Animal Detective

The Hunting Falcon’s eyes were large, pure black, and as clear as gemstones.

Shen Xin tilted his head.

The Hunting Falcon in the cage tilted its head too.

Shen Xin moved right, and it moved right too.

When Shen Xin circled around to the side of the table, it immediately whipped its head around, staring straight at him with its two big eyes.

’My talent must be at work again,’ he thought.

After his experience with Yuexiao, Shen Xin increasingly felt that in the eyes of animals, he wasn’t some other species but one of their own.

A particularly handsome one, at that.

Assuming animals even had aesthetic standards.

So, this Hunting Falcon had clearly taken a liking to him.

Shen Xin moved behind it.

The Hunting Falcon immediately stood up and turned to face Shen Xin.

Its reaction surprised Teacher Chen and the others.

"Officer Shen, look. It seems to be particularly interested in you," Teacher Chen said, pointing at the cage.

After waking up, this Hunting Falcon had been huddled in the corner of its cage without much reaction, perhaps because the anesthetic hadn’t fully worn off or it was simply scared.

But now, the moment it saw Shen Xin, it was reacting.

Shen Xin ducked down under the table.

The Hunting Falcon actually stretched its neck, trying to see him.

"See? Just like I said," Teacher Chen said excitedly.

Shen Xin was sure of it now. His talent was definitely at work.

But the icon hadn’t appeared.

After his time with Yuexiao, Shen Xin knew the icon would show up eventually. It was only a matter of time.

The key was favorability.

"Teacher Chen, are Hunting Falcons smart?" Shen Xin asked curiously.

Dolphins were without a doubt incredibly intelligent, but what about Hunting Falcons?

Teacher Chen said, "It’s a bird. You can’t just evaluate it by human standards of intelligence. Of course, if you really had to, I’d say Hunting Falcons are pretty decent."

"They might not display the same high level of intelligence as parrots or corvids, but birds in the Falconiformes order generally have a high brain-to-body-weight ratio."

"They’re capable of complex hunting behaviors and have sufficient learning and memory skills, like remembering the distribution of prey in a specific area."

"They also have complex social behaviors and can even cooperate with humans in hunting after being tamed. In that respect, their intelligence should be quite good."

As he spoke, Teacher Chen grew more and more curious.

Because even now, the Hunting Falcon’s attention was still fixed solely on Shen Xin.

It was as if, among all the people there, only Shen Xin was special.

He even leaned in and sniffed Shen Xin, thinking he must have some special scent that had piqued the falcon’s interest.

’Besides the smell of sweat, I don’t have any particular odor,’ Shen Xin thought to himself.

However, Zhang Qifeng, who was standing nearby, interjected that Shen Xin was the type of person who just naturally got along with animals.

For example, when training police dogs, Shen Xin could train a stray to be exceptionally smart and empathetic.

"Really?"

The professor from the agricultural university looked at Shen Xin with a strange expression. After a moment, he said, "You should be in animal research."

If what Zhang Qifeng said was true, then Shen Xin was practically a born prodigy for wildlife research.

Shen Xin shook his head, changed the subject, and asked what they planned to do with the Hunting Falcon.

A staff member from the Forestry and Grassland Administration said they would release it.

They had checked it over and found no injuries.

Once the anesthetic wore off completely, they could release it directly.

But they were still debating whether or not to track this Hunting Falcon.

In other words, to register it.

It would get a metal ring with a unique identifier on its leg and a GPS tracking system attached to its body. That way, they could track its movements at all times for scientific research.

This creature was too special; it had high research value.

Especially the question of where it came from.

A genetic mutation, or was it a hybrid?

If it was the latter, then how in the world did a Saker Falcon and a Gyrfalcon get together?

This held great scientific value for the research and conservation of both populations.

Shen Xin knew about the metal rings, figuring they were similar to the ones pigeons wore, but he had no idea what the GPS would look like.

He asked Teacher Chen and learned it was quite large but very light, only a few grams. It had a solar-powered lithium battery and a special design where the harness would automatically fall off after a certain period.

"Won’t it be uncomfortable with something strapped to its body?" Shen Xin asked curiously.

It was like when he trained police dogs to wear smart helmets; a few of them had a hard time adjusting.

"Usually not." Teacher Chen answered every question.

He explained that the device was specially designed to be very light and met certain standards, such as not exceeding 5% of the individual’s body weight.

Then, after putting it on, they would first conduct an adaptation study to see if the bird adjusts. If it didn’t peck or bite at the tracker, then they would release it.

If it did, they would give up the idea.

Shen Xin nodded. ’Looks like they’ve already thought of everything I was worried about.’

Just then, Teacher Chen asked Shen Xin to try feeding the Hunting Falcon.

It hadn’t eaten anything since they brought it back.

The others had tried to feed it, but the falcon wouldn’t eat.

Now that it was so interested in Shen Xin, maybe it would do him the favor.

Shen Xin was happy to oblige.

He was given fresh beef cut into small pieces. Following Teacher Chen’s instructions, he used a pair of long tweezers to hold a piece near its beak, brushing it against the falcon’s bill.

No reaction.

It didn’t even open its mouth. He then followed Teacher Chen’s next suggestion and gently brushed its chest.

Startled, it opened its beak, and Shen Xin quickly tried to pop the meat inside.

That didn’t work either.

Shen Xin tried a few more times, but it was no use.

The Hunting Falcon just stared at him intently. When the meat was at its beak, it even turned its head away.

Shen Xin felt it was very proud, as if it didn’t want to eat handouts.

Shen Xin asked if they could try something live.

’Didn’t we bring back that rat?’

Teacher Chen shook his head, saying that wild falcons are very cautious eaters. In this environment, it wouldn’t eat live prey.

In that case, there was nothing Shen Xin could do.

Seeing that it was getting late and, frankly, feeling sleepy, he prepared to leave and get some rest.

During the day, Duan Zijie and the others would definitely be conducting a large-scale search, and they might even need to use Tian Kui.

And then there was Tianxiong.

With everything that had happened here, they hadn’t had time to look for him.

But this was a good opportunity. They could look for Tianxiong during the large-scale search.

Unexpectedly, just as Shen Xin was about to leave, the Hunting Falcon suddenly started squawking.

The sound was sharp and thin, like a goose honking with its throat pinched.

’It really can’t compare to a professional voice actor like the Red-tailed Hawk. It’s just a little whiner.’

It also flapped its wings, its movements agitated.

Startled, Teacher Chen quickly called out to Shen Xin.

The moment Shen Xin came back, it stopped squawking and went back to staring at him.

"Holy cow."

Teacher Chen had a look of disbelief on his face.

’They’ve only just met, and they’re already inseparable?’

"Officer Shen, maybe you shouldn’t go?"

If he left, the bird would start squawking and thrashing around, and they didn’t want anything to happen to it.

Shen Xin was speechless.

’You don’t even have a favorability icon yet and you’re already this clingy,’ he thought. ’What’s it going to be like once the icon appears?’

But he had work during the day; he couldn’t just not rest.

Teacher Chen came up with an idea.

They placed the cage by Shen Xin’s bedside. As long as the Hunting Falcon could see Shen Xin, it wouldn’t make a sound. It was perfectly quiet.

The method worked.

It was just a little unsettling to have such a large bird staring at him from his bedside.

But drowsiness took over, and Shen Xin couldn’t be bothered with it. He quickly fell asleep.

「When he woke up again, it was almost nine the next morning.」

Surprisingly, no one had woken him.

He turned his head and was abruptly met by a pair of black eyes.

Their four eyes met.

He wondered if it had slept at all last night.

"What are you looking at?" Shen Xin asked.

No response, just that unwavering stare.

Still no favorability icon.

Shen Xin ignored it and quickly got out of bed.

But before he even got out the door, it started its whimpering cries again.

Shen Xin paid it no mind, but the moment he stepped out, he heard the sound of it flapping frantically in the cage.

There was no choice but to go back.

"Can’t I even go to the bathroom?" Shen Xin grumbled at it, exasperated.

The falcon didn’t care. It just stared intently at Shen Xin.

The moment Shen Xin left its line of sight, it would immediately start squawking and thrashing.

Helpless, Shen Xin could only carry the cage out with him.

Teacher Chen and the others hadn’t left yet.

Shen Xin handed the Hunting Falcon to them and was about to leave, but it started squawking again.

Teacher Chen said helplessly, "Officer Shen, why don’t you just keep it with you for now?"

What could Shen Xin do? He could only carry the cage with him to the bathroom.

Out on the prairie, the saying went that an honest man doesn’t do his business in secret.

And now, he had a Hunting Falcon staring at him without blinking.

It followed him to the bathroom, and it had to follow him to eat.

He’d try to feed it, but it wouldn’t eat. It would just watch him as if he had flowers growing on his face.

"I think it’s fallen in love with you."

Doniya rested her chin on one hand and curiously tapped the cage with the other, trying to get the Hunting Falcon’s attention.

Doniya had run over while he was eating.

She was a really great girl. After such a huge scare last night, she was now acting like nothing had happened.

"Don’t say that."

Shen Xin shook his head frantically, the disturbing images he’d seen in Yuexiao’s mind flashing through his own. He shivered violently.

Doniya smiled sweetly and said, "I’m serious. I saw this Hunting Falcon performing a mating ritual yesterday. Think about it, it’s already May, and it’s all alone. It must be getting desperate."

"Look, its eyes are filled with nothing but your reflection."

Shen Xin stuffed the last bite of a steamed bun into his mouth. Doniya’s mother had made them specially for him.

"That’s what you call being love-struck."

Shen Xin stood up and walked out, carrying the cage.

’Great. Now that I’m on the prairie, I’m living the life of an old man walking his bird.’

Shen Xin found Lakshen and asked about the search for the poachers.

Shen Xin still hadn’t figured out how those two had managed to escape yesterday.

He asked and learned that the search was ongoing.

They were using the old method, which was also the most effective one.

Mobilizing the masses.

Doniya had helped create a composite sketch, which was very clear. Now they were sending it to the grid management groups so all the herders would know.

If they spotted the targets, they were to report it immediately.

Patrols had also been strengthened at the border and various checkpoints.

Under these circumstances, they couldn’t hide for long without supplies.

Duan Zijie and the others would also organize teams to search the prairie.

There was no need for Tian Kui.

Shen Xin reminded Lakshen to have them help look for Tianxiong at the same time, taking advantage of the widespread dragnet.

Lakshen had already thought of that and said he had already given the reminder.

But at the mention of Tianxiong, he couldn’t help but sigh. He told Shen Xin to rest at the camp while he organized a group to go out and search.

Shen Xin wanted to go, but he was stuck with this Hunting Falcon.

He had to give up the idea.

Meanwhile, far away near a highway east of Wugai Banner, the sun was just rising. Amidst a patch of weeds, Tianxiong rolled over and got up.

He first gave himself a good shake to wake up.

As he moved, a she-wolf slowly poked her head out from the grass several dozen meters away.

Tianxiong ignored her, yawned, and ambled toward the highway.

’Slept my fill. Time to go out and hunt.’