Animal Detective

Chapter 454 At least you're willing to spend money to buy

They were busy that afternoon as well.

Purchase a large quantity of leashes and dog food.

Forget about the cage.

It's not just tens, it's hundreds or thousands. Buying a large number of cages is a waste.

After being brought back to Kunming, they will be taken directly to the police dog base in southern Yunnan.

For now, we can only make do with this for the time being.

We found several high-sided trucks used for transporting live pigs, with two levels, each capable of accommodating dozens of dogs.

It's better to be free-roaming than to be kept in a cage.

They also contacted the local livestock station and pet hospital.

Shen Xin's selection criteria included not only that the person be a close relative, but also that they be healthy enough.

Drug detection dogs are different from riot control and tracking dogs; their physical training requirements can be lower, but their basic health must still be guaranteed.

Therefore, after purchasing them, they should be inspected to avoid contracting diseases.

With everything prepared, around 9 p.m. that evening, Wang Donghai led the way, hailed a truck, and the group set off.

First, head to the live animal market in the city.

They are all located in the suburbs.

But in Wang Donghai's words, this place is relatively small, mostly consisting of dogs raised by people from nearby towns who come here to sell.

Specialized dealers buy them and then take them to be slaughtered.

Go here first, then go to the slaughterhouse.

The first place is located on a remote dead-end road on the outskirts of the city.

It's near a factory, far from residential areas.

When I arrived, there were quite a few people there, and it was very lively.

The roadside was lined with tricycles and vans.

The place was crowded with people, and all you could hear were dogs barking and people haggling.

Shen Xin, Ding Yuwei, Sister Lin from the finance department, Wang Donghai, and Brother Han who was also there.

The group of five got off the bus at the street and prepared to stroll around.

Shen Xin glanced over and indeed, as Wang Donghai had said, there were many individual sellers.

But there are also dealers.

The first vehicle parked at the entrance was a light truck, with a dozen or so dogs of all shapes and sizes huddled together in cages in the truck bed, trembling with fear.

In Wang Donghai's words, large-scale sales would result in lower prices, so some people would go to the countryside to buy the goods and then resell them to individuals.

The owner is haggling with someone.

When Shen Xin arrived, the deal had just been finalized and the weighing had begun.

The cage was placed on the electronic scale, and then the owner took a pair of pliers and began to take the dog out of the car.

The yellow dog, whose neck was caught, immediately screamed and struggled frantically.

The remaining ten or so dogs shrank even further.

There was a black one, stereotypically frantically scratching at the cage.

Big Yellow, who was forcibly pulled out of the cage by the clamp, was so scared that he peed all over the ground, and then was forcibly stuffed back into the narrow weighing cage.

Ding Yuwei, who was walking next to Shen Xin, suddenly grabbed Shen Xin's arm.

"What's wrong?" Shen Xin turned his head and asked.

Ding Yuwei's expression was not good, and she said softly, "Shen Xin, I'm starting to regret it."

"I was hoping to take this opportunity to rescue a group of dogs, but now I suddenly realize, what about the rest?"

"If I didn't see them, that's fine. But if I did see them, I would feel bad for not choosing them."

"Shen Xin, I'm sorry, I was wrong and I made things difficult for you."

It would only be more difficult if Shen Xin personally made the selection.

"All right."

Shen Xin gently patted her hand and whispered, "Don't think too much. Just do your best. You meant well, so don't feel burdened."

As he spoke, Shen Xin approached and looked at the dogs in the cage.

The cage on the electronic scale was like a chicken coop. This big yellow dog couldn't even stretch its legs. After being put into the cage, it stopped squawking and just curled up, looking at the people around it with fear in its eyes.

The dealer who bought it stopped the owner, shouting that he wanted to inspect it and that he didn't want the sick one.

Just then, Da Huang looked around and locked his gaze on Shen Xin, unable to look away.

Their eyes met, and it looked at them anxiously. The next moment, it let out a soft cry.

A low, mournful sob.

Under the dim streetlights, an icon slowly appeared above its head.

This is Shen Xin's standard: a naturally born kinship-based sacred body.

My eyes scanned the large yellow dog carefully, but I didn't see any obvious injuries.

I moved closer and, through the cage, touched my nose with my finger.

Moisturized, with bright and clear eyes, and a fairly clean body.

I reckon it was acquired from an individual's home.

"What are you doing? Don't touch me like that. I'm not responsible if you bite me." The trafficker immediately stopped him.

Shen Xin stood up and said, "Brother, sell this dog to me, 18 yuan a pound."

I already found out the prices on the way here.

Prices have risen recently, with live dogs generally costing around 15 yuan.

When the vendors deliver the goods to the slaughterhouse, they usually charge an extra 2 to 3 yuan.

They profit from this price difference.

Shen Xin offered this price, saving them the trouble.

The trafficker was taken aback, looked Shen Xin up and down, and asked him warily what he wanted to do.

He glanced at Ding Yuwei and the others and said, "You guys aren't the ones who rescue dogs, are you? This is a legal transaction."

Shen Xin didn't explain much, only saying that he paid for it and that it was none of his business what he intended to use it for.

At this point, the owner interjected, suggesting that they simply sell it to Shen Xin.

He earns an extra 3 yuan per pound.

"No, brother, let's keep things separate and each make our own money, so as not to hurt our relationship," Shen Xin quickly said.

The seller raised an eyebrow and said, "Alright, I like what you said. I'll sell it to you as you say."

He glanced at the electronic scale and saw it weighed 37 jin (18.5 catties), then asked Shen Xin to scan the code.

"No rush, let me pick some more."

Shen Xin looked at the dozen or so dogs that remained in the truck bed.

The owner hesitated for a moment, but ultimately refrained from stopping them.

As a matter of natural talent, Shen Xin immediately attracted the attention of many dogs when he appeared in front of them.

Shen Xin made two sucking noises, attracting the attention of all the dogs.

Every look in their eyes is different, but the most prominent one is fear.

Shen Xin silently kept track of the time in his mind.

A few seconds later, a favorability icon appeared above the heads of three of the dogs.

Shen Xin waved to them, and only a white dog mustered up the courage to try to get closer.

Shen Xin also had to consider his health. After a moment's thought, he pointed to two of them and said, "Big brother, I want these two too."

One of them showed an affinity icon, but their mental state seemed off.

Minor health issues are okay, they can be treated.

But having mental health issues is definitely not acceptable.

The vendor didn't seem to care and curiously asked Shen Xin what he was doing.

Every year around this time, some people come specifically to stop it, while others pay money to buy it.

But I've never seen anyone like Shen Xin who specifically chose theirs.

"Brother, let's weigh it." Shen Xin didn't explain.

The vendor pursed his lips, didn't ask any more questions, and weighed the dogs directly. Four dogs, 108 jin (approximately 54 catties).

The dealer essentially pocketed a 324 yuan profit directly from Shen Xin's deal.

Without wasting any words, Sister Lin quickly scanned the code and paid.

It's unrealistic to expect them to issue an invoice, so we made an exception and opened a separate account for the transactions.

Without hesitation, Brother Han and Wang Donghai stepped forward to help tie the leash.

They were genuinely frightened, but didn't resist; they just stared intently at Shen Xin.

Seeing the men carefully tying the rope to Shen Xin's head, the trafficker found it strange and asked Shen Xin what he was going to do.

Shen Xin offered no explanation.

Brother Han led it directly to the truck not far away.

"Are you dog buyers too?" the trafficker asked suspiciously.

But Shen Xin doesn't seem like a man or a woman.

Shen Xin still didn't explain and turned to go next door.

A wolfhound, sold by a middle-aged man riding an electric scooter.

Seeing Shen Xin walk over, he immediately said, "Handsome, do you want some? I'll sell it to you for 18 yuan a pound."

Shen Xin looked him up and down, then shook his head and refused after a long while.

It might be due to improper care; the animal is frequently beaten, and its mental state is not quite right.

Not surprising.

Animals kept by individuals usually have some problems before they are put up for sale.

Wang Donghai had been holding back all day and curiously asked Shen Xin how she had chosen the item.

"Those wolfhounds are pretty good, aren't they? They're so big."

I feel like being a police dog would be a good fit.

On the contrary, the three I just picked were very ordinary; they were all skewers.

As Shen Xin walked, he said, "Director Wang, I can't really explain the specifics, but we'll have to make a selection."

Wang Donghai nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

As I walked along, I stopped to take a look at each of Shenxin's shops.

Because the price offered was high, no one said they wouldn't sell.

Among these dogs, Shen Xin also saw some purebred dogs.

I didn't ask that many questions.

Having previously helped Yanling with related cases that involved the entire country, Shen Xin was familiar with the situation.

Acquisitions are the primary method, but there are certainly some with unclear origins.

As Shen Xin said, do your best, there's no point in thinking about those things.

The market size wasn't large; after looking around, Shen Xin selected a total of 21 items.

It's alright, but I don't think the target of 400 is that much anymore.

They immediately moved on to a second market.

There are three similar markets in total.

We wandered around until after 2 a.m., having explored the entire area. The truck that followed us had already filled the bottom layer with dogs, a total of 47.

The next stop is the slaughterhouse.

Wang Haidong explained that these slaughterhouses vary in size, and whether they are operating legally or not is debatable.

The first slaughterhouse was located near the third market.

The outer perimeter of an urban village is surrounded by high red brick walls, inside which are blue-roofed tin houses.

Even from a distance, one could smell the strong stench of blood.

In the past, you had to walk along a narrow cement road.

When the group arrived, a 4.2-meter truck was parked at the entrance unloading goods.

The truck bed was piled high with rusty, blackened cages, each crammed with several dogs.

The screams reached the heavens.

The unloading workers, wearing gloves, carried the cages down indifferently, like they were moving goods, and then piled them haphazardly on the open ground in front of the door.

As Shen Xin and his group approached, a middle-aged woman standing nearby, counting the items, shouted at them, asking what they were doing.

She wore rubber boots and a black apron stained with dog hair and blood, and her eyes were wary.

Shen Xin stepped forward, pointed to the cage, and said directly, "Sister, we're here to buy dogs. We'll buy them for 25 yuan per pound."

Pan Wenhai explained that the slaughterhouses slaughter the animals in the early morning and then deliver them to the market stalls in the early morning.

They buy in bulk, so the purchase price is even lower. After slaughtering, they add more than 30% to the price.

It's peak season now, so the price at slaughterhouses is generally around 25.

Once at the market, add a few dollars and sell it to restaurants.

At restaurants, the price can reach 30 yuan per jin during peak season.

Then the restaurants would add a markup, generally selling it to diners for forty or fifty yuan per kilogram.

Shen Xin bought it at the stall price.

They'll only make more money if you remove the internal organs.

Therefore, upon hearing the price, the middle-aged woman immediately perked up and looked her up and down with a strange expression.

She must have already calculated the costs in her mind, and said, "It's not impossible, we'll sell to whoever we want anyway."

Shen Xin nodded and said, "But eldest sister, I have to choose."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman's expression became even stranger. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, "Then what are you after?"

"If you're going to save dogs, why are you being selective about which ones to save?"

Her tone was slightly sarcastic, clearly indicating that she considered Shen Xin and the others to be dog lovers.

Shen Xin didn't explain, only saying that he wouldn't open the cage, but would just pick out the dogs from outside, and then asked her how many dogs there were.

"There are many, at least several hundred."

She waved to Shen Xin, signaling him to come into the courtyard.

Upon entering, the overwhelming stench of blood nearly knocked Shen Xin over.

Sister Lin, who was standing next to her, couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

Shen Xin stepped into the bloody water and looked around; everyone was busy and bustling about.

In one corner of the yard, there were already quite a few cages piled up.

Inside the cage, dogs of all sizes huddled together, whimpering and trembling.

The mixture of feces and urine is disgusting.

Shen Xin sighed softly and stepped forward to make his selection.

This feels similar to when I threatened to scare them with 10,000.

Looking around, some of them seemed to have given up, as if they had no will to live.

Of course, there were also those with a strong will to survive who looked longingly at Shen Xin.

Shen Xin suppressed his inner turmoil and patiently selected items according to his own requirements.

25 yuan per jin, one catty weighs 40 jin, that's 1,000 yuan.

Picking a hundred would cost 100,000, which is no small business.

So the middle-aged woman was very patient, letting Shen Xin take his time choosing while she busied herself unloading the goods.

She wasn't afraid of Shen Xin causing trouble, since the courtyard was full of people.

"This, and this."

Shen Xin called out names, and Ding Yuwei took notes.

After more than an hour of work, we finally compiled and selected 86 entries.

That's about one-fifth of the total.

A middle-aged woman calls out to people to weigh their items.

After weighing the item, Sister Lin promptly paid the bill.

Once the money was in her account, the middle-aged woman smiled and said, "You're better than those people; at least you're willing to spend money to buy it."

(End of this chapter)