Animal Detective

When the local police make an arrest, they go all out for a clean takedown.

They lock the arms first, then force the person to the ground and pin them down hard.

It’s to prevent resistance. What if they have a hidden weapon and you fail to restrain them? You could get stabbed.

But this was a National Security operation. Their target was a spy.

According to the property management files, the target was just a delicate woman.

But in the world of espionage, does being a woman mean you’re weak?

Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit.

So, the moment the door opened, Qian Zidan shoved it wide and was the first to charge in.

"Don’t move!"

With a sharp roar, he aimed his gun at the woman while simultaneously sidestepping.

An agent right behind him burst forward to engage the target head-on.

The agent moved swiftly, locking her wrist with his left hand while his right arm wrapped around her neck, violently pulling her sideways to his right.

As he brought her down, he was already flipping over to pin her beneath him.

The rest of the team filed in. Having already studied the floor plan and received their assignments, they moved with guns drawn toward their designated rooms.

The entire sequence was a single, fluid motion, as sharp and sudden as a summer storm.

Amid the woman’s piercing screams, every room was searched.

Clear. No one else was inside.

Golden Retrievers aren’t guard dogs. With their gentle temperaments, they can be quite cowardly—sometimes to an art form.

Ah Bao was a prime example.

Qian Zidan’s sharp shout had scared him so badly he nearly jumped out of his skin.

Then, when his owner was forced to the floor and the crowd of agents swarmed in, he reacted like a startled cat, leaping up and scrambling behind the living room coffee table.

For such a big lump, he was trembling in fear.

Hearing his owner’s continuous screams, he cautiously peeked his head out and let out a couple of half-hearted barks, as if trying to cheer her on.

Only after the woman was in handcuffs did Qian Zidan lower his weapon.

Next came the pat-down.

The woman was pulled to her feet and searched.

Though a bit disheveled from being suddenly tackled, she had already regained her composure and was now calmly watching Qian Zidan.

Based on that reaction alone, Qian Zidan was certain he had the right person.

A normal person would have been screaming their head off by now.

It was a surprise raid, and since it was summer, she wasn’t wearing much. They emptied her pockets, checked her belt, and inspected her jewelry.

He even took a moment to check her mouth.

In movies and TV shows, spies often bite their own tongues to commit suicide or have poison hidden in their teeth the moment they’re caught.

Reality wasn’t so dramatic.

You can’t die from biting your tongue, and even with so-called potassium cyanide, death isn’t instantaneous.

People can be fragile, but they can also be remarkably resilient.

Besides, imagine the psychological burden of carrying poison in your tooth all the time.

From what Qian Zidan knew, at most, a spy might have a molar replaced with a hollowed-out fake to hide a tiny piece of classified information.

Still, he checked, just in case.

His subordinates had already started tearing the place apart, and Zhang Hancheng and the others followed them in to observe.

By the time Ding Yuwei helped Shen Xin through the door, Qian Zidan had already begun his interrogation.

"Deng Meixing. That’s your real name, isn’t it?" Qian Zidan asked pointedly.

They had run a background check.

The homeowner registered with property management was named Deng Meixing.

The apartment was in her name.

She was thirty-four this year, a native of Linxiang, Tongnan Province.

Her household registration showed she was an only child. Her father was still alive, but her mother had passed away from illness years ago.

She graduated from a vocational college in ’06 with a degree in art and design.

In ’08, she went abroad to France.

She didn’t return to the country until ’12.

Someone at the property management office mentioned they’d heard her say she was in the art dealing business and owned a gallery in the city.

Shen Xin was still weak, so upon entering, he went straight to the sofa and sat down, taking in the room and the people in it.

It was a three-bedroom, two-living-room apartment. At first glance, the decor seemed minimalist and very artistic.

Although Shen Xin couldn’t quite define what "artistic" meant, he could tell that every detail had been meticulously considered.

As for Deng Meixing herself...

The security guard had said she was beautiful, and seeing her now, he could confirm it.

His first impression was of her figure.

She had a classic hourglass shape, perfectly described as graceful and curvaceous.

She had an oval face and fair skin, and it was clear she took exquisite care of herself.

Her features were distinctive. She probably only had time to put on some simple makeup after waking up, yet she still possessed a natural, untamed sort of allure.

And with her particular aura, if she were to go all out with glamorous makeup and fiery red lips, she’d be a weapon of mass seduction to middle-aged men.

’So she must be a honey-trap spy who uses her looks as her primary weapon,’ Shen Xin thought.

He couldn’t help but think that when it came to sheer presence, even the post-surgery Li Siyu couldn’t compare to Deng Meixing.

’For Zhang Zhanhui to do what he did, you can just imagine how repressed he must be.’

’So if H wanted to corrupt him, why didn’t they send Deng Meixing?’

’Or does Zhang Zhanhui just have unique tastes and prefer Li Siyu’s type?’

’Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and you can’t put a price on what you truly desire.’

Deng Meixing, now seated, seemed to have calmed down and accepted her situation. She looked up. "Using my real name makes it seem more authentic, doesn’t it?"

Then she asked how Qian Zidan had found her.

"Don’t tell me Mao Ruiqiang gave me up."

The man had only been caught yesterday, and today National Security was at her door. The speed was astonishing.

Mao Ruiqiang was an abandoned pawn, and one who had accepted his fate at that.

Qian Zidan crouched down. He didn’t answer her question, instead scrutinizing her for a long moment before asking, "When you met with Mao Ruiqiang yesterday, besides giving him the dog, did he give you something?"

He didn’t even blink, watching for the slightest change in her expression.

There was no trace of panic on Deng Meixing’s face. She even offered a graceful smile and countered, "What sort of something are you referring to?"

Nearby, Shen Xin perked up, his eyes glued to the scene.

’This is a high-stakes game.’

Qian Zidan smiled too. He sat down on the floor, pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and started handing them out.

He seemed to be a heavy smoker.

After passing them around, he even offered one to Deng Meixing.

With her hands bound, Deng Meixing elegantly took the filter tip between her lips and leaned forward slightly, allowing Qian Zidan to light it for her.

Qian Zidan gestured for someone to re-cuff Deng Meixing’s hands in front of her.

Amid the swirling smoke, Qian Zidan said leisurely, "How about this? Let me share my theory with you."

Deng Meixing smiled and nodded.

Zhao Tianxing, standing beside Shen Xin, gave a slight eye-roll. ’Here we go again.’

His strongest impression of Qian Zidan was the man’s love for theorizing and analysis.

Qian Zidan began. "Because of his own foolishness, you people got ahold of some leverage on Zhang Zhanhui."

"After the incident came to light, he had plenty of time to prepare and steal what you wanted. But Zhang Zhanhui isn’t an idiot. He wouldn’t just hand it over to you."

"Because according to the plan as he knew it, you had already taken care of the matter for him. As long as Wang Liang wasn’t caught, he would be fine."

"That item was his life insurance. If he gave it to you, he would lose all his value."

Deng Meixing maintained her smile, her expression saying, ’Go on, I’m listening.’

Qian Zidan continued, "To make him hand it over, the situation had to change. In other words, Mao Ruiqiang had to be captured."

"So, according to your plan, you pushed Mao Ruiqiang out to be the scapegoat. Meanwhile, you promised Zhang Zhanhui sufficient benefits to get him to cooperate and finally hand over the item."

"The person behind you is smart and cautious. He must have sensed he was already on our radar, so he wouldn’t act rashly."

"And at that point, only you remained completely off our radar. Giving the item to you, leaving it with you, would be the only truly safe option."

"So, what do you think? Does my theory make sense?"

Qian Zidan’s words sent Shen Xin deep into thought as well.

’It almost feels like Qian Zidan already knows who H is.’

And based on his own earlier assessment of H, Zhang Zhanhui would have indeed stolen the data.

Without the data, he’d have no bargaining chips.

Then, just as Qian Zidan said, Zhang Zhanhui wouldn’t hand that data over to H so easily.

It was his insurance policy.

Only after Mao Ruiqiang was arrested would he use the classified data in his possession to trade for what he wanted.

Therefore, logically speaking, Qian Zidan’s theory was sound.

Shen Xin looked toward Deng Meixing.

A faint smile remained on her face. It was as if she were wearing a mask, showing no abnormal change in expression whatsoever.

She had definitely received professional training, allowing her to perfectly conceal her true thoughts.

"And how should I address you?" Deng Meixing asked.

Qian Zidan flashed his badge.

Deng Meixing chuckled. "So you’re Section Chief Qian. I’ve heard of you. As for your theory, I’m afraid I wouldn’t know."

Qian Zidan found no trace of the reaction he was looking for on Deng Meixing’s face.

But it didn’t matter.

He waved a hand at his subordinates and ordered, right in front of her, "Search. Search every single inch."

The kind of search that would strip the apartment back to its bare bones.

According to Qian Zidan’s theory, after Zhang Zhanhui stole the data, he definitely wouldn’t have handed it over to H easily.

Yesterday morning, H’s original plan—the one using Wang Liang to protect Zhang Zhanhui—had not yet failed.

Mao Ruiqiang’s capture was an unforeseen event.

Therefore, Qian Zidan believed that before Mao Ruiqiang was caught, the data was certainly still in Zhang Zhanhui’s hands.

The fact that he stayed behind instead of running away clearly indicated he had reached an agreement and made a deal with H.

H wouldn’t go himself.

Sending Deng Meixing, a stranger who had never appeared on their radar, to retrieve it was a much safer move.

And even after she retrieved it, it would likely be kept at her place.

Only a day had passed; the item probably hadn’t been moved yet.

So they had to search Deng Meixing’s place, and they had to retrace her every move.

Deng Meixing acted as if she hadn’t heard a thing, but her gaze fell upon Ah Bao. "You didn’t find me because of Ah Bao, did you?"

Seeing Deng Meixing look at him, Ah Bao seemed to understand and barked twice in response.

He even raised his head proudly.

’That’s right! I’m the good boy who found his way home!’

Qian Zidan’s silence was a tacit confirmation.

Deng Meixing fell silent as well.

Especially when she saw Ah Bao’s ’Aren’t you going to praise me?’ expression, she could only shake her head, completely speechless.

But what could she do?

Back when she was picking a dog at the kennel, she had fallen for Ah Bao at first sight precisely because he was so goofy and fun.

She gave Qian Zidan a thumbs-up.

"Section Chief Qian, impressive."

As an undercover spy, she naturally would have looked into her opponents.

She had long known that Qian Zidan of Reconnaissance Section One was a master, with an attention to detail as fine as a strand of hair.

Today, she had experienced it firsthand.

A dog. Who would ever pay attention to a dog?

The very idea was incredible.

And yet, Qian Zidan had used that very dog to track her down.

"I really want to know what kind of expression ’that guy’ will have when he finds out he was brought down by a dog."

After saying this, Deng Meixing seemed to think of something else and laughed self-deprecatingly. "Then again, am I not just a dog myself?"