Animal Detective

Chapter 100: Training Police Dogs

The next day, Shen Xin went to work as usual.

He had just walked into the sub-bureau building and hadn’t even gone upstairs when two people suddenly popped out from either side, hooking their arms around his shoulders.

"Captain Feng?"

Shen Xin jumped in surprise.

He recognized the one on his right. It was Feng Kaiwei, captain of the sub-bureau’s Special Police Unit, whom he had met during the Zhang Qin case.

The man on his left was in his forties, with rough, dark skin and hair cut short like steel needles. A faint, almost imperceptible foul odor emanated from him. He probably hadn’t bathed in days.

"Captain Jiang?"

After a moment’s thought, Shen Xin recognized him. It seemed to be Jiang Wengang, captain of the sub-bureau’s Anti-Drug Unit.

"Come, come, come."

Feng Kaiwei kept his arm around Shen Xin’s shoulder and led him straight into a nearby reception room.

Jiang Wengang even personally poured Shen Xin a glass of water.

Startled, Shen Xin quickly reached out to stop him.

"It’s fine, just sit." He gestured for Shen Xin to sit, a wide grin on his face.

’One look at his expression, and it’s clear this is anything but fine.’

Shen Xin sat on pins and needles, racking his brain. Since coming to the sub-bureau, he had just been dutifully clocking in at the archives. He hadn’t provoked these two at all.

"Xiaoshen, don’t be so nervous. You’re making it seem like we’re going to do something to you." Feng Kaiwei sat down and said, "You’re really something, kid. Word has spread all over the sub-bureau that you’re the ’Cold Case Crusher’."

The what now?

Shen Xin froze. ’Who started that rumor?’

’I hope this doesn’t lead to Director Lv actually reassigning me to specialize in cold cases.’

"You bet. I’ve heard all about it." Jiang Wengang sat down on the other side, counting on his fingers. "That missing person case—didn’t you use a dog to lock onto the suspect? And that case with the married couple, you actually used a cat for reconnaissance. Old Feng here knows all about that."

Feng Kaiwei didn’t say a word, just gave a thumbs-up.

He was thoroughly impressed.

Jiang Wengang continued, "And now this time, a case that was over four years old, you managed to crack it with a parrot. Your CID unit is definitely getting a commendation for this."

The more Shen Xin listened, the more uneasy he felt. He gave a wry smile. "You two, what is it you really want to say?"

’Just say what you want to say. Don’t beat around the bush like this, it’s terrifying.’

The two captains exchanged a look. Jiang Wengang was the one who spoke up. "It’s like this, Xiaoshen. Have you ever noticed that you have a special connection with small animals? Take that parrot, for example. How did you get on such good terms with it that it could actually identify the murderer? It’s incredible! You have a gift!"

He clapped Shen Xin on the shoulder, his face a mask of amazement.

Then he continued, "And what about your Yunlin Police Station? I’ve been asking around. You guys have a dog, don’t you? My goodness, now when my Anti-Drug Unit goes to Yunlin Street to meet our quotas, we can’t find a single thing."

"That very dog, Song Suo is actually using it as a drug-sniffing dog. So, did you train that dog too, kid?"

When it comes to drug busts, the local police stations have quotas, and the sub-bureau has quotas too.

There was nothing to be done about it; it was just a matter of who acted faster.

But recently, they had come up completely empty-handed in Yunlin Street. Jiang Wengang only found out why after asking around: the Yunlin Police Station had a dog that was unbelievably good at sniffing out drugs.

"So?"

Shen Xin asked back. After he was transferred to the sub-bureau, he really didn’t know what had happened with Baiwan.

Jiang Wengang smiled and pushed the glass of water closer to Shen Xin. "You’re part of the sub-bureau now, kid. Shouldn’t you be contributing to our sub-bureau’s efforts?"

At this point, Shen Xin understood.

"Captain Jiang, are you asking me to help you train police dogs?"

"Exactly!"

Jiang Wengang slapped Shen Xin’s shoulder. "You really have no idea how hard it is to get a police dog. Take our city bureau’s K-9 unit, for example. They have a total of 37 police dogs, and every single one is treated like a precious treasure."

"What’s more, our city’s K-9 unit is also a demonstration base directly under the Provincial Public Security Department. The dogs they train have to be sent to the provincial level. So, how many do you think they can spare for us down here?"

"Take our Anti-Drug Unit, for instance. Whenever we have an operation and need to borrow a couple of dogs from the K-9 unit, we have to beg and plead like crazy."

The K-9 unit’s dogs follow a principle of centralized management and are allocated on an as-needed basis, so you have to apply in advance for any mission.

The Anti-Drug Unit used to have a resident police dog assigned to them, but it retired a few years ago. Now, they truly have none.

"So, since you have this gift, shouldn’t you help us out?"

Smiling, Jiang Wengang once again pushed the glass of water toward Shen Xin.

A professional police dog would be a huge help to their anti-drug work.

"And us, too."

Feng Kaiwei quickly pointed to himself. "Our Special Police Unit is short two bomb-sniffing dogs. We’ve submitted reports to the city bureau multiple times, but they’ve never been approved."

Shen Xin finally understood the whole picture.

’Truth be told, with my ability, training a couple of police dogs really wouldn’t be that difficult.’

He had discovered before that his ability also affected animals, making them smarter and more attuned to humans.

"Shouldn’t I report this to Captain Sun first?" Shen Xin asked.

"Report what? You think that old codger doesn’t want one?" Jiang Wengang shot back.

Doesn’t the CID need police dogs, too?

Hunting for suspects, tracking bloodstains... professional police dogs are just as crucial for solving criminal cases.

"Alright, Old Jiang, that’s enough out of you. Let Xiaoshen get a word in," Feng Kaiwei interrupted Jiang Wengang. He turned to Shen Xin and said, "Xiaoshen, think about it. Would we have come to you if we hadn’t cleared it with Director Lv first? This is what he wants."

Well, that settled it. If Lv Youwei himself had given the order, what else could Shen Xin say?

’As long as they don’t transfer me to the K-9 unit, I’m fine with it.’

"So, Xiaoshen, what do you think we should do now?" Feng Kaiwei asked.

Shen Xin looked at the two captains and said hesitantly, "Buy dogs?"

To train police dogs, you first need dogs, right?

...

Nanjiang was comprised of a main city and two county-level cities.

These were Ji Port City and Donglin City.

Heading southwest from Lishan District would lead you to Donglin City. There, in Lankou Town, right off Provincial Route S216, was the largest dog market in all of Nanjiang.

The town also had many professional kennels that bred purebred dogs.

And so, Shen Xin was dragged along by the two captains all the way to Lankou.

On the way, Jiang Wengang asked Shen Xin which breeds he thought were good, mentioning that Director Lv had approved a budget of 100,000 yuan for them to get five dogs.

The K-9 unit always chose purebreds, and they weren’t cheap.

Shen Xin, however, didn’t think it mattered.

Take Baiwan, for instance; he was just an ordinary German Shepherd.

The reason K-9 units chose purebreds was to find dogs with high obedience and an affinity for people through selective breeding.

Things like sense of smell weren’t the top priority, since pretty much all dogs have a powerful sense of smell.

But for Shen Xin, obedience wasn’t an issue at all.

So whether the dog was a purebred or not wasn’t very important.

"The dog market is open today, right? Why don’t we check it out first?" Shen Xin remembered that the Lankou Dog Market was open on the mornings of even-numbered days, located on a side road off Provincial Route 216.

Jiang Wengang readily agreed. He stepped on the gas, and they quickly reached their destination.

It was a two-lane road, its sides crammed with cages.

In the distance was a large parking lot for people coming from the surrounding counties and cities.

And they didn’t just sell dogs; they also sold cats, rabbits, birds, and even reptiles.

The three of them strolled casually through the market.

There were all sorts of breeds, from mutts to purebreds like Huskies and Labradors.

"Do you think they have ’week-long dogs’ here? Maybe we should just go to a professional kennel," Feng Kaiwei muttered.

The dogs here were cheap, but he was worried they’d end up with one that was secretly sick and would die in a matter of days.

"And should we get adult dogs or puppies?" Jiang Wengang also asked.

K-9 units always get puppies and train them from a young age, but it takes a year or two for them to grow up. He wanted a police dog that was ready to use as soon as possible.

Shen Xin didn’t answer, just kept walking.

There were a lot of people.

Many dogs and cats were cooped up in cages.

The cats especially, being naturally timid, were all trembling. Every now and then, a vendor would pull one out to show a customer. They would all tuck their tails between their legs, looking utterly pitiful.

As he walked, Shen Xin suddenly stopped.

In front of a middle-aged woman’s stall was a single cage containing a Malinois.

It was sitting, staring intently at the passersby. Then its eyes met Shen Xin’s. The moment they made eye contact, a favorability icon appeared above its head.

Shen Xin couldn’t help but marvel. ’Incredible. It’s like this dog has the legendary Innate People-Affinity Physique!’