Animal Detective

Chapter 16 Dreams Are Not a Reason
The group of five drove to Xianghong Village.

Those who work in the evening have all returned, so it's a good time to conduct a screening.

On the way, after much consideration, Shen Xin told Zhang Jian about his discovery.

"You mean, the suspect fed a stray cat?" Zhang Jian crossed his arms.

Shen Xin nodded and then recounted the details of his visits during the day.

"That's still useless. The person moved away, but they won't take the cat with them. And even if they did take the cat, how are we supposed to find it?" The policeman surnamed Wu, named Wu Kaishan, shook his head after listening to Shen Xin's explanation.

Others nodded.

“Xiao Shen, we know you like cats and dogs. You found Tian Yongjun by chance while looking for kittens for stray cats, but don’t keep staring at cats and dogs. It’s useless,” another police officer reminded you.

Everyone laughed and didn't take Shen Xin's discovery to heart.

Zhang Jian waved his hand to stop everyone, saying, "Don't say that. At least Xiao Shen really observed and made a discovery."

He turned and gave Shen Xin another word of encouragement.

But he obviously didn't take Shen Xin's discovery too seriously.

Shen Xin didn't care too much about the others' attitudes, because he himself felt that the clue was of little value.

Upon arriving at Xianghong Village, everyone went their separate ways.

Shen Xin sighed and walked helplessly toward Wu Zhicun's house.

On the way, Shen Xin thought he couldn't go empty-handed, so he bought a watermelon. Seeing that it was almost lunchtime, he also bought two servings of fried rice.

Only then did he carry his things into the yard.

"Officer Shen, you're here again?" He Cuimei was still there; she worked as a housekeeper, and her job was uncertain.

Her husband, Zhang Wenjun, was out driving, and her son hadn't gone to work yet.

The first time Shen Xin met this son, his name was Zhang Qi.

Shen Xin glanced at him a few more times.

Just as I had predicted, he was holding a cigarette, had dark circles under his eyes, and looked like he had been badly beaten down by society, looking utterly dejected.

After exchanging a few polite words, Shen Xin carried his things inside.

I turned on the lights immediately.

The three portraits on the front are quite chilling.

As soon as he entered the inner room, he hurriedly retreated.

Wu Zhicun was using the toilet, and the sound was splashing.

Shen Xin shuddered violently, cursing the designer inwardly. If they were going to install the toilet inside the house, they should at least have put something in the way to cover it up.

Wu Zhicun himself found it convenient, but what about the others?

Turn on the lights.

Wu Zhicun groped his way to the bed.

"Uncle Wu, my name is Shen Xin. I came here yesterday. I'm a police officer from the police station. I've come to see you today." Shen Xin introduced himself.

Wu Zhicun must have heard Shen Xin enter the room. He sat on the edge of the bed and stretched out his hand: "Are you wearing handcuffs?"

He still speaks with the same impulsiveness.

"Grandpa, I didn't bring the handcuffs, but I brought some food. Let's eat first," Shen Xin said, stepping forward.

Okay, so you're eating it right in front of the toilet.

Wu Zhicun accepted all offers without any politeness. When Shen Xin said he wanted fried rice, he mumbled something indistinctly, then pulled out a wad of cash from his pocket and told Shen Xin to go to the braised meat shop at the intersection and buy half a braised duck.

He was blind, but Shen Xin felt contempt.

Silently telling himself not to get angry, Shen Xin drew a fifty-yuan note and turned away.

When I returned, the old man had already brought fried rice into the main room and was eating it by himself.

Half a braised duck, 32 yuan; change: 18 yuan.

Shen Xin handed the money back, but the old man didn't take it.

"Thank you."

what!
Shen Xin almost laughed out of anger.

Shen Xin put the money on the table and started eating.

First, grab the duck legs.

Although I no longer have to eat while facing the toilet, eating while facing three portraits of the deceased still feels disgusting.

After eating a couple of bites of rice, Shen Xin took the initiative to start a conversation, asking Wu Zhicun about how his wife, son, and daughter-in-law had died.

Shen Xin was also quite curious about Wu Jiawang's disappearance. Wu Zhicun didn't feel offended at all and just told him directly.

"He was driving a truck and was driving while fatigued on the highway. The truck overturned, and he and his wife died together. His wife couldn't bear it, so she drank pesticide and couldn't be saved."

He used the simplest words to tell the most tragic stories.

After saying that, she wiped her eyes and cried.

But no tears came out.

Having been blind for many years, he had long since lost the ability to shed tears.

Shen Xin sighed, picked up a piece of duck meat for Wu Zhicun, and then asked him about his grandson.

"Grandpa, why do you believe your grandson was murdered?"

Is it really just excessive self-blame that has led to obsession?

When his grandson was mentioned, Wu Zhicun became agitated and slammed his hand on the table, saying, "He appeared in my dream and said that he was murdered."

Shen Xin smiled wryly: "Grandpa, this dream doesn't count as a reason."

Wu Zhicun added, "After my grandson died, someone came to loiter at my door. It must be the murderer who wants to eliminate the root of the problem!"

Shen Xin was slightly surprised and immediately asked him how he knew someone was loitering in front of his house.

“I heard a noise.” Wu Zhicun pointed to his ears: “Although I am blind, my ears are still working. I can hear people’s heartbeats. I can tell if someone is wicked.”

He stared with his shrunken eyes and said in a sinister tone.

Shen Xin shivered inexplicably, feeling the draft through the room suddenly become much colder.

"Sir, this cannot be used as evidence."

It's estimated that Zhao Shouchuan and his team have already investigated this situation.

And it's not necessarily someone loitering in front of his house; it could just be a passerby.

He can't see, after all.

"Sir, do you have any other evidence?" Shen Xin asked again.

"Yes, there is a dog!"

Shen Xin was taken aback and asked, "What dog?"

Wu Zhicun said, “When Jiawang came home from school, he found a puppy and raised it. The dog was very attached to him and followed him everywhere. Then, after Jiawang had his accident, the dog was gone too. You tell me, if human traffickers kidnapped Jiawang, they couldn’t have kidnapped the dog too, could they?”

Shen Xin put down his chopsticks.

To be honest, this piece of evidence actually makes some sense.

"Maybe not, maybe the human traffickers beat the dog to death," Shen Xin made a reasonable guess.

The dog was following Wu Jiawang, and when the traffickers made their move, the dog may have rushed up to stop them, and the traffickers may have killed the dog on the spot. This is quite possible.

Or perhaps Wu Jiawang was kidnapped by human traffickers, chased by dogs, and ended up getting lost.

"Hmph, you're just like them, thinking I'm talking nonsense. That's my own grandson. I can feel it; he was murdered." Wu Zhicun pushed his bowl away, angrily refusing to eat.

Shen Xin smiled wryly, thinking to himself that he was being a bit too idealistic.

Everything still needs to be based on evidence.

The three reasons given by Wu Zhicun are clearly untenable.

Moreover, Shen Xin didn't believe that Zhao Shouchuan and his team hadn't investigated. Since they hadn't found any problems, it could only mean that there were no problems.

"Grandpa, why don't you get your blood drawn later? The crackdown on child trafficking is very intense now, and many children have been rescued all over the country. They've even set up DNA databases. You could try comparing your DNA with theirs; maybe you'll find a match and locate their home," Shen Xin suggested after thinking for a moment.

Just consider it as being kidnapped.

But the hope is not great, mainly because Wu Jiawang was already 8 years old when he was abducted, and he remembers his home very clearly. It's possible, as Zhao Shouchuan said, that he has no way to come back.

Or something unexpected has happened.

"I'm not going. Anyway, Jiawang was murdered, and I have to find the killer!" Wu Zhicun said through gritted teeth.

Shen Xin sighed, feeling that Wu Zhicun was a bit obsessed.

Perhaps he was just blaming himself too much and getting stuck on a rut.

After finishing his meal, Shen Xin tidied up and then cut the watermelon with a knife.

The watermelon was big, and Wu Zhicun's family didn't have a refrigerator, so everyone who saw it got a share. Shen Xin gave half a watermelon to He Cuimei and her son next door.

After delivering the watermelons, I was about to head back when I caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of my eye.

Upon closer inspection, a cat suddenly appeared on the top of the wall.

Its entire body is black, except for its four snow-white legs.

Shen Xin suddenly realized—it was the black and white cat that the suspect was feeding!
(End of this chapter)