Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 551 Super Big Trouble

"What kind of interest rate, and how much deposit, can earn several thousand yuan in interest per year?"

Lin Ge paused for a moment.

As soon as he stopped, the cats following behind him also stopped abruptly. Only the last one, an exaggeratedly fat gray cat, kept looking left and right and couldn't react in time, bumping into the cat in front of it. Instantly, four or five cats rolled into a ball.

The commotion alerted the two workers who were chatting. They turned around and saw that it was just a group of cats playing around. They didn't pay any attention to it and turned back to their work.

But with the cats bothering them, and the topic eventually making the other person nearby a little jealous, they couldn't continue the conversation. The two silently loaded the sacks full of rapeseed onto the truck, took a breath, and continued on the next trip.

"Why do I feel that this is not just a simple matter of embezzling farmers' grain payments and not repaying them?"

Lin Ge looked around, watching dozens of people busily working at the grain station. The mountains of rapeseed looked enormous, representing extremely high profits and value. He didn't know how much this large truckload of rapeseed would sell for, but he knew that in just one morning, seven or eight fully loaded trucks had already left. If one hadn't suspected something was wrong with this Er Mao grain purchasing station, who would have thought that such a bustling scene was just a case of overheating?
"Could it be that these people are still involved in illegal fundraising?"

Lin Ge was startled, a possibility suddenly occurring to him. Besides high-interest loans, he couldn't think of any other way for a poor farmer toiling in the fields to earn several thousand yuan in interest a year. Judging from the farmer's satisfied tone, those several thousand yuan were definitely more than just a thousand or two. Furthermore, even with current bank fixed deposit rates, 4% was the absolute maximum! That meant a deposit of 100,000 yuan would only yield 4,000 yuan in interest. Would a farmer really be so generous and trusting of the Mao family that he would deposit 100,000 yuan—money that required years of saving, perhaps even his entire life savings—in a grain station instead of a bank?
Even if they truly trusted the Mao family, the Mao family only offered them the same interest rate as banks; but based on each person's deposit of 100,000 yuan, the total amount collected by the grain station could no longer be considered a temporary deposit, and it was still labeled as illegal fundraising.

The thought that tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of farmers' savings might be left in Yang Yuhua's hands sent chills down Lin Ge's spine.

With so much money, and it came so easily, only a saint in this world would remain unmoved and not covet it.
Lin Ge kept this serious and grave situation to himself for the time being, and instead of rushing out to inform Ma Baifen, he continued to patiently search for clues in the grain station.

He believed that if Yang Yuhua were truly engaged in illegal fundraising, she would have no way of keeping it a secret from everyone. To raise more money through fundraising, a greater scale is needed to deceive more fools. This might be possible by leveraging Mao Shouren's decades-long reputation in the countryside, but more importantly, it requires the allure of money. At this stage, it takes more than just sweet talk; it also requires a specialized venue for making empty promises.

“If you want to raise funds, Yang Yuhua alone is not enough. Even if you talk yourself hoarse, you can't fool many people. You definitely need a team or henchmen who specialize in this.”

Lin Ge sniffed around and quickly detected a group of people gathered together in the grain station. Following the scent, ignoring the cats running and playing behind him, he soon found a simple meeting room on the second floor of the office building on the side of the grain station.

The meeting room door was closed, but that didn't deter Lin Ge. He nimbly leaped onto the windowsill and found the room decorated like a school classroom, with forty or fifty desks and chairs, a large blackboard at the front, and a screen hanging in the center. Next to it, on the lectern, were fully equipped projectors and computers, and beside them, stacks of beautiful gift boxes reaching to the ceiling—he wondered what tempting gifts were inside.

Lin Ge suspected that the tables and chairs in the room were likely salvaged from a primary school in the countryside. They were quite low and not suitable for adults to sit on for extended periods.

But when faced with tempting profits, who cares about these things?
Lin Ge even noticed that each table had promotional leaflets and pens, and a bottle of mineral water on the corner of each table. To be honest, it looked quite formal at first glance, and someone who didn't know the truth would really be fooled.

Then... on the blackboard that hadn't been wiped clean, Lin Ge saw the numbers 12%, 14%, and all the way up to 30%.

I wonder how long those enticing interest rates have been on the blackboard, as their color has faded somewhat. The various chalk marks around them are barely erasable, a testament to the passion with which the lecture was delivered.

"Heh... 30% interest! If that's annual profit, that's already higher than 99% of investment institutions worldwide!"

Lin Ge's lips twitched slightly. At this moment, he finally realized that things had developed into the most troublesome and difficult-to-solve situation.

Illegal fundraising!

Moreover, it's not targeted at wealthy people, but at poor farmers who are already struggling financially and have painstakingly saved up a little money, only to lose everything if they get scammed.

How utterly immoral is this?
To what extent have Yang Yuhua and Mao Xiaoming progressed this illegal fundraising scheme?
Suddenly remembering that Mao Shouren's phone number was no longer in service, Lin Ge's heart skipped a beat and his expression changed drastically. Could it be... that these people have already started preparing to flee?
Without a doubt, the Mao family couldn't have created interest rates of 12% or 30% out of thin air. So-called illegal fundraising is simply using money from later investors to subsidize earlier ones, snowballing until they are completely unable to repay or, seeing that the returns have been satisfied, they immediately withdraw and take all the money. Whether they enjoyed the interest earlier or just invested later, they will instantly lose everything.

This behavior has a professional name in the financial field: 'Ponzi scheme'.

Now, without mentioning anything else, just looking at this 30% interest rate, Lin Ge is certain that the Mao family is using this kind of tactic! Otherwise, how could a grain reseller like him earn such unimaginable profits?

If farmers' businesses could generate profits of over 30%, why would they still live such a hard life?
Although the exact number of victims is currently unknown, Lin Ge has decided not to continue the investigation. Aside from the possibility of alerting the perpetrators, the Zhangzhou police cannot afford to waste even a single day to prevent the victims' money from being transferred out. They need to immediately freeze all funds in all accounts related to the Mao family and apprehend all involved individuals, denying them any opportunity to operate!

Only in this way can we minimize the losses.

Lin Ge decisively jumped out of the window, ignoring the curious looks on his new recruits' faces, and ran straight towards the grain station gate.

"what sound?"

In the office next door in the hallway, Yang Yuhua, who was on the phone, peeked out.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

A young man's voice came through the phone, his tone lazy: "Don't overthink it. What could possibly happen? Do you think they'd dare call the police? If they did, wouldn't they lose their principal? Don't worry! They'll just pray that our Mao family's reputation is as good as it was back then. They might even burn incense and pray to Buddha just to beg us to make a fortune so they can share the profits with us. To prevent things from collapsing, they'll even help us trick more people into joining! Because only in this way can they profit from the newcomers, right? They're hoping to collect all the interest before withdrawing, why would they want to crash and burn now?"

"but……"

Yang Yuhua hesitated for a moment, feeling uneasy, then covered the phone and whispered, "But son, I think it's about time. The police have come to our door asking why your dad's phone is disconnected. Have they already discovered something?"

"It's nothing! It's probably just those debt collectors trying to get through to me when they couldn't reach me by phone. All the participants in the investment have kept it a complete secret. As long as they want their money back, they definitely won't dare call the police! Hmph! But this is still a hassle! Oh well, you can't catch a wolf without risking your life. Mom, you should renew your phone subscription. If they call again, just tell them to come find me! We don't need that little bit of money right now; paying off the debts will help calm things down."

Yang Yuhua breathed a sigh of relief, then looked around warily and whispered, "So... how long will this fundraising take? Son, I'm really terrified every day that something will go wrong!"

"Once this batch of rapeseed is sold out, and we've made that money, along with some of the money others earned from selling rapeseed, we'll leave when the off-season is over and there's not much profit to be made. We'll fly straight to Canada, get our immigration sorted out, and who can find us then?"

"Alright then... I'll hold on for a few more days..."

Yang Yuhua nodded, then thought for a moment and couldn't help but say, "Then remember to let your brother know. We're family, so don't leave him here to suffer alone."

"Hehe...Mom, you're overthinking it! Liangzi was involved in this much deeper than you are! Who do you think we relied on to launder this money? Without his trading company, this wouldn't have been possible at all! It's hundreds of millions! Without his connections, how could this money have gone abroad?"

"That's good! That's good..."

……

On the other side, a group of cats suddenly appeared before the astonished eyes of the grain station security guards. One of the fat cats almost knocked over an old man, startling the security guards who quickly dodged.

They had no idea what was wrong with these cats, nor did they realize that one of them had actually obtained a crucial clue. In their minds, as long as they kept a close watch on the police and prevented them from entering, Boss Yang would give them a bonus.

Moreover, their own savings depend on Mr. Yang's help to double in value! They only need to wait patiently for three years to double their savings, so how can they allow anyone to affect Mr. Yang's mood at this time?
"Mimi, what did you find?"

Seeing Lin Ge panting heavily, Zhao Zhigang was startled.

Mimi's tense attitude was very rare to Zhao Zhigang. This cat always had a lazy yet fearless demeanor, as elegant as a lurking cheetah. Whether facing major cases or trivial matters, it always dealt with them calmly and composedly. This kind of behavior, as if a natural disaster were chasing it, was a first for Zhao Zhigang, and it inexplicably made him nervous as well.

"Don't scare me!"

Zhao Zhigang crouched down to hug Lin Ge, but Lin Ge ducked to avoid him. "I also hope it's just something simple, like catching a criminal or even just giving them a peanut!"

Lin Ge glared at Zhao Zhigang, then ignored the changing expressions of the other guys beside him, and dialed Nie Guoqiang's phone number directly.

Nie Guoqiang did not answer the phone immediately, which made Lin Ge even more anxious.

His manic behavior immediately made the people around him tense. Even Ma Baifen had a bad feeling, looked up at the grain station gate in the distance, and couldn't help but sigh.

"Hey! Mimi, what's up?"

After a while, just as the call automatically disconnected and Lin Ge quickly dialed a second time, Nie Guoqiang finally answered the phone.

His voice was low, and there were some clattering chairs around him. Lingo could also vaguely hear what sounded like an electronic microphone, and he wondered if the guy was having a meeting somewhere.

But now is not the time to worry about that, so Lin Ge quickly roared a warning.

"Ow!"

"..."

Nie Guoqiang paused, seemingly caught off guard by the noise. After several seconds, he continued in a low voice, "Can we talk about it later? I'm in a meeting at the Municipal Bureau, and it's not convenient for me to leave now."

"Ugh! Wait a minute, my ass! Even if you're on the moon, get your ass back here right now!"

Ringo continued to roar.

His shrill voice even startled the surrounding cats and attracted the attention of the security guards at the grain station across the street. However, Lin Ge was hiding behind the police car; they didn't know what was happening and didn't dare approach.

"..."

Lin Ge's volatile attitude finally made Nie Guoqiang wary.

"What happened?"

"Ow!"

Lin Ge was extremely anxious. "Can't you just use your phone to watch the videos in the collar? What the hell are you dawdling about?!"
"Hmm... Is there some big trouble in Shili Town? You've been through so many battles, how come you're still so impulsive? Relax, I'm here..."

Nie Guoqiang finally came to his senses, questioning Lin Ge while simultaneously checking the information on Lin Ge's collar on his phone. He hadn't initially considered the situation too serious, at most imagining it as a criminal offense. However, as the video unfolded, Nie Guoqiang became speechless.

His expression grew increasingly serious, and his brows furrowed more deeply. Looking up at the municipal bureau leaders speaking on the podium, Nie Guoqiang no longer hid and even turned up the volume on his phone so he could hear them more clearly.

"..."

This guy's unconventional actions immediately made Yang Ye, who was speaking on the stage, raise his eyebrows.

We're in a meeting! Why are you being so disrespectful?
Even Wang Bin, the rarely seen director of the municipal bureau, looked up at this notorious troublemaker deputy director.

However, at this moment, Nie Guoqiang had fast-forwarded to the scene in the classroom and, through Lin Ge's perspective, saw what was written on the blackboard. His face immediately turned extremely cold and hard, and he slammed his right hand heavily on the table, interrupting the meeting with a loud 'bang'.

"..."

In the small auditorium, dozens of leaders and attendees, of all ranks, looked up at Nie Guoqiang, who had stood up.

Nie Guoqiang remained silent with a sullen face, squeezed out of his seat and into the aisle, then strode up the stage and came to Yang Ye and Wang Bin's side.

"Chiefs, a major incident has occurred! Our police cat, Mimi, has discovered a serious economic crime. If it is not handled promptly, it may escalate into a nationwide scandal affecting the lives of hundreds of thousands of farmers."

"A national sensation?"

Wang Bin's brow twitched. This wasn't a good word.
"Affecting hundreds of thousands of people?"

Yang Ye's face darkened. He believed Nie Guoqiang wouldn't joke with him at this time, in front of so many people. Besides, it was the police cat Mimi who discovered it, and Yang Ye trusted the cat completely, believing it wouldn't do anything reckless.

"Accompanying me were several police officers from Zhanghe Police Station and Baimiao Police Station, as well as Ma Baifen, the director of Shili Town Police Station, and He Qiang, the deputy director."

Nie Guoqiang emphasized that the joint mission involving three police stations, including a police station chief and deputy chief, could not possibly be a joke.

"Then let's pause the meeting for now!"

Wang Bin quickly made a decision, looked up at Nie Guoqiang and said, "Since you've come up at this time, it means that this case might require all of us to work hard?"

"Yes!"

Nie Guoqiang nodded, said nothing more, and went to the multimedia equipment on the side of the stage, signaling to the civilian police officer operating the computer to help project the video from his phone onto the large screen behind the stage.

Dozens of people in the audience stared in astonishment at this scene, none of them knowing what had happened.

However, as the video played on the big screen, the first-person perspective from the height of a cat and the shaky shooting effect still sparked a lot of discussion.

At first, some people were talking to each other, saying that the police cat was indeed very useful for finding evidence and taking secret photos, but when they heard a voice coming from outside the video saying that there were several thousand yuan in interest, everyone at the scene immediately became serious.

People began to whisper among themselves, their first reaction being that Er Mao Grain Purchasing Station was going to embezzle all the hard-earned money of the farmers.

This is a major case!
Wang Bin and Yang Ye exchanged a glance and nodded, confirming that this kind of case definitely needed to be dealt with quickly. Farmers have it tough, and earning money is difficult! Having a year's worth of hard-earned money swindled away would cause significant unrest if not handled properly.

However, neither of them expected that this was just the beginning!

When the camera captured the image on the blackboard inside through the glass window, the police officers instinctively stood up, the clattering of chairs echoing throughout the room. Even Wang Bin and Yang Ye couldn't sit still; they leaned on the table, their faces grim.

What the hell!
Illegal fundraising?

And they deserve to be cut into pieces, those despicable bastards who deceive farmers.

(End of this chapter)