Animal Detective

Chapter 116: Gao Liyun

It took a moment for everyone to react, but they soon burst into applause.

"Amazing!" Shen Xin gave Ding Yuwei a thumbs-up.

That was absolutely professional-grade work.

Not only did it have a story, but the close-up shots were timed to perfection.

"I’m speechless. It almost brought a tear to my eye. That settles it, I’m buying Dou Dou a chicken drumstick later," Zhao Tianxing said, theatrically wiping away a fake tear.

A colleague chimed in, "If anyone’s buying, it should be Old Jiang! Dou Dou is being trained for his Narcotics Division, after all."

Everyone immediately agreed.

"Exactly. What’s Old Jiang been up to lately? Does he have a case or something? He hasn’t checked in on this at all."

"Look how hard Dou Dou’s been training. Old Jiang ought to show some appreciation."

Chen Chao slung an arm over Shen Xin’s shoulder. "Xiaoshen, why don’t we just keep Dou Dou as a tracking dog? I’d hate to give him to Old Jiang now."

After being showered with praise, a blushing Ding Yuwei asked if there were no other issues, in which case she would go ahead and post it.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

As far as Shen Xin was concerned, the short video was of extremely high quality.

Ding Yuwei immediately logged into the account and published the video.

The bureau had even specially approved a 20,000-yuan budget to support the new social media account.

Of course, the money had been squeezed out of the K-9 budget.

After all, Shen Xin hadn’t spent a dime acquiring the three dogs, managing to save the entire hundred-thousand-yuan budget.

Shen Xin didn’t really understand how paid promotion worked, so he asked Wang Xihai for guidance. Wang Xihai didn’t get it either and just said that since the budget was approved, he should just go ahead and spend it.

So Shen Xin didn’t hold back. He immediately spent five thousand yuan for one million impressions.

You had to admit, spending money really made a difference.

Soon, the video’s analytics page showed it was getting views.

Comments started appearing, too.

The very first comment gave Shen Xin and Ding Yuwei a real thrill.

They clicked it open.

[PAW Patrol, what the hell?]

Ding Yuwei immediately grew nervous. "Shen Xin, are we going to have a problem using this name?" she asked.

’You need to calm down,’ Shen Xin thought. ’This is just the beginning.’

Besides, Shen Xin thought the name was great. It was fitting.

Once Black Panther and the others started going on missions, they would be a real-life PAW Patrol, saving the day.

Whether it was due to the paid promotion or the video’s high quality, as the view count rose, the comments and likes poured in.

The comments, in particular, were popping up one after another.

[Nanjiang Tingyang Branch, is this for real?]

[Probably real, it looks like they have an official verification badge.]

[The competition is insane. Even the police are making short videos now?]

[This is pretty interesting.]

[I thought drug-sniffing dogs in China were all Labradors or Springer Spaniels. This one just looks like a regular mutt.]

[What’s wrong with mutts? Mutts are great—they’re smart and loyal.]

[Honestly, the dog is kind of plain-looking.]

Seeing a comment that said Dou Dou was plain-looking, Ding Yuwei huffed and asked Shen Xin, "You don’t think Dou Dou is cute, do you?"

"Of course he’s cute. He’s very cute," Shen Xin said at once.

But if he were being honest, the dog really was a bit plain.

Shen Xin couldn’t help but wonder if he should have Da Mei make an appearance later on.

Da Mei’s previous video had gone viral in large part because the cat was just so stunningly beautiful.

Just then, a few new comments appeared.

[Hey, that Cassaro in the video, isn’t that the same one from that other viral video?]

[Looks like it. The vest is the same.]

[Which video?]

[The one with the super pretty calico bossing around a Cassaro. It was hilarious.]

[Yeah, I saw that one too. That calico is such a little jerk, lmao.]

[No doubt about it, that’s the same Cassaro. I’m from Nanjiang, I’d know.]

[So that Cassaro is a police dog!]

[I think so. I remember there was another video afterward where that cat led the two dogs into a fight with some strays, but it was taken down for some reason.]

As these comments appeared, the video’s view count suddenly began to skyrocket.

Da Mei’s previous video had racked up tens of millions of views.

This effectively linked the two, creating a funnel that drove traffic to the new video.

The rate at which the views were climbing left even Ding Yuwei speechless. Seeing the flood of comments asking where Da Mei was, she couldn’t help but say, "Shen Xin, seriously, you should let Da Mei make an appearance. I’m telling you, it would absolutely blow up."

Seeing that the account’s follower count was rapidly growing and had already surpassed a thousand, Shen Xin hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"Okay, fine, but how would we film it?" Shen Xin asked.

We couldn’t just have Da Mei lead the three dogs out to get into another brawl.

That would be totally inappropriate.

Ding Yuwei’s eyes lit up as an idea struck her.

She had Shen Xin go back and get Da Mei, then filmed some footage of Black Panther and the other two dogs lined up in formation while Da Mei inspected the ranks.

Then, she had Da Mei leap onto Black Panther’s back, and filmed the three dogs charging forward at once, with Black Panther carrying Da Mei.

"We can add a voiceover and a caption that says, ’PAW Patrol is on a roll!’ It should be great," Ding Yuwei said confidently.

Shen Xin cringed.

An official, verified police department account... was it really appropriate to be posting a goofy, meme-style video like this?

"It should be fine... right?" Ding Yuwei said, her own confidence starting to waver.

’You’re asking me? How should I know?’ Shen Xin thought. ’It’s not like we’ve ever done this before.’

In any case, the account’s followers were growing at a ridiculous pace and had already surpassed three thousand.

Moreover, Dou Dou’s video seemed to have gone viral. The view count had already surpassed the number of paid impressions, reaching over three million, with more than fifty thousand likes, six thousand-plus comments, and tons of shares.

It had even scraped onto the bottom of the trending videos list.

"Whatever, we already filmed it."

Shen Xin waved a hand dismissively. "Who cares. If the higher-ups don’t like it, we’ll just delete it."

Ding Yuwei shot a few more takes to get enough footage, then ran off to the Publicity Department to consult an expert on editing.

Shen Xin went back to building his rapport with the dogs.

He was just waiting for the full-body bite suit he’d ordered online to arrive. Then he could start training Black Panther’s combat skills.

There was still explosive detection and blood trail tracking to work on, too. They had a lot of training ahead of them.

He was playing with Dou Dou when Zhao Tianxing tagged him in their group chat. Gao Liyun was here and had something to report to the police.

Shen Xin shot to his feet, leaving Dou Dou behind as he hurried toward the office building.

In Shen Xin’s eyes, training dogs and running a short-video account were just pleasant diversions from his real work.

Solving cases—that was his most important duty, and the part of the job he loved most.

He tagged Ding Yuwei in the chat on his way over.

By the time he reached the office building, Ding Yuwei had just run back as well, panting for breath.

In a small meeting room in the Criminal Investigation Division, Shen Xin met Gao Liyun.

This was Shen Xin’s first time meeting her.

She was forty-three years old and from Sanqiao Town in Donglin City.

He had heard from Zhao Tianxing that she worked at an electronics factory in Sanqiao Town.

Sun Zhao had once said that Xiao Hong and Gao Liyun first met when some young thugs were harassing her. So, even though she was past forty, it was clear that Gao Liyun must have been quite pretty in her youth.

She wore a floral-print blouse and a pair of the most common flat-soled women’s cloth shoes. Her hair was tied back simply. She had soft features and large, double-lidded eyes. Though she had crow’s feet, she still carried an air of grace.

She just looked a bit haggard.

When she saw Shen Xin and Ding Yuwei enter, she immediately rose to her feet, looking ill at ease.

"Please, have a seat."

Shen Xin quickly gestured for her to sit down, then explained that the bureau was reopening the investigation into Xiao Hong’s case.

She had not yet been formally notified of this development.

Of course, to be precise, the investigation had never officially stopped; it had just stalled.

Upon hearing that the investigation was being reopened, Gao Liyun’s eyes brightened, and she thanked them profusely.

Only then did Zhao Tianxing say, "Sister Gao, you said you had something to report. Could you tell us about it now?"

Gao Liyun hadn’t just come to ask about the progress of the case; she had come to report something.

Gao Liyun clutched her water glass, hesitating for a moment before speaking. "I’m not sure if this is related to Xiao Hong’s case, but... for the last month, I’ve been on the night shift."

Her electronics factory mainly produces Bluetooth speakers.

They run on a three-shift system. The evening shift is from 4:00 PM to midnight, and the shifts rotate every two weeks.

"Starting this week, when I ride my e-bike home after my shift, I’ve noticed someone following me. It’s late at night, and there’s almost no one else on the road. He’s also on an e-bike, but he keeps his lights off."

"I’ve deliberately taken detours, and he just follows my new route, all the way to my building."

"Officers, do you think this person could be connected to my husband Xiao Hong’s case?"

She wasn’t sure.

Neither were Shen Xin and the other two officers.

But the very fact that he was stalking a woman was reason enough to bring him in for a thorough questioning.