Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 556 Unexpected Discovery
By the time a group of backup police officers arrived, Lin Ge had already completed the search of the scene.

Besides the third floor, the fourth and fifth floors also had identical rooms. The security door to the fourth-floor room was even ajar; after Lin Ge crawled inside, he found it was a storage area for supplies. Although Lin Ge couldn't enter the fifth floor, he could roughly guess what it was like inside. In other words, it was likely a safe house, and Mao Xiaoming had prepared in advance to hide there for a long time should he be pursued by the police.

Waiting until things calm down before fleeing again is a common strategy among economic criminals. They rarely choose to confront the police directly, because the two sides are simply not on the same level.

It must be said that he was quite well-prepared in both handling his assets and evading capture.

Unfortunately, the case was discovered earlier than they expected, and the police acted more aggressively than anticipated, so much so that the Mao brothers were arrested before they could even react, thwarting their escape plan.

"Good heavens, so many property ownership certificates!"

An economic crime investigator, counting the evidence, exclaimed in astonishment. Looking at the file folder beside it, he noticed numerous real estate agency agreements on the table, in addition to business contracts. Although the property certificates on the table weren't registered under Mao Xiaoming's name, these agency agreements allowed for the easy transfer of properties to designated individuals through real estate agencies. It was possible to do so without even notifying the original homeowner; the agency agreements and photocopies of their ID cards were sufficient.

"These dozen or so houses together must be worth around seven or eight million, right?"

Another policeman shook his head, then gave a bitter laugh and said, "We're like building blocks, painstakingly finding each piece that Mao Xiaoming hid. It's a pity that millions seem like a lot, but in reality, it's just a small part of what Mao has. In total, there's still over a hundred million that's missing! If we don't find that money, the boss won't be able to handle the pressure from the government, and he'll definitely lash out at us."

The group worked on the task while sighing, feeling that this matter was really difficult to handle.

How long will it take to find out?
As professionals in economic crime investigation, they also knew one thing: no matter how busy countless police officers were working to collect these stolen funds, in the end, they were all helping the Mao brothers, Xiaoming and Xiaoliang, to lessen their crimes! They were all working for those two bastards!
Many economic crime convictions take into account restitution, compensation, and social impact. So what the hell are the police doing right now? Aren't they helping to mitigate the social impact of this security incident and helping the victimized farmers get their money back? Although the law states that participation in illegal fundraising is not protected and the government will not cover it up, how could they possibly ignore it completely? Even if they're unwilling, they should at least do their 'best effort'.

After a lot of effort, all the items in the safe house were finally brought back to the city police station.

As time went by, the story of Mao Xiaoming and Mao Xiaoliang's illegal fundraising case became the talk of the town throughout Zhangzhou.

Both victims and bystanders are discussing this matter, talking about how tempting hundreds of millions or even billions of yuan are, and how incompetent the police are, allowing so many people to be deceived by scammers, and so on.

Even online, similar attention-grabbing videos have appeared. Although there are no actual images, just the signs of Er Mao Grain Purchasing Station, Xiao Ming Food, and Xiao Liang Industry and Trade, along with old news articles and TV drama footage, are enough for them to fabricate numerous articles full of flaws. What does it matter whether this content is true or false? Even the protagonist's name is a pseudonym; who would admit to alluding to this case?

The controversy is escalating, but it will take the government and police a long time to quell it completely.

Putting everything else aside, just counting the number of victims and identifying the real ones is a rather complex and lengthy undertaking.

Even this afternoon, an elderly woman in her seventies or eighties came to the city police station and threw a tantrum. She insisted that Mao Xiaoming had swindled her out of one million yuan, but when the police received her, she couldn't explain where she got the money to be swindled.

This kind of opportunistic behavior, where people take advantage of others' misfortunes and claim to have been scammed when they are not actually involved, has added considerable difficulty to the police's work.

Furthermore, for the authorities, although they have found and controlled enough hidden assets, converting these real estate, luxury car, and shares into cash to promptly compensate the victims still requires complex procedures and a lot of time.

The cash recovered so far is only enough to repay the grain debt owed to farmers by the Mao family, and is insufficient to compensate other victims of the scam.

So some people tried to use connections to buy up the shares held by the Mao brothers at a low price. They knew the government desperately needed cash to appease the public, and the Mao brothers' valuable assets might be sold at a loss...

The amount involved in the fraud, which has been spread to nearly 10 billion yuan, is incredibly tempting, and the impact of this case continues to grow.

"But as long as we find all the remaining money, these troublesome matters can be resolved quickly. The government will be more at ease with money, the farmers will stop causing trouble after being compensated, and the case can be adjudicated quickly to quell public opinion."

Yang Ye, as the head of the task force, gave a final summary, putting the pressure back on his subordinate police officers.

But the hidden 100 million yuan won't just magically reappear. The Mao brothers, knowing their imprisonment is inevitable, are even less likely to confess. Finding this money will still require the police to work hard and patiently.

"It's impossible for Mao Xiaoming to convert all his money into fixed assets. They must still have a large amount of savings and cash. However, once this money has been laundered, it's difficult to investigate through the banks. The only way to find a breakthrough is through Mao Xiaoming. Don't stop interrogating the Mao brothers. The field investigation team should continue to work hard to see if anyone else knows any relevant information or if there are other places that could become the Mao brothers' hiding place for funds."

Yang Ye paused for a moment, then looked up at Nie Guoqiang sitting across from him in the conference room and said, "Old Nie, Mimi from your police station has been a great help this time. Hehe... she found most of the stolen money, which really makes us police officers ashamed. But we'll have to continue relying on her. If we can find all the remaining money this time, I'll apply for a first-class merit award for Mimi as a reward!"

This was all Yang Ye could offer to boost morale.

"Do I need this first-class merit award? Well, I really do want it."

Lin Ge glanced at Yang Ye with disdain, but had to admit that the temptation was very effective for him.

Furthermore, Lin Ge felt he should have received his first-class merit award long ago. Ever since cracking the Yang family drug trafficking case, it should have been his. Look at what Zhao Zhigao had done for that case! If the municipal bureau didn't award him and Lin Ge his two first-class merit awards, it would be truly unreasonable. And then there was the pandemic and other incidents; every time, Lin Ge had to work incredibly hard to resolve a case.
Unfortunately, the awarding of a first-class merit requires the approval of the Ministry of Public Security, unlike the second-class merit which is directly approved by the provincial government. Whether Lin Ge will receive the first-class merit plaque he so desperately wants, and when he will receive it, remains uncertain.

"But if I handle this case well, and Yang Ye helps me push it a bit, the first-class merit award should come out much faster, right?"

Thinking about this, Lin Ge was somewhat tempted.

It's not that he's materialistic, but a first-class merit is just too rare! This prestigious award is given out only a handful a year across the entire police force nationwide. As far as Lin Ge knows, there have been fewer than a handful in the entire Zhangzhou city since the idea first came about. If he could get his hands on one…

Licking his lips, Lin Ge was certain he had been successfully seduced.

What else is there to say? Let's floor the gas and keep going!
Lin Ge once again gathered all his underlings. This time, he patiently waited until all of them had assembled before asking Li Siyu to bring out clothes that smelled of Mao Xiaoming and Mao Xiaoliang. After thinking for a moment, he also brought out a piece of Yang Yuhua's clothing. He had all the underlings smell the clothes before ordering them to scatter and search every nook and cranny, every stinking ditch in Zhang City!

As for whether it will succeed, to be honest, Lin Ge wasn't sure either.

The police aren't fools. Over the past few days, they've thoroughly investigated and analyzed all of the Mao brothers' relationships, recent movements, and potential hiding places and activities. However, finding no trace of them suggests either the Mao brothers are exceptionally well-hidden, or there's something overlooked in the case. But what can they do now? On one hand, they can curse the money laundering bastards and remember them, vowing to punish them properly after the Mao brothers' case is closed; on the other hand, they can only intensify their investigation, searching high and low like looking for a needle in a haystack, hoping to find new clues.

The police are not omnipotent, and the inability to solve many cases quickly cannot be attributed to police incompetence. After all, solving a case is inherently a passive process, relying on the suspect's counter-investigation abilities; it requires a perfect storm of favorable conditions.

Lin Ge couldn't think of any other tricks at the moment, so he could only wait patiently to see if his underlings could bring him some unexpected joy.

"Meow~"

Time passed slowly. When Lin Ge got tired of standing, he would squat for a while, and when he got tired of squatting, he would walk around. Gradually, his underlings returned empty-handed, eating cat food as if it were none of their business, without feeling the slightest bit of guilt.

Lingo couldn't urge them on, since these guys had indeed done their best.

"Still haven't found it?"

Li Siyu sighed regretfully. Having partnered with Lin Ge for so long, she knew from Lin Ge's lack of intention to set off that these adorable kittens hadn't brought back any clues that would satisfy Mimi.

That makes sense. If things could be solved so easily, why would the Municipal Bureau be so troubled by it?

"Meow!" Suddenly, a black cat with white paws came running towards them while meowing from afar, having actually made an unexpected discovery.

Lin Ge's eyes lit up and he immediately went to meet it. Then the cat meowed at Lin Ge and hissed twice at the clothes that belonged to Yang Yuhua, meaning that it had found information related to Yang Yuhua.

"Yang Yuhua? Although she's also involved in the case, how much could she possibly hide as a scapegoat for the Mao brothers?"

Lin Ge was slightly disappointed, but discovering something new was always a good thing. So he patted the cat on the head and ran out of the police station with the now even more excited little guy, followed by several other curious cats.

‘Dingling bell~’

Just as Li Siyu was about to chase after them, her phone suddenly rang. She took it out and saw it was Nie Guoqiang's number.

"Li Siyu, come back with Mimi. Chief Ma from Shili Town has some new suspicions, and we need..."

"Director Nie, Mimi has set off on her mission; it seems she's found a new lead as well."

Li Siyu interrupted Nie Guoqiang mainly because the delay had caused Mimi to run far away with the black cat. Li Siyu was already too late to catch up, let alone call her back.
"Then let's focus on your side first! Take good care of Mimi, I'll have Li Yiduo go and support you right away."

Nie Guoqiang didn't insist, gave a few more instructions, and then hung up the phone.

"Is Li Yiduo coming over?"

Li Siyu's mood improved, and she put away her phone and quickly chased after Lin Ge.

A group of cats arrived at a residential area called Baiyun Road, under the curious gaze of passersby. Next to the residential area is Baiyun Road Elementary School. It was during school dismissal time, and the children, watching the cats dart across the street, excitedly pointed and chattered. Some of the more clueless kids even tried to cross the road, but were stopped by parents helping to maintain order. When they looked up again, the cats had vanished.

Then, when the cats were about to go to a building across the street, they were suddenly stopped by an old lady at the door who used a broom to drive the stray cats away.

Li Siyu, panting as she ran over, finally noticed a sign that read "Little Sun Childcare Center" hanging in the hallway. The old lady was probably someone from the center; no wonder she stopped the cat, which might hurt the children, from getting close.

"Is Yang Yuhua connected to this childcare center in any way?"

Lin Ge was puzzled, but he could indeed smell Yang Yuhua's scent at the entrance of the building. He suspected that the childcare center might be Yang Yuhua's business, but he also felt that such an obvious thing should not be hidden from the police investigation.

As for the children inside... Yang Yuhua is almost sixty years old, it shouldn't be that bad, right?
With a dry laugh, Lin Ge realized he must have been thinking evilly.

But just then, a young woman leading eight or nine children across the road, about to take them to the daycare center, suddenly came into Lin Ge's view.

At first, Lin Ge didn't pay much attention, until the children she brought became agitated because of the cats squatting there. So she quickly calmed them down and looked at Lin Ge warily, finally allowing Lin Ge to see her face clearly.

Upon seeing this, Lin Ge was stunned.

This young woman...she looks just like Yang Yuhua!

Not only her face shape, but even her eyebrows and eyes bore at least a 70% resemblance to Yang Yuhua's. Even the wary look on this woman's furrowed brow reminded Lin Ge of the expression he saw on Yang Yuhua's face when she was on the phone that day while he was monitoring her.

This is even more like it!

Lin Ge stared blankly at the woman, and even Li Siyu was somewhat taken aback. The woman, relieved to find the cats posed no threat, quickly turned and urged the children upstairs.

"Is she... Yang Yuhua's daughter?"

Li Siyu was a little curious, but after frowning, she thought that the records showed Yang Yuhua only had two sons, so she shouldn't have any daughters! This kind of thing couldn't be hidden from others, and Yang Yuhua and Mao Shouren had a very good relationship, which was common knowledge in the village.

"But no matter what, the appearance of this face is too coincidental! Coincidentally, Yang Yuhua also came to this childcare center. Who would believe that there is no connection between them?"

Lin Ge thought calmly but did not rush forward to investigate.

The main problem was that the old lady blocking the door was annoying; she stared at Lin Ge and his group as if they were some kind of stinky dog ​​poop.

Clearly, this old lady doesn't like cats.

But regardless, a new suspect has emerged! If she really is related to Yang Yuhua and the Mao brothers by blood, then she will definitely get some benefits from them, or even get involved.

After thinking for a moment, Lin Ge decisively found a secluded spot and dialed Nie Guoqiang's number.

“Mimi? Are you back? Director Ma needs your help. He remembered something: over twenty years ago, Mao Shouren asked him for a favor regarding a personal matter. Specifically, Yang Yuhua had a younger sister who passed away over a decade ago. But that's not the main point. The main point is that her sister had a daughter, but no one knows who her sister's husband or the daughter's father is. Back then, Mao Shouren asked Director Ma to help register the baby girl's household registration, using the woman's surname. However, recently, while investigating the Mao family's social connections, he suddenly realized that this woman wasn't even on the investigation's radar; she had mysteriously disappeared from the Mao family's lives over the years…”

"Is it such a coincidence?"

Lin Ge listened speechlessly to the rambling on the phone, not expecting that the new situation he had just discovered would be noticed by Ma Baifen at the same time.

It's understandable that Ma Baifen reacted late, given that it happened more than twenty years ago. Registering the baby girl's birth back then wasn't exactly illegal. But ultimately, Lin Ge deduced from Ma Baifen's account that the woman he had just seen was very likely the same baby girl from over twenty years ago.

This woman is actually Yang Yuhua's sister's daughter? And her existence has been deliberately hidden by the Mao family? Even Yang Yuhua can only visit her secretly?

why?
Is this necessary?

Unless it's said that the Mao family, especially Mao Xiaoming and Mao Xiaoliang, dislike this woman!
The reason?
This woman's unknown father?
who is it?

Mao Shouren?
Could this man, who had a good reputation in the countryside his whole life, have an illegitimate daughter behind him? And did he even marry Yang Yuhua and then take Yang Yuhua's younger sister into his arms as well?
I'm speechless.

But it makes sense.

The Mao brothers, Xiaoming and Xiaoliang, have caused such a big incident; they are clearly not law-abiding citizens! Although this matter may have nothing to do with Mao Shouren, it seems rather hard to believe that the Mao family has good family upbringing.

So... given how things have progressed, is this woman involved in the case?

(End of this chapter)