Chapter 83: The Unlucky One

“Have you made up your mind?”

Director Li stared at the job transfer application in his hand, hesitating to sign it.

“Director, I’ve thought it through,” Song Changfeng said seriously, standing in front of his desk.

“Sigh,” Director Li let out a soft sigh, then smiled. “Even though our training base will be losing a top talent, the Public Security Bureau will be gaining a great officer. It’s worth it.”

With that, he picked up the pen on his desk and carefully signed the name Li Xiangyang. After signing, he placed the application into a document envelope and handed it to Song Changfeng. Inside the envelope, along with the application, were a letter of introduction from the unit and copies of the awards Song had received over the years at the base.

“In the next couple of days, head over to the Municipal Public Security Bureau and hand this envelope to the Personnel Department. As for your personnel file, once the transfer is processed, it’ll automatically be sent over. Oh, and when you go, you might as well stop by and visit your Instructor Lei. Ask him to put in a word for you – that should help speed things up…” Director Li carefully explained all the details, and Song Changfeng listened attentively, not missing a single word.

After talking at length, Director Li took a big gulp of tea from the thermos on his desk. His dry throat finally felt a bit better.

“What, something else?” Seeing that Song Changfeng hadn’t left with the envelope and was still standing there stiffly, Director Li looked at him curiously.

“Director, if I transfer out… what happens to Aofeng?” Song asked with concern. It was a question that had been weighing on him, but he hadn’t found a good solution.

Director Li was taken aback at first, then smiled. No wonder he had high hopes for this young man – he really was different. All the effort he’d just spent explaining things hadn’t been in vain. Director Li loved dogs himself, and he hoped his subordinates would treat police dogs as true partners too.

When Zhu Cheng, Shan Dian’s former trainer, had wanted to leave the training base, he’d deliberately skipped safety precautions during training. When he left, Director Li hadn’t said a single extra word to him. Even the letter of introduction from the unit had been blunt and unflattering, despite Zhu Cheng being related to a minor city official.

Now, Song Changfeng wasn’t overjoyed just because he got the transfer approval. He hadn’t forgotten his responsibilities, and that was commendable.

“As for Aofeng, I’ll find him another trainer.” For such a smart and capable police dog, Director Li naturally wanted to assign the best possible trainer. Especially during this critical six-month period, each dog needed a dedicated trainer.

Song Changfeng felt deeply reluctant. Even though he’d only been with Aofeng for a little over six months, he already saw him as family. Aofeng was different from other police dogs. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, “Director, is there a deadline for this transfer application?”

“Huh?” Director Li was confused. What kind of deadline? It was just a piece of paper – how could it expire?

Wait, what Song meant was… he wanted to delay submitting the transfer?

Faced with Director Li’s questioning gaze, Song nodded firmly. “I want to stay with Aofeng until March.” In March, the police dogs would be assigned to various departments, and the officers from those departments would come to take over their training. Once trained, the dogs could start working with their new handlers.

“You brat, you think the Municipal Public Security Bureau is your backyard vegetable patch? You think you can just stroll in whenever you like? If you’re late, they might not want you anymore!” Director Li pretended to scold him, but inside, he was quite pleased. Look at that – loyal and responsible!

“Alright then, I’ll make a call and feel things out. I’ll hold onto the envelope for now. If it doesn’t work out, you can submit it later.” He quickly snatched the envelope and stuffed it into his desk drawer, as if afraid Song would change his mind the next second.

Song was deeply grateful. “Thank you, Director. I really appreciate it.”

After Song left, Director Li checked the time. Figuring the other side was probably free, he pulled out his phone and made a call.

“Hello? Old Lei, it’s Li Xiangyang. Got a minute?”

A booming voice answered on the other end, “I picked up, didn’t I? Of course I’ve got a minute. Just spit it out, don’t beat around the bush.”

“It’s about Song Changfeng’s transfer. Here’s the situation—”

“He agreed? Of course he did! That kid’s a jack-of-all-trades. With skills like his, if he doesn’t join the Criminal Investigation team, it’d be a waste!” Lei Liming cut him off, his voice brimming with excitement. It was easy to imagine the grin on his face.

Director Li rolled his eyes. “Can you let me finish?”

Not wanting to offend him, since Song was still technically under his authority, Lei Liming quickly apologized. “Sorry, sorry, go ahead.”

“Here’s what’s going on…” Director Li gave him a brief rundown.

After listening, Lei Liming sounded incredulous. “You’re telling me that kid wants to delay his transfer… because of a dog?”

Director Li’s tone turned stern. “What dog? He’s a police dog!”

“Alright, alright, police dog! But even so, that’s not acceptable. The Criminal Investigation team gets new cases every day. The sooner he joins, the sooner he can get familiar with procedures. He’s already got a few years of gap to make up for! Try to talk him into it again!”

“Hey! So you dig up my corner and still expect me to help swing the pickaxe? Why don’t you talk to him yourself? Didn’t I already give you his contact info?” Director Li snapped.

Lei Liming chuckled smugly. “I can’t step in just yet. If I talk to him and he says no, then there’s no going back. But if you talk to him first and soften him up, then when I step in, it’ll be a done deal.”

Director Li: “…”

“Cut the crap. I’m not helping you talk him into it. He and Aofeng won first place at the National Police Dog Competition. They’re a great team. If he wants to stay another six months to train and grow together, what’s wrong with that? Just give me a straight answer – can the transfer be delayed or not?” Director Li shouted.

Lei Liming clicked his tongue, looking a bit troubled. But thinking of Song Changfeng’s stubborn temper, he had no choice but to compromise.

“Alright, but I still need to check with the HR department.” Transferring posts was a hassle, and the Municipal Public Security Bureau was a coveted spot. There were bound to be plenty of people eyeing that position.

After hanging up, Director Li couldn’t focus on work anymore. He wanted an answer as soon as possible. After sitting at his desk for a while, he got up and walked to the window, opened it, and looked outside.

In the distance, on the large training field, a group of police dogs were training under their trainers’ commands. Sometimes they charged and leapt, other times they crawled low to the ground. Every move radiated strength, giving off an overwhelming sense of security.

Watching them, a smile unconsciously crept onto Director Li’s face.

“Riiing riiing riiing…”

The retro ringtone rang out, and Director Li quickly returned to his desk and picked up the phone.

Lei Liming’s voice came from the other end. “Hey? I just asked. A lot of people want that spot, but in terms of overall qualifications, Song Changfeng is still the best. I had to talk them into it, but they finally agreed to reserve the spot for one month.” Since it was Lei Liming who had secured the position from Bureau Chief Shen, and the person would be assigned to the Criminal Investigation Division, Lei Liming still had some say in the selection.

But they also said the spot had been allocated before the New Year, and nothing had moved since. They would wait at most one more month. After that, they’d have to assign someone else.

Director Li looked troubled. It was only the beginning of January. If the spot was only held for one month, wouldn’t that mean reporting in early February? That was still quite a while before March. Song Changfeng definitely wouldn’t agree.

“Can’t they hold it for one more month?”

“No way.”

Director Li sighed. He was just about to end the call when his eyes lit up with a new idea. “Is your Criminal Investigation Division applying to use police dogs in investigations this year?”

“What are you getting at?”

“I mean, if you apply, I’ll assign Aofeng to your team. Then when Song Changfeng reports in, you can have him take over the dog. Wouldn’t that be the best of both worlds?” The more Director Li thought about it, the more brilliant it seemed.

After all, Aofeng had to be assigned out anyway. And if there was anyone in the world who understood Aofeng best, it was Song Changfeng. Over the past six months, they’d helped solve several cases together. If you swapped either the person or the dog, there was no way the results would be the same. Only together could they bring out a synergy greater than the sum of their parts.

Now it was Lei Liming’s turn to hesitate. The higher-ups had asked him before if he wanted to apply for a police dog, but he’d thought it would be a hassle to bring a dog along on every case, so he told them to let Team Two apply instead. Now if he changed his mind, wouldn’t that be slapping himself in the face?

“What’s wrong? They won’t let you apply?” Director Li sounded a little disappointed.

“It’s not that they won’t… fine, I’ll apply when the time comes. It’s settled then. One month from now, make sure he submits his paperwork!” Lei Liming figured that sacrificing a bit of pride for talent wasn’t such a big deal.

“Alright, I’m hanging up!” Director Li was satisfied and ready to get back to work.

On the other end, Lei Liming quickly called out, “Wait, make sure to tell Song Changfeng that he can’t slack off on physical training or criminal investigation knowledge during this time. Otherwise, he won’t pass the assessment.”

“Got it, I’ll let him know. Anything else?” When the other side said no, Director Li ended the call and buried himself in paperwork. He figured he’d tell Song Changfeng the news after training.

Meanwhile, Song Changfeng had no idea a golden opportunity was about to land in his lap. At that moment, he was leading Aofeng toward the small training field.

Ever since Aofeng found out Song Changfeng wouldn’t be staying much longer, he’d been torn between happiness for him and a deep sense of reluctance. At the same time, there was a hint of fear about the unknown.

To be honest, his intelligence now surpassed that of many police dogs. Song Changfeng knew he was special but had never asked, never looked at him any differently. If Song Changfeng left and he ended up with a trainer he didn’t get along with, should he keep being himself or pretend to be like the other dogs?

As Aofeng pondered, he suddenly heard a few soft whimpers nearby. Then, a yellow-and-black furball rolled into view.

The little furball had curled into a ball as it tumbled forward, and once it landed, it let out tiny whines. From somewhere in its chubby body, where its neck was barely visible, a small head popped out. It stared blankly at the “giant man” and “giant dog” before it.

Its clear, watery eyes reflected the image of the man and the dog. After watching them for a moment, the little pup tilted its head curiously. The adorable movement made Aofeng’s heart melt.

Clearly, this was a German Shepherd puppy, just like him. It must have recently been transferred from the Breeding Center to the police dog kindergarten. Who knew how it had managed to sneak out on its own?

Aofeng stepped forward and sniffed it, then gently nudged it with a front paw. The soft, warm little body rolled once across the grass. That did it – the pup was terrified. Its tail clamped down, and it let out a series of pitiful wails, as if it had just suffered the greatest injustice in the world.

Aofeng was stunned. Was this pup faking it?

The “kindergarten” caretaker quickly rushed over when he heard the noise. Seeing that the pup was unharmed, he let out a long breath. Then, when he spotted Song Changfeng and Aofeng on the other side, he couldn’t help but laugh.

“Brother Feng, what a coincidence. This little guy is Aofeng’s nephew. His name’s Qi Qi,” the caretaker said. “Didn’t expect the jailbreak gene to be passed down a generation. This little rascal is always trying to escape. Take your eyes off him for a second and he’s gone.”

Aofeng’s face fell. He recognized the caretaker too. Back when he was in the police dog kindergarten, this guy had been the most talkative of the three caretakers. But what was that about a nephew?

Coincidentally, Song Changfeng asked the same thing, and the caretaker explained, “Before Aofeng, his mother had a litter. Qi Qi is the pup of the eldest of that litter, Duoduo. Because he has great features, we picked him early to raise and observe. Who knows, maybe he’ll be another Aofeng someday!”

Aofeng gave an awkward laugh. No way… could there really be a second unlucky soul crammed into this dog body?