Animal Detective

Chapter 372 Gunshots on the Grassland
Inside the container house, a map was spread out on the table, and Shen Xin and Lakshin were sitting around it.

The two men looked serious, as if they were studying the world situation.

"There are quite a few uninhabited areas here," Shen Xin murmured.

Lakshin nodded and explained, "In the past, herders would roam around, and the less people went to a place, the more abundant the water and grass were."

"But the sheep dig up grass roots and eat without caring. They eat up one patch and then find another. They have no awareness of overgrazing at all, so the grasslands are severely degraded."

"In recent years, we have started to relocate herders to one place, allocate grasslands for them, and allow the grasslands to rest and recuperate."

"That's why there are large uninhabited areas where you can walk dozens of kilometers and not necessarily see a single living person."

Shen Xin understood and circled several areas on the map.

We still need to put more effort into these uninhabited areas tomorrow.

They're probably lost.

There are no landmarks on the grassland, making it easy to get lost.

Lakshin and his men weren't afraid; they had satellite phones and could locate themselves at any time. They would occasionally patrol uninhabited areas.

As they were discussing this, Zhang Qifeng walked in carrying a pot of noodles.

Seeing their brows furrowed, he first tried to encourage them, saying, "Alright, if we didn't find it today, there's still hope for tomorrow. People need to eat, so let's eat first, get some rest, and keep trying tomorrow."

A pot of instant noodles, the noodles themselves are ordinary, but the beef chunks on it are all the size of an egg.

It looks just like the packaging of braised beef noodles.

Several people were eating together when someone pushed open the door and entered.

He is Donya's father, Uncle Emuqi.

As soon as he entered, he hurriedly asked, "Director, instructor, has anyone seen Donya? We haven't been able to contact her. It's getting dark, and she still hasn't returned."

Lakshin quickly put down his bowl and asked what was going on.

"It's still Honggul."

Emuqi looked annoyed and said, "After lunch, Honggul jumped out of the fence and ran away again."

"I told Donya to leave it alone; its heart is deep in the grasslands, and it can't be contained."

"As a result, Donya ran out to look for it while we weren't paying attention, and we haven't been able to contact her since. I wanted to ask if you've seen her outside."

He was sweating profusely with anxiety.

Lakshin quickly pulled him down to sit and comforted him, "Emuqi, don't be nervous. It's probably because the child ran too far and lost cell phone signal. Let me ask."

He took out his phone and asked in all the online groups if anyone had seen Donya.

Shen Xin glanced at Lakshin and wondered if he should ask Tian Kui to track him down.

Finding someone on the grasslands is no easy task.

Especially at night.

Police officers are equipped with satellite devices; for example, when Lakshin was attacked, it was located using satellite positioning.

But ordinary people's mobile phones do not have satellite capabilities.

To achieve reverse positioning via satellite, you must first connect to the internet and upload your location.

Before Shen Xin could speak, Lakshin suggested that they see if Tian Kui could help them pursue him.

“I think it’s a good idea.” Emuqi nodded repeatedly, looking at Shen Xin with eager eyes.

Previously, in the neighboring village, a child came home late, and the parents were extremely anxious. It was Tianxiong who helped find the child.

Unable to contact Donya, he came to Larkshan hoping to use police dogs to help him find her.

What's the problem with whether it's possible or not?

Shen Xin immediately called out to Tian Kui, who was dozing on the bed, and prepared to set off.

I still ride a horse when I go out.

Donya's house is more than a kilometer away from the camp.

On the way, Lakshin explained to Shen Xin that Donya grew up on the grassland and knew that the grassland was not as peaceful and tranquil as it appeared on the surface.

She was well aware that spending the night in the wild was very risky.

At the same time, Emuqi and his wife only have one daughter, Donya, who is very filial and doesn't run around outside, causing her parents worry.

It's already eight o'clock and dark, and they still haven't come back. They might be held up by something.

Upon hearing this, Shen Xin subconsciously tensed up.

Shen Xin had a very good impression of Donya.

I still remember her holding my hand and devoutly praying to Tengri that Tianxiong would return safely.

Before long, the group arrived at Emuqi's home.

Donya's mother and her grandmother were extremely anxious.

Villagers from nearby areas, as well as the village secretary Habutu, all rushed over.

Shen Xin didn't waste any words and had someone take Donya's clothes for Tian Kui to smell.

They also went to the stables and smelled the black horse that Donya was riding.

The grassland is open and spacious.

A person riding a horse moves quickly; chasing the horse is worse than chasing the person.

Tiankui barked.

【clear】

Having identified the source of the odor, the group immediately set off.

Lakshin and three other young men from the village went with them, making a total of eight people.

Emuqi also wanted to go, but was persuaded not to by Lakshin.

He's getting old; he'd be better off taking care of his family.

Actually, Lakshin shouldn't have gone either; his injuries haven't fully healed yet.

The doctor told him to rest more, but instead, he ran around all day.

Donya left on horseback around 2 p.m., so it's only been six or seven hours.

The olfactory source is quite clear.

Tian Kui led the way, and after leaving the village, they made a slight turn and headed straight west.

The crowd followed in a large group, flashlights in hand.

The pursuit went smoothly, with slight detours along the way, but overall, it was heading west.

Halfway there, Shen Xin had a sudden thought and said to Zhang Qifeng beside him, "Instructor Zhang, do you think she might have gone to Peony Valley?"

Yesterday, the group found Honggul in the Peony Valley.

Incidentally, they also brought back a mare.

This morning, the herdsmen came and took the mare away.

Perhaps it was for this reason that Hongur fled again to pursue its love.

Donya went out to search, perhaps thinking of this, and went to Peony Valley to look for her.

Zhang Qifeng raised an eyebrow and nodded, saying, "That's quite possible."

He immediately called Lakshin over, explained the situation, and then suggested that some of the people should head directly to Peony Valley.

From where we are now, it's almost 30 kilometers to Peony Valley.

Tian Kui chased after them, but at a slow pace. They could go directly there and arrive in half an hour. It would be best if they were already there, saving Tian Kui the trouble of traveling back and forth.

After considering it for a while, Lakshin agreed.

At that moment, Zhang Qifeng, along with Liao Lei and another young man from a different village, rode away on horseback.

Shen Xin and his group of five continued their pursuit.

In the darkness, Tian Kui had a clear goal and charged ahead decisively.

This scene inevitably stirred up Lakshin's emotions once again.

At this time, there was also a message in Lakshin's grid group.

Someone encountered Donya around 2 PM.

Donya asked him about Hongur, and then headed north.

"The North?" Shen Xin turned his head to look at the vast darkness.

To be honest, at this point, Shen Xin could no longer distinguish between east, west, south, and north.

Tomorrow will probably be cloudy again; there won't even be a single star in the sky.

Moreover, even if he did, Shen Xin didn't have the ability to determine direction by the stars.

Lakshin immediately realized that Donya was probably heading towards the village where the mare's owner lived.

Sure enough, Tian Kui chased for a while longer before turning north.

Then my previous assumption that Donya went to Peony Valley was wrong.

But it's not a big problem.

We should search for the person in both directions, and look for them in all the places they might have gone.

Zhang Qifeng and his team also brought satellite phones, so they wouldn't get lost and could rejoin the group at any time.

Lakshin thought the same thing, and the group immediately followed Tian Kui, turning north.

After chasing for almost half an hour, the Lakshin satellite phone suddenly rang.

It was Zhang Qifeng who called.

He picked up.

Shen Xin was right next to him and saw that his expression changed drastically after only listening to a few words.

"What's wrong?" Shen Xin asked hurriedly.

Lakshin didn't bother to explain, just grunted a few times and said in a deep voice, "Old Zhang, don't panic. The horse is dead, but we haven't seen the person, so it's fine. Expand the search area and look carefully in the vicinity. We'll be right there."

Shen Xin was suddenly startled.

The horse is dead!
what's the situation?
Lakshin hung up the phone, his expression extremely serious. He gestured for Shen Xin to slow down, then lowered his voice and said, "Something's happened. Old Zhang found Donya's horse in Peony Valley."

Shen Xin interjected, asking, "Where is he?"

Lakshin said, "We didn't find the person. The problem is, the horse was shot."

In the darkness, his gaze was deep, and his expression was extremely serious.

gun?
Shen Xin was startled, a chill running down his spine.

The horse was shot dead, but what about the person?

Having experienced gunfights, Shen Xin knew all too well how terrifying guns could be.

It truly is a case of equality for all under the gun.

Having experienced many big events, Shen Xin knew that now was not the time to panic. He took a deep breath to calm himself down and said, "Chief, let's not panic."

"Although we don't know what happened to Donya, killing a horse and killing a person are completely different concepts. Since we didn't see Donya's body, the person should be fine."

"Let's hurry over there and check the situation first."

"Also, should we notify the banner and request support?"

"By the way, did Zhang teach them to carry guns?"

Not carrying a gun is dangerous if you encounter an armed person again.

Lakshin quickly replied that he had brought it.

They work on the grasslands, where there are too many uncertain dangers, so they always carry guns.

He immediately called the banner government to report the situation.

Shen Xin immediately told everyone to turn around and head to Peony Valley.

"Officer Shen, have you found Donya?" a young man from the village asked.

Shen Xin nodded, but did not mention that the horse had been killed.

The horse was running fast, so Shen Xin took the opportunity to suggest that two young men from the village stay behind to protect Tian Kui and slowly make their way to Peony Valley.

The two were still unwilling and anxiously asked Donya what was wrong.

Lakshin also realized why Shen Xin had asked the two of them to stay and protect Tian Kui.

The villagers are following along, which poses a significant risk.

He immediately scolded, "Cheng'er, Tianxiong has already been lost, Tiankui can't be allowed to get into trouble too. You all have to keep an eye on him. If anything happens to him, I'll never forgive you."

After saying that, he tossed over a satellite phone and, along with Shen Xin and another police officer, Tian Jian, headed straight for Peony Valley.

The group galloped away on horseback.

In just two days, Shen Xin had figured out the knack of riding a horse and was able to keep up with the speed.

Lakshin has already contacted the criminal investigation team in the banner.

This involves firearms and the disappearance of herders; it's no small matter.

They said they would set off immediately to provide support.

But Wugai Banner is quite far from here; it takes at least two or three hours to get here.

While traveling, Shen Xin inquired about the gun control situation on the Lakshchen Grassland.

That's incredibly audacious! They just opened fire like that?

In Nanjiang, once a shot is fired, the entire city would be mobilized.

When this was mentioned, Lakshin looked distressed, saying the situation was not very optimistic.

“We’ve confiscated them many times, but we still can’t stop them completely.”

"As you can see, our area is large and borders the country, so there are always channels for smuggling guns here."

"In addition to the privately kept ones, especially hunting rifles, which family on the grasslands didn't have a hunting rifle back then?"

"Let me give you some figures. Last year, there were more than 100 gun-related cases in the entire Suihar area, and more than 2,000 firearms of various types and more than 200,000 rounds of ammunition were seized."

"So the situation has improved, but it still cannot be completely eliminated."

“But in our Huergan, I’m very strict about guns. I can assure you that none of our eight villages have a single gun.”

"You know, everything was fine, how did a gun suddenly appear?"

Lakshin's eyebrows were furrowed into a deep frown.

Shen Xin sighed softly, then silently flicked the reins, increasing the speed.

In my mind, I couldn't help but recall the scene by the campfire last night, where Donya sang enthusiastically and even pulled me and the others to dance together.

I could almost hear Donya's bell-like laughter in my ears.

I really hope nothing bad happens to this girl.

(End of this chapter)