Animal Detective

Chapter 104: Submission by Force is Still Submission

The best possible outcome was that the girl didn’t get bitten.

The mother and daughter thanked him profusely before leaving.

The surrounding passersby also gave Shen Xin a thumbs-up and cheered.

Of course, plenty of people were praising Black Panther, too.

They said he looked powerful and fierce at a glance, and his pounce on the stray dog had been swift and vicious.

After chasing away the stray dog, he had even returned with his leash in his mouth. Incredibly smart.

Black Panther seemed to relish the praise, puffing out his chest with pride.

"Alright, everyone, back to your shopping," Shen Xin said, encouraging the crowd to disperse. "In the future, if you run into stray dogs, try not to feed them directly. It’ll save you from potential trouble."

Shen Xin figured that the two strays had attacked because the girl had fed them a chicken leg. The greedy dogs wanted more, and that’s why they went after the mother and daughter.

As the crowd slowly dispersed, Shen Xin recalled what the woman had said.

She’d said the number of stray dogs in the area was growing.

This was not a good thing.

This was a food market, with lots of people coming and going.

And many of them had children.

Once these stray dogs formed a pack, they would only get more aggressive.

Shen Xin figured it was probably the work of Tiger Stripes, the dog the door and window shop owner had mentioned. He had likely gathered a group of followers and was now wreaking havoc.

Dogs and cats are different.

Evil Bully was a loner, picking on anyone he took a disliking to.

But dogs are pack animals. They form cliques and gangs. If too many of them gathered, it would be a real problem.

He was already looking for this Tiger Stripes anyway, so Shen Xin decided he might as well go straight for the leader.

"Black Panther, find that white dog from before."

Their Favorability was already at four bars, and Black Panther was smart, so Shen Xin just gave direct commands.

The yellowish dog had been badly bitten and would probably hide somewhere to recover.

The white dog, on the other hand, had only been nipped. It would likely run back for comfort. Following it might lead them to Tiger Stripes.

Black Panther understood and immediately began to trail it.

The white dog was bleeding, so its scent was fresh.

They followed the road straight ahead and then wound into Xiaoyuan Third Village.

It was an old residential complex with no property management and paths leading in every direction.

The scent was so clear that Black Panther didn’t even have to stop to parse it. He led Shen Xin straight through Xiaoyuan Third Village to a landscaped greenbelt on the other side.

Nanjiang was fond of its green spaces, and there were many such pockets of landscaping tucked away in odd corners and crevices.

They were usually well-maintained, but some were so small you could cross them in a few steps. Xiaoyuan Third Village was right by Hongtu Square, so most residents went there, leaving this area largely deserted.

Black Panther stopped abruptly, barking a few times toward a distant line of trees.

The next moment, it was like a scene from a movie: you walk into a secluded alley, you stop, and suddenly several assassins emerge from the shadows ahead.

From the bushes in the greenbelt right in front of Shen Xin, five stray dogs emerged all at once.

The white dog was among them.

And Shen Xin also saw the Tiger Stripes that the shop owner had mentioned.

It was just as the shop owner had described: brindle-colored, but a very light shade with few mottled patches. It had erect ears. Unlike the broad, stocky builds of most brindle dogs, its frame was more slender.

There was no telling what breeds it was mixed with.

It stared at Shen Xin from a distance, its gaze fierce, letting out a low growl from its throat in a clear warning.

It was as if the dog was saying, ’Human, this is my territory. Get out now if you know what’s good for you.’

’Leaving wasn’t an option.’

’Shen Xin, however, thought that if this Tiger Stripes was smart and a good fighter, it had the potential to be a riot control dog.’

’Of course, its history as a stray meant its temperament might be unstable.’

’But that didn’t matter. He had Favorability on his side.’

’Once he raised its Favorability, nothing would be a problem.’

Besides, it was a local menace. He had to deal with it.

’The question now was how to subdue it. Just giving it food to raise its Favorability clearly wasn’t going to work.’

’For a stray dog like this, a real bully, a carrot-and-stick approach seemed best.’

’Beating it into submission was still submission.’

Shen Xin unclipped the leash, glanced around, and spotted a wooden stake supporting a young tree.

He gave it a hard yank and pulled it free.

Shen Xin pointed at the Tiger Stripes in the middle and said, "Black Panther, this one’s mine. The rest are yours."

There were five dogs in total. The white dog, having already been disciplined by Black Panther, had no fight left in it; its tail was tucked firmly between its legs.

Besides Tiger Stripes, that left three others.

One of them was just a little pup, probably not even a mouthful for Black Panther.

So taking on the remaining two should be no problem for him at all.

Consider it a practical combat lesson for Black Panther.

Black Panther remained silent, awaiting the order to attack.

Shen Xin felt the wooden stake was too long. With a sharp CRACK, he stomped on it and snapped it in half.

Two clubs in hand. That felt better.

Then, with Black Panther at his side, he charged.

The stray dogs milled about restlessly, and Tiger Stripes let out a couple of barks.

But when it saw Shen Xin was undeterred, it lunged.

It was incredibly fast.

But Shen Xin wasn’t without training. He timed the attack and swung the club in his right hand.

He missed.

That Tiger Stripes was incredibly agile.

Meanwhile, Black Panther had already charged the other strays, and the dogs descended into a chaotic brawl.

Fully vaccinated, he was completely fearless.

Tiger Stripes seemed to understand tactics. When its first attack failed, it landed and tried to circle around behind him.

Shen Xin saw his opening and threw the club from his left hand, smacking it right on the head.

It didn’t even yelp. It just pushed off the ground and lunged at Shen Xin again.

Only then did Shen Xin wind up his right arm and swing in a wide, sweeping arc.

It connected.

Tiger Stripes was knocked to the ground, but it rolled with the impact and lunged again.

Shen Xin just swung his club again.

His police baton training wasn’t just for show. The club cracked squarely on its head.

It was a vicious blow. The dog was knocked to the ground and no longer dared to attack so recklessly.

But the fact that it didn’t immediately run away was enough to show how combative it was.

Shen Xin bent down to retrieve the club he had thrown, and the dog immediately lunged again.

Shen Xin had essentially baited it, and he swept out with his club again.

With a sharp CRACK and a mournful yelp from the dog, the club snapped in two.

It may have been as thick as a child’s arm, but it had long been weathered and weakened by the elements.

"Come on!"

Shen Xin gripped the broken half of the club and yelled at the dog.

It crouched on the ground, baring its teeth at Shen Xin, fearful yet fierce.

In that short time, Black Panther had already chased off all the other strays.

The fighting prowess of stray dogs was questionable to begin with, especially against a dog the size of Black Panther.

He turned his head and lunged directly at Tiger Stripes.

Going for the neck again.

Tiger Stripes twisted its head aside to dodge, but its leg was caught. It immediately snapped back at Black Panther.

The two dogs were instantly locked in a vicious fight.

But soon, Tiger Stripes was overpowered. The size difference was just too great.

Shen Xin saw his chance and moved in. Just like he was apprehending a suspect, he put his weight on the dog’s back, forced its head down, and pinned Tiger Stripes firmly to the ground.

Black Panther barked incessantly nearby, ready to pounce at a moment’s notice.

At first, Tiger Stripes struggled, but after being held down for a while, it stopped moving.

Its cries changed, too, turning into terrified whimpers.

Then, in the next moment, a Favorability icon appeared over its head, shooting up to two bars all at once.

’Just as he’d thought. Beating it into submission still counted as submission.’

Only then did Shen Xin let go.

It crouched on the ground while Black Panther stood over it menacingly.

But its eyes still showed a hint of defiance, and even a trace of cunning.

With the Favorability link, Shen Xin could clearly sense the changes in its emotions.

So, just as it saw its chance and started to bolt, Shen Xin smacked it right on the nose with the piece of club.

He went for the nose—a dog’s most sensitive spot.

The blow sent a shock of pain through Tiger Stripes, and it instantly curled into a ball.

The Favorability icon over its head shot up another two bars.

"Still trying to run?"

Shen Xin growled.

Tiger Stripes let out a whimper, remaining perfectly still.

"Get up."

Shen Xin snapped.

For an animal like this bully, one that had been beaten into submission, Shen Xin knew he had to be stern.

This Tiger Stripes was clearly very intelligent and could read the situation. Once its Favorability had gone up, its obedient side began to show. It immediately got to its feet.

"Come here. Sit."

Shen Xin pointed to the ground in front of him.

Tiger Stripes hesitated for a moment, then actually ran over and sat down.

Shen Xin took out some beef jerky from his pocket and gave a piece to Black Panther as a reward.

’The big guy really earned it today.’

"You did great, Black Panther. I’ll give you something extra for dinner when we get back," Shen Xin added.

’If he wanted to raise the Favorability, he had to say it out loud, to express his affection.’

’The food market was right over there. He’d buy some beef in a little while.’

His gaze shifted, and Shen Xin took out another piece of beef jerky, tossing it directly in front of Tiger Stripes.

"Eat!"

Tiger Stripes didn’t move. Its eyes darted around, still clearly plotting its escape.

Shen Xin slapped it right across the face.

"Eat."

Shen Xin said, pointing to the beef jerky on the ground.

Tiger Stripes’s gaze grew steadier, but it still seemed defiant.

It lowered its head and took the beef jerky in its mouth.

And then...

It froze. Its eyes instantly lit up, as if it had never tasted beef jerky this good before.

It eagerly chewed and swallowed it down.

When it looked up at Shen Xin again, its expression had changed. There was now a hint of fawning in its eyes.