Insights Chapter 92: Tracking

Chapter 92: Tracking

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Noon, inside a small restaurant, before finishing his meal, Gu Yanchen received a call from Bao Dui. Bao Dui’s voice sounded urgent, “Hello, Officer Gu? I think something’s not right. I knocked on the door, but there was no answer, and the neighbors don’t know where that person went.”

Gu Yanchen asked, “Did you have someone unlock the door?”

Bao Dui replied, “Yes, after unlocking it, there was no one inside. I found it strange, so I went to the security office to check the surveillance footage at the entrance of the residential area. I saw Wei Sen leaving the residential area alone in the morning. It’s broad daylight, and apart from Zhao Chuanwen, he has no relatives or friends. Where could he have gone?”

Gu Yanchen said, “You stay there, I’ll come over as soon as possible.”

After hanging up the phone, he told the people around him, “Wei Sen is missing too.”

Lu Ying had just eaten half of his meal, quickly picked at his rice with chopsticks, and Bai Meng hurriedly wiped her mouth with a tissue.

When an elderly person goes missing, the detectives at the City Bureau don’t dare to be careless. Gu Yanchen hurriedly left the small restaurant with his team and went to Wei Sen’s house first. Wei Sen’s house had three rooms, totaling over one hundred square meters, and it was also clean inside. There were no decorations on the walls, and the beds were neatly made.

Similar to Zhao Chuanwen’s house, there were no electronic devices in Wei Sen’s house. The furniture was simple, with a study desk next to some bookshelves filled with old books and exercise books. Gu Yanchen flipped through them but found nothing special. It was another typical room of a solitary elderly person.

Bai Meng searched a number provided by the high-ranking director but found the phone turned off, unable to locate it. All signs indicated that this elderly person had gone missing.

This was under the jurisdiction of the Sixth Sub-bureau. Bao Dui rubbed his hands anxiously on the side, worried that if two cases occurred, he would be held responsible. He muttered to himself, “Where could an almost eighty-year-old man possibly go?”

Compared to Zhao Chuanwen’s death, Wei Sen’s disappearance was even more baffling. 

The high-ranking director from the community said, “Wei Sen was an only child. His family members passed away before him, and he never married in his lifetime. He had nowhere else to go.”

With a person like this missing, not even the police had anyone to report it. Several detectives went out to inquire but returned empty-handed in the end. The high-ranking director had other work to do, so he left a few officers here to discuss strategies.

Lu Ying frowned and said, “Captain Gu, could this really be a serial killing targeting the elderly?”

After searching around, Bai Meng returned to Wei Sen’s house. She was sweaty and fanned herself with her hand, saying, “Let’s not jump to conclusions. The old man may just be addicted to playing mahjong or maybe he went out for a meal. His phone might be turned off, that’s all.”

Bao Dui asked, “Captain Gu, what should we do now?”

Gu Yanchen frowned and thought for a moment. He opened Wei Sen’s closet and smelled it, “There’s a unique smell on Wei Sen’s clothes.”

Bai Meng also smelled it, “Yes, it seems like it’s from using soapberry water.”

Some elderly people still had the habit of washing clothes with soapberry water. Wei Sen must have used something like that, and the smell was quite strong.

Lu Ying carefully sniffed around, “The smell is also on the bed.”

It was a mixture of an elderly person’s body odor and the scent of soapberry.

Gu Yanchen’s mind raced. After a moment of contemplation, he asked Bao Dui, “Do you have any tracking police dogs in your sub-bureau?”

Police dogs have sensitive noses and can detect scents better than humans. Perhaps they could track down Wei Sen.

Bao Dui looked a bit embarrassed, “The good breeds of police dogs are usually chosen by your City Bureau first. While we have dogs trained for tracking, they typically have a time limit of two hours. If it’s been longer, the dogs might not be able to pick up the scent.”

Lu Ying added, “Even if the smell is distinctive, it’s been half a day since the person went missing. How much scent can be left? Will the police dogs be useful?”

Gu Yanchen said, “Distinctive scents can linger for several hours or even longer. Since we can’t find the person now, we can only try bringing in the dogs.”

He didn’t press Bao Dui further and turned to Bai Meng, “Go ask the police department at the City Bureau to see if there are any idle police dogs.”

Bai Meng contacted them and came back, saying, “Captain Gu, the anti-narcotics unit is active today, so most of the police dogs have been deployed there. Only Xinghua Village and Jiang Xiaobai are left. It might be difficult to track down someone with them.”

Tracking with police dogs posed certain difficulties, and not every police dog was adept at it.

Gu Yanchen lowered his head in thought, “I’ll think of another solution.”

He remembered a conversation he had with the officer in charge of the police dogs before. In the past, the best tracker dog in the police force was Wuliang. Since the other police dogs weren’t available, he thought of bringing back Wuliang. After making up his mind, Gu Yanchen checked the time. It was already 3 p.m. He made a call to Shen Junci.

After a moment, Shen Junci answered the phone, “Hello.”

Gu Yanchen asked, “Medical examiner Shen, do you have some time now?”

Shen Junci replied, “Yes, what’s the matter?”

He had finished dissecting the corpse in the morning and had since preserved Zhao Chuanwen’s corpse.

Gu Yanchen briefly explained the progress of the case to him over the phone, then asked, “Can you have Qi Yi’an bring a police car to my place, and you bring Wuliang over? Also, remember to bring a tracking rope from the drawer on the right side of the TV cabinet.”

Shen Junci said, “Okay, send me the specific address.”

By 4 p.m. Shen Junci arrived with Wuliang at Wei Sen’s house. Qi Yi’an parked the car and followed. As a precaution, he brought a forensic investigation kit. After Wuliang entered, Gu Yanchen led him to sniff around the room, then let him enter Wei Sen’s closet to remember the scent.

Wuliang, being an experienced police dog, became serious as soon as he understood the task. He sniffed around for a while, then squatted down, wagging his tail, waiting for further instructions. Seeing the dog stop, several detectives were stunned. The human and the dog looked at each other.

Bao Dui reacted, “I’ve worked with police dogs before. Those dogs have dedicated trainers who use various gestures to command them, and the dogs follow those commands.”

Bai Meng suddenly realized, “Captain Gu, do you know tracking commands?”

Gu Yanchen shook his head. Although he had been in charge of logistics and adopted a retired police dog, he had never trained them. Everyone understood, so even if the police dog arrived, it wouldn’t be useful without someone who knew the commands.

Bai Meng had completely forgotten about this earlier, “So what do we do now? Should I ask which trainer is available?”

Gu Yanchen raised his head, “I don’t, but someone does.” With that said, he looked towards Shen Junci. Lin Luo not only knew how to train dogs, but Wuliang was also trained by him when he was young.

Gu Yanchen was highly reliable and never played around with his subordinates. He had high credibility among the team. After he spoke, everyone followed his gaze and looked at Shen Junci.

Shen Junci initially thought he was just there to bring the dog. He was leaning against the wall, waiting for them to take action, but he didn’t expect all eyes to be on him. Shen Junci suddenly remembered that he had made a few dog training gestures on the day he got drunk… Gu Yanchen probably saw them.

Before he could prepare an excuse, the others became excited. Bai Meng said, “That’s great!”

Lu Ying exclaimed, “I didn’t expect you, medical examiner Shen, to know how to command police dogs!”

Qi Yi’an also said, “Teacher, is there anything you can’t do?”

Even Bao Dui from the sub-bureau joined in, “So medical examiner Shen knows this! Let’s hurry up and find the lady. If we delay any longer, there will be more variables.”

Seeing everyone’s earnest hope in him, Shen Junci couldn’t refuse. It seemed like even Wuliang understood Gu Yanchen’s intention. The dog lowered his head, took the tracking rope, and walked to Shen Junci’s feet, then rubbed against his leg. Seeing the current situation, Shen Junci could only say, “I know a little…”

Gu Yanchen said, “Knowing a little is better than nothing. Let’s give it a try.”

Shen Junci hadn’t given police dog commands in many years, but now he was being put on the spot. Fortunately, he remembered those gestures, and he was the one who initially trained Wuliang for tracking.

Shen Junci tied the tracking rope to Wuliang, then squatted down, took Wei Sen’s pillowcase, and grabbed a clean mineral water bottle, poured out the water, and stuffed the pillowcase inside, making a simple scent source bottle. This type of scent source bottle can concentrate the smell and make it easier for the police dog to track.

Next, he gave Wuliang the “sniff” command, which is the first step for the police dog to recognize the scent. Wuliang obediently lowered his head and carefully sniffed the bottle for a while. Shen Junci then gave the “track” command. Wuliang walked towards the door, went about a meter, then turned back to look at Shen Junci.

Encouraged by Shen Junci, Wuliang understood and continued walking outside. Wuliang’s pace was not slow, and the others quickly followed. As they left the gate of the residential area, Wuliang occasionally lowered his head to sniff, searching for the old man’s scent. Although those scents couldn’t be seen or touched, they were indeed real.

Shen Junci held the tracking rope, maintaining a distance of about two meters from the dog, while the others followed behind. Due to the passage of time, the scent had somewhat dissipated. Whenever they reached an intersection, Wuliang seemed a bit confused. Shen Junci would then take out Wei Sen’s belongings and let him smell them. Twice, Wuliang seemed to have taken a wrong turn, but Shen Junci patiently guided him back and then searched for the correct path. He continuously encouraged the police dog, patting Wuliang’s head, sometimes praising him.

“Good boy.”

“Well done.”

“Keep it up!”

Tracking with a police dog required both skill and patience.

The team followed the dog, walking and stopping until it was dark. The temperature difference between day and night in Penang was significant, and it was getting chilly in the evening. Gu Yanchen noticed that Shen Junci was wearing thin clothes, so he took off his own coat and draped it over him. Shen Junci hesitated for a moment but eventually accepted it.

Gu Yanchen’s shoulders were wider than his. Shen Junci adjusted the coat and pulled it tight around his chest. He buried his face in the collar of the coat. Shen Junci felt his face getting warm. The fabric of the collar rubbed against his skin, carrying Gu Yanchen’s body temperature and a pleasant scent.

Finally, Wuliang led several detectives from the Special Criminal Division to a hillside. This hillside was located in the urban area, formerly used for farming, but it had long been abandoned. Apart from a few sheds, various weeds and bushes grew densely, making it desolate. Normally, nobody would come here. Arriving here, Wuliang became restless, panting and sticking out his tongue, then suddenly started barking.

Shen Junci, familiar with Wuliang’s reactions, sensed his change in mood and said, “We may have found something!”

Then he released the tracking rope, and the dog dashed up the hill.

Gu Yanchen was the most physically fit and often climbed the Lu Ming Mountain. He followed closely behind the dog.

The others followed, with only Qi Yi’an carrying the forensic kit. At this point, he was having trouble keeping up, so he urged, “Wait for me…”

Lu Ying turned back, took the kit from him, and caught up with the others. The slope of the hill wasn’t steep, and it took about ten minutes to climb up. As they approached the top of the hill, Wuliang suddenly stopped and looked up at a tree under which a corpse hung.