Animal Detective-Chapter 58: Letting Things Settle

Until the transfer order arrived, Shen Xin was still an officer at the Yunlin Police Station.

So, the work couldn’t stop.

Li Dongsheng already knew about Shen Xin’s transfer. He didn’t say much, only urging Shen Xin to be careful, and then be even more careful.

He told him not to be impulsive and joked that Shen Xin had a family fortune of tens of millions waiting for him to inherit.

Shen Xin wanted to retort, ’What tens of millions? Business has been getting harder these past two years, and my parents are even thinking of changing careers.’

One day, while he was busy at the station, he suddenly received a phone call.

It was rather unexpected.

It was Captain Ma from the detention center. He had probably gotten Shen Xin’s number from Chen Chao.

After they exchanged greetings, Captain Ma explained his reason for calling. "It’s about Li Jin. He’s been behaving well in here and asked me to contact you. He must have seen that the kid’s case was solved and wants to thank you in person. What do you think? Are you free? If not, no worries, I’ll just let him know."

The Wu Jiawang case was supposedly being kept quiet.

But it was, after all, a seven-year-old cold case, and with Gao Jinrui’s status, it was bound to cause some ripples.

Some social media accounts reported on it, and the local TV station had covered it as well.

Li Jin had probably found out about the case’s progress through these channels.

Shen Xin thought for a moment and decided to go see him.

Speaking of which, the clue Li Jin had provided was absolutely crucial to solving the case.

Besides, Shen Xin always felt there was something off about Li Jin.

Or rather, he was curious.

The arm of the law may be long, but Li Jin’s behavior after committing the crime was completely abnormal.

After letting the station know, Shen Xin drove to the detention center.

In the same interrogation room, Shen Xin saw Li Jin.

He smiled, thanked the accompanying guard, and then sat down.

The last time Shen Xin had seen him, he had looked well and was in high spirits.

Seeing him today, he seemed even more energetic, his complexion even a bit ruddy.

’I’ve never heard of detention center food being so nourishing.’

"I heard from Captain Ma that your case is about to be sentenced?" Shen Xin asked.

In the end, the prosecutor’s office didn’t charge Li Jin as an accomplice to theft, but rather under Article 285 of the Criminal Law for the crime of illegally obtaining data from a computer information system.

Li Jin nodded and then smiled. "Officer Shen, it looks like I made the right choice in seeking you out. You actually solved the case. Impressive."

He gave Shen Xin a thumbs-up.

Shen Xin waved it off, thought for a moment, and said, "You provided a crucial clue in this investigation. You didn’t just ask me to come here to say thank you, did you?"

’Is he hoping I’ll put in a good word for him? Attest that he provided a key clue and performed a meritorious service, so he can get a reduced sentence?’

In a situation like his, with a quick confession and the voluntary return of the remaining stolen funds, he would likely be sentenced to less than three years in prison, probably around two.

"Officer Shen, you’re thinking too little of me." Li Jin immediately shook his head. "I asked you here simply to thank you properly in person. There’s no other motive. I committed a crime, and I admit it. I don’t blame anyone else."

Shen Xin frowned slightly.

There was something wrong with Li Jin’s attitude.

When a person commits a crime, they either feel regret or they blame the world.

But Li Jin? He gave Shen Xin the impression that he didn’t care at all, as if this crime was nothing to him.

"I heard from Captain Ma that you’ve been exercising a lot in the detention center recently?" Shen Xin said after a moment’s thought.

He’s stopped asking other suspects about their criminal methods and has taken up exercising instead.

Li Jin smiled and nodded. "Look at me, I’m too skinny. I always wanted to work out before, but I never had the time. Now that I’m locked up, it’s the perfect opportunity to exercise."

Shen Xin frowned.

’It’s this attitude,’ he thought. ’It’s like he has no remorse whatsoever.’

"So you’re treating prison like it’s a step up in life," Shen Xin jeered with a half-smile.

Li Jin shrugged and said lightly, "I’m still young. I have a long future ahead of me, so I might as well use this time to settle and reflect. Officer Shen, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to see me. I really mean it. We have a long road ahead of us, so we’ll meet again if fate allows."

After speaking, he shouted to the guards outside.

A guard came in and led him away.

Just before leaving, he turned his head and smiled at Shen Xin.

After he left, Shen Xin’s brows were knitted together tightly.

’That guy’s reaction is all wrong.’

He said goodbye to Captain Ma, and once he was sitting in his car, he thought hard for a long time. An idea began to form.

Just as he had suspected before, it seemed like Li Jin was studying how to be a criminal.

First, he was a smart guy. It was impossible for him not to know the consequences of committing a crime.

A criminal record follows you for life.

People who have been to prison have a hard time finding a job.

But thinking back to his reaction when he was caught, he was far too calm, as if he had anticipated this outcome all along.

Shen Xin tried to put himself in Li Jin’s shoes and think from his perspective.

’I’ve committed a crime. I’m a smart person. I know that every action leaves a trace, so I’m bound to be caught by the police.’

’And this is my first offense, so I have no experience.’

’So, after weighing my options, I decided to just let the police catch me.’

In Li Jin’s situation, if he was sentenced to two years and behaved well inside, he could get a sentence reduction and be out in just over a year.

Shen Xin drew in a sharp breath.

If this theory was correct, then Li Jin might have really thought that since the punishment for a first offense wasn’t severe, he might as well get caught. He could use the time to "settle and reflect," wipe his slate clean, and then go on to pull something even bigger.

After all, once you start down the path of crime, there’s no turning back.

And for many, once they experience the thrill of easy money from a crime, they can never break free.

Shen Xin sighed, a headache coming on.

’This is all just my own speculation. Who can I even tell?’

’It would be useless even if I did.’

He could only hope that once Li Jin was in prison, he could be rehabilitated.

With Li Jin’s matter temporarily closed, Shen Xin put it out of his mind.

The next day, the official transfer order arrived.

It happened to be a Saturday, which meant it was Shen Xin’s last day of work at the Yunlin Police Station.

He had the day off tomorrow, and on Monday, the day after, he would officially report to the Criminal Investigation Division.

That evening, Song Liang specially adjusted the work schedule.

Shen Xin invited Li Dongsheng, Dong Yueming, Zhang Jian, Wukaishan, Old Zhou, and others he got along with—nine people in total—plus the three leaders, including Song Liang.

They registered the gathering on-site, so they were allowed to have a few drinks.

Shen Xin, remembering the lesson from last time, restrained himself a little.

Zhang Jian, on the other hand, had a couple of extra drinks.

He looked at Shen Xin and saw a reflection of his younger self.

When he first joined the force, he had also been dead set on joining the CID. He later got his wish, but in the end, he couldn’t handle the pressure and requested a transfer to the local station.

"Xiaoshen, since you’re going, work hard. Stick with it. Don’t follow in my footsteps. Sometimes when I think back on it now, I still have regrets."

He reminded him, draping an arm over Shen Xin’s shoulder.

Shen Xin nodded.

He remembered Zhang Jian telling him before not to get too emotionally invested, to stay rational and all that.

But now he was saying this.

’This is probably what he really thinks.’

Deep down, Zhang Jian still wanted to be a detective; he had a sense of mission.

Song Liang and the others had to work the next day, so they only drank sparingly.

The group came out.

Shen Xin was fine, feeling mostly sober. Seeing Zhang Jian’s unsteady gait, he wondered if he should contact Zhang Qian to come pick him up.

He had added Zhang Qian on WeChat and they had chatted a few times these past few days.

Zhang Jian refused and left in a taxi by himself.

The group gradually dispersed.

Li Dongsheng was the last to leave. He looked at Shen Xin with a gratified expression, then stepped forward and hugged him.

"Be careful. Be extra careful."

He patted Shen Xin on the back and left without a backward glance.

Shen Xin’s eyes grew a little moist. He let out a long sigh and let the feeling pass.

’Starting the day after tomorrow, I’ll be embarking on a new journey.’

When he got back home, Da Mei and Evil Bully were still being lovey-dovey.

The three little ones had grown up too. They were especially mischievous, jumping and climbing all over the place.

He sat down on the sofa, stealing Da Mei’s spot, and groggily fell asleep just like that.

He was finally woken up by the sound of a voice call.

He fumbled for his phone and saw that it was already past eleven at night.

It was Zhang Qian.

"Shen Xin, when did you guys finish? My dad didn’t drink too much, did he?" Zhang Qian asked as soon as he answered.

Shen Xin froze, suddenly wide awake.

’That’s not right. We all left before nine o’clock.’

’It’s almost midnight. Zhang Jian should have been home long ago.’