Animal Detective

Liu Jia'ang didn't know what Brother Fei's real name was.

When you ran with a crew, your identity was something you gave yourself.

Liu Jia'ang didn't like using his real name either; if things went south, it made it easy for people to track you down.

Around his friends, he liked to be called Brother Ang.

But in front of Brother Fei, he could accept being called Angzi.

Of course, deep down, Liu Jia'ang didn't really look up to Brother Fei.

'What a chump.'

Liu Jia'ang knew that in this circle, Brother Fei was just a Little Kalami himself.

Usually, in front of his own guys, he'd put on airs, unable to squeeze out a fart for ages, just trying to look all cool and aloof.

But once, when they were eating together, Liu Jia'ang had seen it.

The guy took a call, even turned his back on them to take it, and his voice was so meek and subservient, the fawning look on his face making it seem like his dad was on the other end.

In that moment, the mystique Brother Fei held for Liu Jia'ang was shattered.

His ambition was to become a bigger shot than Brother Fei, but unfortunately, Brother Fei wasn't giving him the chance.

He never expected the opportunity to come so soon.

After the call, Liu Jia'ang just went straight to sleep.

He'd been run ragged all night and was already exhausted.

But he'd barely dozed off when a phone call woke him up.

It was Brother Fei, telling him to meet at the old spot.

Liu Jia'ang cursed him out in his head, but his verbal reply was perfectly agreeable as he immediately set off on his electric scooter.

The old spot was a pool hall.

When he arrived, the thick-waisted, broad-shouldered Brother Fei had his arm around the young girl from the front desk, teaching her how to play pool.

He sank the shot.

Only then did he notice Liu Jia'ang.

He didn't even call him Angzi, just crooked a finger and led him toward the back.

They passed through the mahjong room in the rear and entered a cramped little room in the very back.

Brother Fei crouched down to open a safe, then pulled out a thick stack of cash—a full ten thousand—and tossed it in front of Liu Jia'ang.

"Brother Fei, what... what's this for?" Liu Jia'ang's eyes glazed over.

He didn't have a job and had no intention of getting one, surviving entirely by sponging off his parents and relying on favors from friends on the street.

Ten thousand yuan was no small sum.

Brother Fei sat down, casually propped his legs on the table, and got straight to the point. "This is your fee. I have a job for you. Find a chance and kill that dog."

Liu Jia'ang, who had subconsciously reached out to feel the money, suddenly froze.

"Brother Fei, you've got to be kidding. That's a police dog."

And it's Old Pan's dog, no less.

Wang Feng is a living King of Hell, and Pan Wenhai is no slouch either. He'd have a spot among the Ten Kings of Hell.

Brother Fei said, "No shit. I know it's a police dog. That's why I'm paying you."

Liu Jia'ang said nothing.

'Ten thousand to kill a police dog? That's probably not enough.'

Seeing Liu Jia'ang's hesitation, Brother Fei tried to reason with him. "Are you stupid? I'm not asking you to kill a cop, just a dog."

"If you get caught, just say you didn't know it was a police dog."

"It's just a dog. You killed it by accident. What can they do to you? At worst, they'll lock you up for a few days."

"And it's perfect—didn't Old Pan and his guys just bust you yesterday? The excuse is ready-made. Just say you were pissed off and wanted revenge, but you didn't dare go after Old Pan, so you went for his dog instead."

"Ten thousand yuan for a few days in the clink. What a deal."

He grabbed the money, waved it at Liu Jia'ang, and added, "I'm giving you this chance. Otherwise, there are plenty of people who would be fighting to do it."

Liu Jia'ang had only one thought in his mind: 'Go fuck yourself.'

'Does he really take me for an idiot? Think I don't know the law?'

That's a police dog. Attacking a police dog is basically assaulting an officer. You go to prison for that.

'Ten thousand yuan to get me to do prison time? I'm not that cheap.'

But Liu Jia'ang didn't dare to have a falling out with Brother Fei right then and there. He said, "Brother Fei, I haven't even asked yet. Why are you suddenly provoking Old Pan? And why are you so set on killing his dog?"

Last month, when he heard Brother Fei mention this, Liu Jia'ang had already found it strange.

It's normal for a drug shipment to get busted by a police dog, but it shouldn't lead to hating the dog this much.

"You don't know shit," Brother Fei snorted.

He knew a bit about the situation. This was no ordinary police dog.

In the last three months alone, so many shipments had been lost because of it.

Even their dens were raided.

All because of this dog.

Getting revenge on Old Pan? They definitely didn't dare.

No one did!

But killing a dog... there was some room to maneuver, and the consequences were much lighter in comparison.

Brother Fei couldn't be bothered with nonsense and directly asked Liu Jia'ang if he'd do it or not.

Liu Jia'ang heard the threat in his voice. He imagined pinning Brother Fei to the ground and slapping him hard across the face, then stammered, "Brother Fei, I didn't say I wouldn't do it."

At that moment, his mind spun furiously, just like back in elementary school when he'd get his report card and have to rack his brains for an excuse to avoid his dad's belt.

His first thought was that the job could be done.

He could take the ten thousand, find a couple of guys to outsource it to, and even make a profit on the difference.

But he abandoned the idea the next moment.

'Can't treat the cops like idiots. They'd trace it back to me immediately.'

His eyes darted, and Liu Jia'ang said, "Brother Fei, I want to do it, but I can't. Think about it, I just got busted by Old Pan and his crew yesterday. If I go after his dog today, they'll definitely suspect me."

"And if they trace it to me, wouldn't that implicate you too?"

"Of course, my lips are sealed, but you know how good the police are. I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to hold out."

Brother Fei's gaze turned cold, his eyes seeming to say, 'What, you planning to snitch?'

Liu Jia'ang quickly said, "Brother Fei, this is actually pretty simple. You just need to find a couple of punk kids."

"You don't even need ten thousand. Give them two hundred each, and they'll do it."

"Just have them follow Old Pan, find a chance, and ride by on a scooter. Like a purse snatching. When the time is right, they hit the dog with a stick and take off immediately."

"If they get caught later, they can just say they didn't like the look of the dog and wanted to kill it. What can the police do then?"

"The key is that it's safe. It won't be traced back to us."

He knew those edgy kids who roamed the streets. Forget two hundred yuan—a couple packs of Xuanhemen cigarettes and they'd probably do it.

Brother Fei looked Liu Jia'ang up and down. After a long moment, he snorted, waved his hand, and motioned for Liu Jia'ang to get lost.

Liu Jia'ang felt a wave of relief.

'No way I'm doing that job. The risk is too high.'

Just as he was about to leave, Brother Fei called him back.

He pulled two bills from the stack of cash, tossed them to Liu Jia'ang, and said, "Don't go running your mouth when you leave."

Liu Jia'ang nodded quickly, but cursed inwardly. 'Just two hundred? Does he have no shame?'

But on second thought, it was two hundred yuan for free. That was enough for two days of food.

「Meanwhile.」

When Shen Xin got up in the morning and came out into the courtyard, Pan Chenghai was there, talking to Plane.

Because he had too many birds, staying at a hotel was inconvenient, so Pan Chenghai had offered his home.

So Shen Xin was now staying at Pan Chenghai's house.

Ding Yuwei and Jiang Wengang, however, were still at the hotel.

His house was north of Simao, a detached home with a private courtyard where the city met the suburbs.

The courtyard was quite large, but it wasn't well-maintained.

He usually lived in the dorms at the checkpoint, only coming back here once every week or two.

His father had passed away, and his mother, wife, and child all lived in Spring City.

It was safer there, and more convenient for his child's schooling.

As for himself, he threw himself completely into his work at the checkpoint.

The previous evening, while they were chatting over tea in the courtyard, he had mentioned this, his words filled with guilt toward his wife and son.

In fact, with the recent restructuring, his qualifications and commendations were more than enough for him to transfer to a rear-line position in Spring City and take an easy job.

His superiors had even spoken to him about it.

But he refused, wanting to stay on the front line.

He said he was only 41 and still capable. Retirement was still a long way off.

Most importantly, with so many people having sacrificed their lives on the front lines over the years, he felt he carried their responsibility and had to see it through.

"Shen Xin, your bird is so smart! It understands everything I say," he said, pointing at Plane and clucking his tongue in amazement.

"And this falcon, it's so handsome."

Pan Chenghai was sizing up Teddy.

Even though they were all in cages, their dispositions were completely different.

The crow was all black and looked a bit shady.

Needless to say, Plane was all sleaze the moment it opened its beak.

Only Teddy.

His name was a bit lacking, but the moment he stood there, he exuded the commanding aura of a hero looking down on all creation.

Shen Xin just smiled and played with Celestial Skill.

Last night, she had slept by his bed, watching over him.

After feeding the birds and letting them out of their cages for a bit, he took Celestial Skill and went to meet up with Ding Yuwei and the others.

She never left his side, even clingier than Teddy.

They spent the day wandering around again.

First, they went to Charming Street, then to see the Tree-Enveloped Tower, and in the afternoon, they visited the Rare Garden.

At this rate, it seemed Old Pan was determined to have them visit every single tourist spot.

He even insisted on buying all the tickets and paying for everything.

And it was at the Rare Garden that everyone witnessed Shen Xin's special talent.

There were many free-roaming peacocks there, and seeing a peacock meant you had to try and get it to fan its tail. It was an essential part of the experience.

Other tourists made all sorts of cooing and clicking sounds to provoke them, but the peacocks wouldn't even give them the time of day.

But with Shen Xin, it was a different story. Wherever he went, peacocks would actively approach him, rustling their tails and fanning them out.

They even followed him around.

By the time he sat down to rest, he was completely surrounded by peacocks.

Jiang Wengang said in amazement, "I feel like I've seen a lifetime's worth of peacock displays today."

Ding Yuwei, her eyes crinkling with laughter, teased, "I believe peacocks fan their tails for courtship. Shen Xin, you're as popular as ever."

After all, Teddy was already completely devoted to Shen Xin.

Shen Xin wanted to explain, but looking at the peacocks constantly crowding around him, vying for his attention, he realized there was no explaining it.

After touring the Rare Garden, that evening was, once again, all about food.

When in Dian Nan, eating rice noodles was a must. Here in Dehong, they had a special "crossing-the-hand" rice noodle, where you'd wear a glove and mix various toppings in your hand.

It was quite a novelty.

Meanwhile, Pan Chenghai was already telling the three of them about the delicacies in other cities.

"At this rate, I'll have gained several pounds by the time this business trip is over," Shen Xin joked.

Pan Chenghai laughed heartily. "Gaining weight is a good thing! Look at Captain Wang. In his words, 'A carefree heart leads to a healthy body.' Nothing to worry about."

Just then, Jiang Wengang picked up some food with his chopsticks and said while eating, "So, what do those two kids following us actually want?"

Shen Xin glanced toward a corner of the restaurant.

This was another very famous local restaurant, and it was packed with people.

At that moment, at a table in the corner, sat two young men.

One had a bowl cut; the other, a Huang Mao with long bangs.

They were rail-thin and kept glancing over in their direction.

The group had already noticed these two back at the Rare Garden that afternoon.

Seeing them again now, it was clear they were being followed intentionally.

And most likely, they were after Pan Chenghai.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!