Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 325 The Fox's Tail (Last day of the month, please vote with monthly tickets)
"What should we do next?"

The winter sunlight reflected off the lake was dazzling, and Lei Hanqin sighed.

Putting his inner frustration aside for the time being, he helplessly turned to look at the group of people bustling about in front of him.

Two large cranes, a line of ambulances or corpse transport vehicles, plus another line of police cars and two fire trucks across the street, and everyone watched quietly as the van, which was almost completely smashed to pieces, was pulled up by the large cranes from the tow rope.

Below the deep ravine, there were several corpses covered with white sheets.

As the van lifted off the ground, something that could be gasoline, snowmelt, or even blood could be seen dripping down. The two bodies, trapped inside and unable to be moved, swayed slightly with the howling wind in the embankment, giving the impression of a wronged person who died with their eyes wide open.

Logically, all the victims should have been moved out before the van was lifted. However, the accident site was a canyon where large cutting tools couldn't be placed on the ground, and with so many bodies lying haphazardly, the firefighters simply couldn't sort through every piece of remains. Especially the unfortunate few whose bodies were deformed from the impact; they were completely twisted beyond recognition. Given the freezing weather and these difficulties, there was no need to compromise on the task.

Lei Hanqin looked at the ambulance at the front of the bridge, where a young doctor, trembling all over, was hurriedly changing into a clean coat.

He looked like he'd just graduated from medical school, and it was probably the first time he'd ever seen such a horrific scene; he'd just been vomiting a lot. But a doctor had to be sent down several dozen meters to check if there were any survivors inside the car, so this guy was forced into the role of Spider-Man.

You have to understand that the suburbs are not like the city; the temperature here is almost zero degrees Celsius. Coupled with the howling wind and the sweat pouring out while working, the poor young doctor's face was blue from the cold, and he looked like he had been pulled out of an ice cave.

"Heh... Well, who told you to be the only young person in the ambulance convoy?"

Lei Hanqin laughed, trying to find humor in his predicament.

The only good news right now is that, according to colleagues, Zhao Zhigao's body was not in the van. In other words, he wasn't among those targeted by the thugs who were trying to silence him or obstruct the police operation, and he still has a chance to pass on intelligence.

The bad news is that the police have completely lost track of the group.

Under the cover of night and heavy snow, coupled with the bustling traffic on Lunar New Year's Eve, all the axle tracks belonging to Yang Da and his gang were impossible to trace. Whether they were still in Zhang City, and by what means they would escape, remained unknown.

Besides the accident scene, the city's anti-drug squad, in conjunction with the criminal investigation squad, searched the surrounding area several times throughout the night. Braving the risks of driving on the highway in the snowy night, they searched everywhere, but still couldn't find the black Land Rover.

The surrounding surveillance cameras did not capture any footage of the Land Rover reappearing, as if the car had simply vanished into thin air.

Meanwhile, the police successfully identified the other vehicles belonging to the suspects and located a BMW and a Mercedes-Benz. The discovery of Zhao Zhigao, undisguised in the passenger seat of the Mercedes, brought a sigh of relief to everyone.

However, the result was not satisfactory; Mercedes-Benz disappeared just like Land Rover.

No one knows whether they have gone into hiding or moved to country roads to avoid the police search.

If the suspects are very familiar with the surrounding rural roads, it will be extremely difficult for the police to find them, as if navigating a maze. Also, due to the crucial factor of the Lunar New Year, all sorts of cars have returned to the countryside; Mercedes-Benz and BMWs, which are rarely seen at other times, are no longer a rarity. Even locals won't suspect passing luxury cars, nor will they find unfamiliar strangers strange, naturally making it unlikely they will provide the police with any useful clues.

"We have already searched for eleven Mercedes-Benz vehicles and six BMWs, but none of the license plates match. Even considering the possibility of cloned license plates, these vehicles and their owners have been proven to be unrelated to the case."

After Tian Dong finished reporting the situation to Lei Hanqin, he held his hands in his hands and breathed on them to warm them up, feeling extremely cold.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Lei Hanqin nodded, but did not let Tian Dong leave work. He only told him to rest in the car for a while.

Until this case is resolved, no one in the entire anti-drug squad will be able to leave work. Forget about celebrating the New Year! Even though it's Lunar New Year's Eve, everyone has to stay at their posts.

"Sir! We've checked the surveillance cameras at the nearby villagers' homes, and the usable data is practically zero. Most of the cameras are only pointed at their own front doors; very few are pointing at the road. Some are even just for show, haha... and they blame us for exposing this secret, preventing them from scaring away thieves anymore. Sir, should we expand the search area further? But that would mean we wouldn't have enough manpower."

"The traffic police haven't found any further useful information either; there's no trace of them at speed cameras or traffic lights. Squadron, we're now certain those three vehicles didn't go onto the main road. Should we search along the side roads again?"

"Several officials from the county have arrived. According to them, a similar fatal car accident occurred a few days earlier last year. But at that time, the county transportation department determined it to be an accidental death..."

"Squad leader, there's a growing crowd of onlookers. Should we stop them?"

Various reports were gathered by Lei Hanqin, but very little of it was useful. Even when villagers claimed to have seen a vehicle resembling a Land Rover, further questioning revealed the timing didn't match up. Upon further inquiry, it turned out these villagers were drunk the previous night and were simply making things up out of boredom. Of course, some people did witness a Mercedes-Benz pass by, but the location was very close to the accident scene, providing no further evidence beyond confirming the Mercedes-Benz had moved forward.

Police also considered the possibility that the car might be hidden in a nearby resident's home, but with the current situation of maintaining the perimeter and searching for clues from all directions, there are too few people available to conduct a detailed search village by village, making progress very slow.

Even though the police search area has been extended to more than ten kilometers, no good news has come back.

Lei Hanqin began to consider submitting the case to his superiors, accepting his failure and leaving the provincial department to clean up the mess.

But if they did that, the Zhangzhou Municipal Narcotics Control Detachment would lose all face, and their achievements would be out of the question. Besides, it's currently the New Year holiday; how fast can the provincial department act? If they just send a specialist, by the time they organize a task force, it'll be too late.

It must be admitted that Yang and his gang did find a troublesome loophole in counter-surveillance.

If you were to ask who dislikes the Golden Week holiday the most, it would undoubtedly be the police. Every holiday is the busiest time for police officers to work overtime, and the difficulties they encounter during this period are incomparable to those at other times. Even a slight mishap can cause them a huge headache.

While others are on holiday, the police are working overtime and have to shoulder the burden of logistical and support unit deficiencies; it's simply inhuman.

With four or five more police officers already stretched thin, specifically tasked with maintaining order and preventing villagers from crossing the no-entry line, Lei Hanqin began racking his brains to find more manpower.

But even Wu Chengrong couldn't come up with any more help at this point.

"Captain Lei! Good news!"

Suddenly, a police car sped through the cordon like a skier. Before the car had even stopped, Zhong Kai rolled down the window, stuck his head out, and shouted, "I couldn't get through to you on the phone, so I came straight here! The backup team from Zhanghe Police Station has discovered something new. They found the suspect's cat near a fishpond twenty kilometers ahead! It's that leopard cat named Money Tree, the one Ah Liang specifically..."

"Shut up!"

Lei Hanqin's expression changed drastically as he rushed forward to stop Zhong Kai, glaring at him and shouting, "You dare to say anything out loud? Do you even see how many people are around?"

Traffic police, firefighters, paramedics, and onlookers nearby all stared at Lei Hanqin in astonishment. They hadn't actually heard what the policeman in the car was saying, given the strong wind and noise. But judging from the leader's expression, something seemed to have happened.
"Gulu..."

Zhong Kai swallowed hard and realized he had gotten carried away.

Seeing that Lei Hanqin was still staring at him, he chuckled dryly and said in a low voice, "Chief Nie of Zhanghe Police Station, and his team of cats and dogs, have found the leopard cat. The cat seems to have gone there on its own initiative, and it's currently confronting the cats from Zhanghe Police Station."

"Confrontation?"

Lei Hanqin was stunned for a moment.

"Yes, a standoff."

Zhong Kai nodded seriously and said, "I don't know why, but that leopard cat and the big female cat from Zhanghe Police Station started fighting as soon as they met. They fought fiercely and their cries were terrifying. Chief Nie's men worked hard for a long time but couldn't stop them. They only said that the suspect might be nearby."

"Then let's go!"

Lei Hanqin decisively gave the order, leaving the criminal investigation police officers who had helped and the on-site investigation team behind, while all the anti-drug police officers hurriedly got into their vehicles and headed towards the direction where the group from Zhanghe Police Station was located.

"Are we being abandoned?"

Zhai Xiaojun covered his nose, feeling that the truckload of compressed bread was truly creepy.

As a criminal investigation police officer, he had seen dead bodies and horrific scenes before. But the sight of seven or eight people crushed to death in a car was beyond the psychological tolerance of ordinary people.

Of course, as a police officer, backing down is out of the question.

No matter how painful it is for him, he will not leave his battlefield for personal reasons.

"I heard the words 'Zhanghe Police Station.' Looks like Nie Guoqiang will be in the limelight again this time. Tsk tsk... Actually, we're in the limelight too. It's really cold here! Damn it, how can there be such a heartless and insane person?"

Pan Yingxi wrapped his cotton coat tighter around himself and patiently watched as the van was dismantled bit by bit.

Zhai Xiaojun grunted, "Hmph! I've even heard that these people are all from the same hometown as Da Yang and Xiao Yang! They don't hesitate to attack their own people. Those drug bastards are really ruthless!"

"Are all the narcotics squad members dealing with guys like this? It's not easy."

Pan Yingxi sighed. "Being a policeman is never easy."

Zhai Xiaojun stretched and said, "I just hope that the cats at Zhanghe Police Station are all extraordinary, so that the brothers can suffer less."

Pan Yingxi nodded and said, "Hehe... I don't care about suffering or anything, after all, being a policeman is bound to be tough. It's just... it's the New Year, I hope we can finish this today. To be honest, we haven't bought any New Year's goods yet, and I'm already exhausted just from cleaning. But I did buy new clothes for the New Year, and my wife is used to our size, so she doesn't need to try them on herself. It's just a pity about staying up late tonight, I haven't been able to spend time with the kids even once in all these years..."

"It's as if no one is any different!"

Zhai Xiaojun tossed a cigarette to Pan Yingxi.

Meanwhile, as the police car sped along, Lei Hanqin and the others quickly arrived at the location of the group at Zhanghe Police Station.

They were no longer at the fishpond. The mother hawksbill turtle and the money tree swam from the fishpond, fighting, until they arrived at a bamboo grove behind the village.

Two female cats crouched in an open space, howling at each other in a harsh and unpleasant manner. Meanwhile, the three cats that had come along—a tortoiseshell kitten, a tabby kitten, and a snowclaw tabby kitten—along with the police dog Beibei, were quite interested in the bamboo grove, jumping and playing around non-stop.

Not far away were Sun Chang, who looked helpless, and Zhang Yong, who was rubbing the back of his hand.

This guy rarely acts together with the police station staff, and in his excitement and impulsiveness, he was scratched by both the mother hawksbill turtle and the money tree. Now he's in pain and embarrassed.

On the other side, Nie Guoqiang waited for Lei Hanqin and his group with a cigarette in his mouth, while Wu Chengrong, who had arrived earlier, stood beside him.

As for the rest of his men, they have been dispersed to search the area surrounding the village. They are leaving no stone unturned, including the houses within the village and the shops along the roadside.

Because the drug dealers were armed, all the police officers on duty were fully armed. Several officers acting as assault team members were patiently inserting ceramic plates into their bulletproof vests, while others carrying riot shields were carefully checking their equipment.

"Hey, Lao Wen, you're here too!"

Lei Hanqin spotted Wen Xiaosong fully armed at a glance. The guy was wearing a helmet and goggles, tying his shoelaces, and looking down to check his pistol.

Seeing Lei Hanqin rush over, Wen Xiaosong remained silent. His expression was resolute as he stared at the surrounding houses, ignoring the curious villagers peering out. Then, police officers stepped forward and ordered these people to return home, while simultaneously surrounding and monitoring the entire village.

"To be honest, I don't think the suspects will still be hiding here. Even though they are more than 20 kilometers away from the scene of the incident, changing cars and leaving would be the most reasonable course of action for them."

Lei Hanqin tried to lighten the mood, since the villagers over there were terrified.

"Don't be afraid of ten thousand, just be afraid of what happens."

To put it bluntly, Wen Xiaosong is a meticulous person who often takes the lead.

Wu Chengrong walked over and patted Wen Xiaosong on the shoulder.

"Ready? Let's move out. Be careful, everyone. If the suspect dares to fight back, I authorize shooting him on the spot!"

"Yes!"

Even if it was just a cat leading the way, Wen Xiaosong still treated it with all his might. Especially after confirming that the leopard cat was indeed the fighting cat owned by Brother Yang, Wen Xiaosong would not ignore even a one percent possibility that the suspect was hiding there.

"Meow!"

Suddenly, the money tree's piercing scream made everyone stop in their tracks.

Its emotions became extremely agitated, and even the mother hawksbill turtle next to it inexplicably began to howl angrily. The cries of the two cats grew louder and more shrill than the other, scaring the three little hawksbill turtles into hiding behind Sun Chang.

"Wang!"

Beibei also stared at a certain spot and roared fiercely.

"Beibei, don't move!"

Sun Chang almost let Bei Bei slip from his grasp, and quickly tightened his grip on the leash. Following Bei Bei's gaze, he was immediately shocked.

"It's bone!"

She immediately spotted the scattered bones on the ground, broken into pieces. Judging from their size, they weren't human, but considering the attitude of the two mother cats, the skeletons' identity wasn't hard to guess.

"This cat's?"

Lei Hanqin, who rushed over, looked at the money tree.

At this moment, the Money Tree was completely enraged. With a roar, it charged towards the small courtyard directly below the bamboo grove. For some reason, the mother tortoiseshell also charged after the Money Tree. The two cats, frantic and aggressive, leaped over the courtyard wall, and a moment later, even more eerie cries came from inside.

"Great! This saves us from searching again. The cat has led us to our target."

Lei Hanqin chuckled helplessly, then turned to Wen Xiaosong and said, "It's a pity, all your efforts have been for nothing. But what's even more regrettable is that we can only hope now that there are clues left by Zhao Zhigao inside."

"Humph!"

Wen Xiaosong grunted, waved his right hand, and led his assault team cautiously toward the courtyard, where there was no sound except for the cat's meows.

'bang'

The back door of the yard was kicked open, and a group of police officers rushed in, startling the two cats that were squatting in the middle of the yard.

And just as Lei Hanqin had guessed, the room was indeed empty.

But to everyone's equally delight, the three cars they had been searching for all day were all hidden inside this yard. All three cars were covered with tarpaulins, but just by looking at their outlines and numbers, everyone knew they had found their true owners.

“A bus was parked here! Judging from the marks on the ground, it was driven away not long ago.”

Wen Xiaosong and his companions breathed a sigh of relief and lowered their guard, then quickly discovered the traces of the tour bus. They could even deduce the length and width of the bus and when it left by simply looking at the axle prints on the ground and the shallower snow tracks left by the bus.

"Notify the traffic police to screen all buses that left this area! This is good news; buses can't take back roads, so they must have already returned to the national highway!"

Wu Chengrong, who followed behind, gave the order.

Even though no suspects have been apprehended yet, this glimmer of hope is still exhilarating. Everyone is not afraid of hard work, but they are afraid of running out of clues! And a bus, being such a conspicuous object, cannot escape the surveillance cameras all around.

"As expected, we're changing buses! A bus is a good idea; it and taxis are generally not on the traffic police's list of targets for stopping and checking vehicles. In fact, if it's a tour bus or a passenger bus, it can be hidden in the crowd and is even easier to overlook."

Lei Hanqin used positional analysis to quickly make a reasonable deduction about the identity of the bus.

"We can't let go of company cars either! Brother Yang is in the auto repair business, so it's easy for him to borrow similar vehicles!"

Police provided additional information.

"In short, we've finally caught those guys red-handed! Hmph... those seven lives were used to stop us, ruthless enough! But even the most cunning fox can't escape the hunter's pursuit!"

Lei Hanqin smiled excitedly.

"We also owe a great debt to the Zhanghe Police Station! If it weren't for you, we really wouldn't have been able to find this place. Twenty kilometers! That's right outside our surveillance area. If it weren't for you finding this leopard cat..."

Wu Chengrong looked at Nie Guoqiang with emotion.

Brothers, it's the last day of the month, and our monthly passes will be wasted if we don't use them now!

Hey guys, check your tickets! If you still have any monthly votes left, please vote for the cat. The cat needs more monthly votes to be more motivated to catch bad guys.

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(End of this chapter)