Animal Detective

Chapter 106: Tactical Vest

Ding Yuwei gave a wry smile and shook her head.

"Captain Sun handled this case personally. I read the file. They investigated every possible lead, so what useful information do you think I could possibly find?"

In 2011, Sun Zhao was still a deputy captain, and his professional skills were top-notch.

So, just as Ding Yuwei had said, Sun Zhao must have investigated every possible lead.

Shen Xin flopped back down onto the desk, his thoughts turning to Guo Chunping’s investigation of Liu Laibin.

The statements from Li Weiqin and others had helped piece together more of the details.

Guo Chunping had indeed searched for a full year.

His method was the same as the local police’s: canvassing and asking questions. There weren’t many special techniques involved.

Li Weiqin seemed to know a bit more. He said Guo Chunping just rode a motorcycle up and down that road, questioning the drivers of any trucks he saw stopped for a rest.

He also jotted down license plate numbers.

Apparently, he filled five thick notebooks just with those notes.

In other words, Guo Chunping had taken the police’s most effective tool at the time—thorough canvassing—and pushed it to its absolute limit.

Of course, luck also played a part.

So, for Xiao Hong’s case, Shen Xin figured he could do the same.

Or rather, it was the only way.

"I’m heading out."

Shen Xin suddenly sat up.

Ding Yuwei shot to her feet, looking at Shen Xin with puppy-dog eyes, as if to say, ’Take me with you!’

Shen Xin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "I’m not actually going out. I’m just going to the tech department."

"Oh," Ding Yuwei said, but she followed him anyway.

Her job now was just paperwork anyway, the same thing Shen Xin had been doing before. It looked like she was stuck with it for a month.

He ran up to the tech department on the third floor and found the technician in charge of police equipment.

He was a young man in his thirties named Cai Zhe.

"So, let me get this straight. You want to make a dog collar with an integrated pinhole camera, GPS tracking, remote transmission via a SIM card, and on top of all that, a long-lasting battery."

After hearing Shen Xin’s requirements, Cai Zhe shot him a reproachful look.

"Seriously, if I had that kind of skill, I wouldn’t be a cop. I’d quit and start my own company."

Each of those features is easy to implement on its own. But integrating them all into a single collar, unlike the standard pet cams on the market, is where it gets difficult.

The tooling cost alone would be astronomical.

Cai Zhe asked, "Don’t they sell those pet cams online? Why don’t you just buy one?"

’How do you know I haven’t already?’ Shen Xin thought. ’I even bought an expensive one.’

But the problem was, the battery life on those things was too short.

Shen Xin wanted long-lasting battery life—at least eight hours.

An HD camera and precise GPS would be ideal, too.

"Can’t be done," Cai Zhe said, shaking his head firmly.

However, just as a disappointed Shen Xin was about to leave, Cai Zhe suddenly said, "How about you get a vest for it? You know, like the ones our police dogs wear."

Police dogs wear vests for protection against stabs and slashes.

Cai Zhe continued, "If it’s wearing a vest, I can give you all the features you want. We can treat it like a tactical vest. Stuff a few power banks in it, and you can forget eight hours—we could get eighty hours of battery life, no problem."

"As for the camera, I can even set you up with one that has image stabilization. The footage will be perfectly clear."

"Oh, right! I also saw in the news that in Songpu, they have police dogs wear these smart helmets connected to a muzzle, with a camera for remote searches and things like that."

’A vest?’

An image of Black Panther wearing a black tactical vest flashed through Shen Xin’s mind.

He had to admit, that would look pretty cool.

"Alright, can you help me put one together?" Shen Xin said quickly.

’I’ll get two sets to start.’

’No, I should get two sets for Da Mei and Evil Bully, too.’

’Who knows when those two cats might come in handy.’

’The department can pay for Black Panther’s and Tiger Stripes’s. There’s plenty of money left in the dog purchasing budget anyway.’

’I’ll just pay for Da Mei’s out of my own pocket. It’s no big deal.’

"So now I have to modify vests for you," Cai Zhe muttered.

Shen Xin immediately whispered something in Ding Yuwei’s ear.

She quickly returned with two cases of Red Bull.

"We appreciate the hard work. Please help us out."

The tech department staff often pulled all-nighters on cases, so they could definitely use it.

Cai Zhe grinned and said, "Don’t do this again," then told Shen Xin to go get the dogs’ measurements.

After the past few days together, Black Panther’s affection level had reached 6 bars.

Tiger Stripes, on the other hand, showed no change. He was still at 4 bars.

His approach was one of feigned obedience.

But the dog was extremely smart. He could quickly tell whether Shen Xin actually intended to hit him or was just trying to scare him.

If it was the latter, he would even pretend to be frightened.

He’d even go so far as to "frighten" himself into losing control of his bowels.

And yet, his affection level wouldn’t budge.

So Shen Xin knew instantly that the dog was just putting on an act.

He couldn’t just keep actually hitting him, so for such a stubborn creature, Shen Xin felt he’d have to find another way.

"Shen Xin, did you hit him again?"

Ding Yuwei had tagged along. As soon as she arrived, Tiger Stripes sidled up to her, wagging his tail and putting on a pitiful look.

He knew how to read people. He knew Ding Yuwei was a softie and would plead on his behalf.

"No."

Shen Xin shot the dog a glare and called Black Panther over to be measured.

Black Panther was still the good boy.

"You too. Get over here," Shen Xin snapped.

Tiger Stripes immediately looked to Ding Yuwei.

Ding Yuwei, exasperated, gave him a pat. Only then did he trot over.

"Shen Xin, what are you planning to do?"

Ding Yuwei asked curiously.

"Training," Shen Xin said as he took the measurements.

He felt it was time to start some professional training.

Shen Xin wanted to test their aptitude for tracking, drug detection, bomb-sniffing, and protection to see which dog was better suited for which task before deciding on their specialization.

For now, though, he’d start with tracking.

「Two days later.」

Cai Zhe’s custom vests were ready.

They were crude—for instance, to enable the transmission function, he had simply stuffed a cell phone inside the vest.

But the functionality was solid, perfectly meeting Shen Xin’s requirements.

That evening, Shen Xin took the two dogs and Da Mei and drove to the Ririshun Logistics Park on the Li Yang Highway Section of National Highway 319.

Li Yang Road covered the stretch from Dazhang Village to Guanzhuang Village.

And looking at a map, the closest freight hub to the crime scene was this Ririshun Logistics Park.

Although his superiors hadn’t decided which cold case he should investigate next—or even if he would be allowed to continue investigating them at all.

But he guessed it would be the same as always.

’You solve two cold cases in a row, that means you have a talent for it. If you don’t do it, who will?’

And, most likely, just like last time, they would let Shen Xin propose a suitable case himself.

So, he might as well start with the Xiao Hong case.

For six years, his wife had relentlessly and repeatedly come to inquire about the case. For her sake alone, he had to give it another shot.

It was also a good opportunity to train Black Panther and Tiger Stripes.

Arriving at the logistics park, Shen Xin glanced into the back seat.

Da Mei wasn’t the least bit afraid of the two powerful dogs.

Of course, Black Panther didn’t deign to give her a second glance, either.

But after spending so much time together, they were certainly familiar with each other’s scent.

Da Mei was also wearing one of the vests.

Shen Xin opened the car door and gave a final instruction. "Go have some fun, but remember: don’t let anyone catch you."

Da Mei let out a meow of complete understanding.

She even seemed eager to get going.

She still yearned for the freedom of the outdoors.

"Go on."

Shen Xin set Da Mei on the ground.

She immediately vanished into the night.

’With the GPS tracker, there’s no fear of losing her.’

’Besides, Da Mei is smart. Since I told her not to get caught, she won’t go near anyone.’

’First thing tomorrow morning, I’ll bring Black Panther and Tiger Stripes back here.’

’Then, I’ll have them track Da Mei’s trail while I canvass the logistics park. That way, I can do both at once.’