemen, also escorting suspects, waiting for them. The rest had already hurriedly left with Mimi; this game wasn't over yet.

Because capturing these five people took too much time, the three who ran to the right had already escaped too far. In addition, the country roads were interconnected, making it difficult to catch them all, even with Mimi's help.

Fortunately, Lu Hui borrowed two motorcycles from the village officials. He and another policeman each carried one motorcycle, while Zhao Zhigang carried Lin Ge in his arms. The group's speed suddenly increased.

Under Ling Ge's guidance, another suspect was soon arrested and brought to justice.

This guy was actually pretending to be a farmer, hoeing the field, and the way he tied his coat around his waist actually made a convincing impression. But as a city dweller, how would he know that rotary tillers are used to plow fields in the countryside now? Plus, the way he dug with the hoe was truly comical, not to mention his technique. So when Lu Hui parked his motorcycle on the edge of the field and quietly watched him pretend, he could only manage a couple more strokes before he couldn't dig any further.

Seeing the two policemen looking at him with smiles, he got annoyed and simply threw the hoe on the ground, then sat down and sulked.

"Tell me! Who is your gang leader, and where is he hiding?"

People with this kind of personality are often the easiest to break through. Lu Hui wasn't interested in catching the low-level thugs; he went straight to interrogating them on the spot.

"do not know!"

The man looked up, looking aggrieved, and said, "We never saw the boss from beginning to end; he only contacted us by phone. Of all the people, probably only Wang Guoliang knew him, but that bastard tricked us and ran away!"

"Wang Guoliang wasn't with you?"

Lu Hui was stunned for a moment.

"He ran away last night! That bastard said he was going out to buy a pack of cigarettes and never came back. He even took our car that we parked in Ziling Village! If we hadn't lost our car, how could we have been driving that beat-up van and getting caught by you!"

The man felt even more aggrieved.

Lu Hui sneered, "Heh... You're kidding! You think you can escape the police just because you have a car? You're dreaming! These days, unless you hide in some remote mountain forest, it's only a matter of time before we catch you!"

"Is it really necessary? I'm just a small fry! We just make some unbranded e-liquid, why are you treating us like death row inmates? We haven't trafficked drugs or killed anyone, why are you chasing us like this!"

The man grew angrier the more he thought about it, and even yelled at Lu Hui.

(End of this chapter)