"It really is a panda! This is the first time I've ever done a DNA test on one." A man in a white lab coat walked in, his eyes lighting up the moment he saw Hah'Er. He was carrying a toolbox and a fax. The fax contained data from the Sichuan Giant Panda Base, which was the key to proving Hah'Er's identity.
"How will you run the test? How long will it take to get the results?" Shen Yibin asked, concerned. The answer would determine when he could finally leave this room.
"I brought the most advanced portable DNA sequencer in all of Yunzhong City. I had to borrow it specially from Yunzhong University," He Chushi, the chief technician from the Yunzhong City Public Security Bureau's forensics lab, said, showing off his equipment. "If they hadn't heard it was for a panda, there's no way they would have lent it out."
"DNA tests usually use active tissue samples, blood..." He trailed off, freezing for a moment. 'Draw blood from a panda? That... seems a little difficult, doesn't it?'
"Don't you dare!" Bai Yanni immediately grabbed his hand as it reached for a needle. Shen Yibin, Shen Dalong, and the others glared at him, their brows furrowed. Shots hurt! How could they possibly have the heart to let Hah'Er go through that?
"Whoa, whoa! I wasn't finished!" He Chushi surrendered immediately. "We can also use hair for the test." 'Otherwise,' he thought, 'Bai Yanni might actually throw me in a cage and feed me to the Golden Retriever.'
"That's more like it." Plucking a few hairs would still be a bit painful, but it was a much better alternative to drawing blood. They could reluctantly accept that.
Of course, there was no way He Chushi would be the one to do it. After a brief discussion, the task fell to Shen Yibin. He put on a pair of gloves, soothed Hah'Er, and gently plucked a few black and white hairs, handing them over to He Chushi.
"Great, this is more than enough. We'll have the results soon. Please wait just a moment," He Chushi said. He finished preparing the hair samples and placed them inside the portable DNA sequencer.
'We can't just stand around waiting. How awkward!' Seeing that the atmosphere was a little tense, Shen Yibin decided to slip into his role as shop owner and started introducing his pets. "If you're bored, please feel free to play with these little guys. As you saw earlier, they're all smart and obedient. It's fine to just look, even if you don't plan on buying. And you can rest assured, they were all acquired through legal channels and have had all their shots. I guarantee they're healthy and hygienic."
Just sitting around waiting for the results was getting a little dull. So, with Bai Yanni taking the lead, everyone gathered around the pet cages. She even had Shen Yibin open one up so she could take out a Chihuahua to play with.
"So, Bin, if I buy a pet here, can I bring it back to you if I run into any problems later on?" Bai Yanni seemed to have taken an interest in the Chihuahua.
"No problem," Shen Yibin quickly assured her. "And if you ever need to go out of town, you can board your pet with me for a small fee."
"And will I be able to see Hah'Er every time I come?" Bai Yanni continued, getting to what was likely her real question.
"Um, usually, if I'm here, Hah'Er will be here," Shen Yibin said honestly.
"Great, I'll take him! Cash, card, or mobile pay? Oh, right, how much is he?" 'And she only remembers to ask the price now,' Shen Yibin thought.
"Me too! This husky looks pretty good."
"I'll take this Golden Retriever!"
At this, a few of the other officers quickly picked out pets for themselves. Even Shen Dalong got in on the action, pointing to a Russian Blue Cat in its cage and asking Shen Yibin for the price.
'Captain, I never thought a straight-arrow like you would turn traitor, too!' Noticing the strange looks from his subordinates, Shen Dalong explained sheepishly, "I promised my daughter that if she scores in the top five of her grade on her next exam, I'll get her a pet cat."
'Oh, so that's how it is. Buy a cat and get to see a panda for free? Forget top five in the grade, his daughter would probably fight for first place. What kid wouldn't love a reward like that?'
"We're still on duty, so it wouldn't be right to take the pets with us now. We'll leave them here and come back to pick them up after our shift ends!" Bai Yanni mentally patted herself on the back. She had cleverly found another excuse to get close to Hah'Er.
"Right, right. Buying pets on company time is already pushing it. Bringing them back to the station would be completely out of line," Shen Dalong quickly agreed. At the same time, he wondered if he should pick up his daughter after school and bring her along. 'She'd be so happy to see Hah'Er, wouldn't she?'
"No problem. I guarantee I'll take good care of them for you." 'Closing several sales at once and earning over a thousand,' Shen Yibin thought. 'Maybe I'll be able to recover from the financial crisis Hah'Er's purchase put me in sooner than I thought.'
"The results are in," He Chushi announced just then, holding up the sequencer. "It's a perfect match with the data from the fax. We can confirm this panda is the one mentioned in the official document. All suspicion against Mr. Shen can be dropped."
"So I'm in the clear now, right?" Only then did Shen Yibin finally, completely relax. 'Looks like I won't have to go to prison and drop the soap after all.'
"No problem, we'll be on our way..." Shen Dalong trailed off, a thought striking him. 'Is it really okay to just leave a panda in this shop? If some desperate criminal tried to steal it, this Shen Yibin fellow, with his slight build, probably couldn't stop them, could he?'
"Captain, how about we help Boss Shen upgrade his shop's surveillance system?" Bai Yanni, with her sharper intuition, quickly arrived at the same conclusion as Shen Dalong.
'Ugh, sounds like that's going to cost a lot of money, doesn't it?' Shen Yibin's brief moment of happiness evaporated, replaced by gloom. 'But I can't be cheap about this. Right now, I can't guarantee Hah'Er's safety on my own.'
"The Bureau is planning to build a new batch of police kiosks soon. I think we can definitely set one up at the end of this street. That would go a long way toward solving the security issue," Shen Dalong quickly proposed, thinking like a captain. According to the city's plan, Baiyun Street, where the pet shop was located, was scheduled to get one anyway. The designated spot was just a bit further away, but making a small adjustment shouldn't be a problem.
'Hah'Er, you're a real big shot, aren't you? The police are building a special kiosk just to protect you. That's the kind of treatment high-ranking government officials get!' Of course, Shen Yibin didn't know the full story; he really thought the kiosk was being built just for Hah'Er. 'Look how much trouble you've caused everyone!'
"Captain, I feel my experience with street-level work is still a bit lacking. I'd like to apply for a post at the Baiyun Street kiosk," Bai Yanni immediately piped up. 'Wouldn't that mean I could see the panda every day?'
"Me too, Captain!" the other two officers immediately chimed in.