Animal Detective

Chapter 112: Troublemaker Da Mei

Police dogs are still quite a novelty, so many people gathered around.

Someone even asked if the police dogs were like the ones in the movies—sniffing out drugs, searching for explosives, and even rushing into fires to save people.

"You said it yourself, sir, that’s just in the movies. In real life, if there’s a fire, we have our brave and dedicated firefighters for that."

Shen Xin smiled and added, "Of course, if we encounter danger, I’m sure that both police officers and police dogs will be the first to rush in."

The man who asked the question immediately gave Shen Xin a thumbs-up.

Shen Xin answered a few more questions before finally pointing to Black Panther’s vest and saying, "Besides, don’t you think something is missing here?"

The crowd took a closer look, and a young man shouted, "It doesn’t say ’Police K-9’ on it."

"That’s right."

Shen Xin nodded. "So, they’re still just trainee police dogs. They’re still learning, not as amazing as you think, able to do anything and everything."

The crowd understood. Some asked Shen Xin why he had brought the police dogs here, wondering if there was a case in the area.

"Hey, Officer, I remember you! Weren’t you here yesterday asking about a case from ’11?"

Someone recognized Shen Xin.

"A case from ’11? What case? That was six years ago."

"That’s because you don’t know. Anyone who was around this area back then knew about it. One of our fellow drivers got robbed on the road and was killed. I heard it was a gruesome death."

"Whoa, something like that happened?"

"You bet. Back in ’11, things were chaotic."

"So, a six-year-old case is still unsolved?"

"Now that’s not the right way to put it. Some cases are just hard to crack. The important thing is that the officer here hasn’t given up. It’s been six years, and he’s still investigating."

The crowd murmured among themselves.

Seeing that a crowd had gathered, Shen Xin decided to take the opportunity, saving himself the trouble of asking everyone one by one. He asked if any of them had been truck drivers back in ’11, and if they had happened to pass by the crime scene that night and witness what happened.

"No, it’s been so many years. Who would remember?"

"Besides, the national highway is full of cars coming and going. Everyone’s focused on their own driving, who pays attention to other stuff?"

Everyone shook their heads.

Just as Shen Xin was about to ask them to spread the word and ask around, he heard a panicked shout in the distance.

It was a young woman. She was shouting a name, repeatedly stopping passersby, asking questions while gesturing to indicate a height with her hand.

It looked like she had lost her child.

Shen Xin frowned to himself. ’What a coincidence. I just finished explaining what police dogs do, and now someone’s lost a child.’

"Make way."

Shen Xin quickly went over.

Sure enough, her child was missing.

It was a married couple. They had just come to Nanjiang to deliver a shipment of goods. Since it was the weekend, they had brought their child along. After they finished unloading, they were planning to go have some fun over in Nanzhu.

But in the brief moment they were distracted while unloading, the child disappeared.

Suddenly seeing a police officer, the woman grabbed Shen Xin’s wrist, her legs giving out as she started to collapse, begging him to do something to find her child.

The onlookers who had followed pointed and whispered. Someone reminded him, "Officer, don’t you have police dogs? Have them help find the kid!"

’I was just about to say that,’ Shen Xin thought.

He quickly asked the woman if she had any of the child’s clothing.

"I do."

She hurriedly led Shen Xin into the logistics park, found the truck they were unloading, and took out a sun-protection jacket from inside.

"Black Panther, Tiger Stripes, scent."

Shen Xin held the jacket out for Black Panther to sniff.

Tiger Stripes was still slacking off, but a glare from Shen Xin made him behave immediately. He obediently came over to take a sniff.

"Got the scent?" Shen Xin asked.

Both dogs barked once.

"Then get searching. There’s a reward if you find him." Shen Xin unclipped their leashes.

The two dogs clearly understood. Black Panther immediately lowered his head and began sniffing everywhere.

The crowd quickly parted to avoid interfering with Black Panther.

Tiger Stripes, however, remained unmoved.

Shen Xin gave him an exasperated kick.

The dog shot Shen Xin a resentful look before finally starting to sniff around.

The area was crowded with people and cars. The exhaust fumes and all the different human scents mingled together, making it difficult to distinguish anything.

But Shen Xin wasn’t too worried.

Especially with Tiger Stripes; that guy’s sense of smell was probably more sensitive than Black Panther’s.

Sure enough, while Black Panther was still searching, Tiger Stripes was the first to make a move, trotting toward the south gate of the parking lot.

Shen Xin quickly followed. Seeing him trotting along leisurely, he barked, "Faster!"

That rascal was definitely doing it on purpose. The moment he heard the command, he shot off like a rocket.

Shen Xin cursed under his breath. ’Good thing he has a tracker, or I’d be worried about losing him.’

Shen Xin ran in front with a whole crowd of people trailing behind him. They left the logistics park through the south gate and headed west along the concrete road outside.

After about two hundred meters, Shen Xin saw Tiger Stripes dart into a thicket of trees by the roadside.

He ran over and peered inside to see Tiger Stripes circling a little boy, barking at him.

The little boy looked nervous. Then he saw Shen Xin and the crowd emerging from the thicket behind the dog and was completely dumbfounded.

"What do you think you’re doing?!"

His mother swayed, let out a long sigh of relief, and then, with her strength suddenly returned, rushed forward, grabbed the boy’s ear, and gave his bottom a few good smacks.

Meanwhile, the crowd that had followed over clicked their tongues in amazement.

"This dog is amazing."

"I know, right? It found him immediately. A true police dog, no doubt."

"Of course! They’re professionals."

Some people even took out their phones to film.

"Alright, ma’am, that’s enough." Shen Xin stepped forward to stop the woman.

The best outcome was that the child was safe.

With that, Shen Xin bent down and asked the boy what he was doing and why he had run off by himself.

The boy pouted and didn’t dare to answer, but his eyes darted toward the thicket behind him.

Only then did Shen Xin notice a flash of yellow in the bushes behind the boy.

It looked like an orange cat.

"Did you see this little cat and follow it over here?" Shen Xin asked.

The boy glanced at his mother, then nodded and said, "I wanted to take it home and keep it."

Shen Xin ruffled his hair. "I know you meant well, but you can’t do that again. At least tell your parents where you’re going first. Look how worried you made your mom."

His dad had gone to search in another direction and hadn’t come back yet.

The boy mumbled an acknowledgment, his eyes still glancing toward the greenbelt.

He probably spent all that time trying to catch it and failed.

Shen Xin looked around and saw the orange cat cowering deep inside the greenbelt, afraid.

Shen Xin called out, "Here, kitty, kitty," a couple of times.

One could only say his talent was astonishing.

After he called a few times, the orange cat actually started to walk over slowly.

It looked to be about three months old and was very thin.

It must have been on its own for a while. For stray cats, it’s amazing if the mother cat feeds them for even a month or two.

Because by then, they’re usually pregnant again.

It watched Shen Xin warily but continued to approach.

Shen Xin saw his chance and acted decisively, snatching it by the scruff of its neck.

"Whoa, mister, you’re so cool!" The boy’s eyes lit up.

The orange cat was quite fierce, but Shen Xin had it firmly by the scruff, rendering its struggles useless.

Shen Xin asked the boy if he wanted to keep it.

In a place like a logistics park, which isn’t a residential area, a stray cat like this wouldn’t be fed by anyone or have trash cans to rummage through. It wouldn’t survive for long.

The boy immediately looked to his mother.

His mother shot him a harsh glare.

The boy pouted and gave up wistfully.

The woman started to explain.

"It’s okay, I get it." ’To each their own,’ Shen Xin understood perfectly.

Besides, the orange cat was quite pretty. It should be easy to find a home for.

He could probably even do it right here on the spot.

Shen Xin held up the kitten and asked the drivers who had followed if any of them wanted to adopt it.

"I do!"

"Give it to me! My daughter has been wanting a cat."

Surprisingly, it was quite sought-after.

Shen Xin went with his gut and gave it to a young man who looked honest.

Only then did the woman pull her son over to thank Shen Xin profusely.

The boy looked to be about eight or nine years old. Even though he ran off on his own, he probably wouldn’t have gotten truly lost.

But if it hadn’t been for Shen Xin, they wouldn’t have found him so quickly.

The onlooking drivers also began to applaud.

They had witnessed a police dog search for a person with their own eyes.

"Thank him."

Shen Xin ruffled Tiger Stripes’s head.

Black Panther had followed, but he was a step too late.

Tiger Stripes seemed to understand, lifting his head with a touch of smug pride. The favorability meter above his head even ticked up a notch.

Shen Xin was secretly amazed. ’Looks like this guy is vain, too.’

After telling the crowd to disperse, Shen Xin returned to the logistics park.

Now, because of what had happened, people were filming the two dogs wherever they went.

Some even wanted to take a picture with Black Panther.

When Ding Yuwei got back and found out what had happened, she was completely dumbfounded.

In the short time she was gone, Shen Xin had helped find a missing child?

Ding Yuwei had dropped Da Mei off near Guanzhuang Village.

She had worriedly asked if it would be a problem to just leave Da Mei in an unfamiliar place.

Shen Xin said it would be fine.

With Da Mei’s cleverness and her sufficient wariness of people, there was no need to worry.

Shen Xin did the same as before, releasing Black Panther and Tiger Stripes one after another in different locations.

Then he paid them no mind and continued his interviews with Ding Yuwei.

After a full day, they still had nothing.

Ding Yuwei couldn’t help but ask if they should try to find Gao Liyun first, or else start the investigation with Xiao Hong’s social circle.

Shen Xin was conflicted.

Logically, Sun Zhao had already investigated Xiao Hong’s social circle countless times. Now, six years later, it was unlikely they would find anything new.

On the other hand, searching the logistics parks was like finding a needle in a haystack.

There wasn’t just one logistics park in the area; there were many, both large and small.

There was no telling how long the canvassing would take.

Shen Xin thought of Ding Yuwei’s earlier suggestion: to post a reward online.

After all, compared to back then, the internet was much more developed now.

But getting the word out to a wide audience was no easy task.

You could take out a newspaper ad or go on TV, but who even reads newspapers or watches TV anymore?

And as for posting online, or on an official account—the Nanjiang Public Security Bureau’s official account barely had any followers. No one would notice if they posted there.

"Let’s think it over some more."

The main advantage of canvassing here was that he could also use the opportunity to train Black Panther and the others.

Shen Xin took out his phone and pulled up their locations.

Sure enough, the two dogs and one cat had gathered together again.

And strangely enough, they were in Bao Lane.

Yesterday, the three of them had moved in sync, as if they were up to something.

After carefully examining their tracks, Shen Xin was surprised to find that Black Panther hadn’t actually tracked Da Mei correctly.

He had followed for a distance and then lost the trail.

The difficulty of following them by car with Ding Yuwei was on a completely different level than yesterday.

Tiger Stripes, on the other hand, also took some wrong turns but was able to get back on the right path quickly.

He was the first to meet up with Da Mei, about an hour or so after being released.

Then, the amazing part happened: Da Mei and Tiger Stripes actually turned around and ran back to find Black Panther.

The three of them only regrouped around noon.

Afterward, they set off together again and ran to Bao Lane.

In that case, Black Panther’s tracking ability was far inferior to that of Tiger Stripes and Dou Dou.

’Looks like he’s really only suited to be a riot control dog.’

"Let’s go. Time to pick them up."

Shen Xin told Ding Yuwei to get in the car, and they headed for Bao Lane.

When they arrived, Shen Xin was surprised to find the road where Da Mei was located was surrounded by people.

"What are they all looking at?" Ding Yuwei asked, puzzled.

Shen Xin pulled over and squeezed through the crowd.

In the greenbelt up ahead, he saw two "gangs" facing off.

On one side, it was Da Mei and her two companions.

And on the other side were five stray dogs.

Seeing this, Shen Xin’s vision went dark. ’Of course. I knew Da Mei would cause trouble as soon as she got out. She’s here for a gang fight again.’