Animal Detective

Xu Jinguang had been speaking for a while, and his mouth was dry. He took a sip of tea before continuing his explanation.

"During a new round of interviews, the special task force heard a rumor that made them re-examine one particular incident."

"You see, this Wang Shulin and Wang Erpeng... they weren’t originally patrol officers at the reserve."

"The first case happened in November of ’09, right? Well, something else happened back in April of that year."

"On April 13th, Wang Shulin discovered a lone giant panda cub near Walnut Ridge in the reserve."

"He saw the panda was young and had trouble walking—it was limping—so he followed it and contacted the protection station."

"At the station, it was Liu Baoli who took the call. He led a team to the scene to handle the situation."

"Based on its size, they estimated the lone cub was about a year and a half old."

"Shen Xin, you might not know this, but giant pandas only start weaning around a year and a half. In the wild, they typically stay with their mothers until they’re about two years old before striking out on their own."

"They speculated that the cub’s mother had met with some danger and died unexpectedly, which was why the cub was wandering alone."

"They immediately reported it to the reserve. The reserve’s team of experts rushed over and organized a search of the surrounding area, but they never found an adult female panda."

"In the end, after some discussion, they decided to bring the panda back to the reserve to be cared for."

"And as for Wang Shulin, he was commended for this. Not only did he get a cash reward, but they also helped him out with a job, making him a Patrol Officer for the reserve."

"The whole thing even made the local news at the time."

Xu Jinguang took out his phone and pulled up a picture to show Shen Xin.

It was a screenshot from that year’s Longzhou Daily.

The article had a photo: a head-on shot of Wang Shulin holding his certificate of commendation during an interview.

This was the first time Shen Xin had ever seen the man’s face.

He had broad shoulders, suggesting a large build.

He had a square face, his hair parted to the side, and monolids. He wasn’t handsome, just average-looking.

He was grinning from ear to ear, his face a mask of pride.

Xu Jinguang continued, "At the time, the Liujiaping Town protection station didn’t have any openings, so they assigned him to the Tielou Town area."

"Then, in June, he pulled some strings to get Wang Erpeng a job at the protection station as a Patrol Officer, too."

"This whole thing seemed pretty ordinary at first. The special task force didn’t pay it any mind, not even after Liu Baoli and Wang Shulin were killed."

"It wasn’t until Wang Erpeng was also murdered in ’14 that a new rumor surfaced when we went back to do interviews in ’15."

"The story goes that the panda cub Wang Shulin found wasn’t alone by accident. Its mother had been killed by Wang Shulin, Liu Baoli, and Wang Erpeng."

"They supposedly left the cub alive on purpose so they could report it and get commended for the ’rescue’."

"Because the mother panda’s body was never found, a local legend started. People believed the three men had done something evil, and the mother panda’s spirit had come back for revenge, killing them. That’s how the story of the curse began."

Realization dawned on Shen Xin.

’If that’s what happened, it’s no wonder a curse story like that started spreading.’

They had, after all, died unnatural deaths. It was easy for word-of-mouth stories to spread among the common people, who concluded the three must have done something terrible for a panda to claim their lives.

Xu Jinguang continued, "Of course, I don’t buy into the superstitious talk, but the rumor did provide a new angle."

"Because out of the six victims, these three are the only ones with a clear connection. The other three, like you said, were probably just innocent people who got caught in the crossfire."

"Think about it. The three of them were from the same area, and Wang Shulin and Wang Erpeng were even relatives."

"Wang Shulin ’found’ the panda, Liu Baoli took the call, and they handled it on-site together. Liu Baoli was also commended for it afterward."

"So, what if there’s a hidden story behind this whole panda incident that we don’t know about? For example, what if they really did kill an adult panda and faked the rescue?"

"Then someone found out. The three of them did something to shut that person up—maybe threatened or hurt them—and that person held a grudge, planning and carrying out these three attacks over the years."

"There’s another interesting point. After Wang Shulin died in ’11, Wang Erpeng quickly quit his job and left town to find work elsewhere."

"He worked as a laborer for a year, decided it was too tiring, and came back. He went to the protection station asking to be a Patrol Officer again."

"You can slack off as a Patrol Officer. The pay isn’t great, but it’s decent for the area. Besides, it’s a stable government job at a national-level institution."

"But here’s the thing: he pulled strings to get a job, but instead of staying at Baishui River, he went to the neighboring Tangjia River reserve."

"That seems strange to me. I think Wang Erpeng might have known who the killer was. He knew he’d be targeted for revenge, so he didn’t dare stay in the Baishui River area and went to Tangjia River instead."

"Unfortunately, we didn’t notice the connection between the three of them until after the third murder. If we had, we could have interrogated Wang Erpeng and probably would have found something."

At this, Xu Jinguang couldn’t help but sound regretful.

Shen Xin remained silent.

’I’m certainly in no position to console Director Xu.’

’But putting myself in his shoes back then, even if Wang Erpeng knew something, he definitely would have hidden it when the investigators came to him.’

’And with four victims on the table, who could have guessed there was a connection like this, all tying back to the rescue of a giant panda?’

Shen Xin asked about the third case.

’The bodies were only discovered last month. Surely there must be some new clues.’

"None."

Xu Jinguang shook his head. "We speculate that the killer is male and was likely armed. Back in ’09, there was a lot of poaching in the area, so all kinds of homemade firearms were rampant."

"Otherwise, it’s unlikely a single person could have subdued and controlled two adult men."

"Of course, it could have been a group, but there was no evidence at the crime scenes to suggest that."

"The first murder felt sloppy; a hammer was used. By the second, the killer had lured them off the patrol route and had upgraded his weapon."

"So we believe the suspect evolved, becoming more experienced. That’s why in the third case, he buried the bodies to hinder our investigation."

Shen Xin nodded slightly.

’Murder is something you get better at the more you do it.’

His eyes darted thoughtfully. "Director Xu," Shen Xin said, "are you saying you want to try to find a breakthrough using the panda?"

’Otherwise, why would he be discussing such a major case with me, let alone asking for my help?’

’After all, I’ve handled so many cases involving animals, I’ve pretty much become the go-to expert.’

Xu Jinguang nodded. "Exactly. The first murder was in ’09. It’s been a full nine years."

"Times have changed. Some of the people on the original task force have retired, some have even quit the force. The year before last, I was in Longzhou for an inspection, and someone asked me what was happening with the case."

"They all remember it. After all, it’s six lives we’re talking about!"

"The youngest one, Hu Zeyang, was only twenty-four. A bright, high-spirited young man, and he just lost his life for nothing."

"He was an only child. His mother went insane afterward."

"So if we don’t solve this case, how can we possibly face the victims’ families?"

"Last month, we found the bodies of Wang Erpeng and the other victim, so we reopened the case. The task force has been working their asses off for a month. They practically turned the burial site inside out, but they came up with nothing."

"If we continue investigating this way, this case could remain cold for years to come."

’It was a cold case that got a new break, but since the bodies yielded no new evidence, restarting the old lines of investigation was pointless.’

’Only a new direction, a new angle, could move the case forward.’

"So, Shen Xin, I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. I’m working on the assumption that there’s a hidden story behind the panda rescue."

"But the three men involved are already dead, so that line of inquiry is a dead end. The panda, however, is still alive. Shen Xin, you have a unique ability. I’m hoping you can use that panda to give us the new break we need."

Xu Jinguang’s gaze was heavy, but tinged with hope.

He wasn’t sure if this path would lead anywhere, but after nine years, he had to try.

A little after two in the afternoon, Xu Jinguang and his men departed.

The base returned to its usual tranquility.

The subsequent handover of the K9s and police birds was a minor detail.

"What’s wrong?" Ding Yuwei asked softly after the farewell ceremony was over.

She had noticed Shen Xin seemed listless and subdued.

’Logically, he should be happy. The inspection was a success.’

In Yang Zeran’s words, Shen Xin was a shoo-in for a First-Class Hero Model award.

’They were just talking about celebrating tonight, too.’

"It’s nothing."

Shen Xin shook his head, not wanting to talk about the case.

’Xu Jinguang’s request... he’d made it clear it wasn’t an order, but a personal plea.’

Shen Xin hadn’t agreed on the spot, only saying he would think about it.

’It wasn’t that he wanted to disrespect his superior, but for a nine-year-old cold case, Shen Xin really wasn’t very confident.’

With that, Shen Xin took out his phone and looked up the giant panda.

Since he had been discovered at Walnut Ridge in the reserve, he had been named Walnut.

After his rescue, Walnut lived at the conservation base for nearly two years before being transferred to the Anjing Zoo.

He was pretty famous, with nicknames like "the Anjing Zoo’s Head of Security" and "Uncle He Ping."

The reason for the nicknames was that Walnut had been extremely bad-tempered ever since he was rescued.

He had attacked a zookeeper while at the base.

Since arriving at the Anjing Zoo in ’11, he had attacked a keeper once and tourists twice.

Granted, the tourists had illegally climbed into his enclosure.

But four incidents of injuring people in total were enough to prove his ferocity.

So among the nine giant pandas at the Anjing Zoo, he was quite well-known.

Nowadays, zoos all over the country have livestreams, so you can watch animals online without leaving your house.

And the giant panda, being the nation’s beloved mascot, was naturally a top-billed star of the livestreams.

And Walnut had his own stream.

Shen Xin found it and clicked on it.

The camera feed showed the outdoor enclosure of the Panda House.

Walnut wasn’t just aggressive toward humans; he was aggressive toward his own kind, too. He had a reputation as the Anjing Zoo’s number one thug—the kind of guy who would fight his way from the east gate to the west.

That’s why he had his own separate enclosure.

Right now, he had his back to the camera, silently chewing on bamboo.

After watching for a long moment, Shen Xin suddenly asked Ding Yuwei, "Yuwei, do you like giant pandas?"

Ding Yuwei, who was scrolling on her phone across from him, looked up, startled, and nodded instinctively.

’Giant pandas? They’re so fluffy and adorable. Who wouldn’t like them?’

"Then would you want to be a panda keeper?" Shen Xin asked.

’I’ll take the case,’ Shen Xin decided.

’It’s a cold case, after all. Six lives. Six families.’