There's a chat group for pets in my neighborhood.

"Of course, no problem."

Lu Fang readily agreed; he had already anticipated this scene before coming.

"How did you find the criminals' hideout?"

"Furthermore, when we examined the evidence at the scene, we found that all the latches on the iron cages had been opened, and the perpetrators had scratches left by animals on their bodies. How did this happen?"

Xu Qingtang opened her notebook, ready to start taking notes at any moment.

Lu Fang breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he had prepared his speech before coming.

"I'm a veterinarian, so my nose is a bit more sensitive than most people's." He pointed to his nose. "A while ago, I rescued a stray dog, a dachshund that had escaped from dog thieves. I smelled dead fish and rust on it, but it looked like a purebred dog and definitely shouldn't be a stray. Plus, with the recent crackdown on dog theft in the city, I suspected it had escaped from dog thieves."

"Following this clue, I searched the areas in the north of the city that matched these characteristics one by one, and happened to see a suspicious truck. The truck's destination was the abandoned steel plant."

"I didn't know anything about the iron cage latch. I had just arrived when I heard a lot of noise inside and the dogs had all run out. I guess those dog thieves were careless and didn't close the cage properly, which allowed the dogs to escape. Besides, some dogs are very smart and might be able to open the cage themselves."

"As for the animal scratches, that's even easier to explain. Dogs that run away won't easily let go of the person who hurt them, so the scratches were probably caused at that time."

Lu Fang explained without batting an eye that the old steel factory had no surveillance cameras, so it was all up to him to say something.

Although this explanation sounds somewhat far-fetched, it is not logically flawed.

There were no other eyewitnesses at the scene besides Lu Fang, so his testimony is currently the most credible.

As for the fat pig and the skinny monkey, they swore during the interrogation that they had definitely locked the cages, and they said with certainty that Lu Fang was a druid who could talk to animals. Otherwise, why would those little guys be so well-trained and ready to escape as soon as he arrived?

The police believe that these absurd claims are due to the mental trauma suffered by the dog dealers after their arrest, causing them to lose their minds.

Xu Qingtang and Lao Li exchanged a glance and nodded slightly.

"Anyway, we still owe you a lot last night." Old Li closed the folder, picked up his thermos and took a sip of goji berry water. "There's something I need to tell you. We couldn't catch that scarred guy you mentioned. He must have escaped."

"They ran away?!" Lu Fang was stunned, clearly not expecting this outcome.

Somewhat embarrassed, Old Li forced himself to explain, "That guy was very familiar with the surroundings and had a backup plan. We found motorcycle tracks at the back gate of the old steel factory, and our initial assessment is that he probably fled the scene of the crime on a motorcycle."

"As the one who provided the clues for this case, and you've also met him, you'd better be careful about his retaliation," Xu Qingtang reminded him with concern.

"He should be alright, right?" Upon hearing the word "revenge," Lu Fang thought of the hunting rifle in Scarface's hand and his crazed eyes, and a chill ran down his spine.

Old Li glared at Xu Qingtang: "Don't worry too much. We won't let criminals get away with it. He shouldn't be returning to Yanling City anytime soon. Once we find his exact whereabouts, we will initiate a cross-city arrest operation."

He then changed the subject: "By the way, you're brave and resourceful, and you deserve a lot of credit for this case. Our branch applied to the city overnight for the title of 'Good Samaritan' for you. There's an awards ceremony in a few days, and you'll get a banner and a bonus. You absolutely have to come!"

"A bonus?" Lu Fang's eyes lit up. This was a good thing. He nodded repeatedly, "Of course, of course. Thank you in advance, Officer Li."

"Why don't you thank me? I wrote your application materials!" Xu Qingtang chimed in.

"Thank you, Officer Xu." Lu Fang replied perfunctorily, "I've finished taking my statement, can I leave now?"

"We can go now. Oh, by the way, let's add each other as friends, and I'll let you know when you can claim your prize." Xu Qingtang waved her phone.

"Then I'll have to trouble Officer Xu." Without thinking too much, Lu Fang took out his phone, scanned the QR code, and then pushed open the office door.

"Alright, get all the materials organized. Miss Gu is waiting. I'll go and complete the formalities first." Old Li explained the next steps and then turned to leave.

Xu Qingtang stared at the Ragdoll cat profile picture on her phone, muttering to herself, "My goodness, this name is interesting."

"Oh, this guy used to work at Hello Pet Shop in Tiancheng Community. I'll have to check him out sometime."

On the other side, Lu Fang had just returned to the hall when he was surrounded by his pet owners who had been waiting for a long time.

Everyone wanted to express their gratitude.

They thought they would never see their furry friends again, but now things have taken a turn for the better. These pet owners, who have long regarded their furry friends as family, must do something to put their minds at ease.

Seeing everyone's enthusiastic expressions, Lu Fang firmly pushed the red envelope back. The biggest contributors to this rescue operation should be the police chief and Brother Li. How could he take credit for it?

"Everyone, I appreciate your kind intentions, but please forget about the money." He spoke sincerely, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. "If you'd like, you can use this money to buy some cat or dog food, or to help care for the stray cats in your neighborhood. If you need pet baths, treats, or toys, you can also come to my pet store, Hello Pet Shop, to support me as a way of thanking me."

"Hello, this is the pet store, the one in Tiancheng Community? I'll remember that!"

"It's right next to my house, I'm going to get a yearly bath pass later!"

Upon hearing that Lu Fang absolutely refused to accept any money, everyone admired his character to the extreme and took out their phones to add him on WeChat so they could easily book bathing and beauty treatments at the store in the future.

The hall was bustling with activity for a time.

Meanwhile, in a meeting room on the corner of the first floor.

Old Li was holding a case closure confirmation form and handing it to a young woman across from him who was wearing a khaki trench coat and had a cool and elegant demeanor.

"Ms. Gu, your case is closed. Your dog Charlie is currently at the veterinary station that our police station partners with. He was injured before, but after professional surgery, he has almost fully recovered. We will bring him here after you sign the papers."

This young woman was Charlie's mistress, Gourness.

As the Greater China head of Provet, a well-known pet medicine brand in Yanling City, she has turned down almost all unnecessary social engagements in the past two weeks in order to find Charlie, and she has become visibly haggard.

"Officer Li, why is it so noisy outside?" Gu Nanxi asked, looking tired but curious.

"You mean this? The young man who rescued the dog is here to give a statement. He should be receiving thanks from the pet owners outside right now."