Chapter 107: It Really Hit

“Officer Song, thank you all.”

Dressed in black, Chen Ru stood outside the cemetery, her eyes swollen from crying, and expressed her gratitude to Song Changfeng and the others. The case had finally been resolved, and Chen Zhiming was paying the price for his actions. But the person who had passed could never come back.

Song Changfeng and his team had helped Chen Ru handle Zhong Xiaoxuan’s funeral, ensuring she had a dignified farewell. It had to be said, her parents were truly heartless. From the moment the incident occurred until now, they hadn’t shown their faces or said a single word, as if she had never existed at all.

…

Time flew by, and July arrived with its sweltering heat. Since the last case had been solved, no other criminal incidents had occurred in Anyang City. Life had returned to normal.

During this time, Aofeng had been accompanying Song Changfeng on patrols almost every day. Their assigned area was around the city center plaza. Every time Aofeng went out, a crowd would gather around them, praising how majestic and handsome he looked. They said it was rare to see such a large German Shepherd and would scramble to take photos with him.

Basking in all the compliments, Aofeng was starting to get a bit full of himself. Every time he went out, he was full of energy, and anyone who saw him couldn’t help but offer praise.

Of course, he wasn’t just about appearances. He’d done plenty of real work too, like catching thieves and helping people find lost items. With him around, the security around the plaza had noticeably improved.

In his downtime, Aofeng also kept an eye on the local stray cats and dogs, hoping to recruit a few more underlings. If he spotted a promising one, he’d sneak out at night to give them a little brainwashing session, trying hard to win their support. In Aofeng’s view, the last case had been cracked in time largely thanks to the clues provided by Lao Jin. If he could teach these strays to be more aware of their surroundings, wouldn’t that be even more helpful?

Thanks to his tireless efforts, Aofeng successfully recruited a new little brother—a stray orange tabby cat. Though cats and dogs were natural enemies, Aofeng had helped the orange tabby escape from a storm drain it had gotten stuck in, and in return, the cat agreed to keep an eye out for him.

After more than ten days of back-to-back shifts, Song Changfeng finally got a rare two-day break. And naturally, Aofeng got a break too. On the first day, they visited the Shen Family. As Aofeng’s first little brother, Da Huang was a key target for development. After Aofeng tirelessly repeated the importance of learning real skills, Da Huang groggily started learning various alert techniques from him, completely forgetting he was supposed to be a pet dog.

Shen Doudou, finding it amusing, joined in as well. The small backyard quickly turned into a chaotic mess, with both Shen Doudou and Da Huang getting themselves filthy. But in Wang Xiuyun’s eyes, none of that mattered. She watched the three little troublemakers in the yard with a smile, thinking that nothing was more important than the joy on their faces.

“Xiao Song, why don’t you stay the night?”

Song Changfeng politely declined. “No need, Auntie Wang. We agreed to visit the Training Base tomorrow. We’ll be riding the canteen supply truck, and it leaves really early. If we stay here, we’ll disturb your rest.”

“I see. Then take these with you. This one’s for you, and this one’s for Aofeng. I’ve been learning some new snack recipes from short videos lately. Try them out and let me know what you think, alright?” Wang Xiuyun’s warm words touched both man and dog. Aofeng walked over on his own and affectionately rubbed his head against her hand. He could feel that Wang Xiuyun truly cared for him. The affection in her eyes was genuine, not just because he had once saved Shen Doudou.

Before dawn the next day, Song Changfeng and Aofeng were already waiting outside the Municipal Bureau. A small truck with two bright headlights like big eyes came rolling up from the intersection. When the driver saw them, he instinctively wanted to honk, but quickly held back. It wasn’t even five in the morning yet. A honk now would definitely earn him a few curses.

Song Changfeng and Aofeng climbed into the truck. The driver was Xiao Li, a kitchen assistant from the Police Dog Canteen. In the passenger seat sat Meng Chun, Master Zhang’s apprentice.

“Whoa, Brother Song, Aofeng looks like he’s put on quite a bit of weight! You guys must be eating well at the Municipal Bureau!” Meng Chun was shocked when he saw Aofeng, who looked like a young bull. Back at the Training Base, he hadn’t seemed this hefty.

Aofeng shot him a sideways glance. Could this guy be any worse at talking? Who starts a conversation by calling someone fat? He wasn’t fat, he was strong!

“Not bad,” Song Changfeng replied curtly, his tone a bit cold.

Meng Chun didn’t mind. Everyone knew what Song Changfeng’s personality was like. He said, “Brother Song, you really made our base proud this time. When word got out that someone from the Training Base had been assigned to the Criminal Investigation Detachment, people were saying it was just because they needed someone to look after the dogs. But after those two cases, we all heard about the role you and Aofeng played. Let’s see who dares to look down on us now!”

Song Changfeng just smiled and said nothing. It wasn’t that he was taking credit for himself and Aofeng, but he knew that Meng had a sense of propriety. He was just venting a little in private. He would never speak recklessly in front of outsiders.

Time passed slowly as they chatted, and by dawn, the gates of the base appeared before them. Even though they had only been gone for a little over a month, Aofeng felt as if a lifetime had passed. Everything before him was familiar, yet to his eyes, it all looked like an old, yellowed photograph.

The gatekeeper was still Grandpa Zhang, sitting in the guardroom with Da Ju curled up at his feet, sound asleep. While Song Changfeng chatted with Grandpa Zhang, Aofeng quietly crept over to Da Ju, leaned in close to its face, and waited silently. Perhaps sensing danger, Da Ju jolted awake from its sweet dreams. The moment it opened its eyes, it saw a massive figure looming in front of it. Its fur bristled in fright, and it sprang into the air, nearly landing on Grandpa Zhang’s head.

Aofeng let out a mischievous chuckle and walked away from the guardroom, thoroughly satisfied. Back when Da Ju was still Little Orange, Aofeng had been quite fond of it. But as Da Ju grew older, its personality turned sly and destructive, and it lost the charm it once had. Aofeng’s affection for it gradually faded.

What really drove a wedge between them happened last winter. After several gloomy days, the sun finally came out, and the trainers took the police dogs’ bedding out to dry. During training, Aofeng kept thinking about how nice it would be to sleep on a sun-warmed, fresh-smelling mat that night. But when he returned to the kennel, he discovered that Song Changfeng had replaced his mat with a new one. Ever since becoming a police dog, Aofeng had developed a stronger sense of territory, and he was clearly displeased. He wanted to find his original mat. Seeing Aofeng restless, Song Changfeng guessed the reason and took him to check. It turned out that while the mats were drying, Da Ju had been sleeping on his. That alone might’ve been forgivable, but before leaving, Da Ju had left a huge puddle of pee on it, soaking a large area.

And just like that, a feud between dog and cat was born. Aofeng made it a point to scare Da Ju whenever he could, and Da Ju, in turn, always managed to find Aofeng’s things and mess them up.

When they entered the base, training was in full swing. Leading the session was Aofeng’s little nephew, Qi Qi. Though still not fully grown, he already carried himself with a calm, steady demeanor and was the top performer among the current batch of police dogs.

The scent of Aofeng stirred some commotion among the dogs. A full-grown dog of such size suddenly entering their territory made them uneasy.

Qi Qi still remembered Aofeng’s scent and how he used to train him. He was eager to go over and greet him, but he also knew he was still in training. Without an order from his trainer dad, he couldn’t just run off.

Aofeng smiled faintly. As expected of his bloodline. Look at that, so well-behaved! Then, with a senior’s eye, he began evaluating the other dogs running past him. That one’s too fat, needs to slim down. That one’s stride is too long, makes running inefficient. That one’s limbs are uncoordinated. That one… just plain dumb…

Wait a second. Aofeng’s eyes landed on the dog bringing up the rear, tongue lolling, legs pumping wildly, wearing an expression of profound wisdom. Wasn’t that Kaka the husky? What was that guy doing back here?

After graduating, Aofeng had left with Song Changfeng for his new post, so he had no idea that Kaka had been returned. Kaka had trained with Aofeng for a few months and had already grasped the basics of being a patrol dog. At that time, Kaka was full of energy, so Li Zihao asked his superior to assign him a patrol job. The supervisor, recognizing talent and knowing how much Li Zihao valued the husky, arranged for Kaka to patrol a subway station.

To ensure the mission went smoothly, Kaka was always paired with another police dog. The partner did the heavy lifting, while Kaka was just along for the ride. But it didn’t take long for Kaka to stir up trouble. While on patrol, he frequently accepted food from passengers and often lazed around, refusing to move unless the officer pulled out a cart to wheel him along.

To be fair, huskies are generally lovable dogs, especially one like Kaka who knew how to act cute and win hearts. The officers were happy to indulge him. After all, he had gotten the job through connections, wasn’t on the payroll, so why make a fuss?

But the other police dogs weren’t having it. Whenever Kaka was assigned to a patrol, they went on strike, refusing to leave the kennel, silently protesting the unfairness.

Why should they put up with this? Why?! They did all the dirty, exhausting work, while Kaka got pampered, fed, and waited on. Just because they were animals didn’t mean they couldn’t sense the injustice. They were angry too. They just couldn’t say it out loud.

The officers were at their wits’ end. If these were people, they could be lectured, reasoned with, made to understand the stakes. But they were dogs. What good would talking do? In the end, they had no choice but to tactfully send Kaka back.

Li Zihao had no objections, but after Kaka had experienced working life, staying at home made him listless and sluggish. Li Zihao worried he’d get depressed from boredom, so he arranged for him to return to the Training Base to pass the time. In any case, he couldn’t be allowed to sit idle.

The Training Base was troubled too. They’d never had a repeat trainee before. But before they could refuse, sponsorship funds from Huaxing Technology arrived. With that kind of backing, they couldn’t say no. So Kaka returned to the Training Base.

Back at the base, Kaka found that Lao Da and the big, burly police dogs were all gone. Only a bunch of half-grown pups remained. Instantly, he puffed up with pride, trying to lord over the little ones and recruit them as his underlings.

But when one of the dogs challenged his self-proclaimed leadership, did Qi Qi let it slide? Not a chance. He marched right over and gave Kaka a thorough beating. Kaka, fur in disarray and tail between his legs, howled as he ran off. Everyone who saw it that day ended up eating an extra half bowl of rice from laughing so hard. What a weakling!

After getting thrashed, Kaka realized not everyone in the world was like Lao Da, who pulled his punches and mostly relied on intimidation. So when it was time to train again, he voluntarily pledged allegiance to Boss Qi Qi.

Even if he ran into Aofeng now, he wouldn’t dare leave the team without permission. After all, when Boss Qi Qi hit a dog, he really hit!

“Hahahaha!” After training, Aofeng heard the whole story from Qi Qi and burst out laughing. If it had been any other dog, he might’ve scolded them for being spineless. But Kaka? No problem. That guy called anyone stronger than him “Boss.”

Kaka sat across from them, wearing a pitiful expression. Even with his low self-esteem, he felt a bit embarrassed. He was just about to complain to Aofeng when he noticed Qi Qi staring at him. Terrified, he swallowed his words on the spot.

Qi Qi, satisfied, looked away and started asking Aofeng for training tips. He knew this senior was an exceptional dog. Aofeng gladly shared everything he knew and even reminded Qi Qi to pass the knowledge on to the others. Once they started working, the more help they could offer on cases, the better.