Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 609 Follow-up Investigation
Two police cars quickly arrived at the location where the crime had occurred, as captured on surveillance footage.

This is a secluded corner at the bridgehead. While it's not exactly deserted, it's certainly not on the main road, and few people would walk this way.

Especially now that it's summer, there are countless mosquitoes, rodents, and ants by the water every evening, and even centipedes and other unpleasant creatures lurking around, making pedestrians even less willing to go near this area.

Therefore, although the incident site is only 40 or 50 meters away from the main road, it is indeed difficult for people to notice what happened there.

However, for the police, things were not as complicated as they had imagined.

After arriving at the scene and investigating the surrounding environment, Zhang Ke quickly identified the traffic light surveillance footage at the intersection ahead. After requesting the traffic police to retrieve the footage, they discovered that although the van that had kidnapped the people hadn't gone straight through the traffic lights, its direction—circling around the lights and entering a side road—was enough to prove many things. Zhang Ke drove the police car along the riverside path, while Lin Ge peered out the window, searching for any trace of Yuan Xiaoai and her two companions' scent.

The van was actually very cautious; it took many detours near the crime scene, clearly trying to avoid surveillance.

It drove in all directions, sometimes zigzagging, sometimes even going through an alley into an open residential area next door, then through the area and out the back gate, then through a free parking lot, finally reaching the main road traffic.

In the past, with police tracking methods, such an operation would have given them a good chance of escaping pursuit.

However, given the current surveillance capabilities of the Zhangzhou police, such petty tricks are largely meaningless. Especially with a cat helping to determine the vehicle's direction of travel in areas without surveillance, the van's entire route was already clearly exposed. Li Yiduo also retrieved surveillance footage following the direction Zhang Ke's police car was currently traveling and quickly found a clear shot capturing the van's license plate. Afterwards, the police station, in conjunction with the traffic police squadron, highlighted the van's license plate in all citywide surveillance footage; instantly, its entire route became crystal clear, and the attempt to deceive itself became a joke.

"They've gone to such lengths to avoid surveillance and tracking; these kidnappers are more professional than we imagined!"

Zhang Ke's expression didn't ease much.

The more complex their actions, the more cautious they are in doing this. Frankly, this isn't good news; at least the current clues suggest that their actions weren't impulsive or accidental.

Sure enough, not long after, following the traffic police squadron's surveillance footage, Zhang Ke found a used car trading, rental, and repair market, and with Lin Ge's help, he discovered the van in a corner of the parking lot.

It was completely dark by then, and the van was empty, clearly indicating a change of vehicle to move people.

This used car market is large, with many entrances and exits, and is also used as a free parking lot by nearby residents. The owners of each used car dealership only install surveillance cameras within their own parking areas, completely ignoring the more secluded areas. Zhang Ke found it difficult to determine from the market's surveillance footage what the van had done. The only thing he was certain of, according to Mimi's assessment, was that the people hadn't abandoned the vehicle and fled, but had instead transferred to another car and left.

What kind of car it is and what its license plate number is are all unknown.

Later, the traffic police also reported that the van they found was actually an abandoned vehicle, a "zombie car," left behind by its original owner. These kinds of abandoned vehicles, not properly scrapped by their original owners, are common throughout China. Perhaps it's not worth it, perhaps it's too much trouble, or perhaps the paperwork and documents are insufficient; many people are too lazy to deal with their unwanted vehicles and simply find a free spot to dump them.

As a result, these vehicles have become the perfect means of transportation in the eyes of some criminals, who can easily drive them away to conceal their identities with just a little trickery.

Not to mention... there are several car repair shops in this courtyard, offering a one-stop service of unlocking, repairing, and refueling on-site, and driving away immediately.

At this point, if you were to ask these repair shops if they had done anything, they would naturally know nothing. Furthermore, it was already dark, and almost all the surrounding shops were closed and unable to cooperate, so Zhang Ke could only express his regret and helplessness.

"These people are not ordinary kidnappers."

Having gone through all that trouble and gained nothing, Zhang Ke was not very satisfied with the result.

Of course, as a police officer, he wouldn't give up so easily. Timeliness is crucial in kidnapping cases; the sooner the victim is rescued, the better her safety can be guaranteed.

Although the vehicle tracking has failed so far, it doesn't mean we're completely out of options. For one thing, Mimi hasn't spoken yet; we should wait until Mimi has found nothing before considering giving up.

"This is really... troublesome!"

Lingo wagged its tail in frustration and then circled the empty van once more.

I tried pushing the side door of the van and found it was loose and wouldn't latch properly. Once the door was opened, I discovered the latch was broken; the chain was missing, and it was only held in place by a sliding chain like those used for interior doors. Besides the dilapidated driver and passenger seats, the back of the van had been completely stripped of its seats, leaving only a few cheap plastic stools, two of which had broken legs.

Once inside, looking into the driver's cab, even the place where the radio used to be was just a large gap, revealing various colored wire ends. The manual transmission gear lever was a welded iron rod, and the keyhole was a small button like those used in arcade games.

Lin Ge watched this scene speechlessly, and had to admit that the mechanic's DIY skills were indeed impressive. He was able to get this beat-up car moving and on the road, and even the key ignition was modified to electronic ignition.

One word, absolutely!

Of course, that's not the point. The point is that ever since he accepted the mission, Lingo has smelled a strange odor at the site of the accident at the Third Main Canal.

Once inside the van, the smell became even clearer.

It was a scent that was hard to describe, a combination of wild grass and earth. Upon closer inspection, the entire floor of the van was indeed covered in mud, and the footrests under the driver's seat were also covered in mud and bits of green grass. It hadn't rained in Zhangzhou in the last few days, so generally these things shouldn't be stuck to the soles of shoes, unless they usually frequented muddy areas, and specifically, the kind of wild places.

Lin Ge found it easy to distinguish between muddy fields in the countryside and muddy fields in the wilderness; the smells of crops and wild grasses were also quite different. So, after wandering around the van, Lin Ge judged that these people were most likely hiding outside the city.

Not only that, ignoring Zhang Ke's advice, Lin Ge dug up a clump of semi-dry soil with shoe prints and quickly found sand and gravel mixed in inside.

It wasn't the usual sand and dust, nor was it the yellow sand used in construction. Instead, it was the kind of untreated, silty, grayish-white sand and debris that's common along riverbanks.

If you look down and sniff again, besides the smell of feet, there is also a faint smell of river water.

“The smell of flowing water and still water is completely different. Ordinary rivers inevitably carry the greasy smell of industrial and domestic pollution. The fresh, fishy smell in this soil indicates the cleanliness of the water source and the excellent conditions for aquatic life, so there are not many options. Considering the distance and accessibility, the only places around Zhangshi that are in the suburbs and can erode river sand are probably along the Han River and around the Zhanghe Reservoir.”

Just as many people can tell the difference between wild and farmed fish, Lingo can discern the subtle differences in the tiny water stain before him.

He looked up to make a judgment, but knew that this alone was not enough.

The Han River stretches a long way, and the Zhanghe Reservoir covers a distance of over 100 kilometers. More clues are needed to pinpoint the other party's location.

The best course of action right now is to locate the vehicle driven by the suspect as soon as possible and determine whether it came from the Han River or the Zhanghe Reservoir by the direction it entered the city. With this evidence, it will be easier to determine where the target went.

'Ding-a-ling~'

After searching the surrounding area without finding any further clues, Zhang Ke was about to get into the van when his phone rang.

"Zhang Ke, the investigation results for Yuan Xiao'ai are in. She doesn't have a stable job, and nobody knows how she makes a living. However, after adding her ID card to the system, we found that Yuan Xiao'ai and a woman named Yuan Xiaomin have highly overlapping fingerprints, suggesting they might be the same person. This woman named Yuan Xiaomin was arrested for prostitution four years ago in another city. Furthermore, her credit history is seriously problematic, with numerous online loan transactions. Yuan Xiaomin also has a lawsuit related to marriage fraud involving dowry. Yuan Xiaomin's ID card address is Zhuzhen, Beixian County, Chushi City, Chu Province, which is also Yuan Xiao'ai's hometown, making it possible she has two household registrations."

Li Yiduo spoke eloquently, using data analysis to uncover additional details about Yuan Xiaoai's identity.

"Two household registrations in one person, and the other one is for a prostitute? What's this? A prostitute got tired of it, reformed herself, and then hid her identity to marry an honest man?" Zhang Ke was stunned for a moment, then quickly sneered.

However, Zhang Ke was not surprised at all by the fact that he had two household registrations.

After all, the police station is the department in charge of household registration, and these kinds of things have been handled many times before.

Previously, when provincial and municipal household registration departments still used paper-based records, information exchange between provinces and cities was cumbersome and inconvenient, leading to many people engaging in fraudulent activities, and dual household registrations were not uncommon. However, with repeated national population censuses and the tracking and screening of personal information in the internet age, these dual household registrations are easily detected, and the local police station can notify the individuals and order the forced cancellation of their registrations, thus closing the loopholes.

However, it's clear that Yuan Xiaoai is one of those who slipped through the net. She used two different household registrations for her social activities—one for an ordinary person and the other for a criminal—with no connection between them. It wasn't until her downfall that the flaws were finally discovered.

“Yuan Xiaoai’s life is not very traceable. At first glance, she seems like a homebody who doesn’t like to go out. Even Wang Dajun was unaware of her other identity. But Yuan Xiaomin’s social traces are very rich. I found a lot of evidence about her activities in various bars and KTVs in Zhangzhou City, which is probably her source of income. In addition, I also found out that Yuan Xiaomin has been frequently going to Zhanghe Scenic Area in the past two months. She even bought an annual tourist pass there.”

"A local resident of Zhangzhou City buying an annual pass for the Zhanghe Scenic Area? What is she doing here, as a tour guide?"

Zhang Ke frowned in confusion.

"An annual pass for the Zhanghe Scenic Area... does that mean it's not within the Han River basin, but within the Zhanghe Scenic Area itself?"

With Li Yiduo's support, Lin Ge decisively ruled out his previous assumptions about the origin of the soil. Combining his own judgment with the clues provided by Li Yiduo, it was clear that something unexpected had happened in the Zhanghe Scenic Area recently.

Yuan Xiaoai, or rather Yuan Xiaomin, may have done something far more complicated than Li Yiduo's investigation revealed.

"Should we go and investigate the Zhanghe Scenic Area?"

Zhang Ke was unaware that the kidnappers might also be from the Zhanghe Scenic Area, so he questioned Lin Ge just to be on the safe side.

"She was definitely kidnapped and taken to that place!"

Lingo nodded emphatically.

So they set up a simple cordon at the scene, and the group hurriedly got back into the car and headed straight for the Zhanghe Scenic Area.

Zhang Ke contacted Zheng Mingxing midway through the search, requesting Zheng Mingxing to coordinate with the Zhanghe River Police. After all, the entire Zhanghe Scenic Area is quite large, and now is not the time to rely on just four or five people to slowly search it.

What did Mimi say?

Zheng Mingxing still trusted Lin Ge more. Although he agreed to Zhang Ke's request to contact the water police, he was worried that Zhang Ke might have investigated in the wrong direction and missed the most critical rescue time.

Lin Ge nodded decisively.

With his evolved sense of smell, his judgment regarding details is virtually infallible. The kidnappers most likely came from the Zhanghe Scenic Area; if they were wrong, they would have gone to the Han River. There's no third possibility.

"I will send Li Yiduo to the used car market to investigate the surrounding surveillance and all vehicles entering and leaving. If we can find a suspected vehicle that actually entered the used car market from the Zhanghe Scenic Area, then this case will be simple."

“The suspect may own more than just that abandoned car. I think it will be very difficult to identify the suspect through vehicle information.”

"But we can't let this lead go."

Zheng Mingxing wasn't discouraged. He just laughed on the other end of the phone and said, "Moreover, if it's confirmed that the suspect is still driving an abandoned car, that would actually prove one thing: this group is very cautious and cunning. What they're up to is definitely not something trivial. Oh, wait a minute, Xie Hua sent over a clue from the bank. Yuan Xiaoai deposited the dowry money she received from Lü Zhiquan into the bank, but just a month ago, 200,000 yuan of it was transferred to a private account. This man named Meng Kai is a fisherman on the Xietang embankment of the Han River, and he has a criminal record for gambling. He was just released from prison at the beginning of this year, so this matter might be related to him."

"Gambling in groups? Haha... The Xietang River embankment is deserted and has an unobstructed view of the surroundings. Isn't it a perfect place to hide gambling in groups?"

Zhang Ke sneered.

"Yes! I suspect that Yuan Xiaoai and the other two were kidnapped and harmed because of gambling debts. People like them make money easily and without any dreams or pursuits, making them extremely prone to becoming addicted to gambling."

So... is it the Zhanghe Scenic Area or the Hanjiang River Embankment?

As more and more valid clues gathered, both Zheng Mingxing and Zhang Ke were very excited. However, the question Zhang Ke asked at the end made Zheng Mingxing hesitate for a moment.

"Send people from both sides?"

Zhang Ke then made another suggestion.

“No way! We only have so few people, and the Han River and Zhang River areas are so vast, how can we possibly investigate them all? Besides, there might be more than four or five people in that group. If we have too few people, won't we just alert them and let them escape? Zhang Ke, ask Mimi if she knows any other clues. I don't think Mimi should be so silent today.”

Zheng Mingxing rejected the suggestion to divide the troops, but decided to listen to Lin Ge's opinion after some thought.

"You've already uncovered so much, what more do I need to say?"

Lin Ge squatted in the passenger seat, rolled his eyes, and then raised his paw to signal Zhang Ke to keep driving. The police officers at Zhanghe Police Station weren't useless; now they didn't need him to work too hard, just make the most crucial decisions.

Zhang Ke told Zheng Mingxing about Lin Ge's attitude, and Zheng Mingxing agreed without hesitation. He immediately dispatched a second wave of police officers from the police station, led by Zhang Yong, to quickly support the Zhanghe Scenic Area.

This attitude and sense of agreement made Lin Ge very satisfied.

"But... is it really as Zheng Mingxing said, that Yuan Xiaoai, or rather Yuan Xiaomin, was kidnapped because of gambling or debt? She earns money easily, and she still has over 100,000 yuan in her account. As for owing money and not paying it back?"

Lin Ge squatted in the passenger seat, waiting for the police car to drive towards the Zhanghe Scenic Area, while pondering seriously.

When I first met Yuan Xiaoai, I felt that this woman was excessively promiscuous.

With just a slight threat from Wang Dajun, she agreed to such an outrageous and shameless thing. This can't be explained simply by love for her boyfriend. This woman's attitude towards sex and her moral values ​​seem ridiculously depraved. Does someone like her have other motives for going to places where people gamble?
"It shouldn't be possible, right?"

Lin Ge gave a wry smile, feeling that he might have been overestimating Yuan Xiaoai.

But the fact remains that this woman is shameless and has a long history of prostitution. Who can guarantee that she isn't doing business in a casino?
Then, for some reason, he fell out with his partner, which led to today's kidnapping incident?
It's all possible.

Thank you to reader Tan Junwind for the 100-coin reward. Thank you everyone for your support.

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(End of this chapter)