Animal Detective

An idea struck Shen Xin, and playing along with Director Huang, he put on a troubled expression and sighed.

"I have no idea what’s going on. This falcon just took a shine to me. I’ve heard that on the grasslands, people tame eagles and falcons, but it’s a battle of wills."

"But with him, it’s the complete opposite. You have no idea, but he’s the one wearing *me* down. I can’t even go to the bathroom without him following me."

"If he doesn’t see me for a second, he raises hell. I’m truly at my wit’s end."

Shen Xin’s complaint that the falcon was wearing *him* down made Director Huang and everyone else chuckle.

Director Huang smiled. "That means you have a special connection."

’He knew Shen Xin was a master at training police dogs. After all, he had already trained a first-class merit dog.’

’And now there’s Tianxiong. He saved Lakshen and ordinary citizens. How could they not report that for a commendation?’

’With a talent like that, it really wasn’t surprising that he’d hit it off with a falcon.’

"But what you brought up is a genuine problem," Director Huang said, his tone shifting.

He knew Shen Xin was about to leave.

If Shen Xin left and the falcon acted up to the point of hurting itself, that would be a serious problem.

After all, it was a rare and endangered Class I Protected Species, on the same level as a giant panda.

"How about this? You stay here, and I’ll see what I can do. Maybe I can get you transferred to work here in our Xingle Alliance?" Director Huang suddenly suggested.

And this wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment idea for him.

During this manhunt, Shen Xin’s analysis and prediction of the culprits’ escape route and their accomplice were extremely accurate.

The analytical skills and sharp instincts he displayed undoubtedly marked him as an outstanding criminal investigator.

He had outstanding professional abilities and could also train police dogs. What was that?

’He’s a true talent!’

’If they could get him to stay, forget everything else—in less than two years, the entire grassland would be teeming with police dogs.’

Shen Xin hadn’t expected Director Huang’s train of thought to be so unconventional.

He had only complained a little on purpose to see if Director Huang could come up with a solution.

But here was the director, trying to snatch him and the bird up in one fell swoop. He’d gone straight to poaching him.

’Even if I were willing, Zhao Hongjie wouldn’t be.’

Shen Xin quickly said, "Director Huang, you don’t know what I’m like at work. If I transferred here, I’d just end up making you angry all the time."

Director Huang seemed to have just been testing the waters. He laughed heartily. "Then you’re doing me a favor. Fine. Just for that, and because of this issue with the falcon, I have to help you figure something out."

Shen Xin quickly thanked him.

He then asked about using the falcon to hunt down the criminals.

He was extremely curious about it.

At the time, Dawag and Sangbu were already very close to the border.

If not for Teddy’s high-altitude reconnaissance spotting their tracks, their feint might have actually succeeded.

If they had really managed to escape, many people from top to bottom would have inevitably been held accountable.

Shen Xin couldn’t explain this situation in too much detail, so he could only say that Teddy was smart enough to recognize people.

For instance, since Teddy had seen Sangbu, Shen Xin had tried to get him to track Sangbu.

And when he tried, it actually worked.

Shen Xin even gave an on-the-spot demonstration, having Tian Jian act as the target and ride away on a horse, then releasing Teddy to track him.

He easily found his target.

Director Huang watched, clicking his tongue in amazement. "This is even more effective than a drone."

Drones come with range anxiety, but Teddy here was great. His fuel consumption was one field mouse per hundred kilometers.

After marveling at the demonstration, Director Huang didn’t stay any longer.

The criminals were in custody, but many details still needed to be verified through interrogation.

This was a case that was on the provincial department’s radar, so he had to oversee it personally.

The group of leaders left in a hurry.

Shen Xin didn’t see Duan Zijie and wanted to ask about the specifics of the situation.

But on second thought, he could guess the general details of the case.

Those two brothers came to poach. As for how they discovered Teddy and how long they painstakingly tracked him, that wasn’t important.

The important thing was that they had committed a crime.

And as for Sangbu, how he was corrupted by the two brothers and became their accomplice wasn’t really worth discussing either.

In the end, he was simply blinded by greed.

And Shen Xin could guess some of the details, like how Sangbu helped the two survive in the no-man’s-land and purchased various supplies for them.

The case itself wasn’t complicated; the difficult part was catching them.

Back at the camp, everyone was gathered around Tianxiong.

Feeling Tianxiong’s slightly deflated stomach, Lakshen’s eyes reddened as he said the dog must be starving after running around outside for so long.

Shen Xin was highly skeptical of that.

Except for the first few days, once he reached the main roads, Tianxiong had been fed plenty.

If they put him on a scale now, he might have even gained weight.

"Shen Xin, are you leaving soon?" Doniya, who had been there all along, finally came over and asked softly.

Shen Xin nodded. "Tomorrow, probably. Now that Tianxiong is back, I’ll book a flight in a bit."

’Staying a couple more days for a paid vacation wouldn’t have been a big deal.’

’But I’m leading a team now; I can’t dishearten my men.’

A flicker in her eyes, Doniya mustered her courage and asked, "Will you... come back?"

"Of course."

Shen Xin nodded immediately. ’What kind of question is that? Why wouldn’t I come back?’

Doniya’s eyes instantly lit up.

But Shen Xin’s next words quickly extinguished the light in her eyes.

Shen Xin said, "Ever since I got here, I’ve been hearing you all talk about how beautiful the Wugai Grassland is, but I never had a chance to see it. I’ll pick a good time this summer, see if I can take my annual leave, and come visit."

’Public holidays are out of the question; I’ll definitely be on duty.’

’But there’s annual leave.’

Shen Xin calculated in his head. ’Maybe the four of us from the office can take our annual leave together and come here for a team-building trip.’

’It would be a good way to build team cohesion.’

Shen Xin thought it was a pretty good idea. ’Plus, I’m not the type who attracts mosquitoes.’

Before he left, Ding Yuwei had given him some insect repellent, but he hadn’t even used it.

Shen Xin hadn’t noticed any mosquitoes at all.

’It wasn’t necessarily that the mosquitoes weren’t out in force yet; perhaps it has something to do with my talent.’

Shen Xin had once worried that mosquitoes were also considered animals.

There was some affinity he wanted to have, but when it came to mosquitoes, Shen Xin would respectfully decline.

Doniya just said, "Oh," and thought of the two girls from the video last night who had reported Tianxiong’s whereabouts.

She couldn’t help but glance down at her own cleavage.

Just as they were talking, Sangbu’s parents rushed over. Crying could be heard from a distance, and as soon as they entered, they started crying injustice, asking if there had been a mistake.

"Sangbu is such a good kid! How could he do something bad? What accomplice?"

She wanted to ask Lakshen to help her talk to the leaders.

A crowd of curious herdsmen followed, and the whole camp became noisy and chaotic.

Seeing that Doniya was about to step forward to console them, Shen Xin pulled her back.

"What are you going up there for?"

’In a parent’s eyes, their child is always the best.’

’But the fact that Sangbu committed a crime should be indisputable. If he hadn’t acted as their inside man, passing on information and buying supplies, could those two brothers have stayed on the grassland for so long?’

’It would have been impossible for them to commit the series of crimes that followed.’

’And Doniya, has this silly girl forgotten that she almost lost her life?’

’You’re going up to console them? Do you think they’ll appreciate it?’

Doniya couldn’t break free, so she had to give up.

Making a scene was useless in a situation like this. Liao Lei had almost been strangled to death by the two criminals. Lakshen told Sangbu’s parents directly that it was no use no matter who pleaded for him.

If you commit a crime, you must be punished.

The nature of this crime was heinous; there was no room for leniency.

That evening, to celebrate Tianxiong’s return, Lakshen had his wife come over, and right there in the camp, he personally cooked a whole roasted lamb for Shen Xin.

When the villagers arrived, a bonfire party was inevitable.

He hadn’t drunk any alcohol, but Lakshen was overcome with emotion. His face flushed red as he held onto Tianxiong and swore to Shen Xin that even if something happened to him in the future, he would never let anything happen to Tianxiong again.

Shen Xin quickly stopped him. ’You can’t just say things like that.’

Besides, genuine feelings were met with the same in return. He was good to Tianxiong, and when Lakshen was in danger, Tianxiong had rushed over to protect him without a second thought.

Now, the only problem was Teddy.

After much consideration, Shen Xin still felt it was better to rip the band-aid off.

Bringing him back with him just felt unrealistic.

Shen Xin had asked Teacher Chen Wanbin.

He asked if a falcon like Teddy could survive in the Southern region.

His opinion was that it would be very difficult. He said Hunting Falcons prefer arid and semi-arid continental climates.

Nanjiang, on the other hand, was hot, rainy, and humid.

Surviving in that kind of environment, they could easily contract feather lice and various fungal diseases.

Furthermore, the complex urban environment didn’t suit their predatory habits.

Sending him to a zoo was an option, as they could artificially simulate his habitat, but being cooped up long-term, unable to even fly, would be a form of torture for him.

And after talking with Teacher Chen, Shen Xin learned that not a single zoo in the entire country kept Hunting Falcons.

They had plenty of vultures, eagles, and owls, but no Hunting Falcons.

Let alone a rare albino variant of a Hunting Falcon.

Considering these factors, Shen Xin decided to leave Teddy on the grassland.

This was his home, the place where he could survive and be truly free.

To take him to the city, to live among steel and concrete—that would be too selfish.

He booked a flight for eleven o’clock the next morning. As usual, he had a layover in Anjing.

Therefore, Shen Xin snuck out early the next morning.

The journey to the airport was not short.

He had deliberately put Teddy in a different cage.

’Keep him caged for a while. Once he’s forgotten about me, then we can try releasing him.’

Shen Xin had already arranged it with Teacher Chen. They would first send Teddy to their observation station to be looked after.

Then, they would see if they could find him a suitable mate.

With a new love, he would naturally forget his old one.

He got out of bed cautiously.

But the slight movement still woke Teddy.

However, after spending two days together, he could now accept Shen Xin’s short-term absences. As long as he wasn’t gone for too long, the falcon would be fine.

Shen Xin decisively slipped away.

Outside the camp, everyone had gathered to see him off, and the atmosphere was inevitably somber.

"Don’t worry, I’ll come back when I get the chance."

Shen Xin didn’t think much of goodbyes. With modern communication being so advanced, he could post something on his social media, and they could like it a second later.

There was no need to act like it was a life-and-death parting.

He dragged his heavy suitcase into the car.

It was stuffed full of beef jerky, milk curd, and other local specialties—all the authentic stuff.

"Goodbye!"

Shen Xin waved goodbye to everyone.

Tianxiong was there too, barking a few times in his direction.

Tian Kui heard him, poked his head out, and barked back a few times.

’He was probably saying, "If you ever run into trouble you can’t handle, just come find me."’

Shen Xin waved his arm until they were out of sight.

Just then, Shen Xin saw a person on a galloping horse approaching in the rearview mirror.

It was Doniya!

She was riding Hong Gu’er, galloping wildly in the morning sun.

Zhang Qifeng, who was driving, was about to stop the car, but Shen Xin stopped him.

During the bonfire party last night, she had joked that she cried easily and wouldn’t come to see him off this morning.

He didn’t expect her to come after all.

Shen Xin leaned out the window and waved goodbye to her.

Doniya chased them for a while longer before reining in her horse. She stood on a small hill, watching the car slowly recede into the distance.

"Shen Xin, goodbye..."

she shouted at the top of her lungs, her voice echoing across the grassland.

"Goodbye,"

Shen Xin shouted back, gave one last wave, and gestured for her to go back.

Doniya didn’t move. She just watched from afar, clutching a small, colorfully embroidered pouch in her hand.

On the grasslands, this item was called a tobacco pouch.

It was a token of love given by a grassland woman to a man.

Hong Gu’er turned its head, looked at Doniya, and its eyes seemed to ask, ’Aren’t you going to chase him?’

Doniya clutched the pouch. She knew she could catch up.

But giving him this would be placing a burden on him.

And if it was a burden, she would rather bear it herself.

"Goodbye..."

Doniya murmured softly, took one last look at the SUV on the horizon, and turned to leave.

...

He didn’t know if it was because they’d said "goodbye" so many times, but they really did see each other again.

Shen Xin had already landed in Anjing and was waiting for his connecting flight back to Nanjiang when he received a call from Lakshen.

He said it was a disaster; they couldn’t handle Teddy.

He was flapping frantically in his cage, screeching nonstop, and even ramming into the bars. It looked like he was about to injure himself.

Lakshen started a video call.

The moment he saw Shen Xin, he got even worse, ramming into the cage—THUD! THUD!—wanting to get out.

He looked like he was threatening, ’If you don’t come back, I’ll just die right here in front of you.’

So what could Shen Xin do? This was a mess of his own making; he couldn’t just ignore it, could he?