Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 673 Caught in the Middle and Suffering

"Here……"

Lin Ge stared blankly at the TV screen as the host continued his passionate speech, a scene that lasted for two or three seconds.

Heaven knows why CCTV-1, the most important news program, would keep such a strange image of a flood, torrential rain, and a cat for two or three seconds.

Don't underestimate this short segment; remember, this is the evening news broadcast! Every piece of content and every sentence has been carefully reviewed and approved. So, what's the significance of this image, which takes up the entire TV frame, being selected?

Lin Ge didn't quite understand.

The police officers in the police station, as well as the group of elderly people around them, had no time to consider this issue at that moment.

They stared in astonishment at the television screen until it disappeared after the host finished speaking, then they all turned to look at the cat yawning on the counter.

"why?"

Zhao Zhigang and even Zhu Jun had questions popping into their minds.

"Tsk!"

Nie Guoqiang and Zheng Mingxing were amazed, unsure how to describe Lin Ge's good fortune.

"That cat..."

"Look at that cat, it's soaking wet. Was it swept away by the water and then rescued by our People's Liberation Army? They couldn't rescue any people, so they rescued a cat to make up the numbers?"

"No way? Isn't that the same cat on TV that's in the police station?"

"It doesn't look like it! The one inside is incredibly skinny, while the one at our police station is so fat!"

"But the collar around the neck looks quite similar..."

"Have you gained weight?"

Seeing the news shift to another topic, the elderly men and women all turned to look at Lin Ge beside them. Their whispers and glances filled Lin Ge with shame and indignation, and he even began to feel inexplicably confused now that he realized what was happening.

At the time of the flood, who secretly took photos with a camera?

Upon careful consideration, Lin Ge realized he had no recollection of it at all.

On another note, while it's odd that a cat appears in the frame for only three seconds, Lin Ge has to admit that the photo is truly excellent! Whether it's the overhead composition, the message of defying the flood, or the feeling of people and cat working together to overcome the disaster, it's all superb. The first impression this picture gives is the disdain and indifference of the people of Zhangzhou towards the flood; the second thought is why a cat appeared in the news.

As for the third impression... it only lasts for two or three seconds, who can think that much!
Even so, Lin Ge's appearance on television still thrilled everyone at the police station. Although the news unfortunately didn't mention the Zhanghe Police Station, the fact that the police cat was featured prominently was still a source of pride for them.

Once the mystery is solved, the surprises are pretty much over.

Everyone here is an adult; they shouldn't get so excited about being on the news once that they don't know what to do or keep replaying the event in their minds. After a few brief discussions, and a few words of encouragement from Yu Zhengwei and Zheng Mingxing, the news broadcast came to an end. Next, everyone carefully checked the official weather forecast, confirming that there would be no more heavy rainfall in Chu Province and the vicinity of Zhang City in the near future. Then, Zheng Mingxing announced that everyone was dismissed and should go about their business.

After all, no matter how much you make the news, life goes on the same every day.

The cat's appearance on CCTV's evening news didn't cause much of a stir online. Under the control of the cyber police, its popularity, and the online attention given to CCTV's evening news, were quickly overshadowed by news of a celebrity concert and an actor's house collapse. Even the jokes and discussions at the police station only lasted until the next morning; by the afternoon, no one was talking about it anymore. Everyone's attention was focused on a distressing incident that had occurred in the Baimiao district.

Due to recent flooding and prolonged waterlogging, the first floor of an unlicensed detached building developed by a private owner more than a decade ago collapsed.

Perhaps the soil was softened by waterlogging, or perhaps the foundation was not properly laid; in any case, a huge crater appeared on the ground floor of the building. More than a meter deep and three to four meters wide, it not only caused most of the courtyards of the residents on both sides of the ground floor to sink in, but also blocked the only staircase used for everyone's access. The concrete ground near the main entrance completely crumbled and collapsed, trapping the residents of this nine-story building inside, unable to escape for the time being.

Although firefighters arrived promptly and used scaffolding and steel bridges to evacuate all residents of the affected building, only people were moved. Personal belongings and personal items couldn't be taken away in such a short time.

Since no one knew whether the collapse was limited to the area visible in front of them, or if the entire foundation beneath the building had collapsed, the fire brigade and Baimiao Police Station immediately cordoned off the entire building, prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving. As a precaution, after calculating the distance to the collapse site, they also evacuated all residents of another nearby residential complex. This affected hundreds of families, leading to widespread complaints.

People didn't resist taking refuge, after all, their lives were the most important thing.

But once something like this happens, putting aside the extra expenses and inconvenience of life, even those who are just watching the spectacle will worry about whether their own houses will be damaged.

Furthermore, upon learning that the building was an illegal construction project built by a private owner, various discussions and accusations arose, putting considerable pressure on the housing management bureau, the housing and construction department, the police, and the government.

Private development of unlicensed buildings is a legacy issue and a matter of national condition, so there's no point in discussing it now. However, after this incident, regardless of how to deal with this dangerous building, the city quickly issued an order to assess and inspect all unlicensed and unqualified buildings, as well as illegal additions to private residences, and to take appropriate action and expedite maintenance and repairs on buildings that failed the inspection.

Originally, this matter had nothing to do with the police station; it was at most the responsibility of the housing and construction department, the community, and the urban management officers.

But regardless of whether they were built without permits or construction qualifications, the residents who bought and lived in these houses all paid for them in real terms.

While only a minority of houses were deemed substandard or even dangerous, a significant number of eighth and ninth-floor units were directly classified as illegal constructions according to national standards. The fact that these houses were deemed illegal and prohibited from being sold immediately caused dissatisfaction among the homeowners.

Although it lacks a permit, a house like this still costs anywhere from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of yuan, which is not cheap. Leaving aside the fact that the homeowner will have to pay for repairs and reinforcements, the thought of an unlicensed house becoming an illegal structure and being stuck with it forever is something few people would willingly accept.
In recent years, the government has been working to integrate land certificates and property certificates into real estate certificates. The original land certificates and the so-called "general certificates" for uncertified houses have already created risks in terms of real estate ownership.

The residents were already distressed by the complicated demolition compensation and mortgage loan situation. Now, things have gotten even worse; the houses on the eighth and ninth floors are now considered illegal structures! This means that aside from continuing to live there, whether they want to sell them or face future demolition, their houses are now a dead end. They may have bought the unlicensed "insulation layer" cheaply, but they can't let their life savings go to waste! Furthermore, according to the on-site urban construction department, the government can order the demolition or confiscate the houses according to the "Urban and Rural Planning Law," leaving them homeless?

How can anyone tolerate this?

As a result, in the past few days, conflicts and disputes between residents of illegally constructed houses and housing construction, urban construction, and urban management departments have increased in both Baimiao District and Zhanghe and Longquan District. There was even a case of serious injury that resulted in hospitalization.

The house itself is not the police station's business, but if a dispute arises or even personal injury occurs, the police station cannot ignore it.

So when these housing management personnel went out to work and offended people, the police station had to quickly send people to follow them and try to mediate these troublesome situations that seemed to have no other choice.

You can't really kick someone out of their home, right?

Furthermore, this matter is indeed worthy of sympathy. Spending tens or hundreds of thousands of yuan to buy a house and another tens or hundreds of thousands to renovate it, only to find that the house is judged to be an illegal structure or even not their own, is something that no one can accept.

Therefore, the officers at the police station felt sorry for these unfortunate people and could only try to persuade them kindly. Even if they were insulted or spat on, they couldn't bring themselves to take them back to the police station. It was a job where they had to swallow their pride and bear the insults.

But the crowd had no choice but to watch helplessly as these pitiful and lamentable people either cursed incessantly or knelt on the ground wailing.

All we can do is try to appease them and see if the government can come up with any measures or ways to appease them in a timely manner.

however……

That damn dog hasn't even uttered a single word!
In other words, the authorities have absolutely no intention of compromising on the issue of illegally constructed or unlicensed buildings. After all, even the slightest compromise on this matter could lead to huge fluctuations in the city's real estate market and the real estate economy; who would dare to speak out?
Lin Ge could understand the headache and helplessness of the people above, but if they didn't speak up, how could the police comfort these people who had suffered serious losses?
The victim pointed his finger at him and called him a dog, while his superiors demanded that he quell the disturbance. Being a policeman is a lose-lose situation! Every day when the officers at the police station came back to change shifts and leave, their expressions and faces were extremely unpleasant.

Fortunately, the city management officers also got scolded along with them; otherwise, to be honest, they might all have developed depression.

This was the first time Zhao Zhigao had realized how difficult it was to be a police officer at a local police station.

In the police station, catching bad guys seems to be the easiest job. Mediation of neighborhood disputes, calming residents' emotions, and controlling the extent and potential for public unrest are the real troublesome and headaches for the police.

Because there is basically no clear way to handle these kinds of situations, and the police don't have the right to make decisions for them.

"So... is it really this hard for police officers to go out on missions? Compared to this, I feel that handling criminal cases or even dealing with drug dealers is a hundred times easier and simpler!"

Back at the police station, Zhao Zhigao wiped his face with a towel while forcing a wry smile.

He stood with the two middle-aged women for more than three hours, listening to their endless nagging and complaints, and was even splashed with a thermos of tea in the end.

But in the end, the matter was not resolved. Seeing that the two middle-aged women were still discussing how to organize a mass petition as they left, Zhao Zhigao knew that this trouble was not over yet.

"If you feel tired, you can apply to work in Zhang Yong's criminal investigation team."

Xie Hua smiled and offered Zhao Zhigao a cigarette, which Zhao Zhigao declined by shaking his head.

When Xie Hua's name was mentioned again, Zhao Zhigao was momentarily tempted. However, considering his own history of drug addiction and rehabilitation, he abandoned the idea of ​​testing his willpower and obediently stayed away from all drugs.

Besides, although dealing with elderly people is tiring and requires a lot of talking, at least there's no danger to their lives!

Just consider it as keeping them company and chatting. You have to make them feel better so they can understand that there's not much they can do about it.

"It's just a matter of putting the old guys through the wringer! We'll see if our police officers give up first, or if these unlucky guys give up first; there's no way to compromise, they can only silently bear the consequences of their greed."

Lin Ge lay slumped against the corner of the wall, deeply regretting his decision to go with Zhao Zhigao to join the fun today.

Although it was quite amusing to watch from a distance that dozens of people from the neighborhood were arguing with the police, urban management officers, housing and construction workers, and community staff, Lin Ge felt helpless when he thought about how, from the very beginning, the only option left for them was to compromise.

The building that was previously flooded and collapsed was officially designated as a dangerous building yesterday afternoon. No one is allowed to live there anymore, and it has no value for repair.

Rebuilding a stable foundation for a nine-story, poorly constructed private building would cost more than rebuilding the entire building. Neither the residents nor the vanished developer could possibly afford such a sum. In other words, the building's decommissioning is inevitable, and demolition as soon as possible is necessary to prevent it from threatening the neighboring communities. The twenty-seven households that bought the property have suffered a huge loss.

These residents, under the supervision and urging of the police from Baimiao Police Station, began moving their personal belongings and luggage out early this morning. They must complete the move within two days, after which the building will be completely sealed off and await demolition.

Accompanying this were various sighs, curses, and cries.

To be honest, just thinking about that scene makes me feel uncomfortable.

The building that Lin Ge, Zhao Zhigao, and Xie Hua visited today is similar to that dilapidated building. Both were built by private owners during the peak of the real estate boom, and their quality is questionable, with no permits or licenses.

Whether there was something else behind this, Lin Ge didn't care.

However, the municipal bureau and police stations now have an important task: to find these individual developers suspected of illegal construction and attempting to disappear, to apprehend them in time, and to see if they can compensate the affected residents for some of their losses.

This is the only thing the police can do for them right now.

However, since the property has been handed over for several years, it remains to be seen whether these private developers still have the money to pay.

Lin Ge didn't want to see those people looking miserable or even crying, nor did he want to see several children, only a few years old or teenagers, becoming homeless during this summer vacation. So he chose to find Zhang Yong, and together with him, Zhang Ke, and Li Yiduo, they were tasked with finding these developers and causing trouble for these scourges.

No matter what, we can't just turn a blind eye, right? The police station should try its best to provide some assistance to the people, instead of just accompanying them and trying to persuade them, or even wasting their time.

"News came from Baimiao that the developer of that building is a local from Zhangzhou named Qiao Qiao, 52 years old. He used to be a well-known real estate tycoon in Zhangzhou, and during that time he developed several unlicensed buildings. He is even suspected of instigating others to carry out violent demolitions and forced land acquisitions. All of his henchmen who carried out the forced demolitions were arrested by the police, but he managed to stay out of it very well, and for the time being, there was no evidence to prove that he escaped."

In the municipal bureau's conference room, Xu Xiangjie tapped the whiteboard and looked down at his colleagues. There were people from criminal investigation, economic crime investigation, and various police stations; they were already planning to treat this case as a major one.

"Qiaoqiao has developed more than just this one real estate project?"

Shao Yongkang raised an eyebrow and said worriedly, "Judging from the quality of this guy's construction, I'm afraid other buildings may also have serious quality problems!"

"Damn it! Everyone's only thinking about how cheap unlicensed houses are, but why don't they consider the quality issues of these houses and the risks of lacking proper inspection? And what's wrong with the housing and construction officials? They just watched them build the buildings without saying they'd tear them down right after construction started?"

Another policeman, realizing the seriousness of the situation, couldn't help but curse loudly.

Xu Xiangjie glared at the guy, and since he was one of his subordinates, he simply waved his hand to shut him up. The officials involved were already in jail; what was the point of bringing it up now? He should just hurry up and clean up the mess!

"The housing and construction personnel are urgently investigating and analyzing all the houses involved. We should leave this to them. We just need to quickly take control of Qiaoqiao and find a way to alleviate some of the financial burden on the victims."

Xu Xiangjie steered the conversation back to the case, glancing at the arrogant cat yawning on the table in the far corner of the conference room.

He gave a slight smirk and continued, "After that violent gang was arrested, Qiao Qiao chose to leave Zhangzhou and has been active in Dongguan ever since. But it seems things have calmed down in recent years, or perhaps he's had some financial problems. He returned to Zhangzhou last April and partnered with someone to start a development company. But this guy's whereabouts are unpredictable; he only occasionally appears in entertainment venues. So our task now is to find him as soon as possible and, while this housing scandal in Zhangzhou has just broken out and before Qiao Qiao has had enough time to wake up and successfully transfer his assets and ownership of the properties under his name, we need to arrest him quickly!"

At this point, Xu Xiangjie sneered, "Even if Qiao Qiao doesn't have any money, the land ownership of these properties he owns still has extremely high economic value! Putting aside everything else, the compensation for the victims won't put any financial pressure on the municipal government!"

(End of this chapter)