Chapter 8: The Slacker Dog’s Moment of Glory

When Aofeng woke up, the smell of disinfectant filled his nose again, making him uncomfortable. His head still felt foggy. He only remembered clamping down hard on that man’s hand, and later someone calling his name, telling him to let go. Only then did he relax and pass out.

“Aofeng’s awake! Doctor, come take a look!” Wang Xiuyun, eyes red and swollen, was sitting nearby holding Shen Doudou. When she saw Aofeng stir, she immediately called for the vet.

The vet had been speaking with Shen Yuanhui about the medication schedule and dosage for when they returned home. Hearing the call, he quickly walked over and examined Aofeng’s condition.

He said, “This little German Shepherd is out of danger for now. Since the attack was to the upper body, there may be mild concussion symptoms like drowsiness, drooling, or vomiting. After taking him home tomorrow, let him rest at home and avoid strenuous activity. Try to keep him from eating anything too hard…”

The vet gave very clear instructions, and both Shen Yuanhui and his wife listened attentively. Even Shen Doudou lifted his chin, trying hard to remember everything the doctor said so he could take good care of Aofeng at home.

Lying on the hospital bed, Aofeng listened to their conversation and gave a bitter chuckle in his heart. He hadn’t expected to be so unlucky, ending up in the hospital twice in just two days.

The first time, he could chalk up to his own reckless behavior. But the second time… well, that was harder to explain. In that critical moment, he hadn’t had time to think. If that man had succeeded, the victims would have gone far beyond just the chubby little boy in front of him.

Of course, even if time had paused and he’d had a chance to think it over, he probably would have made the same decision. When lives are on the line, any able-bodied adult would step in without hesitation, right?

As Aofeng was lost in thought, a chubby little face suddenly appeared in front of his furry muzzle, looking at him with concern and asking, “Aofeng, does it hurt? Want me to blow on it for you?”

With that, he puckered his lips and gently blew on Aofeng’s paw, the one hooked up to the IV. Aofeng let out a short whimper and lifted his paw to pat the boy’s hand, as if to comfort him.

The chubby boy grinned, though his eyes were still puffy and red. The earlier incident had left a deep fear in his young heart. Now, whenever a stranger came near, he couldn’t help but tremble.

Although a child psychologist had already come to counsel him, it would likely take some time for him to fully recover. As soon as his parents got the news, they bought high-speed rail tickets and were rushing back from out of town. They were still on the way.

“Aofeng, thank you. I never thought you’d save someone from the Shen Family again.” Shen Yuanhui sat on the hospital bed, gently stroking Aofeng’s head. His eyes were filled with guilt, gratitude, and a touch of relief.

The guilt came from the fact that if he hadn’t brought Aofeng out, the dog wouldn’t have suffered such pain. The gratitude was because Aofeng had saved them not once, but twice. And the relief… if Aofeng hadn’t reacted so quickly and leapt forward to bite the attacker, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

It was a kindergarten, after all! It was dismissal time, and aside from the fifteen kids in the Little Apple Class, other classes were also lining up to leave. If no one had stopped that man, how many families would have been plunged into lifelong grief?

He had just finished a meeting when he got the call. The moment he picked up, he heard his wife sobbing. A terrible feeling hit him, and once he understood what had happened, he ran out immediately.

By the time he got to the scene, the police were already there, and the attacker had been subdued and handcuffed in a police car. Everything had happened so fast. Once people realized what was going on, they quickly pulled out their phones to call the police. By the time the nearby officers arrived, the attacker was already on the ground.

After the suspect was taken away, Shen Yuanhui and the other officers reviewed the nearby surveillance footage. It was clear the man had come with intent. His stride never faltered as he headed straight for the kindergarten. As soon as the gate opened, he charged in without hesitation.

Even through the surveillance footage, the expression on his face in that moment was chilling. It was obvious he was both excited and thrilled by what he was about to do. He hadn’t even bothered to disguise himself, unlike many other criminals. That showed he didn’t care about the consequences at all.

Aside from watching the attacker, Shen Yuanhui also paid close attention to Aofeng’s behavior. From the moment the man first appeared on camera, Aofeng’s focus had locked onto him.

As the man drew closer, Aofeng’s posture changed. Shen Yuanhui recognized it immediately – it was the stance dogs take when they feel threatened and are ready to fight. Clearly, Aofeng had sensed something.

He never took his eyes off the man. The moment the attacker charged forward, Aofeng lunged too, seemingly even faster. At the most critical moment, he clamped down hard on the man’s wrist, rendering his right hand useless and stopping him from wielding the utility knife.

Shen Yuanhui sent the footage to Director Li at the Police Dog Training Base and soon received a response. The base’s top trainer gave the following assessment of Aofeng’s performance during those few minutes:

First, Aofeng is a highly alert young dog with excellent danger recognition skills.

Second, Aofeng has strong focus. Once he locks onto a target, he doesn’t get distracted easily.

Third, Aofeng has impressive explosive power. Even though he’s still a puppy and has had very little training, his burst speed and bite strength seem to surpass those of other dogs.

In summary: he’s a promising candidate for an outstanding police dog – provided he receives proper training.

After reading the feedback, Shen Yuanhui couldn’t help feeling conflicted. He finally understood the frustration behind Director Li’s “so much potential, such a waste” attitude.

It was like having a brilliant, physically gifted officer under your command, only to find out he’d applied to be a tech support clerk. Not that it’s a bad job, but it’s definitely a waste of talent.

Who would’ve thought there are slackers among humans, and even among dogs too!

…

A little after ten at night, Shen Yuanhui’s son and daughter-in-law rushed back from out of town. The couple held Shen Doudou tightly, their eyes red from crying. Doudou’s mother, Liang Jing, checked him over from head to toe. Only when she was sure he hadn’t suffered a single scratch did the knot in her heart finally loosen.

After comforting Doudou, Liang Jing wiped her tears and asked, “Mom, where’s the dog that saved Doudou? I want to thank it.”

Wang Xiuyun replied, “Aofeng has to stay at the pet hospital for observation overnight. We can bring him home tomorrow morning. You two should go wash up first. I’ll make you something to eat in a bit. You’ve come a long way and must be exhausted.”

Liang Jing shook her head. “Thanks, Mom, but we probably won’t be able to eat anything tonight. You should get some rest too. You’ve had a fright today.”

Wang Xiuyun sighed. “Yes, we were all scared out of our minds. Who could’ve imagined something like this would happen? Your dad just got back from the hospital and went straight to the police station. He said he wanted to sit in on the statement to find out what that man’s motive was.”

“Thank goodness Doudou is okay.” Liang Jing’s tears started falling again. Shen Feng, Doudou’s father, wrapped an arm around her shoulders in silent comfort.

At the police station, Shen Yuanhui sat in the surveillance room, watching the man in the interrogation room who hadn’t said a word since being brought in. No matter what the officers asked, he acted like he couldn’t hear them at all.

It wasn’t until the Technical Department delivered the man’s identity report that they learned his name was Liu Yang, thirty-three years old, a local of Anyang City.

He had a prior criminal record and had served two years in prison. After being released, he found a job and had been working steadily until two weeks ago, when he got into a conflict with the shop owner’s wife and was fired. Not long after that, his girlfriend broke up with him. Notably, the shop owner’s child attended none other than Sunshine Kindergarten.

With that information, the officers kept pressing him until they finally cracked Liu Yang and got him to confess his motive.

It turned out that after drinking today, he grew more and more resentful about being fired and decided to take revenge on the shop owner’s wife. But there were too many people at the store, making it hard to get to her. Then he remembered overhearing that her child went to Sunshine Kindergarten.

When he got to the kindergarten, he realized he didn’t know what the kid looked like. So, he thought he might as well kill them all. In his mind, the result would be the same anyway.

Hearing Liu Yang say this with such a flat expression and careless tone filled everyone with fury. What kind of scum could say something like that? Just because of a personal grudge, he was willing to target innocent children. It was utterly deranged!

Thankfully, his plan failed in the end. That young German Shepherd who stopped the crime was truly incredible!

…

Aofeng? Incredible? At the moment, he was lying in the observation room of the pet hospital, thoroughly annoyed by the loud purring of the orange tabby in the next cage. The big orange cat¹ had broken its front paw jumping off a cabinet. What a disgrace to all feline kind! And it was a total chatterbox. From the moment Aofeng arrived, it had been meowing non-stop. Once it got tired, it just started snoring away, completely ignoring the suffering of its fellow patient next door.

Aofeng covered his ears with his front paws, but his sharp hearing wasn’t affected in the slightest. The sound was as clear as if it were right next to him.

After a long while, Aofeng dropped his paws, his head drooping low. His whole doggy face seemed to spell out one thing in big, bold letters – So tired. Just let it all end.

Translator’s Notes