Chapter 126: Wildman?

It was a beautiful morning. After his workout, Aofeng lay sprawled on the ground, watching Song Changfeng doing pull-ups nearby, silently counting in his head, “Sixty-seven, sixty-eight…”

When he finished a hundred reps, Song Changfeng jumped down, grabbed the water bottle beside him, and tilted his head back for a drink. The sparkling droplets glistened in the sunlight, adding a touch of allure to the already masculine figure chugging water. Unfortunately, the only one watching was a dog who had no appreciation for such things.

Aofeng barked at Song Changfeng, then turned his head to signal him to hurry up. He had already seen quite a few people heading toward the cafeteria.

Song Changfeng chuckled, wiped the sweat from his face with a towel, then called out to Aofeng and strode off with long steps. Aofeng, ever competitive, immediately sprang to his feet and gave chase. Not to be outdone, Song Changfeng picked up speed, and Aofeng pushed harder to catch up. Man and dog treated it like a race. After all, a man’s desire to win runs deep.

Before long, they reached the cafeteria. Unsurprisingly, Aofeng won again. With four legs to Song Changfeng’s two, he had double the advantage. How could he not win?

Song Changfeng entered the cafeteria and grabbed a plate of food for himself, digging in with gusto. Aofeng sat beside him, eyes locked on the golden, crispy fried dough stick in his hand. The crunching sound rang in his ears, and his mouth watered uncontrollably.

Truth be told, he’d already eaten earlier. One good thing about Song Changfeng was that the first thing he did every morning was prepare food for him. The portion wasn’t huge, but it was enough to fill him about eighty percent. When it came to food, Aofeng was quite different from other police dogs. Most police dogs ate twice a day, but he insisted on three meals, no exceptions. Sometimes he even needed a snack, or he’d get unbearably hungry.

At first, Song Changfeng was a little concerned, but eventually he just went along with it. After all, Aofeng’s size spoke for itself. Compared to other German Shepherds, he was visibly larger, but thankfully, his size didn’t affect his health in any way. He remained within all the healthy standards and was even stronger in combat than the others.

Sensing Aofeng’s gaze, Song Changfeng turned to glance at him. Aofeng quickly looked away and sat up straight, his serious expression betraying no hint of longing for food. Song Changfeng couldn’t help but laugh. Aofeng really was a dog who cared about saving face.

After breakfast, they put on their uniforms and got ready to start another day of street patrols. Since the cat abuse case had been resolved, Anyang City had returned to its usual calm. The only difference now was that people had become more attentive to the plight of stray cats and dogs. The government had also rolled out a series of policies to help them live safely and in a regulated way within the city, without causing trouble for residents.

The most effective of these was promoting adoption over purchase. The government would first cover the cost of sterilization, deworming, and vaccinations for the strays, then review adoption applications submitted by citizens. After vetting, the animals would be placed accordingly. Unlike before, this time applications weren’t limited to individuals—organizations could also apply, allowing more people to share the joy of these adorable furballs and reducing the regret of failed adoptions due to limited personal conditions.

Aofeng’s little brother, Da Ju, had refused to be adopted by a human. He still preferred the freedom of roaming on his own. But freedom or not, like every other cat, he too had lost his dignity as a male in one desperate morning. Since then, he had set his sights on the doctor who performed the surgery, beginning a cat’s path of “revenge.”

Aofeng had no say in his little brother’s choices. After all, if it had been his own manhood taken, he wouldn’t forgive those people either. Wasn’t that the very reason he chose the path of a police dog in the first place—to avoid getting neutered?

August was still unbearably hot. Looking up at the blazing sun and the pavement that looked scalding just to step on, Aofeng groaned inwardly and pulled a long face as he prepared to head out.

“Ring ring ring…”

Aofeng’s ears perked up, and the paw he’d lifted dropped back down. He happily retreated into the shade beside the guardhouse and sat down. That sound was Song Changfeng’s ringtone. No rush to go out until he finished the call.

“Hello, Captain Lei? What? Got it, I’ll be right there!” Song Changfeng ended the call in just a few words. He frowned as he shoved his phone back into his pocket, then turned and called out to Aofeng, “Let’s go, we need to head to Captain Lei’s office. Something might’ve come up.”

Aofeng quickly followed, a heavy feeling settling in his chest. They were part of the Criminal Investigation Detachment. Every time they were called in, it meant a criminal case had occurred. And criminal cases meant someone’s life or property had been threatened or harmed. Each one brought misfortune to one or even several families. Given the choice, he’d rather spend every day patrolling the streets with Song Changfeng.

When they arrived at Lei Liming’s office, they found that aside from Lei Liming himself, there was also a stern-faced, tight-browed middle-aged man they didn’t recognize.

“Changfeng, this is Bureau Chief Zhang from the Zhouying County Public Security Bureau in Jianghuai City. Old Zhang, this is Song Changfeng from our Criminal Investigation Detachment, and his police dog, Aofeng,” Lei Liming introduced them. After the two men shook hands, he got straight to the point.

It turned out that Zhouying County was dealing with a missing persons case. The missing individual was a woman who had gone into the mountains to forage for wild vegetables. Her disappearance was so strange that it quickly drew widespread public attention. With media pressure mounting, the officers in Zhouying County were under increasing stress by the day. Although they had already deployed many personnel to search for her, the area’s rugged terrain made the search extremely difficult. Even several drones had been damaged, yet no clues had been found. It was as if the woman had vanished into thin air.

What made the case so unusual was that the mountain in Zhouying County had long been rumored to be home to a Wildman. According to local legend, the Wildman stood three meters tall, was covered in hair, and had a taste for raw human flesh. Over twenty years ago, a woman from the village had supposedly been dragged into the mountains by such a creature. When her body was found half a month later, it was mangled beyond recognition, with bite marks all over. As time passed, people gradually forgot about the incident. But now, with another woman missing, those old memories had resurfaced. People were saying she too had been taken by the Wildman. The rumor spread rapidly online, and many began to “investigate” the mysterious creature, spinning wild and terrifying theories. These speculations pushed the Zhouying County police into the spotlight. The best way to resolve the crisis now was to crack the case quickly and find the missing woman, so the public could be reassured.

To support his statement, Bureau Chief Zhang even pulled up a video. In it, a masked man spoke in a low, eerie voice over creepy background music, narrating the story of the Zhouying County Wildman. He even showed a photo supposedly taken locally – a blurry shadow in a dark forest that, if you squinted, did vaguely resemble a humanoid figure.

As Aofeng watched the video, he was reminded of all the mysterious tales he’d come across before. Most of them were either fabricated or based on misinterpretations. He had to admit, there were still many unsolved mysteries in the world, but he was convinced that the Wildman of Zhouying County was not one of them.

Zhouying County had many mountains, but none were particularly tall. If a three-meter-tall man-eating Wildman really existed, there would’ve been more than just one victim over the years. According to those so-called investigators, the clearer the image, the fewer the mysteries.

“It’s been seventy-two hours since the woman went missing. With no other options, I had to ask for help from higher authorities. The Municipal Bureau sent some people, but they also recommended Comrade Song Changfeng from Anyang and police dog Aofeng. I hope Comrade Changfeng and Aofeng can cross jurisdictions to assist in solving the case,” said Bureau Chief Zhang.

Jianghuai City was right next to them. Though the city had its own police dogs, none had found anything useful. That was when someone remembered the now well-known trainer from Anyang and his dog, Aofeng. During the last mission to assist in Mount Daheng, one of the teams had been from Jianghuai City. Someone from that team had been deeply impressed by Aofeng’s abilities and envious of the bond between Song Changfeng and his dog. So he recommended the pair to Bureau Chief Zhang.

At first, Bureau Chief Zhang had been hesitant, unsure how to ask for help. But after some inquiries, he discovered that the current head of the Criminal Investigation Detachment in Anyang City was none other than his old classmate, Lei Liming. Without hesitation, he came straight over.

Lei Liming, of course, didn’t refuse. Setting aside their personal history, they were both part of the police system. Faced with such a difficult case, offering full support was a given.

Song Changfeng and Aofeng had no objections either. In fact, Aofeng was quite eager to meet this so-called “Wildman.” With his current skills, even if he did run into such a creature, he was confident he could get out unscathed.

Given the urgency, they didn’t waste any time. Song Changfeng packed a few things and got into Bureau Chief Zhang’s car, heading straight for Jianghuai City with him.

Jianghuai City was about a four-hour drive from Anyang City. Due to its mountainous terrain, its economic development had always lagged behind places like Anyang, but its natural environment was far superior. Since Bureau Chief Zhang was driving himself, they didn’t talk much along the way for safety reasons. Otherwise, Song Changfeng would’ve used the time to get a better understanding of the case.

By the time they arrived at the Zhouying County Public Security Bureau, it was already past one in the afternoon. Bureau Chief Zhang first had someone bring Aofeng some food, then asked the canteen to whip up a few dishes. With a slightly embarrassed smile, he said, “Sorry for the rough welcome today, Comrade Changfeng. Let’s just grab a quick bite for now. Tonight, I’ll treat you to some of Zhouying’s local specialties.”

Song Changfeng replied, “No need for formalities, Chief Zhang. Just call me Changfeng. The situation is urgent, so let’s skip the pleasantries. Once everything’s resolved, it’ll be the perfect time for a proper meal.”

Bureau Chief Zhang nodded with a pleased expression, his impression of this rising star in the police force growing even more favorable.

After a quick meal, they headed to the task force meeting room dedicated to the missing persons case. The room reeked of cigarette smoke and instant noodles. Aofeng poked his head in, then immediately backed out. The smell was an assault on his nose. He was ready to file for workplace injury compensation!

“Open the doors and windows, turn on the ventilation, and get that trash out of here! I was gone for one morning and you’ve already turned the meeting room into a disaster zone!” Bureau Chief Zhang felt a bit embarrassed and quickly urged the team to clean up, not wanting Song Changfeng and the others to think poorly of them.

Song Changfeng did lift the corners of his mouth in a smile, but it wasn’t mockery. The scene just felt all too familiar. No wonder Bureau Chief Zhang was a classmate of Captain Lei – the way he scolded people was exactly the same.

In truth, whenever they were handling major cases, their office became their second home. Everyone was so busy they barely had time to breathe, let alone worry about anything else. He figured that if Bureau Chief Zhang hadn’t been receiving guests today, he’d probably be surviving on two cups of instant noodles just like the rest of them.