Animal Detective

Chapter 33 Third-Class Merit

When Zhao Shouchuan arrived, Wu Zhicun had already been taken into the emergency room.

The old man was 67 years old, blind, and had many underlying health conditions. The doctors in charge of his treatment told Shen Xin to be prepared.

"Why would someone commit suicide when everything was fine?" Zhao Shouchuan asked, puzzled.

Shen Xin sighed, unsure how to answer.

I had previously thought that Wu Zhicun might take the blame for Li Jin, but now it seems I was just overthinking it.

In Wu Zhicun's heart, Li Jin was probably his last hope.

Now that Li Jin has been arrested, all hope has been dashed, and as He Cuimei said, he has begun to go insane.

Suicide by overdose is possible.

Zhao Shouchuan sat down next to him and said, "I'll talk to the community about it later and see if we can just send him to a nursing home."

Even if we manage to save them this time, what about next time?
We can't keep sending people to keep an eye on things all the time.

He's a lonely old man; he'll only be discovered when he's really stinking.

Shen Xin nodded, agreeing with that thought. Then, recalling his previous speculation about Wu Jiawang's disappearance, he asked, "Captain Zhao, when you were looking for Wu Jiawang, did you consider the possibility that he might be trapped?"

"Trapped?"

Zhao Shouchuan was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood what Shen Xin meant and said, "How could we not have considered it? To be honest, this area was quite desolate at the time, and there were factories nearby. We considered that the children might be playful and, for example, sneak into the factories and then have an accident."

"So we not only notified the surrounding factories and warehouses, but also searched everywhere we could, and we really couldn't find anything, so we can almost rule out that possibility."

After a pause, Zhao Shouchuan continued, "Xiao Shen, I've thought about this case for many years. After much consideration, the most likely scenario is that he was abducted by a gang or that an accident occurred, such as being hit by a passing truck and then the driver simply took the body away."

Shen Xin crossed his arms.

Zhao Shouchuan's speculation is indeed possible.

At that time, this area was a logistics distribution center, with many trucks from other places.

It's possible that someone accidentally ran over Wu Jiawang on some secluded road, and fearing trouble, simply put him in a car and dumped the body hundreds of miles away, making it impossible for you to investigate.

This situation is like a crime of passion committed while passing by. I just happened to be passing by, didn't like you, killed you for no reason, and then ran away. There were no witnesses, no surveillance footage, and no way to investigate.

"Alright, Xiao Shen, don't think too much about it. Everyone has their own destiny." Zhao Shouchuan patted Shen Xin on the shoulder.

There was one more thing he didn't say.

Actually, he felt it was good that Wu Zhicun died like that.

Being all alone, living is nothing but torment and suffering.

Shen Xin nodded and awaited the result.

More than an hour later, the emergency doctor came out.

"Luckily, the person was saved." He said the good news, and then added, "We analyzed that the packet of rat poison he ate might have been adulterated, otherwise, with that amount, he definitely wouldn't have survived."

He had encountered this situation before.

For example, when someone sells cockroach poison, the seller might deliberately mix in flour to reduce the dosage, hoping you'll come back to buy more.

Shen Xin was both amused and exasperated.

Should we thank those who sell fake medicine?

His life was saved, but he still needs to be hospitalized.

Community members also arrived and made arrangements for the aftermath.

Wu Zhicun is a recipient of the Five Guarantees (a government-provided social welfare program for the elderly, disabled, and or

Even the deposit that Shen Xin helped pay was reimbursed on the spot.

Zhao Shouchuan personally escorted Shen Xin back to Wu Zhicun's house, chatted for a few minutes, and then took a phone call and left.

He Cuimei and her family have already left at lightning speed.

Looking at the empty courtyard, especially the three portraits in the main room, Shen Xin sighed deeply. After Da Mei returned with the pitiful cow cat and took away the recording device, he went home to catch up on his sleep.

Li Jin's case has come to a close.

Within two days, Shen Xin's application for early promotion was approved.

It was officially marked as 11 cents.

The sidearm I've been longing for has finally been arranged. Although it's locked in a gun cabinet and I can't touch it, at least I know I have one of my own.

A few days later, the commendation came down. Just as Song Liang had said, it was a third-class merit.

Then the criminal investigation team issued a collective commendation.

Making a contribution is a big deal for the institute.

Song Liang was busy organizing a celebration, and Wang Shuwei also brought in someone from the internal publicity department to interview Shen Xin.

The title will most likely be about trainee police officer Shen Xin, who stays true to his original aspiration and bravely saves lives, living an extraordinary life in an ordinary position.

“Not bad. I’ve been a policeman for so many years and I’ve never even earned a third-class merit award. You’ve beaten me to it.” Li Dongsheng was overjoyed as he looked at the photo Wang Shuwei had posted in the group chat, showing Shen Xin wearing a brand-new police uniform and holding a certificate of merit.

"Old Li, don't talk about you. There are so many people in our station. Let's count the number of people. How many of them have earned a third-class merit?"

"Xiao Shen, you have to treat us."

The crowd started to cheer.

I am envious, but not jealous.

Their achievements are genuine and undeniable; there's no way to be jealous.

Moreover, even if Shen Xingang is promoted to a permanent position and performs meritorious service, it will not affect others for the time being.

"That's not right. It shouldn't be Xiao Shen who invited him, it should be Zhang Jian. Xiao Shen saved him."

"That's right, Zhang Jian should treat us. That old bastard is not nice. Shen Xin saved him, but he didn't even think about hosting a banquet afterwards."

Seeing that everyone's talk was getting more and more outrageous, Shen Xin hurriedly said, "What do you mean by 'inviting'? You all know how busy I've been these past few days. But I have to treat everyone, tonight. Everyone, come on over."

"Little Shen is so generous!"

The crowd started jeering again.

Li Dongsheng glared at everyone, signaling them to calm down, and shouted, "What are you all making such a fuss about? Xiao Shen, buy a few cases of Red Bull later, that'll be enough to share in your good fortune."

He knew that Shen Xin's family was relatively well-off, but there were more than seventy people in the office, and it would cost a lot of money to hire them all.

"Old Li, look at how stingy you are."

"What do you mean by being stingy? This is called being protective of one's own. Old Li rarely takes on such a good apprentice, so he has to protect him well."

The crowd teased them again, then urged Shen Xin to buy a few more cases, saying they'd been staying up late a lot lately and couldn't handle it.

They were just making a fuss; with so many people, it's impossible to actually have Shen Xin go to a hotel and set up a few tables for them.

In similar situations in the past, the worst that could happen was that the cafeteria would provide extra food.

Just as he was talking, someone knocked on the door.

Shen Xin turned his head and suddenly felt a jolt in his heart.

It's that girl.

Zhang Qian!
These days, watching Da Mei and the bully show off their affection, Shen Xin would occasionally recall that night and that hazy figure in his mind.

Zhang Qian, carrying a gift box, had come to find Shen Xin.

The people present exchanged glances and chuckled knowingly.

Shen Xin quickly waved his hand to signal everyone not to laugh, and strode out of the office into the corridor.

"Hey, I haven't thanked you yet for taking me home last time." Sure enough, Shen Shuang's photos were completely unreliable; she looks much better in person than in pictures.

Shen Xin still couldn't understand how Zhang Jian, a big and burly man, could have such a beautiful daughter.

Mentioning the last time, Zhang Qian also remembered being spit on by Shen Xin, and said with a wry smile, "Do you remember what happened on the way?"

Shen Xin's heart skipped a beat.

Could it be that I did something else on the way?

"I'm alright, am I?" Shen Xin asked guiltily.

Zhang Qian smiled and said, "Alright, look how scared you are. Don't worry, you didn't do anything to me. It's just that when I was driving, you insisted that I take off my shoes and then wash them for me."

She couldn't help but laugh as she recalled the scene from that night.

Shen Xin felt extremely embarrassed; he had made a huge fool of himself.

"Actually, I should be the one thanking you." Zhang Qian changed her tone and handed over the gift box in her hand: "If it weren't for the commendation from the institute this time, I wouldn't have known that you saved my dad."

(End of this chapter)