Animal Detective

Chapter 548: Chapter 451: The Wrong Path

When the call from Wang Feng came in, Shen Xin was having breakfast with Pan Wenhai.

They were eating marinated rice noodles, a Lianjiang specialty, from a time-honored shop just to the left of their police station.

"The secret is in the old sauce," Pan Wenhai explained as he ate. "Every family has its own recipe. I’ve been to Lianjiang many times, but this is the one place I can never forget."

Shen Xin took a bite. It was indeed delicious.

The rice noodles were smooth and tender, and the pork was fragrant, rich, and soft. He quickly called for He Jinglin and the others to come eat with them.

He had just bought it; it would be a shame to let it get cold.

The two of them were eating at the entrance to the garage.

He Jinglin and his team were busy inside. Hearing the call, they quickly waved their hands and said there was no rush, telling Shen Xin to eat first.

Watching the group of people enthusiastically and cheerfully gathered around a giant ball of dung to take samples, Shen Xin sighed to himself. ’Every job has its downsides, huh.’

He’d noticed when working with Chen Wanbin before that they always seemed to be dealing with shit.

This morning, Nan Ji had finally taken a massive dump.

To He Jinglin and the others, it was like finding a priceless treasure.

In their words, they could monitor the elephant’s physical condition through its feces.

And so, they were too busy taking samples to even think about breakfast.

As for the smell, it was naturally quite strong. Otherwise, Shen Xin wouldn’t have retreated to the entrance to eat.

Just then, Pan Wenhai got the call from Wang Feng.

"A dead person? Who is it?" Pan Wenhai asked casually.

At the mention of a dead person, Shen Xin’s ears perked up like radar. The rice noodles in his hand suddenly lost their appeal.

’A homicide case?’

On the other end of the line, Wang Feng said something that made Pan Wenhai’s expression change drastically. "Wang Feng, your eyes must be playing tricks on you," he said urgently.

As he spoke, the hand holding his phone began to tremble, revealing the turmoil in his heart.

Wang Feng said, "I’m not sure, which is why I want you to come and confirm."

Pan Wenhai said he would and hung up.

He stood there, his face a mask of shifting emotions.

Shen Xin asked, "Old Pan, what’s wrong? Is something the matter?"

Pan Wenhai snapped back to reality and quickly shook his head. "It’s, uh, nothing. I have to step out for a bit. You go on and eat."

With that, he turned and walked away.

Seeing his strange, unsettled reaction, Shen Xin quickly put down his bowl and chased after him.

Just as he was about to say he’d go with him, an urgent cry came from behind.

Shen Xin rolled his eyes. Helpless, he stopped and could only watch as Pan Wenhai quickly got into a car and sped off.

When he turned back, Nan Ji had already eagerly followed him out of the garage.

"I’m not leaving."

Shen Xin sighed, feeling resigned. Well, it looked like he was stuck here.

「Meanwhile.」

Pan Wenhai had already rushed to the gas station in Gangmeng Town.

By the time he arrived, Wang Feng had already sent people to check the surveillance cameras along the direction the sedan had left, hoping to find more footage.

Seeing Wang Feng, Pan Wenhai’s face was taut and stern, but his eyes were panicked. In a deep voice, he asked where the video was.

Wang Feng pulled him in front of the screen and played the footage.

The person in the passenger seat got out of the car and met up with Zhu Kun.

With just one look, Pan Wenhai’s brow furrowed even deeper.

He grabbed the mouse himself, replaying the clip over and over, searching for a clearer angle.

Beside him, Wang Feng said, "Old Pan, I can’t believe it either, but the more I look, the more it looks like him. You know I don’t usually mistake people."

He had truly trained himself to have a near-photographic memory.

Pan Wenhai didn’t speak, just kept watching again and again.

Wang Feng hesitated for a moment, then said, "Old Pan, back then, Li Ping sent us a message asking for help, but we were too late. Later, Dan Ban said he’d already killed him. Do you think Dan Ban might have been lying to us?"

At the mention of the name Li Ping, Pan Wenhai swayed, looking dazed.

He hadn’t heard that name in many, many years.

An image of a defiant figure who had walked unflinchingly into the darkness surfaced in his mind.

His words seemed to echo in his ears: "Uncle Pan, my dad was the only family I had. He’s dead. I have to avenge him myself. You can stop me today, but you won’t be able to stop me forever."

Pan Wenhai squeezed his eyes shut in pain. He opened them a long moment later, glanced again at the man getting out of the car in the video, and shook his head.

"Wang Feng, I’m not sure. I’m really not sure. It looks like him, but... but if that kid didn’t die, why hasn’t he come back?"

Pan Wenhai demanded, his heart breaking.

Wang Feng clapped a hand on Pan Wenhai’s shoulder, wanting to comfort him but not knowing how.

The person they were talking about was named Fan Liping.

His father, Fan Xiaochuan, was Pan Wenhai’s old squad leader.

Pan Wenhai had enlisted in 2002 and served under Fan Xiaochuan.

Fan Xiaochuan had taken special care of him, like an older brother.

At the end of 2003, during a mission, they were caught in a fierce firefight with drug traffickers. Fan Xiaochuan died heroically saving Pan Wenhai.

He left behind a twelve-year-old son, Fan Liping.

Fan Xiaochuan’s own father had died young, and his wife had died in childbirth. He had never remarried, raising his son alone.

Two years after his death, Fan Liping’s grandmother passed away from depression.

Pan Wenhai took the young boy in and raised him to adulthood.

Pan Wenhai had wanted him to live an ordinary life.

He never expected that Fan Liping would choose a different path. In 2010, the now-adult Fan Liping ignored Pan Wenhai’s objections and secretly ran off to Mianguang.

In 2011, the next time Pan Wenhai heard news of him, he had already become a drug dealer.

He then began passing information back, helping the police wipe out several drug trafficking rings.

In other words, he had voluntarily become an undercover agent.

Outside the gas station, Pan Wenhai squatted by the roadside, his voice filled with remorse and self-blame. "Wang Feng, I tried to talk him out of it. So many times. I even got on my knees and begged him, telling him the path he chose was wrong, that it wasn’t the right way."

"’Fighting evil with evil will never lead to a good outcome.’"

"’He wouldn’t listen. It was like he was possessed, convinced the path he was on was the right one.’"

"’And you see the result.’"

Pan Wenhai wiped his eyes. "I failed Squad Leader Fan. He died right in my arms, blood frothing at his lips, unable to say a word."

"He just gripped my hand tightly and kept looking at me. I knew what he wanted to say. That’s why I’ve always treated Li Ping like my own son, even closer than my own son. I would’ve given him my life."

"But he wouldn’t listen to me. And in the end..."

Pan Wenhai covered his face, too choked with grief to speak.

Wang Feng gripped Pan Wenhai’s shoulder, remaining silent.

Just as Pan Wenhai had said, fighting evil with evil would never lead to a good outcome.

In 2012, Fan Liping had set a trap, luring another drug dealer, Dan Ban, into a deal.

Dan Ban suffered huge losses in that deal, but Fan Liping himself managed to escape.

Afterward, Dan Ban allied himself with an even bigger drug lord and began hunting Fan Liping for revenge.

Fan Liping sent a message asking for help, but by the time they received it, it was already too late.

When Dan Ban was captured in 2013, he confessed with his own mouth that he was the one who had killed Fan Liping.

That was why Wang Feng had said he’d seen a dead man when he saw the video.

Gritting his teeth, Wang Feng said, "Old Pan, six years have passed and people can change, but trust me. These eyes of mine don’t make mistakes. That’s Li Ping."

"Li Ping is still alive. This is a good thing."

"Whenever we drink together, you always say you regret being too late, that you couldn’t bring Li Ping back."

"Now you have a chance. No matter what he’s doing now, we’ll find him, and we’ll bring him home."

Pan Wenhai turned his head to look at Wang Feng’s determined face, sniffled, and nodded forcefully.

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