Chapter 11

Listening to the sound of the bicycle basket passing over the stone and earth road... Zheng Tan really didn't want to continue thinking about it.

All the way to the destination Wei Ling mentioned, Zheng Tan quickly jumped off the bike, feeling dizzy and almost falling to the ground.

This was a two-story small building, surrounded by residential areas, but this area was also within the demolition zone. Many houses were empty, with large "demolish" characters written on the walls, and tall advertising signs hanging around.

The high-tech zone was expanding outward, and the demolition of this area was inevitable. Within ten years, this place would gradually be covered by various new high-tech enterprises.

Wei Ling opened the door, pushed the bike inside, rummaged through the fridge, grabbed a handful of beef cubes, and sat on the sofa, watching TV and eating, ignoring Zheng Tan.

Zheng Tan looked around, jumped onto the coffee table, and pushed the beef cubes over to Wei Ling, tearing open the packaging and eating them. On the way, Wei Ling had said that after finishing the task, they would ride directly to Chu Hua University and drop Zheng Tan off, so Zheng Tan wasn't in a hurry to leave... even if he wanted to, he couldn't.

About ten minutes later, the door opened, and a man in a police uniform came in.

Seeing Zheng Tan, the man was surprised and said to Wei Ling, "Where did you find this cat? I don't keep cats! You know, I'd rather have a dog than a cat!"

"You don't have to keep it. It belongs to someone else, and I'll return it tomorrow." Wei Ling peeled a beef cube and threw it into his mouth, then handed the glass jar to the man.

The man didn't say much, put on gloves, and took the glass jar to the bathroom. Soon, he came out with a small transparent bag, which contained something visible inside.

Jade, diamonds, gold rings...

Although it was just a small bag, its value was considerable.

"Did you see anyone?" the man asked.

Wei Ling shook his head and pointed to Zheng Tan, "This cat found it."

"Tch, you're just pulling my leg!" The man clearly didn't believe it and continued, "Tell me, what else did you find? I didn't hear clearly on the phone... You should really get a new phone, or you won't be able to contact anyone outside the central area."

Wei Ling described the situation at the dilapidated house, "We specially spread medicine around to avoid attracting animals, but it wouldn't kill the weeds. The nearby residents have been busy moving, so they wouldn't pay attention to those weed-infested dilapidated houses. The bag was well hidden, and the surrounding traces were cleaned up carefully. The person was very cautious... This wasn't their first time doing this."

"Of course not, that person has several lives on their hands and is very experienced at this. Only you could find it. If it were my subordinates, they could circle that dilapidated house all day and not find a single clue." The man in the police uniform tapped the bag in his hand, thought for a moment, and handed a file folder to Wei Ling.

"Male?" Wei Ling frowned at the file in his hand, which was different from his guess. He had always suspected the only female among the suspects.

"The new equipment at the bureau confirmed it, how could it be wrong?" The man in the police uniform patted Wei Ling's shoulder, "Alright, I really appreciate your help in finding this evidence. They've already sent people to watch, and they'll let you know if there's any movement. You've been out of the army for three years, and your injuries are healed. You should find something to do, don't just wander around all day. Whether you want to join the police or start a company, you have the connections and capital."

Wei Ling lit a cigarette, put his arm behind his head, and leaned back on the sofa, "Lazy."

"Bullshit!" The man in the police uniform picked up the file and hit it, too angry to continue the topic. He then looked at Zheng Tan, who was using his paws to tear open the beef cube packaging, "This cat is pretty smart, but compared to the mountain cat of our master..."

The man stopped mid-sentence.

"Why did I mention it!"

"Why did I mention it!"

The two almost spoke at the same time.

Thinking of the mountain cat's eyes, which were exactly like their master's, gave them the creeps. This was also why Wei Ling wasn't too surprised by Zheng Tan's various behaviors.

Rubbing the goosebumps on his arms, Wei Ling kicked the man in the police uniform, "Senior Brother, you should get back to work. These cases will keep you busy."

"Right," the man in the police uniform put the things away, looking serious but sounding smug, "I can't move up without solving these cases."

"Arrogance is a disease, and it needs to be treated."

"Haven't you read in the newspapers? Arrogant people make good leaders. Napoleon, Roosevelt, Stalin, Edison, Carnegie, Rockefeller, Ford, and even Hitler, all had the same narcissistic traits." The man in the police uniform whistled and left, adding before the door, "You don't have to return my daughter's bicycle. Just buy a new one to compensate her. It's her birthday soon, you know, get one that can fold."

Zheng Tan had been tearing open beef cubes but was listening to the two men's conversation. It seemed that both of them had significant identities and came from the same master.

After the man in the police uniform left, Wei Ling made a bowl of instant noodles, grabbed a handful of beef cubes, and put them on the coffee table, saying to Zheng Tan, "I'm going to take a nap. If you're hungry, eat the beef cubes. There's nothing else for you to eat. Also, don't go out. This place isn't like where you were before. Do you know why there are no cats or dogs around? They've all been caught by the construction workers and stewed. There are many people who want to eat 'Dragon Tiger Fight,' and with your skills, you can only bully small stray dogs."

Zheng Tan: "..."

Spending the night in this dangerous area, the next day, Wei Ling packed a bag of clothes and rode the bicycle to Chu Hua University. Zheng Tan squatted in the pink lady's bicycle basket again. However, once they approached the city, the roads were relatively flat, and except for the wind, everything was fine, except for the chatter of certain people.

From the start to the street where Chu Hua University was located, Wei Ling criticized Zheng Tan's various shortcomings, "Poor jumping ability, slow reaction, hearing like a pig, not even noticing when someone walks by..."

Zheng Tan wanted to argue but couldn't, only able to make strange cat sounds. So, pedestrians saw this scene: a man riding a lady's bicycle talking non-stop, saying two sentences, and the cat in the basket meowing once, as if they were arguing.

Riding from the new technology development zone to Chu Hua University took at least two hours, but Wei Ling didn't seem very tired.

Wei Ling rented a house near Chu Hua University. He had already bought a house, not far from the university, but it was under renovation and wouldn't be habitable for at least six months, so he found a place and paid six months' rent.

The last time Zheng Tan saw the mother and daughter on the big lawn was Wei Ling's comrade's wife and child. The comrade had been martyred on a mission, and Wei Ling had been helping to take care of them, even after retiring.

Wei Ling's rented house wasn't far from the East Family Compound, just a five-minute walk from the East Gate, where many students rented rooms.

After arriving at the rental place, Wei Ling told Zheng Tan to get off, "Go back on your own. Practice your skills when you have free time. As a cat who likes to wander around, if you don't have any skills, you'll end up in a 'Dragon Tiger Fight.' I'll go running in the school in the morning, around six or seven. If you want to join, you can. That's it."

After saying that, Wei Ling locked the bike and went upstairs, not caring if the cat would be caught. Wei Ling thought that if the cat was so easy to catch, it deserved it, and he wouldn't have to waste time training it.

Zheng Tan was familiar with the area, ignored the calls of a few passing students, and walked toward the East Gate.

"That cat is so cold."

"Right, unlike the calico cat from a few days ago, which would roll over."

"Are all black cats like this?"

"Not at all, my aunt's cat is black and loves to be affectionate, unlike this one..."

Zheng Tan listened to the female students' discussion, twitched his ears, and felt bad. Roll over? Be affectionate? Screw that!

Admitting it, when Zheng Tan climbed over the wall of the East Family Compound, his mind suddenly became much calmer and more peaceful. Perhaps, this was a sense of belonging?

Before Zheng Tan could finish his thoughts, a dog's bark turned his calm mood cloudy.

Zheng Tan recognized the bark. He hadn't heard it for a month, and the area had been relatively peaceful.

Zheng Tan turned his head and saw a dog running over with a bottle of mineral water in its mouth, its owner chasing and shouting behind.

The dog was named Sahara, not after the famous desert, but because of its lineage. It was said to have three bloodlines: Samoyed, Husky, and Labrador.

Sahara had a Husky's serious expression but also a Samoyed's upturned mouth, making it look rather lecherous. It inherited the intelligence of the Labrador, but unfortunately, this intelligence was often misused.

For example, now, Sahara was biting its owner's newly bought bottle of mineral water and running around, probably just enjoying being chased.

Whoosh—

Sahara's sharp teeth punctured the plastic bottle, and the water sprayed out, hitting Zheng Tan as it ran by. Zheng Tan didn't have time to dodge.

Was it really because of his poor reaction?

The culprit had already run far with the leaking bottle. Zheng Tan shook off the water, and before he could sigh, he heard the sound of wings flapping.

A blue figure landed on the wall of the compound behind him.

"Yesterday, I passed by your door~ You were pouring water~ It splashed on my shoes~ The passersby~ Laughed and laughed~"

Zheng Tan: "..."

Suddenly, he felt like he needed to go to the bathroom.

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Thank you, Daxiong Xingkong, Yiqian Hao Yue Dangkong, Jixie Baobao, Jingji AG, Xingxing Mao, and Lazyorange for your support! Thank you, Yiqian Hao Yue Dangkong (5) and Chh for your reviews! Thank you to all the readers who have been supporting me!

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