Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 588 The Terrifying Corpse Forest

Lin Ge took a moment to call Sun Chang and learned that everything was normal at Zhanghe Police Station and that he didn't need to worry.

Although various trivial matters still kept everyone at the station extremely busy, no serious incidents like those in Baiyan City occurred, and life at the various police stations in Zhangzhou City remained relatively stable.

Nothing particularly noteworthy happened at the cattery, except that the little Ragdoll's belly was visibly growing bigger and bigger. However, after Huang Qi's examination, both she and the kittens inside her were fine, and they were just waiting for a safe birth.

However, since Mimi left, fewer stray cats have been coming to the police station every day. Firstly, their leader isn't home, and secondly, their living conditions have improved, so they don't need to come begging for food as often. And the female tortoiseshell cat, "Money Tree," and the others have also become rather lazy lately. Before Mimi was here, they would occasionally go out to play and sometimes even return home late at night; but since Mimi left, they've stayed home quietly and haven't gone out at all.

Sun Chang also mentioned that one day, the magpie he had brought back from Sichuan Province led more than a dozen followers to the police station, making a ruckus. It seemed something had happened, and they even took the little tiger geese and the snow-clawed tiger geese away. The two little guys didn't return until the next day, looking disheveled as if they had been in a fight. When Sun Chang examined them, he judged from the downy feathers on the little tiger geese's beak that they had probably fought with a flock of geese.

Lin Ge knew that the geese were very strong, and he didn't know if the two of them had suffered any losses.

In short, although the man and the cat could not communicate normally, the tacit understanding between him and Sun Chang remained. Without Lin Ge speaking, Sun Chang knew what he wanted to ask, and rambled on and on with great interest, giving a detailed account of the recent situation at the institute.

After making the contact, Lin Ge breathed a sigh of relief, put aside his homesickness, and continued working diligently.

His mission this time was to lead two police dogs from Baiyan City, a Bull Terrier named Awoo and a Spotted German Shepherd named Jifeng, to conduct a search and investigation around Jingyue Temple.

Having learned from the fat man that they were responsible for more than just two or three murders, it was imperative to find the remains of the other victims. Although the fat man claimed to know nothing about where the bodies had been disposed of, logically and based on their behavior patterns, they couldn't have been thrown too far away. Guan Er had assaulted and murdered the victims who went to Jingyue Temple to worship; such a ruthless killer wouldn't have the patience to spend a significant amount of time moving the bodies. In other words, the bodies were most likely in the deep mountains near Jingyue Temple, since those people usually came here secretly to pray, and even if they disappeared, they wouldn't be suspected of going to such a 'sacred place'.

It has to be said that the area around Jingyue Temple is a perfect place for murder and burial, and there are always idiots coming here like moths to a flame.

As for these victims, Lingo had nothing to say about them.

Even in this technological age, some people still believe in superstitions, believing that worshipping gods can guarantee the birth of only sons, that the gods at Jingyue Temple are truly 'efficacious,' and that worshipping gods can protect them from all evil... Such thinking leads to any consequences that they themselves bring upon themselves.

They've only caused trouble for the police; they don't deserve any sympathy.

"Wang!"

Ah-woo wagged its tail excitedly, running and jumping around Lingo, showing great excitement at finally being able to act with this cat.

But it's better than those bastard dogs in Zhangzhou City in that it at most lowers its head and sniffs a couple of times, then jumps away as if it's gained a great advantage, barking excitedly and wagging its little tail like a windmill.

Gale, on the other hand, behaved very well. Although it kept glancing at Ringo along the way, it stayed close to its trainer. It both envied Ah Wu's unrestrained behavior and was loyal to its duty. It was a good dog that was both praiseworthy and honest, yet somewhat pitiful.

Sometimes, Lin Ge would curiously approach Jifeng and greet it, and it would respond with a soft "woof" in a silly voice, but it could never be as lively as a "woof".

"Your cat is really something else!"

Jiang Bo held Ah Wu's chain in his hand, but had already untied it, letting Ah Wu run around freely nearby. He looked around and chatted with Li Siyu, only calling Ah Wu back when it had run quite far.

"It's just an ordinary cat, nothing special about it."

While responding, Li Siyu fiddled with the stun gun in her hand. It was her first time operating such a device, and she was slightly worried about injuring herself. However, the previous ordeal at Jing Yue'an had made the Baiyan City police wary of the criminals' ruthlessness, so even though Li Siyu was a police officer from out of town and only an auxiliary police officer, they had still obtained a set of combat gear for her. Li Siyu was even wearing a stab-proof vest, and Jiang Bo and Wei Cheng were also fully armed.

"To be honest, this time Baiyan City has completely lost face. Superstition has reached the point of murder and sacrifice, and several lives have been lost! This kind of thing must be used as a typical negative example and reported to the whole country. Alas, this year's bonus is gone."

Jiang Bo didn't get too close to Li Siyu, only discussing official matters. After all, this beautiful policewoman already had a boyfriend, and Li Yiduo's actions at Jingyue Nunnery had earned his respect and approval.

"To be honest, it's our fault that such a big case was only discovered now. Especially when the family of one of the missing persons came to my city of Baiyan to report the case and ask for help, if we had thought a little more carefully at that time, we might have been able to catch the murderer sooner."

Wei Cheng spoke softly.

His words left Jiang Bo speechless for a moment. After thinking for a moment, he could only sigh and say, "But who would have thought that there would be a serial killer in Baiyan City? It's just a regular disappearance, and there's no concrete evidence that Baiyan City was the last stop. Who would have thought that she had lost her life? Moreover, that woman didn't tell anyone where she went, and her life didn't intersect with the daily routines of Baiyan City. Even a god wouldn't have thought that she would sneak off to Jingyue Nunnery, right? Heh... A woman who had a one-night stand in a bar and actually tried to get ahead by having a son for the other person, or even took shortcuts and sought help from evil ways to get to Jingyue Nunnery, from a non-police perspective, I don't think there's any need to sympathize with her at all."

"After all, they were murdered, so let's refrain from saying anything unpleasant!"

Li Siyu frowned and interrupted Jiang Bo. Although she didn't deserve pity, there was no need to make sarcastic remarks about that woman's plight.

Jiang Bo and Wei Cheng nodded and stopped discussing the topic.

Based on the rough intelligence obtained from the fat man, the large team arrived at the deep mountains behind Jingyue Temple. The remaining police officers were responsible for finding the location the fat man had mentioned—the "three trees embracing each other"—while Li Siyu and her two companions, as the first team, led police dogs and cats to conduct a wide-ranging search of the surrounding area. They first found Guan Er's hoe, shovel, and other burial tools in a low, simple shed halfway up the mountain. They even discovered a dirty bed sheet, suspected of being a crime scene violation, inside the shed. However, the bed sheet was filthy from daily use, and extracting any usable evidence from it would likely require considerable effort from the forensic center.

Not long after, Ringo smelled an unusual scent in a thicket of bushes. As he followed the scent, Ah-wu also noticed it and even ran ahead of Ringo, burrowing into a patch of overgrown ground and digging frantically with its claws.

Soon, Ah Wu dug out a pale, white thigh bone.

That beast, Guan Er, couldn't even be bothered to bury it deep.

Jiang Bo quickly called for the main force to come over, and they soon dug out a gruesome corpse that had been reduced to nothing but bones. Based on the shape of the pelvis, the deceased was determined to be female, and the cause of death was severe trauma to the back of the head. Even with only bone remaining, the gruesome gash cleaved by an axe was a shocking sight. Judging from the posture of the body in the pit, she had likely suffered inhuman torture before her death, with obvious fractures in her limbs.

"Well……"

Li Siyu covered her mouth, feeling nauseous, but ultimately, her face turned ashen and she chose not to back down. Instead, she quietly watched as the surveyors picked up the poor man and put him into a body bag.

"This is too tragic! This is too inhumane!"

Seeing the bones, no longer resembling human figures, but instead placed in body bags like ordinary objects in a horrible state, brought tears to Li Siyu's eyes.

How could a person end up like this?

"Wang Wang!"

Suddenly, Gale barked and tried to break free from Wei Cheng's grasp, its eyes fixed on another spot not far from the excavation site.

"Phew... I have a bad feeling, I want to kill someone!"

Jiang Bo took a deep breath.

Lin Ge had no intention of continuing to work. He had already made a very bad guess when he arrived in this place, and now he didn't even want to step into this overgrown land.

Sure enough, the second body was discovered very quickly. To be precise, the second and third bodies were discovered together.

The two were buried in the same spot, carelessly dumped into a shallow pit as if they were butchering pork. The victims were a man and a woman, their ages and identities unknown; their still-intact clothing suggested they were a couple, but tragically, they were both buried in such a wretched place. Their cause of death was also severe head trauma; the woman's skull was even fractured at the back, demonstrating the immense force of the blow.

"Killing such a beast a hundred times wouldn't be enough!"

Jiang Bo gritted his teeth.

He'd been a police officer for several years, but this was the first time he'd ever seen such a horrific scene. This once lush and verdant meadow was no longer human; it was more terrifying than hell itself!
The next two hours were filled with intense work, and all three bodies that had been found were successfully contained. By this time, Ah-wu and Ji-feng were also at their limit. The two dogs were a little disappointed that they hadn't found any more clues, and they squatted pitifully behind Lin Ge with their tongues sticking out.

Seeing that the police officers seemed to be relaxing, Lin Ge knew this was unacceptable.
Having already sensed something amiss on another piece of land, he didn't give the police a chance to end the pressure. He called out to Li Siyu, then slowly walked to the suspected burial site and let out a harsh and piercing howl.

"Fuck!"

The police officers, who had finally finished collecting the remains, turned pale and began to curse.

"There are still more?"

Jiang Bo's expression was also not good. He thought he had already suffered enough stimulation today, you bastard!
"Hmph! It's still early!"

Lingo flicked its tail in annoyance and went to another patch of dense grass, where it slapped a thorny branch that was half a person's height off with a single swipe of its paw.

Everyone looked ashen-faced.

Soon, two more corpses were unearthed.

One of them was a pale skeleton, while the other was not yet completely decomposed. The disgusting bones were covered with fascia, and the ground emitted a nauseating stench as soon as it was dug up.

Several police officers could no longer hold back and ran a short distance away to vomit. They looked at Lin Ge as if he were a plague god.

Then, while cursing Guan Er's family, everyone gritted their teeth and put on three or even four masks to continue working. Finally, just as darkness was about to fall, they finished collecting all the corpses from this hellish place.

To be honest, it's shocking!

What kind of heartless, cold-blooded, and inhuman being would bury all the people he killed in the same place? Wasn't he afraid when he buried the bodies? He clearly believed in ghosts and gods, yet he wasn't afraid of being avenged by the spirits of those who died unjustly?
"Because the person who buried the body was Guan Yu's foolish son."

Ma Shun gave an answer, then sighed, "Auntie Ba confessed some things, and to be honest, I really don't know how to evaluate them. She was seventeen years older than Guan Er. After being raped and giving birth to a mentally challenged son, her only wish was for her son to grow up safely without being bullied, and ideally, to get married and establish himself. Guan Er naturally didn't care about this mentally challenged son, and even disliked him, treating him as a burden. But in order to blackmail Auntie Ba, he still took the mentally challenged son with him and used him as a laborer. He even taught him things like murder and burying bodies. And Auntie Ba, in order to protect her son, had no choice but to compromise with Guan Er. Originally, she only did some deceitful things at the Jingyue Nunnery, but in the end, she became Guan Er's tool. Not only did she have to support his extravagant spending, but she also had to help him harm people. And all she asked for was that Guan Er not abandon her son after she died..."

"This is outrageous!"

A policewoman slammed her hand on the conference room table and said with exasperation, "How stupid can she be to place her hopes on such a beast?"

"Perhaps she believes even tigers don't eat their cubs? Or should I praise her and say, 'There's no one better than a mother in this world'?"

Another policeman let out a cold laugh.

Everyone's faces were grim, because this case had escalated to a point where it was no longer just a simple serial murder case. Leaving aside the still unresolved truths about the murders ten years and earlier, Guan Er had at least been proven connected to this case, and the numerous other murders implicated him had increased the total number of victims in the serial murder case from ten to fifteen—and that was only the minimum.

Yes! The number of lives lost in Guan Ershou's case is definitely more than those that have already been discovered, because the burial site was only revealed by his mentally challenged son.

How good could a mentally challenged person's memory be? There are definitely other victims who haven't been discovered yet! And this doesn't even include the possibility that Guan Er committed crimes alone; he definitely has a lot of lives on his hands!

"No wonder that bastard refused to confess; he knew he was doomed whether he confessed or not!"

A middle-aged policeman gritted his teeth.

"Could we try to persuade him to confess? Since he's going to die anyway, why keep hiding it?"

The policewoman offered her suggestions.

"We've already tried, but it's no use. Even in death, this guy is determined to ensure his victims never see the light of day again and can never be reincarnated. To be honest, he's more superstitious than we thought, and ordinary interrogation methods are useless against him."

Ma Shun shook his head regretfully.

"Superstition is harmful! This time, we really can't tolerate it any longer. I will discuss with the city government soon to see how to completely eradicate superstitious beliefs in Baiyan City. I used to think it wasn't a big deal, but now I think everyone in the city should realize their mistake. Heh... With the development of the national education system, everyone should know the falsehood and harm of feudal superstition; but why is it that even highly educated people are fooled by an illiterate gossip? Some rambling, flawed statements are believed by people who have gone to university or even passed the postgraduate entrance exam. It's ridiculous!"

"Has the victim's identity been confirmed?"

Several police officers looked up at the same time.

Ma Shun nodded, picked up a piece of paper from the documents on the table, and handed it to the policeman next to him, indicating that he should read it and then pass it on.

"Among the victims discovered this time, only the two buried together had items found nearby that could identify them. The two were a graduate student couple from South China University. Near their remains, an undamaged metal button bearing the words 'South China University' was found. After contacting South China University and the local municipal police station, we learned that two history graduate students did indeed go missing while traveling six years ago and have not been found to this day. Based on the student records provided by the university and the reconstruction of their height and facial features by the technical center here, the two are basically a match. Although a definitive conclusion still requires DNA verification from the family, in terms of solving the case, we can already confirm the identities of the victims."

"Graduate students...or history majors? What exactly are they researching? Are they learning to believe in feudal superstition and ghosts?"

After reading the document, a bespectacled policeman couldn't help but shout out his anger.

"..."

The others didn't know what to say either.

Scammers usually target ignorant and foolish people, but now they're going downhill from there. These supposedly intellectuals are actually superstitious and seeking divine help, and then they end up losing their lives.

"We can't just focus on interrogating Guan Er and Ba Pogu; we must also hurry up and look for clues in other areas."

Liu Yuan tapped the table, glanced at everyone present, and then said seriously, "This case is far from over or a time to breathe a sigh of relief! This matter is not over until all the victims and all the hidden perpetrators are found! By the way, I do not accept the arbitrary blaming of all the crimes on Guan Er and a fool! Until everything is clarified, this case will continue to remain a cold case in Baiyan City, bringing you glory!"

(End of this chapter)