Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 554 Three Cunning Rabbit Cave
"Do you know that the scapegoat your two sons found is yourself?!"

"You've really had a tough time being a mother! Not only do you have to raise them with great difficulty, but you also have to take the blame for them and go to jail for them! Do you know how serious the consequences would be if this matter isn't resolved in time? You could face severe penalties."

"At your current age, you'll probably die in prison for the rest of your life! You'll never see freedom again, which is even more cruel than being shot!"

"The real culprit is still at large, while you have to bear the scorn of everyone in Zhangzhou and spend your life in jail. Are you willing to accept that?"

"If you tell the truth, there's still hope for your sentence! After a few years of reform, you'll have the opportunity to enjoy your retirement!"

"They don't treat you like their mother anymore, and you still want to think about them?"

"Think about it!"

As the police operation progressed, Yang Yuhua was used as a starting point for intensified interrogation and persuasion.

Although this woman committed evil deeds, she was ultimately just a shield for the Mao brothers. The interrogator's words of advice to her were not false; the punishment for the mastermind and the participant would certainly be completely different.

More importantly, as the person most deeply involved in the entire fraud, Yang Yuhua must know many crucial things.

After a night of intense interrogation, Yang Yuhua finally spoke.

Ultimately, she was unwilling to spend the rest of her life in prison. Therefore, although she didn't know how her two sons had orchestrated the events or why she had inexplicably become the mastermind, Yang Yuhua still chose to compromise and confessed several secrets known only to her family.

First, Yang Yuhua revealed a villa registered under someone else's name but actually belonging to the Mao family.

According to Yang Yuhua, her two sons would often secretly go to the villa under the guise of gathering at a fish restaurant not far from the villa to discuss matters. She was even scolded by Mao Xiaoming once when she, out of curiosity, tried to peek inside. Therefore, Yang Yuhua had a deep impression of this mysterious villa. Furthermore, she had overheard her two sons talking about renovating the villa, but she didn't know if it was true or not.

"A villa specifically for hiding money? What a brilliant idea! Villas are private residences, expensive and difficult to redevelop; plus, they allow only one person to enter and exit without contact with others, so as long as nothing unexpected happens, they won't attract attention even after more than ten years. In fact, if they arrange in advance that someone is still living in the villa, they will be even less likely to arouse suspicion. After all, all they need is a place to hide bank cards."

The municipal bureau quickly made a judgment and immediately sent people to the villa area mentioned by Yang Yuhua to search for the place where the Mao brothers hid their money.

Lin Ge was undoubtedly among the search team, and Li Siyu was also involved this time. In addition, Yu Rong and Zhou Bo from the Municipal Bureau, as well as the police dogs Qi Guai Guai and An An Jing Jing, were also among those recruited.

Yingxiong Xiong was not selected because Yuan Qu left the municipal police dog squadron after the pandemic and chose to stay in Chu City. The new handler and Yingxiong Xiong were not yet well-matched enough to be deployed, so they had to remain at the municipal police station on standby.

"Yuan Qu actually chose to develop his career in Chu City! I thought he would eventually change his mind and come back to Zhang City!"

Lin Ge was somewhat surprised.

Thinking back to that quiet, stubborn guy, I can't help but feel a little regretful.

To be honest, even though he knew Yuan Qu didn't like him, Lin Ge still felt that this guy was actually an excellent policeman. Yingying and Xiongxiong, whom he cared for and trained, were both excellent police dogs, so how could he himself be considered bad?

Unfortunately, everyone has their own ideas and pursuits, and Lin Ge can only wish Yuan Qu a better new life in Chu City.

Upon arriving at a suburban villa complex located on Yangguan Avenue, the police discovered that there were more than twenty villas nestled among the trees, occupying almost half a mountain. They couldn't immediately determine which one was the secret residence of the Mao brothers.

Upon entering the villa area, the police quickly contacted the property management and learned that all twenty-six villas in the entire area had been sold.

The price tag of several million yuan proves that there are still quite a few wealthy people in Zhangzhou. Furthermore, based on the water, electricity, and gas records of each villa, it was found that while most were occupied, almost none were permanent residents. Clearly, for most wealthy people, this is simply a place to relax and seek peace and quiet during holidays.

Furthermore, the police also found video footage of the Mao brothers entering the villa area in the property management office's surveillance records.

Unfortunately, in order to protect the privacy of the residents and owners, the cameras in the villa area were only installed at the main entrance and in public areas, and not on the roads leading to the villas.

However, this matter was not a problem for Lin Ge and his few dogs.

With just a brief sniff, the police cats and dogs almost simultaneously made a judgment and locked onto the small three-story building with front and back yards located on the hillside near the innermost bamboo forest.

Continuing on, Lin Ge had to admit that this villa area truly excelled in protecting individual privacy. Once inside the main road, each villa had its own independent concrete path leading directly to it, ensuring no disturbance to neighbors. In the central common area, there was a supermarket, a clinic, a fishpond, a children's water park, and a health and wellness center for seniors, complete with mahjong and card games – practically everything one could need.

There are only about twenty households in total, yet they manage to support so many auxiliary facilities. The property management fees must be quite high. And this time, it was fortunate that the police came with credentials; otherwise, the security guard at the gate might not have let so many people in.

"Ok?"

On the way to the villa, Lin Ge suddenly paused.

"what happened?"

Li Siyu looked over in confusion.

"I have a feeling... I can smell Mao Xiaoming's scent on this road too! Although the scent is faint, there's no doubt he went to the villa next door."

Lin Ge thought to himself, secretly remembering this matter.

But right now, the most important thing is definitely the primary goal.

They quickly arrived at their destination and could indeed clearly smell the scent of the Mao brothers. Looking back down the mountain, Lin Ge had to admit that the place was indeed secluded and the scenery beautiful. Living here normally would have given one a sense of being a hermit. But now, the Mao brothers were using such a good place to hide their money, which seemed like a waste of resources. Of course, on the other hand, selling the house would also recoup a significant portion of the money.

The thought of the Mao brothers swindling over 400 million yuan through a scam, causing thousands of farmers to lose their fortunes, filled Lin Ge with rage.

This kind of thing is really despicable!
Upon entering the villa, it was indeed occupied by an elderly couple who appeared to be very honest and kind. After inquiring, it was learned that they were distant relatives of the Mao family, and Mao Xiaoming had hired them to work as gatekeepers because of their honesty and kindness. The elderly couple didn't have a key to the villa's main gate; they lived in a small bungalow in a corner of the yard. Of course, the environment and comfortable life they enjoyed were more than enough for them, so they genuinely had no desire to peek inside the villa.

"Mimi, it's up to you now!"

Wang Guofeng, who was personally leading the team, looked at the three-story building that totaled nearly 600 square meters and could only place her hopes on Lin Ge and the police dog team.

If the Mao brothers really hid the money here, they must have made thorough preparations. Furthermore, the way they concealed the funds was likely in small items like passbooks or bank cards, making them a significant challenge for the police. In addition to asking Lin Ge and the police dogs for help, Wang Guofeng also called several on-site investigators from the city bureau to the scene, hoping to find some clues through their professional skills.

however……

Despite the police thoroughly searching the villa, they couldn't find any storage items that could be used to hide money. There were hardly any bank cards or passbooks, not even a handful of cash, let alone high-value items like jewelry.

"Finding bank cards isn't my forte!"

Lin Ge was also troubled because this kind of thing didn't have any special characteristics, and it was impossible to distinguish it by smell alone.

Although the villa appeared spacious, it had numerous nooks and crannies, offering countless hiding places for money. Lin Ge, leading four police dogs, searched the villa for a long time without finding anything unusual, except for two unwashed pieces of clothing under the bed. Suspecting the money might be hidden under the bed, Lin Ge had the police lift the bed and crawled inside, but found nothing except covered in dust.

"Could it be buried in the ground?"

Yu Rong proposed a possibility, which was indeed feasible in practice. So the police officers went to the property management office to borrow shovels and other tools, and began digging and searching the yard. Of course, they didn't need to dig everywhere, but finding any traces of dug holes in the ground would still be enough to confirm suspicion.

However... two hours passed, and everyone found nothing.

"Should we bring Mao Xiaoming or Mao Xiaoliang over and put pressure on them to identify them?"

While rubbing the dirt off his hands, Qian Weiyi offered another suggestion. Otherwise, searching like this without any clues would take forever.

Only a fool would admit it!

Old Wu, rubbing his aching back, glared at his apprentice.

"Is he really not here?"

Lin Ge was also a little worried, realizing that he was actually of no use in this matter, which made him slightly regretful.

Looking up at Wang Guofeng again, the guy's face only showed the attitude of "If once isn't enough, look twice; if twice isn't enough, search for two days! If all else fails, tear down this villa, but we'll find it no matter what."

Of course, considering that this involves hundreds of millions of yuan and thousands of farmers who have been scammed, Lin Ge could understand Wang Guofeng's anxious feelings.

In the past two days, as the Er Mao Grain Purchasing Station incident has unfolded, news of the arrests of Yang Yuhua, Mao Xiaoming, and Mao Xiaoliang, and the forced closure of the company has gradually spread, and the deceived people are slowly realizing what has happened.

In the past two days, the 110 emergency hotline has been receiving calls for help almost constantly, including reports of people storming companies and even coming to the municipal police station demanding answers. Last night, more than a dozen defrauded farmers forcibly broke into the Er Mao grain purchasing station, attempting to steal items to make up for their losses.

Fortunately, Ma Baifen was prepared and made arrangements in time to stop them. Otherwise, if they had succeeded in looting, others would have followed suit, which would have been disastrous!

The municipal government has already held an emergency meeting and arranged for personnel to collect statistics and provide support to the victims, but as long as the money is not received, this matter will not be able to be resolved smoothly.

As for the police, even if they can curse them as idiots who deserve it, they still have to do everything they can to get the money they were scammed out of.
"take a break!"

Before they knew it, it was midday, and the blazing summer sun made it impossible to open their eyes. Seeing that they couldn't make any progress immediately, Wang Guofeng told everyone to take a break to calm down and find clues more easily.

Lin Ge wasn't in the mood to rest, or rather, for a cat, wandering around like this wasn't tiring. Unlike others who had to expend effort digging three feet into the ground, he only had to stop and go, which meant his eyes were a little tired.

Thinking that he might not find any clues here in the short term, Lin Ge decided to return to the intersection and go to another villa that he suspected was involved.

"Mimi?"

Seeing Lin Ge walk out the door, Li Siyu quickly followed.

"Shall we go?"

Zhou Bo looked back at Yu Rong. He had just helped his colleague dig the ground for a while and was now exhausted.

"Of course we have to go! Mimi never does anything without a reason. She might have already found some clues that we don't know about yet!"

Yu Rong stood up without hesitation.

Since Mimi arrived at Zhanghe Police Station and was subsequently seconded to the Municipal Public Security Bureau, the police dog squad has accumulated several merits thanks to her. Yu Rong, as a quiet and unassuming handler, has also received praise from superiors several times in less than a year. Even during the recent COVID-19 outbreak in Chu City, Yu Rong received both a collective second-class merit and an individual commendation! Although the individual commendation was only a first for Yu Rong and the police dog squad in recent years.

So Yu Rong, who knew that Mimi was a lucky star, reformed herself and stopped doing foolish things like Yuan Qu. Instead, she followed Lin Ge without hesitation.

"Go some people!"

Wang Guofeng was no fool either; he immediately sent a few people to follow Lin Ge at a jog.

The group arrived at the villa next door, which Lin Ge had sensed was suspicious. Turning around, they found the two villas weren't far apart, only about 34 meters as the crow flies. A cherry blossom grove separated the two villas, and passage through the grove was unobstructed. Even a brief inspection revealed no signs of habitation inside the villa. A quick glance at the dust at the entrance and the water and electricity meter readings confirmed that no one had entered or exited the villa for at least the past month, making it a suspect.

So several police officers called the property management staff to witness and supervise, while the rest of the officers, ensuring that the body cameras were working properly, followed Lin Ge over the wall and went inside. Even the police dogs jumped in by stepping on their handlers' shoulders.

"found it!"

After unlocking the door and entering the villa, a safe in the study came into view. Especially after Li Siyu confirmed with Lin Ge that Mao Xiaoming's scent was present in the room and even on the safe, everyone became excited.

Upon hearing the news, Wang Guofeng rushed over, and at that moment, Lin Ge discovered a secret room in the closet of the second bedroom.

After asking a laborer to help tear open the partition, they found two passbooks in the hidden compartment.

"One million in one deposit! One million four hundred thousand in another! Both are large-denomination certificates of deposit, and with ten-year fixed interest rates! You bastard! You're preparing to live a life of luxury after serving ten years in jail!"

Unable to open the safe immediately, Wang Guofeng began cursing while holding the passbook.

The names on the passbooks weren't those of the Mao brothers, but those of a stranger named Li Nian. Wang Guofeng quickly contacted the People's Bank of China and soon discovered three more bank accounts under Li Nian's name. The banks were different, and the amounts varied, but all were five-year and ten-year fixed deposits. Li Nian's identity was quickly confirmed by the municipal police; he was a salesman for a food company under Mao Xiaoming. After being apprehended by the police, he confessed to accepting bribes from Mao Xiaoming and depositing the money for him.

To avoid being detected by the banking system, Li Nian opened five accounts at five different private banks, with each account holding no more than two million yuan, totaling seven million one hundred thousand yuan. It was indeed done without anyone noticing.

Soon after, a professional locksmith arrived and quickly unlocked the safe. Inside, thick stacks of cash dazzled everyone; the initial estimate was nearly a million yuan. Most of these banknotes were old bills, meaning they had been collected gradually from the physical businesses run by the Mao brothers.

In addition, there was a small stack of bank cards tied with rubber bands in the corner of the safe, which made everyone marvel at how well-prepared the Mao brothers were.

With the bank's cooperation, the details of these bank cards were quickly revealed.

Some of the cards were secretly processed by Mao Xiaoming and Mao Xiaoliang under the guise of employee salary cards, but the employees themselves were completely unaware of it from beginning to end.

In addition, some accounts are acquired directly from the black market. The original owners are usually elderly people or impoverished individuals from remote areas with very little contact with the outside world. These people are unlikely to be the type to idly check how many bank cards they own. They might never even need such a function or know anything about online banking. This makes it easy for criminals like Mao Xiaoming and Mao Xiaoliang to use other people's accounts to commit crimes.

According to statistics, there were a total of 37 bank cards, containing a total of 20.4 million yuan.

In other words, the scattered funds discovered so far already amount to as much as 30 million!
Although it was only one-seventh of the at least two hundred million yuan hidden by the Mao brothers, it was enough to make many police officers overjoyed. This proved that everyone's guess was correct! The Mao brothers' money was still in the city!

"According to professional analysis, those twenty black cards were likely money that had been laundered. The money launderers used these black cards to return the money to the Mao brothers, who then hid it in this villa."

"Black cards! They even have a professional name now? These bank accounts created by impersonating others must be controlled, otherwise they will easily become tools for criminals to profit and transfer assets."

"A single card worth less than a million won't be closely monitored by the bank. Especially those local banks, they only care about the money, not the person. And if you have enough of these bank cards, hundreds of millions can be hidden away without a trace! That's... utter nonsense!"

Yang Ye shook his head, looked up at Wang Guofeng and said, "Old Wang, 30 million is far from enough! But we've already dug up the ground for the two villas. Where do you think the Mao brothers would hide the rest of their money?"

(End of this chapter)