Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 549 Decryption Game
Upon learning that the Norwegian Forest Cat likely belonged to a government official, Liu Shengyou immediately detained the man named Xia Liguo.

Further investigation revealed that the motorcycle the man was driving also had issues; not only did the license plate and model not match, but he also couldn't provide the vehicle registration or purchase record. Based on police experience, the motorcycle was very likely a stolen vehicle.

Xia Liguo had no answer to this question.

He never imagined that his leisurely mahjong game, which led him to chase after a cat, would result in him walking right into a police trap. He stammered and couldn't give a coherent explanation, and his face turned ashen as he was pushed into the police car.

"Meow~"

The big white cat wagged its tail as it watched Xia Liguo being dragged into the police car, feeling both relieved and gloating at the fate of the guy who had chased it half to death.

"You're really good at causing me trouble."

Liu Shengyou gave Lin Ge a disapproving look and curled his lip.

Because he was already busy during the holidays, this stinky cat added to his workload. What's worse, the municipal government compound is within the jurisdiction of the Longquan Police Station, and resolving this case smoothly requires communication with them, making the process even more complicated. Furthermore, cats can't talk, so finding out whose cat it is requires door-to-door inquiries, but where in the police station can anyone be spared?
“Mimi! You’re a police officer too! You’re the one who discovered this, so it’s up to you to handle it! I won’t say much more. Have Wang Jiaxuan accompany you and take you and these two cats to the municipal government compound to see if the cat can find its way home.”

Liu Shengyou came up with a lazy way to get involved, and in a cunning move, he also implicated the Zhanghe Police Station.

And frankly, no police officer likes dealing with city government officials; it's restrictive and can easily lead to trouble. Even if officers are impartial in enforcing the law, their families... sometimes make things really difficult for investigating officers.

"I've really gotten myself into big trouble!"

Lin Ge sighed and gestured for Liu Shengyou to help the long-haired cat untie the leather strap around its neck. He held down the cat's paws to prevent it from struggling, and patiently waited for Liu Shengyou to spend quite a while, even using tools, to remove the rusty buckle.

After discarding the belt, Lin Ge saw that the long-haired cat's skin even had ulcers, which made him even more annoyed with Xia Liguo.

This kind of guy deserves to be taught a lesson.

After regaining its freedom, the long-haired big cat followed Lin Ge closely, and even the big white cat did not choose to leave, but jumped into the police car with it, eyeing the long-haired big cat.

It was probably its first time riding in a car, and it was very wary, looking around cautiously. The enclosed environment made it a little nervous, especially after Wang Jiaxuan closed the car door, when it reflexively jumped up and tried to find a place to hide.

To Lin Ge's surprise, the long-haired big cat was quite familiar with riding in the car, sitting calmly in the back seat, head down, patiently licking the fur on the back of its paws.

Seeing how calm Ringo and the long-haired cat were, the big white cat finally crawled out from under the passenger seat after a while. It imitated Ringo and the long-haired cat and sat down in the back seat, then disdainfully pulled open a police uniform jacket that had been tossed onto the seat.

After sitting quietly for a while, it curiously leaned against the car door and looked out the window, staring wide-eyed at the scenery outside the car as the police car drove by.

For feral cats, this experience is like another world.

The police car quickly drove to the municipal party committee's residential compound, and as expected, it was stopped by the gatekeeper, who insisted that Wang Jiaxuan fill out a record of outside vehicles entering and exiting before allowing him to drive in.

Wang Jiaxuan casually rolled down the car window and asked the gatekeeper if he recognized the large Norwegian Forest Cat inside, only to receive a shake of the head. This made Wang Jiaxuan frown slightly; logically, things in the yard shouldn't be kept from the gatekeeper.

But since things had come to this point, Wang Jiaxuan could only park the car in an empty space and then signal to the three ancestors in the back seat that they could come out.

This was Lin Ge's first time visiting this residential area. Looking around, he couldn't find anything particularly different from other neighborhoods. At most, the greenery was better, the environment quieter, the buildings weren't too tall (making it more senior-friendly), and the spacing between buildings was wide—wide enough to make most residents envious. That was about it. Furthermore, perhaps due to the residents' behavior, there were practically no noisy people. You rarely saw square dancing or other activities for the elderly in this area. Coupled with the lack of outside vehicles coming and going, the entire neighborhood was remarkably quiet; it would definitely be a very comfortable place to sleep.

Wang Jiaxuan wanted to ask the elderly people passing by if they had seen the Norwegian Forest Cat, but the residents here didn't seem very enthusiastic. He asked several people, but they all just waved their hands and said they didn't know.

This left him somewhat helpless, and he could only follow behind the long-haired big cat to see if it could find its way home.

"..."

To Lin Ge's surprise, the long-haired cat also looked quite bewildered. It looked around as if it didn't recognize where it was, but the artificial hill looked somewhat familiar to it, so it lay down there and didn't move.

"Mimi?"

Wang Jiaxuan had no choice but to seek help from Lin Ge.

"Ugh! I really brought this on myself!"

Lin Ge sighed and looked down, searching for the scent of the long-haired big cat in the neighborhood. After searching for a while, he finally found a very faint scent, and the scent was not coming from inside the neighborhood, but from an office building at the entrance of the neighborhood.

Looking at the plaques hanging on both sides of the building entrance, I found that it was the service center of Zhangzhou Rural Commercial Bank.

The stairwell was blocked by a gate with an electronic lock that could only be opened with a password or fingerprint. Frustrated, Wang Jiaxuan dialed the phone number posted on the wall, and a bank employee finally came out to help open the door and inquire about the situation.

Upon learning that he was looking for an owner for his cat, the woman gave him a look as if he were crazy, leaving Wang Jiaxuan extremely embarrassed.

But business still needed to be done, so Wang Jiaxuan asked the person to inquire with their colleagues if they had seen the Norwegian Forest Cat. Finally, after a long while, a bank employee said they vaguely remembered seeing a customer bring the cat in about two weeks ago. However, the employee refused to say what the customer was doing or how long they stayed. He cited bank confidentiality as the reason for not answering, only giving Wang Jiaxuan the cat owner's phone number.

"This is really... troublesome!"

Wang Jiaxuan complained as he went downstairs, but when he dialed the phone number, he was told that the number was no longer in service.

He searched the number information using the police mobile terminal and found that the phone number belonged to an elderly man who had passed away and had his account closed at the beginning of last year. The account closure was completed at the police station in Shili Town, a rural area, where the old man had lived. However, the fact that a deceased old man's mobile phone number was still in use and that he was still in contact with a bank made Wang Jiaxuan feel uneasy.

Lin Ge also frowned, feeling that things were gradually becoming more complicated.

"Why do I feel like I'm playing a puzzle game? Everything's interconnected, one step after another, making things so complicated! Could there really be some trouble behind this?"

With a sigh, Lin Ge looked up and saw Wang Jiaxuan explaining the situation to Liu Shengyou, and immediately felt a mix of emotions.

Looking back at the big white cat that was staring at its surroundings with curiosity, and even seemed a little eager to try, Lin Ge rolled his eyes but did not intend to interfere with its intention of treating this residential area as its new territory.

Then look at the long-haired big cat. It seems completely unconcerned, silently scratching its slightly itchy neck with its paws. Ironically, the whole thing was caused by it; does this guy even realize how complicated it's made things?!
Because of a Norwegian Forest Cat, Lin Ge and Wang Jiaxuan's investigation started in the Baimiao Police Station's jurisdiction and moved all the way to Longquan, and they still have to go to Shili Town to investigate! Although they've made many unusual discoveries along the way, they haven't detected any signs of crime so far. If in the end it turns out to be just a normal occurrence, and all the unusual things were just coincidences or overthinking, then that would be the most ridiculous and time-wasting regret.

Liu Shengyou did not give Wang Jiaxuan a chance to give up halfway, or rather, how could a mere auxiliary police officer dare to give up halfway?

In Liu Shengyou's view, this matter was already being led by Mimi, the police cat from Zhanghe Police Station, and Wang Jiaxuan was just responsible for being the driver and errand boy! He had no right to make decisions and could only obediently follow behind Mimi.

Moreover, this matter is no longer just about finding the cat's owner. The elderly person's phone number and personal information are easy targets for criminals. The more complicated this matter becomes, the deeper the inside story may be.

If something unusual is discovered, the Baimiao Police Station will be credited for their involvement and will likely receive a reward for solving the case. Or, if everything turns out to be a false alarm, it will only waste some auxiliary police officers' time and energy—what's the big deal?
It has to be said that Liu Shengyou's plan was very shrewd.

But it was already past 4 PM, and it was unlikely that they could continue searching for clues in Shili Town today. Liu Shengyou could only arrange for Wang Jiaxuan to send the three cats back first, and then take Mimi to continue the investigation early the next morning.

"Are you planning to spend the next few days as a stray cat with Big White and the others, or come with me to the police station first?"

Ringo gave the choice to the long-haired big cat. After that, the cat didn't really need to follow along; the guy was too dim-witted to be of much use.

Moreover, regardless of the circumstances, returning to the original owner is not necessarily a good thing for the long-haired big cat.

To be honest, it's been so long, and the long-haired cat's original owner hasn't come looking for it or posted any lost cat notices. His level of concern for the cat might be limited. Plus, if the long-haired cat's owner is involved in any case, the cat, the one who caused its owner's arrest, won't have a good outcome either. While life with the white cat might be a bit tougher, at least its freedom will be guaranteed, and it won't be bullied.

Moreover, with this guy who is clearly quite strong in combat, the safety of the white cat family can be better protected.

So Ringo decided to take matters into his own hands and keep the long-haired cat for himself first, then see what the whole hide-and-seek incident was all about before deciding on the cat's future.

"Meow~"

The long-haired big cat looked at Ringo, then at the big white cat, and after thinking for a moment, moved to the side of the big white cat and squatted down, as if it had become the guy's guard.

"Whatever you say!"

Lin Ge had no objections. His cattery already had many cats, and since it was located inside a police station, he didn't need such a creature for protection. On the other hand, the white cat definitely needed expert protection; having a long-haired big cat guarding it when it came to the cattery gave Lin Ge peace of mind. Although Lin Ge didn't consider the white cat a member of his harem, it was still a familiar companion, and he didn't want it to encounter any bad situations.

Wang Jiaxuan drove the big white cat and the long-haired cat back to the unfinished building. Lin Ge felt a little guilty and didn't let him go in with them. So he didn't get out of the car either. After the two cats left, he asked Wang Jiaxuan to take him back to Zhanghe Police Station.

As soon as the car came to a stop upon arrival at the destination, Nie Guoqiang greeted us with a blank expression.

Feeling guilty, Lin Ge lowered his head and hid in the back seat of the car, refusing to go out.

The foolish Wang Jiaxuan had no idea what Lin Ge was hiding from. He simply got out of the car respectfully, greeted Nie Guoqiang, and recounted the events of his busy afternoon to him.

"From a cat, the investigation led to the Agricultural and Commercial Bank in the municipal government compound, and then to Shili Town?"

Nie Guoqiang raised an eyebrow. Connecting these two locations easily brought to mind farmers and their savings. The Zhangzhou Rural Commercial Bank, formerly the Zhangzhou Rural Credit Cooperative, still handles many farmers' deposits and loans. If any problems arise, it wouldn't just be a problem for individual households, but could potentially affect the lives and savings of countless hardworking farmers toiling in the fields.

Of course, no related criminal activity has been found so far, and it may just be a false alarm. However, as a police officer, Nie Guoqiang has to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

“I just did a quick online search, and Norwegian Forest Cats are never cheap. A slightly better pedigree one costs at least five figures, and the top-tier ones can reach six figures! Do you think it's possible that the cat was a bribe? After all, this kind of thing is much easier to handle than cash or luxury goods.”

In the meeting room, Zheng Mingxing proposed a possibility.

"Bribing bank staff? Anyone who dares to do that must be doing something extraordinary!"

Yu Zhengwei's brow twitched.

"But we have no evidence right now. We can't determine whether a stray Norwegian Forest Cat that doesn't even know who its owner is is related to economic crimes."

Nie Guoqiang shook his head, glanced at Lin Ge who was pretending to be dead beside him, and then said in a low voice, "With our authority, it's difficult to get the Rural Commercial Bank to cooperate seriously. But we currently have no leads, and it's impossible to directly transfer this matter to the Economic Investigation Department. So we still have to see if we can find anything ourselves, so that the Economic Investigation Department has a reason to intervene. Right now, we can only say that a phone number that shouldn't exist has some connection with the bank, and that's not enough evidence."

"Then let's hurry! Lao Nie, contact Ma Baifen and explain the situation to him so he can prepare in advance. I'll also talk to Wang Guofeng so he's aware of the situation."

Yu Zhengwei made a decision.

The trio's meeting ended quickly. Yu Zhengwei glanced speechlessly at Mimi, the jinx, while Zheng Mingxing smiled and said that Mimi was indeed a crime nemesis. Only Nie Guoqiang disliked Lin Ge, who dared to skip work today.

The Zhanghe Police Station is already busy enough, and this bastard has managed to create another problem for the station.

Of course, if he could solve a case and protect innocent people from criminals, Nie Guoqiang would certainly not slack off. But if it turned out to be a false alarm from beginning to end, Nie Guoqiang was determined to teach the cat a lesson.

"Pah! What do I care! I just saved an innocent cat. I should have just taken it to the big white cat's territory and avoided contact with you! If some major economic crime were discovered too late, you'd all regret it!"

Lin Ge glared at Nie Guoqiang with disdain.

He wasn't afraid of Nie Guoqiang at all! That guy was just a cold-blooded, arrogant weirdo! If they actually discovered a case tomorrow, he'd be more excited than anyone else and run faster than anyone else!
Back in the backyard, Lin Ge discovered that the white cat family hadn't returned yet.

He guessed that the white cat probably didn't know that her father had suffered a loss outside, nor did she know that Lin Ge had found her a powerful bodyguard. She just happily watched Lin Ge return, and then took the lead in acting affectionately towards him.

Then... the white cat was nudged to the side by the mother hawksbill turtle, and the mother hawksbill turtle took its place.

"Meow~"

The white cat wasn't angry at all; in fact, it even seemed somewhat ingratiating towards the mother tortoiseshell cat. Turning its head to watch its five kittens being chased around in circles by the tabby kittens, it lazily yawned and walked over to a cat mat and lay down.

"Woo~"

The money tree was a little unhappy; that cushion was its favorite spot.

But with the mother tortoiseshell cat around, the Money Tree didn't dare to cause trouble. And what if it angered the white cat and stopped bringing its five little cuties? The Money Tree, who loved its kittens the most, thought about it and decided to compromise for the sake of its little darlings.

Early the next morning, Zhao Zhigang went to the cat shelter to wake Lin Ge up.

He and Feng Yi were ordered by Nie Guoqiang to follow Mimi today. Wang Jiaxuan and Huang Liangcao from Baimiao Police Station were also standing outside the door.

Seeing Lin Ge sleeping soundly surrounded by three female cats, Zhao Zhigang looked on with envy.

He doesn't even have a girlfriend yet, and this damn cat has already started a harem? So Zhao Zhigang walked into the cat house without any politeness and reached out to grab Lin Ge's ear without saying a word.

"try it yourself?"

Lin Ge opened his eyes unhappily.

"Meow!"

The white cat quickly jumped away from Lingo and swiftly hid in a safe corner.

"Hooo~"

The money tree, on the other hand, revealed a fierce look, showing its former glory as a cat-fighting animal.

The mother hawksbill turtle also opened her eyes. She only glanced at Zhao Zhigang quietly, then turned and climbed up from beside Lin Ge, slowly going to the litter box.

(End of this chapter)