Chapter 51: Organ Failure?

The signal on the base’s big screen cut out at the exact moment Song Changfeng clashed with the man. The screen flickered, then went completely black.

The crowd erupted in discussion. Everyone wanted to know what had happened next. Why had that German Shepherd suddenly rushed forward to block the man? And why hadn’t the trainer stopped the dog, but instead attacked the man as well?

As the head of the Yicheng Training Base, Director Cheng naturally had to take responsibility. After speaking with the staff, he learned that the man had already been taken away by the police. Since their base had close ties with the officers at the Jingfeng Street police station, he made a call to get the full story so he could give the public a proper explanation.

The interrogation was still ongoing, but the situation was already clear. Officers from the police station had also been at the base to watch the competition. They had seen everything: the brief encounter, Aofeng suddenly stepping in to block the man—it had all been witnessed firsthand. Considering the competition was still underway, the Jingfeng Street station didn’t require Song Changfeng to give a statement. Instead, they asked a shop owner who had seen everything from the roadside to come in and explain what happened.

When Director Cheng called, the officer thought it was about the competition and immediately said, “Director Cheng, we didn’t bring the contestant or the dog back. We let them stay and finish the competition. Don’t worry.”

Director Cheng replied, “I know you didn’t detain them. I’m calling to ask about the details. As you know, the Police Dog Competition is happening here. Some people only saw the dog suddenly break free and take an aggressive stance. Without an explanation, this could cause a negative impression.”

Especially now, with how fast things spread online, if someone were to edit that video and post it out of context, it could easily lead the public to misunderstand police dogs. If they didn’t clarify the situation, it would be hard to contain the fallout—and it would go against the very purpose of hosting this competition.

Hearing this, the officer didn’t hold anything back and told Director Cheng everything they knew.

After hanging up, Director Cheng went to the broadcast room and picked up the microphone.

“Hello, hello, everyone, please quiet down.”

His voice echoed through the loudspeakers across the base. The crowd, still buzzing about the earlier incident, immediately fell silent and looked up at the speakers.

“I’m sure everyone wants to know why the police dog suddenly broke free from its leash during the competition. According to official reports, the man it stopped was actually a child trafficker. He used a towel laced with sedatives to knock out a mother in the city park, then took off with the sleeping child in a stroller. The child woke up midway and started crying. Fearing attention, the man covered the child’s mouth and nose with the towel again, causing the child to lose consciousness. When he reached Jingfeng Street, the competing dog caught the scent of the drugs on him, which led to the scene you just saw on the video…”

Director Cheng got straight to the point, wasting no time. He didn’t want to leave room for speculation. In fact, some bystanders who were just there for the spectacle had already started drafting exaggerated posts about the incident. But before they could upload anything, the official explanation came out.

“I knew it! A police dog that took first place in the Blood Trail Search wouldn’t just attack a random person. Turns out it sniffed out a criminal,” someone said, suddenly enlightened.

“Exactly. It followed all the rules throughout. If it acted out of line, there had to be a reason.”

“…”

The tide of public opinion shifted quickly, and what could have been a major misunderstanding was resolved on the spot.

With one problem solved, another arose.

The staff in charge of the event looked troubled. They didn’t know how to score the incident, so they turned to Director Cheng for guidance.

Normally, in a patrol competition, if a team doesn’t complete the full course, they fail. That’s the rule for everyone. But Song Changfeng and Aofeng’s case was far from ordinary. They had stopped a child trafficker and rescued a kidnapped child. It didn’t seem right to disqualify them.

Director Cheng pondered the dilemma. Technically, the rules shouldn’t be bent for anyone. But in this case, would disqualifying them mean that the competition was more important than saving a life?

Fortunately, Director Cheng was a pragmatic man. Realizing he couldn’t come up with a fair solution on his own, he called in representatives from all participating units to vote on the matter. After all, the Anyang City Training Base was currently ranked fourth, and only the top five teams would advance to the Jingdu competition. If the majority agreed to cancel their score, then so be it.

Soon, all the unit representatives gathered in the meeting room, including the representative from the Anyang City Training Base, Instructor Zhang Zheng. Before the meeting, he had felt nothing but regret. Like Song Changfeng, Zhang Zheng believed their score would be voided. He had even comforted Song Changfeng, saying that saving lives was more important than any honor.

But after arriving at the meeting, a glimmer of hope rose in his heart. If everyone agreed to keep the score, they could still go to Jingdu. Still, since personal interests were involved, he wasn’t sure what others would decide. Zhang Zheng glanced nervously around the room, trying to read their expressions.

“Alright, let’s vote. Those in favor of keeping the score, please raise your hand,” Director Cheng said after explaining the situation.

Zhang Zheng was the first to raise his hand. After doing so, he looked around, silently hoping that more than half would agree. But everywhere he looked, hands were raised high. Among the more than one hundred people present, not a single person opposed.

First, he was stunned. Then, he felt ashamed.

He had underestimated these people. They were all part of the law enforcement system. Of course they understood that life came above all else. How could they let a hero be unfairly treated over personal gain?

The meeting ended in just two minutes, setting a new record for brevity. When Zhang Zheng returned to the hotel, his face was practically glowing with joy. He shared the good news with everyone, and the entire hotel erupted in cheers.

Aofeng was thrilled. Although he had no regrets about his actions, he still felt a twinge of disappointment at missing the chance to compete in Jingdu. Now that his results would be preserved, going to Jingdu was practically guaranteed!

Sure enough, the overall rankings were released around 8 p.m. Their cumulative score from the morning had been 49.5, but now it had risen to 59.5, placing them second overall—just one point behind first place. This meant Aofeng had scored a perfect 10 in the final event.

He had also earned a perfect 10 in the Blood Trail Search event, where his speed had far outclassed the other dogs and won over the crowd. In this patrol competition, he impressed again with his sharp sense of smell and high alertness. To everyone watching, it was clear that this police dog still months away from graduation was already capable of performing like a fully qualified officer.

When Director Li received the news, he laughed like a fool. Even though they hadn’t clinched first place in the Regional Competition, Aofeng’s two perfect scores were impressive anywhere. He immediately announced that once they returned from the award ceremony the next morning, Old Zhang would prepare a celebratory feast in their honor.

The next day, they returned to the same plaza where it had all begun. By the time Aofeng and his team arrived, most people were already there. Compared to the first day’s bustling crowd, today’s turnout was smaller, as many of the visiting organizations had already left.

Once all the teams had gathered, Director Cheng announced the start of the award ceremony. After a brief and powerful speech, Sheng Changlin, the president of Shengda Shipping, stepped up to present the awards.

There were no objections from the Yicheng City public security authorities about such a prominent guest—after all, the event had been sponsored by him.

The top twenty teams all received awards. In addition to medals and certificates, Shengda Shipping also gave out cash prizes based on ranking. Even the twentieth-place team received ten thousand yuan, increasing by rank—a generous sum.

Besides the team awards, the champion dogs in each event were also recognized. Led by their trainers, the police dogs walked up proudly to accept their honors. Aofeng, who had taken first place in two events, was saved for last at Director Cheng’s request.

“Next, let’s welcome Police Dog Aofeng and his trainer Song Changfeng from the Anyang Police Dog Training Base! Of the four events he participated in, he scored perfect marks in two. In the final event, he used his keen sense of smell to identify and apprehend a human trafficker mid-crime, interrupting the act and saving an innocent family. Let’s give Aofeng a big round of applause!”

Thunderous applause erupted from the crowd. Standing on stage, Aofeng couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride. This was the recognition he had earned, and once again, he felt the honor that came with this special profession.

Sheng Changlin walked over holding two round medals, crouched down, and hung them around Aofeng’s neck. Afterward, he gave Aofeng’s head a friendly pat.

At such close range, Aofeng caught that scent again—that faint, decaying odor, like rotting flesh, emanating from Sheng Changlin. It was so distinct that he didn’t even notice the hand patting his head. He wondered, why did no one else have this smell? He had met older men before, but none of them carried this scent.

Aofeng no longer doubted his sense of smell. If he detected it, it had to be real. To get a better read, he pretended to be affectionate, rubbing his head against Sheng Changlin repeatedly.

Sheng Changlin was pleasantly surprised. The last time they met, this dog had barely acknowledged him. Now, he was acting so friendly. Song Changfeng, standing nearby, was just as puzzled. Aofeng was usually aloof—aside from Shen Doudou, he’d never seen him act this way with anyone.

The ceremony continued. After ruffling Aofeng’s head, Sheng Changlin turned and handed the certificate and prize money to Song Changfeng. The three of them posed for a photo, then Song Changfeng led a slightly dazed Aofeng off the stage.

Aofeng seemed distracted, because this time he had clearly pinpointed the source of the smell—it was coming from Sheng Changlin’s liver. Organ decay… did that mean this man’s time was running out? But judging by Sheng Changlin’s appearance, he seemed healthy and energetic for someone in his early sixties. Not exactly old. So, the smell might be from a diseased organ.

Liver cancer?

He didn’t know why, but those two words suddenly popped into Aofeng’s mind. He didn’t know much about liver cancer, but he did know that it was usually diagnosed in its late stages. Early symptoms were hard to detect, and the liver was a resilient organ that rarely showed pain unless severely damaged. Its symptoms often mimicked more common ailments, making it hard to catch.

Maybe he was wrong. He wasn’t a doctor—how could he make such a judgment? But what if he was right? Judging by Sheng Changlin’s demeanor, he probably had no idea.

But how could Aofeng warn him? He couldn’t speak, and it wasn’t like he could scratch out a message on the ground. That would expose him, and he might end up on an operating table before Sheng Changlin did.

Aofeng racked his brain but couldn’t come up with a good solution. Then he remembered the night he met Shen Yuanhui. Back then, he had blocked Shen Yuanhui’s path and unknowingly helped him avoid danger. Everyone had said it was because animals had a sixth sense for danger.

Well then, let’s rely on that sixth sense again.

After the ceremony, Aofeng insisted on leading Song Changfeng toward the podium. Song was confused, thinking Aofeng had taken a liking to the old man, so he followed along.

But as soon as they got close, Aofeng reared up on his hind legs and pounced on Sheng Changlin, barking furiously at him.

The scene turned awkward. Was Aofeng scolding him? Song Changfeng quickly tugged the leash and pulled Aofeng down. But even after being pulled away, Aofeng didn’t stop—he kept barking at Sheng Changlin.

Sheng Changlin had initially assumed it was just being temperamental, but when he noticed it wasn’t glaring at his eyes while screeching, but rather at a certain spot on his body, a flicker of doubt crept into his mind. He patted his clothes, but found nothing unusual. That was odd.