Animal Detective

Chapter 345: Chapter 281: I Only Have Eyes for You

Shen Xin sucked in a sharp breath, just like everyone else. He had only one thought in his mind: ’The person who designed this competition is an absolute troll.’

So devious!

The first event incorporated live-action CQB and was astonishingly difficult.

Now, the second event was even more unorthodox.

The SWAT base had a large indoor training hall, which was probably used for things like combat training.

But now, when the main doors were pulled open, what greeted everyone’s eyes was... a night market!

Two rows of mobile food stalls stretched out before them.

Sizzling-plate squid, New Orleans-style chicken, roasted duck, oden, grilled starch sausages...

As far as the eye could see, no two stalls were the same.

Moreover, Shen Xin had a strong suspicion that the people running these stalls weren’t just actors hired for the occasion; they were real vendors who did this for a living.

The stall signs were old and stained with grease.

Some had even driven their three-wheeled carts directly inside.

But most importantly, there was the smell.

Shen Xin took a deep breath. The air was filled with the charcoal-grilled aromas of a bustling street market, so tantalizing it made one’s mouth water.

Beside him, Chen Ran’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard.

Shen Xin felt a sudden pang of hunger himself and looked toward the judges. ’What is this all about?’

’Are they rewarding us because the competition has been too grueling?’

But it was obvious this was just a feint, like a boss announcing a day off, only to take everyone on a team-building exercise instead.

There was no reward.

Lv Yuan, holding a megaphone, announced the details of the next event.

It was all about simulating real-life scenarios, after all.

In a bustling night market, a series of vicious crimes had occurred.

For instance, someone had taken a hostage, another was threatening to detonate a bomb, and a madman was indiscriminately attacking passersby.

In such situations, the patrolling K9 units needed to respond immediately and make the correct decisions despite the distractions.

That’s right—the stalls and all the delicious food were the distractions.

The roasted duck, in particular, must have been made with some potent flavor enhancers; its aroma bored right into your nostrils.

Shen Xin could already see some of the K9s drooling uncontrollably.

Shen Xin had seen the food refusal training they did at the base, where a chicken leg was placed in a bowl, and the dogs couldn’t eat it without a command.

But that was in an empty environment, with just a single chicken leg.

Even then, it was enough to make the K9s drool, forcing them to restrain themselves, looking utterly pitiful.

Now, however, the air was saturated with the smells of delicious food. It would be a miracle if they didn’t get distracted.

This was why Shen Xin truly felt the designer of this test was devious—a complete and utter troll.

Wan Chao walked right up to a stall and ordered a skewer of grilled starch sausage.

And then he started eating it.

He spoke while chewing, "Everyone, we said yesterday... this would simulate real-life scenarios... After the competition, it’ll be just in time for lunch... we’ll just eat here."

His words were muffled by the food. After speaking, he even turned his head and asked the woman at the stall to sprinkle some more chili powder on his sausage.

"We’re doomed."

Chen Ran tugged on Xiaoba’s leash, but he could feel the dog was already becoming hard to pull back.

The other participants groaned in dismay.

This sugar-coated cannonball they’d prepared was a bit too powerful.

Shen Xin gave Tian Kui’s leash a tug. The dog was staring intently at the New Orleans-style chicken leg stall, his eyes starting to glaze over.

He even turned his head to give Shen Xin a reproachful look.

[Time to work. Hungry.]

Shen Xin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. After a moment’s thought, he led the dog over and directly ordered a few grilled chicken legs.

Seeing everyone looking at him in confusion, Shen Xin said, "I think it’ll be better if we get them full first."

Everyone was stunned.

Wan Chao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "This kid is quick on his feet."

Wang Peidong, on the other hand, nodded to himself. ’Quick thinking is a necessary quality for an outstanding detective.’

"Damn, Shen Xin, you’re a genius."

"Exactly! Let’s feed them first."

Shi Xianbo and the others immediately caught on. Chen Ran quickly led Xiaoba over to get some starch sausages.

Shen Xin got a few starch sausages for Tian Kui as well, then said quietly to Chen Ran, "Don’t let Xiaoba eat too much. He’ll be sluggish if he’s too full."

That was all he was going to say.

Chen Ran understood and quickly nodded.

Shen Xin glanced over at the team from Ningshan.

Hou Ben Dong was leading Mumu, an awkward expression on his face.

They had also thought of the same countermeasure as Shen Xin, so Hou Ben Dong had deliberately fed Mumu a huge breakfast that morning.

If the dog ate again now, it might really be too full to perform properly.

The problem was, all the other dogs were eating. Mumu would feel so wronged if he was the only one left out.

Hou Ben Dong stood there with Mumu, so awkward he didn’t know what to do.

Lv Yuan stepped in to stop them. "Alright, that’s enough for a snack. You can have a proper meal after the competition is over."

He shot Shen Xin a helpless glare.

Although it seemed like a logical countermeasure, they honestly hadn’t thought of it when designing the test.

Shen Xin offered a roasted chicken leg to Celestial Skill, but she didn’t want it.

She had already eaten that morning.

Shen Xin subconsciously offered it to Li Jiahui, asking if she wanted it.

Li Jiahui thought to herself, ’Fine, don’t ask me first. But you’re only giving it to me because the dog didn’t want it, is that it?’

Still, she took the chicken leg and said while eating, "Shen Xin, why don’t you have Celestial Skill compete?"

Although this was a public security and crime prevention event, Celestial Skill’s performance in this area during the base assessment had been no worse than Tian Kui’s.

Most importantly, she wasn’t a glutton.

She would eat whatever she was given and never ask for more.

"That could work."

Shen Xin thought for a moment and nodded.

Meanwhile, Tian Kui had already gobbled down his food and was now pawing at Shen Xin’s pant leg, clamoring for more.

Worried that the K9s would eat too much, Lv Yuan quickly called for the competition to begin.

A large "crowd" flooded into the area, all played by members of the SWAT team.

It was a good number of people, around forty or fifty of them.

Next, three separate emergencies would occur in succession, requiring the competing K9 and handler to deal with them appropriately.

All eyes turned in unison toward the Ningshan team.

Meng Fuqiang, knowing he’d become the public enemy, waved his hand for Hou Ben Dong to get ready.

As it turned out, this event’s difficulty was no less than the previous CQB challenge.

The "crowd" of nearly fifty people, all in civilian clothes, moved about and stopped randomly, ordering food from the vendors. Various sounds mingled together, just like a normal, noisy night market.

The competitors then had to patrol with their K9s, not knowing when or where an attack would occur.

The randomness was extreme.

But the biggest challenge was still the distractions.

You might be on high alert, but then the guy grilling lamb skewers over there would toss a handful of seasoning onto the charcoal, causing it to SIZZLE loudly and send up a plume of white smoke.

When that aroma wafted out, how could a K9 not turn its head or lose focus?

And when an emergency did occur, this band of "civilians" also started acting like trolls. They would "flee in a panic," but then they’d just loiter right in front of you, blocking the K9’s line of sight.

In the chaos, even the handler might not be able to see where the incident was happening, so how could the K9 possibly find the target?

After more than ten minutes, Hou Ben Dong completed his run.

Mumu handled all three emergencies, but the response times were too slow.

For the first incident, the pair took nearly ten seconds just to confirm where it was happening. By the time they pushed through the crowd and Mumu attacked, the "hostage" had already been "stabbed to death."

Shen Xin silently estimated the time.

’Twenty seconds.’

’So, you get a 20-second window to react to each emergency.’

’Exceed that time, and it counts as a failure.’

Hou Ben Dong returned with Mumu, his face a mask of frustration. The other competitors felt their scalps tingle, all of them silent.

The difficulty was truly immense.

Everyone then looked toward Fang Weijie. ’You want to be the leader, now’s your time to step up.’

After the first event, Fang Weijie already felt he had underestimated the difficulty of this competition.

Now he was afraid that not only would he fail to become the leader, but he would also make a fool of himself.

"You guys go first. We’ll observe for a bit and go last to get a good score," Fang Weijie said.

No one said anything, but in their hearts, they were probably all thinking, ’What a useless coward.’

Then, all at once, their gazes shifted to the Nanjiang team.

Or rather, to Shen Xin.

After the first event, it was clear that Shen Xin was the more reliable one.

Besides, Shen Xin had a wildcard entry, so it wouldn’t matter if he lost.

As long as they didn’t let Ningshan get too smug, that was all that mattered.

Shen Xin didn’t hesitate, leading Celestial Skill out to compete.

After watching the Ningshan team’s run, Shen Xin had confirmed two key points.

First, the K9’s resistance to distraction had to be strong.

This included not just delicious food, but also the loud noises and the surging crowds.

Second, it also tested the handler’s reaction speed.

When an emergency occurred, the handler couldn’t panic. They had to react promptly, spot the situation immediately, and make a quick decision.

In other words, it was a test of both K9 and handler.

Shen Xin felt this was the true heart of the challenge.

A qualified handler not only had to train an excellent K9 but also had to possess outstanding personal qualities.

And that, as it happened, was his specialty.

He had worked at a local police station and served as a detective. When it came to emergencies, Shen Xin’s reactions were bound to be far superior to those of a regular handler.

Shen Xin walked through the crowd, his sharp gaze sweeping over every person.

Some veteran officers, especially those who had worked at local stations for many years, truly developed an eagle eye.

Take his master, Li Dongsheng, for example. While patrolling a subway station, he could spot someone suspicious in a surging crowd with a single glance and go over to question them.

At first, Shen Xin didn’t understand how someone’s eyes could be so perceptive.

He only understood the reason after Li Dongsheng explained it to him.

It was because people with something to hide would get nervous the moment they saw a police officer.

They would avoid eye contact or subconsciously alter their path, trying to get away from you.

They think that because they’re surrounded by people, the police won’t notice them.

In reality, their subconscious behavior is extremely obvious.

It’s just like cheating on a test in school. You think you’re being sneaky with your cheat sheet, but the teacher at the front of the room can see everything crystal clear. Sometimes, they just can’t be bothered to call you out.

Now, Shen Xin could use these same tells to observe who was suspicious.

The "culprit" was probably waiting for the right moment to act and would also be watching Shen Xin’s position.

So, after just two passes through the crowd, Shen Xin had already locked onto two targets.

The two of them weren’t moving naturally and were secretly watching him.

One of them was being followed by another person, who was likely the "hostage" he was about to take.

With this in mind, Shen Xin proactively led Celestial Skill toward them.

What Shen Xin didn’t know was that while he was observing his targets, others were observing him.

Especially Celestial Skill.

It’s in comparison that the difference truly shows.

During the Ningshan team’s run, Mumu had followed Hou Ben Dong, but his attention was clearly not on his handler.

He would look at the delicious food nearby, and whenever a sound was made, Mumu would immediately turn his head toward it.

The distractions were too powerful.

But Celestial Skill was different. She walked at Shen Xin’s right side, her eyes never leaving him for a single moment.

No matter what happened around them, no matter what sounds she heard, she was always watching Shen Xin.

It was as if her eyes had room for nothing else.