Chapter 373: Wolf’s Trail

Chapter 373: Wolf’s Trail

One wolf for one hundred thousand?

That’s really inexpensive!

A high-quality, reputable breed.

They can range from hundreds of thousands to millions.

“Who’s the buyer?” Xiao Yu continued his questioning.

“I’m not sure,” came the reply.

The Middle-Aged Man shook his head. “The boss only brought people to see the wolf and then bought it. But I do remember the other party… it was a middle-aged woman.”

A Middle-Aged Woman buying a wolf… Xiao Yu’s expression grew somewhat odd.

An hour later, the owner of the breeding farm arrived.

“She’s in the zoo business.”

Under questioning, the owner admitted, “A friend referred her. She said her zoo didn’t have any steppe wolves, so she bought them.”

Zoo business… Xiao Yu frowned.

Could one really run a zoo domestically?

In the past, it was possible!

Indeed, privately contracting and managing a zoo was allowed.

That was many years ago; nowadays, transferring, leasing, contracting, or outright purchasing is prohibited.

But the state can’t simply void old contracts.

Some agreements, once signed, can continue indefinitely.

Until the contract finally expires…

…

Night, 8 o’clock.

Criminal Investigation Team.

“Jiang Huiying, 43 years old, from City Z… a zoo owner!”

Guo Qiang recited the suspect’s details: “Due to difficulties in sustaining a privately managed zoo and concerns over animal welfare, a year and a half ago Jiang Huiying applied to terminate her contract, and her zoo has since been taken over by local authorities.”

“Verification shows that City Z’s zoo never had steppe wolves. The two wolves she originally purchased have vanished.”

“A year ago, Jiang Huiying moved to Bincheng, settling in a seaside resort with a detached villa…”

“Within the past year, her villa has received four complaints about pet dogs disturbing the peace…”

“…”

Pet dogs disturbing the peace… Xiao Yu squinted his eyes.

Were they pet dogs or wolves?

Cafeteria.

While taking a bite of noodle soup, Xiao Yu asked Zhao Changshan beside him, “Boss, how’s your soup coming along?”

“Suspect Gan Yuzhen. The couple, Xing Chuyang and Gan Yuzhen, have yet to be apprehended.”

Zhao Changshan shook his head and mumbled, “Our investigation shows they love taking road trips every year, making it hard to set up a stakeout. Worst of all, we haven’t linked their ID or online banking records yet!”

“Hmm?”

Xiao Yu was surprised. “No highway records?”

“None.”

Zhao Changshan sneered, “Isn’t that odd?”

“That leaves only one possibility…”

Xiao Yu laughed, “They’re deliberately hiding their trail!”

“One more thing…”

Zhao Changshan’s expression suddenly turned eerie. “Earlier this afternoon, suspect Fang Jie mentioned a channel for Du Pen. The goods came from the couple, Xing Chuyang and Gan Yuzhen!”

“Heh, what a coincidence!”

With a dismissive chuckle, Xiao Yu nodded. “Could we conclude that Xing Chuyang and Gan Yuzhen deliberately concealed their movements instead of being on a simple road trip? Or is it possible they went out to pick up goods?”

“It’s highly likely,” replied Zhao Changshan.

He added, “This kind of matter should be handled by our anti-drug unit. If we step in, we might cross the line.”

“I thought the same,” Xiao Yu agreed.

Every police division handles its own jurisdiction; overstepping could cause chaos.

For instance, local police, traffic police, security, criminal police, SWAT, and drug enforcement all have their distinct roles.

Unless absolutely necessary, they generally don’t interfere with one another.

Interference could throw the entire system into disarray.

That’s common sense.

“What about your end?”

After finishing his noodles, Zhao Changshan pulled out a cigarette and handed one to his buddy.

“We’ve got another trip coming up shortly.”

Xiao Yu took a drag. “A woman may have raised two wolves. It still isn’t clear if it was actually her.”

“Let’s head home – my wife’s almost in labor.”

Zhao Changshan laughed, “I’ll keep an eye on the case for you.”

“No need, I just need to wrap up this case so I can finally sleep at home.”

Xiao Yu laughed as he rose, “In life, a man must be fearless!”

He thought to himself as Zhao Changshan’s smirk revealed, “This kid’s still putting on airs…”

Leaving the Criminal Investigation Team headquarters, Xiao Yu mused.

He too longed to get home and be with his sister, but he had chosen this line of work.

A police car with four criminal police officers.

Heading to a seaside resort in Bincheng.

They arrived at a villa’s entrance.

Xiao Yu’s pupils suddenly constricted sharply.

He caught a whiff of a ‘familiar’ scent.

Wolves!

Guo Qiang pressed the doorbell, but no one answered.

Empty villa?

Xiao Yu’s expression darkened as he eyed the villa’s wall. He leaped, gripped the top, and landed gracefully in the courtyard.

Guo Qiang and the others: …

They certainly didn’t have Xiao Yu’s agility!

Smack—the door swung open from the inside.

Three criminal police officers entered and began to search.

The villa’s courtyard was vast, with no signs of any canine enclosures or anything suspicious.

Using his Falcon’s Eye, Xiao Yu scanned the ground, bending down to inspect.

Soon enough, he noticed strands of canine hair.

By the naked eye, he couldn’t tell if it was dog hair or wolf hair.

But he was certain that the villa reeked of wolves.

Boom!

The villa’s main door was forcefully thrown open as Xiao Yu strode into the lobby.

There was no lavish decor; even the floor was bare.

It was odd—the entire villa was nothing more than a plain, unadorned structure.

Following the scent, Xiao Yu strolled through the lobby, his eyes scanning every detail.

There were no light switches; not a single lamp was in sight.

Xiao Yu pulled out his phone and activated the flashlight.

Until he reached a staircase.

It didn’t lead to the second floor.

It led underground.

These days, it was common for villas to have basements.

Some even featured underground parking.

With his phone in hand, Guo Qiang led the way downstairs.

Barely into the basement and before they could survey the area,

suddenly a dark shadow lunged out, attacking Guo Qiang.

Smack!

A hand clutched Guo Qiang’s collar, yanking him aside like a fragile chick to avoid the shadow.

Xiao Yu grabbed Guo Qiang with one hand while lifting his phone with the other.

The light revealed—

—a wolf standing right before them.

It was a robust animal, its eyes glinting with a cold menace.

Especially as it bared its teeth in a fierce, terrifying snarl.

Suddenly, it pounced on Xiao Yu and his team.

No, wait… Xiao Yu furrowed his brow.

This wasn’t the injured steppe wolf Zero from the surveillance footage.

Bang!

His thigh struck the wolf like a battle axe.

A wolf weighing around fifty to sixty kilograms was sent flying by his kick.

Xiao Yu slowly retracted his leg.

Don’t even mention protecting animals.

If humans can’t even save themselves, what purpose do animals serve?