Chapter 76: The Sound of Alarms

Moonlight poured down like water, its silvery glow blanketing the earth in a layer of frost. Behind an artificial rock formation, the soft murmur of flowing water echoed. A light mist hovered above a small hot spring pool, creating a dreamlike, almost otherworldly atmosphere.

This was one of the signature features of Song Changfeng’s family resort – the medicinal hot springs. Most guests came specifically for this. To ensure quality service, the villa only accepted guests by reservation. Currently, bookings were already filled through the end of next month, but that hadn’t dampened anyone’s enthusiasm.

Aofeng was lucky enough to enjoy this rare moment of comfort after finishing his daily exercise, soaking in the hot spring alongside Song Changfeng. The pool they used was Song Changfeng’s private one, designed in the shape of the number eight¹, with one large and one small basin connected but not intersecting. Once the switch above the pool was turned on, warm spring water would cascade down, filling the pool in no time.

At the moment, Aofeng had a towel draped over his head as he sat in the smaller pool, letting the warm water gently wash over him. His fur rippled with the waves. The exhaustion of the day’s journey and the stifling atmosphere of the Song household melted away in the soothing warmth of the spring.

Song Changfeng sat in the other pool, watching Aofeng squint in contentment. He looked just like an old man at a tavern enjoying a bit of wine. Normally, Aofeng wasn’t that fond of bathing, but clearly, hot springs were something else entirely.

After their soak, Song Changfeng helped Aofeng dry his fur and brought him back to the room. The moment Aofeng’s fully relaxed body sank into his soft little bed, drowsiness swept over him. He yawned, and his eyelids began to droop.

“Whooo… whooo… whooo…”

“Woo-wee woo-wee…”

No one knew how long he had slept before a piercing alarm suddenly rang in Aofeng’s ears. Judging by the sound, it seemed to be coming from police cars and ambulances.

Aofeng jolted awake, leapt up, and looked around with wide eyes. The room was quiet. On the bed, Song Changfeng frowned and turned over, seemingly disturbed by the noise and unable to sleep soundly.

Was it just nerves playing tricks on him? Aofeng perked up his ears and listened carefully. The alarm was real, just distant. But he could tell it was coming from somewhere within the resort.

He walked to the bedside and barked a few times. Song Changfeng sleepily opened his eyes and looked at him. Just when Aofeng thought he was about to get up, his eyes closed again.

With no other choice, Aofeng stood on his hind legs, propped himself against the bed, and gave Song Changfeng a few firm slaps on the face.

Startled and confused, Song Changfeng sat up and muttered, “Didn’t I teach you how to go to the bathroom?”

“Woof! Woof!” Aofeng barked twice and jerked his head toward the door, signaling that something was going on outside.

Song Changfeng’s expression turned serious. He immediately threw off the covers and got up. As soon as he opened the door, the faint sound outside became clearer. Song Changfeng recognized it instantly and rushed downstairs.

Aofeng followed close behind. Man and dog ran for quite a while before reaching the source of the alarm.

It was a circular building near the main entrance. They had passed it earlier that afternoon. Now, the area around the building was cordoned off with police tape. Occasionally, people in police uniforms or white lab coats came in and out. A crowd of guests had gathered nearby, chatting in small groups and pointing at the scene.

Aofeng caught the scent of blood wafting from inside and felt a sinking sense of dread. He glanced at Song Changfeng, whose face was grim. He must be worried too.

After dinner that evening, Song’s mother had mentioned she was heading out to work. The place she mentioned… should be this building.

As they approached, a police officer standing behind the tape immediately barked, “No entry beyond this point!”

“Hello, comrade. I’m Song Changfeng, a trainer from the Anyang Police Dog Training Base. The person in charge of this hot spring villa is my mother. I’d like to go in and see if there’s anything I can help with,” Song Changfeng said. He knew that just being the owner’s son wouldn’t get him through. He had to lead with his professional credentials.

“You’re Song Changfeng?” The officer stared at him for a moment, then looked down at the German Shepherd at his side. “And that’s Aofeng?”

“Woof!” That’s right, it’s me! Aofeng barked loudly, urging the officer to let them through.

“You two were the ones who took first place at the National Police Dog Competition a couple of months ago, right? I remember Aofeng was especially good at blood trail search, wasn’t he?” The officer was clearly excited. Their department had sent a team to the competition too, but they’d been eliminated during the Regional Competition. One of the younger officers had been obsessed with watching the matches and had gotten everyone else to follow along. That’s how they all remembered this impressive dog.

“Yes. Can we go in now?”

“Of course. With a police dog helping the investigation, we might solve this faster!” With that, he pulled out his radio and quickly reported the situation. Soon, someone came out from inside and led Song Changfeng and Aofeng in.

They walked down a long corridor and arrived at a row of rooms. These were all built in a traditional architectural style. One room, with double doors that opened inward, immediately caught Aofeng’s attention. The scent of blood inside was overwhelming, almost fatal.

Sure enough, before they could even get close, two doctors in white coats came out shaking their heads. It looked like the person inside hadn’t made it.

The scene was well preserved. Police officers were snapping photos of every suspicious spot with a crisp click-click. With the help of high-definition cameras, even the smallest clues would be revealed.

“Captain, after investigation, we’ve identified the victim. He’s Liu Fei, owner of a logistics company and a local from Pingcheng. Preliminary assessment shows Liu Fei died from stab wounds. There’s a clear knife wound on his chest. The murder weapon is likely a twenty-centimeter fruit knife, but it hasn’t been found at the scene.”

“Keep searching. Don’t overlook a single clue. Anything suspicious, bring it back for the lab to analyze,” the captain said.

The small cabin was crowded with several people. When Song Changfeng and Aofeng arrived, the captain immediately walked over. “You must be Comrade Song Changfeng? Sorry to trouble you.”

Song Changfeng glanced around and, not seeing his mother, felt a wave of relief. Still, since she was the owner of Hot Spring Villa, it was only natural for her to be questioned.

“Not a problem. Could I trouble you to have everyone step outside? It would make things a bit easier,” Song Changfeng said tactfully. With so many people in a confined space, the mix of scents made it easy to miss any lingering traces. But he understood—the team hadn’t known a police dog would be involved when they started the search.

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Translator’s Notes

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1. shape of the number eight: The original text refers to the Chinese character for eight (八), which consists of two strokes that flare outwards at the bottom. This describes a layout where two pools are positioned side-by-side but angled away from each other, rather than the interlocking loops of the Arabic numeral ‘8’. ↩