Outside the shipping container, Lu Wenxue looked at the letter Tian Haoming had written to him.

As he read on, he couldn’t stop wiping away tears.

"Had your uncle been out of the performance ring for a while?" Chen Chao asked.

Lu Wenxue nodded slightly.

He said Tian Haoming used to be an expert equestrian performer. He’d traveled far and wide, and when he went to the northern grasslands, he even spent time studying with a local expert, and his horsemanship became first-rate.

Shen Xin immediately thought of the circus—the kind of act where a horse gallops wildly in a circle while a person stands on its back.

It was a strenuous and thrilling performance, which was why Tian Haoming had stopped performing after being diagnosed with coronary heart disease.

Along with that, he stopped the tiger performances as well.

Their act was on the wild side and involved a lot of danger, like the part where they put their hand inside a tiger’s mouth.

He must have been afraid his heart would beat too fast and he wouldn’t be able to handle the excitement, so he stopped both acts at the same time.

"That explains it."

Chen Chao nodded slightly.

The letter was dated; it was written the week before last.

The gig in Nanjiang was their last stop before the Lunar New Year. Once it was done, they were going to head home for the holiday.

Afterward, Tian Haoming planned to retire and hand the circus over to Lu Wenxue.

This meant that the performance here in Nanjiang was meant to be Tian Haoming’s final curtain call.

In the letter, he had casually mentioned that he wanted to get on stage one last time before retiring.

This led the officers to a theory: this was likely the reason that, after dinner yesterday, Tian Haoming wanted to take advantage of the quiet evening to rehearse his act one last time.

This meant the tiger hadn’t escaped because someone forgot to lock its cage; Tian Haoming had let it out on purpose.

There was only one key, and they’d already checked it. There were no signs of the lock being forced.

The letter essentially provided the motive.

The performance props laid out on the tent stage were further proof.

Shen Xin could picture the scene.

After dinner, he returned to the circus.

Lu Wenxue was asleep.

Tian Haoming, all alone, did one last check on all the equipment and animals.

Then, the idea to rehearse for the next day’s performance sparked in his mind.

He prepared the props by himself and let the tiger out.

In the empty tent, without a single person in the audience, he cracked his whip, directing Da Chun through the various acts.

He was putting a perfect end to his nearly twenty-year career in the circus.

It was at this moment that the accident likely happened—a sudden heart attack.

The attack came on suddenly.

Lu Wenxue, drunk and fast asleep, had no idea what was happening.

Because the ground was covered in artificial turf, no tracks were visible.

But based on the direction and position in which Tian Haoming fell, they surmised he might have tried to crawl for help.

Unfortunately, after he came back, he’d left his phone on the bedside table.

So he didn’t even have the chance to call for help.

And in the end, he tragically passed away.

As for the claw marks on the right sleeve of his down jacket, it now seemed they were left by Da Chun.

He was at the scene and may have witnessed Tian Haoming collapse.

He might have been waiting for further instructions, but Tian Haoming never got back up.

Perhaps he walked over and tried to paw at Tian Haoming.

The claw marks on his right sleeve were likely left in this way.

When there was no response, Da Chun finally ran off.

Lu Wenxue must have also realized that while Tian Haoming was dying from a sudden heart attack, he himself had been fast asleep.

He swung his right hand and slapped himself hard across the face several times.

"I never blamed him!" 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Lu Wenxue’s emotions broke down. He clutched the letter, squatted down, and sobbed into his hands.

In the letter, Tian Haoming repeatedly mentioned that he felt sorry for Lu Wenxue for making him drop out of school early to join him in this line of work.

Chen Chao reached out and patted his shoulder.

This was a reasonable theory, but they still needed to investigate and gather more evidence to find out what really happened.

For instance, looking at the autopsy results.

And the perimeter surveillance, to see if there were any signs of an unusual intrusion.

The autopsy results came back quickly.

Just as Du Xin Kai had speculated on-site, the cause of death was sudden cardiac arrest due to severe coronary heart disease.

Other causes of death could be ruled out.

Combined with the perimeter surveillance and the investigation of the scene, it could be confirmed that Tian Haoming’s death was an accident caused by a sudden medical episode.

That morning, Shen Xin notified Lu Wenxue to come and handle the paperwork, claim the body, and receive the death certificate.

The circus members came with him. They had called for a vehicle, ready to transport the body back to their hometown for the funeral.

As he was leaving, Lu Wenxue turned back and gave Shen Xin a long, deep bow.

"Officer Shen, thank you."

Shen Xin quickly stopped him, saying there was nothing to thank him for.

Tian Haoming’s death was an accident. It was a tragedy.

"No, it’s not just about my uncle. I mainly want to thank you for helping me get Da Chun back."

At the critical moment, Shen Xin had stepped up and used the commands to control Da Chun. That was absolutely crucial.

Otherwise, if Da Chun had escaped again, or hurt someone when he’d jumped into the duck pen, he would have had to sell the circus and go bankrupt, and it still wouldn’t have been enough to cover the damages.

Shen Xin nodded.

It was a good thing no major disaster had occurred.

The incident had even trended online. It had caused quite a commotion.

"I don’t know how to thank you all."

Lu Wenxue rubbed his hands together and said, "We’re planning to head back to our hometown tomorrow. We have one last performance tonight. If you’re free, could I invite you to see the circus?"

"Alright. If we’re free, we’ll go."

Shen Xin nodded, watching the group depart.

After getting off work that evening, Shen Xin went.

He had been invited.

He went with Ding Yuwei.

Everyone else had families to go home to and wasn’t particularly interested.

Zhao Tianxing didn’t go either. He seemed to have plans, probably taking Yu Xiaoping out.

When they arrived, the night market was bustling with people.

The New Year’s celebration activities here were going to last for quite a while.

The ticket seller recognized Shen Xin and adamantly refused to take his money.

Ding Yuwei reacted in a flash, scanning the code and paying for two tickets.

Lu Wenxue heard what was happening and came over.

"The two of us are here representing the department. It’s busy at the station," Shen Xin explained.

Lu Wenxue repeatedly said he understood. He was visibly happy as he invited the two of them into the tent and led them to the best seats in the front row.

The audience wasn’t large, mostly parents with children who had come to see the spectacle.

"I remember the circus I saw as a kid was way wilder than this."

Shen Xin vaguely recalled things like mummies and snake women from his childhood.

All sorts of strange and bizarre acts.

"Weren’t there also those acts meant to scare kids away?" Ding Yuwei chimed in with a teasing smile.

Shen Xin gave a sheepish chuckle. "Yeah, I guess there were."

Soon, the show began.

The acts were pretty standard, much tamer.

Shen Xin wasn’t very interested, but he noticed that Ding Yuwei was completely captivated.

In the flashing lights, she watched the performance without blinking, and her profile was beautiful.

Shen Xin quickly averted his gaze and joined the audience in cheering loudly.

In the center of the stage, the female announcer enthusiastically introduced the next act.

The tiger performance.

Shen Xin froze for a second.

’Lu Wenxue said Tian Haoming was the only one who could do the tiger act. He passed away unexpectedly, so how can there still be a tiger performance?’

But along with Da Chun’s mighty figure, the person who walked in was none other than Lu Wenxue.

He was wearing a performance costume and bowed to the audience.

"What’s going on?" Ding Yuwei turned her head and asked.

Shen Xin shook his head. "No idea."

The gate was already closed. In the middle of the stage, Lu Wenxue looked at the tiger so close to him and suddenly had a strange illusion.

It was as if Tian Haoming were still there, standing on the stage, cracking his whip, and directing Da Chun’s performance.

He abruptly cracked the whip.

It was crisp and loud.

Then he shouted, "HUP!"

Da Chun turned its head to look at him.

Man and tiger locked eyes. For a moment, Lu Wenxue felt as if he could see his uncle’s shadow in Da Chun’s eyes.

The man he had worshiped since he was a child, the man who was like a father to him, who had taken him all over the country, who would get drunk and boast to him, who had a hearty, open laugh.

And now, that man was gone.

He had passed a responsibility on to him.

Under the lights, Lu Wenxue’s eyes stung, welling up with tears.

"HUP!"

He shouted with all his might, cracking the whip fiercely.