Animal Detective

Chapter 387: Chapter 319: Help Me

His first strike was aimed at the man pinning his arm.

The man jumped in fright, scrambling back in a panic and narrowly avoiding the blade.

But there was no time for a second strike.

Shen Xin shot forward. Just as the swing spent its momentum, Shen Xin seized his arm with lightning speed.

Like he’d said before, Shen Xin’s marksmanship might be questionable, but his hand-to-hand combat skills were solid.

"Li Shi, don’t do something stupid!"

Shen Xin locked Li Shi’s arm tightly and, with a sharp twist, sent the cleaver clattering to the ground.

Li Shi struggled violently, screaming, "Let go of me! Let me kill him!"

Meanwhile, Zhang Kaisheng and his cronies were trying to slip away.

"Stop!"

Shen Xin’s roar made them all flinch and freeze in their tracks.

The man who had nearly been cut, his face ashen, pointed at Li Shi and said, "Officer, you saw that! He came at me with a knife!"

Shen Xin told him to shut up.

Li Shi was still struggling furiously, letting out one scream after another.

"Li Shi, calm down." Shen Xin kicked the cleaver away, then pulled Li Shi into his chest, holding him in a tight lock.

He only loosened his grip slightly when he felt the boy’s strength finally give out.

"My boy, stop this! If something happens to you too, how is your old grandma supposed to live?" Geng Aiyi cried, struggling to crawl over and clutch at Li Shi.

Li Yao rushed over and hugged her brother too.

Li Shi let out a shriek and collapsed to the ground, his chest heaving rapidly. He let Geng Aiyi hold him, his red-rimmed eyes locked in a death stare on Zhang Kaisheng.

Keeping one hand on Li Shi, Shen Xin pulled out his phone with the other while pointing at Zhang Kaisheng’s group. "All of you, squat against the wall."

They’d come to cause trouble before.

Zhang Xi and Zhang Deli were still being held at the station, yet here they were again.

Everyone except Zhang Kaisheng immediately squatted down against the wall.

Zhang Kaisheng’s face was full of contempt. He yelled, "Who the fuck are you trying to scare? And which one of your eyes saw me hit him? He’s the one who came at us with a knife! The little bastard is just like his dad—both lunatics who should’ve been shot."

Beside him, Li Shi tried to lunge forward again, but Shen Xin held him back tightly.

Shen Xin had already dialed Zhu Qiuwei’s number.

He was nearby and could get there quickly.

Staring directly at Zhang Kaisheng, Shen Xin’s eyes were practically shooting fire. He enunciated each word, "I’ll say it one more time. Squat. Against. The wall!"

Their gazes clashed, but Zhang Kaisheng eventually looked away and reluctantly squatted down.

From the crowd of villagers gathered at the courtyard gate, someone shouted, "Zhang Kaisheng, he’s just a kid! That’s enough!"

Zhang Kaisheng shot back to his feet. "Don’t fucking talk to me about ’just a kid’! The son pays for the father’s debt. My brother’s dead, so what’s wrong with me going after him?"

He then pointed arrogantly at the crowd and yelled, "Who said that? If you’ve got the balls, say it to my fucking face."

No one spoke up where he was pointing.

Only then did Zhang Kaisheng squat back down, but he didn’t shut his mouth. He turned his head and sneered, "Go ahead, arrest me. I’ll be out in a few days. Who are you trying to scare?"

"But you two just wait."

His gaze fell coldly on Li Shi’s family. "Little bastard, your dad got off easy by dying. But you’re still here. For every day you’re alive, I’ll make your fucking life hell."

"And that’s my word. Your grandma, your sister... you just watch and see if I don’t do it."

Li Shi let out a guttural roar and charged forward like a madman.

Shen Xin wrapped his arms around him tightly, too busy to even speak to Zhu Qiuwei on the phone.

Not that he needed to. Zhu Qiuwei must have heard everything on the other end of the line.

"Let go! Let go of me!" Li Shi was still struggling.

Beside them, Li Yao’s sobs grew louder.

Geng Aiyi, with her bad legs, suddenly struggled to crawl toward the distant cleaver.

Shen Xin quickly shouted for Liu Shasha.

Liu Shasha, who had been somewhat frozen in shock, finally snapped out of it and rushed to grab the cleaver first.

Geng Aiyi struggled to get up, reaching for Liu Shasha. "Teacher Liu, give me the knife. I’m old. I’ll kill him. I’ll pay with my life."

Terrified, Liu Shasha backed away repeatedly.

Zhang Kaisheng was still yelling, "Come on, you old hag! I’m fucking standing right here! Come kill me! I’d love to see how tough your family really is."

Shen Xin fought the urge to rush over, kick him unconscious, and shut his foul mouth for good.

Just then, Fu Lianghui hurriedly pushed his way through the crowd.

’Finally, some backup.’

Shen Xin quickly asked Fu Lianghui and the others to help take Zhang Kaisheng’s group outside and watch them. He told them not to let anyone leave.

’I’ve memorized the face of everyone who was here.’

A short while later, Zhu Qiuwei and his team arrived in a hurry.

They rushed into the courtyard.

The place was a mess. A cleaver lay on the ground. Under the eaves, Geng Aiyi clung tightly to Li Shi, who stood as still as a stone statue. Li Yao sat beside her, hugging her arm and sobbing nonstop.

Seeing this scene, Zhu Qiuwei didn’t even need to ask to guess what had happened.

He clenched his fists, stamped his foot lightly in frustration, and turned to walk back out.

Zhang Kaisheng and the others were taken away.

Zhu Qiuwei joined Shen Xin. Glancing back at the grandmother and her two grandchildren, he said in a low voice, "This isn’t over. Something else is going to happen."

Shen Xin nodded. "Captain Zhu, see if we can get someone from the medical examiner’s office to come do an injury assessment on the boy and the old woman. I think it should qualify as a minor injury."

’With a charge for ’picking quarrels and provoking trouble,’ plus the minor injury, the intimidation of an elder and a child, and his public threats to burn the house down, it will definitely qualify as a flagrant offense.’

’At the very least, he’ll get a few months in jail. That should teach him his actions have serious consequences.’

At the station, Shen Xin had seen too many people like that—arrogant loudmouths who boasted about how they’d just do a few days in jail and come right back to get you.

It was only after they were actually locked up that they learned how to behave.

Zhu Qiuwei thought for a moment, then nodded.

’Knives were drawn. If this isn’t handled properly, something much worse will happen down the line.’

While he contacted the medical examiner, he also went to find Fu Lianghui to discuss whether the village could provide some assistance.

A widowed old woman and two underage children—they couldn’t just be ignored.

Walking out of the courtyard gate, Shen Xin looked up and saw Duan Dongqiang in the crowd, craning his neck to watch.

’What is he thinking as he watches all this?’

’Satisfaction? Glee?’

Shen Xin’s gaze sharpened. He turned, took Yi Wan’s lead, and walked away.

He went to a donkey farmer in the village to get some fodder, let Yi Wan eat his fill, then mounted him and set off again.

As he turned onto the main road, a sudden, cool wind picked up.

Shen Xin looked up. On the distant horizon, shadows were massing like black clouds pressing down on a city.

’It really might rain soon.’

Shen Xin felt a sense of urgency. Once it rained, some things would become even harder to find.

"Yi Wan, pick up the pace."

Shen Xin stroked Yi Wan’s mane.

The donkey turned his head and let out a series of huffing brays at Shen Xin.

He had no idea what it meant.

...

Night enveloped the land.

It wasn’t until nearly ten at night that the "intelligence network" at the entrance to Baijia Village finally dispersed.

Near the winding mountain road, Yi Wan lay on the ground, feigning sleep. Shen Xin squatted beside him, chewing on a stalk of grass, his gaze fixed on Duan Dongqiang’s house from his elevated vantage point.

’If Duan Dongqiang was spooked and planned to make a move, it would have to be late at night.’

As he watched, a car approached from a distance and pulled up beside him.

Li Xiaowen leaned out, dangling a takeout container.

The car pulled over to the side of the road and the engine cut out. The two of them sat inside.

Li Xiaowen checked the weather forecast, his brow furrowing even more.

Then he sent a message to Zhu Qiuwei, telling them to hurry.

Zhu Qiuwei’s team wasn’t idle; they were pulling an all-nighter, searching.

The forecast said it was going to rain tomorrow.

They kept watch until almost one in the morning.

Just before eleven, the lights in Duan Dongqiang’s house went out. The guy had gone to bed.

Shen Xin and Li Xiaowen didn’t dare to sleep, taking turns on watch.

Li Xiaowen went to sleep first, preparing to take over for the most grueling part of the watch in the latter half of the night.

Shen Xin stared out in silence. The only light in the entire village came from a single streetlight at the entrance.

Just then, a shadow flickered in the corner of his eye, reflected in the side-view mirror.

He snapped his head around.

He saw a figure coming down the mountain road. Taking a closer look, Shen Xin’s expression changed. He threw open the car door and bolted out.

Beside him, Li Xiaowen was instantly jolted awake.

In the darkness, Shen Xin sprinted over. It was none other than Li Shi.

Li Shi saw him too and immediately turned to run.

’The little brat is fast.’

But he’d taken several beatings over the past few days. In his haste, he twisted his ankle and fell to the ground.

Shen Xin closed the distance in a single bound and pinned him down.

"Li Shi, what do you think you’re doing?!"

Shen Xin held him down, trying to pry the cleaver from his hand.

He wouldn’t let go, his voice breaking into a sob as he pleaded, "Leave me alone."

Shen Xin used his strength, wrenched the cleaver free, and tossed it aside. Furious, he slapped him across the face.

’The little bastard, he actually came!’

Shen Xin had stayed behind specifically for two reasons: one, to watch Duan Dongqiang, and two, to prevent Li Shi from doing something reckless.

Li Xiaowen ran over and quickly picked up the cleaver.

Stunned by the slap, Li Shi froze for a moment, then began slapping himself like a madman, screaming uncontrollably.

Shen Xin quickly grabbed his hands and pointed toward the mountain. "Li Shi, your father came down from that mountain and made a terrible mistake. And you?"

"I know you’re furious, but this isn’t the way. Your father already made one mistake. Are you going to make another?"

Li Shi stared at Shen Xin, his eyes trembling. "Then what am I supposed to do? You heard them! They’re going to go after my sister, after my grandma! What can I do? You tell me, what can I do?"

"I want to protect them, but I can’t beat them! If I kill them, I’ll pay for it with my life, but at least my sister can live on! She won’t have to be bullied anymore! She’s the only sister I have."

"When my mom was dying, she held my hand and told me I’m the older brother, that I had to look after my sister. So what am I supposed to do?"

He glared with bloodshot eyes, his voice a series of desperate questions.

Then he broke down completely, wailing into the night.

After three days, he finally cried.

He cried hysterically, sobbing so hard he could barely breathe.

Clutching the knife, Li Xiaowen stood silently to the side.

Shen Xin fell silent as well, slowly rising to his feet.

Li Shi suddenly grabbed Shen Xin. Now a complete mess of tears, he begged in a trembling voice, "I’m begging you, please help me. I don’t know what else to do."

In that moment, his face was a mask of pure helplessness.

Shen Xin sighed and pulled him into a hug.