Animal Detective

Chapter 376: Did the Falcon Cheat, or Did the Gyrfalcon Go astray?
In grasslands, everyone knows how to ride a horse.

Duan Zijie did not follow in a car, but rode a horse with Shen Xin.

Having identified the source of the odor, Shen Xin deduced that they left around eight o'clock.

At this moment, Shen Xin and his group were preparing to set off.

It's almost midnight now, and there's been a four-hour interval.

But it's not a big problem; the odor source is quite clear.

It wasn't just the smell on them, but also on the motorcycles.

In the city, there are many cars, and their exhaust fumes mix together, making it difficult for police dogs to distinguish them.

But this is a grassland. The motorcycle sputters by, and although the exhaust gases dissipate, they leave residue on the grass.

This odor is difficult to remove in a short period of time.

After leaving Mount Uyastai, we went around the main peak and headed north.

In four hours, at a speed of forty to fifty kilometers per hour, they could theoretically travel more than two hundred kilometers.

This distance makes tracking extremely difficult.

Because the distance is too far.

Like when we were tracking Tianxiong, we followed the blood trail for about 10 or 20 kilometers before losing track of the source of the scent.

It's really hard to say how many kilometers that is.

Tiankui has been working for quite some time, but he's still in good shape.

The general direction was north. According to the satellite positioning map, we chased after it for almost 20 kilometers before turning west.

To the east lies a pastoral area, where even though the population is sparse, there are still people.

There were also two strangers patrolling the border, which was too conspicuous.

Therefore, it is not surprising that the two chose to head west to the no-man's-land.

They chased westward for another ten kilometers or so.

The environment here is starting to change.

Areas that can become uninhabited zones must be those with insufficient water and vegetation.

Therefore, this area exhibits characteristics of degraded turf, gravel, and low hills.

At this point, Shen Xin could clearly feel that Tian Kui's speed was slowing down.

The wind was strong at night, and the smell was carried away quite a bit.

However, Duan Zijie repeatedly praised the fact that the chaser had gone this far.

He has already contacted the nearby border station and police station, forming a net to try and catch the two men.

At this point, the direction changed again, heading south.

After chasing for several kilometers, it changed direction to the east again.

A few kilometers later, it heads south again.

"They're trying to cover their tracks," Duan Zijie said in a deep voice.

Shen Xin nodded, his frequent turns and circling revealing his true purpose.

But not bad.

Firstly, the time frame is relatively short, making it easier to track.

Secondly, there are tire tracks.

It hasn't rained here recently, so the ground is quite dry.

However, tire tracks can still be left occasionally, which can be compared with Tiankui's tracking route to avoid deviations.

As they were chasing each other, Tian Kui stopped, turned around, and called out to Shen Xin.

Both sides

He looked around and hesitated in place.

Duan Zijie quickly asked what was wrong.

Shen Xin shone his flashlight left and right and said, "Tian Kui smelled two directions. Perhaps they split up and ran away?"

But it shouldn't be that bad. Without transportation, relying solely on your two legs, you can't go far on the grassland, and it's dangerous.

In early May, the grass began to sprout and the grassland began to turn green again, but many areas were still bare.

This is the area right in front of you.

Duan Zijie immediately dismounted and used a flashlight to search for tire tracks on both sides.

Expanding the search area, they quickly found the tire tracks.

He felt he should follow the tire tracks.

That's a motorcycle; it needs someone to drive it to move.

The group continued their pursuit.

Shen Xin became secretly wary; the other party not only took a detour but also somehow created a disruptive route.

That shows they have a strong awareness of counter-surveillance.

Or rather, they came for the police dogs.

Moreover, since they are poachers, masking their scent should be an essential skill for them when poaching wild animals.

Sure enough, it not only kept turning around, but also occasionally branched out from the source of the odor.

It felt like they were playing hide-and-seek in a huge area, spending a lot of time and effort, leaving their scents everywhere.

Shen Xin also learned the specific methods.

During the pursuit, Tiankui followed the wrong scent and pounced on a titmouse.

Shen Xin immediately remembered that Donya had said that they carried small animals in cages to trap falcons.

They might have left small animals with their own scent and motorcycle exhaust fumes before simply discarding them.

These little animals are still alive, running around everywhere, spreading their scent all over the place.

"Damn, that's quite an idea," Duan Zijie couldn't help but curse.

Shen Xin nodded in agreement.

According to Donya's description, the younger brother was rather reckless, while the older brother was quite shrewd.

Since they have accomplices here, they must know about the police force in the area and that there are police dogs here.

All of this was done in response to police dog tracking.

Fortunately, Tiankui's business skills are really strong. He chased after them until almost 2 a.m. and still didn't lose the source of the odor.

After climbing up a dirt slope, Duan Zijie swept his flashlight ahead and suddenly shouted "Motorcycle!"

Shen Xin quickly looked over.

It really is.

Just a few dozen meters away on the grass, there was a motorcycle that had been burned to a crisp, with only the frame remaining.

Duan Zijie reacted quickly, instinctively drawing his pistol and immediately telling Shen Xin to dismount.

I don't know if the other party is still nearby. It would be too dangerous to shoot from a hidden spot.

Leave professional matters to professionals.

The SWAT team is following.

They also brought night vision goggles and searched forward in formation.

Shen Xin said softly, "It would be great if we had drones."

With a thermal imaging module, you can fly around and immediately know the situation.

Duan Zijie stared into the distance, saying, "I know about the drones you mentioned. They're all using them at their border outposts. We're also considering them, and I reckon they should be available in the next year or two." After a long pause, a voice came through the walkie-talkie.

They found nothing in the surrounding area.

Everyone immediately stepped forward.

The motorcycle in front of me had been burned down to a metal frame.

The ashes had already cooled completely.

This means the other party had already left.

The special police team expanded outwards to conduct a search.

The technicians then went forward to inspect the motorcycle to see if there were any other problems.

I guess it's enough.

Everything was burned to ashes.

Moreover, Tiankui lost his source of scent at this point.

This is a bit strange.

They burned the motorcycle, so they had to walk. Logically, the odor source should still be able to continue.

unless……

Shen Xin suddenly looked up.

Just then, Duan Zijie looked up and said first, "They changed their mode of transportation, or rather, someone picked them up."

Shen Xin nodded quickly, that's exactly what he meant.

Duan Zijie cursed under his breath.

It's dark now, and we can't tell which way to go, so there's no way to chase after them.

We can only place our hopes on Tiankui.

Shen Xin led Tian Kui, expanding the search area in an attempt to find new sources of scent.

After wandering around for half an hour, they still couldn't find it.

"Team Leader Duan, I'm sorry."

Shen Xin could only apologize.

"Shen Xin, please don't say that."

Duan Zijie hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Tian Kui is already very, very impressive for leading us this far."

It's dozens of kilometers away.

“They ran away, I don’t think it’s a big problem. They fired shots, so we can start by checking their guns.”

"And what about your accomplices? If you're willing to investigate, you're sure to find something."

"In addition, with their composite sketches, as long as we strengthen border patrols, we can keep them inside the country, and as long as they are inside the country, we will find them sooner or later."

He was quite optimistic.

We will no longer pursue the case; the specific investigation will be handed over to their criminal investigation team.

Seeing that it was late, Duan Zijie arranged for someone to take Shen Xin back to Camp No. 2.

It was almost four o'clock at night when we got back to the camp.

Several vehicles were parked at the small campsite.

Shen Xin pushed open the door and entered, only to find that it was people from the Forestry and Grassland Bureau who had come.

And it's not just them.

There is also a grassland ecology animal observation station nearby, where scientific research is conducted.

Observing the habitat of falcons is one of their daily tasks, so two of them came as well.

One of the older men, wearing a color-blocked windbreaker and glasses, had a hairline that was enough to prove how much knowledge he possessed.

He is a university teacher, surnamed Chen.

Accompanying them was a handsome young man, a graduate student, surnamed Tang.

I didn't see Donya; she must have gone back to rest.

Upon seeing Shen Xin, Lakshin hurriedly inquired about the progress of the tracking.

Shen Xin shook his head slightly and said he had lost track of them.

A hint of regret flashed across Lakshin's face, but he didn't ask any more questions.

The falcon was not injured; it had been knocked unconscious by the anesthetic, and now that the effects had worn off, it was fully conscious.

Locked in a cage, it timidly huddled in a corner.

Meanwhile, Teacher Chen, along with his students and people from the Forestry and Grassland Bureau, were discussing a problem around the cage.

That is: did the falcon cheat on its partner, or did the gyrfalcon stray?

Otherwise, where would this albino saker falcon come from?

Shen Xin leaned over and listened for a while, then asked curiously if there really weren't any white falcons.

Teacher Chen nodded, then shook his head, saying uncertainly, "Theoretically speaking, any animal can undergo gene mutation and become albinistic."

"Just like the story circulating online about the white brown bear that was mistaken for a polar bear and repeatedly sent back to the Arctic."

"Although this story is fake, the meaning is the same."

"So theoretically, a brown falcon could also turn pure white due to a genetic mutation."

Shen Xin thought to himself, "There's still a chance."

Teacher Chen must have guessed what Shen Xin was thinking, and shook his head, saying, "No, the chances are too low, extremely low. Anyway, there has never been any record of such a variant in China."

After some discussion, they still believed that it was not necessarily an albino species due to a genetic mutation.

It is a hybrid.

For example, a light-colored falcon and a pure white gyrfalcon unexpectedly produced this little white creature.

Among the gyrfalcons are white ones, which are the legendary sea gyrfalcons.

But this also has problems.

Saker falcons and gyrfalcons are not species isolated and have the potential to hybridize.

However, the saker falcon lives in the grassland and hilly areas, while the gyrfalcon lives in the more northerly, cold tundra and coastal areas.

The area where their distributions overlap is very small.

At the same time, there are subtle differences in courtship methods and breeding time.

These two kinds of creatures might not necessarily hit it off.

They also believe that albino falcons may not even grow up.

Perhaps they were born as an outcast by their parents.

I was lucky enough to grow up, all white, so conspicuous on the grassland.

Their hunting difficulties and survival risks far exceed those of other saker falcons.

So albinism might not necessarily be a good thing for this little guy.

"That's pretty tragic."

Shen Xin reached out and touched the cage.

Startled by fear, the falcon, which had been huddled in a ball, turned its head to look at Shen Xin.

Once it saw it, it couldn't look away.

(End of this chapter)