Animal Detective

Anyone who works on the prairie knows how to ride a horse.

Duan Zijie didn’t follow in a car; instead, he rode alongside Shen Xin on horseback.

After confirming the scent source, Shen Xin deduced they had left around 8:00 PM.

That was when Shen Xin and his team were just about to set off.

And now, it was almost midnight, a four-hour gap.

But it wasn’t a major issue. The scent source was quite clear.

It wasn’t just their personal scents; there was also the motorcycle.

In the city, with so many cars, exhaust fumes mix together, making it difficult for police dogs to distinguish between them.

But this was the prairie. When a motorcycle sputtered by, the gasses dissipated, but the exhaust from the pipe would still cling to the grass.

That kind of scent is hard to get rid of in a short amount of time.

They came from Uyastsan Mountain, circled around the main peak, and turned north.

In four hours, at a speed of forty to fifty kilometers per hour, they could theoretically have covered nearly two hundred kilometers.

Tracking them over such a distance would be extremely difficult.

The distance was just too great.

Previously, when tracking Tianxiong, they had only followed the blood trail for ten or twenty kilometers before losing the scent.

But over a hundred kilometers? It was hard to say.

Tian Kui had already been working for some time, but he was still in good shape.

The general direction was north. According to the satellite map, they followed the trail for nearly twenty kilometers straight before it turned west.

To the east were pastoral lands. Even if sparsely populated, there were still people around.

There were also patrolling Border Guards. Two strangers would be far too conspicuous.

So it wasn’t surprising that the two chose to head west, toward the uninhabited zone.

They followed the trail west for another dozen or so kilometers.

Here, the environment began to change.

An area only becomes uninhabited if the water and grass are not abundant.

As a result, this area was characterized by some degraded grassland, gravel, and low hills.

By this point, Shen Xin could clearly feel Tian Kui’s pace slowing.

The wind was strong at night, scattering the scent significantly.

Still, Duan Zijie was full of praise for being able to track them this far.

He had already contacted the nearby border stations and police substations to form a dragnet, attempting to trap the two suspects.

But just then, the direction changed again—they were heading south.

After a few kilometers, it turned east.

A few more kilometers, and it turned south again.

"They’re trying to cover their tracks," Duan Zijie said in a low voice.

Shen Xin nodded. The frequent turns and circling made their objective obvious.

But it was still manageable.

For one, not much time had passed, which made tracking easier.

Second, there were tire tracks.

It probably hadn’t rained here recently, so the ground was relatively dry.

Still, the motorcycle occasionally left tracks, which they could use to verify Tian Kui’s route and prevent any deviations.

As they were tracking, Tian Kui stopped and turned his head, barking at Shen Xin.

He looked left and right, pacing on the spot.

Duan Zijie quickly asked what was wrong.

Shen Xin shone his flashlight to the left and right. "Tian Kui smells two different trails. Maybe they split up?"

’But that seems unlikely. Without transportation, relying on just their own two feet, they wouldn’t get far on the prairie, and it would be dangerous.’

In early May, the grass was just starting to sprout and the prairie was turning green again, but many areas were still bare.

Like the one right in front of them.

Duan Zijie immediately dismounted, sweeping his flashlight left and right in search of tire tracks.

Expanding the search area, he quickly found them.

He felt they should follow the tracks.

It was a motorcycle, and someone had to be driving it for it to move.

The group continued the pursuit.

Shen Xin grew vigilant. Not only were the suspects taking detours, but they had also used some unknown method to create a false trail.

’That means they have strong counter-surveillance awareness. Or, to be more precise, this is aimed at police dogs. Moreover, they were poachers to begin with. To poach wild animals, masking their scent must be a required skill.’

Sure enough, the trail ahead not only twisted and turned, but split scent sources also appeared from time to time.

It felt like they had spent a great deal of time and effort playing hide-and-seek across a vast area, leaving their scent everywhere.

Shen Xin soon figured out their specific method.

During the chase, Tian Kui followed the wrong scent and pounced on a titmouse.

Shen Xin immediately recalled what Doniya had said: they were carrying small animals in a cage to lure the Hunting Falcon.

’They probably contaminated the small animals with their own scent and the motorcycle’s exhaust, then simply tossed them aside.’

’These small animals were still alive, running all over the place and spreading the scent for them.’

"Son of a bitch, they’re clever," Duan Zijie couldn’t help but curse.

Shen Xin nodded in complete agreement.

From Doniya’s description, the younger of the two brothers acted recklessly, while the older one was quite cunning.

Since they had an accomplice here, they surely knew about the local police presence, including the fact that there were police dogs.

This entire charade was designed to counter tracking by police dogs.

Fortunately, Tian Kui’s professional skills were truly formidable. He tracked them all the way until almost 2:00 AM without once losing the scent.

After climbing a dirt slope, Duan Zijie swept his flashlight ahead and suddenly shouted, "Motorcycle!"

Shen Xin looked over at once.

It was true.

Dozens of meters away on the grass lay a motorcycle, burnt down to its frame.

Duan Zijie reacted instantly, instinctively drawing his pistol and shouting for Shen Xin to dismount.

There was no telling if the suspects were still nearby. If they were hiding and opened fire, it would be too dangerous.

Professional matters were best left to the professionals.

The special police team was with them.

They were equipped with night-vision goggles and advanced in formation to search the area ahead.

Shen Xin said softly, "If only we had a drone."

"With a thermal imaging module, one flight around and we’d know the situation immediately."

Duan Zijie stared into the distance. "I know the drones you’re talking about. The border posts are using them. We’re considering it, too. We’ll probably have them in the next year or two."

After a long while, a voice came over the radio.

"The area is clear."

The group immediately moved forward.

The motorcycle before them was burned to a metal husk.

The ashes were completely cold.

This meant the suspects had left long ago.

The special police team fanned out to search the surrounding area.

The accompanying technicians went forward to inspect the motorcycle, hoping to find any remaining clues.

’Probably a long shot. It was burned to a crisp; nothing was left.’

And at this spot, Tian Kui had lost the scent.

This was strange.

’They burned the motorcycle, so they must be on foot. Logically, the scent trail should have continued. Unless...’

Shen Xin’s head snapped up.

Just then, Duan Zijie also looked up and beat him to it. "They switched vehicles. Or rather, someone picked them up."

Shen Xin nodded quickly. That was exactly what he’d been thinking.

Duan Zijie cursed under his breath.

It was pitch black, impossible to tell which direction to go. There was no way to continue the chase.

Their only hope rested with Tian Kui.

Shen Xin led Tian Kui, expanding the search radius in an attempt to find a new scent source.

But after half an hour of searching, they still found nothing.

"Captain Duan, I’m sorry."

Shen Xin could only apologize.

"Shen Xin, don’t you dare say that."

Duan Zijie waved his hand dismissively. "Tian Kui leading us this far is already incredibly impressive."

"It was dozens of kilometers."

"So they ran. I don’t think it’s a huge problem. They fired a gun, so we can start the investigation from there."

"And that accomplice you mentioned—if we put our minds to it, we’ll definitely find something."

"Plus, we have their composite sketches. As long as we tighten border patrols, we can keep them in the country. And as long as they’re in the country, we’ll find them sooner or later."

He was certainly optimistic.

With the chase over, the specific details of the investigation would be handed over to his criminal investigation division.

Seeing how late it was, Duan Zijie arranged for someone to take Shen Xin back to Camp No. 2.

By the time he arrived back at the camp, it was nearly 4:00 AM.

Several vehicles were parked in the small camp.

Shen Xin pushed the door open and saw that people from the Forestry and Grassland Bureau had arrived.

And it wasn’t just them.

There was also a nearby observation station for grassland ecology and wildlife, staffed by scientific researchers.

Observing the habitat of the Hunting Falcon was part of their daily work, so two of them had come as well.

One was a bit older, wearing a color-block windbreaker and glasses. A glance at his receding hairline was enough to tell you how much knowledge was packed into his head.

He was a university professor with the surname Chen.

With him was a handsome young man, a graduate student with the surname Tang.

He didn’t see Doniya; she must have gone to rest.

Seeing Shen Xin, Lakshen hurriedly asked about the chase.

Shen Xin shook his head slightly and said they had lost the trail.

A flash of regret crossed Lakshen’s face, but he didn’t ask any more questions.

The Hunting Falcon wasn’t injured, just knocked out by an anesthetic. The drug had now worn off, and it was awake.

Trapped in a cage, it cowered timidly in a corner.

Meanwhile, Teacher Chen, his student, and the people from the Forestry and Grassland Bureau were gathered around the cage, discussing a question.

Namely: did a Hunting Falcon cheat, or did a Gyrfalcon have an affair?

Otherwise, where did this albino Hunting Falcon come from?

Shen Xin moved closer to listen for a moment, then curiously asked, "Are there really no white Hunting Falcons?"

Teacher Chen nodded, then shook his head, his tone uncertain. "Theoretically, any animal can have a genetic mutation that causes albinism."

"It’s like that internet story about the white brown bear that was mistaken for a polar bear and repeatedly sent back to the Arctic."

"That story might be fake, but the principle is the same."

"So, theoretically, a brown Hunting Falcon could also turn pure white due to a genetic mutation."

’So there’s still a chance,’ Shen Xin thought.

Teacher Chen must have guessed what Shen Xin was thinking, because he shook his head. "No, the probability is too low—infinitesimal. In any case, no such variant has ever been recorded in this country."

After some discussion, they still believed it wasn’t necessarily an albino from a genetic mutation.

But rather a hybrid.

For example, a light-colored Hunting Falcon and a pure-white Gyrfalcon might have unexpectedly produced this little white one.

There are white Gyrfalcons, the legendary Hai Dongqing.

But that presented a problem as well.

Hunting Falcons and Gyrfalcons don’t have reproductive isolation, so hybridization is possible.

However, Hunting Falcons live in prairie and hilly areas, while Gyrfalcons live further north in the cold tundra and coastal regions.

The overlapping area of their habitats is very small.

At the same time, their courtship rituals and breeding seasons also have subtle differences.

It’s highly unlikely that these two species would ever hit it off.

Furthermore, they believed that an albino Hunting Falcon might not even survive to adulthood.

Perhaps its parents would have rejected it as an outcast at birth.

Even if it was lucky enough to grow up, its white feathers would make it incredibly conspicuous on the prairie.

Its hunting difficulty and survival risk would be far greater than those of other Hunting Falcons.

So, being an albino wasn’t necessarily a good thing for this little one.

"That’s pretty tragic for it, then."

Shen Xin reached out and tapped the cage.

Startled, the cowering falcon, which had shrunk into a ball out of fear, turned its head to look at Shen Xin.

And with that one look, it couldn’t tear its eyes away.