Chapter 35: Catching the Poachers
In just one day, the dismemberment case made new progress.
On the second day after Consultant Lin left, the police from Qingze District went to a neighboring city and put handcuffs on Zhao Dawen, who was enjoying himself in a five-star hotel.
At this point, the other sub-bureaus all understood that Qingze District’s criminal investigation team had already grasped key evidence.
And that was indeed the case. From the traces left on the hammer, the police detected both the victim’s and Zhao Dawen’s blood.
At the time, Zhao Dawen hadn’t paid attention to this. He thought that once the hammer was thrown into the river, it would either be washed away or all traces would be completely destroyed.
However, he failed to notice that there was some flour and grime left on the hammer. It was precisely this clotted flour that stuck to the blood of both individuals. And because it had been stuffed inside a bag, this mixture wasn’t immediately washed away, and by sheer coincidence, it was preserved.
In addition, the police found a set of clothes he had worn on his way back to the hotel from downstream of the Tongji River. The torn pant leg matched exactly the location described by the tortoiseshell cat, and it also corresponded to the fabric fibers found outside the nightclub.
Zhao Dawen still tried to argue, but Li Wei found the lottery ticket he had redeemed at the lottery center. On the back, written in ballpoint pen, was the character “Qiang”—which happened to be the victim’s name, Wang Qiang.
“Don’t tell me you’d write someone else’s name on your own lottery ticket as a mark.”
After confirming Zhao Dawen as the suspect, Li Wei and the others began to consider his motive.
Not only had he killed, but he had gone as far as dismemberment. This meant the conflict between the two ran extremely deep—so deep that he wished to grind the other into dust.
“Later, we investigated your past. You like gambling, Wang Qiang liked visiting prostitutes. But you had accumulated a debt of 500,000 from gambling. You had no one left in your hometown—your parents fled to another province long ago to avoid you and never contacted you again. Without a large sum of money, you would definitely have been killed by those illegal gambling dens.”
This was why Zhao Dawen had to take Wang Qiang’s lottery ticket. The jackpot, after tax, was nearly four million—enough to clear all his debts and live comfortably for years.
“That nightclub was also a place you used to frequent, right? That mezzanine was actually a gambling den set up by the owner. But after he ran away with the money, you stopped going.”
When Zhao Dawen decided to act, he remembered that nightclub. Having gambled in the mezzanine before, he knew very well that it connected directly to the hotel.
After returning, the police reviewed the hotel surveillance again and discovered that Zhao Dawen had stayed there one week before the crime.
“At that time, you came here specifically to check whether the hidden door was still there, didn’t you?”
The more Li Wei spoke, the more agitated Zhao Dawen became. In the end, he slammed his hands on the table, roaring angrily, “Stop talking! Stop talking! I told you to stop, didn’t you hear me?!”
His face and neck flushed red, his eyes filled with vicious light.
But Li Wei’s next sentence froze him completely.
“Did you know Wang Qiang actually wanted to give you 500,000 to pay off your debts?”
When the team discovered this, they were all stunned. Zhao Dawen had claimed they were just fair-weather friends, and given both of their bad reputations, the police had assumed their friendship was superficial.
But unexpectedly, Wang Qiang had truly regarded him as a brother.
“If you hadn’t argued with him back then, you might’ve already cleared your debts—without killing anyone.” Li Wei sneered, his tone full of mockery.
Zhao Dawen stood there like a statue for a long time before muttering, “Impossible… impossible…”
Li Wei rolled his eyes. To be honest, even when Lin Jiangye first heard about it, he had suspected the investigation might be wrong.
“No mistake. He really did treat Zhao Dawen like a brother. We only learned this when we mentioned the lottery at a bun shop the victim frequented—the owner suddenly remembered this detail.” Who would’ve thought—the victim treated the killer like a brother, and that “brother” chopped him into pieces.
Sitting in the car, Lin Jiangye fell silent for a moment, then let out a helpless sigh.
When Zhao Dawen was arrested, Li Wei had invited him to come along, but Lin Jiangye refused.
If he went, he wouldn’t have time to feed the little cutie and the others. Then he would become that untrustworthy human.
Perhaps because Li Wei had informed the Forestry Bureau about people hunting seagulls, when Lin Jiangye arrived at the riverside, he found a group of patrol officers already there.
When they saw him approaching—with a large backpack—they immediately looked at him with suspicion.
Lin Jiangye took out his special consultant ID and the written proof from Li Wei. “I’m not one of those people hunting seagulls. I’m here to feed them at their nesting site.”
The Forestry Bureau staff still seemed doubtful, but in the next second, a flock of seagulls flew over, circling around Lin Jiangye: [Human! You finally came! We’re starving!]
Looking at the bulging belly of the speaking seagull, Lin Jiangye didn’t know how to respond.
You’re not starving—you’re about to burst… How did you get this round? Can you even still fly?
The sudden appearance of so many seagulls startled the staff.
They reached out to shoo them away, only to nearly get pecked.
“Hey! No attacking humans! They’re helping you catch the bad ones,” Lin Jiangye quickly grabbed the seagull that was about to peck, holding it firmly as it flapped its wings.
Perhaps it was just an illusion, but after he said that, the hostility from the seagulls toward the Forestry staff noticeably decreased.
“Sorry, they’ve been a bit sensitive toward humans lately.” Lin Jiangye gently stroked their heads and shooed away a few greedy ones perched on his backpack.
Watching the close interaction between him and the seagulls, the Forestry staff suddenly felt a mix of envy and bitterness.
Yesterday, when they came here, they had been swarmed and “beaten” by the seagulls—attacked in a flurry and then left behind.
But this young man? Not only did the seagulls not attack him—they even attacked others for him!
So who exactly works for the Forestry Bureau here?!
“Let’s go!” Lin Jiangye didn’t bother with them and quickly followed the seagulls.
Seeing this, one person hurried after him and asked, “Can… can I come with you?”
Lin Jiangye originally wanted to refuse, but when he thought about their identity—and the possibility that he might build a wildlife park in the future—he couldn’t bring himself to say no.
Forget it. Whether or not he would actually build one, it was good to establish connections now. If they encountered injured wildlife in the future, they might even ask him for help.
“Alright, but you have to follow my instructions. No acting on your own.”
With permission granted, the group excitedly followed him to where the boat was docked.
The boat had been lent by the Qingze District police—a rubber dinghy that could hold up to five people.
After boarding, they took the initiative to steer. Following the seagulls’ guidance, they soon arrived at the nesting site.
Just like yesterday, as soon as they approached, a chilling sensation crept up their spines. Looking up, they saw almost all the seagulls staring at them.
“They’re on our side. Don’t attack them.” Lin Jiangye set down his backpack and clapped his hands, speaking on behalf of the Forestry staff.
In the next moment, the scrutinizing gazes disappeared. The group let out a collective sigh of relief and looked at Lin Jiangye in disbelief.
Who exactly was this person?
Why were the seagulls so obedient to him?
The Forestry Bureau staff couldn’t figure it out no matter how hard they thought, but they still obediently followed Lin Jiangye’s instructions, taking out the bird feed from their backpacks and scattering it on the ground.
The moment the feed appeared, the seagulls became excited, swooping down in a flurry. The sudden movement scared those people into crouching down and covering their heads, afraid of being pecked bald.
Seeing this instinctive reaction, Lin Jiangye’s mouth twitched slightly, and he felt a trace of sympathy.
He pointed at them and said to the seagulls, “From now on, when you see them, you’re not allowed to attack them, got it? They’re good humans here to protect you.”
The seagulls didn’t want to listen and turned their backs, presenting their butts toward him.
But Lin Jiangye subdued them with a single sentence: “If you don’t behave, I won’t come next time. I can just change the meeting place with the little cutie.”
The seagulls immediately squawked in anger, but before they could continue, the young man pinched one’s beak shut. “Little mouth—close it.”
Angry and aggrieved, the seagull glanced at the fragrant food, and in the end chose to compromise, reluctantly calling out twice toward the group.
The people looked at Lin Jiangye in confusion. He grabbed one of the seagulls and placed it on their hands. “I told them not to attack you anymore.”
The seagull perched on their hands was unusually well-behaved—completely different from its earlier fierce demeanor.
Damn it! Even though they wouldn’t be attacked anymore, why did this feel even more heartbreaking? QAQ
Still, they had realized something—this special consultant from Wen’an District possessed the incredible ability to communicate with animals.
That must be why the seagulls not only didn’t reject him, but even welcomed him warmly.
Definitely not because they themselves couldn’t make such delicious bird feed. QAQ
Lin Jiangye handed over the task of feeding the seagulls to them and carried a large bag of fish biscuits to the waterside.
The Forestry staff were still wondering what he was doing when, moments later, a gray, plump “big pig”—no, a finless porpoise—appeared before them.
“!!!”
“H-he-he-he…” Someone trembled, pointing at the porpoise, unable to form a complete sentence.
They knew porpoises occasionally appeared here, but they were shy creatures—rarely seen up close.
And yet today, just from coming to help feed birds, they actually witnessed an East Asian finless porpoise!
[Human! It’s you!]
“Yes, it’s me!” Lin Jiangye happily patted the little cutie’s plump body. This little guy had been taking good care of itself.
The porpoise lay on the damp shore, eating the fish biscuits one bite at a time as Lin Jiangye fed it.
After eating its fill, it slid back into the water, happily doing a little flip for Lin Jiangye before diving away.
From start to finish, it didn’t even glance at the other humans—even though their eager gazes practically burned holes into it.
Only after the porpoise disappeared did the group snap out of it. They grabbed Lin Jiangye’s arm, refusing to let him leave.
“Brother! Friend! Consultant Lin! H-how did you… connect with the porpoise?”
Lin Jiangye frowned slightly at the wording. What “connect”? That sounded awful. This was mutual consent!
Sensing his meaning, the man quickly corrected himself: “I mean—how did you know you could feed it here?”
“Because we made an agreement yesterday.”
The man’s mouth hung open in shock. Instinctively, he thought it was impossible—but thinking about Lin Jiangye’s abilities, it suddenly didn’t seem so unbelievable…
Even seagulls that hated humans were willing to let him near their nests—so what about a porpoise?
On the way back, the group remained absent-minded, only snapping back to reality when someone patted their shoulders.
“What’s wrong with you guys? Weren’t you supposed to monitor the riverside? Did you find those people hunting seagulls?”
They shook their heads, then excitedly began recounting what they had just witnessed.
The next day, when Lin Jiangye returned to the riverside, he found that the number of patrol personnel had increased.
The same group from yesterday greeted him with wide smiles, practically oozing flattery. “Consultant Lin! Good morning!”
Lin Jiangye silently looked up at the sky—the sun was already overhead. Morning?
They laughed awkwardly and quickly shifted the topic, asking if they could accompany him to see the porpoise.
“We won’t do anything—we just have a few questions. About water quality, food availability… to ensure their population can continue to thrive in Winter Sea Bay.”
They stepped aside, revealing several elderly individuals behind them. “These are researchers from the National Marine Park and the Winter Sea Research Institute. They want to assess the living conditions of the porpoises in this area.”
To understand how well the porpoises were living, of course they had to ask the porpoises themselves! And any future improvements should also consider their “opinions.”
In the past, this wasn’t possible—but now it was different. Now there was a human who could understand animal language!
After confirming Lin Jiangye’s abilities with Li Wei and Shang Fuyan, and witnessing it themselves, they believed this was their best chance to learn about the porpoises.
Lin Jiangye fell silent again. He hadn’t expected this to be their reason.
But it made sense. The East Asian finless porpoise was a protected species—far more valuable for research than seagulls.
“You can ask questions, but…” His gaze swept across them, turning sharp. “No getting close, no touching, and no asking me to bring it over.”
That little cutie was shy. Whether it was their first meeting or later feedings, it ignored everyone except him.
If they went overboard and scared it…
He couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t act against them.
They understood the warning and nodded quickly. “Of course! We’re professionals!”
Touching wild animals recklessly and getting bitten happened every year. They were here to protect, not to court death.
When the group approached the seagull nesting area, Lin Jiangye had them stop at a distance rather than crowding ashore.
After feeding the seagulls, the porpoise appeared right on time.
Seeing twice as many humans as yesterday, it became visibly nervous. But since they stayed on the water and didn’t approach, it didn’t flee immediately.
Lin Jiangye fed it biscuits while putting the phone on speaker, asking about the surrounding environment.
The porpoise ate happily and, trusting him, answered every question.
He then relayed its responses to the researchers, who recorded everything while asking one final question:
“Consultant Lin, please ask it whether there have been bad humans capturing them recently.”
Lin Jiangye paused, then passed the question along.
Unexpectedly, the porpoise’s tone became agitated: [Yes!!! I encountered them! I almost died!!!]
Lin Jiangye’s heart sank. “What happened?”
[I saw humans on boats near the shore. They used hooks and nets to catch us! If they couldn’t hook us, they would trap us in nets!] The porpoise had been terrified—if it hadn’t escaped quickly, it would have been captured like the others.
[After that… I never saw my companions again.]
It let out a sharp, anguished cry—part anger, part mourning.
“Where did this happen? Did you see the location?” Lin Jiangye ignored the water soaking his clothes and pulled the porpoise into his arms, gently comforting it.
The porpoise whimpered softly and gave him a location.
Before Lin Jiangye could figure out where that location was, a seagull nearby suddenly spoke up: [It’s those humans! They’re the same bad humans who attacked us!]
Lin Jiangye: “???”
The ones hunting seagulls and the ones hunting porpoises… were actually the same group?
Were these people… insane?
[We know where they are! We can lead you there!] At the mention of their enemies, the seagulls instantly forgot about food, sleep, even their chicks, all clamoring to guide Lin Jiangye.
[I can too!] With this human around, the porpoise wasn’t afraid!
Lin Jiangye quickly relayed the information to the Forestry Bureau and the researchers. When they learned that the people hunting seagulls were also hunting porpoises, they were furious beyond measure.
“Just arrest them all and execute them! What’s the point of letting people like that live!” One of the researchers was so angry he nearly fainted.
They had been working tirelessly to monitor the environment, afraid that these East Asian finless porpoises might end up like the Changjiang population—barely surviving—exhausting themselves in the process. And yet there were people actively hunting them?
After packing up, Lin Jiangye boarded the researchers’ boat, which sped toward the destination.
The speed was so fast that it left the porpoise behind, let alone the rubber dinghy—only the seagulls could keep up.
Soon, they spotted two small boats in the distance.
Even from afar, they could clearly see—a dark porpoise lay motionless on one of the boats.
Normally, porpoises are gray. Only after death do they turn completely black.
Which meant—they had already killed one.
The researchers made strained, gasping sounds, so alarming that the Forestry staff thought they were about to collapse.
But the elderly men held on, forcing themselves to stay composed as they accelerated straight toward the boats. The sudden burst nearly threw Lin Jiangye off balance.
Then—bang!—the two vessels collided violently.
The opposing boats were just ordinary fishing vessels. Even with engines, they couldn’t withstand a collision with a speedboat.
The impact knocked the people on one boat straight into the water.
Before the others could react, Lin Jiangye leapt from the speedboat, stepped onto the overturned vessel, and like a leopard, sprang onto the second boat.
“You—” The poacher didn’t even finish saying “who” before a fist the size of a sandbag came crashing toward his face. The next second, his vision went black.
There were only two people on the second boat. Seeing one of them knocked out with a single punch, the other immediately raised his hands in surrender.
Lin Jiangye cracked his knuckles, the sound making the man tremble in fear, afraid he’d be next.
To be honest, Lin Jiangye really did want to hit him.
But there were too many witnesses. Otherwise, he would’ve happily held the man down and “washed” his head in the sea 🙂
The researchers flipped the overturned boat back over and retrieved the floating tools. When they saw the equipment on the other vessel, they clutched their chests in pain.
These people weren’t just hunting porpoises—they had been killing multiple protected species.
Taking advantage of the fact that the poachers were restrained, the seagulls swooped in, clawing and pecking, leaving bloody marks all over them.
[Bad humans! Hate bad humans! All bad humans should die!] Thinking of their slain companions and chicks, the seagulls were furious, wishing they could tear these humans apart.
Lin Jiangye and the others, of course, chose to pretend they saw nothing.
Some of the men begged for mercy, others accused them of standing by and doing nothing. Lin Jiangye only replied calmly, “Isn’t this karma? Who can you blame?”
You reap what you sow—this saying had existed for thousands of years, yet some people still treated it like background noise.
When they hunted seagulls and porpoises, they were delighted. Had they ever imagined a day when animals would take revenge?
Earlier, when two of them fell into the water, they had already been bitten by a young porpoise rushing over, leaving deep wounds on their arms.
That was with the porpoise holding back. The seagulls, however, showed no restraint.
After all, they hadn’t just provoked a few birds—but an entire colony.
Just wait—when the whole nesting group swarmed, that would be true living hell.
Lin Jiangye quietly leaned against the side of the boat, gently stroking the porpoise’s head and softly comforting it, while watching the poachers get their “punishment.”
Only when their cries for help grew weak did he whistle sharply. The sound instantly drew the seagulls’ attention.
“That’s enough for now. Leave them alive,” he said lightly.
(The rest—leave it for the others.)
The humans didn’t understand the latter part, but the seagulls did.
And just as Lin Jiangye expected—when they approached the shore, it wasn’t just the fisheries officers waiting.
There was also a flock of seagulls… waiting for revenge.
The moment those men saw the birds, they began trembling uncontrollably.
After they were brought ashore, both the fisheries bureau and the police looked at the battered, unrecognizable poachers—and couldn’t help twitching at the corners of their mouths.
When Li Wei heard that they had caught a group of people, he made time to come take a look. Seeing the poachers covered in injuries, he quietly leaned toward Lin Jiangye and whispered, “You went a bit too hard on them…”
If any of them were cunning enough, they could accuse him of intentional assault.
What he got in return was a cold, mocking laugh. “Go ahead and sue. When the time comes, the defendant’s stand will be full of seagulls.”
Oh—so it was the seagulls.
Oh? It was actually the seagulls!
Not just Li Wei—everyone nearby stared at the battered poachers. This time, smiles of satisfaction spread across their faces.
Ah! Wonderful! The seagulls did it!
A seagull that had once witnessed its companions being attacked landed on Lin Jiangye’s shoulder, cawing loudly: [There’s more! There are still several others! We remember all of them!]
They had only caught four people here, but according to the seagulls, there had been seven or eight.
Which meant—half of them were still out there.
Tch.
Looking at the crowd gathered along the riverbank, a thought flashed through Lin Jiangye’s mind—what if the remaining ones were mixed in, observing the situation?
He gently stroked the seagull on his shoulder and whispered something to it. The bird immediately spread its wings and flew off.
Not many noticed this, but Li Wei did.
Soon after, a group of seagulls suddenly swarmed into the crowd, causing panic among the onlookers.
But it quickly became clear—they weren’t attacking randomly. They were targeting specific individuals.
Thinking of the bloodied poachers, the real bystanders immediately became suspicious: “Those guys must be accomplices!”
The fisheries bureau and police clearly came to the same conclusion. After the seagulls flew off, they swiftly surrounded those individuals, cutting off all escape routes.
Soon enough, several modified nail guns were found in their backpacks.
The men tried to deny everything, but one of the injured accomplices couldn’t hold back and exposed them: “Don’t think you can escape just because we’re caught! If we go down, we all go down!”
They had hunted so many seagulls and other animals—there was no escaping prison now.
If I can’t get away, then none of you will either!
“What nonsense are you talking about? I don’t even know you!”
“Officer! I confess! I’ll confess everything! We killed a lot of stray animals before, skinned them to sell! Those porpoises too—someone on the darknet wanted them for food! And the seagulls—someone wanted specimens! Everything’s stored in a village house—I can take you there!”
Hearing him spill everything in one breath, the others were completely stunned.
Meanwhile, Lin Jiangye was being tightly restrained by Li Wei and the others, who were grabbing his arms and legs.
“Calm down, Consultant Lin! Hitting people means compensation!”
“I! CAN! AFFORD! IT!” He wasn’t police staff, and he had plenty of money—what was a little compensation?
Li Wei used all his strength to hold him back. “No, no! Let the seagulls and the stray animals handle it—humans shouldn’t step in! Why waste money on them? Better spend it on food, toys, and shiny things for the little ones, right?”
He was nearly exhausted. This was his first time directly experiencing Lin Jiangye’s terrifying strength—no wonder Shang Fuyan said this guy could punch a drug dealer into a concussion with one blow.
Those words finally convinced Lin Jiangye. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
Sensing that he had settled, everyone let out a sigh of relief. Li Wei even collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily.
Youth really was something—such brute strength!
When he got back, he was definitely calling Shang Fuyan to keep a closer eye on this kid. Otherwise, one day he might punch some heinous criminal straight into the afterlife.
Lin Jiangye stood there with a cold expression, his gaze like blades cutting into the poachers, as if he wanted to slice them piece by piece.
At that moment, something warm and soft landed on his shoulder: [Human, don’t be angry.]
It was a tiny seagull, probably one that had just learned to fly.
Holding the little round fluffball in his hands, feeling its soft feathers, half of Lin Jiangye’s anger instantly dissipated.
As for the remaining half… he would need to make a trip to that abandoned factory.
But before that, he had to go home and bring the German Shepherd.
Since the dog had smelled a hidden “companion,” it likely knew something about the situation.
When it came to dogs… it was best to let dogs handle it.
Author’s note:
Others: Xiao Ye, what if one day you hit someone and the public complains, and they revoke your consultant status?
Xiao Ye: Whatever. I accept it. [angry]
Captain Li: Eh? Wait? [dog holding a rose]
Captain Shang: Hey! Wait! [panic]
Is there a chapter missing here? The who nightclub thing comes out if nowhere, they were just looking for the murder weapon in the previous chapter.