Animal Detective

Chapter 124: Missing Person Notice

Shen Xin didn’t go looking for Wang Xihai.

He knew pleasantries when he heard them.

As for why Tang Changhong was here, Shen Xin didn’t care, nor did he want to know.

His dream was to solve cases.

He was even starting to get a little tired of training dogs.

Back in the office, he learned that Wang Yuansheng had been transferred to the detention center. The case was in its final stages.

Zhao Tianxing grumbled that their bonus was probably gone.

For the last case, Liu Laibin’s, they had been expecting a group commendation.

But now with this Wang Yuansheng business, their merits and demerits would likely cancel each other out, leaving them with nothing.

"Brother Xing, commendations and merits are a matter of fate. They’ll come eventually," Shen Xin consoled him.

Zhao Tianxing muttered, "Easy for you to say. You’ve already received merits, so you don’t care."

Just then, Ding Yuwei returned.

"Shen Xin, the video’s edited. Do you want to take a look?"

’You should be showing it to Wang Xihai,’ Shen Xin thought. ’He’s the leader. If he thinks it’s good, then it’s good.’

’Does my opinion even matter?’

Right now, Shen Xin was most concerned with Xiao Hong’s case. If he hadn’t been so busy and tied up these past few days, he would have already gone back to the logistics park to conduct more interviews.

Ding Yuwei plugged the USB drive directly into the computer and started playing the video.

They had filmed so many of these now that they had a set template.

It started with a voiceover from Dou Dou.

"Today, I finally get to go on a mission."

Then came shots of the mountain search, with police lights flashing.

The atmosphere was set perfectly.

Shen Xin glanced at it a few times. Some key details had been edited out, so you couldn’t tell what specific case it was, only that the mission was a mountain search.

Then it cut to a shot of Dou Dou heading up the mountain.

The anti-shake camera Cai Zhe had provided was working well. The video was quite clear, and the slight shaking actually added to the sense of realism and tension.

Finally, after a few barks from Dou Dou, Wang Yuansheng was discovered.

The camera then shook wildly, and you could see police officers sprinting and shouting, "Don’t run!"

Until the very end, only Wang Yuansheng’s back was ever shown.

Shen Xin gave Ding Yuwei a thumbs-up.

’It’s just like the old saying: all the talented people are in the administrative departments.’

After Wang Xihai reviewed and approved it, the video was quickly posted to the branch’s account.

Not long after, Shen Xin received a call from his older sister.

"Shen Xin, that’s you holding the leash! And was that last guy the Dingshan murderer? Damn, you guys are intense!" Shen Shuang yelled excitedly into the phone.

She added, "Also, you’d better not answer Mom’s calls. If she sees this, she’ll definitely start nagging you."

Zeng Wenxi had always thought Shen Xin’s job was too dangerous.

"Okay, I’ll just block both your numbers later," Shen Xin said before hanging up.

With that thought, he opened the app to check the account.

These weren’t fake, bought followers; they had over 400,000 genuine fans. So, as soon as the video was released, the view count shot up.

The likes and comments were flooding in.

[Damn, is this a real arrest? This is so hardcore!]

[Awesome! More intense than a documentary.]

[So this is a mountain search? It’s nothing like what you see on TV.]

[I was lucky enough to participate in a Blue Sky Rescue search and rescue operation once. We also borrowed a police dog. All I can say is that mountain searches are no joke. It’s exhausting enough to kill you.]

[Holy shit, that last person... couldn’t be that murderer, right?]

[What do you think? I noticed it right away. All I can say is, this is too hardcore. I can’t believe they can even release this video.]

[It’s an official account. It’s perfectly normal for them to release it.]

[What murderer? What’s going on?]

[If you don’t know, just wait for the police bulletin. Anyway, it’s a big deal. I heard this guy is ruthless.]

[Not just ruthless. He’s on another level of vicious.]

Sure enough, many people immediately connected the video to Wang Yuansheng’s case.

Of course, there were also tons of comments praising Dou Dou, saying how amazing he was, and expressing their sympathy for him.

Dou Dou wasn’t exactly a looker, but after so many videos, his popularity was now on par with Da Mei’s.

Shen Xin glanced at these comments and moved on.

Shen Xin’s mind was still on Xiao Hong’s case.

’With this many followers now, it feels like it’s about time.’

Shen Xin already had a plan for how to post the reward.

He would have the most popular dog, Da Mei, star in it.

The next day, Dou Dou’s video did indeed shoot to the top of the trending charts.

It received over 400,000 likes and attracted massive attention.

Shen Xin took the opportunity to mention the reward matter to Sun Zhao.

"Then post it."

Sun Zhao thought for a moment and agreed, but then added a reminder, "Xiaoshen, go ahead and post it, but you need to be mentally prepared to come up with nothing. Honestly, with so many years having passed in Xiao Hong’s case, it’s not certain anyone still remembers what happened back then."

It had been six years!

Perhaps some driver just happened to pass by and caught a glimpse. The speed limit on the national highway was 80 km/h; they’d be going fast, step on the gas, and be gone in an instant. After so long, who could possibly remember it clearly?

Shen Xin naturally understood this logic, but he couldn’t rest easy without at least trying.

"Captain Sun, you said it yourself—sometimes solving a case just takes a bit of luck."

’What if?’

It was just like Wu Jiawang’s case. Who would have thought that after seven years, Lele would still be alive and still remember the killer?

Sun Zhao nodded in agreement. "You’re right. We should be a bit more optimistic."

Riding the wave of the video’s popularity, Shen Xin grabbed Da Mei and decisively filmed a new video, which he posted to the account.

...

In the Yunlin Police Station cafeteria, Song Liang was having lunch with Wang Shuwei, scrolling through his phone as he ate.

Feeling inspired, he was also considering starting a short-video account for the Yunlin Police Station.

Just then, having set up notifications for new posts, he received an alert.

The branch’s account had posted a new video.

He casually tapped it open.

The first thing he saw was Da Mei.

Under the high-definition camera, Da Mei, who had been given the full pet salon grooming treatment, looked stunningly beautiful.

She lazily flicked her tail, then lifted a paw and tugged at a small scroll hanging beside her.

The scroll unfurled.

Three words appeared on it.

[Missing Person Notice]

Up to this point, it was basically like a customizable greeting meme for netizens.

The main content came next.

[Reward Notice]

[The Criminal Investigation Division of the Nanjiang City Tingyang Branch is investigating a serious criminal case and is issuing this special reward notice to find clues.]

[On February 16, 2011, between 11:00 PM and 12:00 AM, on the stretch of Nanjiang’s National Highway 319 along Li Yang Road from Dazhang Village to Guanzhuang Village, a red 6.8-meter high-fence truck was parked on the roadside.]

[We are now looking for witnesses who passed through the scene during this time period. If you recall anything, please contact Officer Shen of the Criminal Investigation Division.]

[If a clue is confirmed to be valid, a cash reward of 100,000 yuan will be provided.]

Song Liang froze.

2011... that was over six years ago.

He showed the reward notice to Wang Shuwei and asked if he knew what case it was.

Wang Shuwei shook his head, saying he had no recollection of it.

Six years ago, he was still working in Lishan District.

"Six years... Who could possibly remember that?" Song Liang frowned.

Wang Shuwei sighed. He thought the same. It was too long ago.

Besides, even if there was a witness, they definitely didn’t see the crime itself. If they had seen someone being attacked, they would have certainly called the police.

In that case, their memory would have been very vivid.

But if they just happened to glance at it, it was hard to say if they’d remember after six years.

"Whatever, I’ll give it a like." Song Liang hit the ’like, share, and comment’ combo, then added with a laugh, "Is Xiaoshen taking on cold cases now? He’s always working on these old files."

Wu Jiawang’s case was seven years old.

Liu Laibin’s was four years old.

And now he’s jumped straight to a six-year-old case.

Wang Shuwei knew how difficult it was to investigate cold cases. "I hope it leads to something," he said.

He also took out his phone and did the whole like-and-share routine.

’The more it’s shared, the more people will see it. Maybe a clue will turn up.’

「At the branch office.」

After posting the video, Shen Xin and Ding Yuwei holed up in a small meeting room, constantly refreshing the comments.

They were hoping a useful comment would pop up.

[This reward notice is so creative!]

[Is this for real? 100,000 yuan?]

[It’s probably real. It’s a verified account, after all.]

[The problem is, why are they posting a reward for a six-year-old case? Is the date a mistake?]

A large number of comments asked if the date had been written incorrectly.

It made Shen Xin want to post another video just to clarify that the date was correct.

Just then, someone seemed to have remembered Xiao Hong’s case.

[I think I remember this case. Six years ago, right off National Highway 319. The police investigated for a long time. I think a driver died.]

Related comments were slowly upvoted to the top.

But after scrolling for a long time, he still hadn’t seen the comment he was looking for.

In the meantime, his phone rang once.

It was an unknown number, calling to confirm if the reward was real and if there was really a 100,000 yuan prize.

Just someone causing trouble.

And this wasn’t an isolated incident. As the view count broke one million, then several million, more and more people started calling.

Thank goodness he had used his work number. If it had been his personal number, he would have had to get a new one.

By the time they were about to get off work, the video had already hit the trending charts, but there were still no results.

"It’s only been a day. Let’s just wait a bit longer," Ding Yuwei said.

Shen Xin sighed.

It had only been a day, yes, but you had to look at the view count. The video had over six million views.

That meant over six million people had seen the reward notice.

That kind of reach was astonishing, far surpassing the old channels like television and newspapers.

But there was still nothing.