Animal Detective

The large-scale manhunt was still ongoing.

Duan Zijie hurried to rendezvous with Shen Xin and his team.

He brought more detailed information.

For instance, the suspect who fled on the motorcycle had ditched his phone and poaching tools. He had no food on him, only a gun.

So, Duan Zijie had reached the same conclusion as Shen Xin: the two criminals had split up, and the one on the motorcycle was acting as a decoy for the other.

But his analysis went even deeper.

"The failed robbery was an unexpected outcome for them."

"So I don’t believe they had a new vehicle prepared in advance along their escape route after the robbery failed."

"And it’s nighttime now. Whether on a motorcycle or in a car, they would be incredibly conspicuous. I’m more inclined to believe the remaining man is on foot and has hidden somewhere."

"At this time of year, the only suitable hiding places on the grasslands are in the mountains."

They had a head start of nearly two hours, which theoretically would allow them to cover a hundred kilometers.

But the spot where the motorcyclist was found was still twenty kilometers from the border.

The distances didn’t add up.

They had taken a detour.

"They know we have police dogs. During the first manhunt, they showed a strong tendency to evade them."

"Now, they’re taking a detour. On one hand, it’s still to evade the police dogs. On the other, it’s likely they detoured to the nearby mountains to drop off the other man in a suitable location."

And to the northeast, within a radius of several dozen kilometers, there were quite a few mountains.

Banlazhan, Shitiao Mountain, Horsehoof Mountain, Bao Ge Mountain...

And those were just the named ones; there were also countless smaller, unnamed hills formed by the rolling terrain.

It was uncertain which mountain they had stopped at.

Finding someone hiding away in some nook or cranny in the mountains was no easy task.

So, the command center was, on one hand, mobilizing forces to define an area and form a perimeter.

On the other hand, Duan Zijie was pinning his hopes for the pursuit on the police dogs.

Not just Tian Kui, but police dogs from nearby counties and cities, and even military dogs from the border posts, had been called in for support.

That was why Tian Kui was so crucial, and why he had come personally.

He was hoping Tian Kui could follow the trail and reconstruct the criminals’ escape route.

"You hear that, Tian Kui? It’s all up to you," Shen Xin reminded him.

Tian Kui let out a grunt and focused on tracking.

Looking at the route, they were indeed not heading straight for the border, but taking a winding detour.

Soon, they passed the first mountain, Horsehoof Mountain.

It was a C-shaped mountain, as if a celestial steed had stamped a hoofprint on the Earth.

The trail passed near Horsehoof Mountain, at least a kilometer away from its base.

’If they went to Horsehoof Mountain, it means they were worried we’d guess they were hiding in the mountains, so they deliberately dropped him off further away to approach on foot.’

Shen Xin couldn’t help but think that the older of the two brothers had to be an expert hunter with a very sharp mind.

’But he let greed cloud his judgment. To think he chose the stupidest possible method—robbing the camp—all for that Teddy.’

Shen Xin couldn’t help but wonder just how valuable that Teddy was to make them take such a huge risk.

’But since they’re asking for it, we’ll give it to them!’

The forces mobilized this time would turn over every inch of the grassland if they had to. They would find him, no matter what.

Tian Kui led the group past Horsehoof Mountain.

In the distance, Shen Xin could see the glow of headlights near Horsehoof Mountain. It was probably other search parties combing the mountainous area.

Just like in the first pursuit, the primary scent source Tian Kui was tracking was the residual exhaust fumes left on the grass by the motorcycle.

Just as Duan Zijie had predicted, they were taking a twisted, roundabout path, passing as many mountains as possible.

It was also clear that they were extremely familiar with the local terrain; they knew it like the back of their hand.

The scent trail hadn’t broken, and Tian Kui was still following it.

During the last pursuit, the suspects had laid a confusing trail, but Tian Kui had still managed to track them to the spot where they burned the motorcycle.

But the farther they tracked, the heavier Shen Xin’s heart became.

A little further ahead was the spot where the criminal on the motorcycle had been discovered.

Tian Kui still hadn’t found the place where the two had split up. Shen Xin felt they had most likely already missed it.

He mentioned this to Duan Zijie, who said, "These two are very cunning. Do you know why we couldn’t catch them during the first pursuit?"

Shen Xin shook his head. ’Wasn’t it because an accomplice picked them up?’ he wondered.

Even now, Shen Xin was still puzzled about how those two had escaped.

Duan Zijie shook his head. "Do you remember passing a mountain just before we reached the spot where they burned the motorcycle?"

Shen Xin thought for a moment and nodded. They had indeed passed a mountain as they were closing in.

Duan Zijie continued, "We later expanded the search area and found some footprints and hoofprints on that mountain."

"My theory is that they deliberately rode past that mountain, burned the motorcycle, and then walked back the same way to the mountain, causing the scent trails to overlap before hiding."

"At the same time, they must have also used some method to eliminate their body odor."

"I’ve looked into it. There are spray products available to some hunters that can mask their scent, helping them avoid detection by wild animals while they hunt."

"So you see, they’re good at misdirection, and they always have a backup escape plan."

"Therefore, the remaining man must have used a similar tactic: splitting off at some point, eliminating his scent, and hiding in the mountains on foot."