Behind the police car.

"Should we give it another two shots?"

The zoo expert explained nervously, "It’s a tiger. With a body that big, two shots won’t be nearly enough to take it down."

There was a case in the country just a couple of years ago. Up in the northeast, a tiger wandered into a village.

The Forestry Bureau was dispatched and hit it with two darts first.

But the tiger was completely fine, running around lively as ever for another ten-plus minutes.

They found another chance to hit it with two more shots, and only after a while longer did it finally go down.

Right now, these two shots weren’t going to do the trick.

"Don’t!"

Zhao Hongjie raised a hand.

The tiger had quieted down for now. Hitting it with two more shots would just provoke it again.

As he spoke, he peeked out again for a look.

"Xiaoshen, how are you doing?" Of course he knew Shen Xin. He asked in a low voice.

"Director Zhao, get me a few ducks. I’m going to feed him."

Shen Xin shouted.

They were at a stalemate, and he didn’t dare to move.

Shen Xin thought it over and decided feeding it again was the best option.

Just like Zhao Tianxing said, once it was full, it wouldn’t eat people.

Besides, if his ability worked while feeding it and he gained some favorability, the tiger probably wouldn’t bite him, which would make it easier for him to get away.

Zhao Hongjie quickly ordered, "Ducks."

A SWAT officer immediately vaulted the wall into the yard and quickly tossed out two ducks.

They were then passed over, handed to Shen Xin from across the police car.

"Here!"

Shen Xin yelled, drawing the tiger’s attention once more.

Then, taking careful aim, he tossed the duck—its neck already broken—right to its mouth.

"Good!"

Shen Xin shouted again.

This was the command Tian Haoming used to praise the tigers after they performed a trick.

The tiger saw the duck, rose slowly, and began to devour it.

That gaping, bloody maw, those fangs... it was truly terrifying.

Just then, Kuang Guorong peeked out and said, "Shen Xin, I can free up a SWAT van. Are you confident you can herd it inside?"

There weren’t many options.

Either everyone could disperse, they could hit it with two more tranquilizer darts, and let it run wild until the anesthetic took effect.

But there was no telling when that would be. If it ran too far and encountered more people, attacking them, there would be too many uncontrollable factors.

Or, they could just shoot to kill.

But it was a life, after all.

So Kuang Guorong came up with another plan: see if Shen Xin could lead the tiger into the SWAT van and lock it inside.

Shen Xin stared at the tiger.

In the blink of an eye, one duck was already down its gullet.

That definitely wasn’t enough.

He vaguely remembered going to the zoo, watching a tiger performance, and hearing the introduction say that a tiger could eat ten to twenty kilograms of meat in one sitting.

This was only a few ducks.

Shen Xin tossed another duck over.

The tiger bit off half in one go, chewing through feathers and flesh. Duck intestines mixed with blood dripped from between its teeth.

Just then, Shen Xin noticed an icon slowly materializing above its head.

Shen Xin silently thanked his ability and nodded slightly. "I think I can do it."

Just staring at it wasn’t going to solve anything.

Kuang Guorong immediately began giving orders. First, he had everyone disperse to the perimeter, then he drove a SWAT van over himself, opening the back doors.

He also tossed a few ducks into the back for good measure.

"Here!"

Shen Xin shouted again.

The tiger looked up, its gaze fixed on Shen Xin.

Shen Xin slowly sidled along the police car.

"Here!"

This was Tian Haoming’s command to make the tiger move.

The tiger slowly followed.

From the far distance, Ding Yuwei craned her neck, staring with a face full of anxiety.

Shen Xin moved slowly to the door of the SWAT van.

"Here."

Shen Xin dangled a duck, then tossed it into the van.

A foul-smelling gust of wind swept past as the tiger leaped into the vehicle.

Shen Xin hurriedly shut the door.

Kuang Guorong, hidden on the other side, immediately slammed his door shut as well.

CLICK. The door was locked. Only then did he let out a long sigh of relief.

Shen Xin’s legs felt weak, and he leaned against the van door.

"Bro, you’re awesome!"

Kuang Guorong’s legs seemed to be weak too. He steadied himself against the van and gave Shen Xin a thumbs-up.

Only then did the crowd in the distance come rushing over.

"Damn, that scared the hell out of me."

Zhao Tianxing was at the front of the pack and threw his arms around Shen Xin in a hug.

Ding Yuwei, who had been about to rush over, stopped in her tracks. She just stared at Shen Xin, her eyes fixed on him.

"Are you okay, Xiaoshen?"

This was Lv Youwei.

Zhao Hongjie was there too. Almost everyone had crowded around.

"I’m fine!"

Shen Xin, whose legs had been weak, straightened up and said, "I just asked the circus folk how they trained this tiger, what the commands were. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing, so I gave it a try. I didn’t expect it to actually work."

Zhao Hongjie clapped Shen Xin on the shoulder and praised him with a gratified "Well done." He added, "Xiaoshen, I know you have a way with cats and dogs, but I never thought you could get close to a tiger too. Impressive."

Of course, he knew about Shen Xin’s affinity for small animals.

He just never expected he could handle a tiger.

Shen Xin felt a bit embarrassed and could only smile.

"We’ll have to put you in for a commendation for this," Zhao Hongjie said.

Shen Xin nodded silently. ’That’s more like it.’

Nearby, the duck shed owner had opened his door and called out his wife and child. They were hugging each other, crying their eyes out.

He was a real man, too.

For a moment there, Shen Xin felt the man really would have charged in and fought the tiger to the death.

The crowd gathered around the SWAT van to look at the tiger inside.

It was eating heartily. Perhaps feeling safe inside the enclosed space, it was very docile. After finishing the ducks, it lay down on the floor, looking like it was about to take a nap.

The two tranquilizer shots must be starting to take effect.

Only then did Ding Yuwei come to Shen Xin’s side.

She tugged on Shen Xin’s arm.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" she asked, staring directly at Shen Xin with a complicated expression.

Shen Xin was still buzzing with a sort of disheveled excitement. "I saw you guys were in danger," he said. "I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. We’re partners, right?"

For a moment, Ding Yuwei looked like she was on the verge of saying something, her lips slightly parted, but she stopped herself. She only said softly, "Don’t do that again. It was too dangerous."

Shen Xin nodded, unconcerned.

Regardless, the problem was solved.

No one was hurt, and no major chaos had erupted. The only casualties were a few ducks. It was, arguably, a perfect outcome.

Thinking back on it now, it was a good thing the tiger was captive-bred and trained.

Otherwise, after being on the loose for six hours, it would have hurt someone long ago.

Like when it jumped out of the yard earlier—from its reaction, it seemed like it was startled, too.

The tiger situation was resolved, but the case wasn’t closed.

Tian Haoming was dead. The cause of death was still uncertain.

Zhao Hongjie gave a few instructions, then made a point to come over and praise Shen Xin a couple more times before leaving.

The main force withdrew.

The duck shed owner was endlessly grateful, flatly refusing any money for the ducks.

He didn’t want any compensation for his damaged shed either.

He was more than content that his wife and child were safe.

As for the tiger, after some consideration, it was returned to the circus.

They had the legal paperwork, and its escape had been an accident.

However, Lu Wenxue indicated that if the zoo wanted it, he would be willing to sell the tiger to them.

With Tian Haoming dead, no one in the entire circus was confident they could train this tiger.

He himself wouldn’t dare.

That was a matter for him to discuss with the zoo. For now, Shen Xin’s team had to focus on the case.

There were still suspicious circumstances surrounding Tian Haoming’s death.

Since there was no tiger thief and there was only one key, it was obvious that Tian Haoming had let the tiger out himself.

But what exactly happened after that? How did Tian Haoming have a sudden heart attack, and how did the tiger end up getting out?

All of this required an explanation.

"Xiaoshen, do you want to go home and rest? Take the day off," Lv Youwei asked.

Shen Xin shook his head, saying it wasn’t necessary; he wanted to stay on the case.

"Alright, just be careful then," Lv Youwei said with a nod before leaving with his men.

Sun Zhao stayed behind with his team.

"You’ve got guts, kid," Sun Zhao said in the car, giving him a thumbs-up.

Not long ago it was a gunfight, and now he’d run into a tiger.

How long had Shen Xin been with the Criminal Investigation Division? His list of experiences was anything but ordinary.