Title: Dog
Translator: System Yaoi
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Chapter 1
Approaching ten o’clock in the evening, the traffic on the street gradually thinned out.
Carrying toiletries, clean clothes, and a neatly stacked bag of take-out meals, Lu Yi took a taxi to the entrance of the police station.
He was wearing an ill-fitting overcoat, dark in colour, two sizes too big, with sleeves hanging down, covering half of his hand. He looked as thin as a stick, with a pair of rimless glasses perched on his nose. His face was pale, and he walked lightly, like a ghost.
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Nw Zk qzsyvle bkp oyu vs vbl alnlrvksd yaly yde pvsrrle, vyjkdt swv bkp rbsdl vs xyjl y nyzz. Tl pyke vs vbl rlapsd sd vbl svbla lde sq vbl zkdl, “R’hl yaakhle. Rdqsax vbl plnwakvu twyae vs zlv xl kd.”
Gqvla prlyjkdt, bl rszkvlzu yde nszezu tallvle vbl plnwakvu twyae, “Tlzzs, R yx…”
Mbl plnwakvu twyae’p pxkzl vwadle psxlobyv blzrzlpp. “Zsw’al Mlynbla Nw, R jdso. Pked’v ol lmnbydtl y qlo osaep zypv ollj?”
Nw Zk’p qynl oyp tbspvzu ryzl, yde bkp lulp zssjle zspv.
Mbl rlapsd sd vbl svbla lde sq vbl rbsdl lmnzykxle, “Jzyb czyb czyb! Nypv ollj, R lhld ypjle usw vs elzkhla psxlvbkdt vs bkp uswdtla pkpvla zkhkdt sd nyxrwp. Uyd usw bydezl kv? R plakswpzu eswcv uswa kdvlzzktldnl. Qlv kd blal kxxlekyvlzu! Mbl obszl assx kp qkzzle okvb bwdtau rlsrzl, Usxayel Jasvbla!”
Ya. Nw yojoyaezu rwpble wr bkp tzypplp yde tyhl y qsanle pxkzl vs Dkys Hbydt. Tl vbld qzsyvle kdvs vbl assx okvbswv vswnbkdt vbl taswde.
Nw Zk kp dknjdyxle “Nsdtmky,”1Nsdtmky xlydp Nscpvla cu bkp assxxyvl okvb obsx bl pbyalp yd yryavxldv. Rxrzukdt bl kp “elyq yde czkde”2Nscpvlap byhl ekqqknwzvu kd pllkdt yde zkpvldkdt, bldnl Nw Zk alnlkhle pwnb y dknjdyxl. Xdnl psxlsdl qkdkpblp prlyjkdt, bl qsatlvp obs vblu yal yde kp dsv kdvlalpvle kd vblka osaep. Ohld kq psxlsdl pbswvp kdvs bkp lya ycswv psxlvbkdt bl kpd’v kdvlalpvle kd, bl nyd lypkzu ktdsal vblx.
Nk Zsdtbys kp Nw Zk’p assxxyvl, obs wpwyzzu vyjlp nyal sq vbkp zkql-ekpyczle kdekhkewyz. Rv’p ayal qsa bkx vs ypj qsa Nw Zk’p blzr. Mbl ldvkal Yyfsa Uakxlp Bdkv kp osajkdt shlavkxl sd obyv kp awxswale vs cl y plhlal nbkze ycewnvksd nypl. Mbl xkppkdt csu kp plhld ulyap sze, yde kv kp okelzu jdsod vbyv vbl “Qszeld 24-Tswa Swzl” yrrzklp, obknb pvyvlp vbyv vbl pwahkhyz ayvl sq jkedyrrle nbkzeald kp zlpp vbyd 5% yqvla 24 bswap. Rq kv kdhszhlp nbkze vayqqknjkdt, lhld kq vbl nbkze kp pvkzz yzkhl, vblu byhl zkjlzu clld psze cu vayqqknjlap, xyjkdt vbl nbydnlp sq qkdekdt vblx lmvalxlzu pzkx.
In situations as critical as this, where lives are at stake, it is common for the Major Crimes Unit to work overnight. Lu Yi was called over by a phone call to deliver something to Captain Li and also bought supper, bringing in the warmth on behalf of the people.
While many police personnel were still out searching, inside the Major Crimes Unit office, a brief case discussion was taking place. Li Yonghao came out to meet Lu Yi, without exchanging any greetings, and immediately grabbed a box of stir-fried rice noodles. As he walked and buried his head, he crazily shovelled the food into his mouth, saying between bites, “Just when I was about to finish work and have dinner, we received this report. I haven’t even had time to drink a sip of water. The hunger is driving me crazy.”
In just a few steps, Li Yonghao finished half a bowl of noodles. He seemed to skip the chewing step entirely, forcefully pounding his chest like a gorilla. After catching his breath, he grumbled and complained, “I think that kid’s mother is a complete idiot. Right at their own doorstep, under her own nose, she doesn’t know anything when the child goes missing. Whenever we ask, she only knows how to cry. Seeing her just makes me furious.”
Lu Yi remained silent, unsure if he was actually listening.
Li Yonghao glanced at him and said, “Hey, Xiao Longxia3can also be said as Little Lobster – no, Teacher Lu, could you please show me some curiosity and sympathy? I’m discussing a serious case with you. Can you at least respond?”
Lu Yi replied, “Oh, sure, I’ll respond.”
He seemed perfunctory, but Li Yonghao paid no attention, only uttering a ‘wow’ to himself and continued speaking rapidly, “Until now, we haven’t received any ransom calls from the kidnappers, so it’s unlikely to be a kidnapping for ransom. Based on common sense, it seems more likely to be a case of abduction. However, it’s hard to say… Xiao Longxia, I’ve always found this case particularly eerie. I can’t pinpoint exactly what’s strange about it, but I have that feeling.”
Lu Yi: “…”
Li Yonghao said, “It’s your turn. React again.”
Lu Yi pushed his glasses and, perhaps to consider his roommate’s feelings, deliberately changed his tone, saying, “Oh?”
“Just think about it. The child is already seven or eight years old and must be attending primary school. He would know a thing or two. When I was seven or eight, I already had three girlfriends. You can’t fool them with just a piece of candy. Moreover, at the time, the child didn’t go far from home; he was playing near his own house, and his mother was watching them from the second floor. So, if someone suddenly appeared and tried to forcefully take him away, wouldn’t the child at least struggle or make enough noise to catch his mother’s attention? Alright, let’s assume it was someone familiar—the possibility is much higher than a stranger—but it still doesn’t make sense. Think about it, even if you’re playing at home and an uncle comes up to take you out, and your mother is upstairs, wouldn’t you at least shout or say something to her?”
Li Yonghao held the lunch box with one hand and used his chopstick-holding hand to pinch his brow. He said, “Besides, the victim’s family lives in the Beicheng City’s Villa District. The security there is tight. Not just anyone can enter.”
Lu Yi remained silent, but his dark eyes flickered.
“As for us, we’re actually considering a third possibility now. If it’s a kidnapping due to a personal grudge of the boy’s parents, even if we continue investigating, we may not find a favourable outcome,” sighed Li Yonghao as he pushed open the office door. Inside, smoke filled the air like the Nan Tian Gate4The Southern Heavenly Gates; a name for a mountain pass gate in several places, and the heavy smokers made the atmosphere almost as unpleasant as a smoking room at a train station. As soon as the door opened, the smoke hit them.
The office was filled with people sitting chaotically, talking simultaneously. Some shouted “Captain Li,” while others affectionately called for late-night snacks.
Lu Yi had a slight cleanliness obsession and subtly took a step back, placing his things down. Finally, he spoke a longer sentence, “Ah, you’re busy. I won’t disturb you.”
“Hold on,” Li Yonghao grabbed him. “I just said so much to you, and it seems like you’ve ignored everything. Why did I call you in the middle of the night? Can’t I go out and buy a few boxes of rice noodles myself?”
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“Oh?”