Animal Detective

Chapter 574: Chapter 476: Phase 2 Nan Ji

Across all of Dian Nan, there were 47,000 police officers.

If any one of them had proposed using an elephant to track down a suspect’s hideout,

Liu Baoquan would have probably told them, "Kid, don’t get carried away with wild ideas."

But this was Shen Xin.

A special talent who thought outside the box and achieved victory through unconventional means.

After hearing the situation report, giving it serious thought, and even waking up an animal expert from the Spring City Zoo in the middle of the night to confirm Shen Xin’s theory was credible, Liu Baoquan decided to support his idea.

The animal expert had even asked him in return, saying the method was only feasible in theory.

But it was an elephant. Would it really listen to you?

To that question, Liu Baoquan really wanted to reply, ’I don’t know about the elephant, but I’ve seen a bird that does whatever you tell it to and can even talk.’

The plan was approved.

But implementing it was not easy.

The paperwork and all that was simple enough; the main problem was transporting the elephant.

The keeper under He Jinglin had to go to great lengths, even video-calling Shen Xin, to finally coax Nan Ji onto the truck.

By the time she was delivered to Shen Xin’s location after a long and dusty journey, the sky was already bright.

During those few hours, the various teams had not been idle.

According to Luopei’s people, many reporters had arrived on the scene. The news was already out.

It was causing a huge stir, making national headlines and spreading like wildfire online.

Some said Mianguang had been attacked.

Others claimed some faction had started a war.

With all the attention, the Mianguang side was also under a lot of pressure, so they were being extremely cooperative.

Wan Xiaoyang met with several local factions in Sava overnight, briefing them and asking them to search for the person through their respective channels.

There was no news yet.

The on-site investigation at the police station had yielded a discovery: they confirmed the identities of two of the gunmen and were continuing to investigate.

The family of the police officer with the mustache had been located at the wife’s parents’ home, but they had limited information. All they knew was that he had suddenly told them to leave and wait for his call.

The massive search throughout Sava State was still ongoing, with no discoveries so far.

Meanwhile, Shen Xin’s team was also searching, starting from the point where the scent was lost and fanning out along the roads.

But they still hadn’t picked up the trail again.

"Shen Xin, don’t get so worked up. Have something to eat," Jiang Wengang said, handing him some bread.

Shen Xin didn’t take it. He had no appetite at all.

Ahead, Celestial Skill turned its head to glance at Shen Xin before lowering its head and continuing to sniff everywhere.

Teddy and the others had also been sent out to search for the two identified perpetrators.

Compared to Ding Yuwei and Fan Liping, there was a greater chance the perpetrators would be out in the open.

Just then, Nan Ji arrived.

It was already 7:30 in the morning.

There were only four and a half hours left until noon.

Fortunately, He Jinglin had been planning to transport Nan Ji all along, so their base’s specialized transport vehicle had been left in Dehong.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have even been able to find a suitable truck on such short notice.

He Jinglin had already returned to the rescue center long ago. The person in charge who stayed behind in Dehong was named Chen Lei, and after getting out of the vehicle, he exclaimed how lucky they’d been.

He said that Nan Ji had been relatively well-behaved on the journey.

If she had gotten agitated, no one would have been able to stop her.

Nan Ji, still in the truck, had already caught Shen Xin’s scent and was trumpeting urgently.

Shen Xin quickly moved forward.

The truck door opened, and upon seeing Shen Xin, Nan Ji grew even more agitated.

She restlessly pushed against the iron cage inside, her every move making the truck let out loud, creaking groans.

"Nan Ji, calm down."

Shen Xin stepped forward and shouted.

His words worked. Nan Ji immediately settled down, only letting out low rumbles and hooking her trunk around Shen Xin’s arm.

After telling Tang Youkun and the others to back away, Shen Xin opened the cage and went inside.

Their presence would only stress Nan Ji, and they couldn’t help anyway.

Man and elephant stood facing each other inside the iron cage.

"Nan Ji, your baby is nearby. I’m going to take you to find her. As soon as you sense her, tell me immediately. Understand?"

Nan Ji’s Affinity had never been high; it was currently at six bars in the first stage.

But elephants are very intelligent. Nan Ji understood. She swung her trunk, let out a call, and then turned her head to look out the side door at the unfamiliar surroundings.

He hadn’t taught her to nod for yes and shake her head for no, but Shen Xin could roughly understand her meaning through the different emotions in her calls.

Shen Xin gestured to Chen Lei, signaling for the driver to start the truck.

They returned to the small town where the trail began and started searching from there, extending outwards along the various roads like the branches of a tree, section by section.

Back in town, they collected Teddy and the others before setting off again.

The large procession, with the truck’s cargo doors open and Nan Ji visible inside, was conspicuous enough to attract a lot of attention.

But no one could be bothered with that. They set off immediately. Of the three directions, they headed Southwest first.

With the truck carrying her, their speed was naturally quite fast.

Every few kilometers, the truck would stop to let Nan Ji check the area.

Throughout the process, Nan Ji stood as still as a statue, intently watching the outside world.

Five kilometers, ten kilometers.

Road led to road, one intersection after another.

The whole process was truly like finding a needle in a haystack.

An hour passed in the blink of an eye.

Shen Xin held a map, constantly crossing out one area after another.

Chen Lei was also in the cargo bay. He looked at the focused Shen Xin, then at Nan Ji, and said hesitantly, "Shen Xin, will this really work? I know elephants have a keen sense of smell, but in a city like this, there are too many interferences."

"Not to mention, just the exhaust from this truck... I think that’s a huge interference too."

Shen Xin remained silent.

’I’m well aware of everything Chen Lei just said,’ Shen Xin thought. ’But there’s no other way.’

All other methods were already in motion. All Shen Xin could do was use his own approach, clinging to it like a last straw and hoping for a miracle.

Chen Lei sighed softly and said no more.

Another half an hour or so passed like this.

The time was now just past nine o’clock.

As the truck was driving down the road, Nan Ji suddenly let out an urgent trumpet.

Shen Xin’s head snapped up. "Nan Ji, did you find her?"

Nan Ji trumpeted with longing and urgency.

Her baby, so small and still nursing, had been missing for so long.

Her longing for her calf had long since reached its peak.

She suddenly charged at the iron cage in a rage.

With a thunderous BOOM, the entire cage shuddered.

Shen Xin and Chen Lei were both thrown to the floor by the impact.

The driver slammed on the brakes. Nan Ji stumbled back a few steps with the inertia, then gathered her strength again, trying to smash through the cage.

But it wouldn’t break. She didn’t care, just kept ramming it like a mad beast.

Chen Lei’s face went deathly pale with fright.

Who would dare try to stop a wild elephant on a rampage?

But Shen Xin dared.

He shouted from the side, and when he saw it was useless, he actually ran behind Nan Ji and pulled her tail.

Chen Lei’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. ’Aren’t you afraid she’ll kick you with her hind leg?’ he thought.

After just a few rams, the iron cage was already bent out of shape.

Seeing that she couldn’t break through, Nan Ji finally stopped and turned her head to trumpet urgently at Shen Xin.

Only then did she seem to regain some of her senses.

Shen Xin had also been driven by desperation. In the heat of the moment, he had completely forgotten how futile it was to try and pull back a several-ton elephant.

"Nan Ji, calm down! Are you sure it’s your baby?" Shen Xin asked urgently.

Nan Ji rumbled, repeatedly tugging at Shen Xin with her trunk.

Just then, the Affinity icon above her head filled up in an instant.

The icon also quickly transformed, turning yellow.

It wasn’t over. It then shot up by another three bars in one go.

Shen Xin wasn’t actually surprised by this change.

For animals with a certain level of self-awareness, like Yuexiao before, their Affinity was like a rollercoaster, rising and falling entirely based on their mood.

He was fulfilling his promise to help Nan Ji find her calf. Whether out of gratitude or trust, a sudden surge in Affinity was only to be expected.

And the only benefit of entering the second stage was that he could now hear her thoughts.

’Out.’

’Baby.’

’Why?’

In an instant, a jumble of chaotic thoughts flooded Shen Xin’s mind.

"Out, we’re going out right now! Don’t move, stand back a bit," Shen Xin barked, stepping forward.

’The more critical the moment, the more I have to control Nan Ji’s emotions,’ he thought. ’She’s not Celestial Skill; I can’t just hold her back with a leash. If she charges recklessly, she could flip a car. And once we confirm the location, I absolutely can’t let her run wild. If she goes crazy, she’ll just charge in heedlessly, knock down walls to get to the location, and what if she startles the criminals and gets Ding Yuwei hurt?’

’No.’

Nan Ji trumpeted and postured as if to charge forward again.

"You dare!"

Shen Xin shouted, standing in front of her.

She stopped, but her trunk, full of dissatisfaction, swung out and struck Shen Xin.

The blow was like being hit by someone swinging a large tree. Shen Xin was sent flying to the ground, his whole body aching as if his bones had been shattered.

And the three bars of Affinity that had just risen vanished in an instant.

Seeing the truck screech to a halt, Tang Youkun and the others who were following behind rushed over. When they saw Nan Ji knock Shen Xin to the ground, they all instinctively drew their guns and aimed them at her.

If Nan Ji couldn’t be controlled, they would open fire without hesitation.

"Don’t shoot!"

Shen Xin yelled hastily. They had already found the target’s location; this wasn’t just about Nan Ji’s baby, but also about Ding Yuwei.

"Nan Ji, listen to me! If you act up again, believe it or not, I won’t take you to find your baby!" Shen Xin shouted.

Nan Ji clearly understood, but after more than a month, the sudden discovery of her baby had completely overwhelmed her. She paced restlessly on the spot, trumpeting nonstop.

’Baby.’

’Out.’

He could hear her thoughts, raging like a hurricane.

BANG!

The truck, unable to bear the load, had blown a tire.

The noise was deafening, and Nan Ji was startled.

Shen Xin was startled too, thinking someone had fired a shot.

Scrambling to his feet, Shen Xin still didn’t move aside. He looked Nan Ji straight in the eye and yelled, "Nan Ji, I’ll say it again: if you want to see your baby, you will listen to me."

Man and elephant faced off for a full ten seconds.

Finally, Nan Ji let out another call.

’Baby.’

’Listen to you.’

She swung her trunk, and Shen Xin instinctively flinched away.

Fortunately, it only came down gently to touch him.

’Help me.’

’Baby.’

Tears of desperation welled up in her eyes again as she rumbled continuously.

Shen Xin finally breathed a sigh of relief. He waved at Tang Youkun and the others, quickly telling them to open the cage.

It was already bent out of shape and couldn’t be pulled open.

They could only unlock the latch and let Nan Ji break it open herself.

With a thunderous CRASH, the iron cage burst open.

The outer cargo bay was also severely deformed, but they couldn’t worry about that now.

"Listen to me."

Shen Xin walked in front, looking Nan Ji in the eye and guiding her to slowly climb down from the truck.

The moment her feet hit the ground, she took off running.

"Nan Ji!"

Shen Xin immediately ran after her, shouting to stop her. "I said, listen to me!"

Only then did Nan Ji stop again, turning her head to look to the southeast.

Shen Xin held out his arm, signaling her to be quiet. "Let me up," he said.

Nan Ji immediately bent her front leg.

Shen Xin used her leg to climb onto her back.

’This beast is too dangerous,’ he thought. ’She can sprint at thirty or forty kilometers an hour. If she runs off into the mountain forest, we’ll never be able to catch her. If I’m on her back, at least I can have some control.’

Shen Xin grabbed her ear tightly, lifted it slightly, and asked her where the baby was, telling her to move slowly and find her.

Sure enough, she immediately walked off the road and headed straight for the southeast.

Thick banana trees were like paper mache, toppling over at the slightest touch.

Shen Xin quickly called for her to stop and told her to stay on the road.

He also immediately checked his map.

From their current position, within a ten-kilometer radius to the southeast...

The closest place was a small town called Mo Mao.

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