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Shi Wen shut the cowshed door, with no mood left for work.

He hugged Black Kid around the neck and sat on a small stool in the cowshed, waiting quietly.

After more than twenty minutes, lights and sounds came from the distance. Shi Wen realized the police had arrived.

He picked up a flashlight from the windowsill and put a leash on Black Kid, who was braced as if facing a great enemy. "Black Kid, let's go."

Black Kid immediately ran to his feet. Once leashed, he followed Shi Wen outside, occasionally lifting his head to look at him.

On the summer night, the evening wind howled past them, flattening the newly sprouted grass.

Before Shi Wen and Black Kid had even left the ranch, he saw people gathered in a circle on the road. Voices clamored, lights flashed chaotically, and police cars stood along the roadside like a city wall. At the same time, Shi Wen caught an even stronger scent of blood.

Mixed into that bloody smell was the heavy, musky stench of an animal. He could now be certain that the injured one was not human.

"Who is it—"

Before Shi Wen got close, someone called out loudly from afar.

"I'm the one who called the police." Shi Wen stepped forward with Black Kid. "I came to see if there's anything I can help with."

A light shone toward him. Shi Wen turned his head slightly to avoid having it beam directly into his eyes.

The light was quickly lowered, and the person opposite him asked, "Sorry to trouble you. Come over, then. Did you hear anything just now?"

"No. I only noticed something was wrong because my dog was barking outside and I smelled blood."

The other person asked a few more questions, but Shi Wen truly knew nothing. He had only sensed that something was wrong and made a simple police report.

As he spoke, he walked closer.

A handsome, tall man suddenly entered his field of vision.

At that moment, everyone else bustling about seemed to blur away, leaving only the man's figure exceptionally distinct.

Shi Wen's Adam's apple bobbed. He raised a hand in greeting. "Professor Yan."

Yan Kexing nodded slightly. "I guessed the person who called the police was you."

"I smelled blood in the ranch," Shi Wen explained.

After greeting each other, Shi Wen naturally looked around.

In the middle of the crowd lay a sturdy animal with long horns, a yellow back, and a white belly, resting beside the road.

The markings on its face were exceptionally distinctive, like exquisite patterns on a mask. Shi Wen recognized it at first glance—it was a male Goitered Gazelle.

No one knew how the Goitered Gazelle had been injured, but the flesh and blood on its hindquarters were mangled. The warm, rank scent of blood came from there.

Shi Wen's fingers twitched involuntarily. Seeing the police bandaging the Goitered Gazelle, he asked, "Can I take a look?"

Someone beside him glanced at him and replied, "Sure."

Shi Wen walked over and crouched before the Goitered Gazelle.

The Goitered Gazelle stared at Shi Wen with large, round eyes and let out a long, mournful cry, making his heart ache.

He stroked the Goitered Gazelle's head and found that its body temperature was much higher than a human's.

The Goitered Gazelle lowered its head docilely and let him pet it. When he withdrew his hand, it even lowered its head and licked it once.

Shi Wen quietly asked the person bandaging its wounds, "Is it serious?"

"Hard to say. We'll have to take it back and have a veterinarian examine it." The man looked up at Shi Wen. "Large animals like this are pretty tough. Usually, they'll be fine."

Only then did Shi Wen realize that the one helping bandage it was Gong Jiang. He was wearing a long trench coat, and Shi Wen had not recognized him at first.

"It's you!" Shi Wen asked softly. "Do you work with the police?"

Gong Jiang smiled. "More or less. We happened to be there when we got the news, so we came over together to take a look and collect samples while we were at it."

"You need to collect samples too?"

"Yeah. Look at all this blood on the ground. If we draw some from there, we won't have to draw blood from the little guy."

Shi Wen's gaze fell to the ground. There was indeed a small pool of blood there. "Won't it dry up soon? Shouldn't you collect it first?"

"My advisor already collected some."

As Gong Jiang spoke, he shifted to bandage the other side of the Goitered Gazelle.

This time, he might have pulled at a painful spot. The moment Gong Jiang's gauze-holding hand touched its body, the Goitered Gazelle immediately began struggling, violently kicking backward with its injured leg.

Gong Jiang leaned back and landed on his butt on the road, narrowly avoiding the Goitered Gazelle's attack.

Once its lower body was free, the Goitered Gazelle twisted around, dragging its injured hind leg as it tried to stand and flee.

Shi Wen reacted quickly. He suddenly reached out, wrapping one arm around the Goitered Gazelle's neck while grabbing one of its horns with his other hand. "Don't move. It'll be done soon."

As he spoke, Shi Wen rubbed the Goitered Gazelle's neck.

Whether soothed by his movements or not, the Goitered Gazelle gradually calmed down and lay back on the ground.

Gong Jiang wiped the sweat from his forehead. "We came in too much of a hurry and didn't bring anesthetic. Good thing you could calm it down, or this would have been troublesome. If it got away, we really might not have been able to restrain it."

Shi Wen was a little shaken himself, but he still said, "It wouldn't have. There are so many of you."

Gong Jiang shook his head, crouched down, and continued working.

After the bandaging was done, they transferred the Goitered Gazelle into an iron cage.

With Shi Wen there, the Goitered Gazelle did not struggle. It was obediently pushed inside, and everything went smoothly until the latch was shut and it was lifted into the trunk.

Gong Jiang took out a camera and photographed the Goitered Gazelle.

Seeing that there was nothing left for him to do, Shi Wen took a step back.

When he turned and looked around, he discovered that Yan Kexing had somehow taken hold of Black Kid's leash and was watching him.

Shi Wen quickly walked over.

Yan Kexing handed the leash back to him. "The puppy is very well-behaved. What's his name?"

"Black Kid. Black as in night, kid as in baby." Shi Wen lowered his head to look at Black Kid, who was happily wagging his tail. "He seems to be this well-behaved only around you."

As he spoke, Shi Wen sniffed.