Chapter 32: A Good Cat Catches Mice

When Song Changfeng came out, he noticed Aofeng staring outside. It seemed like he had heard another dog barking nearby, but now everything was quiet.

“Sun Xiaobin’s heading to his friend’s place. Before he left, the chief asked me to take you to see little Shen Doudou. Let’s head over now.” Song Changfeng pulled out his phone and checked the address. Not bad—there was a direct bus from here.

Aofeng was naturally excited. After saying goodbye to Xu Ming and the others, they walked out of the Traffic Police Squad’s gate. Then they walked another two hundred meters or so to reach the bus stop.

They needed to take Route 12, which passed through fifteen stops. They would get off at Lvjings Garden Station, and from there, it was just a few hundred meters to the Shen Family home.

They had good timing. Barely a minute after arriving, the Route 12 bus slowly pulled up. The driver stopped the bus and waited for passengers to board.

After the people in front got on, Song Changfeng didn’t rush. He stood below and asked, “Driver, can I bring a police dog on board?”

The driver leaned over and saw a German Shepherd sitting calmly by the man’s feet, head held high, eyes fixed on him, as if waiting for a response.

The driver scratched his head. “Sure, come on up. Uh, but by the rules, I’ll need to see some ID—yours or the dog’s is fine.”

Song Changfeng promptly pulled out his credentials. After a glance, the driver relaxed. It really was a police dog.

Normally, pets weren’t allowed on the bus. If the bus was crowded and a pet bit someone, everyone would be in trouble. But guide dogs and police dogs were exceptions. Not long ago, a video went viral showing a police officer trying to board a bus with a retired police dog. Some people objected, refusing to let them on even after the officer showed the dog’s credentials. They were told to walk home instead.

The video sparked widespread criticism. A day later, a major news outlet reposted the video, highlighting the dog’s years of service and achievements. The caption read, “They are heroes too.”

The bus company held an emergency meeting that night, vowing never to let such a thing happen again. To prevent impersonation, they decided that anyone bringing a police dog on board must show the dog’s ID. If the handler was a police officer, their badge would also suffice.

In all his years driving, the driver had never transported a police dog. It was a novelty. Still, he felt a little uneasy. What if the dog bit someone? Would he be held responsible? Would they dock his pay?

With that worry in mind, the driver kept glancing back at the dog every time the bus stopped, checking for any signs it might lash out. Luckily, the dog stayed quietly in the corner the whole time. The officer sat beside it, using his leg to shield it from the crowd. The dog didn’t bark once. Passengers who boarded later didn’t even realize there was a police dog on board.

When the bus reached Xingfu Road, a group of more than a dozen people got on all at once. Most of them looked like high school students—probably headed to the nearby science museum for some event. The sudden influx made the bus feel cramped. Song Changfeng had given up his seat to an elderly passenger at the previous stop, so now he had to stand in front of the corner where Aofeng was sitting, facing the window.

Aofeng sat there, peeking through the gaps between people. Looking at the energetic, youthful crowd, he couldn’t help but sigh. Being young was great. Unlike him—he only had the word “young” in name, but it was useless.

Just as Aofeng was wallowing in self-pity, his ears twitched. He thought he heard a faint “pop”—like something being sliced open.

He turned his head, ears perked high, trying to pinpoint the sound. The bus was noisy, but thanks to his sharp hearing, Aofeng could tell the sound came from slightly ahead and to the left.

He squeezed forward a bit and looked around. Sure enough, just two or three meters away, a middle-aged man was quietly using a small knife to cut into a woman’s bag. Judging by his calm demeanor, he was probably a seasoned pickpocket. His hand worked below, slicing the bag, while his face remained expressionless. He even held a phone in his other hand, casually scrolling through short videos.

The woman’s bag was pretty sturdy. The man had to cut several times before he finally got through the lining. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. With a flick of his wrist, the knife disappeared and was replaced by a pair of tweezers, which he slowly inserted into the hole, pulling out a phone.

Aofeng was stunned. A skilled thief! He couldn’t wait any longer. The evidence was clear, and he noticed the next stop was coming up. If he didn’t act now, the guy might get off. Just as the bus came to a halt but before the doors opened, Aofeng crouched low and suddenly sprang from beside Song Changfeng’s feet. He darted through a gap between two students and clamped his jaws onto the man’s sleeve.

“Ah!”

Screams erupted inside the bus. People backed away in shock. They hadn’t even realized there was a dog on board, and now it had suddenly jumped up and bitten someone. Was it rabid?

The driver glanced back and his mind went blank. Damn it, of all the things to worry about, the worst actually happened. The dog really bit someone!

The moment Aofeng lunged, Song Changfeng reacted instinctively. He spun around and moved quickly toward the front left. When he saw the tweezers in the sleeve Aofeng had latched onto, he immediately understood.

“Thief! Everyone, check your belongings!”

His shout cut through the confusion, prompting people to check themselves even before their brains caught up.

“My bag!” the woman exclaimed, spotting a hole in the bottom.

“Oh no, my phone!” a man reached into his back pocket—empty.

“My necklace.” Another woman touched her neck. The gold chain she’d been wearing had vanished without a trace.

The middle-aged man had been frozen in shock. Who wouldn’t be, with a big dog suddenly lunging and biting your sleeve?

“Who says I’m a thief? What proof do you have?!” he shouted, trying to sound indignant. “Your dog bit me, and now you’re falsely accusing me of theft? This is slander!”

Aofeng sneered inwardly. Impressive. Who’s really the one flipping the script here?

Song Changfeng remained calm, not rushing to argue. Instead, he pulled out his badge and flashed it in front of the crowd. “I’m a police officer.”

The badge, combined with that simple statement, instantly swayed those who had been uncertain. Now, they were fully convinced that the middle-aged man before them had to be the thief.

When the man saw the badge, his face went pale. His first instinct was to bolt. Unfortunately for him, Aofeng had sunk his teeth into the man’s sleeve and wasn’t letting go.

Song Changfeng stepped in and grabbed the man’s other hand, then began searching him. In no time, he retrieved the stolen items from various pockets and hidden spots on the man’s body.

“Please drive a bit further ahead. The Municipal Public Security Bureau is just up the road. Victims, come with us when we get there to file a report.”

The driver had watched the whole thing unfold. Though it had only lasted two or three minutes, it was thrilling enough. He started the bus and drove toward the Municipal Public Security Bureau.

A group of people heading toward the police station startled the young officer on duty. He thought something major had happened. After getting the full story, he quickly led everyone inside.

After running a comparison, the officer discovered that the middle-aged man was named Wang Hao, alias “Haozi” (Rat). The name fit him perfectly. Like a rat, he skulked in the shadows. He was a repeat offender, already arrested twice before. He’d only been out of prison for two months and was already back to his old ways.

This time, he’d been caught by a police dog that hadn’t even officially started duty. A dog catching a rat¹, literally. But this wasn’t meddling in someone else’s business. Even ordinary citizens, when witnessing a crime, should step in to stop it or call the police—so long as they ensure their own safety.

“Isn’t that Aofeng?” someone suddenly exclaimed. They’d seen the German Shepherd on the news a few days ago, the one that helped crack the Forest Park case. And sure enough, the dog in front of them was the same, down to the leash.

“It really is!” someone else pulled out their phone to compare.

An older person gave a thumbs-up. “Well done. No wonder he’s a police dog.”

Surrounded by people taking photos and showering him with praise, Aofeng was practically floating. His tail was wagging so fast it looked like a spinning top. He was really starting to enjoy the feeling of doing good deeds.

Song Changfeng looked at Aofeng and smiled. This little guy really was something else.

After everything was wrapped up, Song Changfeng led Aofeng out of the station. Aofeng glanced back, hesitating about whether to go find Shen Yuanhui. But after a moment’s thought, he decided against it. As a subordinate, it wasn’t appropriate to seek out a superior without reason. Even police dogs had to avoid suspicion. Better to just head straight to the Shen Family. He’d originally planned to go to the kindergarten, but with the delay, the kids had probably already been picked up.

Just as they reached the entrance, a few men in jackets strode in briskly from outside. Judging by their presence and serious expressions, they were likely plainclothes officers returning from a mission.

The man in front was about to walk past when he suddenly turned his head and looked at Song Changfeng, who was holding Aofeng’s leash.

“Song Changfeng?” he called out.

Song Changfeng turned around, his expression shifting slightly. After a brief pause, he responded, “Instructor Lei.”

The man named Lei walked over and clapped him on the shoulder with a smile. “We’re not at the police academy anymore. Why are you still calling me ‘Instructor’? You’re too stiff, kid. So, where are you posted now? Back at the academy, you and Zhao Qiyuan were the top of the class. I heard he’s already a squad captain in Ruiyuan’s criminal division. You can’t be doing too bad yourself, right? But after graduation, no one heard a thing from you. Good thing we ran into each other today. Hey, is this your assigned police dog? The little guy looks sharp.”

Listening to him ramble on, Aofeng couldn’t help but think how misleading appearances could be. The guy looked so serious, but he was clearly a chatterbox. Then he glanced at Song Changfeng. This guy really dropped the ball. After graduation, he ended up at the Police Dog Training Base, while others were already squad captains. Meanwhile, he was stuck training fluffballs every day.

Compared to Instructor Lei’s excitement, Song Changfeng’s voice was more subdued. “Instructor Lei, I’m currently… at the Police Dog Training Base.”

This time, it was Lei’s turn to hesitate. “Police Dog… Training Base? So, you’re raising dogs?” he blurted out, though he knew the job involved more than that.

Song Changfeng shook his head. “Not just that. I help train police dogs in various skills so they can adapt to different operational environments in the future. Like drug detection, explosives detection, search and rescue, pursuit and capture, and so on. Besides that, there’s also…”

As he went on in detail, Lei looked a bit dumbfounded. After a long pause, he finally managed, “Heh, you really are… a jack-of-all-trades, huh?”

Song Changfeng smiled faintly, just like he used to when praised back at the academy.

Lei looked like he wanted to say more, but the words caught in his throat. Still, he couldn’t help himself. “Changfeng, don’t take this the wrong way, but I really think you’re better suited for our line of work. Back at the academy, you were top-notch in every category. With skills like yours, not putting them to use solving cases seems like a waste. What are you doing training dogs?”

Song Changfeng didn’t respond right away. But Aofeng couldn’t stay quiet any longer. Wasn’t this blatant job discrimination? What’s wrong with training dogs? Black cat or white cat, as long as it catches mice, it’s a good cat². They all serve the people. Why did it have to be frontline work to count?

“Woof woof woof woof!” Aofeng bared his teeth, loudly protesting Instructor Lei’s attempt to poach his handler.

Translator’s Notes