Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 508 Attitude is Key

However, the result on the phone did not make anyone happy.

Because the van owner was just an unlicensed driver who ran a transport business for a fee, he knew nothing about the drug trafficking ring behind it. He even denied transporting the goods to other places, saying that the only destination from Yixinda was the hardware market, and he only made two trips a week.

"This aligns with the statement from Yixinda Company; they only received one order from Chen, the owner of a bottling workshop in the hardware market. Factory records also show that all the etorizine that had been shipped were sold to Chen. After his arrest, Chen confessed that he had connections with a pharmaceutical sales agency in Changshi, and that the counterfeit etorizine emulsion injections he produced were sold to a person surnamed Zhao within that agency. Currently, the police are on their way to arrest Zhao, but the leads regarding the drug trafficking ring have gone cold!"

This news made the faces of the three police officers and the police cat on the scene extremely grim.

The investigation into the drug trafficking gang has once again hit a dead end.

There's a discrepancy of four or five tons between production and shipment. Where did those four or five tons go? It's quite obvious that there's a market for Yitimizo tobacco powder in Changshi, which likely corresponds to these few tons. So… where exactly does this intermediate link connect to the market?
Yixinda Company stated that it had not sold the drugs to anyone else, and the truck driver also stated that he had not secretly kept or resold them. Chen, who was involved in the counterfeit drug production, similarly swore that all the unused etorizine was there, while the portion made into emulsifiers was personally handed over to Zhao.

Everyone says there's no problem, so what exactly is the problem?
Two hours later, Zhao was successfully arrested. The vast majority of the etorizine emulsified injection solution was recovered from his rented warehouse. The small amount that had already been sold to several hospitals is also being urgently pursued.

But the whole thing was so strange; it seemed that no one had any connection with the drug gang! The four or five tons of etoposide seemed to have vanished into thin air, and none of the people involved could explain it.

To be honest, this is outrageous.

As the saying goes, people leave traces, geese leave calls; nothing can be completely erased. Moreover, there's a cat with an exceptionally keen sense of smell here; anything unusual will not escape its detection.

But strangely... that group of people seemed to not exist, and those few tons of iodine seemed to not exist either, leaving the whole case in a stalemate.

Over the next few days, the police conducted a thorough investigation of Yixinda Company, the hardware market, and all of driver Chen's interpersonal relationships, travel routes, factories, workshops, and home addresses.

However, no new clues have been obtained.

"So, where exactly did that extra Mizhi come from?"

Lin Ge was extremely puzzled, because this simply didn't make sense. It was several tons of stuff; it couldn't possibly just disappear into thin air. But by the same token, how could several tons of stuff be taken away without a trace?

If one path is blocked, the only option is to start from the beginning again. Lin Ge once again visited Yixinda Company, which had been shut down and ceased production, and led Zhao Zhigang on a aimless stroll around the premises.

Apart from the security guard at the gate, there were no other workers in the entire factory. The once-roaring equipment had all stopped operating, and the factory floor was covered with a thin layer of dust.

The factory was so quiet that Lin Ge could even hear the sound of his soft mats stepping on the leftover product particles. Looking back, he saw rows of small plum blossoms mixed in with the haphazardly laid footprints on the ground, creating what seemed like an interesting picture.

These footprints showed that the police had thoroughly searched the company over the past few days. Therefore, Lin Ge wasn't very confident about finding any additional clues.

But there's nothing we can do! That's how police work! As Nie Guoqiang once said, when there aren't enough clues, you can only make up for it with hard work. Searching again and again, asking around aimlessly, hoping to find a needle hidden in the mud in the ocean.

Whether a case can be solved often depends on whether the police can find that one slip of the tongue that the suspect inadvertently revealed during a series of actions. People are prone to laziness, carelessness, and mistakes, so clues definitely exist; it's just a matter of when they are discovered.

"Mimi, there shouldn't be anything worth investigating here, right?"

Zhao Zhigang found the walk rather boring, especially after the ventilation equipment stopped, the smell inside the factory was extremely unpleasant. The pungent chemical odor, indescribable in words, made Zhao Zhigang want to sneeze involuntarily.

And to be honest, Zhao Zhigang was starting to regret it. Before Nie Guoqiang left, he had confidently assured him that he could definitely help solve the case. But as soon as Nie Guoqiang left, he felt a little guilty, as if he had lost his backbone.

If the case were going smoothly, everything would be fine, but it has now reached a stalemate, and Zhao Zhigang is at a loss for what to do.

Back in Zhangzhou, when he was running errands for Nie Guoqiang, finding clues seemed pretty easy. But now that he's really run into trouble, and there's no one to offer advice or a commander he can trust enough, he feels a bit lost.

Was targeting Yixinda Company the right direction? Zhao Zhigang wasn't really sure.

It was only because the cat walking ahead decided to investigate this way that Zhao Zhigang couldn't have figured out how to take this first step.

"Something feels off!"

Lin Ge muttered to himself as he looked around, trying to find the strange feeling he had in his heart amidst the unpleasant smells in the factory.

He sensed something was amiss, but after walking around the factory twice, he hadn't found anything glaringly obvious. Besides, the police had already thoroughly searched the factory; there was absolutely no way anything related to Mi Zhi or anything suspicious could still be hidden there.

"I was also hoping for the best, just in case there were still some places that hadn't been discovered yet, right?"

Putting aside his strange feelings, Lin Ge muttered to himself and led Zhao Zhigang back to the corner where the employees had hidden with Yi Mizhi.

The iron gate in front of us was closed and sealed with tape. Peeking through the cracks in the gate, the messy items that had been piled inside had been cleared and inspected. All suspicious items had been taken away, and the remaining garbage had been moved to a corner. Several loosely arranged burlap sacks rolled off the garbage heap, leaving a few small particles scattered on the ground.

"Ok?"

Suddenly, Lin Ge twitched his ear and saw a faint footprint shape among the white crystalline particles on the ground.

To be honest, this should have been a very ordinary thing, but Lin Ge felt something was off. It was obvious that the footprint was relatively new, and the burlap sack had fallen off after the iron gate was sealed. These details made it easy to deduce the situation.

Lin Ge even felt that the snakeskin bags had rolled quite a distance; they didn't seem to have fallen naturally, but rather had been carelessly tossed up, hit the wall with a bit too much force, and then bounced down. Moreover, after sliding down, the person who threw them didn't bother to retrieve them a second time—this wasn't how the police behaved.

"So, someone has been to this yard recently? But the seal hasn't been broken, so they didn't come through normal channels?"

A sense of vigilance arose in Lin Ge's heart, and he looked around for more clues.

Lin Ge found nothing unusual around the perimeter of the small courtyard near the factory's interior wall, so he turned his attention to the other side of the wall, which was the outer perimeter wall built along the river.

"Ow!"

After roaring at Zhao Zhigang, Lin Ge turned and ran towards the factory gate.

"Mimi?"

Zhao Zhigang was stunned for a moment, then his eyes lit up and he quickly followed Lin Ge and ran outside.

A person and a cat rushed out of the factory gate and walked along the riverside path, hugging the courtyard wall as they went deeper into the area. After walking about three or four hundred meters in an arc, they arrived at the side of the outer wall where the secluded courtyard of Yizhi was located.

The red brick wall, two or three meters high, was too high for most people to climb. But upon arriving here, Lin Ge only needed a quick glance to spot two indentations left by ladders in the grass. Upon closer inspection, he could even find traces of white crystals scattered beneath the grass. These white crystals weren't teramidone, but rather a product originally manufactured by this factory; they were insoluble in water and required high temperatures to melt.

"Did someone climb over the wall from this side?"

Following Lin Ge's gaze, Zhao Zhigang quickly noticed the unusual situation on the ground. To be honest, the mark was quite obvious. The fact that it hadn't been discovered by the police who had searched the area earlier meant that it was something that appeared later. His eyes lit up, and Zhao Zhigang quickly took out his phone to photograph the mark as evidence and sent it to the case group.

Within seconds, the group chat was flooded with exclamation marks and a barrage of follow-up questions.

No one expected that Zhao Zhigang and Mimi, who had conducted what seemed like their umpteenth search of Yixinda Company, would actually discover something new there.

You know, everyone has thoroughly searched that company; there shouldn't be any oversights. But... incredibly, although we don't know if they're suspects, someone did take action against the company, even resorting to a suspicious method like climbing a ladder to get in!
We are all professional police officers, and the pictures Zhao Zhigang sent clearly show the marks left by the two legs of the escalator. Everyone can make that clear judgment.

"So, the suspect, or someone else, couldn't resist coming back to the scene? Why? Is there some oversight he left in the yard that forced him to risk coming here to deal with it?"

After sending the photos to the group chat, Zhao Zhigang waited for backup police while muttering to himself as he continued to search for more traces on the ground.

Lin Ge didn't respond to Zhao Zhigang's mutterings, nor did he believe there would be anything he had overlooked in the courtyard. He had thoroughly searched the courtyard three times before it was sealed off, and there was no hidden information there.

"In other words, that person doesn't know anything about Yixinda's current situation. Why? He's not an employee of the factory? Oh well! Once we catch him, we'll naturally know why he did this! Before, without any clues, I couldn't put my skills to use! But now that there are new leads, how could this guy possibly escape my pursuit?"

Lin Ge's mood improved, and his spirits lifted. He lowered his head and sniffed carefully, confirming that there was indeed another scent left in this corner besides his and Zhao Zhigang's. He didn't even need to look for human scent; the ladder that had been taken away still had a very obvious greasey smell, which was a clear, invisible marker to Lin Ge.

Lin Ge could even tell from the concentration of the grease residue at the scene that it hadn't been there long, most likely last night or early this morning. Only under the cover of darkness would that guy dare to return to the crime scene so brazenly. He even assumed the police investigation was over before daring to risk coming back.

"In other words, it's someone who isn't familiar with the specifics of Yixinda, but knows exactly what happened here. This kind of person either lives nearby or has a secret connection with someone in the factory. Now that the police are watching and the connection has been broken, they had no choice but to take matters into their own hands! Heh... That makes sense, doesn't it? How could several tons of goods disappear without a trace if they weren't an insider?"

Feeling excited, Lin Ge followed the direction of the greasy smell and walked deeper into the river path.

"Hey! Mimi, wait a minute! We're dealing with drug dealers this time. It's too dangerous to act rashly. Let's wait for the main force to arrive before we move!"

Zhao Zhigang quickly stopped Lin Ge.

The main problem is that this isn't Zhangzhou City, and frankly, he and Mimi don't have law enforcement authority here. Plus, they're completely unfamiliar with the area; who knows what kind of situation they'll face if they impulsively rush over?

Moreover, since Boss Nie entrusted Mimi to him, Zhao Zhigang would never dare to let anything happen to Mimi!
Even harboring a dark thought, Zhao Zhigang felt a certain disdain for his colleagues in Changshi. Who knew if, given their visibly lax attitude, the criminals in Changshi might possess some dangerous weapons? He himself had been a victim of a shooting in Zhangshi; who could guarantee there wouldn't be any here?

Touching the spot on his body where he had been shot, Zhao Zhigang felt a little guilty, sensing that some dangerous individual might be lurking in this unfamiliar environment.

"..."

Lin Ge looked up at Zhao Zhigang's nervous expression and thought about it, deciding not to cause him any trouble.

Of course, it's not that Lin Ge chickened out, but rather that he suddenly thought of Zhao Zhigang's unlucky constitution.

If Lin Ge were alone, he would definitely rush forward without hesitation! The enemy would definitely not be able to detect his presence, and even if they were, he could escape or evade their attacks.

But with Zhao Zhigang by my side... I always feel like he'll absorb the damage! Attacks that should have been dodged might actually end up running right into Zhao Zhigang.

To avoid this guy ending up in the hospital again, Lingo sighed and decided to put up with this burden for once.

The two remained where they were, waiting patiently. Lin Ge lazily watched Zhao Zhigang crawl on the ground like a dog, searching for more details. He actually found a footprint, faintly imprinted in the grass, with a few crystal particles mixed in.

This undoubtedly means that someone did enter the courtyard from this side and returned the same way, which is why they accidentally brought out the traces left inside.

Zhao Zhigang quickly notified the police in the group, and they also sent a message saying that they would arrive in five minutes at most.

'Shh~'

At that moment, Lin Ge's ears twitched as he suddenly heard an unusual sound.

That was the sound of someone walking on the grass, trying to avoid the sound of their feet touching the concrete, but the sound of their shoes rubbing against the grass and even breaking the grass stems.

The sound was coming from deeper into the path. Lin Ge quickly hid in the bushes and lay down, quietly watching the direction from which the sound was coming.

Soon, a middle-aged man dressed as an ordinary farmer peeked out from the corner of the curve and furtively looked in their direction.

He squinted at Zhao Zhigang, a hoe still in his hand. Upon realizing Zhao Zhigang was alone, he seemed relieved. He slung the hoe back over his shoulder, pretended to be just passing by, and returned to the main road. Then, with his head down, he slowly approached, step by step.

Lin Ge looked around and realized that the surroundings were indeed a good place to commit murder and robbery.

Across the river is a hillside covered in dense woods. The riverbank on the other side is obstructed by another factory building, and on this side is a factory wall, with farmland further away. Because of the road's curvature, the view in both directions is blocked, making it impossible for the security guard at the bridgehead to see this side. Furthermore, the Yixinda factory has been completely emptied; if something were to happen here, it would likely go unnoticed for quite some time.

"Ok?"

Lin Ge suddenly kicked Zhao Zhigang, making Zhao Zhigang look up alertly. Upon seeing the person approaching, he quickly stood up and watched warily as the person drew nearer.

However, the man did nothing. He just glanced at Zhao Zhigang curiously, then brushed past him and headed straight for the entrance of Yixinda.

Zhao Zhigang glanced at Lin Ge, who had quickly hidden himself after being reminded, but didn't lower his guard just because the man seemed normal. He watched from a distance as the man walked past him, chatted with the security guard at the entrance of Yixinda, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and inform the group chat about the situation.

After receiving a reply in the group chat, Zhao Zhigang turned to Lin Ge and grinned.

"It was a false alarm."

"Stupid thing!"

Lin Ge glared at Zhao Zhigang.

"Don't worry, of course I know this person is suspicious. According to the city bureau's investigation, Yixinda only has one way in and out: the bridge at the entrance. So the question is, where did this footprint and this person come from, avoiding the cameras?"

As Zhao Zhigang spoke, he looked towards the farmland on the opposite bank of the river in the distance.

“Since people can come from that side, it means there must be another path leading to the other side if you go further down this path, right? But there’s no bridge across the river, which means it’s a hidden path. No! It’s probably not a normal road; it might just be some kind of factory pipeline. Like steam, nitrogen, or industrial water, etc., which must be connected to the entire industrial park for use. And using these iron pipes as a bridge shouldn’t be a problem.”

As Zhao Zhigang analyzed the situation, he continued walking along the path. He glanced back and, seeing that the middle-aged man hadn't followed, felt slightly relieved.

Even with Mimi protecting me, I'm still a little worried.

(End of this chapter)