Animal Detective

Sure enough, he found a distinct enough scent under two trees in the middle of the greenbelt.

A single, distinct scent—it was obviously left by the golden retriever.

"This is the scent. Got it?" Shen Xin asked Odin and Frigga.

They nodded.

Shen Xin waved his hand. "Go on. Find it."

The two police dogs immediately shot off.

Liu Baoqing quickly had his men follow them.

Qian Zidan’s eyes lit up as he watched. It really felt like Odin could understand human speech.

But that wasn’t all.

When they came, he’d also had someone bring Yifan and Er Long.

"Crows are considered birds of ill omen, but their sense of smell is no worse than a police dog’s. Most importantly, they can fly."

Shen Xin called Yifan and the others over to smell the scent.

Then, he fastened their helmets and sent them flying.

Qian Zidan’s eyes shone. "Now this is convenient," he said.

You didn’t even have to manage them. Just confirm the scent, let them go, and you’re done.

Shen Xin nodded, but a wave of dizziness hit him, and he sat down to rest.

The more Qian Zidan thought about it, the more excited he became. He was just about to press for details when Zhang Hancheng, who was beside him, decisively stopped him.

One had to admit, a bird in the sky had a unique advantage.

Er Long had tailed Wang Liang yesterday morning and had seen this golden retriever, so his memory of it was even clearer.

Shen Xin had already filled him in on the situation.

Flying high in the sky, he conducted a wide-area search, able to actively seek out the target scent from a great distance.

About twenty minutes later, before Odin had found anything, Er Long did.

Overnight, the golden retriever had wandered over four kilometers away to the street-front shops of a residential complex.

Er Long landed on a streetlight, his gaze locked on the dog.

In the camera’s view, it was lying outside a braised-meats shop, dozing.

"Let’s go."

Shen Xin slowly got up.

One of Qian Zidan’s subordinates whispered, "Section Chief Qian, this is incredible."

’These reconnaissance skills are out of this world.’

Qian Zidan nodded repeatedly. Watching Shen Xin walk ahead, he couldn’t blame Zhang Hancheng for guarding him as if he were a thief.

The large group of people rushed over.

Shen Xin didn’t even get out of the car. It pulled over to the side of the road, and he opened the door and made a few clicking sounds at the golden retriever.

In an unfamiliar place, no matter how carefree it was, it wouldn’t be sleeping too soundly.

Hearing the sound, it immediately opened its eyes, alert.

It looked around, and its gaze locked onto Shen Xin.

When Shen Xin beckoned to it, it hesitated for a moment before trotting over energetically.

It was a golden retriever, after all. Even if Shen Xin had no special talent, it would have been friendly with anyone.

Now, as Shen Xin reached out and petted it, the dog nuzzled right up to him, and a favorability icon soon appeared above its head.

With a golden retriever’s naturally friendly personality, this was normal.

"Section Chief Qian, buy a chicken," Shen Xin said.

’The dog’s been found, but I still need to build up its favorability.’

’Food is always the best way.’

Qian Zidan, too preoccupied to be amazed, quickly ran off to buy a chicken.

He asked the braised-meats shop owner. When they were closing up last night, this golden retriever had appeared out of nowhere, so they fed it some scraps.

Unexpectedly, when he arrived this morning, the golden retriever was still lying by the shop’s entrance and wouldn’t leave.

He had been planning to post on his Moments to ask whose dog it was.

Golden retrievers are also famously greedy, and a few scraps of braised meat were clearly not enough to last it since yesterday. When Shen Xin brought over a roasted chicken, the dog’s eyes practically lit up.

After it wolfed down the food, its favorability had already risen by two bars.

’That’s enough. A good start is all I need to be able to sense its emotions.’

Golden retrievers are smart; they know how to find their way home.

It had a big appetite, so one roasted chicken wasn’t enough. They got another, and it ate with gusto. After finishing, it was incredibly affectionate toward Shen Xin, pouncing on him and licking him all over.

Now that the dog was found, it was time to get down to business.

"How about I take you home?" Shen Xin asked with a smile, stroking its head.

A golden retriever could understand those words even without high favorability. After a brief hesitation, it barked a few times excitedly.

And so, they set off.

A car’s movements on the road are easy to track.

At 6:14 yesterday morning, Mao Ruiqiang was photographed driving away from the north exit of Tongquan Garden.

His residence had already been confirmed, and neighbors were questioned. They learned that Mao Ruiqiang did not own a dog.

No one had heard a dog barking the night before last either.

A golden retriever isn’t the type to stay quiet. In a new place, it would definitely bark at night.

So, they could basically confirm that Mao Ruiqiang didn’t have the dog when he set out yesterday. Someone must have handed it to him along the way.

And as it turned out, after leaving Tongquan Garden, Mao Ruiqiang didn’t head straight west toward Wetland Park. Instead, he turned right, then left, and went north.

Traffic cameras provided a complete record of his driving route.

He took a large, roundabout route roughly in the direction of the city center before heading to Wetland Park.

According to the camera footage, he was not seen stopping for any extended period in any area.

Given the circumstances, Shen Xin speculated that the other person was likely waiting by the roadside with the dog. Mao Ruiqiang drove by and stopped briefly.

Perhaps they exchanged some information about tailing Wang Liang, and then he left with the dog.

The entire exchange might have taken less than a minute and occurred in a surveillance blind spot, making it very difficult to detect.

And what Shen Xin needed to do now was take this golden retriever and retrace that route, letting it find its own way home.

If it succeeded, they could at least identify someone connected to Mao Ruiqiang.

That would be a crucial lead.

They didn’t take a police car. Shen Xin sat in an MPV with the side door open so the golden retriever could see outside.

They drove slowly along the side of the road, focusing on areas not covered by traffic cameras, as well as the residential complexes along the way.

The golden retriever squatted obediently in front of Shen Xin, its eyes fixed on the world outside.

They headed north all the way to the vicinity of the museum. Not long after turning left, the golden retriever in the car barked twice in rapid succession and made a move to jump out.

Luckily, they were holding it back.

Qian Zidan, who was driving, slammed on the brakes and hurriedly asked if it had found the place.

"Your home?" Shen Xin asked, holding the golden retriever and pointing outside.

It barked excitedly.

From the change in its emotions, Shen Xin could tell it had found the spot.

He nodded at Qian Zidan.

Qian Zidan’s eyes lit up. He immediately picked up his walkie-talkie and started giving orders.

Shen Xin slowly got out of the car. He had Liu Baoqing hold the dog’s leash, then patted its head. "Alright, take me home."

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

The golden retriever let out a BARK and briskly led the way.

Its steps were cheerful. Clearly, this was an area where it often went for walks.

Following the road for less than two hundred meters, it turned right, heading toward a residential complex.

Jin Gui Upper City, a mid- to high-end residential complex.

Just as they reached the entrance, a security guard stopped them and asked who they were.

"This dog isn’t yours." He actually recognized the golden retriever.

And the golden retriever was familiar with him, too, circling around him as a greeting.

Qian Zidan’s eyes lit up. He gave a meaningful look, and one of his subordinates went over, slung an arm around the security guard’s shoulder, and pulled him aside.

Soon, they had confirmation.

The south villa section of the complex, Unit 7, top floor, 601.

The owner is a woman who lives alone. She’s the one who owns this golden retriever.

In the guard’s words, "She has a killer body, is drop-dead gorgeous, and whenever she needs something, all the guards fight over who gets to help."

Moreover, the guard confirmed that the woman hadn’t gone out today.

If she had, they would have noticed.

"If she’s H’s lover, then Shen Xin, you’ve really hit the jackpot," Qian Zidan said, his eyes gleaming.

Shen Xin quickly said, "Section Chief Qian, please don’t say that. I’m just doing my part."

As he spoke, he glanced at the golden retriever beside him, who was eager to go.

Its name was Ah Bao.

"Look, Ah Bao can’t wait. Why don’t we let him lead the way?"

Twenty minutes later, the perimeter was secured.

Qian Zidan personally led the team. With Ah Bao on a leash, they followed the building management upstairs, using the excuse of delivering a complimentary gift for residents to knock on the door.

The person was indeed home.

"What kind of gift?" As the door opened, a woman’s voice came from inside.

The moment it was open a crack, the golden retriever eagerly squeezed through and began barking excitedly as it circled its owner.

’Master, surprise! Bet you didn’t expect this! I’m back!’