Animal Detective

Inside the shipping container house.

As long as Shen Xin didn’t leave, Teddy behaved.

Shen Xin poured Doniya a glass of water and comforted her, "It’s okay. He’s a grown man. He’ll be fine."

Doniya nodded, then hesitated before asking, "Shen Xin, do you think Sangbu could have run into those two bad guys out there?"

That was what she was worried about.

Shen Xin said, "No way. Those two are like stray dogs right now. Even if they run into someone, they’ll just flee."

Still, Doniya couldn’t help but sigh anxiously.

Shen Xin didn’t know how else to console her.

He had seen too many situations like this back at the police station.

Shen Xin told her to go get some rest, but she refused, saying she couldn’t sleep and wanted to wait for news.

Liao Lei couldn’t take it anymore and went to bed first.

Shen Xin stayed up to chat with Doniya. As they were talking, his phone vibrated.

It was a message from Ding Yuwei.

Before Shen Xin could see what the message said, a video call came in from her.

Shen Xin answered.

"Why are you still up?" Shen Xin asked.

On screen, Ding Yuwei was clearly already in her pajamas.

Ding Yuwei asked urgently, "Shen Xin, have you found Tianxiong?"

Shen Xin said he hadn’t, and asked her what was wrong.

Doniya leaned in curiously.

Just as Ding Yuwei was about to speak, she abruptly noticed Doniya appear behind Shen Xin in the video and immediately shut her mouth.

Doniya’s delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly. She sized up Ding Yuwei and asked softly, "Is that your girlfriend?"

Shen Xin quickly shook his head. "What are you talking about? She’s my colleague."

Doniya said, "Oh," and quickly raised her hand to wave at Ding Yuwei.

"I’m Ding Yuwei."

That was her only reply, and her gaze sharpened a little.

’It’s almost eleven o’clock.’

’Aren’t people on the grasslands supposed to live far apart and go to bed as soon as it gets dark?’

Shen Xin asked, "Yuwei, what were you about to say?"

Ding Yuwei snapped back to reality and said quickly, "Shen Xin, I saw Tianxiong online! I think it has to be him."

"Doesn’t he have a light-colored patch on his paw? The one I saw was all black, so I’m not sure if it’s him, but it really looks like him. And it’s right where you are."

Shen Xin was shocked and hurriedly asked for the details.

Even though Shen Xin was away, the work of the cold case office couldn’t stop.

Yang Zeran was a workaholic, and the three of them had been swamped for the past few days.

Today, for instance, they didn’t get home until almost nine.

After showering, she lay in bed thinking about a case, but couldn’t sleep, so she scrolled through her phone for a bit.

That’s when she saw some news reports online about the viral wolf that had appeared on the highway to the Wugai Grassland.

Ding Yuwei had seen related reports on short-video platforms before, but she hadn’t paid much attention.

But today, the news had changed.

It was now about the viral wolf attacking a human, and a stray dog’s loyal and brave rescue.

Weibo was buzzing, with several related topics on the trending list.

Discussions about whether wolves can be tamed.

How dogs are humanity’s best friend.

Among them was a rising topic that immediately caught Ding Yuwei’s attention.

The post suggested the heroic stray might be a police dog.

Only then did Ding Yuwei look into the related content.

The scene was crowded with people, and the entire incident had been filmed with perfect clarity.

Watching the video, Ding Yuwei was also startled by the she-wolf’s ferocity.

The comments below were talking about it.

[This guy’s an idiot. Serves him right. Nobody else got out of their car, but he did.]

[A wolf will be a wolf. Guess those egg-yolk pies weren’t enough for it after all.]

[I heard wolves have an insane bite force.]

Then, Ding Yuwei saw Tianxiong in the video, protecting the young man.

The footage of him leaping to save the young man, standing guard in front of him, and facing off against the she-wolf had sparked a huge debate.

[See? When it counts, you can always rely on our canine companions.]

[If it weren’t for that stray, the kid would’ve definitely been mauled to death.]

[Holy shit, that’s brutal. That fight is vicious.]

[Weird, what breed is that stray? How is it not scared of a wolf?]

[Maybe it’s a wolf too?]

[Is that really a stray? Maybe it belongs to that moron, fighting so hard to protect its owner.]

[Haven’t you guys seen the news? Those two showed up the day before yesterday. Lots of people have been feeding them. I think they’re a team.]

[Nah, they’re not a team. They fight all the time.]

It was after watching the video that Ding Yuwei noticed the dog and thought it looked like Tianxiong.

Completely black, just like him.

The only difference was the front paw. Tianxiong had a light, brownish-yellow patch on his left front paw.

The dog in the video, however, had a black left front paw.

But the build and everything else matched. Although Ding Yuwei hadn’t been to the K-9 base often, she remembered Tianxiong.

She then turned to look at the trending topic about the dog possibly being a police K-9.

It turned out someone with an IP address from Wugai Banner had been the first to post a comment, saying a police dog had gone missing in their area and they were searching everywhere for it. They thought the dog in the video was the one.

This resonated with a lot of people in the replies.

[If it’s a police dog, that would make sense. Only a K-9 would step up to protect a civilian like that during an attack.]

[Thinking back on it, seeing that K-9 guarding the guy, fighting to the death without backing down... so badass.]

[It’s gotta be a police dog. They’re trained. Their fighting ability is on another level.]

[How does a police dog just go missing?]

[Has anyone notified the cops? Someone should at least confirm it. This dog basically saved a life.]

It was these comments that made Ding Yuwei suspect the stray dog in the video was Tianxiong.

Shen Xin shot to his feet and quickly watched the video Ding Yuwei had sent.

When the she-wolf lunged at the young man, Doniya, who was next to him, let out a gasp.

But Shen Xin’s eyes were locked on the black stray dog.

’There’s no mistaking it. That’s Tianxiong!’

’How could I not recognize the dog I trained with my own two hands?’

’As for the color of his paw, he’s probably been roughing it outside for so long that it just got dirty.’

’And with that wolf involved, there’s no doubt. It’s definitely Tianxiong.’

The heavy weight that had been pressing on Shen Xin’s heart for days was finally lifted.

’After all this time, that guy Tianxiong is still alive. It’s incredible.’

"I see it now. It is Tianxiong. Yuwei, you should get some rest. I’ll go find him from here."

Shen Xin said this, then quickly hung up the video call before Ding Yuwei could say more.

Doniya was excited too, exclaiming that it was Tianxiong and that she couldn’t be mistaken.

Worried he might be wrong, Shen Xin hurried online to find earlier videos.

He soon discovered that videos of the wolf had already started to flood the internet.

He hadn’t had a chance to browse videos for the past two days.

Besides, the focus of those videos had always been on the wolf. If Tianxiong hadn’t saved someone today, no one would have paid any attention to a dirty black stray.

Shen Xin was certain. It was Tianxiong.

Just as he was about to call Lakshen with the good news, another video call came in.

It was Li Jiahui.

The moment he answered, Li Jiahui, also in her pajamas and with an eye mask on her face, urgently told Shen Xin to check the trending topics online, saying she had found Tianxiong.

She also knew that Tianxiong was missing.

Shen Xin said hurriedly, "Jiahui, I already know. I’m about to head out to find him now. It’s alright, I’ll let you know when I find him."

In the shaky video, Li Jiahui also saw Doniya, but before she could even ask who it was, Shen Xin hung up.

Doniya grabbed Shen Xin, ready to set off and find the dog.

With the interruption, Shen Xin decided not to call Lakshen.

He was busy leading a search party for someone else.

His task was just as important.

Shen Xin thought for a moment, then called Zhang Qifeng.

Although it was dark and inconvenient for a search, he had to go. The wolf was clearly still after Tianxiong. It would be one thing if he didn’t know, but now that he did, what if something happened because he didn’t go looking?

Shen Xin planned to go directly to town, meet up with Zhang Qifeng, and then contact the nearest police station for backup to search the area around the highway together.

Tianxiong’s food and water for the past few days had come from passing drivers, so he wouldn’t stray far from that highway.

When the call connected, Zhang Qifeng was already asleep, but he was wide awake the moment he heard they’d found Tianxiong.

After asking for the details, Shen Xin could hear Zhang Qifeng on the other end, urgently shouting for his people.

Here, Liao Lei, who was sleeping in the next room, was also woken by the commotion.

He ran over, and upon learning that Tianxiong had been found, he immediately wanted to go with Shen Xin to look for him.

"No, I’ll go. Someone has to stay here on duty," Shen Xin stopped him.

Lakshen and his men were gone. If he and Liao Lei left too, the camp would be empty.

This place was essentially a mobile police station; someone had to be on watch.

Liao Lei knew this was true, but he had been blaming himself for losing Tianxiong. Now that there was news of him, not being able to go search was agonizing.

"It’s fine. I’m on it. Maybe I just need to go over there and give a shout, and Tianxiong will come running back."

Shen Xin patted his shoulder and prepared to leave.

But as soon as he pushed the door open, he heard the sound of flapping wings behind him.

’Damn, I forgot about him.’

Teddy landed directly on Shen Xin’s shoulder and squawked at him nonstop.

Shen Xin sighed, grabbed the falcon, and left.

What else could he do? He had to take him along.

Just as he got into the SUV, Doniya climbed into the passenger seat.

"I’m going too. I can help search." Doniya’s gaze was firm. She added, "If you don’t let me go, I’ll go crazy with worry."

It wouldn’t hurt, so Shen Xin didn’t argue. He just started the car and drove off, heading straight for town to meet up with Zhang Qifeng and the others.

「Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the Gacha.」

About three kilometers away, behind an earthen slope, a motorcycle lay on the ground. Next to it stood a black horse, dozing on its feet.

It was pitch black all around, with only a half-moon peeking through the clouds overhead.

In a hollow in the grass nearby, two men were lying down.

They were the two poachers that Duan Zijie and his team had been searching for fruitlessly.

"Bro, isn’t it about time? It’s already eleven," the younger brother asked.

The older brother was looking at his phone. "What’s the hurry? Let’s wait a little longer. After midnight, once they’re sound asleep."

He was watching a video on his phone, the screen dimmed.

In the video, Teddy could be seen circling high above the camp before swooping down with a whistle.

"Heh, what’s the deal with that guy? Why does that Hunting Falcon listen to him? I heard he’s from a big city down south. He shouldn’t know how to train falcons," the older brother said, mesmerized.

That was a million USD flying in the sky.

The younger brother said, "Who knows? But it’s perfect for us. If the falcon is really that tame, we won’t even have to train it. We can sell it for an even higher price."

The older brother nodded in agreement, becoming more engrossed the more he watched.

The two patiently waited until after midnight before finally getting up, gathering their things, and preparing to move out.

The older brother grabbed the younger one and asked, "Repeat the plan to me one more time."

The younger brother sighed, exasperated. "Bro, you’ve already told me a hundred times. I remember."

"Say it," the older brother urged in a low voice.

The younger brother rolled his eyes. "We ride the horse over, leave it outside the fence with the reins looped over the railing, then go straight in. Ignore the cameras."

"We go to the southernmost shipping container on the right. That’s their dorm. Try to be as quiet as possible."

"There shouldn’t be many of them. First, we confirm if the falcon and the people are there."

"Then we control them with our guns. Most importantly, we must not fire."

The older brother cut him off, warning sternly, "That’s the most important rule. No matter what, unless he’s about to kill you, you absolutely cannot fire that gun."

"If we kill a cop, we won’t be able to escape even if we wanted to."

After saying that, he asked, "And then?"

The younger brother continued like a broken record, "Control them with the guns, tie them up with rope, and just take the falcon."

"Then we ride the horse back, change clothes, spray scent eliminator, then leave on the motorcycle, head straight for the border, and cross it."

The older brother nodded with satisfaction, pulled out his pistol, and gave it one last check.

"Remember, we’re only here for the money."

He gave one final warning, and only then did they mount the horse.

The two of them shared the horse, riding quickly toward Camp No. 2.