Chapter 96: Recruiting an Underling

Late at night, in a small kennel behind the Municipal Public Security Bureau, a faint rustling suddenly broke the silence.

Not far away, the drug-sniffing dogs and search and rescue dogs immediately perked up, ears twitching as they turned toward the source of the sound. They saw that the German Shepherd who had arrived a few days ago was standing upright on his hind legs, front paws stretching awkwardly through the iron gate, clawing at something as if trying to manipulate it.

“Hmm?” The search and rescue dog, a young and lively Labrador, tilted his head in confusion at the sight, letting out a soft whine. What on earth was he doing?

“Woof!” The drug-sniffing dog beside him, a sturdy and steady Kunming Dog, instantly understood what was going on. With a short, firm bark, he explained, “This guy’s trying to escape!”

Aofeng, who was struggling to push the latch open with his paw, twitched at their exchange. Black lines¹ practically formed over his head. He wasn’t a prisoner—what was with all this talk about escaping? Ridiculous.

To avoid drawing attention with the other dogs’ barking, Aofeng lowered his voice and gave a couple of soft woofs, telling them he was heading out on official business.

Official business? That got the other two dogs interested. The Kunming Dog asked excitedly, “Is it a drug operation?” A flurry of drug names flashed through his mind, his whole body radiating a desire to spring into action.

The Labrador quickly chimed in, “Is it a rescue mission? Take me with you!” This was his calling. Every time he used his sharp nose and keen ears to save someone from a dangerous place, he felt a deep sense of joy.

“Come on, I’m with the Criminal Investigation team, alright? If I’m heading out, of course it’s to work a case!” Aofeng explained helplessly as he stretched on tiptoe, body pressed against the iron bars, paw working the latch again and again. Fortunately, unlike at the training base, the kennels here weren’t all locked. After all, who would dare steal a police dog from the Public Security Bureau? What they hadn’t considered was that one day, a dog might sneak out on his own.

With a crisp click, the latch finally gave way. Aofeng pushed it open with his paw, and the gate swung wide.

He poked his head out, scanned the area, and, seeing nothing unusual, leapt forward. His entire body exploded with power as he sprinted away, leaving only a blur on the hidden surveillance camera.

The drug-sniffing dog and the search and rescue dog exchanged glances. Whatever case he was working on, it had to be a big one.

…

Dogs have better night vision than humans. What would be pitch black to a person looked almost like daytime to Aofeng. The surroundings were clearly visible, the only difference being the stillness of the night.

Aofeng focused on the road ahead. On the way back earlier, he had observed the area from the car. As long as he passed through this alley, he could quickly reach his next destination. A few more minutes of running and a turn later, he’d arrive at the small landfill where the incident had occurred today.

Soon, Aofeng reached the landfill. Because of the incident earlier, the gate was shut and the area cordoned off with police tape. Two officers remained on site to guard the scene. At dawn, the Criminal Investigation team would return to conduct another search, just in case something had been missed in the dim light the night before.

Aofeng slipped through a wide gap beneath the gate and began sniffing around. Before long, he caught a strong scent near a discarded iron door. It was the territorial marking of another male dog. The moment he caught the scent, a surge of fighting spirit rose within him. His fur bristled, and his whole body tensed with excitement, as if itching for a fight. But he quickly suppressed the impulse, his human-like willpower overriding his animal instincts.

He followed the scent trail, realizing that this male dog had claimed quite a large territory. It wasn’t until he nearly circled around to the small grove behind the landfill that he picked up the freshest scent. The smell was strong here—likely the dog’s den was nearby, probably that makeshift shack just ahead.

The moment he stepped into the clearing, Aofeng sensed it—someone, no, some dog was watching him.

The gaze wasn’t friendly. It slid up and down his body, assessing him. Then, a mocking chuckle came from the shack, breaking the stillness of the night.

Aofeng whipped his head around, eyes locked on the figure emerging from the shack. The dog had black and yellow fur, a face somewhat resembling a German Shepherd, but with less defined features—more like a Chinese Rural Dog. He wasn’t as large as Aofeng, but the energy radiating from him was powerful and robust.

That guy’s face darkened the moment he saw Aofeng staring straight at him.

“Got a problem with the way I look, purebred pup?” A deep voice sounded quietly beside Aofeng’s ear.

Aofeng looked like he’d just been struck by lightning, stunned inside and out.

Pup? What kind of twisted nickname was that? If he wasn’t mistaken, he was clearly bigger than this guy!

“You just call me a pup?” he asked, completely baffled.

The other dog seemed a little confused by Aofeng’s expression and hesitated before saying, “If I’m not mistaken, you haven’t gone into heat yet, right?”

Aofeng felt like he’d been struck by lightning all over again. Heat? What kind of messed-up topic was that? Never before had he so clearly realized that he had truly turned from a human into a dog.

“What’s wrong with you?” the dog asked, taking a few cautious steps back. The dazed look on Aofeng’s face reminded him of a sick companion from the past. That dog had suddenly stopped understanding what others were saying one day, then its eyes turned red and it went completely mad, biting people and dogs alike. Within a couple of days, it had been caught by the Inspection Team and put down on the spot.

“Nothing… Right, what was the first thing you said to me when you saw me just now?” Aofeng shook his head, trying to shove the cursed topic of heat out of his mind.

The other dog seemed to recall something, and its previously wary expression turned cold in an instant.

“I asked if you had a problem with the way I look.” He stared at this purebred in front of him, unable to hide a flicker of jealousy.

“Huh?” Aofeng was completely lost. “Why would you say that?”

The dog let out a mocking laugh. After staring at him like that, he actually tried to deny it? What a coward.

Seeing the other dog stay silent, Aofeng began to observe him carefully. But no matter how he looked, he couldn’t find anything wrong. Strong build, sleek coat, clear eyes… No wonder he ruled over most of the junkyard. Ordinary strays couldn’t compare.

“Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed… I’m not a purebred,” the dog said, on the verge of losing it.

“I noticed. Uh, do you have Chinese Rural Dog blood?” Aofeng asked, a little confused by his expression. “Isn’t that a good thing? Honestly, if I’d ended up in the body of a Chinese Rural Dog, I’d be even happier. I could bring fame to a native Chinese breed, and they’re easy to raise, eat anything… not like now, where everything I eat has to be restricted…”

Aofeng launched into an enthusiastic list of all the benefits of being a Chinese Rural Dog. By the end, he couldn’t help but look at the dog in front of him with a touch of regret. “Too bad you’re only half Rural Dog.”

As soon as he finished, the dog in front of him stood frozen, like its CPU had just fried². Its mind kept replaying Aofeng’s words: So… not being purebred is okay? But then… why do humans hate me so much?

He’d been born into a rural family. His mother was a Chinese Rural Dog, and his father was a German Shepherd from the neighboring village. Since there were too many pups and the owner couldn’t afford to keep them, they were all crammed into cages and sold off.

Among that litter, the others looked more like their Rural Dog mother, but he looked more like a purebred German Shepherd. Back then, he didn’t understand why the owner put him in a separate cage. He didn’t understand what “purebred German Shepherd, clearance price, only 1800” meant, or what those two German Shepherds in the photo above his cage had to do with him.

All he remembered was being half-asleep when someone grabbed him, shoved him into another cage, and after a bumpy ride, he ended up somewhere new. There was no big yard, no mother or siblings, just a small space, a window that never opened, and a door that only occasionally did.

At first, his new owner treated him well, feeding and caring for him attentively, even taking him out to play when he had time. Back then, he thought, even if the place was small, it didn’t matter. As long as his owner was good to him, he’d stay by his side forever, guarding the house and keeping him safe.

But then, an uninvited guest showed up and shattered that dream. The man came in, scrutinized him from head to toe, even pried open his mouth to check his teeth. After a long silence, he said in a tone full of disdain, “You idiot, and you said you scored a deal? This isn’t some purebred German Shepherd. It’s a mutt, and a mutt mixed with a street dog at that.”

The look of disbelief in his owner’s eyes was still etched in his memory. From that moment on, all his privileges vanished. Not only that, but the owner would also kick him every now and then, cursing viciously, “You damn mutt, tricked me, did you? A mongrel pretending to be a purebred!”

He never understood what he had done wrong. Every time he was beaten, he would curl up as tightly as possible, waiting for his owner’s anger to subside before cautiously whimpering and trying to please him. But even so, he couldn’t escape being sold again. From 1800, to 1000, then to 500… As he grew, the traits of a village dog became more and more obvious, and his price kept dropping. Almost every new owner treated him well at first, only to turn cold later. And this shift nearly always came after they realized he wasn’t a purebred.

He had no idea how many beatings and scoldings he endured, but one day, when he was being shoved into yet another cage, he finally broke free and ran. Life as a stray was rough in the beginning, but compared to what he’d been through, it was already paradise. Because of his past, he was especially sensitive about other dogs commenting on his looks. Maybe he made it too obvious, because whenever the other strays lost a fight to him, they’d lash out by mocking his appearance, saying it was no wonder he’d been abandoned.

Aofeng looked at the dog in front of him, its expression dazed, as if lost in thought. He couldn’t tell what it was remembering, but its face showed a mix of joy and sorrow. Glancing up at the sky, Aofeng realized he’d already wasted quite a bit of time. It was time to get to the point.

“Uh, how should I address you?” Aofeng tried to build some rapport.

“Lao Da.”

Aofeng’s mouth twitched. This guy really didn’t hold back.

“My name is Lao Da,” the mixed-breed German Shepherd said seriously. When he was little, that’s what his mother called him. Then came Lao Er, Lao San, Lao Si³…

That name… A scene flashed through Aofeng’s mind: a yellow village dog, face full of righteous indignation, recounting his tangled history with a stray named Lao Da.

“Do you know Da Huang? That yellow-and-white village dog? He mentioned you to me once.” Having a mutual acquaintance could make things easier, even if there was some bad blood. It was still a way in.

Lao Da frowned, thought for a moment, then said, “You mean that purebred village dog? He once wanted to join my gang, but I turned him down.” His gang only took in mutts.

???

Aofeng thought, so that sweet-faced, seemingly honest Da Huang had wanted to start a rival gang out of spite?

“Good call turning him down. He totally looks like a backstabber!” Aofeng quickly chimed in.

“And you?” Lao Da countered. “You’re a cop, right? You came here to go undercover and take us all down, didn’t you?”

Aofeng was stunned. No wonder this guy was the top dog of a gang – he really knew his street talk. Also, he hadn’t worn his uniform when he left the house. How did this dog figure out his identity?

“Your movements are too proper. I’ve seen plenty of dogs like you,” Lao Da explained casually, noticing Aofeng’s confusion. He was already four years old and had been on the streets for three. If not for his sharp instincts, how could he have built such a big crew and avoided getting caught by the Inspection Team?

“Since you’ve already figured out who I am, I won’t hide it. I’m not here to go undercover. I’m investigating a case. Yesterday afternoon, between two and four, there was a murder here. You’re the boss of this area – you must’ve noticed something, right? Can you tell me what you know?”

Lao Da nodded. “I know. But what does that have to do with me? Human affairs should be handled by humans.” He wouldn’t take out his anger on other people because of his past, but he wasn’t about to help them either.

“How is it not your business?” Aofeng exclaimed dramatically. “You’re the boss of this whole junkyard!”

“So what?”

“Think about it. Something this serious happens on your turf, the police are bound to zero in on this area. It’s only a matter of time before they discover you and your crew. More and more people will show up, and for safety reasons, they might even call in the Inspection Team to clean things up. What will you do then?”

Lao Da fell silent, clearly considering the possibility. It wasn’t far-fetched.

Aofeng seized the moment. “That’s why you should work with me. You’d be the police’s informant. If anything comes up, I’ll let you know right away!”

“Informant?”

“Yeah. You give us useful leads, and I’ll help you stay out of trouble.”

Lao Da fell silent for a moment, then finally agreed to Aofeng’s request.

Aofeng broke into a happy smile. He finally said yes.

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Translator’s Notes

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1. Black lines: A visual metaphor originating from East Asian comics (manga and manhua). Vertical lines are drawn over a character’s face to represent feelings of exasperation, awkwardness, or being speechless. ↩
2. CPU had just fried: A common Chinese internet slang term (CPU烧干了) used to describe someone who is so overwhelmed, shocked, or confused that their brain has effectively ‘overheated’ and stopped processing information. ↩
3. Lao Er, Lao San, Lao Si: A continuation of the numerical naming system for siblings: ‘Old Second,’ ‘Old Third,’ and ‘Old Fourth.’ It is a common, utilitarian way to name a litter of animals or children in rural settings. ↩