PCJ – Chapter 187 Police Dog Base

Luo Changjun called the police station from the match factory office, asking them to come and take Wu Shunrong away immediately.

Soon, Wu Shunrong’s accomplice was also caught. Luo Changjun’s guess was right: it was Wu Shunrong’s close relative, his brother, Wu Shunyao.

As for why Miao Xinghe would rather come secretly to find the Wu brothers instead of informing the police station, the reason remained a mystery. The two brothers and Miao Xinghe kept their mouths shut, refusing to divulge anything.

Luo Changjun didn’t rush to uncover the final secret. Capturing the Wu brothers today had already exhausted him. Zhang Jiaohua, on the other hand, wasn’t as tired as Luo Changjun. Months of practicing stance exercises had paid off.

“Let’s go, follow Uncle Luo to have a meal,” Luo Changjun, feeling deeply grateful to Zhang Jiaohua, suggested. Without Zhang Jiaohua, this case wouldn’t have been solved so easily. The county criminal investigation team still had no leads. Theft cases like this were particularly tricky; without any clues or the help of police dogs, solving such cases was very difficult. If it weren’t for Zhang Jiaohua and his Shanbao, Luo Changjun wouldn’t have cracked this case. What excited Luo Changjun even more was that there might be a bigger case hidden within this one.

“Chief Luo, since we’re working overtime so late, can we join you?” Xiao Li from the police station teased.

“Yes, Chief Luo was so impressive this time, solving such a big case in such a short time. The arrogant guys from the county criminal investigation team might be ashamed to death,” Officer Wang from the police station said.

“You two, watch over the suspects. In the meantime, check the past records of Miao Xinghe and the Wu brothers. See if they’ve been through re-education through labor. Check the cities they’ve been to and see if any major crimes involving large sums of money occurred there,” Luo Changjun instructed seriously.

“Chief Luo, I’m working overtime here. Shouldn’t I get some reward?” Officer Wang complained.

“Me too. I was about to sleep when I got called back,” Xiao Li whined.

“I need to go to the city tomorrow. Use this day to thoroughly investigate their backgrounds,” Luo Changjun insisted, eager to uncover the truth behind the hidden case.

Zhang Jiaohua initially found solving cases interesting, but seeing the Wu brothers’ families so sad when they were arrested made him lose interest. “One misstep can lead to a lifetime of regret,” he thought.

“What’s wrong? You seem unhappy,” Luo Changjun noticed Zhang Jiaohua’s low spirits and asked.

“Why did they resort to stealing? Their families look so pitiful,” Zhang Jiaohua said quietly.

“These people were blinded by money,” Luo Changjun said, patting Zhang Jiaohua’s head.

However, once at the restaurant, enjoying the delicious food and refreshing Jianlibao, Zhang Jiaohua quickly forgot his earlier sadness.

This time, Luo Changjun didn’t take Zhang Jiaohua to Luo Yongming’s old house but to his own home. He had been allocated a two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment in the town government compound, near the police station. He had even expanded it by knocking through to the adjacent room, creating a three-bedroom apartment. The extra room was originally intended for Luo Yongming, but he preferred his old wooden house.

Luo Changjun’s wife, Zhang Xia, was used to him coming home late. She asked casually, “Have you eaten? Oh, there’s a guest?”

“This is Zhang Jiaohua. We owe today’s big break in the theft case to him,” Luo Changjun said, unable to hide his excitement.

“The case is solved? How?” Zhang Xia glanced at Zhang Jiaohua, struggling to connect the boy to the case’s resolution.

“Come in, Jiaohua. Shanbao too. Don’t worry about formalities,” seeing Zhang Jiaohua hesitating, Luo Changjun quickly pulled him inside.

“Call her Aunt,” Luo Changjun prompted.

Zhang Jiaohua quickly called Zhang Xia “Aunt,” but she didn’t seem particularly warm. Though she smiled, it felt cold to Zhang Jiaohua.

“Does the dog bite? Does it have fleas?” she asked.

Luo Changjun frowned but soon calmed down.

“Shanbao doesn’t bite and is very clean. I bathe it regularly in Meizi’ao Village,” Zhang Jiaohua hurriedly explained.

“Don’t mind her, she’s just afraid of dogs. You’ll get used to it,” Luo Changjun reassured Zhang Jiaohua, feeling a bit dissatisfied with Zhang Xia.

Just then, a boy a year or two older than Zhang Jiaohua came out of a room. He was Luo Changjun’s son, Luo Zhiyun.

“Dad, why are you so late? We’ve been waiting for you, and the food’s cold,” Luo Zhiyun said.

“I had a case to investigate. Zhiyun, meet Jiaohua. From now on, you’re brothers,” Luo Changjun said, pulling the two boys together. They quickly became friends, calling each other brother eagerly.

Luo Changjun, displeased, pulled Zhang Xia into a room and angrily asked, “What’s with you today? Didn’t I tell you about Jiaohua? Without him, we’d be in big trouble. Dad almost got burned alive, but the talisman Jiaohua made saved him. Today’s case was cracked thanks to him and his Shanbao. I didn’t expect it to work, but he found the thieves.”

“Is he that capable? I was just scared of the dog, not trying to be mean to him. You let the dog in; it’s not my fault,” Zhang Xia said, cowed by Luo Changjun’s reprimand.

“He helped us a lot. Why are you nitpicking? Shanbao is very clean. It’s just for one night,” Luo Changjun scolded, then hurried to comfort Zhang Jiaohua.

Zhang Jiaohua didn’t mind these trivial issues but was preoccupied with the trip to the police dog squad in Zijiang City the next day.

At dawn, Luo Changjun drove Zhang Jiaohua to Zijiang City.

A few hours later, Luo Changjun’s car stopped at the police dog squad’s gate. As soon as the car stopped, Shanbao sensed a threat.

“Woof, woof!” Shanbao sat up sharply. Simultaneously, all the police dogs in the squad became agitated, barking incessantly.

“What’s going on?” Luo Changjun asked Zhang Jiaohua, puzzled.

“They’re fighting for dominance. Shanbao wants to be the boss here,” Zhang Jiaohua explained, understanding his pet’s behavior.

“Oh,” Luo Changjun laughed.

Inside the police dog squad, Luo Changjun’s friend, Zhu Kaixun, was panicking. All the police dogs had suddenly become agitated, seemingly ready to break out of their cages. Handling such a large group of agitated police dogs was a test. A mistake could lead to the loss of police dogs.

“What happened? What did you do?” Zhu Kaixun asked urgently. These dogs were his life. In those days, people were very dedicated to their work. Zhu Kaixun didn’t see his job as just a career but as part of his life. If something happened to the dogs, it would be devastating for him.

But the sudden agitation of the police dogs was unexpected and unexplained.

“Don’t just stand there, check what’s going on!” Zhu Kaixun rushed to the kennels, heading first to his prized police dog, Feilong. This dog had the most potential in the squad and was the top dog. But even Feilong was raging. It was growling!

Zhu Kaixun and his colleagues spent a long time calming the dogs.

When Zhu Kaixun reached Feilong’s kennel, the usually friendly dog growled at him. It was warning him to stay away.

Zhu Kaixun realized all the police dogs were barking in the same direction.

“Quick! Check outside and see what’s causing this. I think something’s challenging our dogs,” Zhu Kaixun ordered.

“Quiet!” Zhang Jiaohua commanded, and Shanbao immediately calmed down. Despite disliking the noise, it obeyed its young master.

When Luo Changjun was about to knock on the gate, it opened automatically.

“Old Zhu! Losing dogs in broad daylight? What’s with the closed windows?” Luo Changjun joked, approaching Zhu Kaixun and giving him a hug.

“Old Luo, long time no see! You’re harder to find than a high-ranking official,” Zhu Kaixun laughed, hugging Luo Changjun tightly.

“Old Zhu, let me introduce this kid to you,” Luo Changjun said, pulling Zhang Jiaohua forward. Shanbao followed Zhang Jiaohua out of the car.

“Damn, Luo Changjun, why did you bring a dog here? No wonder our dogs went crazy. You caused this mess,” Zhu Kaixun said, playfully punching Luo Changjun.

“This dog isn’t mine, it’s his. I brought him here to show you what a real hunting dog is,” Luo Changjun said dismissively.