What to do next, as Li Jiahui had proposed, was a matter for later.
Right now, the case was still in the investigation stage, so they certainly couldn’t make a big public show of it.
However, so of the injured cats and dogs needed to be taken care of.
For example, the four cats whose back legs had been broken during the raid.
Shen Xin had temporarily caged them, and he had co today hoping Li Jiahui could help deal with them.
He had even brought so dical supplies with him.
Now, the four cats lay in their cage, shrinking into the corner whenever soone approached.
Looking at their limp back legs and hearing that they had been broken while the cats were still alive, Li Jiahui sighed and asked Shen Xin to help her move the cage into her car.
In a situation like this, they needed to get X-rays to set the bones properly. If they were set well, there was a chance the cats could stand and walk again in the future.
As for the cost, she insisted on paying for it herself.
She said that since she was single, she rarely spent much money anyway.
Then, Shen Xin and she began sorting through the cats and dogs to see which ones needed to be taken to the veterinary hospital.
The purebred cats and dogs in the front had been "cared for" passably well by Gu Shaolong and his n. It was the stray cats and dogs, the ones destined to be deboned and sold for at, that had been carelessly shoved into cages, left to wallow in their own filth.
There were so empty cages on site, so Shen Xin and Li Jiahui worked together to separate the animals.
It would make them easier to handle later.
Keeping them all cramd together could easily lead to problems.
The colleagues from the Wutang District responsible for securing the scene also ca over to help.
Taking this opportunity, Shen Xin also began sorting through the stray dogs.
He left the purebreds alone; they would have to find a way to return them to their owners later.
The vast majority of the strays were extrely timid. When Shen Xin, wearing gloves, reached in to get them, so would constantly retreat to the corners of the cages.
The mont he touched them, they would let out shrill, miserable cries and often lose control of their bowels.
When he forcibly pulled them out, comforting them was useless. Every single one was trembling uncontrollably.
They weren’t inanimate objects. They had eyes, they had brains. Locked up with so many of their own kind, they had seen with their own eyes what fate awaited them.
Their sense of sll was keen, too. They could sll the stench of blood in the air, the scent of their kind being incinerated.
Shen Xin shook his head to himself.
’Even if soone adopts them,’ he thought, ’cats and dogs like this will probably be very difficult to ta.’
’They’ll most likely just be abandoned again in the end.’
Shen Xin pulled another one out of a cage.
It was a mottled white dog, very thin, but with a large belly. It looked sick.
It let out a low whimper, as if trying to protest.
But it was too afraid and didn’t dare.
Shen Xin placed it on the ground. It didn’t dare to move a muscle, but its legs were shaking like a leaf.
Beside him, Li Jiahui suddenly gasped and pointed at the dog. "Shen Xin, is it crying?"
It really was.
The white dog’s eyes were filled with tears. It was frozen in place, not daring to resist, just staring fearfully at Shen Xin and Li Jiahui.
"It’s okay."
Shen Xin reached out to pet its head. The dog flinched as if shocked, then imdiately froze again.
When Shen Xin’s hand rested on its head and it realized he was just stroking it gently, it suddenly ca to life, frantically licking his hand.
It licked right through the glove.
It kept its body low, head tilted up, back legs still shaking like a leaf, and continued to lick his hand frantically.
It was a desperate attempt to curry favor, humble to the extre.
It was as if it was begging Shen Xin to spare it, pleading to live.
"Damn it."
One of the colleagues squatting behind them couldn’t bear to watch anymore and cursed Gu Shaolong’s na.
Li Jiahui reached over and felt its belly.
The dog seed to get even more scared, licking more intensely and trembling as it nuzzled its head against Shen Xin’s hand.
Li Jiahui frowned. "I think she’s pregnant. And she’s probably due very soon."
Shen Xin had a flash of realization.
’No wonder her will to live is so strong.’
’She’s already this terrified, yet she’s still trying so hard to be friendly.’
"Don’t be afraid. I’ll take care of you."
Shen Xin took off his gloves, rubbed her head, and offered a word of comfort.
Then he asked for a pet carrier and put her inside.
Shen Xin planned to take this one back to the base and decide what to do after she gave birth.
Li Jiahui sighed and went back to work.
He opened another cage.
Shen Xin started pulling out the cats one by one, putting them into individual cages if they seed okay.
But most of them were not in good shape.
Covered in filth was a given; many also had injuries.
Cats are even more timid. When so many are locked up together, it’s normal for them to get stressed and fight.
Just then, WHOOSH! A black shadow suddenly shot out from the back of the cage.
It was frighteningly fast, zipping out from under Shen Xin’s arm in a flash.
In that fleeting mont, Shen Xin barely managed to see that it looked like a black cat.
It was incredibly fast, practically flying low to the ground as it dashed straight for the periter wall.
Then, it leaped.
The jump was extrely high, looking to be almost two ters.
And at the peak of its jump, it even pushed off the wall to gain more height.
Unfortunately for the cat, Gu Shaolong had built a high-walled enclosure. The wall alone was over three ters tall.
So the little guy still fell back down.
But it didn’t stop when it landed. As if terrified, it bolted away in a panic, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
A colleague behind him exclaid, "What the hell was that? It was so fast."
Shen Xin hadn’t gotten a clear look.
Thinking back carefully, it seed to be a black cat—a pure black one.
’In ancient tis, I think these pure black cats were called mystic cats.’
Shen Xin said, "Let’s leave it for now. It must have gotten spooked."
"The walls are high all around; it can’t get out."
For the ti being, they continued separating the cats and dogs into cages.
After all that trouble, he surprisingly didn’t find a single suitable stray dog.
They picked out the cats and dogs that needed treatnt, loaded them into the car, and had Li Jiahui take them to the veterinary hospital.
Shen Xin then closed the gate and went to look for the black cat from before.
He searched the entire yard but found nothing.
’It must be in the house, then.’
Shen Xin shut the main door and searched room by room, quickly finding it.
He found it in the room where the pet food was stored, frantically clawing at a bag of cat food.
Who knows how long it had been locked up; it must have been starving.
The mont he entered, it spotted Shen Xin, turned its head, and hissed at him.
But its ears weren’t flattened back. It just bared its fangs, its expression utterly ferocious.
Its deanor was less like a cat and more like a savage tiger.
The next mont, WHOOSH, it pounced.
Shen Xin instinctively raised his arm.
He felt a hard impact against his arm and quickly flung it aside.
The black cat was thrown off, landing lightly on a pile of dog food bags. It continued to whimper at Shen Xin, poised and ready to pounce again.
Shen Xin was secretly amazed.
’Cats are usually very timid. Not many would actively attack a human.’
Shen Xin glanced at his sleeve. It was a good thing it was spring and he was wearing a jacket, otherwise that attack would have surely drawn blood. He warned, "Don’t move. If you want to eat, I’ll get it for you."
Miraculously, it seed to understand. Its lowered, aggressive posture relaxed slightly.
While remaining on guard, Shen Xin opened a bag of cat food and poured so on the floor.
SWOOSH. It dropped to the floor and began to wolf down the food.
’It really is starving.’
Only then did Shen Xin get a chance to study it carefully.
It had yellow eyes and was completely black from head to toe, without a single white hair.
A true, authentic mystic cat.
Its body was slender and its limbs were powerful. It looked like a miniature Black Panther.
’Just from its build, you can tell its fighting ability is nothing to scoff at.’
Shen Xin reached out a hand, wanting to pet it.
It shot its head up and hissed, a cold glint seeming to flash in its eyes.
Shen Xin said, "Hey, I saved you and gave you food. Can’t I even give you a little pet?"
It stared intently at Shen Xin, stopped hissing, and lowered its head to continue devouring the food.
’It’s like it understood and gave tacit permission.’
Shen Xin cautiously reached out and petted its head.
It didn’t shy away.
Although it had been hungry for a long ti and cooped up in a cage, leaving its fur a bit dirty, he could still feel that it was as smooth as silk.
"Slow down."
Shen Xin rubbed its head, then noticed a bottle of mineral water nearby. He opened it, found a disposable bowl, and poured so water for it.
It wolfed down every last kibble.
It still wasn’t enough. It looked up, owed at Shen Xin, and lifted a paw to point at the bag of cat food.
Shen Xin was amazed. ’This little guy is incredibly smart.’
He vaguely recalled that dostic shorthairs were already quite intelligent, but among them, the pure black mystic cats were said to be even smarter.
’This kind of cat is also said to ward off evil spirits.’
’But just being pitch black isn’t enough. A true mystic cat’s fur has to show a reddish sheen under the sunlight.’
Shen Xin pointed at the food bag and waved his hand. "You’ve had plenty. Besides, this is junk cat food. I’ll take you to get sothing better later."
It stared at Shen Xin for a mont, then walked over, and with a light leap, jumped into his arms.
’Holy shit,’ Shen Xin thought. ’It actually understood.’
He knew that even with his special talent, animals like Da i only began to understand him after their affection level was extrely high.
’This thing is uncanny.’
Holding it in his arms, he felt its solid, heavy weight.
He took a look. It was a male.
When they went outside, the sunlight shone on its fur, and its black coat really did reveal a reddish sheen.
’So it’s the real deal.’
’I wonder how Gu Shaolong and his n managed to catch sothing so smart.’
’Probably got greedy for a snack.’
Shen Xin tried to put him in a cage first, but the cat wasn’t having it. It hissed at him and started climbing up his clothes toward his shoulder.
So Shen Xin just let him be.
Shen Xin asked a colleague about the case.
It was basically just a matter of confirming the evidence and then making arrests based on the ledger.
Gu Shaolong’s ledger had been a huge help.
A little over two hours later, Li Jiahui returned with the cats and dogs she had taken.
She said the veterinary hospital had given her a discount, so it didn’t cost much.
"Huh? Where’d you get a Black Cat Detective?"
Li Jiahui had spotted the black cat trailing at Shen Xin’s heels.
Shen Xin paused.
’You know, he does look like the Black Cat Detective.’
’Although, the Black Cat Detective is black and white. This one’s pure black.’
"You hear that? From now on, your na is Chief."
Shen Xin beckoned to the cat, and it imdiately leaped into his arms.
While he had been waiting for Li Jiahui, Shen Xin had played with it for a while.
It was extrely smart and very perceptive.
The only thing was, it had a strong independent streak. Even now, no affection icon had appeared above its head.
Shen Xin planned to take such a rare and authentic mystic cat back with him to raise.
’I’ll just keep him at the precinct,’ he thought.
’We have police dogs, so why not a police cat?’
’In the future, for reconnaissance work, I might not need to use Da i anymore.’
’Da i has long, beautiful fur, which makes her rather conspicuous.’
’Most importantly, she’s gotten really close with my mom lately. Mom carries her around all day; she’s about to turn her into a little furball.’
’Her athleticism has plumted.’
’Unlike this guy. He’s black as coal. At night, if he stands in a shadow, you wouldn’t even be able to spot him.’
’He’d be perfect for reconnaissance.’
’And most importantly, he’s smart.’
’He’s this intelligent even without the influence of a high affection level.’
’With a high affection level, he’d beco supernaturally intelligent.’
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