PCJ – Chapter 366 A Secret Move in Broad Daylight

“Beggar, this time, I need your help,” Luo Changjun said.

“Brother Luo, whatever needs to be done, just tell me. Those cattle thieves are truly despicable. If we don’t catch them, they’ll eventually come to Meizi’ao to steal,” Zhang Youping replied.

“Exactly. There are plenty of cattle in Meizi’ao, and those thieves have probably already set their sights on us. What do you say, Wang Shuigen?” Zhang Qigao picked up a bamboo switch and lashed it hard on Wang Shuigen.

“Ouch, ouch! It hurts! I swear I wasn’t scouting for them!” Wang Shuigen refused to admit anything, knowing that if he confessed, Zhang Qigao would only beat him harder.

“Your stubbornness is useless. Once we catch those cattle thieves, they’ll spill everything. Your denials won’t help,” Zhang Jingbing said, kicking Wang Shuigen forcefully.

“Jingbing, stop hitting him! For the sake of Wang Fang, let it go for now. The People’s Government will handle him,” Lu Guifeng intervened.

Wang Fang seemed to have recovered. The villagers had suggested she go to the hospital to check if the poison was completely out of her system, but she refused, still worried about her good-for-nothing brother. After drinking the antidote Zhang Jiaohua had prepared, the poison in her body seemed to have been completely cleared, and apart from some weakness, she felt fine.

“Beat him! Beat him hard! I don’t have a brother like this! I, Wang Fang, may be a bit stingy, but everyone knows I’ve never done anything despicable or stolen anything, right?” Wang Fang asked.

“No, no, Sister Wang Fang, everyone knows you’re a good person. As for being stingy, weren’t we all poor back in Meizi’ao? If you weren’t frugal, how could we have survived?” Lu Guifeng quickly responded.

“Our Wang family has always been honest and decent, but how did we end up with such a disgrace? How many times have I scolded you for stealing? Yet you never learn! Now you’ve even stolen the savings our elderly parents had set aside for their funerals! Is there anything you wouldn’t do? Beat him! Beat this worthless scum! Beat this animal to death!” Wang Fang grew more agitated with every word.

But the more Wang Fang insisted, the less anyone dared to continue beating him.

“Sister Wang Fang, let it go. Shuigen is still young and reckless. After this experience, I’m sure he’ll turn over a new leaf,” Lu Guifeng urged.

Luo Changjun, seeing that Wang Fang was alright, finally relaxed. If something fatal had occurred here, even though she had poisoned herself, it could have led to unforeseen complications. The cattle theft was now the priority, and it had to be solved quickly.

“Jiaohua, I want you to take your mountain dogs and search for the missing cattle from Maotouqiao Village. Will you help?” Luo Changjun asked.

“No problem,” Zhang Jiaohua smiled.

“Then come with me to Maotouqiao,” Luo Changjun said.

“Uncle Luo, it’s been several days since the cattle were stolen. If I just take Leopard with me, it might be hard to track them down. I’ll need all my mountain dogs to help,” Zhang Jiaohua explained.

“That’s true. But my car can’t fit that many dogs,” Luo Changjun frowned, knowing they had to get to Maotouqiao quickly.

“How about this? A few people from Meizi’ao can take the mountain dogs via the back roads, and Jiaohua can ride with you and take Leopard,” Zhang Youping suggested.

Luo Changjun nodded. “Good idea. Youping, I’m counting on you and the villagers this time. Jiaohua, let’s go!”

This was no time for formalities.

Zhang Jiaohua and his dog, Leopard, got into Luo Changjun’s car, and Fat Cat and Little Fat Monkey tagged along too.

When they arrived at the Maotouqiao Township government office, they ran into a few officers from the Zijiang City Public Security Bureau’s criminal investigation team and members of the police dog unit, including Luo Changjun’s old comrade, Zhu Kaixun.

“Old Zhu, you’re here too? Didn’t your police dogs find anything?” Luo Changjun asked urgently.

“These cattle thieves are highly skilled at counter-surveillance. They used perfume to disrupt the police dogs’ sense of smell. Plus, too much time has passed, and the crime scene has been heavily disturbed. We can’t track them anymore,” Zhu Kaixun explained. He then noticed Zhang Jiaohua’s mountain dog, Leopard, and became interested. “Is this your mountain dog?”

“Yes,” Zhang Jiaohua nodded.

“I’m planning to let Jiaohua try. See if he can find the thieves. By the way, I’ve already identified two of the cattle thieves,” Luo Changjun said. He was eager to solve the case and had no desire to take sole credit.

“What? You’ve identified the thieves?” The criminal investigation team from Zijiang City was astonished.

“It was a coincidence. I managed to uncover the identities of two of the gang members during questioning,” Luo Changjun explained.

“I see now. I was wondering why no one ever saw these thieves in action, even though every household in the village has dogs. Now it makes sense,” Zhu Kaixun exclaimed, slapping his thigh in realization. “Changjun, you’re really lucky. Borrowing mountain dogs led to this discovery. Jiaohua must be your lucky charm!”

“He really is. Every time I meet Jiaohua, something good happens,” Luo Changjun laughed.

“Don’t rush to arrest those two yet. We don’t want to alert the rest of the gang. We can use them to lead us to the entire group and catch all the cattle thieves in one go. Today, the police dog team failed, so the thieves probably think we’ve given up. If we pull back now, they might come out of hiding to strike again. County Head Luo, you should continue searching for the lost cattle,” suggested Bear Shanming, the leader of the Zijiang City criminal investigation team.

“Yes, I agree. They’re probably watching us from the shadows. If we retreat, they’ll feel emboldened to act again,” Luo Changjun nodded.

“I’ll stay too. I still want to see what your mountain dog, Leopard, is capable of!” Zhu Kaixun said. He had been disappointed by his previous failure and wanted to witness the results.

Bear Shanming nodded, “Good. Let’s proceed with this plan.”

Bear Shanming’s team drove away, and the Zijiang City police dog unit left with their dogs. Leopard, Zhang Jiaohua’s mountain dog, resembled the local mutts, blending in without attracting attention. Luo Changjun and Zhu Kaixun disguised themselves as local farmers and, together with Zhang Jiaohua, headed to the village where the cattle had been stolen.

“Zaonan Village has lost the most cattle—six water buffaloes in total, and the thefts are recent. Before the thefts, we had already set up roadblocks on the main roads in the county, so we can confirm that no cattle have been transported out of Gezhuping during this time,” said Xu Jinlin, the head of the Gezhuping police station.

“But when I brought the police dogs to the village today, the crime scene was severely compromised. The area wasn’t properly secured after the theft, and too many people gathered around, leaving a chaotic mix of scents. The police dogs couldn’t pick up the criminals’ trail. These thieves are professionals and used special methods to interfere with the dogs’ tracking. It’s clear they’re experienced,” Zhu Kaixun added.

“That’s why I called Jiaohua here. Jiaohua, it’s all up to you and Leopard now,” Luo Changjun said.

“I can’t make any promises. It’s all up to Leopard. If he’s up to the task, he’ll find the thieves,” Zhang Jiaohua said, scratching his head.