Animal Detective

Chapter 170 She's a Bad Woman
With the icon in hand, Shen Xin became a little bolder.

He waved to the young man, signaling him to throw over another frozen chicken.

This kid wasn't telling the truth; it's obvious he wasn't fed enough.

The young man tossed him a frozen chicken.

This is a frozen chicken carcass; there's hardly any meat on it. No wonder I'm not full.

Upon seeing the frozen chicken carcass in Shen Xin's hand, the female crocodile reacted again.

With the icons, Shen Xin's perception of animal emotions became much clearer; he could feel her staring at the frozen chicken carcass in her hand.

The male crocodile next to him remained motionless.

Shen Xin spotted it and threw it out again.

The female crocodile bit down and slowly swallowed it.

The favorability rating did not increase.

She moved closer, as if she still wasn't full.

Shen Xin waved his hand, and the young man tossed the frozen chicken frame over.

She had quite an appetite; she fed her five more frozen chicken frames in one go before finally stopping and lying down to digest.

Then the favorability rating increased by one level.

This is very fast.

Firstly, it was just the beginning. Secondly, Shen Xin suspected that the more he used the icon's abilities, the stronger they might become, just like a skill develops proficiency.

Shen Xin mustered his courage and moved a little closer.

Even when she was just one meter away, she still didn't react.

It seems the icon is working.

So, how do we continue to increase favorability?

Just feed them?

It seems that online sources say that crocodiles can go ten days to half a month without eating after eating once.

Besides feeding them, how else can we interact with them to increase their affection?

You can't pet a crocodile like you pet a cat.

Looking at the crocodile covered in bumps, Shen Xin silently gave up the idea.

Just then, Ding Yuwei suddenly shouted, "Watch out!"

Shen Xin was startled, and out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the male crocodile was running towards him at high speed.

Shen Xin intends to retract his previous statement.

These little legs are actually quite fast on land.

Shen Xin turned and ran.

I wish I could bring back the form I had during the 100-meter test when I was in police academy.

He took two steps at a time, pushed off the concrete pool wall with one foot, grabbed the railing, and with a burst of strength, flipped over the fence.

The whole movement is done in one go.

I feel like my adrenaline is being pumped out.

But when he landed and turned around, he saw that the male crocodile hadn't chased after him; it had stopped next to the female crocodile.

Shen Xin understood somewhat; it probably wanted to protect its wife.

Crocodiles are said to be quite family-oriented; after the female crocodile lays her eggs, the male crocodile will help guard the nest.

For this reason alone, he is far superior to many male animals in the animal kingdom.

"Are you alright?" Ding Yuwei rushed over anxiously to ask, then said, "Shen Xin, forget it, doing this is too unreliable."

She felt it was too dangerous.

The young man next to Shen Xin looked at him nervously and said, "Normally, this male crocodile doesn't attack people randomly."

Shen Xin waved his hand to indicate that he was fine, but looking at the two crocodiles lying together, he was also a little troubled.

I always felt that crocodiles didn't have any emotions.

Otherwise, how could there be such a thing as crocodile tears?
It feels like even a tiger is easier to befriend than a crocodile.

However, it wasn't a complete loss; we gained a goodwill icon.

At worst, I can just come over and feed them later.

Moreover, Ding Yuwei was right when she said that she didn't necessarily have to keep an eye on those two crocodiles.

There are many animals in this park, cows, pigs, especially pigs, which are said to be particularly intelligent.

There were also monkeys.

I just saw him; he's been following Yang Huixia.

After putting on his coat, Shen Xin called Ding Yuwei aside. While keeping an eye on the two crocodiles, he whispered his earlier speculation about Yang Huixia staying on the farm.

"Do you think she might have buried the body and stayed behind to watch over it?" Shen Xin asked in a low voice.

Ding Yuwei thought for a moment, then said, "Her behavior of staying behind is indeed a bit unusual, but there is a reasonable explanation for it."

"Moreover, if she chose to bury the body, I don't think she would have buried it on the farm. Burial would leave traces, which are difficult to completely cover up. Back then, Lao Zhou and his team conducted a detailed investigation of the farm. If there were any traces of burial, they would have discovered it long ago."

"So even if you're going to bury it, why not bury it on the mountain?"

This is a desolate mountain; if you bury someone anywhere, it's really hard to find them.

"So, as you said, if she chose to stay just to prevent someone from discovering the body, then I don't think that's very reasonable. Didn't she borrow money to run the business for another two months? She had plenty of time to move and dispose of the body."

"If we have to find an explanation," Ding Yuwei pondered for a moment and said, "it might be that they are reluctant to leave this place, after all, they have been running this place together for many years."

The two got married at 24, and within a few years they started a business, raising pigs and cattle.

After ups and downs, and having worked on this farm for over ten years, it's no wonder I've developed feelings for it.

Staying here, even though things have changed and people are no longer the same, you can always find memories of the past.

Shen Xin neither confirmed nor denied this speculation. Looking at the two crocodiles, he remarked, "Actually, that animal expert back then wasn't reliable either."

While feeding the crocodiles, Shen Xin suddenly realized something.

Crocodiles have incredibly strong stomach acid, far exceeding that of humans, and it can even melt bones.

But what about the teeth?

Teeth have enamel, which is harder and may eventually be completely eroded away over time. However, even after ten days or so, it may not be completely eroded away.

If they had opened up the carcass then, they might have been able to determine whether it was indeed a crocodile used to dispose of the body.

It shouldn't have been excreted with the feces either; Lao Zhou and his team checked the crocodile's feces but found nothing.

"In that case, let's visit all the people listed in the case file again."

The investigation has just begun, it's only the first day, there's no rush.

Let's revisit the relevant personnel listed in the case file first.

For example, the four employees from that year, the police officers from the local police station who handled the case, Zhu Guishen's parents, and the social connections they investigated.

With the passage of time, perhaps new discoveries will be made.

Ding Yuwei nodded, saying that visiting the crocodiles was much safer than feeding them.

The two said goodbye and left.

Shen Xin kept a watchful eye on things and left his phone number with the manager, asking him to keep an eye on Yang Huixia and contact him immediately if anything happened.

Just like Guo Chunping, he was shocked and revealed his true colors when he learned that the case had been reopened for investigation.

After leaving the amusement park, the two went to Dingshan Police Station and questioned Ding Candong, the police officer who handled their case.

Ding Candong was quite surprised to learn that the case had been reopened for investigation.

Then he said, "We've always felt that Zhu Guishen was probably hiding from debts or trying to commit insurance fraud, but in the end the insurance didn't pay out, and he didn't dare to come out again."

Insurance fraud is a crime and can lead to imprisonment.

A life insurance policy of 200 million is an exceptionally large sum, and the minimum sentence is ten years.

Even if the insurance fraud attempt fails, the sentence won't be reduced by more than a few years.

Shen Xin had considered this possibility, but still felt that it would be difficult for a living person to completely hide.

Especially when there are parents or children.

If Zhu Guishen were alive, could he really have endured it and not contacted his parents and children at all?
It seems even more necessary to visit Zhu Guishen's parents.

Apart from that, Ding Candong did not provide any other valuable clues.

The case was handed over to the branch office, and to him, it was just a very ordinary report, with no follow-up.

After saying goodbye, Shen Xin and his companion immediately drove to Zhu Guishen's house.

It is located in Hutang Town, northeast of Dingshan.

It was an old-style two-story house. When we arrived, it was already past five in the afternoon.

That's perfect, Zhu Guishen's son is already 11 years old and in the fifth grade of elementary school, he should be out of school by now.

The two found Zhu Guishen's house based on the house number.

But the door was tightly closed.

Shen Xin knocked on the door, but there was no response.

Someone nearby called out, asking who they were.

Turning my head, I saw a tall child in a school uniform with an armband on his shoulder.

One stripe, where's the squad leader?

"Little friend, is your name Zhu Yuchen?" Shen Xin asked.

He's quite tall, with a large frame, a round head, and a big nose; he looks a lot like Zhu Guishen.

The boy was taken aback and asked curiously, "How do you know my name?"

Then you've found the right person.

Shen Xin took out his police ID and said, "We are police officers, little friend. Where are your family members?"

Zhu Yuchen looked at Shen Xin and the other person strangely and said that his grandparents had gone to work in the fields and would be back in a while.

Seeing that he showed no intention of opening the door and inviting him in, Shen Xin simply asked from outside.

I was just about to ask him if he had ever met Zhu Guishen.

If Zhu Guishen was committing insurance fraud, he would probably be unable to resist wanting to see his son.

"Little friend, we're here to investigate your father's case. I want to ask you..."

Unexpectedly, before Shen Xin could finish asking his question, Zhu Yuchen's expression suddenly changed drastically.

He roared angrily, "What's there to ask? My dad was killed by my mom! Since you're the police, why don't you arrest my mom? She's a bad woman!"

Shen Xin and Ding Yuwei were stunned; they hadn't expected Zhu Yuchen's reaction to be so intense.

And why would he say that his father was killed by his mother?

(End of this chapter)