Animal Detective

Chapter 316 - 260: The Angler (Part 2)

"Why would they feel so safe turning their backs on someone? It can only mean they might have known the killer. That’s why they let their guard down, giving the killer a chance to launch a surprise attack."

Liu Baoqing nodded emphatically.

He had noticed this as well, especially after Xu Rulin was killed.

Xu Rulin was a witness in Huang Weili’s case. Knowing Huang Weili had been murdered, he would have surely been on guard around strangers.

And yet, he was still taken by surprise. The most likely explanation was just as Shao Jingming had said: they knew each other. The killer was probably an angler who frequented the reservoir.

"Lao Zhao."

Liu Baoqing’s head snapped up as he said the name.

Zhao Cunyong!

"Zhong Yu!"

He turned his head and shouted.

When Zhong Yu ran over, Liu Baoqing immediately ordered him to go through the past interview records and identify every single angler who had frequented the reservoir in the last month.

He figured it wasn’t just a matter of them having shared a meal. It was also possible they simply saw each other often while fishing, which would have caused Xu Rulin to lower his guard.

Of course, this was just one line of investigation.

Xu Rulin’s personal life and his social connections also had to be investigated.

The possibility of a copycat killer taking advantage of the situation couldn’t be ruled out.

Meanwhile, Shao Jingming had already dispatched officers from the New District Branch to provide support and conduct a large-scale canvass of the surrounding area.

Soon, Li Jiahui arrived, leading Odin.

The sight of Xu Rulin’s body made the color drain from her face.

"Why don’t you head back first?"

Shen Xin said softly as he took the leash.

Li Jiahui shook her head slightly, indicating that she was fine.

Shen Xin didn’t press the matter. He put on his shoe covers and led Odin into the crime scene.

Shao Jingming and Liu Baoqing stood together, watching nervously.

"Lao Liu, this must be the dog you said we’re planning to train for our New District Branch."

After Liu Baoqing nodded, Shao Jingming continued, "You should talk more with Xiaoshen. I’ve heard about this kid for a while now. He’s capable, and a bit of a lucky charm."

"Most importantly, he can train police dogs. You see how useful they are."

Last time, it was the police dog’s tracking that allowed them to pinpoint the suspect’s escape route.

Liu Baoqing said, "Director Shao, I understand."

Even without Shao Jingming’s reminder, Liu Baoqing was well aware of how valuable a police dog could be.

Although they were near a K-9 training base, having a dedicated police dog for their branch would be much better.

Besides, he had already asked around. The dogs Shen Xin trained were supposedly smarter and more proficient.

Meanwhile, Shen Xin had already started murmuring instructions to Odin.

It was uncertain whether the killer had gotten any of Xu Rulin’s blood on him during the attack.

But if it was the same killer, Shen Xin could have Odin track the killer’s scent.

When they were tracking the killer before, they were supposedly tracking the scent of Huang Weili’s blood, but along the way, Odin must have also picked up the killer’s scent.

He should remember it.

Now, Shen Xin just needed to make Odin understand which scent he was supposed to track.

"It’s that person’s scent. Take a good sniff, it should be here."

Shen Xin didn’t rush to have him smell Xu Rulin’s blood.

Odin moved about, paying special attention to the footprint left by the killer, sniffing it thoroughly.

Then, he let out a bark.

[Here.]

That was the confirmation.

And it also confirmed one other thing: it really was the work of a single person.

Shen Xin couldn’t help but think, ’This guy has some serious nerve.’

It had only been a week since the first murder, and with that case still unsolved, he had the audacity to strike again.

Just as Shao Jingming had said, the police tape from Huang Weili’s crime scene right next door hadn’t even been taken down yet.

"Memorize this scent. And the blood. Smell it again."

Shen Xin led Odin over to smell the scent of Xu Rulin’s blood again.

Once Odin had committed it to memory, Shen Xin let him begin tracking.

The dog sniffed all around before quickly locking onto the scent, following it along the reservoir toward the concrete road.

Liu Baoqing immediately led his team after them.

Upon reaching the concrete road, Odin didn’t head down the mountain this time. Instead, he turned left and started heading up.

"Is this the right way?" Shen Xin double-checked.

[Yes.]

Odin let out a bark.

Shen Xin and Liu Baoqing exchanged a look and followed Odin up the mountain.

The concrete road snaked its way up to the summit.

At the top of the mountain was a communications tower.

Shen Xin was suddenly reminded of a case Chen Chao had once told him about.

He turned and asked Liu Baoqing if they had checked the connection logs for the mountaintop base station during the time of Huang Weili’s murder.

Liu Baoqing replied, "We did. Around the time of the murder, nearly two thousand mobile phones connected to this station. We also can’t be sure if the killer turned off their phone, so it’s incredibly difficult to investigate."

Shen Xin nodded and asked no more questions.

Odin led the way. After they had climbed for nearly a hundred meters, he suddenly stopped.

He sniffed all around, seemingly bewildered and at a loss.

Shen Xin looked around. They were on a bend in the concrete road leading up the mountain, flanked by forest on both sides.

’The tracking was going so well,’ he thought. ’How could the trail suddenly go cold here?’

Li Jiahui twitched her nose and said, "Shen Xin, do you smell something faint? It’s like the smell of 84 disinfectant."

Ma Chunxin, who was walking behind them, took a deep sniff and nodded. "Now that you mention it, there is a hint of 84 in the air."

Shen Xin sniffed carefully. There did seem to be a trace of it.

Looking again at Odin, who was still pacing aimlessly, Shen Xin suddenly had a realization. "Captain Liu, do you think the suspect deliberately spread 84 disinfectant here to destroy his own scent trail and stop us from using a police dog to track him?"

"Think about it. During the Huang Weili investigation, we used a police dog for tracking. It was a big operation, and a lot of people saw it. The killer must have known, so he took countermeasures."

Spilling 84 disinfectant at key locations, or even pouring it directly on himself, would mask his scent and prevent a police dog from tracking him.