Animal Detective

Zhang Hancheng’s office.

"Shen Xin, let me remind you of one thing: be cautious."

Zhang Hancheng’s expression was grave.

He already knew that Shen Xin had accepted Xu Jinguang’s request and was preparing to investigate the 11-2 case series.

Before his departure, Zhang Hancheng had specifically called him in to offer some words of caution.

"A nine-year-old case, six lives... you don’t even have to think about it to know how much pressure the original task force was under."

"People being what they are... after nine years on the back burner, I can tell you this much: not everyone is going to welcome you with open arms."

After nine years, the police in both locations naturally wanted to solve the case, but in Zhang Hancheng’s view, a portion of them definitely hoped one of their own would crack it, not some outsider.

Such is human nature.

"So, Shen Xin, be cautious. You need to have a good handle on how to navigate this situation," Zhang Hancheng reminded him gravely.

Of course, he knew Shen Xin was worldly-wise—perhaps due to his family background—and should be able to manage the various relationships, but a reminder was still necessary.

"Most importantly, you have to remember, you’re one of our Nanjiang people. We’ve got your back. If anyone gives you trouble, you tell me."

Zhang Hancheng then tapped his own chest.

He had a premonition that they might not be able to keep Shen Xin in Nanjiang for much longer.

But that was okay.

Zhang Hancheng knew that when Zhao Hongjie transferred Shen Xin to the city bureau, it was because he wanted him to develop into a criminal investigation expert.

’A special talent, after all.’

"Captain Zhang, the way you say that, I’m so moved I could cry." Shen Xin grinned, pretending to squeeze out tears.

Zhang Hancheng waved his hand in exasperation, signaling that Shen Xin could go.

"Oh, right, there’s one more thing, Captain Zhang. I’d be honored if you’d come."

Shen Xin then pulled a gilt-edged invitation from his pocket and placed it in front of Zhang Hancheng.

An invitation to his own engagement ceremony.

It was on New Year’s Day, just over a month away.

He had no choice; Zeng Wenxi had been pushing him relentlessly.

Zhang Hancheng glanced at it, accepted it with a chuckle, and said, "Xiaoding’s a good girl. You’re a lucky guy."

The daughter of a hero, and beautiful too.

Shen Xin chuckled. "I think so too."

The next day, Shen Xin and his party of four set off for Wudu City in Longzhou.

They were flying, but there were no direct flights from Nanjiang to Wudu, so they had to transfer in Songpu.

On the high-speed train to Songpu, Yang Zeran shooed Ding Yuwei away, squeezed in next to Shen Xin, and said in a low voice, "Shen Xin, I’ve been thinking for two days. I have an idea."

The guy’s injuries had healed. He hadn’t worked a case in a while and was itching for some action, having long since pestered Shen Xin to take on another cold case.

He never expected that Shen Xin would quietly take on such a massive cold case.

Six lives... he was... thrilled.

Shen Xin was on his phone, arranging the transport of the police dogs with the K-9 base.

Actually, Zhang Hancheng wasn’t the first person to warn Shen Xin.

After learning that Shen Xin had taken the case, Zhao Hongjie had also spoken with him once and given him the same warning.

In fact, Shen Xin himself felt it was necessary to build good relationships.

The game of human relations is played everywhere.

’Put yourself in their shoes. You’ve been on a case for nine years without a break, getting chewed out by your superiors all day long. Even the victims’ families are cursing you behind your back for being useless.’

’How could you not feel aggrieved?’

’Anyone with a shred of ambition would swear an oath to solve this case, no matter what.’

’And then, some so-called expert just parachutes in.’

’They can talk about a direct chain of command, but the heavens are high and the emperor is far away. Do you really think they’ll show you any respect?’

’Fine, let’s say they defer to their superiors and accept this outsider. What happens when it comes to the actual work?’

’Shen Xin brought a team, but it’s only four people strong.’

’They can’t possibly do everything themselves. They still need help from the local police.’

’You have to ask them to mobilize their forces to investigate.’

’You ask for a few officers, they say no one’s available. Even if you go to their superiors, the grunts on the ground will just half-ass it. What can you do?’

’That’s just reality.’

’Going through the motions and giving it your all are two completely different things.’

So Shen Xin had a plan. To ensure smooth cooperation with the local police—especially police from two different jurisdictions—the best method was to offer a gift.

’You don’t hit a person who’s smiling, right?’

As it happened, Shen Xin had the perfect gift.

Police dogs and police birds.

After the first batch of trained police dogs and birds were handed over, there were still some left.

So, he arranged for Longzhou and Kang Province to get theirs ahead of schedule.

Over a hundred police dogs and dozens of police birds—this was a tangible benefit.

It’s hard to say no after accepting a gift. Once they received a present like this, they’d be too embarrassed not to cooperate.

Shen Xin couldn’t help but suspect that Xu Jinguang might have given him this case precisely because he knew Shen Xin could offer such gifts.

"Go on." Shen Xin glanced at Yang Zeran.

Shen Xin hadn’t received the specific case files or details yet. All he knew was what Xu Jinguang had told him.

Yang Zeran looked left and right, then dragged Shen Xin to the vestibule between the two train cars.

There were other passengers around; it wasn’t appropriate to discuss the case there.

Shen Xin shook his hand off and told him to hurry up and talk.

Yang Zeran said, "Shen Xin, I think the original task force’s judgment was correct. The killer’s targets were Liu Baoli, Wang Shulin, and Wang Erpeng. The other three victims were just unfortunately caught up in it."

"Let me make a bold guess—the panda angle has to be right. For example, maybe the three of them plotted to kill a giant panda to claim some sort of credit."

"The killer stumbled upon them. Killing a giant panda is a serious crime, so the three of them must have threatened him—beatings, intimidation, maybe even blackmail."

"You yourself said Wang Shulin was an ignorant good-for-nothing with a history of poaching. He was bad news."

"He was probably the local Evil Bully. People like him, if they get their hands on someone honest, they’ll bully them relentlessly."

"When an honest person is pushed to the extreme, their resistance can be fierce."

Shen Xin kept typing messages on his phone, nodding slightly to indicate he was listening and that Yang Zeran should continue.

Yang Zeran, dissatisfied, pressed down on Shen Xin’s phone and continued, "Shen Xin, I’ve thought about it. The killer has to be a local."

"Think about it. It’s a nature reserve, the environment is complex, and they were rangers. Their patrol routes, their work schedules... how could an outsider figure all that out so easily?"

"Only a local could. So I think when we get there, our best bet is still a large-scale screening."

"I’m sure they’ve already done a screening, but we can expand the scope. We can even screen every man in the county, or even the entire city. I don’t believe we won’t find anything."

Shen Xin glanced at Yang Zeran, giving him a look that said, "Are you done?"

Yang Zeran nodded and asked Shen Xin for his thoughts.

"My thoughts?"

Shen Xin said, "I don’t know if he was an ’honest person’ or not—I haven’t seen the case files, after all—but I think it’s highly probable the killer isn’t a local."

Yang Zeran was taken aback and asked why he would say that.

Shen Xin said, "Think about it. Six lives. Do you realize the scale of that?"

"Besides, it’s been nine years. Do you really take the local police for fools? If I were in charge and had no other leads, I would’ve absolutely thrown all available manpower at it."

"Screen every man in the city, no matter the cost. Since they still haven’t found the killer, you do the math."

Shen Xin patted his shoulder and turned back to his seat.

Shen Xin did agree with some of Yang Zeran’s judgments.

For example, the killer had to be familiar with the victims’ work schedules and patrol routes.

Patrols in the reserve were done in pairs, sometimes in larger groups.

The killer also had to find a suitable location for the crime, which would require advance scouting and premeditation.

All of this takes time, so the killer might have entered the mountains in advance to wait for an opportunity.

If he were a local, a living person suddenly disappearing for several days around the time of the murders would be obvious. If such a situation had occurred, Shen Xin didn’t believe the local police would have missed it.

But the case was never solved and became a cold case.

Therefore, Shen Xin was inclined to believe the crime was committed by an outsider.

Someone who came from outside, committed the crime, and left.

Like one of those headless cases—random location, random time, random murder. Even a god would have trouble solving it.

Of course, specifically targeting and killing three people showed a strong sense of purpose.

So, after several days of consideration, Shen Xin’s theory was that an outsider committed the crime, someone who had a grudge against the three men.

In that case, the entry point for the investigation should be focused on what exactly those three men had done.

Only by clarifying that point would there be any hope of finding the killer.

Shen Xin felt that with Xu Jinguang’s capabilities, he must have already thought of this.

That’s why he was interested in the "panda curse" angle and had Shen Xin start the investigation there.

This trip to Longzhou wasn’t actually to formally investigate the case.

It was just to make an appearance and get to know people.

Shen Xin still had a pile of his own work; the police dog and police bird projects needed to be pushed forward.

Therefore, Shen Xin’s plan was to meet everyone first, get familiar with the people, and get familiar with the case.

Then, he’d put it on hold and finish up the work he had on his plate.

And then there was the panda.

For such a complex case, the first stage would definitely not be enough. The ideal situation would require the third stage.

If the problem originated with the rescued panda, then as a direct witness, Walnut would need to reach the third stage for them to understand what happened back then.

And cultivating it to the third stage required both time and opportunity.

It was a cold case anyway. It had already been four years since the last murder in ’14. Letting it stay cold for a little while longer probably wouldn’t make a difference.

While Shen Xin was on the plane from Songpu to Wudu Airport, his gifts arrived before he did.

Wudu City Public Security Bureau.

"They’re here." In front of the main entrance to the administration building, someone spotted a cargo truck appearing at the main gate.

They had just called to say they would be arriving soon.

A large group of people stood in front of the administration building.

The truck quickly pulled up, and Li Jiahui nimbly hopped out of the front passenger seat.

She was escorting the cargo. With her veterinary experience, she was there to ensure the health of all the police dogs and birds.

Another convoy, escorted by another veterinarian from the base, was heading to Lizhou City in Kang Province.

The Tangjia River Nature Reserve was under the jurisdiction of Lizhou.

The crowd quickly moved forward to greet them.

"Welcome, welcome. Thank you for your hard work." The one leading the group was Cai Yaohai, the Chief of the Wudu City Public Security Bureau.

A middle-aged man with regular features and an air of righteousness, he came up and warmly shook Li Jiahui’s hand, then cheerfully introduced the others present.

The city bureau’s political commissar and several deputy chiefs.

Then came the leaders from the province.

Wu Kaiwei, the Head of the Longzhou Provincial Criminal Investigation Division, was a short, slightly stooped middle-aged man.

What was rather conspicuous was that his right index finger was missing a section, which Li Jiahui noticed when they shook hands.

He was there representing the provincial department.

There was also Zuo Quanshan, the director of the Longzhou Police Dog Base.

A middle-aged man with obviously dyed black hair and glasses, who appeared rather kindly.

He was the most enthusiastic of the bunch. After a warm handshake with Li Jiahui, he immediately rushed over to the truck, anxiously inspecting the condition of the police dogs inside.