After hanging up the phone, Yang Qi quickly packed a few things, locked the wolf enclosure, and returned to his dorm.

"Bai Wan, let’s go. We have a mission," Yang Qi called out.

"WOOF!"

Bai Wan immediately shot to its feet, alert and with eyes shining brightly.

"Xiaojiu, look after the house," Yang Qi added, speaking to the cat.

"Meow."

Xiaojiu lazily flicked its tail, signaling that it understood.

"Mrow?"

Overlord padded closer.

’Two-legged Beast, where are you guys going?’

Yang Qi ignored it. He took Bai Wan, drove out of the Zoo, and headed straight for Lvliu District.

Following the address sent by Li Hongqi, Yang Qi arrived at the edge of an urban-rural fringe area.

The police had already cordoned off the area with tape. Numerous police cars were parked nearby, and uniformed officers and plainclothes personnel milled about. The atmosphere was tense.

Yang Qi presented his consultant credentials and was allowed smoothly into the cordoned-off area.

He soon met the commander on the scene: Tan Zheng, the captain of the Lvliu District Criminal Investigation Division.

Tan Zheng was in his forties or fifties, with resolute features and a sharp gaze. One look was enough to tell he was an experienced, no-nonsense veteran detective.

He was accompanied by several other criminal investigators, among them a female officer in her thirties with a sharp demeanor and a tidy ponytail.

"Captain Tan, hello. I’m Yang Qi, and this is Bai Wan." Yang Qi stepped forward and briefly introduced himself and the dog beside him.

"Advisor Yang, hello. Thanks for coming all this way."

Tan Zheng extended his hand to shake Yang Qi’s. Though his tone was polite, Yang Qi could sense a flicker of scrutiny and decidedly low expectations in his gaze.

After all, asking a "consultant" from the Zoo to bring a pet dog to help hunt down a murderer did sound rather far-fetched.

He had most likely only agreed as a favor to Li Hongqi.

But when Tan Zheng’s gaze fell upon Bai Wan, it paused for a moment.

Bai Wan sat quietly at Yang Qi’s feet, its posture erect, its gaze calm and focused. It showed none of the agitation or timidity a typical pet dog would exhibit in an unfamiliar environment surrounded by strangers.

Its fur shimmered with a healthy sheen in the sunlight; its brown-and-tan coat was clean and glossy. Its musculature was well-defined, and its entire body radiated an air of lean capability, composure, and power.

This was a bearing far beyond that of an ordinary pet dog; it even seemed more astute than many highly trained police dogs.

As someone who had seen plenty of excellent police dogs, Tan Zheng immediately shed his initial disdain. A new seriousness entered his eyes, and he offered a sincere compliment.

"Now that’s a dog!"

Although Bai Wan was a Chinese rural dog, nourished by Spirit Rice and Strengthening Pills, its physical condition and mental state had long since surpassed those of ordinary canines. The extraordinary quality it radiated from within simply couldn’t be concealed.

Tan Zheng cut to the chase, quickly and concisely briefing Yang Qi on the case.

"Around ten o’clock this morning, a vicious homicide occurred within our jurisdiction. The victim was an elderly person who lived alone. Our preliminary assessment is that it was a burglary that escalated to murder."

"We’ve identified the suspect as Xu Dajin, a man with a prior record. After fleeing the scene, he disappeared into this urban-rural fringe area."

"We’ve sealed off the main entry and exit points and deployed K-9 units and manpower for the search. But the terrain here is incredibly complex—it’s full of narrow alleys, privately built houses, and abandoned factories. We’ve been searching for hours and still haven’t found him."

"The K-9 tracking has been intermittent and hasn’t gone smoothly."

He paused, looked at Yang Qi, and continued, "Captain Li recommended you and your dog, so I wanted to ask you to give it a try. Time is critical. The longer this drags on, the greater the chance the suspect will escape or hurt someone else."

With that, he gestured to the sharp female officer beside him.

The officer immediately stepped forward, holding an evidence bag. Inside was an old, dark blue jacket stained with dust and sweat.

"We found this at the suspect’s residence. It’s a jacket he wore often, so it has his scent on it," Tan Zheng explained.

"Understood."

Yang Qi nodded and beckoned to Bai Wan. "Bai Wan, memorize the scent of this jacket."

Bai Wan drew closer. At the open mouth of the bag, its nostrils twitched rapidly as it carefully sniffed the jacket.

A few seconds later, it lifted its head and gave Yang Qi a short, firm "WOOF."

’Got it.’

"Captain Tan, we’ll get started then," Yang Qi said, looking at Tan Zheng.

"Have Xiaochen go with you," Tan Zheng instructed the sharp female officer. "Xiaochen, you’ll accompany Advisor Yang. Watch your back and maintain constant communication."

"Understood, Captain Tan."

Officer Chen gave a crisp acknowledgment, resealed the bag, and took her place beside Yang Qi.

Without further delay, Yang Qi gave Bai Wan the command.

"Bai Wan, lead the way!"

"WOOF~"

Bai Wan immediately let out a low bark. With its nose alternating between the ground and the air, it began searching intently before picking a direction and trotting forward.

Yang Qi and Officer Chen followed at once.

The urban-rural fringe was indeed vast. The buildings were dense and haphazardly arranged, and the narrow alleys twisted and turned like a labyrinth.

The police had spread out to guard the main intersections, thinking they had the suspect trapped like a fish in a barrel. But several hours and multiple K-9 units later, they still hadn’t managed to find the hidden suspect, a testament to his cunning and familiarity with the terrain.

Yang Qi let Bai Wan lead, following closely while remaining aware of his surroundings.

Officer Chen followed silently, positioned just behind and to the side of Yang Qi. She clutched her radio, her wary gaze sweeping across their surroundings.

Bai Wan’s method of tracking was clearly different from that of a typical K-9.

At every intersection, fork, and even in the most insignificant corners, it would pause to carefully sniff both the air and the ground, discerning the direction and concentration of the scent. It would seem to compare its findings back and forth a few times before resuming the chase.

This method... it was as if the dog was thinking, filtering information!

Half an hour later, after weaving through the labyrinthine urban-rural fringe, Bai Wan led the two of them to the edge of a relatively wide road.

"Wait a minute..."

Officer Chen couldn’t help but speak up, her face filled with confusion. "Advisor Yang, the suspect should still be inside. We have people posted at every intersection on the perimeter. If he had come out this way, he would have been spotted."

As she spoke, she pointed to two auxiliary officers patrolling the road in the distance.

Yang Qi glanced at the two auxiliary officers, then back at Bai Wan. The dog was now facing a small hill across the road, its nose twitching incessantly.

"I trust Bai Wan."

Yang Qi said quietly, "The suspect might have found a way to evade the patrol’s line of sight."

He paused and looked at Officer Chen. "Why don’t you go back and report to Captain Tan, or coordinate for backup from here? I’ll take Bai Wan and go scout ahead."

Officer Chen looked at Yang Qi’s calm eyes, then at Bai Wan’s focused and determined posture, and thought about the hours of fruitless searching...

"Let’s stick together."

With that, she fell silent, saying no more. Her tightened grip on her radio made her stance clear.

It made no difference to Yang Qi. He nodded and signaled to the waiting Bai Wan.

"Bai Wan, keep going!"