Chapter 581 - 483: Sense of Achievement

Chapter 581: Chapter 483: Sense of Achievement

As they were talking, Guo Jin found his gaze drawn to Celestial Skill.

Back when the police dogs were being selected, Tian Kui was a special case delivered personally by Shen Xin. That’s why Guo Jin never went to Nanjiang and had never seen Celestial Skill.

’But any dog that stays by Shen Xin’s side must be exceptional.’

So Guo Jin couldn’t resist asking about Tian Kui.

Shen Xin replied, "He’s doing great. He’s gotten a lot fatter."

The demand for police dogs in Nanjiang wasn’t overwhelming, and since Tian Kui was stationed at the city bureau, he didn’t get called out on missions very often.

Most of the time, he acted as a patrol dog during large city events, patrolling the grounds and helping to maintain order.

With a light workload and meticulous care, he was naturally packing on the pounds.

Guo Jin kept repeating that it was good to hear.

Honestly, he hadn’t spent that much time with Tian Kui, but they had fought side-by-side. That bond of comradeship was there, so of course he still thought about him.

Shen Xin could easily guess what was on Guo Jin’s mind and pulled him outside.

"Guo Suo, I have a surprise for you."

Shen Xin opened the car door and called out.

The next moment, a slate-gray dog responded, leaping out of the car and squatting obediently at Shen Xin’s feet.

"This is..." Guo Jin started, his eyes wide with surprise.

The dog in front of him was clearly a mutt.

Its fur was slate-gray, and it looked like it had the genes of a sighthound and a wolfdog.

Its ears were pricked, and its eyes, full of spirit, darted about.

Shen Xin gently patted his head and said, "Mu Shisan, what are you waiting for? Go say hello."

The dog looked at Shen Xin, then at Guo Jin. He obediently went forward, gave a short bark at Guo Jin, and wagged his tail.

Guo Jin quickly crouched down, affectionately ruffling Mu Shisan’s head. "Shen Xin," he said, overjoyed, "you mean he’s for us?"

The value of a police dog was undeniable.

Guo Jin had realized that the last time Tian Kui was here.

This rural area wasn’t like the city, with cameras everywhere. When someone lost something or an elderly person went missing, a police dog was truly useful.

But he knew Tian Kui was far too skilled to be wasted in a small place like Ma Chang Town, which was why he had taken the initiative and suggested Shen Xin take Tian Kui with him.

But deep down, Guo Jin still hoped their station could have a police dog.

Shen Xin smiled and nodded.

When he was leaving with Celestial Skill, Shen Xin had thought of Guo Jin.

So he’d picked a dog whose training scores weren’t the best and brought him here specifically for them.

"His name is Mu Shisan. He was trained to be a drug-sniffing dog. His detection skills are just average, but I think he’ll be more than enough for your station."

Out of that batch of nearly five hundred dogs, a total of 351 qualified and were assigned to their posts.

The remaining hundred-plus dogs failed to qualify for various reasons and were scheduled to be washed out of the program.

Of course, some of them, like Mu Shisan, were still decent.

He’d be fine as a regular tracking and patrol dog, so Shen Xin picked one out and brought him over.

Guo Jin was overjoyed. "More than enough is perfect!" he said quickly. "If you gave us an outstanding police dog, it would be a waste. This is great."

As he spoke, he quickly called for He Xiang to clear out a room—the very same one Tian Kui had stayed in.

After He Xiang ran off, Guo Jin spoke again, a hint of disbelief in his voice. "Shen Xin, you’re really... just giving him to us? You worked so hard to train him. If it’s not right, you should send him somewhere he’s needed more."

Shen Xin shook his head, said it wasn’t necessary, and briefly explained his plan.

"Otherwise, how do you think he ended up with the name Mu Shisan? You have no idea how much of a headache it was just to name them all."

"We had to name them. It increases the dogs’ sense of self-identity."

"But coming up with nearly five hundred names in one go... you can imagine how much work that was."

"In the end, to make it easier, we just used the five elements—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth—followed by numbers."

"Shen Xin, you really think big."

Guo Jin’s eyes widened.

Even though he was just the chief of a small-town police station, he knew what it meant to double the nation’s entire force of drug-sniffing dogs.

After letting Mu Shisan and Guo Jin get acquainted for a while, Shen Xin took the two of them to find Li Shi.

Along the way, the conversation turned to Li Yao and her grandmother, Geng Aiyi.

Losing her son in her old age had been a huge blow to Geng Aiyi.

But with the two children and some assistance from the town, she’d at least gotten her health problems mostly under control.

She couldn’t work, but at least she wasn’t permanently bedridden.

The two kids had to grow up fast and could take good care of themselves.

Just as they were speaking, they arrived at the wet market on the south side of town.

From a distance, they could see a large crowd gathered over by the livestock section.

They seemed to be watching some commotion, with people shouting and cheering from time to time.

Seeing Shen Xin pause, Guo Jin glanced over and asked, "Oh, right, Shen Xin. Xu Erleng has been filming short videos. Was that your idea?"

"He’s actually gone viral now. I heard he has several hundred thousand followers and is even making money."

"You know, before this, both of their families wanted nothing to do with them. But now that he’s famous, one of Zhou Er’feng’s nephews has become incredibly enthusiastic. He runs over every day to film Xu Erleng’s videos and even does livestreams."

"He’s always shouting about ’family’ this and ’family’ that, I don’t really get it. Anyway, I hear they’re making good money. At the beginning of the month, Xu Erleng even bought Zhou Er’feng a big gold chain, and she wears it around everywhere."

Hearing that, Shen Xin felt he really had to go take a look.

’He’s become a full-blown influencer.’

Walking over, they found a crowd packed several layers deep.

They were in the middle of filming. Xu Erleng was holding a long-handled paring knife and, with a quick, precise, and firm motion, he sliced off the mutated hoof of a black donkey.

As soon as he looked up, he spotted Shen Xin in the crowd.

"Officer Shen!"

Xu Erleng hurried over to greet him. He wiped his hands on his clothes, then grabbed Shen Xin’s hand and wouldn’t let go.

Shen Xin’s casual suggestion back then had truly changed his life.

"And this is?" he asked, turning his gaze to Ding Yuwei.

Shen Xin introduced her proudly, "My girlfriend, Ding Yuwei. She’s a police officer, too."

Xu Erleng quickly greeted her, complimenting them on being a perfect couple.

Forgetting all about his video, Xu Erleng grabbed Shen Xin and insisted on treating him to a meal.

He boasted that money was no object now, and they could order whatever they liked.

’He must have really made some money.’

’Otherwise, that nephew of Zhou Er’feng’s wouldn’t be so eager to run over and help him film.’

Shen Xin glanced at the nephew. He didn’t say much, but he looked very shrewd.

’He instinctively wanted to give a word of warning, but then he reconsidered. The couple had no children and were getting on in years. Even if the nephew was only after their money, at least he would take care of them.’

’Besides, Xu Erleng had seen enough of the world’s ups and downs; he probably knew exactly what was going on.’

After agreeing to have dinner together that night, they finally headed for the slaughterhouse.

As they drew near, the heavy stench of blood hung in the air.

Upon entering, Shen Xin scanned the place, and his eyes were immediately drawn to the butchering area in the distance.

It was Li Shi.

He hadn’t seen him in almost half a year. The young man hadn’t gotten any taller and still looked a bit short and thin.

Now, he was just in a tank top and a black apron, standing before a skinned, hanging cow carcass. He held a Boning Knife in his hand and was in the middle of breaking it down.

Blood was spattered on his face, but he paid it no mind. His gaze was focused, his expression serious, and his hands moved without pause. With quick, precise, and decisive cuts, he removed a leg from the carcass in a flash.

Just seeing his dedication to his work, he already had the air of a young man.

Shen Xin walked up behind him, careful not to disturb him.

He remained completely oblivious until he had finished skillfully breaking down the cow. Only when he turned his head did he see Shen Xin.

He flinched in surprise, blinking hard before he could confirm it was really Shen Xin.

"Off... Officer Shen!"

Overjoyed, Li Shi started to rush forward, then stopped abruptly. He hastily dropped his knife, yanked off his apron, and quickly washed his hands at a nearby sink.

Only then did he rush over and hug Shen Xin.

’Wow, he’s got a strong grip.’

"Officer Shen, what are you doing here?" Li Shi looked up, not wanting to let go, his eyes filled with pure joy.

Shen Xin could clearly sense how much Li Shi had changed in just half a year. His eyes, especially, were no longer lifeless and filled with a bitter apathy toward everything.

Now they were bright and full of life.

"What do you think?" Shen Xin said, ruffling Li Shi’s messy hair. "I was passing through for work and came to see you."

At the end of the day, he was still just a 14-year-old kid.

Seeing him again, Shen Xin could truly sense the change in Li Shi.

He spoke more maturely now, and his personality had brightened up considerably.

The tragedy from six months ago seemed to no longer affect him at all.

His words were filled with hope for the future. He even proudly told Shen Xin that he had ranked 11th in his class that semester.

He had fallen so far behind in his studies before, so climbing from the bottom of the class all the way to 11th place was enormous progress.

During dinner that night, Li Shi mentioned that because of Li Xingping, he wouldn’t be able to become a police officer. But he said it didn’t matter. He was determined to get into a university, take his sister and grandmother to a big city, and leave these mountains behind.

Ding Yuwei quietly asked Shen Xin,

"One is named Li Shi, the other is Li Yao. Put them together and you get Shiyao, right?"

Shen Xin nodded.

Li Xingping had given his children those names in the hope that they would one day be able to leave the mountains.

Ding Yuwei watched Li Shi chattering enthusiastically with Guo Jin about his desire to study agriculture. She gently took Shen Xin’s arm and asked softly, "You must feel a real sense of accomplishment right now, don’t you?"

Shen Xin quickly waved his hand dismissively, but the smile in his eyes betrayed how he truly felt.

’To think of that night, when Li Shi had grabbed a kitchen knife, ready to get his revenge.’

’It had all come down to a single moment, a single choice.’