Animal Detective

Not long after leaving the observation station, Shen Xin received a call from Lakshen asking when he would be back.

It was about Doniya.

The Xingle Alliance City Bureau had called to ask if Doniya would be willing to identify Dawag.

The case in question wasn’t the one about Dawag and his brother attacking the camp.

The camp had surveillance, and the entire attack had been recorded with crystal clarity. The evidence was ironclad.

This was about the prior incident in Peony Valley, where the two of them had opened fire, killed Doniya’s horse, and kidnapped her.

There was physical evidence from the scene, but as the victim, Doniya’s identification could also serve as crucial evidence.

Shen Xin explained the situation to Doniya, then said, "Doniya, there’s no pressure. If you don’t want to do it, that’s perfectly fine."

Shen Xin wasn’t the one investigating the case.

But he knew the physical evidence from the scene was already enough to prove that the two men had attempted to murder and kidnap Doniya.

So even without Doniya’s testimony, there wouldn’t be a problem.

This was something she couldn’t be forced into, anyway.

Making a victim face their attacker again was never a good thing.

Doniya said, "Oh," and asked in return if her testimony would be helpful.

Shen Xin nodded.

"Then let’s go. I’m fine with it," Doniya said, her tone surprisingly calm.

The incident had certainly been dangerous, but afterward, Doniya never spoke of being so scared that it left any psychological scars.

Girls from the grasslands were tough and open-minded.

’I’m still alive, so what’s the point of dwelling on the past?’

Besides, if she were truly afraid, she wouldn’t have risked her life to save Teddy back then.

In any case, since the incident, Doniya hadn’t even had a single nightmare about it.

Shen Xin hesitated for a moment, then nodded and told Lakshen he would personally escort Doniya there.

After a dusty journey, they arrived at the Xingle Alliance City Bureau.

Luo Xiaolong, captain of the Municipal Criminal Investigation Division, received the two of them.

The entire identification process went smoothly. Shen Xin accompanied her the whole time, silently observing Doniya from the side.

The girl was truly remarkable—mentally strong—and she identified Dawag clearly and decisively.

After they came out, Doniya secretly asked Shen Xin why Dawag looked the way he did.

When she first met Dawag in Peony Valley, he had been fierce and cunning, with a pair of exceptionally sharp eyes.

But seeing him again today, he was unshaven and scruffy, utterly dejected and demoralized—like a completely different person.

Shen Xin said, "That’s normal. His crimes were too severe."

No matter how ruthless a person is, they’ll feel fear when faced with the iron fist of the law and impending death.

Huang Mingjie also came over when he heard the news. He thanked Doniya for coming to help with the identification, then gestured for Shen Xin to come aside.

"Shen Xin, I asked around about that matter of yours. It’s not going to be easy," Huang Mingjie said.

He was still thinking about the issue with Teddy.

After he got back, he had pulled some strings and found the director of the Forestry and Grassland Bureau to see what could be done.

His idea was that since Teddy couldn’t be separated from Shen Xin and would throw a life-or-death tantrum if he left, they might as well make a special exception and let Shen Xin take the animal home to raise.

In his opinion, this was the only solution.

Shen Xin’s help on the recent case had been significant and crucial.

That’s why Huang Mingjie was willing to help him with this.

But when he actually tried to get it done, he discovered it wasn’t easy at all.

The director of the Forestry and Grassland Bureau told him outright that if it were an ordinary wild animal, since Huang Mingjie was the one asking, they could bend the rules and issue a permit without any trouble.

But Teddy was a Class I protected animal.

A permit for a Class I protected animal required approval from the provincial Department of Forestry.

As a mere bureau director, he didn’t have that kind of authority.

Secondly, there was a pile of conditions. For example, the person raising the animal also needed to have a veterinary license.

Finally, even with a permit, that only proved you were *allowed* to raise the animal. It didn’t mean you could just *get* one. You still had to prove the animal came from a legal source.

Otherwise, it would be illegal.

"So, Shen Xin, maybe we should think of another way?" Huang Mingjie said, a hint of embarrassment in his voice.

He had agreed so readily back at the camp, never expecting it to be this difficult at all.

Shen Xin quickly said it was alright.

To be honest, a moment’s thought was enough to realize how difficult this would be.

It was an inherently illicit matter. You could bend the rules for small things, but who would dare to act recklessly on a major issue?

However, what Shen Xin didn’t expect was that while Huang Mingjie couldn’t get it done, Chen Wanbin had been surprisingly effective.

His method was more clever.

An individual would obviously have a hard time getting approval and obtaining a permit.

But an organization could, especially an animal research institute like theirs.

Chen Wanbin had used his institute’s name to get the permit for Shen Xin.

His institute was seriously impressive.

The Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Zoology.

They had obtained the rearing permit in the name of protecting Teddy.

Then, with the institute as the official caretaker, they would entrust the actual hands-on rearing to Shen Xin, who would operate under their complete guidance.

In other words, Shen Xin was like a contracted keeper for their institute.

Chen Wanbin personally came to the camp to deliver the relevant documents. Finally, he said with some reluctance, "Shen Xin, you know, I could probably arrange to get you an official position."

He had mentioned it from the start—that being a contractor wasn’t ideal and that he should just give Shen Xin an official keeper position.

Shen Xin had reason to suspect that Chen Wanbin had already been thinking about this when he first proposed the idea.

’He just won’t give up. He’s trying to poach me for the institute.’

But would Shen Xin agree?

’Why would I need an official position? I already have one.’

"Teacher Chen, thank you so much," Shen Xin said with sincere gratitude.

Chen Wanbin had truly been a huge help with this matter.

Chen Wanbin waved his hand dismissively, then gave Shen Xin one last look, sighed, and departed with a sense of regret.

’Such a promising talent, a natural-born prodigy for animal research... how did he end up a police officer?’