Animal Detective

Chapter 340: Chapter 277: Ningshan Really Deserves to Die

Onstage,

Wan Chao, maintaining a smile, said, "Shen Xin, stand up and say hello to everyone."

’It’s like he’s afraid not everyone knows who I am.’

’Shen Xin suspected Wan Chao was using him as a target to fire everyone up.’

Taking a deep breath, Shen Xin stood up and saluted the crowd.

’I’m a criminal investigator, an outsider anyway. If I become the public enemy, so be it. What the hell is there to be afraid of?’

With that, all eyes focused on Shen Xin.

Behind him, Li Jiahui started clapping again, her face beaming with pride.

Applause slowly rippled through the room.

But the murmuring continued.

Next to Meng Fuqiang, a young man asked in a low voice, "Director, is he really a criminal investigator?"

He remembered Wan Chao being very clear: an investigator from the Nanjiang Tingyang Branch, not a handler from the Nanjiang Police Dog Base.

’A criminal investigator who doesn’t catch criminals, but trains police dogs instead.’

’Just goes to show, it’s never your direct competition that gets you, it’s the crossover.’

Meng Fuqiang’s eyes were fixed on Shen Xin, filled with a burning desire to recruit him. He nodded. "That’s right, he’s a criminal investigator. He helped crack the city’s biggest drug case last year."

That case from last year involved over a ton of drugs. It was major news, so a lot of people had heard about it.

"He’s that incredible?"

The handlers beside him were left dumbfounded.

"You should all learn a thing or two from him," Meng Fuqiang added, lecturing them.

The men glanced at each other, speechless.

’Learn? How are we supposed to learn?’

’It’s not like you can send us off to the criminal investigation division for a tour of duty.’

’Thankfully, this was just an introduction. They didn’t ask me to give a speech about my experiences or anything.’

’I don’t have a speech prepared.’

After motioning for Shen Xin to sit, Wan Chao returned to his original topic.

He was using Shen Xin’s search for Fan Lei as an example to prove his point: K-9 training must be integrated with real-world operations.

They could no longer stick to the old, fixed routines.

Times are changing and criminals are getting more sophisticated. Police dogs have to evolve as well.

He then began to outline the competition’s schedule.

The crowd’s attention finally shifted slightly from Shen Xin, only to turn in unison and glare at Meng Fuqiang and his group.

’Shen Xin is a criminal investigator; he’s probably just dabbling in K-9 training for fun.’

’Why else would he need a wild card to compete?’

’As the saying goes, "deal with the traitors at home before fighting the enemy abroad." A turncoat like Meng Fuqiang was the real enemy.’

Wan Chao didn’t reveal the specific details of the events, but he did mention a few key points.

For instance, the events would simulate real-world environments as closely as possible.

There would also be double-blind testing.

In a double-blind test, neither the judges nor the competing teams would know what the targets were, how many there were, or where they were. Everything would be randomized.

Take a vehicle search, for example. In the past, there would only be one target in the car.

But now, there might be two, and you wouldn’t be told what they were.

Even the judges wouldn’t know. Whether or not you could find the targets would depend entirely on how well-prepared you were from your daily training.

Shen Xin felt an intense gaze from the person next to him.

It was Yang Lichuan.

He kept turning to look at Shen Xin, making him very uncomfortable.

After a moment, Yang Lichuan couldn’t resist asking in a low voice, "Are you really a criminal investigator?"

Shen Xin silently rolled his eyes. "The director is speaking. Pay attention."

Yang Lichuan muttered an "oh," but still couldn’t stop looking at Shen Xin.

The meeting ended over half an hour later.

After standing up, Wan Chao unexpectedly waved Shen Xin over.

Shen Xin hurried over.

The big shot, Wang Peidong, hadn’t left either. He had a very particular aura about him.

Shen Xin thought for a moment and found the right way to describe it.

It was like when he was a kid and got in trouble at school or did poorly on a test.

And then he’d get home, and his dad would seem calm on the surface, but he could never tell if his dad knew he’d messed up. It was that same inscrutable feeling.

Wan Chao offered a few words of praise, and then Wang Peidong spoke up. "Shen Xin, I know who you are. You do good work in your primary role."

The words left Shen Xin feeling a bit star-struck.

The man before him was, in a sense, the career goal Shen Xin was striving for.

Captain of the Criminal Investigation Division!

’Out in public, you’d call him President Wang.’

"Thank you for the acknowledgment, President Wang. I was just fulfilling my duty. It was mainly thanks to the guidance and support of my superiors."

Shen Xin replied quickly, though a thought subconsciously nagged at him.

’When President Wang said I did good work in my "primary role," was that a hint?’

It wasn’t that Shen Xin was being overly sensitive.

As his dad always said, no one who makes it to that level is a fool, and they don’t speak without reason.

Since he couldn’t figure it out, Shen Xin decided to just stop thinking about it.

’I rely on my ability, and that’s important too.’

Wang Peidong gave a slight nod. Without saying anything more to Shen Xin, he left with Wan Chao and the others.

The moment he stepped off the stage, Shen Xin was swarmed by the crowd.

A barrage of questions was thrown at him from all sides.

Some asked how he trained a stray to become a police dog.

Others asked how he managed to command so many dogs at once.

These were all section-level chiefs, so Shen Xin couldn’t afford to be dismissive. He gave them the same spiel he had used on Meng Fuqiang.

’Basically: I can do it. Whether or not you can is none of my business.’

Sure enough, while they couldn’t comprehend something that so completely upended their understanding, they were nevertheless deeply shaken.

"Lao Li, I’m so jealous."

Someone said, looking at Li Yinjiang.

"Even though Shen Xin is a criminal investigator, he’s from your jurisdiction. You guys definitely have an inside track."

"Just look at the situation now—Shen Xin shows up with dogs he trained himself and gets a wild card entry straight into the competition."

"That’s a tangible benefit right there."

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

Nanjiang is already a model partner base for the provincial department. Now, with a powerhouse like Shen Xin as reinforcement, they’re like a tiger that’s grown wings.

Li Yinjiang waved it off humbly, but the grin on his face nearly split his face in two. He pulled Shen Xin along and said, "Alright, everyone, let’s all head back and discuss our strategy for tomorrow’s events."

The group nodded, then simultaneously shot a furious glare at Meng Fuqiang.

’They had never seen a "leader" quite like him.’

The group returned to the hotel. They didn’t need to spend much time getting used to the venue.

According to Li Yinjiang, they’d already heard that several events wouldn’t even be held at the base, so a brief familiarization was all that was needed.

The key was finding out what the events would actually be.

Back at the hotel, Li Yinjiang gathered everyone for a strategy meeting.

The consensus from the discussion was that Meng Fuqiang was a scoundrel and deserved whatever was coming to him.

Shen Xin was a wild card entry, not a member of their base, so he couldn’t really empathize with their frustration.

Besides, Shen Xin was still preoccupied with what President Wang had said.

’Primary role?’

’He was probably really trying to send me a message.’

So, as the others engaged in a heated discussion, Shen Xin’s mind drifted. He sent a message to Ding Yuwei, asking if things were busy at the branch and if there were any new cases.

Ding Yuwei quickly replied with a picture.

It looked like she was writing up some reports.

The caption read: All is peaceful.

’So no major cases, just the usual minor stuff.’

Shen Xin thought for a moment, then also asked about Jiang Qi’s whistleblower letter.

It had been over a month, and he hadn’t seen his colleagues from the Economic Crimes Division celebrating, so there was probably no resolution yet.

Ding Yuwei’s message came back: "Shall I go and inquire on *your* behalf?"

’*"Your"*? Her tone is off.’

’Looks like I’ve been so focused on this K-9 project lately that I’ve neglected my only team member’s feelings.’

"Don’t bother."

Economic crime cases were always major undertakings, often taking months to investigate.

No results after just over a month was nothing unusual.

Since he was in Ningshan, Shen Xin asked if she wanted him to bring a gift back for her.

"Roast duck?"

She replied.

The response left Shen Xin completely speechless.

Just as he was trying to figure out how to reply and placate his one and only team member, Li Jiahui nudged him.

He looked up and realized everyone was looking at him.

’Are they waiting for me to say something?’

"I’m good with whatever."

’It must be time to eat. They’re probably asking what I want.’

’As long as it’s not duck.’

Li Yinjiang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He waved his hand and said, "Let’s leave it at that for now." Then he called everyone to dinner, mentioning he knew a nearby place with great salted duck.

「The next day, the competition officially began.」

At 8:00 AM, they assembled at the police dog base.

First up were the leadership’s opening remarks.

An internal skills competition of this scale was a major event.

In addition to Wang Peidong and Wan Chao, a number of other leaders were also present today.

For example, the Director-General, Lin Weinian.

Then there were representatives from all the relevant departments.

For example, the Narcotics Division, Criminal Investigation, SWAT, Airport Police, and Immigration Administration.

Shen Xin had met Tang Youkun, the captain of the Narcotics Division, during the drug case last year.

He also spotted Zhang Ning, the captain of the Dragon and Tiger Assault Team.

While the leaders were giving their speeches, Zhang Ning, who was standing below the stage, even winked at Shen Xin.

The content of the speeches was similar to yesterday’s meeting, with the main theme being real-world application.

The leaders’ constant emphasis on this point made Li Yinjiang and the others feel increasingly uneasy.

Li Yinjiang was muttering something under his breath, probably cursing out Meng Fuqiang again.

The first event of the day was Public Security and Crime Prevention.

It really wasn’t being held at the base. Everyone was herded directly onto a bus, with no idea where they were headed.

This move made Chen Ran and the others even more anxious.

"Where on earth are we going?"

Yuan Mingtao, Qiuqiu’s handler, said as he looked out the window.

No one could answer his question.

In previous competitions, the Public Security and Crime Prevention category consisted of a set number of events.

For example, suspect apprehension and bite work, or rapid suspect search.

But with this year’s repeated emphasis on real-world application, no one had a clue what the events would actually entail.

Soon, the bus reached its destination.

"This is the SWAT base?"

Li Yinjiang exclaimed softly upon seeing the sign at the entrance.

Shi Xianbo, who was on the same bus, also looked completely astonished.

The Public Security and Crime Prevention skills were primarily utilized by SWAT.

The question was, if they were being brought directly to the SWAT base for the competition, what exactly was the event going to be?

Amid everyone’s confusion, the group arrived at Competition Site 1.

It was a two-story abandoned building.

Li Jiahui said with surprise, "Isn’t this where the SWAT team practices their... what do you call them... tactics?"

Shen Xin said, "You’re talking about CQB—Close Quarters Battle—tactics."

Combat in confined indoor spaces.

The head of the competition’s judging panel was a man named Lv Yuan.

He gathered everyone and began to announce the details of the first event.

The handlers would accompany members of the Dragon and Tiger Assault Team on a near-realistic CQB training exercise.

The exercise would test the K-9s’ ability to work in coordination with the team during the operation.

He listed a few evaluation criteria.

For example, the dog had to remain silent when stealth was required.

For another, before a door was opened, the dog was expected to use its hearing and sense of smell—far superior to a human’s—to determine if there were hostiles on the other side and give a silent alert.

There would also be a search for hazardous materials on site.

And the double-blind test was in effect: no one knew exactly how many hazardous items were on site. It all came down to the dog’s ability.

When he finished his announcement, the crowd erupted in an uproar.

And then, Li Yinjiang and the others once again turned in unison to glare at Meng Fuqiang and his team.

They had never, ever trained for any of this.

So it came back to the same thought: Damn you, Ningshan!