Animal Detective

Dawn broke.

The holiday was over, and the roads leading to the Wugai Grassland had far fewer cars.

The "internet-famous wolf" had gone viral, but now it was joined by a heroic, life-saving police dog that had gone missing.

The internet’s ever-resourceful netizens had already dug up the police dog’s name and origin.

No one knew who started it, but a new topic began trending online.

[Tianxiong, your handler is calling you home for dinner]

Netizens from Nanjiang were especially concerned.

It had been revealed online that Tianxiong was a police dog sent out as part of Nanjiang’s K9 support program.

In a way, he was like a "daughter" Nanjiang had "married off."

Now that their "daughter" was lost, how could her "maternal family" not be worried?

Some people online even organized their own search parties, trying to find Tianxiong near the highway.

This prompted the Wugai Management District to issue an urgent notice, stating that they had already dispatched search teams and asking the public not to act rashly.

After all, there was a wolf with him.

It wasn’t until nearly noon, with the sun hanging high in the sky, over ten kilometers from where Tianxiong had first been spotted.

He was still by the side of the road.

Tianxiong trotted out from the bushes onto the shoulder of the road. He was still filthy, and now covered in fresh wounds. He instantly turned into a living statue, staring intently at the passing cars.

He couldn’t help but wonder, ’Will I get to eat any roasted chicken today?’

’After that huge fight yesterday, I definitely deserve something good to eat to recover.’

A car spotted him right away, pulling over to call the police.

Within just half an hour, a number of cars had already parked along the roadside.

Some people were afraid of the wolf and didn’t dare to get out, filming from a distance with their phones.

But there were also brave ones who gathered around Tianxiong.

Mainly because the she-wolf was nowhere to be seen.

Some even boldly petted Tianxiong and asked for a photo together.

Tianxiong refused no one, graciously playing his part for the fans.

Just then, a police car pulled over, and someone leaned out of the passenger seat.

"Tianxiong!"

Tianxiong, who had been busy gobbling down some food, froze abruptly. He whipped his head around in disbelief, his eyes widening noticeably.

WHOOSH! He shot forward and dove straight into the man’s arms.

WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!

He barked urgently.

[You came.]

[Missed you.]

As he barked, he licked Shen Xin’s face nonstop.

"Alright, alright." Shen Xin held him back. ’You stink. How many days has it been since you last bathed?’

Lakshen, who had come with him, stopped in his tracks, already bursting into tears.

He could never forget that night—the pitch-black darkness, the snarls of vicious wolves, their frenzied attacks.

And then, Tianxiong had burst out of the darkness, charging forward without a moment’s hesitation.

When Tianxiong saw Lakshen, his eyes lit up. He immediately rushed over, pawing at Lakshen’s knees, wagging his tail, and barking nonstop.

Lakshen threw his arms around him, tears streaming down his face.

In the distance, phone cameras all turned to aim at them.

Just then, a black shadow dove down from the sky.

It was none other than Teddy, who landed precisely on Shen Xin’s shoulder. He tilted his head, curiously sizing up Tianxiong.

The white Hunting Falcon immediately captured everyone’s attention, and the cameras swiveled to focus on it.

Seeing the crowd grow, Lakshen called for everyone to get in the car.

But Tianxiong wouldn’t get in; he just kept barking.

"Shen Xin, what is he trying to say?" Lakshen asked, confused.

Shen Xin turned to look at the bushes in the distance. "He’s talking about the wolf."

Tianxiong let out a bark, then suddenly turned and ran. After a few steps, he stopped and barked at the group again.

Lakshen hurried after him.

Shen Xin told Tian Jian, who was driving, to contact the Forestry and Grassland Bureau, then quickly followed as well.

Tianxiong led the way, with Teddy following from the air.

They passed through low bushes and weeds, covering nearly a kilometer in one go, when Tianxiong suddenly stopped and barked loudly toward something in the distance.

Shen Xin grabbed Lakshen, having already spotted a wolf lying in a grassy hollow up ahead.

It had to be the she-wolf from the video.

She had been startled and was slowly getting to her feet, but she was unsteady. Her left hind leg was injured again.

Limping, she retreated under the cover of the tall grass, a low, aggressive growl rumbling in her throat.

Tianxiong bounded forward and let out a volley of barks at the she-wolf.

[Don’t growl.]

Shen Xin heard his thought.

Amazingly, the she-wolf actually fell silent the next moment.

Shen Xin was surprised. ’Wait, why is this wolf so obedient?’

With that thought, Shen Xin started to walk forward.

Lakshen quickly grabbed him.

Even though he had been attacked by this she-wolf and had nearly lost his life, Lakshen didn’t hold much of a grudge.

’It’s just an animal acting on pure hunting instinct. What’s the point of getting revenge?’

"It’s okay."

Shen Xin shook his head and walked forward.

Tianxiong looked up at Shen Xin.

[Kill.]

[Live.]

The thoughts were brief, but Shen Xin could feel their emotions and guess their meaning.

Tianxiong was asking whether to kill the she-wolf or let her live.

Shen Xin ruffled his head and asked, "What’s the deal with you two?"

Tianxiong barked once.

[Get her.]

Shen Xin froze. ’Get her? How?’

As if afraid Shen Xin didn’t understand, Tianxiong ran forward.

The she-wolf postured as if to bite.

Tianxiong immediately launched his own attack, giving the she-wolf a good roughing-up.

The she-wolf immediately submitted, ducking her head to avoid him.

Then, like a triumphant general, Tianxiong circled the she-wolf, even placing his paws on her back.

Shen Xin’s eyes went wide.

’Alright, I get it now.’

He found it incredible. ’You chase me, I fight you, and after a few days of this, you’ve developed feelings?’

Behind them, even Lakshen understood what was happening. "Is that wolf a female?" he asked in surprise.

Shen Xin nodded. "It seems so."

Seeing the she-wolf not daring to resist, just cowering on the ground while Tianxiong circled her, Lakshen said in disbelief, "So what do we do? Are we supposed to take this wolf back and find Tianxiong a... wife?"

Shen Xin stared at the she-wolf.

’The problem is, just yesterday, you two were fighting to the death.’

’Or was yesterday’s fight so brutal that Tianxiong completely broke her will?’

The she-wolf had an injured leg, which was a weakness. The wolf and dog were about the same size, and Tianxiong was trained. It was entirely possible.

Shen Xin saw that Tianxiong had injuries, fresh ones at that.

The she-wolf, however, was clearly more wounded.

A lone she-wolf, separated from her pack.

Plus, as Shen Xin recalled, wolf packs weren’t strictly monogamous; they operated on a system of succession, meaning the females would always submit to the strongest.

So, in this situation, it wasn’t strange that she had been beaten into submission.

After a moment of thought, Shen Xin said, "Let’s wait for the people from the Forestry and Grassland Bureau to get here. We’ll tranquilize her first and figure it out from there."

This she-wolf definitely couldn’t be left here.

Wolves are smart. She had been fed by humans and had likely learned that she could get food by waiting near the highway for cars to pass.

She was still a wild animal, and an accident could happen if people tried to feed her.

The proper course of action was to take her away and release her deep in the grasslands.

Shen Xin looked back at Tianxiong.

He didn’t seem to have any intention of ’getting down to business’ just yet; he was simply enjoying the process of dominating the she-wolf.

He’d probably been chased for so long that he was just trying to get some payback.

But in any case, Tianxiong had been found, and he was alive. That was a happy ending for everyone.

Soon, the team from the Forestry and Grassland Bureau arrived.

A few tranquilizer darts later, the she-wolf swayed and collapsed. They put her in a cage and headed back.

On the ride back, Tianxiong constantly circled around Shen Xin.

In the end, he knew who his favorites were.

He was also very interested in Teddy, trying to play with the falcon from time to time.

But Teddy was no sparrow; he was a bird of prey. He wasn’t about to indulge Tianxiong and gave him a sharp peck. That finally made Tianxiong behave.

The group first went to the Forestry and Grassland Bureau to have their staff treat Tianxiong’s wounds.

Thankfully, they weren’t serious.

After leaving the she-wolf at the Bureau, the group drove back to camp.

’A government leader had come to visit that morning and apparently hadn’t left yet. Were they waiting for me?’

When they arrived, the area outside the camp was filled with police cars.

Tianxiong, who had been full of energy, suddenly grew quiet.

Lakshen asked, puzzled, "Huh? What’s wrong with him?"

He ducked his head and was reluctant to get out of the car.

Shen Xin understood with a single glance and chuckled. "The boss is here."

Among their group of stray dogs, Tian Kui was the undisputed alpha.

And of course, there was also Tiger Stripes, Tian Kui’s partner in crime.

The words had barely left his mouth when Tian Kui, drawn by the scent, trotted over. He barked twice at Tianxiong, as if to say, ’What are you doing? Get down here and pay your respects to your king.’

Only then did Tianxiong get out of the car.

But he immediately sidled up to Shen Xin and started barking nonstop.

[Where’s the wolf?]

Shen Xin understood instantly. ’He wants to show off to Tian Kui. Look, I can even take on a wolf now.’

Tian Kui must have misunderstood, because he stepped forward and barked a few times.

[Where is it? Take me there.]

Shen Xin thought, ’Well now, looks like you’re off to avenge your little brother.’

Tianxiong barked a few times.

[No need.]

Then he puffed out his chest, held his head high, and paraded around in front of Tian Kui twice, as if to say, ’See? These are all my battle scars.’

Tian Kui opened his mouth in a mock snap, a disdainful thought appearing in his mind.

[Useless.]

’My own underling, getting beaten up like this. How embarrassing.’

Meanwhile, Liao Lei and the others had heard the news and come out. Liao Lei, especially, rushed over and threw his arms around Tianxiong.

Seeing the bandages on Tianxiong’s leg and his half-missing ear, this tough guy who could take on two opponents at once was moved to tears of distress.

Huang Mingjie also came out to greet them, along with a group of other leaders.

He was slightly relieved to see the police dog had been found.

"Shen Xin."

He approached with a broad smile and shook Shen Xin’s hand.

He started with an apology.

He said that since Tianxiong had been sent over by Nanjiang, they had failed to take good care of him, and on top of that, they’d made Shen Xin come all this way to help find him.

"Director Huang, it was an accident. And it was my duty," Shen Xin said quickly.

Huang Mingjie nodded slightly, his attention shifting to Teddy, who was perched on the roof of a car nearby.

Once he saw him, he couldn’t look away.

For someone who had spent time on the grasslands, it was hard to resist the allure of such a magnificent bird of prey.

Not to mention, a large part of the credit for finding Dawag so precisely this time went to this very falcon.

He had come to the camp to offer his support for two reasons: first, he had to check on the situation and comfort Liao Lei, who had been attacked. Second, he wanted to see this falcon with his own eyes.

People had trained falcons to hunt before.

But to find a person?

’Just how intelligent and perceptive must it be to do that?’

He walked closer to observe it curiously, then suddenly said to Shen Xin, "I hear this Hunting Falcon has taken a liking to you and refuses to leave?"

At the mention of this, Shen Xin felt a headache coming on.

Now that Tianxiong was found, he had work waiting for him back in Nanjiang. He couldn’t stay on the grasslands forever.

He would have to leave tomorrow, at the latest.

Leaving would be easy enough for him, but he had no idea what Teddy would do.

One Yuexiao was already enough of a handful.

And now he had Teddy, who was even clingier than Yuexiao.