Animal Detective

"No, but how do you prove that?"

Panic flickered across Yang Zeran’s cool face.

At that moment, Yang Zeran’s mind was like an overclocked CPU, spinning wildly as he muttered to himself.

"The body?"

"No, that won’t work. It’s been two years. The body would have been released to the family. There’s no way to collect bite marks."

"What about those unidentified bruises on the body? Could they have been from the dolphin ramming him?"

He hugged his arms tightly, his eyebrows knitted together as he analyzed out loud to himself.

"And what about the motive?"

"Why would it drown its Tamer? Was Lin Zenghui abusing it? But if so, it had plenty of other opportunities. Why not act then, and choose the time of the incident instead?"

"Did it see an opportunity?"

"Or was it provoked? For example, Lin Zenghui fails his rape attempt, gets furious, and takes it out on the dolphin, which then fights back."

"Probably not. At that time, Lin Zenghui would have been focused on placating Hou Shishi and explaining himself. He probably wouldn’t have been paying any attention to the dolphin."

"Unless..."

He suddenly looked up at Shen Xin and the other two.

Shen Xin had an expression of rapt attention.

Zhao Tianxing was the same. Seeing him look up, he asked, "Unless what?"

Yang Zeran glanced at Ding Yuwei, shook his head, and averted his gaze. But then he gritted his teeth and said, "Do you think it could be... that kind of situation?"

"You know..."

Yang Zeran’s expression was strange as he chose his words carefully. Then he raised both hands and hooked his thumbs together, making a gesture.

"What does that mean?" Zhao Tianxing was completely baffled.

Yang Zeran glanced at Ding Yuwei again, his expression growing even more unnatural. After a moment of hesitation, he steeled himself and said, "It’s... jealousy."

"For example, a female dolphin. Lin Zenghui was her Tamer, took good care of her, and she developed a deep bond with him."

"Then she sees Lin Zenghui about to... you know... with Hou Shishi, gets jealous, and in a fit of anger, drags Lin Zenghui underwater and drowns him."

"It’s really possible. I’ve seen news reports about it. They say dolphins are very emotional, can fall in love with humans, and will even die for a human they love. There have been experiments."

"Oh, right, and there was that other news story about that photographer from abroad and a female dolphin."

"They... you know."

With Ding Yuwei right in front of him, Yang Zeran was too embarrassed to say it out loud.

But having said this much, it was obvious that Shen Xin and the other two understood.

Ding Yuwei’s face turned slightly red.

Shen Xin raised an eyebrow.

Zhao Tianxing exclaimed, "Holy shit, Yang Zeran! What kind of weird-ass stuff do you normally read?"

His exaggerated reaction made Yang Zeran’s vision go dark. Only a single thought remained in his mind.

’It’s over. My persona is ruined.’

Yang Zeran explained weakly, "I really just stumbled upon it by chance. I definitely wasn’t looking for it."

Zhao Tianxing gave him an "I get it" look, which made Yang Zeran want to scream internally.

Shen Xin stroked his chin.

’He might have a point. It’s actually possible.’

’I looked up some information on dolphins before. Although what I saw wasn’t as bizarre as Yang Zeran’s stuff, I did see comments saying that dolphins are the Teddies of the sea.’

’There were also people saying that when dolphins lift humans out of the water, it’s not like the rumors say—that because their own young need to surface for air, they instinctively help drowning humans.’

’Instead, they just want to lift you up to do... nasty things.’

’It’s just as Yang Zeran said. Lin Zenghui, as the Tamer, had a long-standing relationship with the dolphin, and feelings developed.’

’Then it saw Lin Zenghui "abandon" it to interact with Hou Shishi. Love turned to hate, and that’s why it struck, drowning Lin Zenghui.’

’But that doesn’t seem right, either.’

’If I remember correctly, the report stated that Lin Zenghui often pulled this trick, bringing his girlfriends to the Dolphin Hall to interact with the dolphins.’

’So why hadn’t the dolphin acted before? Why only with Hou Shishi?’

’Could it be that something Lin Zenghui did with Hou Shishi provoked it?’

Shen Xin shivered, not daring to think about it too deeply.

Just then, Ding Yuwei said, "Let’s not discuss that for now. The key is still how to prove it."

Shen Xin looked at Yang Zeran.

’Right, how do you prove it?’

Yang Zeran’s brain felt like it was frying again. In the end, there was still no way to prove it.

Because it was an animal that couldn’t talk.

Seeing the three of them staring at him, beads of nervous sweat formed on Yang Zeran’s forehead. He said, "Don’t just look at me. I... I’ve already told you who the killer is. That should count as fulfilling my advisory role, right? As for how to prove it, that’s your case."

At this, Yang Zeran’s thoughts suddenly cleared.

’That’s right, this isn’t my case.’

’I’m just here to advise. I’ve already given my conclusion. It’s up to them to figure out how to prove it.’

But even with that thought, Yang Zeran still felt his face flush with embarrassment.

When a case can’t be closed, what cop can hold their head high?

But a case like this was just too bizarre.

Yang Zeran could only console himself with this reasoning. He added, "This case is two years old. Since all other avenues have led nowhere and you can’t prove it was a homicide, it has to be an accident. Even if we don’t know the exact nature of the accident, I think you can just close the case. An accident is called an accident precisely because you can’t be certain about the details. For example, maybe Lin Zenghui got too excited and his leg cramped up—who’s to say? Since there’s no evidence of homicide, there’s not much point in debating how the accidental death occurred."

His words actually earned Zhao Tianxing’s agreement. "He’s right, Shen Xin. This case is a tough one. Before we officially reopen the investigation, maybe we should just pick another one."

Shen Xin shot him a glare. ’Why give up on a case that shows promise?’

"How about this? Let’s get something to eat first."

Shen Xin stood up. It was about time for a meal anyway.

Yang Zeran tried to refuse but was forcefully dragged away by Shen Xin.

With his persona shattered, even his resistance seemed feeble.

While returning the case file and evidence, Yang Zeran couldn’t help but ask, "Shen Xin, are all these cold cases like this?"

An animal killer?

And before the investigation is even over, the prime suspect is already run over and killed.

Shen Xin nodded and asked in return, "Interesting, isn’t it?"

Yang Zeran nodded subconsciously.

A case like this was far more convoluted and complex than the kind where you check the surveillance footage after a murder and immediately identify the killer.

Seeing the thoughtful expression on Yang Zeran’s face, Shen Xin nodded to himself.

’Good, he’s interested.’

’A top student of criminal investigation from the prestigious Public Security University needs a bizarre case like this to truly shine, right?’

「At a Sichuan restaurant near the sub-bureau.」

Gao Kun must have been a regular, as he seemed quite familiar with the owner.

Drinking alcohol was out of the question. Gao Kun raised his soft drink, clinked glasses with the others, and after taking a sip, inevitably brought up Lin Zenghui’s case.

"Shen Xin, now that you’ve seen the file, do you have any thoughts?"

There was a faint look of expectation in Gao Kun’s eyes, as if he too were testing Shen Xin.

Shen Xin glanced at Qian Hao and said, "Captain Gao, I think you all already knew the answer back then."

Gao Kun didn’t look surprised at all. He turned to Qian Hao and said, "What do you think, Old Qian? Told you this kid would guess the answer after reading the file."

Qian Hao sighed. "What good would it have done to know the answer? Given the situation back then, who would have dared to say it?"

Three lives were at stake, and the police were supposed to conclude that a dolphin drowned one of them?

It would have been a miracle if both families hadn’t raised hell at the sub-bureau.

"The key was proving that the dolphin drowned Lin Zenghui," Qian Hao continued. "And even if you insisted on that conclusion, you’d at least have to prove which of the four dolphins at the Oceanarium was the one that drowned Lin Zenghui."

Yang Zeran, who had been focused on eating, froze for a moment.

He had thought the case went cold because Gao Kun and Qian Hao had never considered that a dolphin could have drowned the man.

Because in the case discussion records, they had interpreted the bite marks on Lin Zenghui’s arm as the dolphin’s attempt to save him.

But now Yang Zeran realized that Gao Kun and the others had already considered this possibility back then.

’Looks like I’m not the only smart one here.’

’And Shen Xin, too.’

Yang Zeran turned to glance at Shen Xin. ’That guy must have figured it out long ago, yet he still called me over to "advise" on the case.’

’He did it on purpose!’

Yang Zeran viciously bit into a piece of spicy chicken.

Gao Kun put down his chopsticks and agreed, "Exactly. Proof is the key. We actually consulted a marine animal expert back then."

"They told us that bottlenose dolphins like those are indeed capable of attacking humans."

"Because they are kept in captivity long-term with limited space and forced to perform. Dolphins are also highly intelligent, and many suffer from depression."

"Our theory at the time was that after his failed rape attempt, Lin Zenghui took his anger out on the dolphin. The provoked dolphin fought back, bit Lin Zenghui’s arm, and dragged him into the water."

Shen Xin nodded. He was also leaning toward this scenario.

The one Yang Zeran described was just too bizarre.

Shen Xin glanced at Yang Zeran. ’This top student sure has a wide range of interests.’

Yang Zeran caught Shen Xin’s suggestive gaze and immediately wished he could find a hole to crawl into.

’I’ll never be able to show my face in public again.’

Gao Kun crossed his arms. "Shen Xin, during a family dinner once, I heard Sun Zhao talk about that Dadao Gold case you cracked."

"Afterward, I was reminded of Lin Zenghui’s case."

Cases involving animals were rare, after all, so it had left a deep impression on Gao Kun.

"Didn’t you guys do a crime scene reenactment back then? The way Sun Zhao described the scene, it honestly made my scalp tingle."

Even without being there, just thinking about it, Gao Kun found it incredible.

But it was precisely that method that provided a new direction and ultimately solved a cold case that had been shelved for years.

Gao Kun continued, "So, Shen Xin, since dolphins are so intelligent, do you think it’s possible... to stage a scene reenactment with them too?"

"This case is two years old. Take Lin Zenghui’s father, for instance."

"He’s remarried, has a new family and kids. To be honest, he has accepted Lin Zenghui’s death and moved on."

"But his mother... to this day, I still remember the verdict of the first trial. During her final statement in court, she said she hadn’t raised Lin Zenghui well, that she let him do bad things and hurt Hou Shishi."

"But that’s a separate matter. She said she didn’t regret running down Hou Shishi, believing that Hou Shishi was the one who caused Lin Zenghui’s death."

"Because of what she said, Hou Shishi’s parents had a very strong reaction. They’ve been coming to us ever since, hoping we can give them an official explanation that proves Hou Shishi’s innocence and that she was the victim."

"In that respect, I feel guilty toward Hou Shishi’s parents. But there’s nothing I can do. I can’t give them an answer like that."

"Now, after all this time, and with Ye Xinyi’s execution approaching, I really feel that every single person involved needs an answer."

Even if that answer doesn’t have much practical significance.

Lin Zenghui is dead.

The killer is a dolphin. Are they supposed to kill the dolphin to pay for Lin Zenghui’s life?

Shen Xin was silent.

He suddenly recalled the cases he had worked on.

’Take Yang Huixia, for example. She lingered at Shajin Farm. In her heart, she must have known her husband was already dead, but she just wanted an answer.’

’Without that answer, she couldn’t get over that hurdle in her heart.’