Animal Detective-Chapter 55: I Want to Be a Detective

After hearing Shen Xin’s rundown of the case, Sun Zhao and Chen Chao exchanged a look but didn’t offer an immediate answer.

"What are your thoughts, Xiaoshen?" Sun Zhao tossed the question back at him.

Shen Xin shook his head.

’He did have a few ideas, though.’

’For example, they could expand the search area. The suspect struck in the early morning hours. Jinmei Garden is an older complex, so while the surrounding surveillance has plenty of blind spots, there wouldn’t have been many people on the streets at that hour. Widening the search should turn something up.’

’They could also try to work with the physical evidence, like the bricks used to smash the glass.’

’Maybe they could find some clues on them.’

’Those three bricks were still sitting in the trunk of the police car.’

But Shen Xin felt these ideas weren’t fully formed, and he wasn’t sure if they were even correct, so he was too embarrassed to voice them.

Just then, Chen Chao spoke up. "Xiaoshen, I’ve told you before: there’s rarely such a thing as motiveless hate in this world. When we investigate cases, it always boils down to two things: emotions and interests. Stick to those two tracks, and you can’t go wrong."

Shen Xin nodded thoughtfully, recalling what the clinic owner had said.

The owner, Chi Yidong, claimed to have a very simple social life.

Most importantly, he’d only been in Nanjiang for a little over half a year.

’This guy might be a hit-and-run type, scamming people in one city before quickly moving on to the next.’

"Could it be a customer? For instance, maybe someone bought his male enhancement pills, they didn’t work, and he felt scammed, so he decided to retaliate out of anger?" Shen Xin offered tentatively.

’That’s very possible.’

’After all, Chi Yidong’s stuff isn’t cheap. A few courses of treatment could run into the thousands, or even tens of thousands.’

"Probably not."

Shen Xin shook his head again.

’This sort of thing is a classic case of "let the buyer beware." It’s tied to a man’s pride. Even if they get scammed, they’d be too embarrassed to come back and make a scene.’

’If they made a big fuss and everyone found out, how humiliating would that be?’

’Then again, not everyone thinks the same way.’

’What if a customer bought the drugs, planning to give his girlfriend a surprise and really show her what he’s made of?’

’But what happens when it doesn’t go well?’

’His girlfriend gets angry and breaks up with him!’

’In a fit of rage, it’s possible he’d choose to retaliate.’

But if he set that possibility aside, Shen Xin recalled Chen Chao’s words and suddenly thought of something else.

’Interests!’

’For example, what about a competitor? Chi Yidong’s business was doing so well—could he have drawn the jealousy of his peers?’

Shen Xin suddenly remembered that just outside the south gate of Jinmei Garden, there was another clinic called Jiale. The owner was a quiet, middle-aged man of few words. Shen Xin had even gone over to question him.

’The problem was, the Jiale Clinic seemed to be a legitimate small practice.’

’Chi Yidong’s clinic, on the other hand, was a classic bait-and-switch. There shouldn’t be any direct competition between them, right?’

’Still, it was a lead. Now all he had to do was follow the procedure and investigate.’

’Captain Chen was right. For an ordinary case like this, focusing on emotions and interests was definitely the way to go.’

"Thank you, Captain Sun, Captain Chen. I know what to do now," Shen Xin said, thanking them quickly.

He eagerly turned to leave, ready to start the investigation right away.

Shen Xin’s hasty departure left Sun Zhao and Chen Chao stunned.

"Wait, what does he think he knows now?" Sun Zhao muttered.

’We haven’t even started teaching you, and you’re already walking off with that ’I get it’ look on your face. You know how frustrating that is, right?’

Chen Chao shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "The kid actually knows exactly what he’s doing. He’s got his own ideas. Asking us was probably just a formality."

"True enough."

Sun Zhao nodded.

In the Wu Jiawang disappearance case, Shen Xin had displayed a sharp intuition and a wildly creative way of thinking that even Sun Zhao found incredible.

Shen Xin was about to take off, but before he could leave, a phone call summoned him back.

Inside Lv Youwei’s office.

Wang Xihai was there, as were Sun Zhao and Chen Chao.

When Shen Xin arrived, Li Xiaoguang was just walking out, sighing in resignation.

’He must have gotten an earful.’

’He’ll probably have to keep a close watch on Wu Zhicun when he gets back.’

He knocked and entered.

Lv Youwei was speaking with Sun Zhao and Chen Chao, his expression grim. But when he saw Shen Xin enter, his face immediately broke into a smile. He waved for Shen Xin to stand off to the side.

Shen Xin immediately stood off to the side, his gaze fixed on the floor in a show of deference.

"Sun Zhao, the Wu Jiawang case served as a wake-up call for us. I said it during the last meeting—we need to do some soul-searching."

"Cold cases like this, left unresolved for years, cause tremendous harm to the victims."

"Wu Zhicun waited in anguish for his grandson for seven years and attempted suicide twice. It’s a terrible situation."

"I have an idea. I want to pull all the bureau’s cold cases from the last ten years and re-examine them."

"Back then, we may not have had the resources to solve them, but things are much better now. Isn’t it possible that if we give it another push, we could make a breakthrough?"

"I imagine there are quite a few cases like that."

’Old cases, cold cases... what precinct doesn’t have them?’

Sun Zhao nodded, a pained expression on his face.

But Chen Chao started to complain, "Director Lv, I’m not trying to whine, but you know our situation. We only have so many people, and every single one of them is already swamped with their own cases. We can barely keep up as it is. If we start reopening cold cases, we really don’t have the manpower."

"How about this? You could put in a good word, go to the municipal bureau and ask for a few more slots, get some rookies assigned to us?"

"The new academy class just graduated. They’re all chomping at the bit, waiting for their assignments."

"We don’t need a lot. Five or six would be enough."

He held up a hand, fingers spread.

"How many? Five or six?"

Lv Youwei let out an exasperated laugh.

Chen Chao wasn’t talking about your average civil servant who passed the national or provincial exams. He meant professional recruits who came through the police academy’s joint examination—specialists who had actually majored in criminal investigation.

’Those guys are the cream of the crop, true elites, specialized talent.’

’The municipal bureau only assigns a handful of them each year. You ask for five or six in one go—do you think you’ve found a magic lamp or something?’

"Well, in that case, it can’t be done. We really don’t have the people," Chen Chao said with a shrug, holding his hands out.

Beside him, Sun Zhao nodded in agreement.

Lv Youwei was about to erupt, but he caught sight of Shen Xin out of the corner of his eye and suppressed his temper. "We’ll discuss this later," he said curtly.

He beckoned to Shen Xin.

"You’re Shen Xin, correct? We’ve met," Lv Youwei said with a broad smile.

Shen Xin quickly nodded.

’I was there during Gao Jinrui’s interrogation.’

"You’ve done well," Lv Youwei praised.

’A police trainee, not even a full-fledged officer yet, and he already has a Third-Class Merit award to his name.’

"And your last merit award was for saving a life in the line of duty, wasn’t it?"

"Now, in the middle of another investigation, you’ve saved someone’s life again. To be honest, Shen Xin, you’re putting me in a bit of a bind."

’It was the same old story: solving cases is your basic duty, not something worthy of special commendation.’

’But saving a life? That was a meritorious act above and beyond the call of duty, something that deserved to be commended.’

’And that wasn’t even mentioning that, according to Wu Zhicun, Shen Xin had saved him twice.’

’The problem was, how long had it been since Shen Xin’s last Third-Class Merit? If he earned another one right away, rumors might start spreading around the bureau that Shen Xin was his illegitimate son.’

’When a superior speaks, if you don’t have a clever answer, silence is the best response.’

Seeing Shen Xin remain silent, Wang Xihai chimed in with a smile, "But merit must be rewarded. Otherwise, how can we expect to keep up morale?"

His words effectively set the tone for the discussion.

Chen Chao seized the moment to give a thumbs-up. "Director Wang’s foresight is admirable."

Lv Youwei shot him a glare, then suddenly looked up at Shen Xin and asked, "Xiaoshen, what about you? Do you have any thoughts? Let’s hear them."

Shen Xin paused, stunned for a moment, then remembered what Chen Chao had said earlier.

Gritting his teeth, Shen Xin said, "Director Lv, I haven’t been thinking about any rewards or merits. I only have one goal. I want to be a criminal detective. I want to join the branch’s Criminal Investigation Division."

After he finished speaking, Shen Xin looked at Lv Youwei, his expression tense.

’They say it’s just a matter of a word from the director, but when it comes to personnel transfers, it’s never that easy.’

"Ha! You want to be a criminal detective!"

Lv Youwei burst out laughing, pointing at Shen Xin. "Chen Chao, you’re always complaining to me about being overworked and understaffed, always asking me for more men. Well, look here! We’ve got someone who’s actually eager to be a criminal detective."

"That’s because he’s a fool," Chen Chao said, shaking his head and letting out a long, dramatic sigh.

Lv Youwei’s voice turned serious again. "Shen Xin, being a criminal detective is no joke. It’s completely different from working at a local station. It’s not something you can just talk about lightly; you have to be mentally prepared."

Shen Xin quickly affirmed that he was.

But after he said it, he was struck by a sudden feeling.

’Why did he get the feeling that the men in the room, especially Chen Chao and Lv Youwei, were putting on an act for him?’