Animal Detective

Chapter 348 Self-Awareness
Shen Xin already has a wealth of experience in cultivating goodwill.

If you strike up a conversation and offer plenty of delicious food, you'll practically have a goodwill icon in your hand.

If carrots don't work, then there's the stick.

To drastically increase favorability, you can also use tricks.

For example, 10,000 had been frightened once before.

Apart from Loki, the only other case where favorability suddenly increases is like that.

Shen Xin had analyzed this situation.

Actually, it's the same thing. The favorability is accumulating. It's just that Loki had a master he was convinced of at the beginning. The icon only appeared after Loki accepted him.

Previously, it was essentially invisible.

This was the first time Shen Xin had encountered such a situation.

A 4-point favorability rating isn't low.

Even with the innate divine body of a close relative, it wouldn't increase by so much all at once.

Just then, the dolphin tilted its head, sized up Shen Xin, flicked its tail, and gracefully flew away.

Shen Xin clearly noticed that the four bars of goodwill above its head had been cleared, and the icon was gone.

Shen Xin blinked subconsciously to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

It just disappeared.

That's not right.

Shen Xin had certainly encountered situations where favorability ratings disappeared; if you treat animals badly, their favorability ratings will naturally drop.

But I've never encountered a situation where the price drops so drastically that even the icons disappear completely.

Seeing the dolphin swimming in the distance, Shen Xin quickly took a fish out of the bucket and waved it at it.

It didn't come over; instead, another dolphin did.

With a sprint, accompanied by splashes of water, half of his body was swept ashore, and he slightly raised his head, staring at Shen Xin with wide eyes.

Shen Xin threw the fish at it.

It swallowed it whole, still staring at Shen Xin.

Dolphins have small eyes, and their bodies are grayish-black, making them difficult to see clearly.

But judging from its movements, with its head slightly tilted, it seemed to be scrutinizing Shen Xin.

The next moment, a favorability icon suddenly appeared above its head.

And it starts with 3 squares.

Shen Xin threw it another fish, which it ate, but the favorability rating above its head remained unchanged.

Then it flicked its tail, like a prank, splashing water all over Shen Xin.

He himself sailed away against the waves.

Shen Xin was caught off guard, but he clearly saw that the icon above the dolphin's head also disappeared instantly.

"Moon treasure!"

A shout came from the side; it was Li Fusen, who quickly ran over and pointed at the dolphins in the pool, scolding them.

He quickly apologized to Shen Xin, saying, "These two dolphins are too naughty."

"It's ok."

Shen Xin waved his hand to indicate that he was fine, but a sense of unease crept into his mind.

What's wrong with my talent? Has it also fallen into Duan Yu's trap, working sometimes and not at all?

Shen Xin asked the names of the three dolphins in the pool.

The one who splashes water all over herself is called Yuebao, and the one who came at the beginning and immediately gained 4 points of favorability is called Xingbao.

The last one, which has never come close, is called Yueyue.

Let him go first, Shen Xin carried the bucket and continued to observe the three dolphins.

The color patches on their bodies are different, as are their body shapes. Yueyue seems to be thinner, so it's barely possible to tell who is who.

"Star Baby".

Seeing Xingbao swim closer, Shen Xin called out and waved to it.

It clearly heard it, and immediately surfaced, just like always.

Shen Xin threw a fish at it, which it swallowed in one gulp, and then nodded at Shen Xin.

Shen Xin immediately understood; it wanted more.

I threw away several more in one go.

Yuebao swam over and poked her head out of the water to ask for something.

Shen Xin tried his best to satisfy them, feeding them all the fish in the half-bucket in one go.

Suddenly, Yuebao accelerated and rushed over, leaping out of the water and almost crashing into Shen Xin.

Seeing Shen Xin retreat, it grinned and let out a sharp cry, then flicked its tail and retreated back into the pool.

The problem is, despite feeding them so many fish, no favorability icons appeared above the heads of the two dolphins.

Instead, Yuebao tricked him twice.

That's right, it's just playing around.

Judging from its actions, it's obvious that it's just messing with itself.

Shen Xin felt increasingly uneasy.

With his talent, having fed so many fish, he should at least have an icon.

But it just didn't happen.

Or rather, it appears, then immediately disappears.

Shen Xin was particularly puzzled by their rapid disappearance.

Just then, Yang Zeran leaned over and asked curiously, "Shen Xin, how does your... talent work? Do animals become especially affectionate towards you when they see you?"

"Look, this dolphin even comes over to greet you. I can't do that. Bird droppings fall on my head when I walk."

In Yang Zeran's eyes, the two dolphins had just rushed over to greet Shen Xin and even had a close interaction with him.

"greet?"

Shen Xin's heart stirred, and he suddenly had some ideas.

Recalling the interaction just now, it was probably as Yang Zeran said: the two dolphins were greeting him.

The sudden disappearance of the icon and the rapid decrease in favorability led Shen Xin to believe that it might be related to different animals, or rather, the intelligence of animals.

For example.

Cats and dogs are perhaps just like babies.

They are born needing to eat and need human companionship.

The process of Shen Xin providing these things and increasing his favorability was like raising a baby.

So when a child makes a mistake, and you hit him/her.

He'll get angry, and your favorability will drop.

But because they were raised from a young age and are quite dependent on me, even if I'm angry, I won't sever our relationship.

Therefore, the loss of goodwill is not a sudden, complete loss; it is a gradual decline.

As for dolphins, Shen Xin felt that the situation might be different.

They are naturally intelligent, like self-aware, independent individuals.

They are not babies; they are more like adults.

What just happened was simply two adults meeting.

Perhaps it was Shen Xin's natural talent, but in the eyes of animals, he was a gentle and friendly handsome guy.

In reality, you would instinctively feel some goodwill towards someone like that. So the icon appeared immediately, and then suddenly increased by four bars.

In Shen Xin's view, these four points of goodwill were the dolphin's first impression of him.

It means that you think this person is nice and have a good first impression.

But the two weren't familiar with each other.

Shen Xin did not engage in any further interaction.

Feeding them is probably like an adult saying hello when they meet.

This will not necessarily lead to a lasting positive impression.

After saying goodbye, everyone went home.

So once the first impression is gone, the favorability icon disappears completely.

The root cause of this situation is likely related to the high intelligence of dolphins.

Shen Xin remembered seeing the information before.

Dolphins are among the few animals in the animal kingdom that can be tested using a mirror.

In other words, when it looks in the mirror, it knows that the dolphin in the mirror is itself.

But neither cats nor dogs will work.

I read in the news that some foreign conservation organizations believe that dolphins are different species of humans.

Killing dolphins is like killing a person.

Just then, Ding Yuwei walked over and whispered that she had finished asking the questions.

There's no major problem; it's similar to what's recorded in the case file.

Shen Xin didn't care.

Just asking as usual, the main reason for coming here today is to see the dolphins and try to prove that Lin Zenghui drowned.

Seeing Wang Hui standing to the side, Shen Xin waved to him and pointed to the dolphin pool, asking, "This Yueyue, I feel like she's not very lively. She doesn't seem to get along with Yuebao and Xingbao either."

Wang Hui has short hair and an ordinary appearance, but he has maintained a good physique due to years of performing.

He seemed a bit reserved and didn't talk much. He glanced at the dolphin pool and said in a low voice, "Yuebao and Yueyue usually bully Yueyue, so they don't get along very well."

Shen Xin suddenly realized.

No wonder Yueyue seemed less lively than the other two dolphins; it turned out it was because it was often bullied.

As soon as he finished speaking, Yuebao and Xingbao started circling around Yueyue.

Yuebao was the most restless of them all. After circling around a few times, she suddenly launched an attack and rushed towards Yueyue.

Dolphins primarily attack by charging.

Yueyue was clearly used to being bullied; it suddenly leaped out of the water with a splash.

After falling into the pool, Yueyue suddenly darted downwards and swam away at high speed.

Xingbao quickly gave chase.

When Yuebao missed her attack, she immediately turned and gave chase.

"What are you doing, hitting me again!" Li Fusen shouted, and with a splash, he jumped directly into the water.

He was still wearing a diving suit, his legs flailing, as agile as a fish, diving rapidly into the deep water.

Yueyue quickly turned around and rushed to Li Fusen's side to hide.

Li Fusen shouted loudly and slapped the water, which made Yuebao and Xingbao dare not approach.

Xiao Chen, whose real name is Chen Sili, immediately patted the bucket to attract the attention of the two dolphins.

Only Wang Hui didn't move at all throughout the entire process.

Shen Xinchong, Ding Yuwei, and the other two waved to Zhou Xianyong, inviting him to show them around the entire dolphinarium.

It has been renovated, but only the performance area outside has been renovated; the staff area remains the same.

Moreover, the original structure remained unchanged.

Shen Xin recalled the photos from the scene in the case file and tried to confirm with Zhou Xianyong which parts had changed.

We also went to the back of the dolphinarium.

As described in the case file, it was indeed possible to climb over the wall from the mountain and sneak in.

But when you walk in the mountains, it's impossible not to leave any trace.

So the conclusion remains the same: he was drowned by dolphins.

The only problem is that we don't know which dolphin did it.

Yang Zeran guessed it was Hua Zi, and Shen Xin listened to his stories of remaining chaste.

Based on their interaction just now, Shen Xin felt that Xingbao and Yuebao were also possibilities.

These two dolphins are very mischievous and could very well attack humans.

Seeing that Shen Xin remained silent, Zhao Tianxing asked, "Shen Xin, what are you thinking? Should we reopen the investigation?"

So far, we've only reviewed the case files, visited the scene, and learned about the situation.

However, whether or not to restart the investigation is still up to Shen Xin to decide.

Shen Xin turned to look at Yang Zeran and asked him what he thought.

Yang Zeran followed closely, observing carefully. After a moment's thought, he said, "I think it's a good idea. After all, you have this talent, and you've succeeded before, so why not do it?"

Shen Xin nodded, then asked Ding Yuwei how long it would take for Ye Xinyi's second trial to be pronounced.

After the second instance, it is submitted to the Supreme People's Court for approval. Once approved, it is usually implemented in about seven days.

Including the approval time, if there are no problems, it should take about a month in total.

Ding Yuwei said, "About a month."

Shen Xin noted it down.

That means there are still two months left, which is more than enough time.

Shen Xin decided to give it a try.

Not only because this case involves three lives and has been hanging in the balance for two years, waiting to be solved.

Also because of the change in the favorability icon on the dolphin.

A completely new change has emerged, and Shen Xin wants to take this opportunity to study it.

Secondly, Shen Xin was also curious about how much smarter dolphins, who were already quite intelligent, would become, influenced by their own talents.

"Okay, Xing-ge, Yu-wei, you two go and check on Dai Ke-qin's situation, as well as the victim's family. Visit them as well, and then bring the case files and physical evidence back to the Municipal Bureau."

The cold case office has taken on this case.

"Lao Yang."

Yang Zeran has been working for almost four years since graduation and is older than Shen Xin.

Shen Xin thanked him, saying, "Thank you for your help today. I've taken up so much of your time. Why don't you go back to the Municipal Bureau first? If I have any questions about the case later, I can ask you for help."

Yang Zeran was taken aback.

They pulled me over and said they wanted me to guide them.

Okay, now that he understands the case, he's really interested and wants to see the real deal, to witness Shen Xin's ability to solve cases using animals. But then he kicks himself out of the picture?
This is a bit...

Yang Zeran wanted to try, but he swallowed the words back.

They saw the three people off.

Zhao Tianxing deliberately lagged behind a few steps, gestured towards Yang Zeran ahead with his lip, and asked softly, "Didn't you want him to come into our office? Why did you let him leave?"

What a clever person! He immediately came to the conclusion and even fabricated such a tragic story.

Shen Xin glanced at Yang Zeran, who was walking away, and said, "Don't worry, he's already interested, he can't escape."

Shen Xin believed he couldn't resist such an interesting case.

(End of this chapter)