Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 657 Jealousy
When Lin Ge returned to the police station, it was almost dark.

The accident occurred on the road when a food delivery driver on a speeding electric scooter crashed headfirst into a novice driver who had just gotten his driver's license in a BMW, blocking the entire road for more than an hour.

What started as a minor incident escalated into a hilarious argument between the two parties, which Lin Ge watched from beginning to end with amusement. The unreasonable female driver turned what was initially full responsibility into secondary responsibility, while the lucky delivery driver, who should have been blameless, ended up bearing primary responsibility.

The process was full of twists and turns, almost enough to be made into a short online drama. A group of onlookers were amused, and after expressing their disdain for the delivery driver's unlicensed driving, they suddenly remembered the importance of clearing the traffic and returned to their own vehicles.

"If it hadn't been modified, the female driver would have been fully responsible, right? I heard that she didn't even buy commercial insurance for that new BMW. I wonder which heartless sycophant gave her that nice car."

The bus driver was pointing out the world while driving, and the passengers, amused, started discussing it amongst themselves.

Some say the delivery driver shouldn't have modified his vehicle to exceed the speed limit, while others say the delivery platforms are too harsh on their drivers; some say the female driver wasn't a decent person, and still others say that society is so corrupt now that it was better twenty or thirty years ago...

Lin Ge didn't take these words to heart, but it was too late to go back and find Luo Jue.

He postponed the trip until tomorrow, deciding to go back to the cat shelter and get a good night's sleep first.

then……

The police station's alarm bell rang in the middle of the night, and it kept ringing over and over again. This meant that the 110 emergency call center had received countless calls and had no choice but to keep urging the responsible police station to expedite the process.

Lin Ge originally thought it was none of his business, but unexpectedly Zhao Zhigang, who was on duty, came to the cat shelter.

"Mimi! Get up, hurry up and come with me to work!"

Zhao Zhigang didn't stand on ceremony at all, and ran over to push Lin Ge and shake him violently: "There was a police incident on Changning Road. A private car caught fire, and in the process, it burned more than a dozen electric bikes and several private cars parked around it to the ground!"

"Fire? Isn't that a fire department's job?"

Lin Ge was shaken awake by Zhao Zhigang, and glared impatiently at the guy who had disturbed his peaceful sleep.

"The incident happened not far away; it's a street known for its nighttime barbecues. The person who called the police claimed to have witnessed someone pour gasoline on the car and set it on fire! So this wasn't an accident; it was malicious arson! This is extremely serious. The area is surrounded by residential areas on both sides. If this fire spreads, it could be a major disaster! In short, we have to go and check it out. If there really is such a person, please help me find him as soon as possible!"

Zhao Zhigang simply grabbed Lin Ge by the armpits and lifted him up, stretching him out to completely dispel Lin Ge's drowsiness.

"Let me go!"

Lingo silently broke free from the guy's hold; at this point, he naturally wouldn't refuse anymore.

Seeing that all the cats, big and small, in the cattery had been woken up by this guy, Lin Ge glared at Zhao Zhigang angrily. Thinking that the most important task now was to find the person, he turned around and ran to the neighboring kennel, where he called out Beibei, who had also been woken up and was sitting in the cage wagging its tail.

In heinous crimes like arson, the suspects are either incredibly audacious or ruthless; in any case, it is absolutely necessary to find and subdue them immediately.

If he does this once, twice, and three times, who in the entire Zhangzhou City will feel safe?
Zhao Zhigang and Feng Yi were on duty tonight. The police car was already warmed up, just waiting for Lin Ge to arrive. When they saw Lin Ge riding Beibei all the way over, the two didn't object and quickly opened the back door to let Beibei jump in.

Police cars then sped to the scene, where a large crowd had gathered, creating a lively atmosphere.

Besides the nearby residents who were alarmed by the fire, the customers of the already thriving barbecue street also gathered around, pointing and commenting on the vehicle wreckage that the firefighters had managed to extinguish in time.

In less than ten minutes, that row of electric vehicles had been burned down to almost nothing but frames.

The interiors of the affected cars were obscured, but their exteriors were blackened, tires melted and askew, a scene of utter devastation. All the damaged vehicles were still emitting steam, and the ground was littered with water and other debris. The car that caught fire first was reduced to a charred shell. Firefighters smashed the side windows to quickly extinguish the blaze, but they couldn't prevent it from being completely burned to rubble.

Have you noticed anything unusual?

Zhao Zhigang instructed Feng Yi to disperse the onlookers before quickly approaching a group of firefighters who were monitoring for remaining fire hazards.

"It's definitely arson!"

The fire chief waved to Zhao Zhigang, glanced at the cat riding on the dog and approaching, and pointed to some irregular burning marks in the flower bed next to them, saying, "These ignition points are traces of alcohol splashed onto the ground after being poured, showing a clear low-intensity burning effect, distinct from gasoline combustion. Besides, although private cars have fuel tanks, it's impossible for alcohol to splash into these places. Judging from the ignition points, my judgment is that someone poured alcohol on the tires, trunk gaps, and bottom of this car, thus committing arson. Afterwards, as if venting their anger, they even poured the remaining alcohol on the electric scooter next to it, leading to a chain fire."

"Using alcohol to start a fire?"

Zhao Zhigang blinked, somewhat puzzled by the mindset of someone who did such a thing.

However, after consulting with onlookers and witnesses, Zhao Zhigang accepted the fire chief's assessment.

Because the initial fire observed by witnesses was indeed, as the fire chief stated, not a sudden, intense fire.

It started as a low, smoldering fire emanating from the car and the electric bikes nearby. It only escalated into an uncontrollable blaze after igniting the plastic parts inside and outside the vehicles. In fact, because the initial fire was so inconspicuous, it went unnoticed. Once the fire became apparent, the electric bikes instantly detonated their batteries, turning into raging fireballs, spreading rapidly until it was too late to stop it.

"Officer, you must arrest that guy! That damn bastard, when did I ever mess with such a beast?"

Several private car owners who were implicated stood by, tears welling up in their eyes, cursing and filled with grief and indignation.

"Arson!"

Zhao Zhigang sighed. This is a criminal case.

Turning his head, Zhao Zhigang saw Lin Ge controlling Bei Bei, quietly stopping next to the private car that was identified as the starting point of the arson. He walked over.

"Mimi, have you found anything?"

"Hmm... I really want to say it might just be a coincidence, but these two cars, their license plates, and that woman in the crowd who's just casually making a phone call... it seems like I don't even need to investigate, the suspect is already in my mind!"

Lin Ge sighed and turned to stare at the woman in the crowd.

Zhao Zhigang followed Lin Ge's gaze and saw the most eccentric young woman in the crowd. She seemed completely unconcerned about the burned cars, laughing and talking on the phone. But unlike the other onlookers, this woman was the victim of the arson! She was summoned after a license plate check and a phone call; the BMW that had caught fire first belonged to her.

Something's not right that a brand new car was burned to ashes and she wasn't angry at all.

Although Zhao Zhigang was unaware of the traffic accident that had occurred that afternoon, he knew the woman's behavior was somewhat abnormal. So he went over to inquire whether she had any enemies who had led to this retaliation.

"No! I'm a very honest person, and I never get into arguments or disputes with anyone."

The woman shook her head, denying Zhao Zhigang's question, her main point being that the matter had nothing to do with her. Her BMW, worth 200,000 yuan, burned to this state, showed not a trace of heartache, nor even a hint of regret.

This unusual emotion puzzled Lin Ge; the truth might be more complicated than he imagined.

My initial reaction after identifying the damaged vehicle was that it was revenge by the delivery driver from that afternoon. But now it seems there might be more to the story.

However, regardless of the circumstances, there's a high probability that this incident was caused by this woman. While the exact nature of the conflict leading to such significant losses is unknown, her uncooperative attitude is unacceptable.

Zhao Zhigang's attitude became more serious, finally making the woman named Yan Yun understand the gravity of the situation. When she realized that the suspect dared to burn a car today and harm her tomorrow, she finally stopped acting so nonchalantly.

She quickly confessed to all the suspects in her mind, the sheer number leaving Zhao Zhigang speechless. Lin Ge finally understood why this woman didn't care at all about such an expensive new car.

Because the bus driver's guess was correct, the bus was indeed a gift from a sycophant.

Because it was so easy for her, sending a car and sending flowers were not much different in her eyes, so she didn't feel any pain at all.

"Your interpersonal relationships... are a bit ridiculously complicated!"

Zhao Zhigang smirked.

"I can't do anything about it! They're the ones who insist on pursuing me. Am I supposed to drive them all away? Besides, they're just friends. I have a lot of friends, what's the problem?"

Yan Yun didn't think she had done anything wrong. Making friends didn't necessarily mean having a romantic relationship. Besides, what's wrong with a girl being pursued by several guys these days? They insisted on giving her gifts, not the other way around.

"Aside from these competitors, are there no other suspects?"

Since Zhao Zhigang knew Yan Yun's identity as a womanizer, he naturally couldn't believe she hadn't offended anyone. Of course, that didn't mean her suitors were innocent; it's not surprising that jealous men would do anything.

"No! I'm usually very well-behaved. I never go to those shady places or associate with shady people. Everyone says I'm a good girl, so why would anyone target me?"

Yan Yun continued to shake his head, trying his best to prove his innocence.

Zhao Zhigang continued to ask, but Yan Yun remained silent. Since she suffered no loss other than the car, even though it wasn't insured and she wouldn't receive any compensation until the arsonist was caught, she seemed completely unconcerned.

Seeing that this wouldn't work, Zhao Zhigang had no choice but to take Yan Yun to finish her statement before releasing her, while he hurriedly returned to Feng Yi and Mimi's place.

After analyzing and summarizing the existing clues, Zhao Zhigang decided to split his forces into two groups.

He and Feng Yi went to investigate the suitors that Yan Yun had mentioned, while Lin Ge led Bei Bei and Zhu Jun, who had just arrived, to follow the lingering smell of alcohol on the ground to see if they could find the perpetrator who was carrying arson tools.

Following the smell of alcohol, after walking for about two blocks, Lin Ge found the discarded arson tool in a trash can.

A four-liter alcohol bottle and an advertising lighter were carelessly tossed into the trash can.

Zhu Jun, wearing gloves, scooped them up. Lin Ge, enduring the stench of garbage and the rancid smell of discarded food in the sweltering heat, confirmed that these were indeed arson tools.

However, there was no scent of the suspect on either of the items, which suggests that the other party knew their actions were malicious and had taken certain protective and anti-detection measures.

But for Ringo, this meant nothing.

Although alcohol evaporates quickly, the smell doesn't disappear instantly. No matter how much preparation that person made, he couldn't change the fact that he smelled of alcohol.

Such evasive tactics were pointless; Lin Ge didn't even need to exert any effort. Even Bei Bei easily predicted the suspect's next route. It dragged Lin Ge along at breakneck speed, quickly spotting the target entering a hotel ahead. Zhu Jun went inside, flashed his police ID, and easily identified the only guest who had checked in after the arson incident through the hotel's registration records.

"I did it!"

To Lin Ge's surprise, the person Zhu Jun came to his door immediately chose to confess.

This was a young man in his early thirties, dressed plainly with messy hair, and looking extremely fearful when facing Zhu Jun. He hadn't expected the police to come to his door so quickly, and in his panic, he had no choice but to confess to his crime.

"Why would you do such a thing? You should know very well that fire is not something that humans can control; the fire you set will not only burn one car, but if the firefighters had not arrived in time, all the private cars parked on the side of the street could have been burned! Do you even understand how heinous this is? No matter what your reason is, you should not do something like arson that endangers others and society!"

Zhu Jun raised an eyebrow.

"I...I never expected it to burn so fiercely!"

The man's face paled, and he quickly waved his hands, explaining, "I just wanted to destroy that bastard so that every time Xiaoyun drives it, she won't remember how good that bastard was! Just because he has money doesn't mean he's great. He doesn't truly love Xiaoyun at all!"

"You burned the victim's car, so that's true love for her?"

Zhu Jun sneered disdainfully.

"That's not Xiaoyun's car, it's that bastard's car! So what if the car is registered in Xiaoyun's name? Money doesn't represent everything! I'm the only one in this world who truly loves Xiaoyun, and I'd do anything for her!"

The man continued to argue, which could no longer be called arguing; he was fanatically trying to prove that he was the one who loved the victim the most.

This kind of thinking is undoubtedly morbid.

Lin Ge didn't want to use any grand principles to explain the man's mistake. Anyway, the fact that he caused this mess because of a woman or a man was undoubtedly a sign that he was out of his mind.

This kind of person doesn't need a girlfriend at all; perhaps he just wants a plaything that he imprisons, forbids from contacting anyone else, and that belongs only to him.

In short, the truth of the case quickly came to light. The man was handcuffed by Zhu Jun and taken back to the police station. After the interrogation was completed and his statement was filled out, he was temporarily detained. Starting tomorrow, he will face all the responsibilities and compensation he needs to bear.

The case was successfully closed in less than two hours.

However, on the other hand, Lingo had a strange feeling that the truth of the case was not so simple.

He maintained that there was at least one other suspect in the case.

According to this guy's description, he only noticed that Yan Yun had been driving the BMW that his competitor had given him every day recently, and even posted pictures of the car on his WeChat Moments. In a fit of anger, he went to the pharmacy, bought alcohol, poured it on the car, lit it with a lighter, and then quickly fled the scene.

Although this was basically the same as what the onlookers saw from afar, Lin Ge felt that there might still be some problems with how a mere amount of alcohol could cause such great destruction in an instant, even leading to a fire that spread to many camps.

Moreover, in Lin Ge's mind, there was always another suspect.

If he hadn't been tracking the smell of alcohol, he actually intended to find the other suspect immediately.

That... delivery guy.

The delivery driver who caused the accident during the day harbored resentment towards the victim, Yan Yun.

At that time, Lin Ge saw it clearly, and the traffic police's penalty notice was also clear to him.

Although the delivery driver was ultimately found primarily responsible, this was largely due to his modification of the vehicle exceeding national standards, requiring a motorcycle license and license plate, which he lacked. He was driving without a license, leading to the accident. The real cause of the accident was the BMW driver, Yan Yun's, lack of driving skills and violation of traffic regulations, including making a U-turn across three lanes, which resulted in the crash.

In normal circumstances, the delivery driver would bear primary or even full responsibility in such cases, but who allowed him to drive illegally? Neither he nor his electric scooter were qualified to be on the road, so he naturally has to bear the majority of the responsibility.

This incident even led to his electric scooter being confiscated by the traffic police, depriving him of his means of making money, so it's understandable that he felt angry.

Lin Ge didn't know if the delivery guy was the arsonist, but he was undoubtedly a suspect. In fact, compared to a serious arson attack stemming from jealousy, the delivery guy's suspicion of revenge seemed more plausible.

(End of this chapter)