Animal Detective

The Oceanarium’s morning show started at 10:30.

Upbeat music filled the air as the sweet voice of the female emcee rang out.

"Our next act is the thrilling ’Aerialist’!"

"This act will test the unspoken bond between our dolphins and their Tamers. The slightest mistake means failure, so please give our precious dolphins and their Tamers a big round of applause for encouragement!"

...

At the edge of the dolphin pool, Shen Xin, dressed in a blue-and-black wetsuit, gave a slight wave before diving headfirst into the water.

An instant later, Xingbao swam beneath Shen Xin, precisely nudged him upward, and carried him through the water to the center of the pool.

The dolphin swam away, leaving Shen Xin treading water.

From nearby, Yuexiao swam over to take his place.

Shen Xin held his feet as still as possible as Yuexiao precisely positioned its snout and dorsal fin under his soles.

As the dolphin began to swim, Shen Xin was lifted out of the water as if he were riding a surfboard.

It was like watching a martial artist walk on water.

The only trick was maintaining his balance.

He glided from left to right in front of the audience. Upon reaching the designated spot, Shen Xin quickly gave a hand signal.

Yuexiao put all its strength into a sudden backward flip of its head.

Their strength was astonishing—they could easily lift a full-grown adult with just their snouts.

Propelled by this force, Shen Xin completed a mid-air somersault before diving cleanly into the water.

The applause was thunderous.

The children in the front rows were especially ecstatic, screaming and clapping wildly.

But that wasn’t all. The moment Shen Xin hit the water, he was once again lifted out by Yuexiao.

Behind him, Xingbao and Yuebao simultaneously leaped from the water, soaring through the air toward each other.

Yuexiao then carried Shen Xin toward the edge of the pool. The dolphin was well-trained and judged the distance perfectly. Like stepping off a jet ski, Shen Xin simply lifted a leg and was on solid ground.

The emcee’s voice came over the speakers again. "Let’s thank our Tamer and, of course, our adorable dolphins! Give them another round of applause!"

Applause erupted once more.

In a corner of the stands, Zhang Hancheng and Yang Zeran, both in civilian clothes, were gaping in utter disbelief.

"Are my eyes playing tricks on me? That’s Shen Xin, isn’t it?" Zhang Hancheng asked, pointing down at the pool.

Yang Zeran nodded numbly.

Zhang Hancheng watched Shen Xin move off to the side, still finding the whole thing incredible.

He had asked what Shen Xin was up to.

Yang Zeran had said he was "playing with dolphins."

Since he was already "playing with dolphins" to this extent, Zhang Hancheng had to get the full story.

And so he learned the details of Lin Zenghui’s case from Yang Zeran.

When he heard that, after their analysis, the team had concluded that a dolphin attack was the cause of death by drowning, Zhang Hancheng was astonished by how strange the world could be. At the same time, he finally understood why Shen Xin was staying at the Oceanarium.

Zhang Hancheng was well aware of how Shen Xin had used a parrot to recreate the scene in the Liu Laibin case.

He then recalled that Shen Xin had gone to the zoo and spent a considerable amount of time with the parrot to pull off that recreation.

It made sense to him.

Even with a cat or a dog, you need to spend time with them to build a good relationship.

So, just like Yang Zeran, he had become intrigued by Shen Xin’s methods.

Since Ding Yuwei and her partner weren’t around, Zhang Hancheng decided to come to the Oceanarium to see things for himself.

Which led to him witnessing this entire spectacle.

And he was completely floored.

The dolphin show ended at 10:30.

The audience began to file out.

Backstage, Zhou Xianyong came looking for Shen Xin, applauding as he walked. The moment he saw him, he gave him a big thumbs-up. "Officer Shen, you’re incredible!"

He’d heard earlier that morning that Shen Xin was going to be in the show.

He was shocked and surprised.

But most of all, he was worried Shen Xin might get hurt.

Being a Dolphin Tamer is no easy feat. You need extensive performance experience and top-notch physical conditioning.

And you have to work in perfect sync with the dolphins.

That last part was the most crucial element.

It takes months, even years, of living with the dolphins to build enough trust and chemistry to put on a successful show.

But Shen Xin? He had only been with the dolphins for a few days, and he was already performing.

But after seeing Shen Xin’s rehearsal with Yuexiao and the others, Zhou Xianyong started to believe what Li Fusen had said.

Li Fusen had said he suspected Shen Xin was a dolphin in a past life.

Shen Xin waved his hand dismissively. "You’re exaggerating. I’m nowhere near as good as Wang Hui and the others."

Zhou Xianyong shook his head.

’Wang Hui and his team have been training for ages. How long has Shen Xin been at it?’

Finally, Zhou Xianyong couldn’t help but say, "Officer Shen, if you weren’t a cop, I’d genuinely offer you a job as a Tamer here."

Skilled Tamers are hard to come by.

Shen Xin followed him out, on his way to feed the dolphins.

He was about to offer a polite reply when he stepped out the door and came face-to-face with Zhang Hancheng and Yang Zeran.

"Holy crap!"

Shen Xin yelped, his heart nearly leaping out of his chest.

Zhang Hancheng wore a stern expression. "Well, well, Shen Xin," he said grimly. "What’s all this? Decided being a cop is too boring and you’re ready to switch careers, are you?"

Shen Xin’s scalp prickled with dread.

’It’s over. They definitely saw everything.’

"Zhang Zhi, please, let me explain. I was just..."

Shen Xin instinctively wanted to say it was all for the case, but then he remembered Wang Hui and the others were still there. He snapped his mouth shut and quickly said, "Zhang Zhi, how about we talk about this outside?"

As he spoke, he shot desperate glances at Yang Zeran.

’Don’t just stand there, man, back me up!’

Zhang Hancheng snorted, his face still a stern mask as he walked outside.

Yang Zeran also snorted, then turned and followed him.

Shen Xin scrambled to catch up.

Zhou Xianyong and the other staff members were left standing there in a daze.

"Zhang Zhi?"

Zhou Xianyong repeated the name, his eyes gradually widening.

’Detachment Commander! In a city this size, that was a major figure.’

Outside the Dolphin Hall, with no one else around, Shen Xin was about to offer an explanation—something about how he performed in the dolphin show to "infiltrate the enemy’s ranks."

’The only problem was, would Zhang Hancheng even buy that?’

But just as he was about to speak, Zhang Hancheng couldn’t maintain his stern facade any longer and burst out laughing.

The moment he laughed, Shen Xin realized what was happening. Speechless, he clutched his chest. "Zhang Zhi, don’t do that again. I’m a coward, my heart can’t take it."

Zhang Hancheng was still laughing. He turned to Yang Zeran. "Did you get that on video?"

Yang Zeran nodded enthusiastically. Of course he did. He had to.

Zhang Hancheng clapped Shen Xin on the shoulder. "Here’s an idea. For the next holiday party at the bureau, we should hold it at the Oceanarium. We can have Shen Xin perform his ’Aerialist’ act for Director Zhao. It’ll be a guaranteed hit."

He roared with laughter at the thought.

Shen Xin forced a sheepish smile, thinking to himself, ’If Zhao Hongjie saw that, he’d have a heart attack on the spot.’

"Zhang Zhi, I’m doing all this for the case! Yang Zeran can tell you. He’s the one who said Lin Zenghui was killed by a dolphin, and I’m just trying to find a way to prove it."

Shen Xin explained, pointing at Yang Zeran.

Having had his fun scaring Shen Xin, Zhang Hancheng felt much better. "So, made any progress? I’m waiting to see the grand finale."

At the mention of progress, Shen Xin’s mood soured. "Don’t get me started, Zhang Zhi. You have no idea how smart these dolphins are."

Today was already the fourth day.

Shen Xin had been coming to the Dolphin Hall every day.

He had moved beyond low-level tactics like simply feeding them.

Besides, the dolphins weren’t his property and were extremely valuable, so Shen Xin couldn’t resort to any manipulative "tricks."

All he could do was play with them.

According to Chen Sili, dolphins actually view humans as their own kind.

And as a fellow "person," Shen Xin, with his Druid talent, was probably like a stunning supermodel to these dolphins.

So naturally, they were eager to get close to him.

Or, in other words, to play with him.

After spending time with them, Shen Xin discovered that all three dolphins were incredibly playful.

So for the past few days, Shen Xin had spent every day coming up with new ways to play with the three dolphins.

His swimming skills had even improved drastically as a result.

He scrubbed their backs, played volleyball with them, and constantly petted them.

Chen Sili had said dolphins were quite sensual and loved being petted by humans.

But the results of catering to their whims were not as good as he’d hoped.

Shen Xin still felt the dolphins were simply too intelligent. They had a strong sense of self and were very independent.

Unlike cats or dogs, which become dependent on humans after bonding with them.

Dolphins don’t.

As a result, their Affection Level rose incredibly fast.

For example, on the second day, Yuexiao’s Affection Level had already shot up to eight bars.

By the third day, Shen Xin was already planning his push to the second stage. But because he played with Yuebao a little more, Yuexiao got jealous and threw a fit.

Nine bars of affection, completely wiped out in an instant.

Shen Xin was floored.

Fortunately, just as it disappeared quickly, it also recovered quickly.

Shen Xin felt the dolphins were like temperamental children. When kids have a falling out, one gets angry and screams, "I’m never playing with you again!"

But by the next day, they’ve completely forgotten the grudge and are asking to play again.

So the Affection Level fluctuated wildly, and in the end, he hadn’t made much real progress.

Shen Xin said, "In short, Zhang Zhi, I still need more time. But don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. I’m confident."

He then also mentioned that he was simultaneously investigating other cold cases.

Zhang Hancheng nodded. "As long as you’ve got it under control. In that case, I’m assigning him to you. I want this case wrapped up, and I want it done cleanly."

He said, clapping Yang Zeran on the back.

From now on, Yang Zeran was officially a member of the cold case squad.

After giving a few more instructions, Zhang Hancheng departed.

Watching him go, Shen Xin’s smile vanished. He held out his hand to Yang Zeran. "Phone."

’If that video gets out, I’ll never be able to show my face at the Municipal Bureau again.’

Yang Zeran understood instantly. He tilted his chin up. "You played me once. Now we’re even."

Shen Xin raised an eyebrow.

’What, is he trying to hold this over my head?’

"Yang Zeran, you’d better think this through. I’m your superior. You’re not afraid of me making your life difficult?" Shen Xin threatened.

Yang Zeran just shook his head, a ’who do you think you’re scaring?’ look on his face.

Shen Xin lunged for it, but Yang Zeran dodged, covering his pocket.

Shen Xin yelled, "Yang Zeran, you said we’re even! You think I won’t go around telling everyone you watch all that weird fetish stuff?"

’Mutually assured destruction. Who’s afraid of who?’

At the mention of the "weird stuff," Yang Zeran flinched. "Fine, how about this? I promise I won’t send it to anyone. That’s good enough, right?"

He quickly changed the subject, asking Shen Xin about the case and whether he was confident about attempting the scene recreation yet.

Now that their playful banter was over and they were talking business, Shen Xin shook his head. "It’s a long shot. I still need more time."

Having realized that dolphins were just like little kids, Shen Xin decided to change his strategy.

Previously, he had tried to cater to the emotions of all three dolphins.

But now, Shen Xin had discovered that the three dolphins had their own internal conflicts. If he paid attention to one, another would get upset.

Simply put, it was impossible to keep all three of them happy at the same time.

Shen Xin decided to change his strategy and focus on just one of them: Yuexiao.

He would focus solely on Yuexiao’s mood and ignore Yuebao and Xingbao for the time being.

He could even use the conflict between the three dolphins to his advantage.

After all, Yuexiao was often bullied by Xingbao and Yuebao.