Animal Detective

Chapter 245 The evil in people's hearts is more dangerous than mountains and rivers.

Shen Xin squatted down to examine the cats and dogs in the cage.

Their eyes were filled with terror; as soon as I approached, they shrank into the corner.

Shen Xin got up and walked towards the cage area.

There is a roof on top, and several rows of low cages below, with twenty or thirty cages in each row.

Some dressed as dogs, and some dressed as cats.

Moreover, at a glance, all of these are purebred cats and dogs.

On the right, a husky of excellent quality, with eyes that exude intelligence, stretched out its arm from its cage to greet Shen Xin.

The cage next door contained several cats.

A ragdoll with a tail like a feather duster, available in 12 colors, with a wide muzzle and a chubby face; a golden shaded doll.

There is also a Beerus, which is a hairless cat.

Shen Xin took a closer look and realized that with this condition, it definitely wouldn't be cheap.

Actually, the cage is not bad; there's a plastic mat underneath, cat litter, and food and water.

These exceptionally well-bred cats most likely come from professional catteries and have received socialization training from a young age, making them extremely affectionate towards people.

Now that it's locked in a cage, it's not afraid of Shen Xin at all when it sees him, and it even lazily meows at Shen Xin.

The cages inside are full of almost every breed of cat and dog that can be found on the market.

But if you delve deeper, the situation changes again.

The simple iron cage was rusty and filthy, and it was crammed full of stray dogs and tabby cats that couldn't be sold for much.

Moreover, many of the dogs had injuries, and it's unclear whether they were like that when they were stolen, or whether they were bitten by their companions while being kept in cages.

Shen Xin wandered around and found that there were at least a hundred dogs and a hundred cats.

"Shen Xin."

Someone called to me from afar.

Shen Xin hurried over.

Cai Huafeng and his team are leading people from the building into the courtyard.

There were seven people present.

One of them, a middle-aged man wearing a leather jacket, with a thin face and sparse hair, was Gu Shaolong.

He wore a golden nanmu bracelet on his wrist, a jade thumb ring on his thumb, and a rather large jade ring on his ring finger. He was escorted to Xiong Yongjian by the two men.

"Team Bear?"

Gu Shaolong squatted on the ground, looked up, and recognized Xiong Yongjian. He then changed his words, saying, "No, you should be the bureau chief now, right?"

He was the team leader more than ten years ago.

Xiong Yongjian shook his head and said, "You really think highly of me. It won't be that fast. I'm still just a junior deputy squad leader."

It's not small at all. Yanling is a big city, and his position is already quite impressive.

Gu Shaolong squatted on the ground, shook the handcuffs, and said calmly, "Brother Xiong, tell me why you arrested me today, so I'll know what's going on."

Xiong Yongjian asked, "Do you know Wang Huiquan?"

Gu Shaolong cursed under his breath and said, "Fine, it's come to this, I admit defeat."

Xiong Yongjian snorted: "Don't act like you're the one who's wronged. You know what you did. You've wasted ten years in prison."

As soon as he finished speaking, Cai Huafeng came out of the building, carrying a camouflage air rifle.

There are also two air pistols.

Liu Baoqing followed behind, holding a black crossbow in his hand.

Xiong Yongjian nodded slightly. This is called catching a thief red-handed.

Gu Shaolong didn't care and didn't even look at it. He sat down on the ground and then followed up on Xiong Yongjian's question, saying, "It wasn't a wasted sit. After I came out, I realized something."

"So taking the right path still won't work; it's too slow to make money and too much effort."

“Xiong Zhi, think about it. I’ve been in and out before, and it was for theft. What can I do after I get out? Work in a factory? Who would want me?”

"At that time, I thought, I'm already forty years old, half of my body is buried in the ground, and you want me to go to work hard again, with no food, no drink, and no fun? What's the point of my life?"

"I might as well have enjoyed a few years of carefree living. Well, I've had six years of carefree living, it's like I got it for free."

Xiong Yongjian shook his head slightly and waved his hand, indicating that he should take him away.

It was a surprise attack, and speed was of the essence. Wang Huiquan was arrested in the morning, and the raid was carried out a few hours later.

So this yard is full of evidence.

Air rifles, tranquilizer guns, all kinds of traps for catching cats and dogs, snares, tranquilizers, everything is available.

The ledgers are also all on site.

In a lounge on the second floor, there was a performance ranking on the wall, listing the top performers of the month.

The more you catch, the better your performance.

There is also a live streaming room on the east side of the second floor.

According to the staff, there are long-term partner livestreamers who broadcast here and sell cat and dog food.

There's another area in the backyard that's specifically for live streaming, the kind where people try to gain sympathy.

In other words, Gu Shaolong not only provides stray cats and dogs for people like Chen Fang, but he also runs a related business himself.

In a corner of the backyard, Shen Xinwen smelled a strong stench.

Chen Chao frowned: "This is an incinerator, isn't it?"

As Shen Xin moved a little closer, a strong stench, especially the distinctive smell of decay mixed with the stench of blood, assaulted his nostrils.

The surrounding cement ground was covered with layers of brown bloodstains.

One can imagine the scene at the time: some useless, or diseased, worthless cats and dogs were brought here, stabbed to death, and thrown directly into the incinerator, turning into ashes.

At that moment, on the other side of the backyard, in a small house, a colleague suddenly ran out and vomited violently.

Shen Xin went over and took a look, then regretted it.

This is a slaughterhouse.

Inside, there was a cement workbench covered with white tiles on all four sides, now covered in blood, and many cat corpses remained on the ground.

The stench of blood assaulted the very bones of the body, making one want to vomit.

Chen Chao covered his nose, somewhat confused: "Why are they killing cats? And look, they're removing the bones."

There was a plastic basket under the worktable, filled with bones from which the meat had been removed.

Shen Xin shook his head; he wanted to know too.

Is it really necessary to torture and kill animals for pleasure?
Gu Shaolong is a cunning old fox; he's only after money.

Chen Chao waved to Shen Xin, signaling him to leave first, as he couldn't stand the stench of blood.

All seven people were taken back to the Wutang District Police Station.

Interrogation continued overnight.

Cai Huafeng personally interrogated Gu Shaolong.

"Bought from abroad."

Gu Shaolong was very cooperative, answering all the questions asked.

He probably knew that when the police were watching him, especially when they raided the scene and obtained a lot of evidence, he couldn't hide it anymore and would have to talk sooner or later.

“I’m a cat and dog seller in Lingxi. I got to know some people and bought them from abroad through them.”

"I have his business card. He's a local boss in my office. I heard him say that he's smuggled a lot of stuff into China because rich people like to do this."

"If you want to arrest him later, I can cooperate with you."

"Captain Cai, I've voluntarily confessed, which is a meritorious act. You'd better make a note of it."

Gu Shaolong pointed at Cai Huafeng, as if to say that each thing should be dealt with separately.

Inside the observation room, Xiong Yongjian gave a soft hum, instructing someone to make a note of it and investigate immediately.

Since this was a surprise raid, a lot of evidence has not been supplemented, so we have to investigate and prosecute simultaneously.

Inside the interrogation room, Cai Huafeng nodded silently, held up a photograph, and asked about the slaughterhouse. Gu Shaolong seemed to guess what Cai Huafeng was about to say and immediately interrupted him, saying, "Captain Cai, don't get any ideas. That blood is from cats. Murder is a capital offense. I don't do that kind of thing."

"As for why you killed the cat, Captain Cai, have you ever heard of a medicinal herb called leopard bone?"

Cai Huafeng frowned slightly, signaling him to continue.

Gu Shaolong leaned back in his chair and said leisurely, "I only found out about this when I heard someone mention it a couple of years ago."

“There used to be tiger bone soaked in wine, and leopard bone, but now those are protected animals and can’t be obtained. Then I heard them say that cat bones can be used to disguise leopard bones.”

“They’re all felines, and some pharmaceutical companies buy these things. I only gradually came into contact with this channel.”

"But the amount needed is small, and it's quite troublesome to process; only a few pieces of bone can be used."

"I mainly sell meat. Some of them disguise cat meat as meat products. Since there are buyers, I just do it on the side to earn a little extra income."

He spoke in a nonchalant tone, and all he ever talked about was business.

Inside the observation room, Xiong Yongjian's expression became even more serious. He had initially thought it was just a simple case of buying and hoarding air rifles, along with stealing cats and dogs.

Now that I've heard it, I realize there were so many twists and turns involved.

Selling cat meat and cat bones alone constitutes illegal slaughter, and selling uninspected meat products is also illegal.

Shen Xin frowned.

Inside, Gu Shaolong continued, "But this is all small change, and it's also troublesome. Those stray cats are quite clever. We set up traps everywhere, but we can't catch many in a day."

"It's mainly sold to those who do relief work, live streaming, and pretend to be pitiful to gain sympathy."

“Captain Cai, don’t think I’m heartless. They’re much more heartless than me. Sometimes, I feel like I’ve already made the cat suffer enough, but when they take it back, they can make it even worse.”

"And to be honest, I learned all of these things from them."

Cai Huafeng scoffed and said, "Judging from your tone, you're feeling wronged?"

Gu Shaolong waved his hand and said, "No, I didn't say that. To be honest, I don't think much of them either."

“They are not like me. I know I am a scoundrel, a bad seed, and I do all sorts of illegal things.”

"But what about them? They come up with bad ideas, but they don't dare to do anything illegal, for fear of getting arrested. By the way, you know what?"

“I remember when I first learned about this industry, I heard a story about a cat that someone used to film rescue videos.”

"Live stream, ask people to donate money, and after making all the money, resell the cat to someone else."

"Others continue to do the same thing. And they don't dare to abuse cats, they're too timid, they only dare to buy these from other people."

"It's like it has nothing to do with them. This cat, I heard from them, has passed through five hands."

He waved one hand with a disdainful look and said, "I saved it five times. If the cat hadn't finally given up and died, I might have had to save it a few more times."

"What kind of bastards are these people?"

Cai Huafeng frowned and said in a deep voice, "So they don't dare to do illegal things, but you do, right?"

Gu Shaolong nodded and said, "That's right, I'm a bad guy. They have needs, so I'll do the illegal things."

He had a self-righteous expression.

Xiong Yongjian frowned as he watched, and told Cai Huafeng into the microphone to ask Gu Shaolong how exactly he did it.

Ordinary stray cats and dogs are easier to deal with; Gu Shaolong himself said that he would place traps everywhere.

They're just stray cats and dogs; no one would notice if they got lost.

But Wang Huiquan confessed that they had a high-end business, which involved catching purebred cats and dogs.

The cages at the breeding farm housed a large number of purebred cats and dogs.

It's also recorded in the ledger.

Some of the better-quality ones are sold all over the country, and they are not cheap, often costing thousands or even several thousand yuan.

This part is Gu Shaolong's largest source of income.

Inside, Gu Shaolong pointed to his throat, indicating that he had talked too much and was thirsty.

He even arrogantly waved his finger, asking for a cigarette.

Cai Huafeng poured him some water and offered him a cigarette.

He even complained, saying that Cai Huafeng was no good, a captain, who smoked this kind of cigarette, while he wouldn't smoke anything less than 100 yuan a pack.

Cai Huafeng's face darkened, signaling him to continue.

"I have connections."

Gu Shaolong sat leisurely, then turned to look at the one-way glass and said, "You Xiong Zhi should know that back in Yanling, when people mentioned my name, Two Fingers, everyone knew who I was."

He gave a thumbs-up, his face beaming with pride.

"After I got out of jail, I realized how badly these guys were doing."

"There's no other way. Everyone uses mobile phones now, and there are cameras everywhere. You can arrest people like it's nothing, and they're starving. So I'm just showing them a way out."

He described his actions in a smug tone.

In his words, it was a method he gradually figured out.

At first, they used the old method: driving around and stealing directly.

Later, I bought air rifles and tranquilizer guns, all to catch these ordinary stray dogs or guard dogs kept outdoors in the suburbs.

But these dogs don't fetch a good price.

They began to slowly study how to steal purebred dogs.

These guys are thieves; picking locks and breaking into houses is their specialty.

They have many methods.

For example, Gu Shaolong would arrange for people to go to places where dogs are frequently walked. His own people would pretend to be dog walkers to observe which dogs were valuable, and then strike up conversations with them under the guise of exchanging dog-raising experiences.

This method helps determine the value of a dog and identify a target.

Once you've locked onto your target, then lie in wait and look for an opportunity.

Cats are similar. For example, they will post online to find a match, then select cats with good appearances, chat with them, and find out more about them before making a purchase.

The specific method is actually theft.

For example, while the owner is out at work.

They would disguise themselves as deliverymen, bring their packages to people's homes, break in, and steal cats and dogs.

Gu Shaolong said, "You know, we used to do this kind of thing too, but you police are really good at cracking down on burglaries."

“But cats and dogs are different, especially cats. Many times, people will think that the cat ran out on its own and have no idea that we broke in to steal it.”

"And I also started a business last year."

"I only found out about these cat and dog search services from them, and they charge exorbitant fees, several thousand yuan for a home visit."

“I would steal first, then try to contact them and help them find the cats and dogs. Each time I would earn several thousand yuan, and they would even thank me.”

"And those who lose their dogs and offer high prices to find them, I like that kind of thing. I have to thank them for the generous reward."

Gu Shaolong shamelessly introduced his business acumen, getting more and more excited as he spoke.

Xiong Yongjian slammed his fist on the table in anger.

His yard now has a bunch of purebred cats and dogs.

He also pursued speed of turnover, quick in and quick out, so it's easy to imagine how many cats and dogs he stole in the past two years.

Some pet cats and dogs cost several thousand or even tens of thousands of yuan, which is no small sum.

In addition to the stakeout and premeditation, the act of sneaking in and picking locks indicates that it was a true gang crime.

But once it escalates to a gang, the nature of the situation is completely different.

Chen Chao secretly patted Shen Xin and whispered, "You've quietly gotten yourself into another big case."

The city bureau sent you to train police dogs, and in just a few days, you've managed to uncover a major case by finding stray cats and dogs.

It's not just Yanling; there have been numerous burglaries of cats and dogs in nearby cities, involving rescue stations and nationwide sales. It's impossible to know how many people are involved.

Shen Xin sighed, showing no sign of happiness.

Turning animal rescue, a charitable act of doing good, into a business—truly, the wickedness of the human heart is more treacherous than mountains and rivers.

(End of this chapter)