Chapter 59: Investigation and Evidence Collection

By the time Song Changfeng arrived at the nearby police station, Shen Yuanhui had already contacted the Jingdu police. Upon hearing that it might be a kidnapping case, and that the perpetrator had acted with extreme cruelty, the authorities in Jingdu immediately took it seriously. They promptly notified the local police precinct to assist with the investigation, hoping to uncover clues and get to the truth as soon as possible.

“Hello, I need to report a case!” As soon as Song Changfeng stepped into the station, he stated his purpose.

The officer on duty looked him over, then glanced at the German Shepherd by his side, and cautiously asked, “Are you Comrade Song Changfeng?”

“Yes, that’s me!”

“Hello, Comrade Changfeng!” The officer immediately stood up and shook his hand. “We’ve got a general understanding of the situation, but there are still some unclear details. Would you mind recounting the entire incident in detail?”

Naturally, Song Changfeng cooperated. After he finished, the officer said they would begin investigating right away and would contact him again if they needed further assistance.

After leaving the police station, Song Changfeng headed back to the pet hospital. The moment he stepped outside, a biting wind howled past their ears. Both he and Aofeng shivered and instinctively picked up their pace.

When they arrived at the pet hospital, Song Changfeng was surprised to find that Pan Zi and the others were still there. He quickly urged them to go home and get some rest. It was already past two in the morning, and if they didn’t sleep soon, they’d be exhausted tomorrow. Thankfully, they hadn’t brought Xiao Qi and Duo Duo along. Otherwise, with their adrenaline still running high, tomorrow’s competition would be in jeopardy.

Pan Zi and the others didn’t argue. Knowing the case had already been handed over to the local police, they understood there wasn’t much more they could do by staying. They patted Song Changfeng on the shoulder and left the hospital one after another. As for Song Changfeng, since he and Aofeng had discovered the scene together and the Husky was still in surgery, he figured he wouldn’t be able to sleep even if he went home. He might as well stay and wait for the outcome.

Seeing Aofeng struggling to keep his eyes open, Song Changfeng went to the front desk and asked the nurse for a cushion. He placed it down so Aofeng could lie on it. The dog curled up beside his feet, let out a long yawn, then tilted his head and fell asleep instantly.

No one knew how much time had passed when Aofeng suddenly heard a “ding.” He opened his eyes and saw that the red “In Surgery” sign had gone dark, meaning Kaka was about to be brought out. He immediately sat up straight, staring intently at the operating room door. His movement woke Song Changfeng, who realized he had dozed off at some point. Thankfully, the hospital’s heating was strong enough, or he would’ve caught a cold.

When Kaka was wheeled out, he was completely unconscious. Aofeng went over and saw that the dog was wrapped up like a mummy. Thick gauze covered his head, legs, and eyes. From the small patches of fur peeking out, it was clear that much of his coat had been shaved.

Looking at Kaka like this, Aofeng found it hard to connect him with the goofy yet handsome Husky he used to be. Even his owner might not recognize him right away. But under the circumstances, just surviving was already a blessing. No point asking for anything more¹.

On the way back, Aofeng sincerely hoped that Kaka’s owner could also escape danger and turn misfortune into fortune. Otherwise, the world would be left with one more heartbroken dog and a few more grieving people.

…

Meanwhile, the police had already sprung into action. Based on the clues provided by Song Changfeng, they split into two teams. One went to the hotel where Li Zihao had been staying, while the other headed to the busy commercial area where Kaka had been dumped, hoping to find nearby surveillance footage that might have captured the suspect’s appearance.

The team at the hotel was the first to find a lead. Surveillance footage showed that around 5:30 p.m. the previous day, Li Zihao had left the hotel in high spirits, carrying a laptop bag and walking his dog. After stepping outside, he turned left—coincidentally, the same direction where his phone was later found. After he exited the camera’s view, he never reappeared. Investigators had no choice but to contact traffic authorities to request footage from nearby roads, hoping to spot any suspicious vehicles.

The officers near the trash bin also located a camera that covered the area. After receiving the hotel team’s update, they pulled footage from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. and began reviewing it frame by frame.

The footage showed that at around 7:10 p.m., a man dressed in black, wearing a baseball cap and a mask, rode an electric scooter into the area. He circled the trash bin a few times, and once he was sure no one was watching, he tossed a woven bag containing the dog into the bin, then casually rode away.

The area was full of winding alleyways, most of which lacked surveillance, making it difficult to track where he went. They tried to trace the scooter using its license plate, but when they ran it through the system, they discovered it had been reported stolen a month ago.

Just when they thought they had a lead, it vanished. The team couldn’t help feeling a bit discouraged. But soon, one officer noticed something else: before disappearing from the footage, the man had paused briefly at a corner.

This discovery lifted their spirits. A few officers rushed back to the spot and found the corner in question. There was a pile of miscellaneous junk there, likely someone’s stash of recyclable items. Outside the pile, they spotted tire tracks and several messy footprints. A preliminary inspection confirmed the prints belonged to the suspect. The question now was, what had he done there? Could he have left behind any evidence among the junk?

Given the possibility, the officers put on gloves and loaded everything into their vehicle to take back for examination. As for the angry old man who would later curse out loud about someone stealing his scrap, they had no way of knowing.

…

Around 8 a.m., Song Changfeng woke up in bed. He’d only gotten back around 4 a.m., but those three-plus hours of sleep were enough to recharge him.

He picked up his phone, which had been charging on the nightstand. Just as he was about to check Aofeng’s score from yesterday’s competition and the base’s overall ranking, the phone suddenly rang.

It was an unfamiliar number. Song Changfeng didn’t recognize it, but he answered anyway.

“Hello, Comrade Song Changfeng.” The voice on the other end sounded vaguely familiar, as did the way he was addressed.

“Who’s this?”

“This is Xiao Zheng, the officer you met during the handover yesterday. Do you remember me?”

A tall, skinny young man with a couple of pimples on his face popped into Song Changfeng’s mind.

“Officer Zheng, hello. What can I do for you? Do you have a lead on the case?”

Xiao Zheng sounded a little awkward. “Uh, well… sort of. We do have something, but we’ll need your help.”

“What kind of help do you need?” Song Changfeng asked.

“I heard your dog is really good at scent tracking. We brought back some items yesterday, but no matter how we looked at them, we couldn’t find anything. We were hoping your dog could sniff them and see if there are any traces left behind by the suspect.”

Song Changfeng thought for a moment, then nodded. “Alright. When?”

Xiao Zheng sounded excited. “Do you guys have a competition today? If not, you can come over now.”

“Aofeng doesn’t have any events today. But I need to feed him first, so we’ll be a bit later.”

“No problem. Is it convenient for you to come over? If not, I can come pick you up.”

Song Changfeng quickly declined. The place was only about three or four li from the stadium, just a short walk away. After hanging up, he swiftly got out of bed and freshened up. In no time, he was ready to go.

Aofeng and the others had their own room that served as a kennel. For safety reasons, there were cages inside the room, and they slept in them at night.

When Aofeng returned yesterday, Duo Duo and Xiao Qi were already awake. Once they caught his familiar scent, they relaxed and went back to sleep. Dogs can adjust their sleep schedules easily. They often nap during the day when there’s nothing going on, and at night, they tend to stay more alert to their surroundings. This is more common in village dogs, though. For police dogs like them, daytime is strictly for training, and nighttime is their prime rest period.

Aofeng had napped a bit at the pet hospital, so he was still a little keyed up when he got back. But the soft snoring around him gradually lulled him into sleep, and before long, his eyelids drooped and he drifted off.

When he woke up again, the first thing he saw was Song Changfeng crouched in front of the cage, fiddling with the lock. Startled, Aofeng jerked back, his doggy face full of confusion.

Song Changfeng let him out, wiped his face, and took him to the cafeteria for breakfast. Since it was a temporary setup, the dining area was simply divided into human and canine sections. The human breakfast was buffet-style, with a wide variety of options. The dogs’ meals were prepared by a chef brought in from the Beijing Police Dog Training Base. After sampling it a few times, Aofeng concluded: not as good as Old Zhang’s cooking. As he ate, he felt a pang of sadness. Graduation was only a few months away, and the thought of never tasting Old Zhang’s dog food again made him wish he could graduate with him.

After finishing his own meal, Song Changfeng came over to help Aofeng clean up, then led him outside. Aofeng was a bit puzzled. Judging by the route, they seemed to be heading out of the stadium again. Were they going to see Kaka? He was probably awake by now.

But to Aofeng’s surprise, they weren’t headed to the pet hospital either. The path looked more like it was leading to the police station.

When they arrived at the station entrance, a young man came out to greet them. The moment he saw Aofeng, he showered him with praise, his words dripping with honey. Aofeng didn’t let the flattery get to his head. He thought to himself, No one sucks up for no reason. He must want something.

Sure enough, once he was led into an office filled with assorted junk, he immediately understood the meaning behind Xiao Zheng’s earlier grin. It was the same kind of grin a weasel wears after stealing a chicken².

Aofeng took a deep breath, then walked over to the pile of discarded items and began sniffing with his sharp nose.

Most of the junk had a muddled mix of smells, but one scent stood out the most. Aofeng figured it probably belonged to the owner of the items.

He followed the trail until he came across a pair of white work gloves on the floor. That’s when he noticed something different. In addition to the owner’s scent, the dried brown stains on the gloves also carried Kaka’s scent!

Aofeng barked at the gloves, his unusual behavior immediately drawing everyone’s attention. Xiao Zheng’s face fell. They had noticed the gloves before, but since many of the local scrap collectors wore similar ones, and there were several pairs scattered around, they hadn’t paid them much mind.

Xiao Zheng quickly sent the gloves to the forensic team to see if they could extract any useful clues.

Translator’s Notes