Animal Detective

Chapter 556: Chapter 458: This Burden Is a Bit Heavy

After a few brief words, Shen Xin and Ding Yuwei hurried away.

It wasn’t as if any special instructions were needed. This was a nationally renowned K-9 base, after all. Their entire profession was training police dogs, and their facilities were fully equipped. They could certainly take good care of this batch of candidates.

In fact, it wouldn’t even be a problem if they didn’t.

’Shen Xin’s goal was to build their affection for him. If the staff took *too* good care of them, that affection would transfer to them instead, which would hinder his work later on.’

Now that Shen Xin was gone, the staff had no other choice but to start unloading the trucks.

But looking at the truckloads of dogs, everyone still felt apprehensive.

These were all adult dogs with unknown personalities and temperaments. They were complete strangers.

’If someone isn’t careful when opening the doors, one might bolt. Where would they even begin to look for it in the middle of the night?’

"What do you think he was in such a hurry for?" someone muttered.

’He’s the one who personally picked them, so at least he’s a familiar face to the dogs. He should be the one supervising the unloading. Isn’t he worried something will go wrong?’

’But no, he just took off, quick as you please.’

Zhangchaoshan had a headache over it too, but he immediately came to Shen Xin’s defense. "Stop speculating. He’s not a professional handler, he’s a criminal police officer. To leave in such a hurry, he must have a mission."

At his words, the expressions on the faces of the staff grew even more peculiar.

’A criminal police officer, and from another province, no less. Something about that just sounded off.’

The deputy director waved his hand. "All right, that’s enough. There are a lot of dogs, so don’t rush the unloading. Let’s take our time."

Just then, someone had an idea. "Why don’t we bring Black Plum over? If he stands here, he’ll keep them in line. None of the other dogs will dare to cause trouble."

Black Plum was a stud Kunming Dog at the base.

The base was established in 1981.

And Black Plum was a fourth-generation stud dog bred since the base’s founding.

The Kunming Dog breed was selectively bred from wolfdogs and is rumored to have wolf’s blood.

Modern Kunming Dogs come in three strains, each with its own characteristics: Wolf Green, Straw Yellow, and Blackback.

The Blackback strain, known for its high drive, roughness, and ferocity, has always been the top choice for riot control and patrols.

And Black Plum was the cream of the crop of the Blackback strain.

He was blessed with excellent genetics, powerful muscles, and incredible athleticism. One could say that the vast majority of the Blackback strain in the entire country were his descendants.

On the base, he was the alpha; there wasn’t a single dog that wasn’t afraid of him.

If they brought him over to stand guard, these dogs would definitely stay in line.

The others all nodded in agreement.

Dealing with nearly five hundred dogs of unknown temperament all at once was nerve-wracking, even if they were fully vaccinated.

With Black Plum there to keep order, it wouldn’t be so scary.

"That’s enough."

Zhangchaoshan stopped them. "It’s the middle of the night. Why bother Black Plum?"

With that, he went forward and opened the rear door of the truck himself.

He carefully opened it a crack.

Just like that, a multicolored dog saw its chance and shot through the gap. There wasn’t even time to shut the door.

But after jumping down from the truck, it didn’t run off. It just shook out its fur, circled Zhangchaoshan, sniffing him constantly, its tail wagging like a pendulum.

The dog was instantly friendly.

Zhangchaoshan wasn’t even wearing gloves. He had trained dogs his entire life and loved them to his very core.

The moment he reached out a hand, the multicolored dog started licking it and yapping happily.

"This one’s pretty well-behaved," Zhangchaoshan said, somewhat surprised.

’It seems to be a very people-friendly dog, not at all the unstable type I was expecting.’

A handler from the base came forward, clipped on a leash, and led it away. The dog didn’t make a fuss at all.

He was a little surprised. "I’ll be, it really is docile. And obedient, too."

Even with a new person, the multicolored dog was just the same, licking hands, wagging its tail, and circling around them.

Zhangchaoshan opened the truck door again, and the more active ones, unable to wait, began leaping down one after another.

They roamed around a little, but they all behaved similarly, not running far and showing no signs of aggression toward people.

When a leash was clipped on, almost none of them resisted.

"Interesting."

Zhangchaoshan clicked his tongue in amazement and looked toward the remaining dogs.

The active ones had all jumped down, leaving a large number of timid dogs huddled together in the truck.

A handler took the initiative to climb into the truck, cautiously approaching the huddle.

There was no resistance, not even any frantic barking. He reached out for a white dog.

The white dog flinched back in resistance, but when it saw there was no escape, it stopped struggling and allowed the handler to pat its head.

After just two pats, the white dog began to nuzzle the handler’s hand, looking up at him with pleading eyes.

That timid yet hopeful gaze, filled with a longing for closeness, made the handler’s heart tremble with a single look.

’This is definitely a good dog, obedient and friendly.’

The handler beckoned, and the dog immediately got up and came closer, carefully licking his hand.

He scooped it into his arms. It didn’t struggle, just looked up at him obediently.

Its small, jet-black eyes stared intently, enough to soften anyone’s heart.

"Secretary, these dogs are all so well-behaved," the handler said in amazement.

And it wasn’t just about being well-behaved.

Some dogs are docile either because they’re dim-witted—what you might call brain-dead—and do nothing but eat and sleep, oblivious to everything.

Or they’re just plain timid.

But this one was different. You could sense its affinity and trust for humans from its movements and the look in its eyes.

Zhangchaoshan reached out and took the dog.

The white dog turned its head to look back at the handler, its gaze seemingly reluctant to leave him.

But then it turned its head back to look at Zhangchaoshan.

After being placed on the ground, it didn’t run off, just sat obediently beside Zhangchaoshan.

The handler, still squatting in the truck, pointed at the dog and said, "Secretary, all of you, look. It isn’t restless; its temperament is incredibly stable. That’s not easy."

Dogs are naturally lively and active, so a crucial part of training is teaching a K-9 to remain calm.

This white dog, however, was unfazed by its surroundings. It just stayed put quietly, occasionally looking up at Zhangchaoshan, its attention focused entirely on him.

’What a promising candidate!’

Zhangchaoshan nodded slightly. He had noticed it as well. He then said, "So it seems he really did hand-pick them. The question is, how did he do it?"

’Did he just pick the quiet ones?’

’But a quiet dog can still be a biter. So how did Shen Xin differentiate between a dog with a genuinely stable temperament and one that was just quiet out of fear?’

’Doing it for one or two is one thing, but for several hundred?’

’And in such a short amount of time, selected from a sample of unknown size...’

’His methods are really something else.’

It was a shame the man had already left. Otherwise, Zhangchaoshan would have insisted on getting to the bottom of it and asking him exactly how he did it.

"All right, let’s finish unloading."

He pushed the thought aside and called for everyone to finish unloading.

The whole process went quickly and without any major commotion. All the unloaded dogs were taken to a temporary living area.

Food had already been prepared.

The base’s standard was one bowl per dog, but there were simply too many this time. They had no choice but to use large basins for communal feeding.

Zhangchaoshan observed them silently. He noticed a few who fought for food, but the vast majority ate peacefully.

After they finished eating, many of them quietly found a spot to lie down without making a fuss.

The more he watched, the more amazed he became. He was certain Shen Xin must have some special method to quickly determine if a dog’s temperament was stable and friendly.

Meanwhile, Shen Xin and Ding Yuwei had hurried to the provincial department headquarters.

Someone was there to receive them.

They were led directly upstairs.

"Captain Tang."

When they reached the fifth floor, Shen Xin saw quite a few people waiting in the hallway, including a familiar face.

Tang Youkun.

The captain of the Ningshan City Anti-Drug Division.

He walked up to them with a smile. "There you are, kid. We’ve been waiting for you a long time."

Shen Xin was startled. ’Waiting for me?’

’Surely not.’

They gestured for Shen Xin to enter.

But Ding Yuwei was stopped at the door.

Her rank wasn’t high enough.

Even Tang Youkun was waiting outside.

Shen Xin unstrapped his holster and handed it to Ding Yuwei for safekeeping, but his attention was drawn to two men in a corner of the hallway.

Both were in plainclothes, but their complexions and auras were different from the others.

They seemed like... foreigners.

’A joint operation?’

As these thoughts ran through his mind, Shen Xin entered the conference room.

It was a very large conference room with a soft carpet. A handful of people were scattered about, talking amongst themselves.

The fact that even Tang Youkun was waiting outside said everything about the rank of the people inside the room.

Liu Baoquan was there, as was Lu Chunze.

Wan Xiaoyang and Chen Huabin were there, too.

There was also a middle-aged man in a light green military uniform. Shen Xin glanced at his shoulder boards and felt his head spin.

It had stars on it.

Similarly, there was also a middle-aged man whose complexion and aura clearly marked him as a foreigner.

In other words, everyone in this room was high-ranking brass. And then there was him...

For a moment, Shen Xin felt intensely out of his depth.

"Xiaoshen, you’re finally here, you rascal. We’ve been waiting forever for you," Liu Baoquan said, gesturing for Shen Xin to sit.

Shen Xin glanced around, about to ask where he should sit.

’The front row?’

’That can’t be right.’

A man from his own side pulled Shen Xin down to sit beside him.

He had a crew cut as stiff as steel needles, handsome features, and an aura of restrained sharpness.

Cui Jiang, Deputy Chief of the Ningjiang Anti-Drug Task Force.

He must be the one in charge of the Ningjiang side of things.

The ministry was coordinating this case, with the Dian Nan side handling the on-the-ground execution.

And Ningjiang was where the case had first started.

But as soon as he sat down, Liu Baoquan called his name, asking for an update on the K-9 matter.

Shen Xin shot to his feet and quickly replied, "Liu Ting, it’s going very smoothly. I’ve already selected the first batch and just sent them to the K-9 base."

Liu Baoquan chuckled and waved his hand, signaling for Shen Xin to sit down.

"Don’t be so nervous."

Easy for him to say, but how could Shen Xin not be nervous? He truly felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.

"All right, let’s begin the meeting."

Liu Baoquan said with a chuckle.

Chen Huabin, the director of the Lianjiang City Bureau, personally presented the case details.

This was the first time Shen Xin was hearing a comprehensive overview of the case.

The situation was quite complex and involved a lot of people.

But as he listened carefully, he found it didn’t differ much from what he already knew.

Essentially, an old-school yet brand-new drug production syndicate had appeared across the border.

Their specific identity had not yet been determined.

The police were using the old-fashioned method: following the trail of clues up the chain.

Through a joint effort between various jurisdictions, they had more or less figured out the situation. They hadn’t made a move yet, but now they were planning to close the net.

And the higher-ups didn’t just want to catch the domestic distributors; they wanted to wipe out the producers in one fell swoop.

This brought them to the first key problem: identifying the leader of this cross-border production syndicate.

Right now, they didn’t know.

They had identified a key figure in charge, but there was definitely someone above him.

That damn place had been raided many times. To be honest, they’d been hit so often they’d gotten experienced at it, so they were hiding very deep.

After some consideration, they decided to stick with the old method: capturing the key person named Min Juekan.

The Ningjiang team had arrested a distribution boss, who confessed that Min Juekan was responsible for smuggling the drugs into the country.

He had been across the border and met the man once, so they now had a composite sketch.

Shen Xin glanced at the sketch.

The man was plain-looking, but the sketch was quite expressive. The combination of his features, particularly the single-lidded eyes, gave off a cold and sinister aura.

The boss arrested in Ningjiang had been turned and was willing to cooperate by ordering another shipment.

A very large one. Word had already come from the other side, telling him to be ready to receive the shipment in the next two days.

That meant that sometime in the next two days, the other party would be smuggling the goods across the border.

For a shipment this large, Min Juekan would usually escort the goods into the country personally.

They had people on the inside to meet them in the mountainous region. After the handoff, those people would be responsible for the subsequent transactions.

Min Juekan, meanwhile, would return across the border.

In other words, their only chance to catch Min Juekan red-handed was while he was escorting the shipment into the country.

And that was where the difficulty lay.

They had to pinpoint the transport team’s location within a five-hundred-kilometer stretch of mountainous border terrain, set up an ambush in advance, and execute the arrest.

"Shen Xin."

Liu Baoquan called his name for the third time, his tone growing serious. "Whether or not this operation succeeds will depend on you."

In an instant, every single person in the room turned to look at Shen Xin.

Shen Xin sucked in a sharp breath. Before coming here, he had just thought he’d be playing a supporting role.

He never imagined that the key to the mission’s success or failure would rest entirely on his shoulders.

’This is a heavy burden to bear.’

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