Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 678 Don't go swimming without an adult.

"found it!"

"Come quick, the child is here!"

"Quickly call an ambulance!"

"Get out of my way!"

Under the night sky, the area around the cemetery, which should have been eerie and terrifying, was now brightly lit and bustling with people.

After receiving Lin Ge's notification, Zhang Yong led his men and rushed over here.

Upon seeing the child curled up beside Mimi, seemingly on the verge of death, the group suppressed their joy and rushed to help. However, when they picked him up and touched his body, which was burning hot, they were filled with anxiety again.

Zhang Yong quickly took off his police uniform and wrapped it around the child, while Zhao Zhigang also took off his clothes and wrapped them around the child's legs. Seeing the various wounds and bruises on the child's body during the process, everyone felt both heartache and relief.

This child must have suffered so much!
It's a miracle that they were able to climb out of the water, let alone be found and receive medical treatment in time.

"This child..."

When Zhong Gerui was lifted out of the pine needles by Zhang Yong, Lin Ge's eyes narrowed.

His right foot looked completely bloodless. In particular, his five toes were swollen and wrinkled from being soaked in water, and the skin was so pale that it seemed as if the blood had completely stopped flowing.

Nobody knows what happened right now. But if he doesn't get to the hospital in time, who knows if he can save his leg?

"Well……"

Zhong Gorui groaned in his unconscious state. Zhang Yong could also tell that the child's condition was very bad. He couldn't wait for the ambulance, so he picked him up and ran away.

A group of water police and neighbors who had rushed over from the front were still unaware of what was happening when they watched Zhang Yong walk straight through them. And what was this shirtless policeman carrying in his arms... a child?
"Rui Rui!"

Zhong Gerui's father, who arrived late, only had time to shout from afar before he saw Zhao Zhigao helping Zhang Yong open the back door of the police car next to the flashing lights on the roadside, allowing Zhang Yong to carry his son inside.

Then, without even waiting for Zhong Gerui's father to come over, Zhao Zhigao rushed into the driver's seat, released the handbrake, and stepped on the gas. The car engine roared violently, the tires spun and rubbed against the ground, and the car crashed head-on into the distance.

Zhong Ge Rui's father, who tried to stop the car, was almost hit by it. Fortunately, someone who came with him pulled him back, but he could only watch the police car's taillights disappear into the night.

“Rui Rui…”

"Don't worry! It's good that the child has been found, and his vital signs are still good. As for other things... now is not the time to think about that, right? Trust the police, trust the doctors; and you, calm down now, get yourself in a good mood, and I'll drive you to the hospital. Firstly, to be with the child, and secondly, there are some miscellaneous documents to sign. In short, cheer up, the child has been found, and he's alive!"

Hu Lijun stepped forward and patted Zhong Gerui's father on the shoulder.

He dared not promise that the child was definitely safe and sound, but compared to the previous worry that the child had drowned, wasn't the situation now a hundred times better?

"Yeah yeah!"

People nearby also helped to persuade the man with bloodshot eyes, and someone quickly called Zhong Gerui's mother to tell her the good news.

"Then... I'll leave it to you! Thank you so much this time!"

With his child no longer in front of him, Zhong Gerui's father quickly calmed down. He grasped Hu Lijun's hand and shook it forcefully, tears welling up in his eyes; he was simply too overwhelmed with emotion.

"It's alright! This is what we should do! Have you calmed down? If you have, let's go. Oh, and everyone, please don't go inside and join the commotion! My colleagues need to check the scene, understand the situation, and figure out what happened and what this child went through. So please don't wander around and disturb the scene, just go home and wait for news! Ah! Thank you all so much for tonight, you're all kind and helpful people!"

While comforting Zhong Gerui's father, Hu Lijun persuaded the other curious people who wanted to go inside to see where the child had been hiding to disperse.

What's so interesting about this? We'll discuss the details after the police station has finished investigating.

"When Rui Rui comes back, I'll treat everyone to a meal! A big feast! Thank you to all our relatives, friends, neighbors, and fellow villagers for your help!"

Zhong Gerui's father also clasped his hands in greeting to those around him, and at this moment he was grinning very happily.

Son, we found him, he's still alive!

For over ten hours after falling into the reservoir, we searched frantically, filled with despair. But then, miraculously, the child was alive! Thank goodness! *Sobbing*

Thinking of something happy, he choked up and wiped away tears from his eyes.

About five minutes later, Zhang Yong called Zhao Zhigang, who was still at the scene, to say that he was on his way to meet the ambulance.

From the moment the child was discovered missing and there was a possibility of drowning, an ambulance rushed to Zhanghe Reservoir and remained waiting. Saving lives was paramount, and the doctors were also extremely concerned about wasting precious time in the rescue effort.

Although the golden window for rescue had completely passed as time went by, and the child's chances of survival were getting smaller and smaller, as doctors, we could not bring ourselves to give up and return empty-handed. Therefore, we were indeed still waiting near the scene of the incident by the reservoir.

This is probably the biggest difference between public and private hospitals!

Anyway, when they learned that the child had been found, the ambulance rushed over here and the police car rushed over there; the two sides successfully met on the rural road and quickly put the child into the ambulance to begin emergency treatment.

The ambulance sped towards the hospital, with Zhao Zhigao leading the way in a police car. Only then did Zhang Yong have time to notify the police officers from the local police station who remained at the scene.

Only then did everyone finally breathe a sigh of relief.

We've done everything we can. Now all we can do is pray to God for help, and beg the child to hold on a little longer, until the doctors can save his life.

"To fall into such a deep reservoir and be swept away, yet miraculously manage to climb ashore on his own, and even walk such a long distance to seek help, this child is truly blessed! It's as if even God didn't want him to leave us; this is a great fortune!"

The village next to the pine forest is called Wujia Village. The villagers were awakened by the commotion and came over to check the situation.

When the village chief of Wujia Village learned that a child had struggled to survive and somehow ended up in his own woods, he made a guess. He patted Zhong Gorui's father on the shoulder, comforting him as he explained his suspicions.

"When the Zhanghe Reservoir was first built, we discovered that the riverbanks on this side had many undercurrents and whirlpools due to the underwater topography. Under these conditions, almost no fish came this way, and the fishing livelihood gradually died out. So why do you think this child had to walk so far to see the village? It's because they couldn't get water from the water, so most of the villages in this area moved away; only we and a few other villages behind us remained, no longer fishing but farming, so we're considered to have stayed here. Don't worry, let me explain slowly. The water flow on the other side of this dam is strange, but it's the strange that brings miracles, right?"

Laughing heartily, Village Chief Wu's eyes shone as he spoke.

"This isn't the first time this has happened! I remember back in '99... yes! '99, the year Macau returned to China! It was the same thing! A sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy drowned somewhere else and was swept by the current to our side. And incredibly, he was swept directly to the dam, back from the water to land, and the reservoir's dragon king brought him back! Because he hadn't been in the water for long, he woke up after lying on the shore for a while and even got up and went home on his own. He told us this himself, and we were all skeptical. But who would have thought that twenty years later, the reservoir's dragon king would show mercy again..."

‘Poof! ’

Following the village chief's words, Zhong Gerui's father immediately knelt down on both knees towards the reservoir.

Before anyone could react, the guy slammed his head three times on the concrete, leaving a bruised and swollen forehead. "Hey! What are you doing! We're not spreading superstition, okay? There's no such thing as a reservoir dragon king; your child just got lucky! Of course, don't believe in this stuff either. One lucky survivor doesn't mean anything! How many people have drowned in the Zhanghe Reservoir over the years? Others may not know, but those of you living nearby certainly do! So from now on, don't count on any dragon king to save lives, and please, don't let your children swim in the reservoir anymore!"

The water police captain quickly helped Zhong Gerui's father up with Hu Lijun.

Seeing that Village Chief Wu's words were becoming increasingly absurd, he glared angrily at the old man who was spouting nonsense.

If people hear this and follow suit, continuing to go hiking in the wild, and then a few more drown, who will be responsible?

After thinking for a moment, he earnestly instructed, "Not to mention children, adults shouldn't mess around either! Were all those who drowned in previous years children? Didn't several adults who thought they were good swimmers also drown? There are no dragon kings over reservoirs in this world. The Zhanghe Reservoir was built brick by brick by the hard work of the people of Zhangshi, using hoes and shovels. This time, luck saved someone from the underwater currents, but next time it could still take someone's life!"

The water police captain spoke earnestly, and some people nodded while others had different expressions; it was unclear whether they had actually taken his words to heart.

But what could he do?

People have legs, and these are all local residents who think they are good swimmers. If they really want to take risks, what can the water police do?
Even with 24-hour surveillance, some people still insist on going against the marine police.
With a sigh, the water police captain decided to start tomorrow by going from village to village to strengthen education on the ban on swimming. He stressed the dangers of swimming in the wild and warned against letting them seek their own death!

Mudd!

The Zhanghe Reservoir is the source of drinking water for the entire Zhangshi city. How can people not feel unlucky when they drink water from it, since people are drowning there all the time?

The water police captain grew increasingly furious.

"Ha ha……"

Lin Ge chuckled to himself from the darkness, finding the water police captain's expression truly amusing.

However, it must be admitted that being a marine police officer is indeed not easy. Besides dealing with fishing bans and the daily battles of wits with anglers, the fishermen they are responsible for are also a headache. There are always people who like to go against the police, without considering who the police are working so hard for.

Every time a drowning incident occurs, the water police have to work hard day and night; it's fine if the person is alive, but if the person is dead and they have to retrieve them, who wouldn't feel disgusted?
In addition, the Zhanghe Reservoir is also dotted with islands, and the water police officers are also responsible for some illegal and criminal issues. In fact, their daily work is no less arduous than that of the police station.

These days, being a police officer is never easy, no matter what kind of job you're in!
Lin Ge sighed, his good mood after saving the child fading slightly.

And now that he's relaxed, he feels incredibly uncomfortable all over! Those damn spiky balls and the pine resin and needles that somehow stuck to his body are making his hair sway as he walks, which is extremely unpleasant.

Where are Sun Chang and the others?

Lin Ge quickly searched for the cat owner and managed to remove as much of what he could from his body as possible.

"Mimi!"

Sun Chang's voice actually rang out.

Lin Ge followed the sound and looked over. His eyes widened and he couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Sun Chang had probably tripped and fallen somewhere; she was covered in mud, her hair and face a complete mess. Zhang Ke helped her walk over, and although she limped, she seemed to be in relatively good spirits.

"Ow!"

Lin Ge couldn't bear to see Sun Chang continue searching aimlessly, so he quickly said hello and ran over.

The person and the cat exchanged a glance and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Pfft! Mimi, what is all this stuff on you! Mud, spiky balls, leaves, pine needles... and what is this? What kind of animal fur is this? It's gray, where did you go and bother the mother cat again?"

Ignoring his own disheveled state, Sun Chang squatted down and helped Lin Ge remove everything he could from his body.

As she wiped the mud off Ling Ge's paws with a piece of paper, she pulled out a few grayish-black hairs from the mud. The color and length were completely different from Mimi's, and after comparing them, Sun Chang immediately showed a curious expression.

"Oh! It's a rabbit that helped me find Zhong Gori's location, it did a great job."

Lin Ge turned his head to look back in the direction he had come from.

Zhong Gorui had soaked in the water for too long, damaging his skin and making his body odor almost undetectable. Despite having many wounds, Lin Ge couldn't detect much blood. Furthermore, the route Zhong Gorui took was different from the route Lin Ge had taken; so if it weren't for the wild rabbit that happened to be nesting and sleeping in the cemetery house, Lin Ge might not have been able to find this pine forest in time.

In that respect, this guy really did survive a great ordeal.

He was drowning, yet the undercurrent swept him ashore. His condition was dire, requiring immediate medical attention, and a wild rabbit suddenly appeared, guiding the searchers. Without either of these two factors, who would have imagined he'd ended up in such a place?

"Furthermore, if I hadn't happened to be there, it would have been impossible to find this place without expanding the search area. If we had come looking for him later, and he happened to be hiding in the pine needles, it would have been hard to say whether Zhong Gerui could have held out until then."

Lin Ge clicked his tongue in amazement, having to admit that the kid was lucky to be alive.

After gathering information from the scene and interviewing several people to make simple records and take statements, the staff at Zhanghe Police Station finally had some free time.

However, during the day, they still needed to locate and confirm Zhong Gerui's route, to verify that the kid was indeed washed ashore on the dam from the undercurrent location, as the village chief claimed, and to determine the appropriate form of criticism, education, and punishment for the children and their parents responsible for the incident. There was still much to do. Although some of the tasks could be handled by the reservoir water police, the police station couldn't simply leave and ignore everything.

"I can barely sleep for three or four hours. Going back to find a place would be too much of a waste of time. Changchang, you and Jiang Yiyi can sleep in the car."

Zhang Ke chuckled and said, then added sarcastically, "Two police cars, the back seats are perfect for you two to lie down in. If it were us men, we couldn't even stretch our legs! Let Zhu Jun lean against the passenger seat too, you two can sleep in one car, that's fine!"

"Pooh!"

Jiang Yiyi spat at Zhang Ke. How could she not understand what this guy meant? Zhu Jun was in one car with her, so did he have to be in one car with Sun Chang?
Always thinking bad things!
Glaring at the two stinky men, Jiang Yiyi waved her hand and said, "Look at Changchang covered in mud, how can you let her keep working like this? Sun Chang and I will go back to wash up and rest first. We'll come back later tomorrow or go directly to the police station to replace you on the day shift. You stinky men can take care of things here. Hug yourselves and take a nap in the car! Changchang still has Mimi, we don't need to spend the night in the wild."

"Oh!"

Sun Chang was naturally happy to agree; she was indeed uncomfortable being soaking wet and dirty. As for taking advantage of others and slacking off a little, they'd known each other for so long, what did it matter if they suffered a slight loss?
"bye Bye!"

Lin Ge, smug and with his tail wagging, left with the two women. Who wants to spend a whole night feeding mosquitoes in the middle of nowhere, especially in the middle of summer?
"Wait a moment!"

Zhang Yong suddenly spoke up, and everyone looked over. He waved his hand and said, "Jiang Yiyi, Sun Chang, and Zhao Zhigang, the three of you drive back together! Tomorrow's day shift will be handled by the three of you, along with Feng Yi and Yuan Meijuan. The rest of you should find a place to stay nearby, maybe borrow a fellow villager's living room to make do with sleeping on the floor or something. And Mimi, you can't leave either. Tomorrow we'll need your help to confirm Zhong Gerui's scent and direction of travel. We can't do without you here."

"Bring Beibei over here! Isn't this a police dog's job? What do you mean 'I can't be left behind'?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Ge immediately became angry and glared at Zhang Yong, saying unhappily, "You son of a bitch, you just bully honest people! Bei Bei is the police dog of our police station, but you always ask my cat for help. Do you know that the guy has gotten fat in the station?"

Unfortunately, Zhang Yong did not accept Lin Ge's resistance at this moment.

Waving his hand, Zhang Yong revealed a serious expression and said, "I always feel there's something wrong with Zhong Gerui's matter. I'll talk to you about it when we rest later. Mimi, don't be willful!"

(End of this chapter)