Chapter 367: Chapter 367: Accident? Command?

Chapter 367: Accident? Command?

A wild prairie wolf? Out in the wild?

Xiao Yu was busy trying to process this absurd piece of news.

There was nothing he could do but accept that a wild creature—and a wolf at that—had been spotted in the city.

Most people would be utterly stunned.

Shaking off his shock, Xiao Yu grabbed his phone to look up some information on prairie wolves.

These wolves are medium-sized with brownish fur and a slightly lighter belly.

By the end of the twentieth century, humans had hunted them extensively, driving some to extinction.

The exact number of subspecies remains unknown.

These wolves typically live just over a decade.

Under human care, they might survive into their twenties…

Setting his phone aside, Xiao Yu looked on in disbelief.

Prairie wolves usually inhabit the temperate grasslands of the northern regions.

Bincheng? That’s impossible!

So how did this prairie wolf manage to ‘roam’ into Bincheng?

A glimmer of cold determination flashed in Xiao Yu’s eyes.

He recalled the scent he had picked up earlier.

It carried a wild essence that was strangely subdued, hovering between tameness and wildness.

There were two possible explanations.

First, someone had brought a wild beast into Bincheng.

Second… a zoo?

The latter was far less likely.

Zoos wouldn’t treat their wild animals like pet dogs, casually bathing them now and then.

Every creature in a zoo has its file…

So the victim who was bitten to death by the wolf—

Was this an accident? Or something else?

……

Criminal Investigation Team.

Xiao Yu was intently watching the surveillance footage.

It was 6:11 AM.

The victim, Cao Xude, appeared on the screen as he walked into an open-air parking lot.

He was seen talking on his phone as he made his way in.

He opened his car door and just sat inside when—

Suddenly,

a dark shadow lunged out from the side.

It was a massive canid, about 1.8 meters long (including its tail).

A prairie wolf!

The moment it appeared, its target was clear—it charged straight toward Cao Xude.

Savage, frenzied, it crashed into the sedan…

The camera angle made it hard to see inside the car.

But you could clearly see Cao Xude kicking his legs in a desperate struggle.

Blood sprayed all over the car’s glass.

The entire incident lasted less than two minutes.

The wolf burst out of the car and then turned tail, fleeing… before the footage cut off.

“Phew.”

Exhaling a cloud of smoke rings, Xiao Yu’s expression turned grim.

The prairie wolf on the video was a hulking figure, robust and imposing.

Its size marked it as the largest form a prairie wolf could achieve.

It’s nearly impossible for a wild prairie wolf to grow this big.

Judging by its massive build… it must have been well-fed!

Unlike dogs, wolves rarely attack unless absolutely driven by hunger.

Wolves aren’t dogs—they are ruthless, cunning, highly alert, and possess incredible endurance.

Key point: when wolves attack, they do so very decisively.

They often kill their target in a single strike.

They go for the throat!

Remember what He Li had said during the autopsy?

【The victim was torn to pieces while still alive—the entire face stripped off, with the throat being the last to give way!】

Taking a drag of his cigarette, Xiao Yu’s mind kept analyzing.

The surveillance clearly showed

that the entire wolf attack on the victim lasted less than two minutes.

It was evident that the wolf wasn’t after food—it was hunting purely for the kill.

And then it escaped…

A thought struck Xiao Yu.

This wolf behaved almost like a human.

Appearing, killing, and then disappearing without a trace.

“Not an accident?”

Muttering to himself, Xiao Yu wondered, “Is someone controlling that wild wolf… using it to kill?”

Could such a theory hold water?

It was hard to imagine!

Even trained animals—

like circus tigers—

can perform various tricks and stunts under instruction.

But that requires long-term training and a handler at the side.

From the moment the prairie wolf appeared, attacked, killed, and then fled, not a single other person was seen on the surveillance.

Even a well-trained police dog wouldn’t be able to pull that off without a handler.

Soon after, the camera started playing a second clip.

In it, the prairie wolf was seen running.

After covering more than 200 meters out of the crime scene, it darted into a narrow alley before disappearing into a large hole under a wall… vanishing completely!

Two hundred meters?

Xiao Yu was astonished.

Could it really have been an accident?

Assuming it was controlled by someone, how could one ensure that a wolf would zero in on its target, ambush the victim after stalking for 200 meters, and then escape?

“After surveying the area, no one has reported sighting that prairie wolf.”

Guo Qiang, standing nearby, added, “We even put up a reward, but until now no one has come forward witnessing the wolf, nor has any trace been found.”

Damn it… Xiao Yu narrowed his eyes.

A prairie wolf hidden in a city and yet no one saw it?

He stood up, determined to re-examine the crime scene.

……

At the crime scene.

Xiao Yu got out of the police car and approached the sedan involved in the incident.

Memories of the surveillance footage flooded his mind.

He turned and walked over 200 meters into a narrow alley, about 15 meters in.

Gazing at a large hole beneath a wall, he studied it for a moment before glancing up at a surrounding fence about three meters high.

Half-squatting, he took a running jump.

Smack—the palm of his hand struck the wall; with a slight push, he landed atop it and peered inside.

It was a vast, abandoned courtyard cluttered with miscellaneous debris.

Once, this area was part of a construction site, but now it lay deserted.

One of the makeshift housing units had its door ajar… but no one was there.

The courtyard door was locked—a sturdy iron gate with wide gaps that allowed an adult to easily squeeze through.

Xiao Yu leaped down, wrinkled his nose slightly, and continued forward until he reached the iron gate.

Scaling over it without paying attention to the passersby, Xiao Yu walked another five meters until he stood on the roadway.

The trail had vanished!

“A man-made case!”

Xiao Yu’s face gradually hardened with resolve.

How could he be so sure?

A lone prairie wolf could never just disappear into thin air.

Yet the scent abruptly ended at the edge of the road.

There was only one possibility: a vehicle had intercepted the wolf.

But with the case clearly pointing to human involvement, Xiao Yu felt his own intellect falling short.

He turned around to look behind him.

From where he stood to the crime scene was over 200 meters.

Could it be that someone was merely ‘walking the wolf’? That the wolf, driven by its wild instincts, attacked the victim on its own?

Otherwise…

How would you command a wolf to go 200 meters away and kill someone?

Xiao Yu was utterly baffled…