Animal Detective

Chapter 168 Crocodile
Yang Huixia is 39 years old this year.

She wore a thick braid, with strands of hair casually falling around her temples.

Skin that is not properly cared for is dull, yellow, and rough.

Her features aren't particularly delicate, and she wouldn't call herself beautiful, but she has a very dignified appearance; she's not ugly.

"Are you police officers?"

After confirming the identities of the two people, Yang Huixia was somewhat dazed.

The monkey at her feet was rummaging through her pockets, trying to pull out something to eat.

Distracted, she did not stop her.

It's possible that the monkey's claw pierced through the clothes and poked the skin, causing the pain before it realized what was happening.

She immediately pried the monkey's paws open and said, "Why are you looking for me again? Is it because of my husband's case? I've already said it countless times."

She paused, then said in a somewhat desperate tone, "Please let me go."

Her tone suggested she was harboring endless grievances.

Based on the current investigation, she remains the prime suspect.

So her words seem more like a form of self-persuasion and escapism?

After killing the person, he didn't get any money. He finally managed to hold out until the police gave up the investigation, thinking he could finally breathe a sigh of relief. But to his surprise, the police reopened the investigation.

Then there was a bit of despair, as if this matter would never end.

"Yang Huixia, don't feel too much pressure. The main thing is that our bureau is preparing to reopen investigations into some old and unsolved cases, hoping to solve these accumulated cases."

Shen Xin smiled and said, "So we're just doing a simple investigation to see if there are any new discoveries in the case."

Before coming here, based solely on the case file, Shen Xin believed that Yang Huixia was the murderer.

But that's just an idea.

Now that the investigation has been restarted, Shen Xin still doesn't want to assume that he is the murderer.

Let's assume Yang Huixia isn't the murderer, and then let the evidence speak for itself.

The monkey was still reaching into his pocket when Yang Huixia, somewhat annoyed, picked him up and asked, "So what exactly do you want to investigate?"

Shen Xin said, "We'd like to first review the circumstances of your husband's disappearance."

As he spoke, he asked her if the farm had changed much.

"Nothing has changed."

Yang Huixia sighed and pointed around, saying, "This wasn't here before."

Shen Xin followed her and retraced the steps of the scene.

The main entrance is on the west side, with a road in front of it. The area then expands eastward, so a section of the wall was added.

The original wall was still there, so they just painted the inner walls and drew some cartoon pictures that children like.

There are two buildings in the park.

A row of four single-story houses against the south wall.

The three rooms were where Yang Huixia and her husband used to live, which was the residential area. The argument that Yang Huixia mentioned, which resulted in an accidental short circuit and the shutdown of the surveillance system, happened here.

The last room was used to store animal feed.

Now it has been transformed into offices, staff lounges, changing rooms, and the like.

Two more rooms were added.

Naturally, no trace of the previous events will remain inside.

The monitoring system was moved to the computer room a long time ago.

A little further north, near the original eastern wall, there is a large single-story house with a frame structure.

This used to be the office area during the farm's era, and also the place where barbecue grills were rented.

They used to offer barbecue services.

Now, it's been transformed into a souvenir shop and a pet-themed restaurant.

It has been completely renovated, inside and out.

"Is this door still preserved?"

Shen Xin arrived at the south wall.

Originally, there was a back door about ten meters to the east of Yang Huixia's four bungalows.

It used to be a metal door with a regular lock.

The reason for leaving this gate is that there is a small space outside the courtyard wall leading to the mountain, where Yang Huixia has cultivated a small vegetable garden to grow vegetables and such.

This way, you can pick the fruit anytime and save on living expenses.

When Zhou Zhongyi was investigating the case as a burglary, he carefully examined this door.

However, no signs of tampering were found, and there were no suspicious footprints outside the door.

The door is still there, and it seems to be the same tin door from the case file; the door hasn't been replaced.

Shen Xin asked Yang Huixia to ask Yang Daoqiang for the key, but unexpectedly, she pulled out a bunch of keys from her pocket and opened the door.

Seeing Shen Xin's questioning look, Yang Huixia explained, "I've been living here all this time, and I'm the one who watches over things every night."

She pointed to the bungalows to the west, one of which was where she lived.

Shen Xin nodded calmly.

I always felt that Yang Huixia's decision to stay after selling the farm was somewhat unusual. And now she's still working here, and has even moved in, voluntarily taking on the night watch duty.

It felt like she was guarding this place.

What are we guarding then? The corpses?

Could it be that it wasn't fed to the crocodiles, but was buried instead?

So they had to keep watch, afraid of being discovered.

She opened the door, and Shen Xin went out to take a look.

The vegetable garden is still there, and the mountain in front is not very steep; there is a narrow path leading up the mountain.

Previously, when Zhou Zhongyi suspected Yang Huixia was the murderer, he took this path to verify her identity. From Dingshan Temple, you can follow the ridgeline down the mountain and arrive at the farm directly from here.

The wall is two meters high. Back then, the cameras were installed at the two corners on the east and west sides, facing inside the wall.

A wide-angle camera has no blind spots.

So even if you climb over the wall, you'll still be caught on camera.

However, no trace of climbing over the wall was found, further suggesting that the possibility of burglary and murder could not be ruled out.

There were no signs of lock picking. If the suspect used the back door, it's highly likely they opened it directly and had a key.

Of course, it's also possible that the employee deliberately left the door open to allow others to enter.

But as I said before, if the surveillance happens to be off, anything is possible.

"By the way, how many animals did you keep after you sold the farm?" Shen Xin asked.

Yang Huixia said, "There are quite a few."

At that time, the farm lease was worthless, and the two houses were worthless; the animals were the main valuable asset.

Miniature horses, alpacas, sika deer, ostriches, peacocks, and monkeys.

Of course, the two saltwater crocodiles were also present.

They are a pair.

The female is 10 years old, and the male is 13 years old.

Raising them this big, they're not cheap.

They bought a pair with the intention of breeding them later.

However, such a large saltwater crocodile is still not considered an adult. Female saltwater crocodiles, for example, are not capable of reproduction until they are 12 years old.

The males will take longer, until they are fifteen or sixteen years old.

"Let's go take a look at these two crocodiles."

Shen Xin suggested, then silently observed Yang Huixia's reaction.

If she uses saltwater crocodiles to dispose of the carcass, then she might get nervous when crocodiles are mentioned.

But her reaction was rather indifferent; she simply nodded slightly and led the two toward the rainforest area.

Shen Xin was not disappointed.

After all, two years have passed. If a lie is told a thousand times, then to the liar, it becomes the truth.

Nanjiang is located in the subtropical zone.

Winters are quite cold, so they are not suitable for saltwater crocodiles to live in.

To survive here, they need to be provided with a warm shelter.

According to Yang Huixia, the area has been expanded, with a row of viewing platforms built around the crocodile pool.

Then there are daily performances, feeding, and interactive activities.

Therefore, these two saltwater crocodiles are considered the star animals of this petting zoo.

Upon entering the greenhouse, one is immediately enveloped in warmth.

There are only two crocodiles, so the crocodile pool is not very large. Two-thirds of it is a cement pool, and one-third is sandy soil planted with vegetation.

There wasn't this cement pool before; it was all mud.

Back then, the technical investigators drained all the water and turned over all the soil, but they still couldn't find any useful traces.

Shen Xin spotted the two crocodiles at a glance.

One was even bigger, lying flat in the mud, and I'd estimate it was about 5 meters long.

The other end is smaller, so it should be female, and it's only about 3 meters long.

The crocodile pool is fenced off, and tourists still visit it.

You can also spend money to buy a chicken and feed it directly.

Shen Xin saw a couple with a child who bought a chicken, and then the boy forcefully threw the frozen chicken in front of the male crocodile.

As a result, the male crocodile didn't even move.

Judging by its size, it's probably already full.

Shen Xin had originally planned to imitate the previous Blue and reenact the scene.

Now that I've actually seen this five-meter-long crocodile, I immediately feel a little regretful.

What if my talent doesn't work and I get eaten by a crocodile?

This isn't a parrot, a kitten, a puppy, or any other small animal; it's a top predator!
(End of this chapter)