Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 686 Going Astray (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
"This is... I'm exhausted!"

Lin Ge gritted his teeth in annoyance, deeply resenting those damned things that had made him work so hard for so long. You have to understand, from yesterday afternoon until now, he's been working non-stop, practically non-stop, almost killing himself!

Keep in mind that in all this time, he only slept for a few hours last night. Since then, he hasn't even had a moment to catch his breath and relax.

That's not the point. The point is that the case has become more and more complicated, and he has inexplicably dug up another suspect!

When will this ever end?!
"Alright! Stop complaining! Let's keep going. The case has come this far, how can we give up halfway, right? Arresting Huang Gang and Wang Jiasong isn't important, but we must get the information back, and we absolutely cannot allow anyone to hide behind the scenes and continue to threaten national security."

Nie Guoqiang patted Lin Ge on the head, his attitude much gentler than before.

This guy's personality seems to have changed a bit after being hospitalized for so long.

"Traitors and lackeys all deserve to die!"

Lin Ge huffed twice in anger, shook his legs and head in place, trying to rouse himself.

He knew, of course, that Nie Guoqiang was right.

The threat that someone with connections to foreign countries, who may even be subjected to their malice, poses to the country is something that can be easily guessed.

Today he might find someone to steal data from the seaplane research center, and tomorrow he might target other, more specialized institutions within the country. While his methods might not allow him to bypass the protection and interception of truly state-secret agencies, no one dares to passively gamble on the other party's technical capabilities or whether they can obtain technical support from abroad. Therefore, ultimately, a proactive approach is necessary to nip him in the bud.

In other words, the security level of the Zhangzhou Seaplane Research Center was lowered; after settling in Zhangzhou, it was downgraded from a national security agency to a joint research institution. Otherwise, if the security level were even slightly higher, it wouldn't be a place where a few insiders could easily steal things.

In short, regardless of the reasons given, the fact remains that the research institute's data was stolen. Although one of the memory chips was found, the case is far from closed.

We absolutely must find this last suspect as soon as possible!
"I'm destined to be a workaholic!"

After a short two-minute break, Lin Ge quickened his pace and continued working, following the mixed scents left on the delivery boxes as he searched.

To his surprise, their journey back to the research institute ended up back in the same direction. The group was stopped by armed police at the institute's entrance, and after learning the situation, they notified the armed police officers and national security personnel inside.

"You mean... the suspect hiding behind the scenes is still inside the research institute? How is that possible! Both the research institute and the residential area have been searched thoroughly with professional equipment countless times."

The young man in the white shirt frowned, reflexively questioning Nie Guoqiang's judgment.

"But the fact is, that one who slipped through the net was still not discovered."

Nie Guoqiang was completely unceremonious, saying expressionlessly, "Professional equipment isn't always foolproof. Who can ignore even a one percent chance? That package from Japan, with its delivery address at a courier station near the research institute, was an absurd act of self-deception. My Mimi tracked it all the way here by following the scent, a fact that neither of us can deny! Instead of doubting my Mimi's abilities, we should hurry up and search again."

"..."

The man in the white shirt was speechless. He wanted to question why a machine could be wrong, while a cat's sense of smell was always right. But then he thought that there was no right or wrong in this kind of thing. If the police wanted to investigate further, should he discourage them?
The reason for sealing off the research institute was to thoroughly check whether there were any problems with other important data stored there, not to prevent the police from entering.

Wouldn't it be better if we could actually find the suspect?
After thinking for a moment, he looked up at Nie Guoqiang and the cat at his feet that kept yawning and scratching its neck with its hind legs, and signaled to the armed police to open the passage.

"Then thank you for your hard work."

The man in the white shirt nodded to Nie Guoqiang, ultimately showing his trust and gratitude.

He had heard of the police cat's capabilities. Moreover, since there was suspicion, it couldn't be ignored. This person had even assigned a national security officer and two armed police officers to assist in the investigation, ensuring unimpeded movement throughout the research institute's areas.

The group entered the research institute again, and Lin Ge quickly followed the scent to the green area at the entrance of the family quarters.

Towering trees, forty to fifty meters tall, stand side by side like giant umbrellas, completely shading the seven-story residential buildings of just six houses. The branches of these trees even extend directly to the windows of the apartments; residents can touch the branches and leaves simply by opening their windows, and some even go so far as to hang their clothes to dry directly on the branches outside their windows. Frankly, this kind of living environment is what I call harmony between humans and nature, although there must be a lot of mosquitoes in the summer.

Near the family quarters, Lingo also smelled the scents of many other creatures, including quite a few dogs.

It seems that people who enjoy life in places like this tend to keep cats or dogs. After all, living in such a place is quiet and close to nature. Enjoying life, wouldn't having a pet make it even more leisurely?

Lin Ge thought with some emotion, suddenly feeling a little envious of the cats living nearby. They could enjoy both the convenience of the city and the closeness of nature. Just like the large cat he suddenly saw lying on the fourth-floor windowsill, which, after noticing him approaching, used its paws to pry open the screen window and went straight to the treetop to squat down.

This guy has long, hot-looking fur. It's a Maine Coon, bigger than the average Maine Coon, and looks like a little lion.

As Lin Ge approached, the guy silently yawned, his mouth agape. Seemingly having observed and determined that Lin Ge posed no threat, he turned around, looked up at a tree beside him, and stared at a bird chirping incessantly at the treetop.

"This guy...I've never seen him before!"

Lin Ge blinked, sensing a threat emanating from the cat for some reason. Its body was more than twice his size, and its limbs were incredibly thick; if they were to fight, it was hard to say who would prevail.

“Mimi, now is not the time to play around. You need to make friends. You can come over anytime after this matter is resolved.”

Nie Guoqiang also saw the Maine Coon.

Although puzzled that the cat seemed several sizes larger than a typical Maine Coon, he still reminded Ringo that important matters were at hand.

"This guy is probably the boss of all the cats in the research institute, right? What happens in the research institute might not really escape the eyes of these cats."

Lin Ge's heart skipped a beat.

But it wasn't time to ask them for help yet. His eyes swept across the room and he saw a tabby cat dozing in the flower bed under the tree. Lin Ge suppressed his thoughts, looked up and sniffed, and walked towards the scent left by the suspect again.

Upon arriving at the entrance of Building 3, Lin Ge confirmed that this was where the suspect lived or was temporarily residing.

After entering, he went up the stairs and quickly arrived at the seventh floor. Both doors were closed. Then, Lin Ge turned around and found that, looking through the stairwell window towards the research institute, he could actually see the office room where the incident had occurred.

Although the view is largely obscured by the lush green leaves in front of me, and although the side view is narrow and the area I can see is limited, and although the curtains are currently closed and I probably can't see the computer screen clearly from this distance; but if the curtains were open normally, and I had a professional telescope...

Lin Ge turned around and glanced at Nie Guoqiang.

Nie Guoqiang followed Lin Ge's gaze and, after a moment's thought, understood.

He called over the state security officer, and without explaining, Nie Guoqiang simply pointed out a direction, which immediately made the officer understand.

“Indeed… this location is somewhat suspicious. However, we have investigated these buildings before. One of the residents here is a retired professor from the research institute, and the other, although a young man renting the apartment, is also an intellectual. There are no suspicious devices in the apartment.”

Comrade Guo An glanced at the investigation report on his phone, and cautiously refrained from further explanation, instead giving Nie Guoqiang a smile.

"Even so, should we... double-check?" "Are all the residents on both sides home?"

Nie Guoqiang naturally wouldn't object. The reason he went to such lengths to investigate was precisely to make up for any oversights that might have occurred in the previous investigation.

“After the incident, we have required all residents not to leave their homes. Even those who had left before the incident must return to accept the investigation and temporary control. So now, all the residents in the entire community, except for the four employees who were sent on business trips by the research institute, are staying at home. Even the research institute employees who live elsewhere have been brought back and arranged to rest together in a place within the research institute.”

Comrade Guoan's answer satisfied Nie Guoqiang, and it also showed Lin Ge their capabilities, or rather, their arrogant and unquestionable dominance.

They can arrest everyone involved without a second thought! If police stations or municipal bureaus could use such methods when handling cases, even the most notorious criminals wouldn't be able to escape the police's grasp!
Unfortunately, for the sake of social harmony, the police cannot do that.

Shaking his head to stop overthinking, Lin Ge lowered his head and sniffed, discovering the suspect's scent lingering at both doorways.

In this situation, either both houses belong to the suspect, or there is a lot of interaction between the two houses; given that this person is definitely a suspect, such interaction with a retired professor becomes suspicious.

According to Comrade Guo An, the young man who rented the house was a master's student at Zhangzhou University.

In terms of status, he is an important intellectual and outstanding individual. He doesn't come back to stay every day; he only returns occasionally to rest for a few days after finishing his tasks. The surrounding residents have a very good impression of him, describing him as a polite, generous, and cheerful young man. It's just a pity he comes from a rural area in another province and already has a girlfriend; otherwise, the older women would have already introduced their granddaughters to him.

"How could a promising young man do such a thing?"

Nie Guoqiang's face darkened.

After tracking all the way to the target's end, Mimi had accurately led the way to the door of this room. Nie Guoqiang did not believe that Lin Ge would make a mistake, which meant that this person could be identified with 100% certainty.

However, this situation did not make Nie Guoqiang happy, because he would rather the person who did this be a scoundrel or someone with a criminal record than see an outstanding young man fall into the abyss.

A master's student!

It's important to understand that although there are more and more college graduates now and they are becoming less valuable, the value of a master's degree still exists! They are naturally the country's best talent pool and should be contributing to the country's development.

However, he has now gone astray.

"Me? What do you want me to explain? Don't be ridiculous! I was still at school when it happened! My advisor and classmates can vouch for me! I was only called here by phone after the incident, how did I become a suspect?"

After the door was knocked open, a young man with short, neat hair and glasses on his nose appeared displeased upon understanding the police's purpose.

“If you confess now, we can still consider it a voluntary surrender. But if you continue to oppose the country, and we find evidence against you, you will have to pay a much higher price.”

Nie Guoqiang naturally trusted Lin Ge more, so he decided to give him another chance.

"Don't slander people! Or are you just going to find some easy scapegoat because you can't find the real culprit? I'm warning you! I will report this attitude to my advisor!"

The man roared angrily, his voice even startling the people next door and downstairs.

Several households opened their doors and looked over curiously, but were persuaded to go back by Zhang Ke, Li Siyu, and others standing outside. Only the old man next door was a bit stubborn; he insisted on interjecting to vouch for Xiao Wu and even said he would call the police's superiors.

But at this moment, no one paid any attention to him.

How do you know... the suspect hasn't been found yet?

Nie Guoqiang blinked, then stared intently at the young man named Wu Duan. The police certainly wouldn't disclose details of their investigation to outsiders, so why was he so reckless? Because he knew very well that Wu Duan was the target who hadn't been caught.

It's worth noting that when they knocked on the door, Nie Guoqiang only claimed to be assisting with the investigation. It was only in the end that they couldn't bear to do it and decided to give him a chance to turn himself in.

"I……"

Wu Duan hesitated for a moment, then stubbornly insisted, "If the person has already been caught, why are you still here conducting this messy investigation? This shows you don't even know who the culprit is, which is why I said we haven't found a suspect! It's just simple reasoning, what's wrong with that? In short, I've made myself very clear, I have nothing to do with the mess happening here! I just thought the environment here was nice, quiet, and the rent was cheap, plus there are some kind old professors around who would let me come over anytime to ask them questions, so I chose to rent a place here! I research ultralight materials, and my professor is..."

"Who your teacher is is none of my business! Even if he's some big shot, he can't possibly influence our investigation! As for your research area... why did you specifically tell me?"

Nie Guoqiang waved his hand to interrupt Wu Duan.

"..."

Wu Duan was both anxious and agitated, and wanted to continue explaining, but Nie Guoqiang had already lost patience with him.

The National Security officers nearby had already added Wu Duan to their list of suspects and had sent people to conduct further investigations into his background. If he was indeed the mastermind, then it was necessary to uncover some of the key details.

"Did you find anything?"

Seeing Lin Ge walk out of the room with his tail down, Nie Guoqiang couldn't help but ask.

Lin Ge shook his head.

The room was ridiculously clean. Apart from some furniture and appliances left by the landlord, there were hardly any belongings of Wu Duan. He only had a few clothes there, mostly summer and spring clothes, none of his winter clothes. But this guy had been renting this room for more than two years, so logically he had no reason to move his unwanted clothes elsewhere.

Unless he has very few clothes or doesn't intend to stay here long-term, this seems problematic no matter how you look at it.

As for the previously suspected telescopes and high-tech equipment, none were found in the room. The National Security Bureau's investigation in this area has not been lax; it can only be said that Wu Duan indeed left no clues.

Furthermore, he was only contacted by the National Security Bureau and brought back here this morning, after the incident.

Zhangzhou University has obtained video footage of him leaving the campus, which proves that he had no contact with Huang Gang or Wang Jiasong from last night until today. So even if Huang Gang made two copies of the documents, how could they be given to him?

Without finding these key clues, proving that this guy is also a suspect will obviously not be easy.

Lin Ge even speculated that Wu Duan and Huang Gang's communication was likely conducted via the internet. Both Wu Duan himself and Huang Gang, who played games on the internet, possessed this ability. In other words, clues in this area were not easy to find.

In that case... even if Wu Duan is identified, how can he be convicted, and how can the other memory card, whose whereabouts are still unknown, be found?
Not only Lin Ge, but Nie Guoqiang is also a little worried right now.

"Or, let's take this guy into custody first! As long as he's in our hands, he won't have the means to continue his operations. That way, the memory card won't be moved, and we can search for it slowly later."

Comrade Guo An proposed the simplest and most convenient method.

If I arrest you, then no matter where you hide the memory card, it can only stay there obediently.

(End of this chapter)