Pet King

A few people were conversing about live broadcasts and guessing the annual income of popular network anchors. Zhang Zian then saw a police car stop in front of the door.

When he saw the familiar license plate, he knew that Sheng Ke had come.

Sure enough, Sheng Ke got out of the car, beaming. He walked happily towards the aquarium and shook hands with Zhang Zian at the door.

“Shop Manager Zhang, your business is getting bigger!”

“Don’t mention that. I borrowed some money and I’m still in debt… If there’s no business, I can only starve.” Zhang Zian laughed. “Captain Sheng, how did you find the time to visit today? Oh, right, it’s the weekend—look at my memory. Since leaving the ranks of office workers, I can no longer differentiate the weekdays from the weekends!”

He had chosen the opening day of the aquarium to be on a weekend in order to attract customers. The pet shop also had a promotion going on––all pet supplies were at a 20 percent discount.

“That’s because you’re too busy with your business!” Sheng Ke looked at the aquarium and he couldn’t stop nodding his head.

“Stop with the jokes, Captain Sheng. Quick, come in and sit down for a while!” Zhang Zian invited Sheng Ke to enter, then gestured for Wang Qian to bring a chair over.

Sheng Ke waved his hand and said, “There’s no need for a chair; I have to return to the station in a while. Don’t you see that I’m still in my uniform? Actually, I came to visit today in a private capacity. The brothers from the police dog team have made a banner and asked me to send it to you.”

“Oh, they didn’t have to…” Zhang Zian said.

Sheng Ke didn’t allow Zian to refuse. He opened the trunk of the police car and took out a red pennant that had a golden tassel on it, then displayed it to Zhang Zian.

A couplet was embroidered onto the pennant—Flowers, fowls, fishes, and worms, the power of nature to fascinate. Sons, daughters, and heroes, their affections carry a separate stimulate.

At the bottom, it was signed off by all the officers and men of the Police Dog Unit and all the police dogs.

“The brothers in the Police Dog Unit are busy with their tasks. Almost every day, they have to patrol, perform security checks, and track down subjects. It’s really hard for them to take a break. When they heard that you were going to start an aquarium, they all volunteered to have this pennant custom made. Although it isn’t worth much, it holds the appreciation and feelings the brothers and sisters have for you. I hope that you do not refuse to accept it,” Sheng Ke explained in detail.

“To think that everyone has been thinking about me so much. I’m really embarrassed…”

“We’re family. There’s no need to be so courteous.” Sheng Ke interrupted his words.

It was difficult to refuse their kindness, so Zhang Zian took the pennant and told Wang Qian and Li Kun to hang it on the door of the store entrance.

He had only found evidence that the pyrotechnics were deliberately injuring the police dog during the filming by chance, and was then regarded as part of the family by the officers and men of the Police Dog Unit. Even after so long, they were still paying attention to his movements. Although he had not informed them––whether it was during the re-opening of the pet shop or the new opening of this aquarium––they had sent him a pennant. It expressed their support in such a simple way, which moved him greatly.

It was like what was on the pennant: Sons, daughters, and heroes, their affections carry a separate stimulate.

Wang Qian stood on the chair and hung the pennant on the wall, while Li Kun watched from below and suggested where to shift it so Wang Qian wouldn’t hang it up slanted.

Zhang Zian led Sheng Ke around the aquarium, playing his part as the host.

Sheng Ke was full of praise for the arrangement of aquarium tanks and lights. The peculiar marine creatures and high-tech aquarium equipment left him amazed.

After the tour, the two returned to the door again, and Sheng Ke mentioned that he had to take his leave.

Zhang Zian knew that Sheng Ke was busy with his official duties––he even worked overtime on the weekends. It was really rare for him to take out time to visit, so Zian did not persuade him to stay. Instead, Zian personally walked him out.

He helped Sheng Ke open the car door, and Sheng Ke thanked him as he sat inside the car.

“Right, Captain Sheng, there’s something that I’d like to inquire from you—if it’s not convenient for you to answer, please let me know. It’s okay,” Zian said, suddenly recalling his previous doubts. He leaned against the window.

“Oh? What is it? Tell me about it.” Sheng Ke was quite surprised. After all, Zhang Zian always knew when to stop and had never gone overboard with his requests.

Zhang Zian was actually hesitant. He felt that he was making a fuss over a trifling matter by inquiring from Sheng Ke regarding the matter. But if he didn’t ask… He just couldn’t seem to calm down.

“Captain Sheng, has the police recently received any reports on cat abuse?” he asked without beating around the bush.

“Cat abuse?” Sheng Ke was in a blur upon hearing Zian’s question.

“Yes, cat abuse. Were there any citizens who have reported to the police as a witness to a cat abuse incident?” Zhang Zian further explained.

Recently, Zian felt that the seemingly calm Binhai City had an undercurrent. There may have been some connections behind those seemingly isolated incidents, but Zian was also unable to explain the reasoning behind his suspicions.

From the Spring Festival––no, even from before the beginning of the Spring Festival… Since the fall of the Love Lovely Pets Breeding Base, the gears of fate had begun to turn quietly.

Love Lovely Pets was like the first domino, and since its fall, fate had turned sharply in an unpredictable direction.

Sun Xiaomeng had to make repeated trips to perform emergency treatments because cats were attacked and suffered injuries.

The stray cats that had lingered around Binhai University for years had fled and ran to the uninhabited green space behind the pet shop.

If Zian was just an ordinary person, then it would be unlikely for him to be acutely aware of the anomaly and connect the two points. But when he considered the sudden disappearance of the Holy Cat statue in the store, or even the chances of it becoming a new elfin from the strength of faith… The situation was completely different.

Where did the power of faith in the Holy Cat statue come from?

If the three incidents were not isolated, but instead had connections as he suspected, then all the clues were pointing to cat abuse.

Cat abuse was not a phenomenon that had only been seen in recent years. It was because of the boom in mobile phones and the internet in recent years that videos of cat abuse incidents had been frequently brought forward to the public eye.

It was not because the number of bad guys had increased in recent years––they always liked to abuse cats––but it was because the media used to be underdeveloped, so the cat abuse incidents had never appeared in front of the public eye.

The mobile internet was a double-edged sword: It could direct the pressure of the public opinion and condemnation towards the cat abusers, but cat abusers, on the other hand, were also able to lurk in various QQ group chats and WeChat group chats to conveniently exchange their experiences and methods for abusing cats.

In other words, a veteran of cat abuse in the group chats could cause more and more people to become interested in cat abuse. They would also quickly grasp the methods of cat abuse and how to avoid the public’s sight.

As a result, the evil strength of faith began to generate and they gathered together, one by one, and could eventually form a typhoon-like disaster.

At present, all of it was just Zhang Zian’s speculation. There was no substantial evidence, so he was lacking the confidence when he asked Sheng Ke.

Sheng Ke frowned. He thought for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

“Is it inconvenient?” Zhang Zian asked.

If Sheng Ke expressed that it was not convenient to disclose such information, then nothing could be done. After all, it was an internal matter in the police system.

“That’s not it.” Sheng Ke seemed to be thinking about something. He did not answer Zian directly, but asked him back, “You should know that, at present, there’s no legislation on animal abuse in China, right?”

“Yes, I do.” Zhang Zian nodded.

“If you’re asking about the recent murder cases or recent reports on robbery cases, then I have no comment because murder and robbery are illegal and it is not convenient for me to disclose such information to the general public. However, what you’re asking is about the recent reports of any cat abuse incidents, so there’s nothing I can’t say about it. After all, it isn’t illegal to abuse cats,” Sheng Ke explained.

Zhang Zian quietly waited for what Sheng Ke was going to say next.

Sheng Ke’s tone changed. “But, regarding your question, I still have no comment. I really have no idea—I’m in charge of the major crime cases, so the reports on any cat abuse incidents, if there are any, would fall under the responsibility of the civil police, and would not be reported to me.”

Zhang Zian realized that he had indeed asked the wrong person. If Sheng Ke were to even manage such matters, he would really throw up blood like Zhuge Liang.

However, Zian did not know anyone from the civil police. He only had the experience of finding his own wallet, and not the previous experience of finding someone else’s wallet before handing it over to the police uncle from the civil police…

When Sheng Ke saw the disappointment in Zian’s face, he smiled and comforted him. “It’s okay, when I have the time, I’ll help you inquire about it. It’s all inside the police system, so it’ll just take a few phone calls from me.”

“Thank you for that,” Zhang Zian said apologetically. In the end, he still had to trouble Sheng Ke.

“You’re welcome. It’s just a small matter.” Sheng Ke started up the car. While looking at the front, he smiled and said, “Shop Manager Zhang, it was embroidered on the pennant: ‘Flowers, fowls, fishes, and worms, the power of nature to fascinate,’ but unfortunately, you have birds and fish here, but there are no flowers or worms. But look, the flowers are here.”

Zhang Zian traced Sheng Ke’s line of sight and saw a taxi parked outside the door of the store. Snowy got off the car while holding onto a small bunch of flowers. She then took the cat bag out from the back seat of the car.

“I’ll not disturb you then. I’ll be heading off first.” Sheng Ke waved his hand, rolled up the window, and drove away from the pet shop.

Zhang Zian also waved to the back of the police car, then went forward to greet Snowy.

“Mr. Store Manager, the aquarium is now open and may it prosper!” Snowy made a funny face. “The Holy Cat statue I sent last time is now missing, and I don’t have other gifts this time. I’m not sure if it’s suitable to gift gold-colored tulips for the shop opening, but even if it’s not suitable, please try to make do with it!”

“Welcome, welcome! Nothing is unsuitable. I don’t know the flower languages, but I will accept it as long as it’s a gift!”

Zhang Zian took the bouquet of tulips. The golden petals matched the emerald green stem and they looked fresh and beautiful. There weren’t many of them––just a few stalks.

“They look really high-grade, unlike the ordinary tulip… Thank you!” He thanked Snowy, and it seemed like the cat bag was a little heavy. Snowy had some difficulties carrying it with one hand. After giving away the flowers, Snowy used her empty hand to carry the bag with both hands.

In the cat bag, the face of a Persian cat could be seen as it peeked out with slight uneasiness.

“Are you here to bathe the cat? Let me help you carry that.”

Snowy had wanted to refuse his offer, but Zian still took the cat bag.

“Yo, did this cat get fatter again?” After Zhang Zian took the bag from Snowy, he really felt the weight of the cat. It was really not light, but it was still very easy for him to carry.

Snowy nodded and smiled. “Haha, yes it got fatter again—in fact, this time I’m not here to bathe it but to give it a haircut. I need to cut its hair short… My mom is always complaining that there’s cat hair everywhere. Um, maybe I’ll give it a bath after the haircut to wash away the excess hair, so I can prevent my mum from nagging! Recently, my mom is behaving weird. She was just meditating on the chair earlier! ”