Animal Detective

Doniya shaded her eyes with her hand, gazing into the distance.

She nudged Shen Xin. "See? You made it mad, and it flew off."

She even made an analogy.

She said the Hunting Falcon had worked so hard, bought a bouquet of flowers, prepared a "lavish feast," and was planning to "propose" to Shen Xin.

And what happened? Shen Xin didn’t appreciate it, coldly and cruelly rejected the falcon, and spurned its sincere feelings.

The bird got pissed and took off.

Shen Xin said, "Well, it was getting a little handsy."

Doniya froze for a second before she realized what he meant, then she absolutely cracked up.

Clutching her stomach, she said, "And you’re a cop! Shouldn’t you arrest it for that kind of behavior?"

Shen Xin gave a casual wave of his hand. "Considering it’s a first-time offender, I’ll let it slide. I won’t stoop to its level."

Doniya couldn’t stop laughing. "Shen Xin, you’re hilarious."

Her gaze was a little intense.

Shen Xin changed the subject. It just so happened that Doniya was familiar with the surrounding area, so he could have her help him with the map.

Shen Xin wanted to estimate how far Tianxiong could have traveled in the past few days, based on his maximum daily range.

Then, he would eliminate all populated areas within that radius and search inward from the perimeter.

Several days had passed. Shen Xin felt his hope dwindling, but the old saying still held true: he had to find him, dead or alive.

With Doniya’s help, Shen Xin marked not only the residential areas on the map but also the regions that herders frequently visited.

Some of the place names were quite strange.

"Banlazhan? Why is it called that?"

The place was east of Huergan.

Doniya made a chopping motion with her hand. "It’s exactly what it sounds like. The mountain looks like someone split it in half, leaving only one side. That’s why it’s called Banlazhan."

She said she had a photo on her phone but, unfortunately, the poachers had taken it. Otherwise, she could have shown it to Shen Xin.

At this, a hint of worry appeared in Doniya’s eyes. "Shen Xin, those two guys took my phone, and they said they know where I live. Do you think they’ll come back to get revenge?"

"I’m not scared for myself, but I’m worried about my dad, my mom, and my grandma."

Shen Xin quickly reassured her. "No way. Didn’t that guy say he was only after money? He wouldn’t dare do anything crazy."

He quickly changed the subject again, asking about other areas.

There were quite a few interesting place names, including one called Pingding Mountain. As the name suggested, the mountain must have a flat top.

Just as they were talking, a series of sharp cries echoed from outside.

Shen Xin froze, then rushed out to see what was happening.

Good grief, it was the Hunting Falcon.

It had actually returned. It landed in a clearing in the camp, a dead lark at its feet—another victim of its courtship display.

Doniya was incredulous. "So you’re saying it flew off because it thought you didn’t like the rabbit it brought you, so it went to catch a bird for you instead?"

The Hunting Falcon on the ground picked up the lark and presented it to Shen Xin again.

Although its intentions were sincere, offering Shen Xin the best things it had...

’...this is just ridiculous.’

Doniya squatted down, reached out to pet it, and teased, "I never would’ve guessed. You’re a real simp, aren’t you?"

Shen Xin rolled his eyes at her and squatted down as well.

He picked up the poor lark and offered it back to the Hunting Falcon.

’You went to all the trouble of catching it, so don’t let it go to waste.’

It refused to eat, letting out two sharp cries and shoving the bird toward Shen Xin again.

Shen Xin knew the creature was definitely being influenced by his talent.

The problem was, no favorability icon had appeared over it.

Showing such strong affection without an icon was highly unusual.

Compared to the fluctuating favorability he’d seen with the dolphin, this was a completely new situation.

Shen Xin stroked his chin, thinking. He guessed there were two possibilities.

One, it just so happened to be in its breeding season—basically, it was in heat, and its biological instincts were overwhelmingly strong.

’Yuexiao might have been in a similar situation.’

’Anyway, dolphins are known for being wild. Nothing about them is surprising.’

’Or maybe, just like this Hunting Falcon, Yuexiao also saw me as a beautiful female dolphin.’

Besides that, Shen Xin thought there was another possibility.

His ability had grown stronger.

He had already accepted that he possessed the skills of a Druid.

And since it was a skill, using it more would increase his proficiency and level it up.

Especially with Yuexiao, where Shen Xin had achieved the third stage for the first time.

As a result, his appeal to animals had become even more powerful.

Shen Xin held out his arm.

The Hunting Falcon immediately hopped onto it, and then... it tried to jump onto Shen Xin’s head again.

"See? It’s doing it again."

Shen Xin decisively grabbed it, placed it on the ground, and poked its head as he lectured it, "What in the world is going through that little head of yours all day?"

Doniya grinned mischievously. "Shen Xin, you’re not being fair. It’s a bird. Its greatest mission in life is to reproduce. Why don’t you... just give in and accept it?"

As she spoke, she forcefully pulled the Hunting Falcon into her arms, pointed its head toward Shen Xin, and "educated" it, "Open your eyes and look carefully! He’s a man! It won’t work!"

After saying that, she couldn’t help but laugh.

"Who are you saying can’t perform?"

Shen Xin was inexplicably reminded of Yuexiao and shuddered. He said seriously, "This can’t go on."

It was obvious the falcon had latched onto him.

The key thing was, this bird was now officially accounted for. He couldn’t just do whatever he wanted with it.

The only solution was to make it fall for someone else—to find it a mate.

Shen Xin had done this before. He had experience.

Shen Xin took out his phone and called Teacher Chen.

When Teacher Chen had left, they had specifically exchanged phone numbers, and he had even added Shen Xin on WeChat.

It was as if he was trying to steer Shen Xin down the path of biological research.

The call connected quickly. When Teacher Chen heard that the released Hunting Falcon had returned, there was a long silence on the other end of the line.

"Wait, why did it come back?" Teacher Chen’s tone was utterly baffled.

’It’s not a captive-bred bird, it’s completely wild. It hasn’t even had a chance to enjoy a steady supply of food yet.’

Shen Xin glanced at the Hunting Falcon, which had struggled out of Doniya’s arms and was now sidling up to him again. He grimaced. "Is it possible... that it’s fallen for me?"

Feeling incredibly awkward, Shen Xin explained the situation with the falcon’s hunting and courtship behavior.

This was met with another round of silence from the other end.

"You... You wait there. I’m on my way."

BEEP. The call ended.

Shen Xin hadn’t even had a chance to get to the important part.

They had observation stations on the grasslands to monitor the living environments of wild animals. They were probably observing Hunting Falcons.

Maybe they had observed a female Hunting Falcon that was still single.

That would be perfect for finding a mate for the one right in front of him.

Before long, Teacher Chen arrived in a whirlwind with his students.

There was another student with him, a girl.

He burst in and asked, "Where’s the Hunting Falcon?"

Shen Xin sighed softly and said helplessly, "It’s out shopping for a bride price."

"The what now?" Teacher Chen was completely dumbfounded.

His two students behind him exchanged a look. They didn’t fully understand, but they were deeply stunned.

Shen Xin pulled Teacher Chen over to see the wild rabbit and the lark.

"Teddy brought these for me."

It was clear that the bird was now fixated on one thing: if Shen Xin didn’t accept its advances, it just meant it hadn’t brought enough gifts.

Teacher Chen was taken aback. "Te... Teddy?"

Shen Xin glanced at Doniya, who had a mischievous grin on her face. It was her who came up with the name.

Shen Xin thought about it. He had to admit, it was a pretty fitting name.

Just as he was thinking that, a black dot appeared in the distance.

Teddy was back.

It swooped down, landing precisely in the center of the camp.

Beneath its talons was another victim.

Some kind of small bird he didn’t recognize.

Then, as if no one else was there, it dropped the bird at Shen Xin’s feet.

"HOLY SHIT!"

The normally gentle and refined Teacher Chen actually swore.

He had never heard of anything like this.

Then, having presented its "bride price," Teddy started getting frisky again, flapping its wings and trying to land on Shen Xin.

This sight left Teacher Chen even more dumbfounded.

’This isn’t just a crush, it’s fallen in love with you.’

’The crucial thing is, you just rescued it yesterday!’

He stared intently at Shen Xin, his expression shifting again and again. He couldn’t help but ask, "Officer Shen, are you absolutely sure you won’t consider coming to do research with us?"

’With a talent like this, studying wild animals would be child’s play.’

’No thanks,’ Shen Xin thought. He irritably scooped Teddy into his arms before it could land on his head and asked Teacher Chen if they had observed any single female Hunting Falcons.

"You want to find it a mate?" the female student reacted instantly.

Shen Xin nodded. That was exactly his intention.

Teacher Chen’s expression grew even stranger. Then he shook his head and said no.

His reason was similar to what Doniya had said: it was already May.

So, Shen Xin asked him how professionals like them would handle this kind of situation.

Specifically, for an animal forced to be single during mating season.

Shen Xin figured this must happen fairly often.

’It can’t be so coincidental that every single Hunting Falcon finds a mate.’

Perhaps he was still in shock, because Teacher Chen started getting abstract himself. After a moment of silence, he said, "If you want my advice... just hold it in."

Shen Xin rolled his eyes, speechless, and said he was being serious.

Teacher Chen coughed awkwardly and said he was being serious, too.

"Actually, it’s not a big deal. It’ll be fine once its breeding season is over."

Animals in their breeding season are like dry tinder and a burning flame—they ignite at the slightest spark.

Once the season is over, they immediately enter a state of post-nut clarity.

Shen Xin thought, ’The one with the problem right now isn’t the bird, it’s me.’

’And this breeding season... it’s going to be another two months before it’s over.’

Just then, the female student, like a curious child, asked why Teddy kept trying to land on Shen Xin’s head.

Beside them, Doniya burst out laughing so hard she had to clutch her waist to stay upright.

Tang Tongxue, being quick-witted, was the first to figure it out. His eyes went wide as he exclaimed, "Holy crap, it’s not trying to... is it?"

He didn’t finish his sentence, but the female student next to him had already caught on.

In an instant, three pairs of eyes were fixed on Shen Xin, unable to look away.

Shen Xin shot a glare at the howling Doniya and awkwardly asked Teacher Chen if there was any solution.

"Aren’t there sprays online for cats that stop them from going into heat? Do you have anything like that for birds?"

Shen Xin asked earnestly.

’It’s a Class-I protected animal, and it’s latched onto me like this, its head full of nothing but biological instincts. I’m tempted to just lock it up.’

Teacher Chen shook his head blankly, but then his expression gradually turned... excited?

He immediately looked at Shen Xin and said, "Why don’t you just let it..."

Shen Xin decisively cut him off before he could finish.

Teacher Chen’s eyes were practically glowing. He tried to persuade him, "It’s really not a big deal. And don’t overthink it, this is for scientific research!"

"If we could collect its... fluid, we might be able to use it for targeted breeding. It would be incredibly meaningful for the conservation of their species."

He had an expression that said, "You can make this small sacrifice for science."

Shen Xin still politely declined.

Just then, the female student said, "Teacher Chen, what about using a hat?"

Shen Xin quickly asked what kind of hat.

A researcher through and through, the female student explained their methods for artificially breeding wild animals to Shen Xin without batting an eye.

There were manual methods, as well as methods using weak electrical stimulation.

Birds, however, were more difficult, especially proud raptors like hawks and falcons, which were highly uncooperative.

"Then, in the ’60s and ’70s, on the other side of the ocean, the overuse of pesticides caused the hatching rate of peregrine falcons to drop dramatically."

"To protect the peregrine falcon population, local scientists decided to intervene with artificial breeding methods."

"They invented a special kind of hat. You wear it on your head, and it can imitate the process of a falcon mounting another’s back to breed."

"We still use this method in aviary breeding today."

Doniya’s eyes went wide as she listened. She couldn’t help but ask, "Is your research always this bizarre?"

Teacher Chen waved his hand and said seriously, "As I said, this is scientific research."

"Take giant pandas, for example. Don’t they use weak electrical stimulation now? Before, they used to do it by hand. It would take hundreds of strokes, and it was exhausting."

"There’s no other way. The natural environment is changing too drastically. If you don’t intervene, they could really play themselves into extinction."

After speaking, he once again looked at Shen Xin with pleading eyes.