Chapter 1: Sterilization?

“Aofeng¹, come on, buddy, run! First one there gets a reward!” A man in a police uniform, of average height, crouched on the ground clapping his hands, coaxing in a low voice.

The one he was coaxing was a four- or five-month-old German Shepherd puppy. At the moment, it was lazily sprawled on the grass, wagging its tail, completely ignoring the trainer’s command. When the man called out again, the pup gave him a lazy glance with its pitch-black eyes, then turned its head to stare up at the sky, clearly showing a nonviolent resistance.

“Dezi, failed again, huh?” A large hand smacked the man on the shoulder with a loud slap, followed by a teasing question.

The man called Dezi stood up with a gloomy face and brushed the hand off his shoulder. “Quit watching the show and help me think of something. Do you think I should just put the reward right in front of him?”

“Won’t work. Others tried that before you. Aofeng’s a tough one. I don’t think he’s cut out to be a police dog.”

“Shut up! Don’t say that in front of him!” The trainer shot a nervous glance at the little German Shepherd, then dragged the other man away to talk in private.

“Relax, it’s not like he understands…”

Their voices faded into the distance. They were probably off to discuss how to deal with him. Aofeng yawned, bored out of his mind, and closed his eyes, deciding to take a nap right there.

The sight of the little German Shepherd sleeping soundly on the grass was nothing new at the Anyang City Police Dog Base. Ever since this pup named Aofeng was officially transferred from the Breeding Base² to the Training Base, this had happened far too often.

People assumed the little German Shepherd was dreaming again.

In his dream, he was a six-foot-tall man. One day, on his way home from work, he accidentally stumbled upon a violent crime and was hit by a stray bullet. The pain of the bullet tearing through his body had felt far too real. Aofeng shuddered in his sleep and woke up with lingering fear.

That dream again.

No one would believe it if he told them. Honestly, he wouldn’t have believed it himself if he hadn’t lived through it.

When he got shot, he thought that was the end of his life. But when he woke up, he had turned into a just-weaned German Shepherd puppy.

After being human for over twenty years, suddenly becoming a puppy was a lot to process. He felt a strange mix of relief at having escaped death and a deep frustration that maybe dying would’ve been better.

A puppy, even one born at the Anyang City Police Dog Breeding Base, with both parents being retired Merit Dogs³ and a guaranteed future as an official member of the force, was still just a dog.

At first, he couldn’t accept it. He decided to go on a hunger strike and starve himself to death. After a few skipped meals, he was dragged into the base’s infirmary and hooked up to several bags of nutrient fluid.

The injections were so painful that when the trainer brought over a bowl of soaked puppy kibble, he ate the whole thing with tears in his eyes. Some things are like that – once you give in the first time, the rest comes easy. After a few more meals, he could calmly face the dog food and even expertly pick out the milk biscuits to eat first.

Sometimes he’d wonder, thank goodness he became a police dog. If he’d ended up as a rural mutt raised by a farming household, faced with a bowl of leftover bones and rice, would he have stood firm on his human dignity, or surrendered to instinct and fallen from grace?

Whenever he thought about it, he felt grateful to the heavens. Sure, they closed a door on him, but at least they left a window half open. Otherwise, this would’ve been unbearable.

Life in the police dog kindergarten wasn’t bad. Eat, play, and do some basic interaction training with the trainers. Aofeng had no interest in competing with the other pups for praise or treats. He always ignored the trainers’ commands and just lay quietly to the side, watching them play, completely lacking the energy typical of pups his age.

Yet somehow, the trainers praised him as calm and dependable, with the makings of a future leader. Clearly, the glory of his Merit Dog parents cast a long shadow. As a second-generation police dog slacker, the pressure was real.

But that praise vanished like smoke in the wind after he transferred to the Training Base at three months old. No one mentioned it again.

“Ring ring ring…”

A pleasant bell rang, signaling the end of morning training. Aofeng got up from the grass, shook off the bits of grass clinging to his fur, stretched lazily, and strolled over to line up with the other pups, waiting for the word “dismissed” so he could head to breakfast with the rest.

The officers at the Anyang City Police Dog Base looked at the handsome little German Shepherd with eyes full of disappointment, as if he were the rotten apple spoiling the whole bunch, the stick stirring the cesspit, the mud that couldn’t stick to the wall.

Aofeng lifted his eyelids slightly. His dog face was calm and indifferent, the very picture of someone who’s seen it all⁴. He wasn’t bothered in the slightest. After all, in a few days, he’d be leaving this place.

“Woof woof… woof!”

A golden retriever puppy beside Aofeng suddenly barked softly, its bright, innocent eyes full of confusion.

“Why don’t you run with us?” Aofeng heard it ask.

“Too lazy,” Aofeng replied with a short grunt.

“Why are you too lazy?”

“Don’t want to.”

“Why don’t you want to?”

“…”

“Why aren’t you answering?”

“…Kids shouldn’t ask so many questions,” Aofeng said weakly. He had never liked dealing with children – they were too annoying. Now he realized that animal cubs could be just as irritating.

“Why shouldn’t kids—”

“Saihu, stop barking!”

The golden retriever’s question was cut off. Its trainer gave the leash a tug, and it immediately turned around and sat up straight. Its well-trained posture was a stark contrast to Aofeng’s lazy slouch.

That damned Obedience! Aofeng sighed. If human kids were this obedient, no one would call them little brats.

A sharp whistle blew. The word “dismissed” marked the official end of morning training. Aofeng followed the line of puppies to the cafeteria.

Breakfast was mediocre today, but Aofeng still cleaned his bowl. Maybe it was the culture here, but whether it was the people or the police dogs, waste was a rare sight.

After the meal, there was a short break. Aofeng found a quiet spot where no one would bother him, lay down again, and planned to skip the next round of training.

For a police dog on the verge of being eliminated, there was nothing more blissful than basking in the warm sun and enjoying a peaceful nap.

All he had to do was get through these last five days quietly, keep being uncooperative like before, and his name would definitely show up on the elimination list. Then he’d be sent to auction⁵ and end up in a well-off family that liked dogs, living out this pitiful life in uneventful peace.

Just as Aofeng was daydreaming about his future, footsteps suddenly echoed from a secluded corner nearby, followed by the flick of a lighter. A sharp, acrid smell wafted over.

Aofeng waved a paw in front of his nose, but with a dog’s hyper-sensitive sense of smell, the gesture was completely useless. Luckily, no one saw this oddly human-like action. Otherwise, they might have had to reevaluate this so-called useless pup.

Back when he was human, he’d been a smoker for several years. Aofeng shook his head in frustration and got up, ready to leave.

“…Do we really have to do this?”

Oh? That sounded like gossip. Aofeng froze mid-step, ears perked high.

The speaker sounded exhausted, and Aofeng recognized the voice—it was Xu Dong, the veterinarian.

Last time Aofeng went on a hunger strike, it was Xu Dong who hooked him up to an IV. He looked gentle and refined, but had surprising strength!

Another man took a deep drag on his cigarette and slowly exhaled a ring of smoke.

“We don’t have a choice. Last month, some police dogs auctioned off from a training base in the south were used for illegal breeding. Those dog traffickers are real scum. They locked the dogs in cages barely a meter wide…” His voice caught. The fury he’d felt when he saw those news reports of dogs covered in wounds still burned fresh in his memory.

Xu Dong was silent for a moment, then asked, “So… all the eliminated ones have to be sterilized?”

“What else can we do?” the man sighed. He didn’t want to hurt those little guys either, but this was the best way to stop unscrupulous breeders from getting any ideas.

Even though they thoroughly vetted every adopter’s background, there was no way to completely prevent backdoor deals. Some people would use the police dog lineage as a selling point, turning these dogs into nothing more than breeding machines.

…

The voices of Xu Dong and the other man gradually faded into the distance, leaving Aofeng frozen in place, his doggy face filled with confusion and shock.

He didn’t want to be a police dog, sure—but he never signed up to be eunuch⁶! He might not have planned on using that particular tool, but that didn’t mean he wanted it cruelly taken away!

If he’d known this would happen, he would’ve trained properly from the start!

But now, with only five days left until the assessment, what could he do?

Translator’s Notes