With the relevant evidence secured, the group prepared to head back to the station.
Not only had they caught people here, but the other team had also made progress.
It looked like they were in for a busy night.
"Xiaoshen, can you handle it?" Yao Wensheng asked with concern.
He knew Shen Xin had been pulled in to work overtime today.
"I'm fine, still full of energy," Shen Xin quickly replied.
"Good. Young people are just full of vigor."
Yao Wensheng gave a thumbs-up and called for everyone to return to the station.
"Yao Suo, what about this dog?" Shen Xin asked after a moment's hesitation.
Its owner had been taken away, but the German shepherd didn't have much of a reaction. It was still lying obediently by the door, watching everyone come and go.
With a case of this magnitude, Fan Jie was probably going to be put away for a few years. The dog would have no one to look after it.
Yao Wensheng glanced at the German shepherd by the door, feeling a headache coming on. He asked Shen Xin what he was thinking.
Shen Xin hesitated for a moment before saying, "How about we take it back to the station for now? We can see about finding someone to adopt it later."
'We can't just leave it here. It'll definitely become a stray.'
"That could work," Yao Wensheng nodded, then added, "But will it be willing to come with us?"
It had settled in here; it might not want to leave.
Shen Xin thought that made sense and made a couple of clicking sounds at the German shepherd.
Just as obedient as before, it immediately ran over, wagging its tail at Shen Xin.
Shen Xin crouched down, ruffled the fur on its head, and then asked if it was willing to go with him. If it was, it should bark twice.
Nearby, Yao Wensheng didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The kid was actually having a conversation with the dog.
Unexpectedly, the German shepherd hesitated for a moment, then actually let out two barks. WOOF! WOOF!
Exactly two barks, no more, no less.
"Hey, that's incredible," Yao Wensheng said with a look of disbelief. Anyone who didn't know better would think Shen Xin could actually talk to dogs.
"Good boy."
Shen Xin ruffled the German shepherd's head, but inside, he was stunned.
'I really do have a special ability!'
After the German shepherd barked twice, Shen Xin was amazed to see an icon appear above its head, just like the one Da Mei had.
The only difference was that its icon only had one bar filled.
'Apparently, it has only just started to develop a favorable impression of me.'
"Let's go," Shen Xin said, getting to his feet.
The German shepherd immediately and obediently followed.
However, when it got to the door, it ran back inside and came out carrying a stainless steel bowl in its mouth.
'Well, look at that. It even brought its own bowl.'
...
The Yunlin Police Station was very busy that night.
Besides Fan Jie's group of four, plus Tian Yongjun, they had also brought in another eight suspects in one go.
A total of thirteen people—every single member of the theft ring had been arrested, with no one left behind.
This already counted as a major case. They had to conduct interrogations, get confessions on the illegal activities, record everything, and then go back to investigate and collect evidence.
With so many people, there was a ton of work to do.
On top of that, the police station was busy with its usual duties.
Shen Xin didn't have much experience with interrogations, so he couldn't really get involved. He just helped out where he could and was later pulled over to assist in the reception hall.
Things were actually relatively quiet that night. They only handled one drunken brawl and a minor domestic dispute where a wife wouldn't let her husband back in the house. There wasn't much else.
He worked straight through until dawn. Only when the day shift arrived did Shen Xin finally get a break, finding a bed in the on-duty dorm to lie down for a while.
But he hadn't even been lying down for half an hour before someone was shaking him awake.
"Song Suo is looking for you." The person who woke him up gave him a thumbs-up and said, "Shen Xin, not bad! You haven't even finished your probation and you've already performed a great service. By the way, is it true what I heard? That a stray cat led you to the suspect?"
Still groggy, Shen Xin shook his head to clear it. Hearing what the man said, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
'Who started that rumor? What do they mean, a stray cat led me to the suspect?'
'Although, I guess that's not technically wrong.'
"Brother Chen, it wasn't as amazing as you make it sound. It was just an accident, I got lucky," Shen Xin said, quickly getting up. He hastily washed his face and went to find Song Suo.
Song Liang, the Chief of the Yunlin Police Station.
He was a veteran, 52 years old, and had been the chief of this station for a solid eleven years.
When he reached the main conference room, he could hear Song Liang losing his temper.
"Just great. Last night was a real circus, wasn't it? I hear the operation was a failure, and in the end, you had to rely on a cat to find the suspect? And someone almost got seriously injured by a falling object?"
Song Liang had a square face, somewhat dark skin, and a salt-and-pepper buzz cut. His eyes were particularly sharp and piercing, giving him an imposing aura even when he wasn't angry.
The story was that he'd been a real tough guy in his younger days, fighting two knife-wielding thugs empty-handed and managing to take them both down.
Now that he was older, he had mellowed out a lot. He was usually all smiles and rarely got worked up.
The Political Instructor, Wang Shuwei, was also there.
He was a bit younger, only 43 this year. He had a stern look, but he was actually a good person.
When Shen Xin had first arrived at the station, Wang Shuwei had taken it upon himself to help him apply for a housing subsidy and had looked out for him in their daily work.
With two leaders like them, even though the Yunlin Police Station was a large station with over seventy official officers, the relationships between colleagues were quite harmonious. The atmosphere was friendly from top to bottom, without much drama.
"Xiaoshen, what are you spacing out for? Get in here."
Wang Shuwei spotted Shen Xin peeking in and waved him over with a cheerful smile.
Only then did Shen Xin hurry inside and sit down behind Li Dongsheng.
But before he could even settle into his seat, Song Liang started leading a round of applause.
The dozen or so people in the conference room all began to clap.
It startled Shen Xin, who quickly jumped to attention.
Song Liang, who had just been fuming, was now beaming. He said with a wide smile, "Xiaoshen, I've already heard about what you did yesterday. Good work, well done. If it weren't for you, this case would have been a lot more trouble."
He had already been briefed on the events of last night.
The part about Shen Xin leaving for a minute to use the restroom was completely omitted by Zhang Jian.
So it was all praise.
The report said that while helping a stray cat find her kittens, Shen Xin had shown extreme vigilance, unexpectedly discovering something unusual about the truck. He then personally apprehended the driver, providing the breakthrough needed to crack the case.
Then, during the operation, he had even dealt with the guard dog, allowing the arrest to proceed smoothly.
And to top it all off, he had saved Zhang Jian.
Especially that last part. In the police system, that was an ironclad meritorious deed, an exemplary act.
"Xiaoshen, once this case is wrapped up, I'm definitely putting you in for a commendation," Song Liang said with a grin.
Shen Xin's eyes lit up.
'Those are the words that really count.'
"Thank you, Song Suo! I'll definitely keep working hard," Shen Xin quickly declared.
Song Liang motioned for Shen Xin to sit, then continued, "This is a big case. The suspects were a mobile crew committing crimes across different districts. But since they fell into our hands, the case is ours. Alright, you all pulled an all-nighter, so hurry up and go home to rest. Let the day shift handle the interrogations."
He assigned the tasks without further ado and dismissed everyone to get busy.
Shen Xin left with Li Dongsheng.
Wang Shuwei hurried after them. He told Li Dongsheng to go on ahead and pulled Shen Xin aside, saying with a grin, "Xiaoshen, I remember you're up for your official status in just over a month, right?"
Shen Xin nodded, his eyes lighting up again.
Wang Shuwei guessed what Shen Xin was thinking. He wasn't one for beating around the bush, so he said, "Come find me later and get a form. I'll submit the paperwork for you ahead of schedule."
"Thank you, Instructor!"
Shen Xin quickly bowed in gratitude.
Even though he was due to become an official officer in just over a month, getting it done early wasn't a huge deal in the grand scheme of things.
But the feeling of pinning on that rank insignia even one day earlier was something else entirely.
Not to mention, once his status was official, he would be a true civil servant.
"Oh, right. That dog you brought back yesterday is by the cafeteria entrance. It won't eat anything anyone offers it. You should go see what's up," Wang Shuwei added.
Shen Xin slapped his forehead. He had completely forgotten about the German shepherd he'd brought back last night.
And it wasn't just the German shepherd—Da Mei was still locked in the police booth!