The man looked to be in his thirties.

He was a decent height, around 5’10", with slightly above-average looks. His good skin was a plus.

He wore a black jacket over a thick, plaid shirt.

His clothes were simple and casual, but he carried himself with a gentle, refined air. It was the calm, experienced demeanor of someone who had navigated the complexities of society for years.

He felt like the kind of successful man who had shed all pretense.

"Hello."

Shen Xin was slightly surprised. The man was polite, and his voice was rich and magnetic.

He quickly wiped his right hand on his clothes before extending it to shake Shen Xin’s.

"I was watching your selection process just now. It was quite an eye-opener," he added, complimenting him.

Shen Xin said, "If you want to say I was just picking randomly, I can accept that."

’In their eyes, my method probably didn’t look much different from picking at random.’

The man was taken aback, apparently not expecting Shen Xin to be so openly self-deprecating. He laughed and introduced himself as Bai Jifei.

"Shen Xin."

After the introductions, Shen Xin crouched down, looked at the bloodhound that had been put into a travel crate, and said, "I want to buy this bloodhound."

Bai Jifei glanced at Meng Fuqiang in the distance, a little puzzled.

"I’m not with them. I’m from the Tingyang Branch. Our branch trains police dogs too, and I think this bloodhound is excellent—the best one." Shen Xin reached out, gave the crate a little jiggle, and asked what the dog’s name was.

"His name is Loki, like the Norse god."

Understanding dawned on Bai Jifei, but he was still confused.

He had, of course, heard of the Tingyang Branch, but for a branch station to be raising its own police dogs... ’Isn’t that a bit of a luxury?’

’And for the professionals from the main police dog base to ask an outsider like Shen Xin to help them select dogs—that was just too strange.’

However, Shen Xin’s declaration that this one was "the best" brightened Bai Jifei’s mood considerably.

He had brought three puppies, and all of them had been rejected, which was quite disheartening.

’So it turns out this bloodhound I have here was the best one all along.’

’And then he secretly kept the best one for himself...’

Bai Jifei was surprised but found it understandable.

"Of course." Bai Jifei’s heart raced with excitement. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "However, the price... my prices are a bit steep. The asking price is... eighteen thousand."

His kennel primarily bred Maltese, with a few other breeds on the side. He had specifically imported two breeding dogs from the bloodhound’s country of origin at considerable cost. This was their first litter, so the price wasn’t low.

Besides, when working with the police, what you were really selling, in the end, was the bloodline.

"Fine. It’s not my money anyway."

Shen Xin was unconcerned. ’The funds the branch approved earlier still haven’t been used up.’

"Let’s exchange contact info. I’ll come by to pick him up when I have time," Shen Xin said.

Bai Jifei quickly handed over a business card and exchanged contact information with Shen Xin. He then asked curiously if Loki would be considered a police dog from now on.

"Of course. A dog raised by us police is a police dog."

Wang Xihai was already taking care of it. He was planning to register Dou Dou and the others to have them officially enlisted as police dogs on record.

That way, they would have a fixed food allowance paid for by the state.

Furthermore, within the system, they would be classified as specialized police personnel. Attempting to attack a police dog would be treated as assaulting an officer.

"By the way, if you’re going to miss him, you can follow our Tingyang Branch’s social media account later. I’ll be posting some training videos."

Wang Xihai had been going on about the short-video account for days.

"Oh, I’ll definitely follow it then."

Bai Jifei nodded, thanked him again, and then left with his three puppies.

Shen Xin glanced at the business card in his hand.

He noticed the kennel’s address was in Tingyang District, on the far east side, near Hutang Town.

Although it was a township, it had the Lu Mountain Lake Wetland Park, which was especially scenic.

As a result, there were some villa communities nearby.

As far as Shen Xin knew, high-end kennels and catteries all liked to rent that kind of detached villa.

Bai Jifei’s was one of them, located in a villa complex called Shuiyue Mountain.

As he was thinking, someone tapped him on the back.

He turned to see it was Zhang Qian.

She asked if Shen Xin was free to find a place for lunch in a bit; her treat.

"Nah, I’m on the clock. Besides, you should save that fixed salary of yours for yourself. Tonight, after work, I’ll treat you to a late-night meal."

Zhang Qian’s family wasn’t particularly wealthy, and her own salary as a graphic designer wasn’t high.

He’d heard her mention last time that she was thinking of changing careers and starting her own design studio.

Just as he turned his head, Li Jiahui walked over and told Shen Xin not to leave at noon but to join them for a reception lunch.

"Okay."

Shen Xin immediately agreed.

Zhang Qian couldn’t help but mutter, "Didn’t you just say you were on the clock?"

You just said you weren’t free.

Shen Xin said, "That’s different. This is eating with my superiors."

His tone was brimming with the desire for career advancement.

Zhang Qian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but she joined them for a tour of the police dog base.

They looked at the training grounds and so on.

Shen Xin silently took mental notes, wondering if he should also renovate the training yard back at the branch station.

But he dismissed the idea. ’My methods and the police dog base’s are completely different.’

’For instance, to train a guard dog’s aggression, I just showed Black Panther videos I found online, and he learned all the same.’

Having just closed a case, it was time for a couple of days of rest.

「The next afternoon」

Shen Xin picked up the funds from the finance department and drove to the kennel to get Loki.

It was quite a long drive.

The residential complex wasn’t far from the wetland park. It seemed to have thirty or forty villas, all of them detached with front and back yards.

But as he drove in, Shen Xin noticed the occupancy rate wasn’t high. About a third of the houses were unrenovated and vacant.

It made sense. Lu Mountain Lake was too remote. Not far from its entrance was Pingyu, the true countryside.

Nanjiang’s prime villa districts were all over by Nanzhu Li Lake. Now *that* was a place nestled by mountains and water, with magnificent scenery.

Number 26.

Shen Xin parked his car and sized up the two-story detached villa before him.

He rang the doorbell, and Bai Jifei quickly appeared to open the gate.

"Welcome, welcome."

He warmly invited Shen Xin inside, offering to give him a tour.

"Better not. Our branch has three police dogs, and I’m always around them. I wouldn’t want to bring in any germs and infect your puppies."

Shen Xin didn’t enter the villa.

’From what I’ve read online, places like these high-end kennels and catteries are most afraid of germs being brought in from the outside.’

Bai Jifei smiled. "It’s not quite that dramatic, but sure. Please have a seat. I’ll go get Loki."

He invited Shen Xin to sit in the front yard’s rest area and poured him some water before going to fetch Loki. He even used good-quality tea.

Shen Xin took a couple of sips and surveyed his surroundings.

Just then, he noticed that in a room on the east side of the second floor, the curtains were drawn open.

Then, through the large, bright window, Shen Xin saw a woman appear. She seemed to be in a wheelchair, slowly approaching the window. She watched Shen Xin from behind the glass.

She must have noticed his gaze, as a smile appeared on her face.

Shen Xin gave a slight nod. ’She must be the lady of the house,’ he figured.

Strangely, she just kept watching quietly without any further reaction.

At that moment, Bai Jifei led Loki out.

Loki was as quiet as ever, but you could still sense his affection upon seeing Shen Xin.

He was a male, three and a half months old.

Bai Jifei sat down and showed Shen Xin some agreements.

They were the usual health guarantees covering certain diseases.

Then he provided a "new home" care package, with food and other supplies.

Shen Xin paid promptly.

He made sure to get an official receipt, of course.

"Well then, goodbye. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of him."

Shen Xin took Loki’s leash, ready to leave.

Loki seemed reluctant to go, turning his head toward the villa and letting out a few barks.

It seemed to be directed at the second floor, toward the lady of the house.

Bai Jifei turned and saw the woman as well. He sighed and said, "My wife is quite close to Loki. But it’s alright, he’ll adjust."

Shen Xin glanced at the woman on the second floor, who was still motionless, and felt a sense of unease.

’But it’s their private business. No need to ask.’

"Don’t worry."

’I’m a capable guy. I can even train a crocodile; what’s a little dog?’

Shen Xin picked Loki up directly, gathered his things, and left.

In the police car, Loki kept pawing at the window, staring back toward the villa.

Shen Xin glanced in his rearview mirror and saw the woman on the second floor, still watching, completely motionless.

If he hadn’t seen her smile earlier, Shen Xin would have suspected he was looking at a corpse.