Animal Detective

They found a specialized pet transport company and borrowed one of their trucks.

It was a modified box truck, equipped with a climate control and fresh air ventilation system.

They stopped periodically along the way to check on the animals. The journey was nearly two thousand kilometers, but there were no major issues.

When the cargo bay was opened, every single one of them was lively and in high spirits.

"Excellent," Zuo Quanshan said, his face breaking into a wide smile.

He was the director of the provincial K-9 base. In truth, a large part of his job was managing all K-9 affairs for the entire province.

As of today, not counting retired dogs, there were a total of 583 active-duty police dogs in the province.

This number, however, included all seven K-9 specialties.

A simple division would suggest there should be over eighty drug-sniffing dogs.

But in reality, the number of professional drug-sniffing dogs in the entire province was only half that: just forty-five.

They were spread out across the province’s twelve cities.

On average, that was less than four dogs per city.

Yet, counter-narcotics work was absolutely one of the most critical tasks for every city.

Now, with fifty drug-sniffing dogs delivered in one go, their numbers had more than doubled. Zuo Quanshan truly felt like a pie had just fallen from the sky.

Especially since all these police dogs came from Shen Xin.

Within the K-9 system, Shen Xin’s name had long since become famous.

It was said that Shen Xin had innovatively developed a method for training strays, drastically reducing training costs.

It was also said that the police dogs Shen Xin trained were all top-tier, all-around masters.

Never mind Celestial Skill.

Celestial Skill had spent a few months in Dian Nan and uncovered over a ton of drugs, becoming famous throughout the country.

Even Tianshou, the police dog sent to Longzhou as part of Shen Xin’s K-9 donation program, had repeatedly distinguished itself in the line of duty.

It was now working in the provincial capital, Jin City, and was the absolute pride and joy of the Jin City bureau.

And now, a full fifty more had arrived. How could Zuo Quanshan not be ecstatic?

"They really are different. Look, how well-behaved they are," Zuo Quanshan said, overcome with excitement.

When the cargo bay doors were opened, all fifty police dogs sat obediently in their respective cages. They weren’t making a fuss, just curiously observing the outside world.

Wu Kaiwei’s attention, however, was on the police birds.

He had already heard about these things. They were said to be incredible, capable of high-altitude tracking and searches.

During the briefing on that major case in Dian Nan, the ministry had internally circulated a video of the police birds in action, which had left his heart pounding with excitement.

There were twelve cities in Longnan, so a total of twenty-four Ravens had been delivered.

"Dr. Li, can we see these birds in action? Let us broaden our horizons," a simple-looking, middle-aged man in the crowd called out.

Li Jiahui looked at him. He had been introduced just a moment ago.

He was Chang Zhigang, captain of the Wudu City Criminal Investigation Division.

He looked to be in his thirties or forties, in the prime of his life, with an ordinary face. Perhaps due to middle age, he was rather stout, with a fleshy face and eyes that crinkled into folds when he squinted.

’This is the key person Shen Xin repeatedly told me to pay attention to.’

So, Li Jiahui immediately said, "Of course."

Everyone’s eyes lit up, and they all stepped back to make space.

Police dogs, to be honest, were a familiar sight. They knew what they were capable of.

But these police birds... they had never seen anything like them before.

Li Jiahui climbed into the cargo bay and opened one of the bird cages.

"Number 87, come out."

She called out to it.

Shen Xin had mentioned before that naming them was a huge problem.

Once this project was launched, these police birds were essentially officially enlisted, with an identity and a formal designation.

The first batch consisted of 161 trained Ravens. Including Yifan and his group of six, that made a total of 167.

So they were numbered starting from 1.

The one before them was Number 87.

Number 87 hopped lightly out of the cage, landed on the edge, and then jumped onto Li Jiahui’s arm.

This simple action made everyone’s eyes widen in amazement.

’It understands human speech!’

Li Jiahui casually tossed him into the sky, letting him fly around and familiarize himself with the surroundings.

Amidst everyone’s gasps of surprise, Number 87 soared into the air.

Li Jiahui turned, opened another case, and took out a helmet.

Smart helmets for police dogs were readily available in the country.

They weren’t included this time.

For the police dogs, the provinces only needed to pay the basic training fees, ensuring the Nanjiang side wouldn’t lose money.

But the helmets, which cost tens of thousands each, were left for the local departments to procure based on their own situations.

As for the police bird helmets, Shen Xin had found a domestic police equipment supplier and, using the previous helmets as a basis, ordered a custom batch.

They had a uniform design, were more integrated, and had a longer battery life.

This time, they were delivered along with the animals.

Of course, the local departments would definitely have to pay for them.

Li Jiahui powered on the helmet, connected it to a tablet, and blew a bird whistle.

Number 87, which had been circling in the sky, swiftly descended and landed precisely in front of Li Jiahui.

"So obedient."

The crowd marveled at it.

Li Jiahui fastened the helmet onto Number 87 and briefly explained the functions it could perform.

With a command, Number 87 immediately flapped its wings and took off.

Within the city limits, there were cell towers, so the real-time video feed was very smooth.

"Everyone, please watch. From here, I can issue commands." Li Jiahui gave a demonstration, issuing some basic instructions like "fly south," "ascend," and "descend."

She then gave a further demonstration.

On the road outside the Public Security Bureau, she guided Number 87 with a series of commands, having it lock onto a white Toyota Corolla.

"They have a basic understanding of various objects, strong comprehension skills, and can even recognize some of the more distinct car logos, which makes it easier to identify a target."

"Then you can just give the order for it to continuously track the target."

On the tablet’s video feed, without any further commands from Li Jiahui, Number 87 tailed the white Corolla all the way.

When the Corolla stopped, it also circled in the air, even perching on a traffic sign at an intersection to wait for the light.

When the Corolla turned left, it also turned left. It followed the car for several streets in one go before returning on Li Jiahui’s command.

Birds can naturally sense the Earth’s magnetic field to determine direction.

So even in an unfamiliar environment, a Raven can remember the direction it came from. By flying a bit higher, it can use its excellent vision to find landmarks and locate its handler.

Soon, Number 87 appeared on the horizon and landed precisely in front of Li Jiahui.

The entire process, meanwhile, could be marked with locations and tracked on the specialized software.

"Holy shit, that’s incredible."

"Who could possibly detect that kind of surveillance?"

Thunderous applause broke out, followed by a buzz of discussion.

They had truly seen something new today.

Moreover, this was no mere gimmick. In the course of some criminal investigations, tracking suspects and conducting reconnaissance were definitely indispensable tasks.

Having these police birds would be incredibly convenient.

"Wonderful, just wonderful," Cai Yaohai said excitedly, expressing his thanks once again. He then invited Li Jiahui to go rest, saying she must be exhausted from the journey and that they would have to treat her to a proper lunch no matter what.

Zuo Quanshan quickly stopped him, saying that while lunch was a must, it wasn’t urgent right now.

He argued that the police dogs, having traveled thousands of kilometers, were the ones truly exhausted from the journey.

They needed to be quickly transferred to the K-9 base in Jin City and settled in properly.

That was the very reason he had come this time.

So, he urged the Wudu side to hurry up and pick their dogs.

Wudu would be allocated four police dogs and two police birds.

Once they were done picking, he needed to take the rest away immediately.

Cai Yaohai grumbled internally, but considering the long and arduous journey, he agreed they should be settled as soon as possible.

He looked toward a man in the crowd.

Throughout Quanlong State, there were only four truly high-spec, professional K-9 breeding and training bases, including the one directly under the provincial department.

These four were sufficiently large.

Of course, some of the other cities also had their own K-9 facilities.

Wudu had them—in the city and in the counties.

However, their grounds were all very small.

The one in Wudu City, for example, had a total area of only three thousand square meters, with just thirty kennels.

Of course, they certainly weren’t all occupied.

The entire city had a total of thirty-two working police dogs of various types, spread across its one district and eight counties.

Among them, the professional drug-sniffing dogs were only in the city proper, numbering three and a half in total.

That "half" was a dog the city’s K-9 base was trying to train themselves, but it hadn’t successfully completed its training yet.

Shen Xin delivering four in one go truly more than doubled their numbers.

"Director Cai, I can’t tell which ones are good," said the man, who was the director of the city’s K-9 base, as he walked over and whispered.

There were fifty of them, and he’d had no contact with them. Who knew which were good and which were bad? How was he supposed to choose?

Just as Cai Yaohai was about to speak, Li Jiahui stepped forward and offered, "Director Cai, since your people aren’t familiar with them, why don’t I help you pick?"

Shen Xin had instructed her to prioritize the Wudu side, give them the best, and build a good relationship.

Cai Yaohai’s eyes lit up, and he nodded eagerly.

Li Jiahui knew what to do. She pointed out four police dogs and two police birds.

This blatant act of favoritism did not escape the notice of Zuo Quanshan and Wu Kaiwei.

Wu Kaiwei sighed to himself.

He could guess that this was definitely at Shen Xin’s instruction.

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Xu Jinguang had already contacted them, requesting Shen Xin’s help in investigating the 11·2 series case.

To be honest, Wu Kaiwei had some reservations.

Nine years ago, he was the deputy captain of the Criminal Investigation Corps and the deputy head of the task force—the one actually in charge—and had personally handled the case.

The way it ended up left a heavy feeling in his chest.

He had long since resolved to find a way to crack this case before he retired, no matter what.

He knew what this case meant to the entire Longnan police force.

Logically, he supported Xu Jinguang’s idea.

Someone with special abilities might be able to bring a new approach to the investigation.

But he also knew there were dissenting voices among the rank and file.

He just hadn’t expected Shen Xin to make a move like this.

Looking at Cai Yaohai grinning from ear to ear, and then at Chang Zhigang carefully playing with a Raven, he marveled at how capable and savvy Shen Xin was, but also felt a faint sense of worry.

’All of this is just window dressing. The case is what’s crucial.’

’Solving the case is the most important thing.’

But regardless, this move was truly effective.

Later that afternoon, when Shen Xin and his party of four arrived in Wudu, Cai Yaohai was there to greet them personally as soon as they stepped out of the airport.

This was no small gesture.

After all, he was the director, a very busy man.

Furthermore, the airport was extremely far from the Wudu City District.

Wudu’s airport, for whatever reason, was the one in the entire country with the greatest distance between it and its city center.

The drive was a full 150 kilometers, and with the poor road conditions, the entire trip took three hours.

For him to make a special trip all the way out here to greet him could only mean that Shen Xin’s "sugar-coated bullet" had hit its mark.

"Director Cai, you’re making me feel far too honored," Shen Xin said, adopting a very humble posture.

Putting everything else aside, the man was a high-ranking official; Shen Xin wouldn’t dare act pretentiously.

Cai Yaohai was in an excellent mood. "It’s what I should do," he said. "You’ve come all this way, so we can’t be lacking in courtesy on our end."

As the group walked toward the parking lot, after the initial pleasantries, the conversation naturally turned to the case.

"When this case first occurred, I hadn’t been transferred to Wudu yet, but I know how significant it is."

Cai Yaohai remarked with a sigh, then added, "Shen Xin, don’t feel any pressure. Since Director Xu asked you to come, it means he values your abilities and believes you can help us."

"So just let loose and do things your way. We will definitely cooperate fully."

He was making his stance clear to Shen Xin.

As he spoke, he gestured to Chang Zhigang, who was following beside them. "Zhigang, you should show your support too."

When the case broke, Chang Zhigang was already the deputy captain of the city’s Criminal Investigation Division and had also personally worked on it.

He had the forthrightness of a northwesterner in his bones. He reached out, patted Shen Xin’s shoulder, his eyes crinkling at the corners, and said, "Shen Xin, good luck. Help us catch this son of a bitch."

When he said "son of a bitch," a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

Six lives taken over a span of five years—it was a slap in the face to every police officer in Wudu.