Animal Detective

Shen Xin had underestimated the impact of Tian Kui appearing on the 7 o’clock news. He was surrounded the moment he went to check in.

"Can I pet him?" The check-in agent, a young woman, couldn’t help but ask.

Shen Xin glanced at Tian Kui, who was wearing his smart helmet and muzzle, then at the nearby crowd of passengers taking pictures with their phones, and nodded.

When Tian Kui was stationed at the municipal bureau, Ding Yuwei was often surrounded by people asking for photos whenever she took him for his morning and evening walks.

He was, after all, a decorated police K-9, the "Hope Dog" who had been on the 7 o’clock news and gone viral online.

Saying her thanks, the check-in agent quickly left her station and cautiously approached to pet Tian Kui.

"He’s so well-behaved."

The young woman’s face was flushed with excitement.

The onlookers, meanwhile, all wore expressions of envy.

The woman asked again, "Can I get a photo with him?"

’You already pet him, and now you’re asking for a photo?’ Shen Xin thought.

Once she took a photo, all the other nearby check-in agents swarmed over.

Passengers joined in too, especially parents with children.

There was no way out of it. Tian Kui had no choice but to be on duty for his fans.

And it was the same in the departure lounge: requests for pets, requests for photos, and people asking about the details of the landslide rescue.

Tian Kui was a bit vain; he wasn’t scared. In fact, he quite enjoyed being the center of attention.

On the plane, it wasn’t just the flight attendants. Even the captain made a special trip to get a photo with Tian Kui before takeoff.

And Tian Kui enjoyed treatment worthy of first class.

Worried the floor was cold, a flight attendant laid down a blanket for him. She then mentioned there were empty seats in business class, and if need be, Tian Kui could have a seat to himself.

Shen Xin quickly refused, saying Tian Kui wasn’t so delicate and didn’t need it.

The head flight attendant insisted with a serious expression, saying Tian Kui had saved so many people.

Shen Xin had no choice but to say he needed to keep an eye on Tian Kui.

At that, the male passenger next to him immediately offered to switch seats so Tian Kui could sit with Shen Xin.

As he spoke, he picked up his laptop and stood up.

Tian Kui, showing no modesty whatsoever, leaped gracefully onto the seat and lay down.

Annoyed, Shen Xin gave him a light smack on the head.

The one good thing was that Tian Kui didn’t get airsick.

If it weren’t for the urgency, Shen Xin would have much preferred taking the high-speed train.

After arriving in Anjing, they had a layover of almost four hours.

And inevitably, they endured another round of being surrounded.

Shen Xin didn’t turn anyone away. Besides, he felt it was a good thing that ordinary people admired a decorated police K-9.

After all, every dog that becomes a police K-9 has to go through immense hardship and training.

As dawn approached, Shen Xin and Tian Kui boarded the flight to the Xingle Alliance.

The plane landed shortly before nine in the morning.

Wugai Grassland is a famous tourist destination in the country, so this route was essentially a tourist line.

Although this month wasn’t the peak season for the grasslands to be at their most beautiful, it wasn’t the high season for tourism.

But it coincided with the May Day holiday, so the plane was still crowded.

To avoid disturbing the other passengers, Shen Xin was specially seated next to an emergency exit.

Shen Xin suspected the crew did it on purpose. The pretty flight attendant in front of him, whenever she had a free moment, was constantly trying to get close to Tian Kui.

The flight wasn’t long, and soon the plane landed at the airport.

The moment he stepped off the plane, Shen Xin felt a chill.

Back in Anjing, he had already noticed the coolness, so different from the Southern region.

But here, at a latitude of forty-five degrees north, it felt to Shen Xin like he had returned to early spring.

He decisively pulled a jacket from his suitcase.

Towing his luggage with one hand and holding Tian Kui’s leash with the other, Shen Xin slowly made his way to the arrival gate amidst a flurry of photo requests from fellow passengers.

From a distance, he saw someone holding a sign with his name written on it in conspicuous letters.

It was two men, both in police uniform. They spotted Shen Xin leading Tian Kui right away and hurriedly waved a greeting.

Shen Xin quickly walked over to meet them.

"Welcome, welcome."

One of them, a middle-aged man, shook Shen Xin’s hand enthusiastically.

The rank insignia on his shoulder was two bars and two stars.

But for him to only be an instructor at a local police station, it could only mean he had enough years of service.

Because even by the minimum time-in-grade requirements for promotion, he would have had to work for at least twenty years.

The middle-aged man was the station’s instructor, Zhang Qifeng.

He had a messy haircut, and his skin was dark and weathered. His cheeks were reddish-black, rough, and chapped.

His lips were the same, severely dry.

Liao Lei, who had come along to meet him, was the same—incredibly tanned.

Shen Xin now understood why Ding Yuwei had told him to bring sunscreen. After working on the grasslands for a few years, exposed to the wind and sun, he would probably end up looking just like them.

"This must be Tian Kui. He’s so majestic!" Zhang Qifeng said, looking at the dog.

Lakshen had mentioned it after he returned from selecting police dogs in Nanjiang. He said that of that batch of K-9s, Tian Kui was the most impressive, but unfortunately, he wasn’t available to be picked.

And now, Tian Kui had become a nationally decorated K-9 who’d been on the 7 o’clock news. It just went to show he lived up to his reputation.

"What are you spacing out for? Say hello."

Shen Xin tugged on the leash.

Tian Kui looked up at Shen Xin.

[Muzzle]

Only then did Shen Xin unfasten his muzzle.

Tian Kui gave a vigorous shake, let out a bark at the two men, and that counted as his greeting.

Then he moved closer to sniff them, his expression shifting from confusion to excitement.

[Tianxiong]

He turned his head and barked at Shen Xin.

Zhang Qifeng curiously asked what that meant.

Shen Xin said, "He smells Tianxiong’s scent on you."

Zhang Qifeng was startled. Tianxiong had been missing for days, yet Tian Kui could smell his scent on them right away. ’A decorated K-9 indeed.’

But at the mention of Tianxiong, Zhang Qifeng’s face filled with shame. "Shen Xin, I’m sorry. We didn’t take good care of Tianxiong."

Liao Lei, beside him, looked even more ashamed and lowered his head.

Shen Xin quickly said, "Instructor Zhang, please don’t say that. Tianxiong is a police K-9. He understands his duty. If he encountered danger and did nothing, that would only mean my training was inadequate."

A true police K-9 will charge forward with courage, even knowing it could mean death.

"Besides, this was just an accident. And I believe Tianxiong will be fine."

Shen Xin followed the two men outside, explaining his analysis. "Other police dogs undergo social adaptation training from a young age."

"But that kind of training only teaches them to adapt to noisy environments. It doesn’t train them to find food on their own."

"Tianxiong is different, though. He’s an adult dog I selected from a group of strays. They wandered the streets for years; they know how to survive."

Stray dogs in the city don’t just rummage through trash cans; they also catch small animals like rats and birds.

They can read situations, avoid danger, and know what it takes to live.

Those who don’t learn these things are weeded out long ago.

"The grasslands are rich with resources, so I don’t think it’ll be a big problem."

Zhang Qifeng nodded repeatedly as he listened.

Beside them, Liao Lei asked excitedly, "So that means Tianxiong is okay?"

For the past few days, Liao Lei had been blaming himself, thinking he was the reason Tianxiong got lost.

Shen Xin smiled and nodded, then followed the men into a vehicle.

It was a weathered off-road vehicle.

That’s what Shen Xin said out loud, but deep down, he wasn’t so optimistic.

’Tianxiong had been a stray and had strong survival skills, but stray dogs have one very important characteristic, especially after being taken in and trained as police K-9s.’

’Tianxiong trusted humans.’

’He wasn’t like a wild animal that feared people and would hide upon seeing them.’

’Tianxiong wouldn’t hide from people. If he were hungry, he might even actively seek human help.’

’People are scarce on the grassland, but not nonexistent.’

’He’s been missing for several days. Lakshen and the others must have mobilized people to conduct a large-scale search.’

’The fact that they didn’t find him was worth thinking about.’

’So, in coming here, Shen Xin had mentally prepared himself for the worst.’

He went over the events in his mind.

’Lakshen was alone, but he had a gun. He had worked on the grasslands for years, was a local, and had plenty of experience dealing with wolves.’

’But he had failed.’

’He emptied his magazine but failed to hit the wolf. It wasn’t because he was a bad shot, but because this wolf was an experienced fighter.’

’It had pushed Lakshen into a desperate situation.’

’Therefore, Shen Xin had reason to suspect that this might have been a Wolf King.’

’Because Lakshen was attacked by a pack of wolves.’

’A lone wolf is a true loner. If they move in a group, they are a pack.’

’And a wolf pack must have a Wolf King.’

’The one that attacked Lakshen was probably it.’

’And in a fight between Tianxiong and a Wolf King, even though he was wearing a helmet, which was an advantage, Shen Xin felt he still wouldn’t win.’

’Shen Xin speculated that Tianxiong must have been the one who lost that fight.’

’If he had won, he would have returned to Lakshen’s side to guard him.’

’But he hadn’t.’

’Shen Xin thought he probably realized he couldn’t win during the fight and chose to flee, hoping to lead the wolf away.’

’With Lakshen unconscious, the wolf might have thought he was dead and chose to pursue Tianxiong instead.’

’And the wolf’s attack on Lakshen was abnormal enough.’

’Humans have a wide range of activity, and wolves are smart. They certainly know that humans are not to be trifled with.’

’Especially armed ones.’

’Any animal that doesn’t respect a gun is long dead.’

’So for this wolf to still trail Lakshen and launch a sudden attack, Shen Xin had a theory.’

’It might have been revenge.’

’Lakshen had shot and killed a wolf.’

’That dead wolf might have been the mate of the one that attacked Lakshen.’

’That’s why it chose to retaliate.’

’Seeing Lakshen unconscious, it probably thought he was done for and shifted its target for revenge to Tianxiong.’

’It began hunting him down.’

’The smart helmet being found far away was proof.’

’The dog and the wolf must have fought repeatedly, clashing so violently that the helmet’s strap was torn off.’

’And with an animal like a wolf, once they lock onto a target, they pursue it to the death.’

’Whether Tianxiong could survive such a chase was really hard to say.’

’Therefore, Shen Xin had come here for two reasons. One was to cling to a final shred of hope, to see if he could be found.’

’The second was that if he was dead, he had to find the body. A police K-9 who had served and saved a life couldn’t be left to rot in the wilderness.’

’Even though he’d only been in Huergan for less than a month, Tianxiong had done an excellent job.’

’Border patrols, helping herdsmen find lost livestock, chasing down suspects—Lakshen had often praised Tianxiong to him for his outstanding abilities and first-class work performance.’

By the time Shen Xin snapped out of his thoughts, the car had already left the city.

It was heading northwest, following a road that stretched straight to the horizon.

The sky hung low, with gloomy clouds lingering.

The weather hadn’t been good for the past few days, mostly overcast.

As far as the eye could see, the vast, boundless grassland stretched on.

It wasn’t the season of the most lush grass; it was a yellowish-green. But the unobstructed wilderness was still enough to broaden one’s horizons.

This was Shen Xin’s first time on the grasslands. He couldn’t resist opening the car window, letting the cold wind hit his face.

And he meant *hit*.

The grasslands were still windy in early May, and the unobstructed wind was like a knife, cutting at the skin until it hurt.

In the distance, he could see yurts and felt tents scattered across the Earth, as well as astonishingly large sheep pens holding an unknown number of sheep.

It was the very picture of the ancient poem: "the wind bows the grass to reveal cattle and sheep."

Tian Kui also stuck his head out, letting the strong wind blow all his fur to one side.

His eyes were filled with yearning.

The endless fields of grass meant he could run freely to his heart’s content.

Just then, Tian Kui suddenly barked a few times at the sky.

Shen Xin looked up and saw a large bird soaring past.

It wasn’t flying low, but with its wings spread, it gave off a powerful impression, as if it could blot out the sky.

Zhang Qifeng, who was driving, glanced up through the windshield and said cheerfully, "It’s a golden eagle. That’s a good omen."

On the grasslands, the golden eagle symbolizes courage and freedom, and it is a representative of good luck.