Chapter 640 - 530: You’re Completely Neglecting Your Profession

Chapter 640: Chapter 530: You’re Completely Neglecting Your Profession

Anjing Airport.

Shen Xin and Ding Yuwei were traveling light, with only simple luggage.

Teddy was left behind in Nanjiang, entrusted to his father’s care.

Unlike with Wanwan, Shen Haolin was especially attentive to Teddy. He had even become good friends with Chen Wanbin, and he raised Teddy with extreme care, terrified of doing a poor job.

And he was enjoying every moment of it.

Raising a donkey had nearly made him the laughingstock of his social circle.

But a Hunting Falcon was a different story entirely.

A rare, pure-white breed at that. Even a Middle Eastern Prince couldn’t boast such extravagance. He had bragged about it endlessly in his social circle.

They didn’t dare have anyone pick them up. After leaving the airport, the two of them hailed a cab and went straight to the Ministry of Public Security.

Even the taxi driver curiously asked what the two of them were doing at the Ministry of Public Security.

They didn’t look like the sort of people who frequented the Ministry.

When they arrived, a comical situation unfolded: the gate guards wouldn’t let them in.

It was right next to Tian’anmen Square, with such an imposing sign. It wasn’t a place just anyone could enter on a whim.

They had no choice but to bother Xu Jinguang.

He made a call, which took a while to connect. Before long, Xu Jinguang’s secretary came over to get them.

The secretary’s surname was Chen. At his level, his work was what you’d call impeccable.

He apologized, explaining that Xu Jinguang was in a work meeting and couldn’t get away.

However, everything had already been arranged on their end. He had someone take Shen Xin to the hotel first.

For their convenience, they had even arranged a private car and driver for Shen Xin.

He then scheduled a time for Shen Xin to meet with Xu Jinguang the next morning.

Even things at the zoo were sorted out. Shen Xin could start his job as a giant panda keeper at any time.

Shen Xin went along with the arrangements.

’This is Xu Jinguang we’re talking about, a man of his stature. What, am I expecting a welcome banquet tonight where we drink together with our arms around each other’s shoulders?’

Shen Xin wouldn’t dare to imagine such a thing.

Perhaps for convenience, they had booked Shen Xin a room directly at the Guoyi Hotel.

They were given a suite. The person who brought them over also explained that the room was booked long-term and would be available until their business was concluded.

"Manager Liu, it’s still early. Could we possibly go to the zoo first to get familiar with the place?" Shen Xin asked.

It was just a little after two in the afternoon.

The zoo didn’t close until six, so there was still plenty of time.

Besides, he had come to Anjing to solve a case, for work. Shen Xin hadn’t thought about taking the opportunity to have some fun.

He had been to Anjing many times and was already tired of sightseeing.

Manager Liu glanced at the time, nodded, and said that would be fine.

So, after the two of them dropped off their luggage, they took the car to the zoo.

The assigned driver’s surname was Lin. He had a buzz cut as sharp as steel needles and radiated an intense energy. He was definitely no ordinary driver, but a master of some sort.

Actually, driving was almost unnecessary. It was only a few hundred meters from the hotel, a ten-minute walk.

But having a car had its advantages. The car itself wasn’t anything special, but the license plate was. It started with "OA," making its status immediately obvious. It gave off an air of being able to go wherever it pleased.

Shen Xin had been to Anjing many times, but this was his first visit to the Anjing Zoo.

Manager Liu made a call to the head of the zoo’s administrative office, and a director with the surname Ling came to meet them.

He had a very elegant name: Ling Qianshan.

He was well-mannered and greeted Shen Xin and Ding Yuwei with a cheerful smile. "Secretary Chen has already told us about you," he said. "We will certainly do our best to cooperate, you can rest assured of that."

Shen Xin felt that his words were meant for Manager Liu.

Moreover, the tone was more polite than sincere, suggesting he didn’t take the matter very seriously.

’It’s understandable, when you think about it.’

The police department was sticking two people in the zoo. He didn’t know if they had been told the real reason, but if they had, the director must be confused.

’You’re solving a case, so what’s that got to do with my giant pandas?’

Giant pandas are precious. Raising them isn’t like raising a cat or a dog where you just feed them on a schedule. It’s a skilled job.

The zoo director was surely worried that the two people they’d been saddled with would cause problems.

Sure enough, Ling Qianshan’s attention remained fixed on Shen Xin and Ding Yuwei, his eyes filled with a probing curiosity. He was probably wondering what on earth the two of them were there to do.

The four of them walked into the zoo grounds.

It was just past three o’clock. It was also a Saturday and a clear day, so the zoo was bustling with crowds of visitors.

The Panda House was the first stop just inside the main entrance. Ling Qianshan led them away from the tourist path, heading straight for the keeper area of the Panda House.

There were two Panda Houses here: the original Asian Games Hall, and a newer Olympic Hall built later.

The Asian Games Hall housed the older pandas, while the Olympic Hall was home to the younger ones.

For example, the zoo’s most famous trio of brothers: Meng Da, Meng Er, and Meng Lan.

"Walnut is no longer on public display. For one thing, he’s getting on in years. He was born in August 2007, and was one year and eight months old when he was found. That makes him eleven years old this year."

"Secondly, he’s quite aggressive, so you two really need to be careful," Ling Qianshan warned.

He was a panda, and while he looked cute, he was still a bear with astonishing fighting strength.

And Walnut, in particular, had a verifiable track record.

"One time, Old Qian was trying to draw his blood. The cage has a blood collection rack, so he stuck his arm out. It was fine at first, but before we could even insert the needle—we’d just shaved the fur—the panda suddenly lashed out and grabbed Old Qian’s arm."

"That one swipe sent him to the hospital for seventeen stitches."

"Ever since then, we’ve had to use anesthesia for his regular blood draws. He’s the only one in the entire zoo. No amount of training or coaxing works on him."

Speaking of Walnut, Ling Qianshan sounded utterly helpless.

After he arrived at the Anjing Zoo in ’11, he brought a lot of public attention with him.

But caring for him had always been the biggest headache for the giant panda keeping team.

As they were talking, the group arrived at the Asian Games Hall.

"Old Ma." Just then, a man carrying a bucket came out through a door. Ling Qianshan’s eyes lit up, and he quickly pulled the man over to introduce him to the group.

He was the head of the giant panda team, Ma Tao.

He had short hair, monolids, and an honest, good-natured face.

He had apparently been briefed on the situation. He nodded, but as he looked at Shen Xin and Ding Yuwei, his brow furrowed for a split second.

Shen Xin caught it.

Clearly, the zoo staff still had some doubts about the Ministry’s arrangement.

Of course, Shen Xin was the type of person whose gifts arrive before he does; he knew how to handle these situations.

The moment they finished shaking hands and introducing themselves, the gift was presented.

"These are just some small local specialties from Nanjiang, nothing special. We’ll inevitably be troubling you from now on, so I wanted to apologize in advance, just in case we do something wrong and cause you any trouble later."

He had brought a fair amount, but it wasn’t expensive—truly just an ordinary gift for a first meeting.

"This... This... You shouldn’t have," Ma Tao said, looking conflicted. He hesitated, likely because Ling Qianshan was still there.

"Go on and take it, Old Ma. It’s a token of their goodwill," Ling Qianshan said with a smile.

He had already been given his.

Only then did Ma Tao accept the gift, his expression inevitably softening quite a bit.

Having brought them this far, Manager Liu, who was also busy, excused himself and left.

Ling Qianshan was busy as well. He entrusted them to Ma Tao and went to see Manager Liu off.

Ma Tao invited the two of them inside. He didn’t seem to be a man of many words, exchanging a few lukewarm pleasantries before asking if either of them had any experience raising animals.

Then he quickly added, "It’s fine if you don’t. Our work is simple in a way. As long as you’re diligent and patient, you can do it well."

Shen Xin hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Actually, I do."

Ma Tao casually asked what he had raised.

Shen Xin replied, "I’m a big animal lover. We don’t even need to mention cats and dogs; I’ve raised quite a few other animals too."

"Dolphins, Hunting Falcons, and elephants, for example. I’ve raised them all."

Firstly, he was giving Ma Tao a heads-up, letting him know he wasn’t a novice.

Secondly, Shen Xin wasn’t bluffing. He really had raised them.

"Elephants?"

Ma Tao was taken aback. He looked at Shen Xin with surprise and suspicion.

’Shen Xin’s a police officer, and he went off to raise elephants? That’s just too bizarre.’

"I really have. I even have photos," Shen Xin said, taking out his phone to show Ma Tao.

There were not only photos of him with Nan Ji, but also with Nan Ji’s calf.

Ma Tao’s eyes widened. "Is that... a white elephant?"

He could tell at a glance that Nan Ji’s calf was extraordinary.

And judging by the environment in the photo, it didn’t seem to be a zoo.

Shen Xin nodded. "It’s a wild Asian elephant I encountered when I was in Dian Nan. The white elephant is her calf."

Ma Tao’s voice rose several decibels. "Wild?"

He wouldn’t dare call himself an animal expert, but after working at the Anjing Zoo for nearly thirty years, he had picked up a lot through constant exposure and could be considered an all-around animal enthusiast.

So Ma Tao knew that a wild Asian elephant was a completely different beast from one raised in a zoo.

"Difficult to tame" wasn’t just an adjective.

Yet Shen Xin’s photos even showed him riding the mother elephant.

It was simply incredible.

His curiosity piqued, he stopped and asked about the dolphin and the Hunting Falcon.

"This is the Hunting Falcon I brought back from the grasslands."

Seeing the pure-white Teddy, Ma Tao was dumbfounded once again.

’A Hunting Falcon! A bird of prey that no zoo in the entire country had, and Shen Xin not only has one himself, but it’s also an extremely rare albino.’

"That must be worth a fortune," Ma Tao couldn’t help but ask.

’An albino Hunting Falcon... if that were in the Middle East, those Princes would go crazy for it.’

Shen Xin said, "You bet. I rescued it from poachers. According to them, they were planning to sell it for one million USD."

Ma Tao fell silent.

Then he saw a video of Shen Xin interacting with Yuexiao in the water and couldn’t help but ask, "Officer Shen, are you really... a police officer?"

’This is completely outside your job description!’

Shen Xin chuckled. "Of course. The genuine article."

Ma Tao opened his mouth, wanting to ask more, but he didn’t know where to begin.

In any case, Shen Xin’s animal-raising experience felt even more impressive than his own.

Just as they were speaking, a woman walked over from up ahead.

"Old Ma, I was just looking for you. Our ’grandpa’ is throwing a tantrum again and refuses to go back to his den," she said, her face a mask of exasperation.

Ma Tao frowned slightly and hurried to follow, waving for Shen Xin and his partner to come along.

This was perfect. Shen Xin’s target was this very same "Grandpa" Walnut.

Ma Tao walked quickly, unable to resist warning them on the way, "Walnut’s personality is truly strange. Not only is he hostile toward people, he also just does whatever he wants. When you interact with him in the future, you must be extremely careful. You can’t treat him like an ordinary panda."

Shen Xin nodded and followed Ma Tao. Soon, he came face-to-face with the infamous "Captain of the Anjing Zoo Security Team," the "Number One Bandit."

He was no longer on public display.

But his original activity area was still there, just closed off to the public.

When they arrived, two keepers were already there, calling out to Walnut with great feeling from behind an iron gate, hoping he would do them the favor of returning to the enclosure area.

The woman, Sister He, was quite talkative. She explained that of the twelve people on the keeping team, only Ma Tao—the veteran who had personally gone to Longzhou to bring Walnut back—had a tiny bit of clout with him. But only a tiny bit, and not a bit more.

That’s why even Ma Tao didn’t dare go inside and was just shouting from behind the iron gate.

It was only then that Shen Xin got a close-up look at Walnut.

He was a large male. With his back to the crowd, he wasn’t eating. He was leaning against a thick tree stump as if in meditation, completely ignoring everyone’s calls.

Even when Ma Tao called to him, offering apples and cake, he didn’t react.

Ma Tao asked the other two keepers what they had done to provoke Walnut today.

"Nothing! Who would dare provoke him?" the two cried foul.

Sister He said, "Old Ma, if it’s not working, let’s just leave him be."

Whether or not he returned to the enclosure was entirely up to his mood.

The main issue was that it was inconvenient for cleaning.

Just then, Ding Yuwei gently nudged Shen Xin and shot him a look, as if to say, ’Isn’t this the perfect time for you to work your magic?’

Shen Xin hadn’t intended to show off, but in a situation like this, he really wanted to give it a try.

So, Shen Xin also approached the gate and, imitating Ma Tao, called out Walnut’s name a couple of times.

He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but Shen Xin felt that when he called out, the panda, with his back still to him, twitched slightly.

And then... there was no ’and then’.

No reaction whatsoever.

Shen Xin found this odd. ’Back in the mountains, even a Golden Snub-nosed Monkey would run over to greet me. How come it’s not working on you?’