Animal Detective

It took a long moment for Zhang Degui to come to his senses.

"You raised this falcon?" he asked, his face a mask of disbelief.

He knew people trained falcons back in the day.

But how could a police officer know a trade like that?

And a pure white Hunting Falcon, no less.

Zhang Degui stared blankly at the majestic, imposing Teddy perched on Shen Xin’s shoulder.

’A specimen of this quality... all the money I’ve made running casinos over the years probably wouldn’t be enough to buy it.’

Shen Xin paid him no further mind.

’The man had a legitimate skill. He could have easily stayed on the straight and narrow, passing down the art of rat taming.’

’He let greed get the better of him, and now he’s acting like he’s the victim.’

Teddy was getting restless.

After landing, he spotted Black Charcoal nearby and was itching for a fight, eager to reclaim his lost honor.

Shen Xin quickly held him down, comforting him, "Look, it’s already scared of you. Be good. Let’s not stoop to its level."

Teddy let out a couple of squawks and turned his head to look at Shen Xin.

’I’ll get him.’

The telepathic thought came without punctuation or any discernible tone, and was sometimes quite brief.

Shen Xin had to guess the meaning based on Teddy’s expression and reaction.

’Right now,’ Shen Xin guessed, ’Teddy is probably like a man spoiling for a fight, held back by his wife, who then mutters something like, "Fine, I won’t stoop to his level. Otherwise, I’d wreck him."’

"Alright, you’re the best," Shen Xin praised.

’Of course.’

Teddy proudly puffed out his chest, reveled in the praise for a moment, then spread his wings and shot up into the sky.

He still didn’t like being stuck in the woods.

But the moment Teddy was gone, the crow came wandering out from behind a tree trunk.

The creature was clever, or perhaps just very good at reading the situation.

It knew to be afraid when Teddy landed, and it would find a place to hide.

Now that it saw Teddy was gone, it immediately scurried back out.

It tilted its head back to watch Teddy fly away and let out another human-like laugh.

Yang Zeran couldn’t help but remark, "That bird is a real jackass."

Shen Xin nodded in agreement. It had a personality much like Tiger Stripes.

"Come here."

Shen Xin called out, his tone severe.

Shen Xin had experience with this type of personality.

’To put it bluntly, it was too smart and far too cunning. You couldn’t give it an inch.’

It was a large-billed crow. Upon hearing Shen Xin’s call, it didn’t move. It just cocked its head, curiously sizing him up.

Squatting nearby, Zhang Degui snorted and sneered inwardly.

’I raised that bird for so long, fed it the best food, treated it like my own son. And you think it’s going to listen to you?’

When the crow didn’t respond, Shen Xin decided to act.

He shot forward in a single bound.

Startled, the crow flapped its wings, attempting to take flight.

But the distance was too short, and takeoff wasn’t instant. Shen Xin’s movements were swift. He snatched its left leg with one hand and smoothly cupped his other over its head.

Terrified, it struggled violently.

"My bird!"

Zhang Degui scrambled to his feet, his face contorted with anguish.

It was only a bird. Shen Xin grabbed its wings and simply lifted it.

’Teddy is too valuable. I can’t risk using him for just anything.’

’If I really sent him out, the constant worrying would be unbearable.’

’But this crow, Black Charcoal... Large-billed crows aren’t a protected species, and they’re more than smart enough.’

’Since I’ve run into him, I’ll take him back. Maybe I can train him to be a police bird, a replacement for Teddy.’

’Best of all, Teddy can’t talk, but this thing can.’

With its wings held fast, the crow stopped struggling. It just stared at Shen Xin with its beady black eyes, mumbling a muffled "hello."

’So now it decides to be friendly.’

’Too late!’

"Do you know what your actions constitute?"

Shen Xin’s large hand closed around its tiny head, leaving only its beak and eyes exposed.

Then, he slowly tightened his grip. "This is a criminal act. You’re an accomplice, and you must be punished."

Beside them, Zhang Degui became frantic. "Officer!" he yelled. "It’s just a bird, don’t do anything rash!"

Shen Xin ignored him, his eyes locked on Black Charcoal.

’It might not understand my words... but it should understand the pressure I’m applying. It has to know what’s happening right now.’

Its beak moved as it tried to cry out, but no sound emerged.

The look in its eyes changed, too.

The next moment, an Affinity icon slowly appeared above its head.

Shen Xin eased the pressure in his hand and said smoothly, "But, seeing as you’re a first-time offender who was led astray by a bad influence, I’m prepared to give you a chance to turn over a new leaf. Now, nod your head, and I’ll spare you."

As he spoke, he gently pushed its small head, making it nod.

Yang Zeran, watching from the side, didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Shen Xin, is this how you trained Teddy, too?"

He’d only heard that Shen Xin had a knack for training animals, but he’d never actually seen it for himself.

Only now did he realize this wasn’t animal training—it was straight-up extortion.

"You don’t get it," Shen Xin said. "Different animals, different personalities. You have to use different methods."

With that, he slowly released his grip.

Black Charcoal ruffled its neck feathers, and the Affinity icon above its head immediately started to fade, about to disappear completely.

Shen Xin’s hand shot out, grabbing its head once more.

’So you don’t learn, huh?’

Black Charcoal’s eyes widened. The icon above its head instantly became solid again, and one bar of Affinity materialized.

’It must have been scared into submission,’ Shen Xin thought. ’It knows who’s boss now.’

"If you don’t behave, I’ll sort you out."

Shen Xin brought the bird right up to his face, threatening it while looking it dead in the eye.

’It doesn’t matter if it can’t understand me. Its Affinity just went up a bar, which proves it’s scared.’

Only then did Shen Xin finally let go.

It fluttered to the ground, then gave its feathers a quick shake.

"Come here."

Shen Xin beckoned.

Black Charcoal looked up at Shen Xin. Now that the Affinity icon had appeared, it didn’t matter if it was out of fondness or fear. As long as it was there, it would have an effect.

It flapped its wings, landing lightly on Shen Xin’s arm.

Shen Xin patted his shoulder, and the crow immediately hopped up his arm to perch there.